Series: Texas Rescue (Book 4)Spin doctor meets ER doctor
Living in her Hollywood movie star sister's shadow is hard enough! But as her personal assistant, Grace Jackson is continually repairing the swath of damage the diva leaves in her wake. And now her antics have landed her in the Texas Rescue ER! What Grace needs is to find her sister the perfect man -- someone to dispel the rumor mill. Satisfy the paparazzi. But where could she find this superhero wannabe?
Enter ER doctor Alex Gregory: he's dignified, gifted…and a bit of a nerd. Still, he has an eye for genuine people like lovely Grace. So he reluctantly agrees to let Grace make him over and help salvage her sister's reputation. From geek to chic, Alex becomes a dazzling escort for a celebrity-studded charity ball. But Grace has to wonder: did she remake Alex for her sister -- or herself?
Good book. Grace has been her actress sister's personal assistant since she left high school. She is used to being in the background. The book opens with Grace attempting to get her uncooperative sister to do the right thing. Sophia has recently become involved with a man who has influenced her in all the wrong ways, and Grace is attempting to do damage control. Instead, Sophie's willfulness has resulted in a trip to the emergency room, where they meet Dr. Alex Gregory.
Alex is one of Texas Rescue's ER doctors. He came to the US as a teenager, when he and his mother fled Russia and his abusive father. He is dignified, always in control of his emotions, and very attractive in a nerdy kind of way.
I loved the first encounter of Alex, Grace, and Sophie in the ER. Alex is not at all impressed with Sophie and treats her as just another patient. This puts her in an even worse mood, which makes her even more obnoxious. Sophie claims that her PA will fix everything for her, leading Alex to expect a battle ax. Instead, he gets sweet, effacing, beautiful Grace, who knocks him for a loop from the moment he met her. I especially liked how impressed he was by her determination to help the abused woman in the next cubicle. When he arrives at their hotel room the next day, it is Grace he is most concerned with, and I loved the protectiveness that he showed. I enjoyed his shock as he heard himself offer to let them stay with him while Sophie recovered.
I loved the development of their relationship. Alex was fascinated and intrigued by Grace, and also very protective of her. When asked to help out by escorting Sophie to the charity ball, he agreed only because it would help Grace. He drives a hard bargain as he requires that Grace spend time with him in exchange. He plans to try to show Grace her own self-worth. There were sparks between them from the beginning. Grace fights the attraction because she wants to push Alex and Sophie together to save her sister from herself. But the more time she spends with Alex, the more she wants him for herself. Alex is attracted to Grace but knows she is leaving at the end of a week. He has been hurt by so many people leaving him in the past that he has closed himself off emotionally. In his determination to help Grace, he discovers that she has worked her way past his barriers. He wants more from her but is afraid to ask for it for fear of being hurt. Grace is attracted to Alex but doesn't believe that he could want her. I liked seeing them grow closer over the week and really understand what drives each other. I ached for Grace, who was so used to putting Sophie first that she's willing to give up what she wants, though she does try to reach out to him. I also hurt for Alex, who is afraid to ask her to stay because she might reject him. I liked the ending as each puts their heart on the line.
I really enjoyed seeing the changes in both Alex and Grace as their love for each other gives them the motivation to change. Grace irritated me a little at first because she seemed like such a pushover. But the more I saw of her, the better I liked her. She had some pretty subtle ways of trying to get Sophie to see reason and knew when to push and when to find another way. She also didn't have much confidence in her own appeal. I liked how Alex's treatment of her opened her eyes. Alex seemed to be pretty rooted in his memories of the past and the way he let them affect his life. I loved how seeing Grace's strength made him look at those memories differently.
Sophie was a character that I spent most of the book wanting to shake. She was selfish, inconsiderate, and blind to the way her actions affected others. There were a few brief moments when I liked her, but they were few a far between. I've already read her story, so I know what happens to her, but this one really showed how far she has to go.
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