Series: Chapel of Love (Book 2)
Amy Lyndon is tired of being the Poor Little Rich Girl of Shenandoah Falls. In her prominent family, she's the ordinary one - no Ivy League education and no powerful career. But when her father tries to marry her off, she knows it's finally time to stand up for herself, despite the consequences. Now that she's cut off from the family fortune, her first challenge is to fight her attraction to her handsome new boss.
When Amy shows up looking for work with his landscaping crew, Dusty McNeil thinks there's no way such a pampered princess will ever get her hands dirty. But as Amy proves him wrong and gets down to the nitty gritty, Dusty's admiration turns to like, then lust - and then love. But can a high-society woman like Amy ever fall for a man like him?
Very good story of love, family, expectations, and growth. Amy is the youngest in her branch of the Lyndon family. She is looked at as a spoiled princess, not just by the people in town but also by her family. Her greatest claim to fame is the size of the credit card bills that her father pays. When her father tells her he's had enough, he also tells her it's time to accept the proposal of the man she's been dating or to stand on her own two feet. To force the issue, he locks her out of the house and cuts off her credit and her bank account. Daddy expects her to run straight to Grady, who's already been telling people they're engaged. But Amy doesn't want to marry Grady and has told him so. After spending a miserable night in her car, she overhears that her cousin's wife Willow is hiring an assistant event planner, Amy heads for the inn. Unfortunately, the event planner job has been filled, so Willow offers her a job with the landscaping crew, fully expecting Amy to give up before the day is out.
In the previous book, Amy definitely came across as quite an airhead and started this book the same way. But that didn't last long, as Amy's pride refuses to let her give into her father's demands, especially as she doesn't love Grady. So she sucks it up and reports to head groundskeeper Dusty. Like everyone else, Dusty doesn't expect much from her, and her first assignment seems to prove him right. Amy is afraid to look stupid by asking for clarification on the task. She also takes it upon herself to do something else, which backfires on her. To teach her a lesson about asking questions, Dusty decides to send Amy on a "snipe" hunt. Completely unaware of the truth about snipes, Amy does as she is told. The result is hilarious and somewhat heartbreaking, and Dusty winds up feeling incredibly guilty. But Amy is so earnest and determined to be the best she can be, that Dusty finds himself unwillingly drawn to her.
Dusty has the reputation of being the Casanova of Shenandoah Falls. He is strictly a love 'em and leave 'em guy, as he never intends to marry. Dusty has been fighting for his reputation his entire life, thanks to a no-good drunk of a father. It seems that most people expect him to be just like his father. Dusty also owns a piece of land that has been in his family since the town was founded. He has plans for that land as soon as he has the money to carry them out. He is also fighting the county, who wants to take his land and turn it into a park. The court of public opinion is against him, and he's worried that they will succeed. His friends, David Lyndon and his wife Willow, are on his side and trying to help him. The last thing he needs is an unexpected attraction to Amy, the town princess.
I loved the development of their relationship. Amy is stubborn and determined to make it on her own. When Dusty finds out she's sleeping in her car (another hilarious scene) he works out a way for her to stay in a local hunting cabin. Amy has learned her lesson about asking questions and has discovered a wonderful thing called a library where you can find books about anything for free. I loved seeing her put that newfound knowledge to use, and she quickly starts to earn Dusty's respect. There is also an increasing undercurrent of attraction between them that occasionally leads to some smoking hot kisses (and finally a little bit more). With all the time that the two end up spending together, it isn't surprising that they really get to know each other. In spite of her apparent naiveté, Amy has an amazing amount of sensitivity when it comes to Dusty. She sees through the Casanova persona to the somewhat lonely and insecure man inside. I loved seeing her show Dusty that he is more than his father's son. Amy herself is pretty insecure also. Her family has spent so much time telling her that she's stupid and ridiculous that she believes it, too. I loved watching Dusty show her that she is neither, as she succeeds in training a dog everyone else had given up on, finds ways to help the event planner with some real Bridezillas and other crises, and even inspires Dusty to finally prepare a business plan for his land. She realizes that she's falling for Dusty, but expects nothing from him. Dusty fights the idea that he's falling for her. And when Amy's father and brothers interfere, Dusty makes a mistake that drives a wedge between him and Amy. I ached for both of them until Dusty gets some things explained to him and finally sees the light. I loved his big moment at the end, which was sweet and romantic.
There is a secondary story involving Amy's cousin Danny and his upcoming wedding to a reality tv star. Danny's intentions are honorable, but the whole event is a disaster in the making. The whole Lyndon family is involved. Pam is just as obnoxious in this book as in the first one, and I keep wanting to push her into a closet somewhere. Amy's brothers and male cousins are clueless and can't seem to see past the bride's physical attributes. I loved seeing Willow deal with the tv people and their demands. I loved how devoted Danny was to his little girl, though he was a bit blind to his options. I was surprised by the actions of a character from the previous book, who turned out to be much different than she appeared in that story.
The theme of family and expectations was strong. Dusty had to deal with the reappearance of his father and the trouble that he brought with him. I ached for Dusty because he was torn between what love he still had for his father and his disgust at his demands. I was furious with the way that the police chief and others treated Dusty after the fire. It was so satisfying to see the way that Amy stood up for him. As for Amy, I really wanted to smack her entire family for the way they treated her. Besides the way they put down her intelligence, the way they all kept pushing her at Grady was disgusting. Even though she didn't love him, they expected her to marry him anyway, because he was rich and could take care of her. What they did to her at Easter dinner was infuriating. I loved seeing her confound them all by standing on her own and being good at what she did.
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