While I did enjoy Handle With Care, I felt it lacked a certain sparkle to make it exceptional. ~ Slick – Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Handle With Care by Marie Harte (Veteran Movers, #3)
Standalone Novel | Available Now
Amazon | Apple | | |
Book Blurb:
Evan Griffith has had a hell of a day…
And that was before he met the stunning, sexy woman having a meltdown.
Evan Griffith has had many careers in his life. But who knew working for his family’s moving company would hold just as much action as his stint in the Marine Corps? On an unforgettable job, Evan finds himself taken by a teenage conman and confronted by a woman wielding a knife—and promptly falls head over heels for her.
Kenzie Sykes is doing her best to raise her little brother and keep him out of jail—all while dealing with her own broken heart that just hasn’t healed. She doesn’t have time for romance. He’s not asking… Until he is, and she finds herself saying yes.
I wanted to love this story, I truly did because in the past I have loved this author’s work immensely and while the first book in this series was a bit of a miss for me, the second book was better, this one falls somewhere in the middle. As I read this book, I kept thinking that this author’s normal voice is missing from this series. While the stories are okay, they are lacking the sweetness, the intensity between the hero and heroine, and for the most part the fun that I’ve come to expect.
Kenzie along with her two best friends run a graphic design firm. Kenzie has been her brother’s guardian since her parents died when she was 18 and her brother was 2. They are a team, a package deal and her fiancé left her when she put her brother first, because of that experience she’s been jaded against dating and men in general, not only because she doesn’t want the heartbreak, she’s worried what it will do to Daniel. Then Evan shows up to move her friend and all bets are off, she is instantly attracted and the feeling is mutual.
One thing Evan realizes as he’s filling in as a mover while his cousin recovers from an injury is people can be crazy. When he encounters a teenager who steals his phone, the teenager’s “mom” who is wielding a knife but who grabs his attention in so many ways, and her crazy friends he begins to see that moving people can be entertaining and a bit crazy. Working for an accounting firm for years was stressful, almost as stressful as being a Marine, but he likes working using his body more physically and getting to know the people who work for the company he’s a partner in.
I really loved Evan and his even temperament; he’s a good son, cousin, and friend. I especially loved watching him try and get through his co-worker and suspected cousin Smith’s skin. I enjoyed seeing him fall easily into a big brother/pseudo dad role with Daniel and the mutual respect between them. While it was obvious he was a bit stressed about what was going on with his mom as it all came out, he took it in stride and was more concerned about her happiness than anything. As for his relationship with Kenzie…this is where I had some issues. I felt he went above and beyond and she was always pushing him way because of what happened to her in the past. For a long time she didn’t judge him on his merits and honestly, he was too nice about that; he should have been angry, he should have put his foot down so his passiveness in that area bugged me. I wanted her to be as good to him as he was to her and sadly that didn’t happen until very late in this book which wasn’t enough for me.
I did love how Evan had a relationship with Daniel outside of his relationship with Kenzie, to me that should have shown her even if something were to happen between them he wasn’t going to abandon the bond he had with Daniel, but she didn’t see that.
While I did enjoy the story, I felt it lacked a certain sparkle to make it exceptional. It was a good story, but I needed more time with them truly together, not sneaking around. While there is nothing wrong with this series, it just isn’t memorable like Ms. Harte’s previous series which for me as a reader is disappointing.
3.5 stars
Grab your copy now:
Amazon | Apple | | |
————————-
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte has over 100 books published with more constantly on the way. She’s a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. Visit http://marieharte.com and fall in love.
FIND MARIE:
Join Marie’s Reader Group
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Instagram | Bookbub | Goodreads
