Series: Callahan's Clan (Book 3)
Meg Aldridge needs a fiancé. Her family's demands that
she marry have become unbearable. But a monthlong pretend engagement to her
best friend, Gabe Callahan, should shut them right up. After all, they've been
feuding with the Callahans for years.
Gabe's willing to give up the ladies temporarily and
focus his attentions on Meg. She's his best friend; there's no danger of
complications. But a made-over Meg is wearing sexy clothes and makeup…and
stirring up new feelings. Will a month of being lovers for appearance's sake
become a lifetime of the real thing?
Good friends to lovers story. Gabe and Meg have been best
friends since they were kids. They haven't seen each other often in the past
few years, staying in touch mainly through social media. But when Meg needs
help, Gabe is the one she turns to. Her family is pressuring her to marry a man
she doesn't love, just because they want grandkids and he's the son of good
friends. They aren't listening to her, and neither is Justin, whose own family
is applying pressure of their own. Meg is certain that if she can produce a fiancé
of her own, they'll finally leave her alone.
Gabe is well known as a playboy and for being a bit
reckless. He has no plans to marry any time soon, preferring to enjoy his
bachelor status. But he can't turn down Meg's plea for help, even though he has
a feeling that he may come to regret it.
Something neither counts on is an intense attraction to
each other. They can't understand why it is happening; after all they are so
very different. Gabe is anti-commitment and all for casual relationships and
Meg prefers that her emotions be engaged before indulging in intimacy. Gabe
loves his fast cars and motorcycles, airplanes, and bull-riding, and Meg hates
anything smacking of reckless behavior after losing her younger brother when he
crashed his plane. From the very beginning of their pretend relationship, they
have a nearly impossible time keeping their hands off each other.
I really liked Gabe. He's willing to help her out, even
though he suspects that it may damage their friendship. He makes no secret of
the fact that he wants Meg. He's a bit confused over why he's suddenly attracted
to her, but he's willing to go with the feelings. I thought he had an
incredible amount of patience with her, when she would really get into kissing
him, then suddenly back off. It didn't happen just once or twice, but over and
over again. Most guys would get really angry, but he just takes it. It was
rather fun to see the way that she got past his "no commitment" defenses
and invaded his thoughts night and day.
I had a harder time liking Meg. I felt bad for the way
her family and Justin were pressuring her, even though she kept telling them
no. Her desperate plea for help was completely understandable. She had a clear
picture of the differences between her life and Gabe's and was certain that
they could pull off the deception with no trouble. My biggest problem with her
was her constant hot and cold treatment of Gabe. She would make the first move,
kissing him silly, then pull back when it started to get intense. She knew it
was wrong, but she kept doing it. I also understood her fears about Gabe's
lifestyle, but I really felt like she was taking it too far. She was afraid of
everything he did, never giving him the benefit of thinking that he might be a
little wild, but he wasn't stupid.
I enjoyed the development of their relationship. In spite
of their differences, they still had a lot in common. Their friendship had
survived for so long thanks to the way that they really did understand each
other. I did enjoy seeing how Gabe teased her the way he had when they were
kids. Then Meg got a little ticked at thinking he still saw her as a child and
decided to show him that she was a woman. His reaction was priceless, but it
did open up a new level of difficulty for them. When Meg finally stopped
pushing him away, she knew she was asking for heartache, but she took the risk
anyway. When the end of their fake relationship came, both of them had to look
at their lives and decide if they wanted to take a chance on each other. I
liked seeing that both were ready to make changes rather than expect the other
to do it all. The ending was sweet and romantic.
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