I'm not generally a fan of the romance genre - and I really hate the covers of most romance novels - but I decided to read an Abby Jimenez book to see what the hoopla was about. I have to admit, I quite liked this book. The writing style was fluid and the conversations didn't make me roll my eyes. The challenges keeping the two main characters, Alexis and Daniel, apart were realistic. Alexis was 10 years older than Daniel, wealthy, a doctor amongst a family of surgeons with a medical legacy to uphold, a brother who jumped ship to another country to marry the woman he loved because their parents would never accept her, and a home/family hospital located two hours from where Daniel lived. Daniel was a carpenter living in a rustic, small town home while running a Bed & Breakfast during the summer season in his family home that he couldn't afford to buy. His mother owned it, who he grew up thinking was his sister. She was not responsible and seemed to have no motherly feelings for Daniel. She was certainly not sensitive to his needs. So both Alexis and Daniel were pretty much tied to their ancestral homes/legacy.
Alexis knows that her parents would never accept Daniel in her life, so she sees him secretly. Her bother was disinherited when his dad found out he married a pop star. No one knows about Daniel except her best friend. All the rest of her "friends" were superficial at best, which Alexis quickly discovers the first time they unexpectantly meet Daniel. They were positively horrible to him because of his "lower status" in life. What I really liked about this book is how much Alexis grows as a person. She sees how shallow her life has been, following in his parent's footsteps in the medical field simply because it was expected of her; dating an emotionally abusive man for seven years because her parents loved him; living in a mansion and not valuing the smaller things in life; buying a $4,000 dress "just because" and wearing $2,000 sandals to a funeral "just because". Although she wanted to do something more meaningful in her life, she didn't have the strength to go against her parents. Another thing I loved about the book is Daniel and all the people who lived in his small town. They were like one big family. Very heartwarming.
Alexis finally sees herself in her mother, who never goes against her husband in anything, even to support her children. Her relationship with her long-term surgeon boyfriend is exactly like her mom's relationship with her dad. They both just went along to go along because it was too difficult to fight against it. Alexis decides to break free from this cycle of emotional abuse. The ending of the book is extremely satisfying and I really enjoyed the read.
Wendy's Rating: ****
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