Once Upon a Groom (Harlequin Special Edition #2146)

They wanted different things. Went their different ways. Gained what they thought they wanted. Now, to forget what they left...

There was just something so sweet about Zack and Jenny's relationship that draws you in. It was terrific to watch them come from completely opposite ends of a spectrum to work together towards something that mattered to them both.

This was a very light romance that was very loving and, for the most part, chaste. The author does get in one or steamy steamy scenes but they are not part of the overall theme of the book just the natural progression of the characters' feelings. This book is terrific for a lazy afternoon by the fire!

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Wonderfully romantic second chance story

Jenny Farber and Zack Decker find themselves thrown back together after several years of being apart and following their own dreams and aspirations. Together they must tend to the medical needs of Silas, Zack's father, and the Rocky D, the family ranch. They both have had totally different outlooks on how and where life should lead them til now, but lingering secrets from the past and a deep underlying passion for each other makes them look at what is really important in their lives. Will being given this second chance make them see what is right and where they need to be? Come follow their wonderfully romantic tale as they try to deny their passionate attractions but fail as love prevails in the end. I love second chance love stories and this one is definitely not an exception to the rule. Karen writes a very sharp and descriptive story from the very first page, making me a very big fan of her writing style. The dialogue is wonderfully written throughout and makes the story move at a very nice and smooth pace. This was just an all-around good read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary, second chance romance novels. This book was kindly provided to me by it's wonderful author for my honest review.

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Engaging Read

Two kids from dysfunctional families grow up and discover that their families don't define nor predict what they themselves will become. The road that leads them to that truth and the love they find along the way is what this story is all about.

Parents aren't perfect and sometimes the choices they make concerning themselves have lasting impact on their children. Kids only see it from their limited perspective but the hurt is just as potent, damaging and long lasting when the influences are negative and/or bitter.

Jenny and Zack are the products of such situations. In Once Upon A Groom, Ms. Smith brings to life the tale of two young lovers who were hurt by their immaturity at dealing with an adult situation. The author makes a reader understand that the love between the two when they were young was real but what tore them a part was just as viable. Through heartfelt dialogue and a potentially tragic course of events, Jenny and Zack reconnect.

Zack's character is more like the walking wounded. Sure, he's successful with his chosen career. He worked hard at it and through sheer guts and grit, made it. Inside, the hero is like a puppy curled up, protecting its tender belly. His soft, sentimental and tender feelings he might have for home, the ranch and Jenny are all bundled and woven into a ball of denial so tight, it seemed they would never unravel. He's a tortured hero, all right, and it's his fear and anger that acts as his shield through most of the story.

Jenny has found a different way to cope and she's the lucky one. Whereas Zack's family life scarred him emotionally, those same people, his mom and dad, took in Jenny and gave her what was missing in her own life. Jenny is a quasi-orphan. Her mom died and her dad coped by running away repeatedly, leaving the heroine at the mercy of disinterested parties. Feelings of abandonment abound and yet Jenny showed a core of steel in refusing to bow under its weight and live her life in a state of self-pity. There's a lot to admire about the heroine. She's a survivor. However, the cost of that survival means she's refused to face some hard truths of her own.

It all comes to a head when Jenny and Zack have to deal with each other for days on end. The revelations arrive in the story like layers on an onion. Every time the author peeled back another level of pain, it revealed a new truth and I got to see the ripple effect on the main characters. As something new gets learned, the author lets a reader deeper and deeper into the anguish that keeps the two lovers apart. The tale is told from both Jenny and Zack's point of view. By doing that, Ms. Smith allows a reader to see how each step allows for the growth of a matured love, one based on understanding, truth and forgiveness. It's the catharsis of letting go of old beliefs to face and embrace a true reality that finally breaks the dam that held both Jenny and Zack back.

Read the Full review at the Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

A sweet story.

When Jenny Farber calls Zach Decker, asking him to come home, he never questions her...he just heads home. When he finds out why she calls him home (she suspects there is something wrong with his father) he leaves just as fast as he got there.

Fast forward three months and we have Zach once again receiving a call from Jenny. This time it's to tell him that his father has had a heart attack and to come home.

Once home, Zach is forced to re-evaluate everything he thought he knew about the life and people he left behind in Miner's Bluff, especially the hold that a certain Jenny Farber has had over him.

I'm sure for readers of the Harlequin Special Edition books, this will be a sweet story that many will enjoy. It has high school sweethearts returning to one another after jumping over some of the hurdles that were in their way before. A son forgives his father in hopes of rekindling their relationship. Cute, cute, cute.

For me, I was hung up on the fact that Zach didn't seem all that mad about Jenny not telling him about the "big secret". I won't reveal it here, but I truly think that would have been a bit more of an issue than Jenny not moving to California with Zach. I also didn't like the fact that Zach could only say he loved Jenny when it seemed like she was in immediate danger, prior to that he was ready to fly off for his documentary project.

It's a cute, sweet story of two people who remember what is means to connect with someone and open your heart.

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

A wonderful tale

When Arizona rancher Silas Decker suffers a heart attack, his son Southern California based film director Zack comes home to the family spread in Miners Bluff. In the Flagstaff hospital Silas asks Zack to help Jenny Farber run the ranch while he recuperates.

Zack and Jenny loved one another, but when he asked her to come with him to Los Angeles she refused; insisting her life is as a rancher and not a Hollywood bimbo while he could not wait to leave Arizona. Both believe the attraction ended fifteen years ago when he headed west. Working together on the ranch and rescuing endangered horses while also attending their high school reunion, Zack and Jenny know they remain in love, but he is California and she is Arizona.

This Reunion Brides ranch romance is a warm second chance at love tale starring two likable protagonists who appear to have different life objectives. Their attraction remains strong even with each employing denial as a defense mechanism fortified by their obstinacy; especially dividing them is how each feels about Silas. Fans will enjoy this entertaining contemporary as Malibu and Miners Bluff converge.

Harriet Klausner

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.