The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Blue Heron #1
Publication Date: 26th February 2013
Pages: 432
Book Source: Harlequin & NetGalley

Synopsis: Sometimes the best man is who you least expect.... Faith Holland left her hometown after being jilted at the  altar. Now a little older and wiser, she's ready to return  to the Blue Heron Winery, her family's vineyard, to confront  the ghosts of her past, and maybe enjoy a glass of red.  After all, there's some great scenery there.... 

Like Levi Cooper, the local police chief-and best friend  of her former fiancé. There's a lot about Levi that Faith  never noticed, and it's not just those deep green eyes.  The only catch is she's having a hard time forgetting that  he helped ruin her wedding all those years ago. If she  can find a minute amidst all her family drama to stop  and smell the rosé, she just might find a reason to stay  at Blue Heron, and finish that walk down the aisle.

Karen's Thoughts:

Well I have to fess up and admit that I had my doubts beginning Kristan Higgins’s latest novel, The Best Man. I just wasn't feeling any warm fuzzies towards the main characters, had no idea how on earth Kristan was going to make me fall in love with Levi and Faith and want their HEA. I just couldn't see how two people who had such strong negative feelings toward each other were going to make it.

Well there’s a reason my top book shelf is full of Kristan’s backlist, all of which have been read many times over and are looking quite worse for wear and that’s because she knows how to draw you into her characters' lives so that you feel like you’re walking their path along side them.

By the end of the book my tissue box was nearly empty and I’d fallen in love with Levi and Faith and the whole town of Manningsport. I’m thrilled that for the first time Kristan is writing a trilogy set in Manningsport, Finger Lakes wine country, so I’ll get the chance to revisit with some wonderful people (*sigh if only Malone and Maggie (Catch of the Day) had relocated there the place would be damn near perfect lol).

Whilst I often find myself swooning over Kristan’s leading men, they very nearly take a back seat to the other star of the book, always a cute sweet loveable dog. In The Best Man, that happens to be Blue, an adorable golden retriever, also Faith’s companion dog as she has epilepsy.

“Blue lay on his back in front of the fire, dreaming of being a ball boy at the U.S. Open, his paws twitching.”

I often wonder what the author’s own family get togethers are like and whether she draws some of the situations in her book from life experience. The family units that feature in her novels are generally an absolute crack up. The Holland family is no exception, they're quirky and easily loveable.

Faith’s family trying to find a new lady love for their father created some interesting conversations -

“How’s the dating going, Dad?” Jack asked

“Since the transvestite, you mean”?  he answered, which went right over Levi’s head. He supposed he should be grateful.  “Well, John continued, “I think I’ve given it a good shot, but I’m probably happier alone.”

“Oh, Dad, no!  Don’t give up,” Faith said, “You said the lady from Corning was really nice.  Please give me another chance!”

“Just don’t let Lorena back in the house,” Jack said.  “That woman makes my testicles retract.”

Something I could relate to my own family situation being the mother of four children…

“Dad, we’re pretty sure she’s after your money.”

“I have no money.  I have four children instead.”

It know its going to be quite a wait for the second installment and I still don’t know who it is that Kristan will be writing about next, I have a feeling it may be Faith’s sister Honor … but I know for sure that as soon as its available I’ll be adding it to my pre-order list.

Review by Karen Barr

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