Series:
Gallant Lake Stories (Book 8)
She rescues animals in need
Maybe she could save him, too
Feeling more beast than beauty, web designer Olivia
Carson hides her physical and emotional scars behind an isolated country life.
Only her beloved rescue animals breach her guard. Until a farmhouse remodel
brings city-boy contractor Tony Vello crashing into her quiet world. They share
similar past pain -- and undeniable attraction. But as Olivia's beloved rescue
kittens and horses…and her tender kisses…melt the walls around his heart, will
he stay once the job is done?
Good book that is part of the Gallant Lake Stories
series. There are characters and references to earlier stories, but this book
can be read as a standalone.
Olivia and Tony have both come to Gallant Lake in search
of healing. After a horrific car accident that killed her best friend and left
her with physical and emotional scars, Olivia spends most of her time with her
rescue animals. As the book opens, she's dealing with a home gutted by an
incompetent contractor she has since fired. A friend recommends that she hire newcomer
and temporary resident Tony to repair the damage and finish the remodel.
Tony is part of a big, noisy Italian family that has a
business building skyscrapers in New York City. A few months earlier, Tony
witnessed an accident on a job site that killed his best friend. The memories
sent him spiraling to a dark place. After taking a leave of absence to deal
with the aftereffects, Tony is still reluctant to go home. He stumbles onto
Gallant Lake and stops to enjoy the peaceful surroundings. A new acquaintance
offers him the opportunity to use his construction skills while deciding what
to do.
The first meeting between Olivia and Tony didn't go well.
His brash New York ways put off Olivia and made her reluctant to hire him. I
liked how Tony realized his mistake and scaled back his bluntness. Olivia
didn't appreciate being treated like an idiot and was equally blunt in her
responses. Fortunately, each realized they needed the other, and they were able
to work out a deal.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Oliva and
Tony develop. The antagonism between them was evident as Tony began his work.
In building skyscrapers, he was accustomed to being given the plans and left to
do his job. Olivia is far more involved having been burned by the previous contractor.
Her constant check-ins and questions get on his nerves, and his surliness gets
on hers. But underneath the antagonism simmers an attraction neither wants to
admit. When they finally give in to it, both are certain they can keep it
casual, knowing there is an end date. However, opening up and sharing their
pain also leaves the door open for other feelings.
I loved seeing the changes in Tony and Olivia. Olivia
begins letting other people get closer. Tony realizes that his heart is no
longer in his previous work. But an unexpected visit from two cousins raises
doubts in his mind. I ached for Olivia as she understood his battle and knew
she had to let him go. Tony broke my heart with his doubts and fears. I hurt
for both as they worked through their fears, and I followed their journey to
healing with hope for their future together. I loved the ending, from the work
party at Olvia's house to her visit to Tony's family, with the sunrise scene being
my favorite part.
Tony's city-boy reactions to life in the country are
pretty amusing. The horses freak him out, he's wary of Olivia's dog, Ginger,
and he initially thought the little gray kitten was a rat. I liked how the
kittens, especially the gray one, slipped past Tony's guard, and he soon
interacted with all the animals. The scene in the barn with Misty was terrific.
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