Series: Twilight Texas (Book 10)
The whole town is ready for the holidays:
The Cookie Club is baking,
Main Street glitters with lights, the carolers sing . . .
There’s even a Christmas wedding.
When bodyguard Ryder Southerland sees his best friend’s
sister Katie at an L.A. Christmas party, he mistakes the slinky blonde for a
celebrity stalker and tackles her. Then they tackle each other . . . at his
place. The next morning, Katie’s gone, and Ryder tells himself it’s for the
best. It isn’t. Now, one Christmas later, Ryder’s falling for the woman he’s
been missing in the town he hasn’t missed at all...
Katie Cheek’s outgrown the romantic fantasies she had
about Ryder when she was fifteen. Katie’s packed their hot night away in a box
labeled “fling” -- or tried to. But Twilight’s bad boy is the best man in her
brother’s wedding. And up-close and personal, Ryder’s impossible to ignore. So
Katie can either go into hiding -- or surrender to Christmas magic.
Fantastic story. At the beginning of the book, Katie is
in LA, having swapped houses for the holidays with Gabi (I'll Be Home forChristmas). While there, she uses Gabi's invitation to a Hollywood party,
pushing the envelope of her comfort zone. While there, she is mistaken for a
stalker by a bodyguard, who just happens to be her brother's best friend (and
her old crush) Ryder. Sparks fly, and after a hot night together, Katie is
gone.
Ryder was stunned to see Katie, especially looking as
beautiful as he always thought she would be. He'd always had feelings for her,
but a) she was just a kid and b) she was his best friend's little sister. When
hauls off and kisses him while he's living with them, he knows that discretion
is the better part of valor. He leaves the next day to join the army and hasn't
been back to Twilight since. After the army he became a bodyguard, and avoids
all kinds of commitments.
A year later, Katie has made some major changes in her
life. She has a business as an organizer, sold her yurt and bought a house. She
has also not forgotten her night with Ryder, but never expected to see him
again. Until she finds out he's best man to her maid of honor at her brother's
wedding. She's just hoping to maintain her cool through the lead up to the
wedding.
Ryder has come back to Twilight to be best man at Joe's
wedding. He also needs to check on his estranged father. He is also hoping to
see Katie again. He hasn't forgotten their night together, and has found
himself wondering what might have been if she had stuck around. He was stunned
to find her at his father's house, and even more to find out why.
I loved both Ryder and Katie. Ryder had had a troubled
youth. After losing his mother in an accident he blamed himself for, he became
the town troublemaker. After a blowup with his father, who kicked him out, he
stayed with Katie's family for his senior year in high school. His relationship
with the town had never been good, and coming back brings up all kinds of
unhappy memories. The one bright spot is his relationship with the Cheek
family. He's torn about seeing Katie, because he wants to see if they can pick
up again, but he's afraid that she'll reject him. He's much more vulnerable
emotionally than he lets on, but we get glimpses of it in his encounters with
her.
Katie's night with Ryder had been the motivation she
needed to get out of the rut she had been in. One thing that she realized was
that her girlhood feelings for him had never gone away, and that night with him
had brought home the fact that she was in love with him. But he's a lone wolf
who will never want to live in their small town again, so she has tried to put
those feelings away. When he comes back to town, she wants to be with him
again, but she's also afraid to risk her heart by believing that anything can
come of it. I loved the way that, in spite of her fears, she does everything
she can to help him during his stay.
I loved the development of their relationship. The sparks
were still as hot as they'd been the previous Christmas, but their time
together gave them a chance to connect on a deeper level. What I loved most was
how real the relationship was. It was fun to see them circle around each other,
wanting more than they think the other one wants. The flames keep burning
higher and higher until they can't resist, and then they are determined to try
to hide it from the rest of the town. Of course, it's Twilight, and it's
perfectly plain to everyone else how they feel. I also loved seeing how
protective they were of each other. Katie hates seeing the pain that Ryder is
in as he tries to deal with his father and their longstanding estrangement. It
was sweet to see her try to be the mediator that gets them talking to each
other. I also loved seeing how Ryder tries to protect Katie from any repercussions
of being with him, by agreeing to hide their relationship, even though it isn't
what he wants (and he misunderstands her reasons). The truly heartbreaking part
is when something happens that should draw them together and instead adds more
stress. I ached for Katie as all she wanted was for Ryder to actually tell her
how he feels. She's pretty sure she knows, but she needs to hear the words. And
poor Ryder knows what she wants, but the words just won't come. I ached for him
as he ran away, and wanted to smack him for his stubbornness. I loved his big
moment at the end, when he turned out to be far more eloquent than he knew he
could be.
The secondary characters were also fantastic. Though we
only saw her a couple times, one of my favorites was Ryder's LA neighbor Clara.
She is quite a character, and has gotten to know him very well. I loved seeing
her read him the riot act over his relationship with Katie. I also loved seeing
Joe and Cami again. It was especially fun to see the girls' night that she had
with Katie, when she got Katie drunk. I also loved how they teased Ryder and
Katie about their inability to hide their relationship. I also loved Ryder's
dad, Jax, even though his initial treatment of Ryder was so terrible. Seeing
the two of them finally talk about the things that had happened really gave a
sweet resolution to their relationship. I can't wait for my next trip to
Twilight.
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