Series: Sweet Magnolias (Book 8)
When Elliott Cruz first courted struggling single mom
Karen Ames, it was a romance worthy of any Sweet Magnolia fantasy. The sexy
personal trainer made it his mission to restore Karen's strength -- physical
and emotional -- and to charm her children.
Now, a few years into the marriage, colliding dreams
threaten to tear them apart. Elliott's desire to finance the business
opportunity of a lifetime with their hard-earned "baby money" stirs
Karen's deep-rooted financial insecurities. It's the discovery that their
brother-in-law is cheating on Elliott's sister -- and thinks it's justified --
that puts their irreconcilable differences into perspective. Will their own
loving fidelity be a bond so strong they can triumph against all odds?
Good story about trust, communication, and belief in each
other. Elliott and Karen have been married for a couple years. Their courtship
had been difficult, as Elliott had had to overcome Karen's fears and wariness.
Their marriage has been going well, as they settle into life as a blended
family. Elliott adores Karen's two children and Karen herself. His goal in life
is to make sure they never want for anything. When he is given the opportunity
to be part of a new gym for men, he jumps at the chance - but doesn't tell
Karen about it. To say that she isn't happy about it would be a vast
understatement. Karen's first marriage ended when her husband walked out,
leaving Karen with a mountain of debt she had known nothing about. Now her two
biggest hot buttons are secrecy and money. When she finds out about Elliott's
plans from someone other than Elliott, she is furious and terrified. Confronting
Elliott doesn't really calm all her fears.
I liked both Karen and Elliott, but each of them had
their issues that contributed to the stress between them. Karen's biggest issue
is her fear of financial difficulty. Having barely survived the results of her
first marriage, she is determined never to fear for the ability to pay the
bills again. I understood her point, but her obsession with it got to be very
annoying after a while. Especially since Elliott is nothing like her first
husband. Elliott is a kind, loving and protective man. He is also a product of
his upbringing in a traditional Hispanic family, where the man was the head of
the household and made the decisions. Though he wants to believe that he is
better than his father had been, there are some things that he just doesn't
realize he does. Keeping the gym plans secret was one of those things. He didn't
want to worry Karen about it until he had all the information ready to show her
because he knew what her reaction would be.
I liked seeing how Karen and Elliott worked to resolve
their differences. It wasn't easy, and both had some hard lessons to learn.
Karen's constant fear was caused by what she went through with her first
husband, and she had to fully accept that Elliott was not going to do the same.
Though her heart knew it, her head would frequently create doubts in her mind.
She was also oblivious to the fact that her doubts hurt Elliott's pride. Though
Elliott is well aware of Karen's phobias about debt and keeping secrets, he
still has a hard time being fully open about his plans. He is confident about
the prospects for success, but has difficulty finding a way to share that
confidence with Karen. He is also suffering from what he sees as a lack of
faith in him. Elliott also wants to adopt her children and doesn't understand
why she is dragging her feet.
The problem with the gym was the catalyst for Karen and
Elliott to realize that since their marriage their lives had gotten extremely
busy and they had lost their ability to communicate openly and honestly with
each other. Thanks to the interference of several friends, they started making
a concerted effort to remedy that, and things started to improve. When
Elliott's sister began having problems with her marriage, Elliott and Karen
realized that though they may have their own issues, their love for each other
was never in doubt. Something Adelia says to Elliott about their father also
makes him aware of the mistakes he had been making in his own life, and opens
his eyes to the changes he needs to make. Thanks to some prodding from her
children, Karen also realizes that she has been letting the past influence her
future, and that she's the only one who can change that. By the end of the
book, their marriage has made it through the rough patch and emerged stronger
because of it.
The problems Adelia is having with her marriage show the
differences in outlook between Karen and the women of the Cruz family. Adelia
has been raised to be a peacemaker and to go along with whatever her husband
says. But his constant affairs have become unbearable for her, and when it also
begins to affect their oldest daughter, Adelia realizes that she has had
enough. I loved seeing her start to regain her self-respect and to stand up to
her husband. I got very irritated with the way that even the women blamed
Adelia for the breakdown of her marriage. It was great to see Adelia and Karen
grow closer, as Adelia discovers that Karen is a better source of support than
her own family. Even Elliott needed an occasionally smack upside the head when
it came to his family.
I loved catching up with other residents of Serenity who
have appeared in earlier books. The deep friendships showcase the support that
is always there for those who need it. I loved seeing Frances, Flo and Liz, the
"senior Magnolias" and what they were up to. I ached for Frances and
her fears, and loved seeing how everyone rallied around her.
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