Waiting On You by Kristan Higgins

Synopsis: Does being nobody's fool mean that you're nobody's love?

Colleen O'Rourke is in love with love…just not when it comes to herself. Most nights, she can be found behind the bar at the Manningsport, New York, tavern she owns with her twin brother, doling out romantic advice to the lovelorn, mixing martinis and staying more or less happily single. See, ten years ago, Lucas Campbell, her first love, broke her heart…an experience Colleen doesn't want to have again, thanks. Since then, she's been happy with a fling here and there, some elite-level flirting and playing matchmaker to her friends.
But a family emergency has brought Lucas back to town, handsome as ever and still the only man who's ever been able to crack her defenses. Seems like maybe they've got some unfinished business waiting for them—but to find out, Colleen has to let her guard down, or risk losing a second chance with the only man she's ever loved.

My Thoughts: My second book by Higgins and I'm totally a happy camper for reading it!

What Worked: It's well known that Higgins' trademark is the humor liberally peppered throughout her books and this one was no exception. I loved the banter between the characters so much. The situations within had me laughing out loud often. I was grinning like a crazy lady through most of the book! When a book can make me laugh it's a good one. When a book can make me tear up also, it's even better. This book did all of that and more.

The characters were so very real to me even though there were quite a lot of them. They were funny, attractive, petty, jealous, insecure, flawed and wonderful. I couldn't have asked for more from them. Although this was Colleen and Lucas' romance there were several different stories happening too. When a book has several different storylines happening and so many characters inserted there can be a possibility of upstaging, where the H/h might get over shadowed by the backdrop. I don't think this happened at all. I was able to keep up with all that was happening and had a good time while doing so.

Also, I should mention that this is book #3 in the Blue Huron series and the only one I've read (the other book I read by Kristan was a standalone.) This book stood up by itself nicely and although many of the characters were introduced in the previous installments, Higgins did a great job of introducing them to me for the first time in this book. I don't regret reading this one first but now want to go back and read the other 2 just to see if they were just as good. Oh and I particularly liked that Higgins chose to utilize the third person narrative with this series rather than the first person narrative she uses most of the time. I thought seeing the inner thoughts of both the hero and the heroine added a depth to the story that I think 1st person narrative sometimes misses.

What Didn't Work: At times I felt that the book had been going on too long but this truly didn't take away from my enjoyment. I was happy reading page after page after page but some readers may find the opposite. Which is why I mentioned it in the "What Didn't Work" section of my review. Other than that I couldn't find fault in this story at all.

In a Nut Shell: Ultimately what Waiting On You brings is a lovely complicated love story in the middle of a bunch of complex interwoven relationships. I loved every single minute of this book and I will go back and read the other books in the Blue Huron series without a doubt.

 

Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins

Synopsis: Being one of the guys isn't all it's cracked up to be… So when journalist Chastity O'Neill returns to her hometown, she decides it's time to start working on some of those feminine wiles. Two tiny problems: #1—she's five feet eleven inches of rock-solid girl power, and #2—she's cursed with four alpha male older brothers. While doing a story on local heroes, she meets a hunky doctor and things start to look up. Now there's only one problem: Trevor Meade, her first love and the one man she's never quite gotten over—although he seems to have gotten over her just fine. Yet the more time she spends with Dr. Perfect, the better Trevor looks. But even with the in-your-face competition, the irresistible Trevor just can't seem to see Chastity as anything more than just one of the guys.…

My Thoughts: Being completely character driven I found it hard to completely enjoy this book as I really couldn't stand Chastity. Where others found her to be charming and quite vulnerable when it comes to the hero, Trevor, I found her a bit abrasive and annoying as she pined for her first love for a decade or so.

We first meet Chastity as she is being dumped by her current boyfriend which actually is quite amusing until she regresses into childhood and says something to the effect of "oh yeah? Well you throw like a girl." Many of my reading buddies enjoyed Chastity and her attitude. Unfortunately she annoyed me.

However, the rest of the characters in the book (including Chastity's big lazy dog) are phenomenal. Higgins really knows how to bring depth and a sense of realism to the people she writes about. She does not gloss over family issues within the O'Neill clan nor does she sugar coat anything. The O'Neills are people I know. They yell, they fight, they make up, they love, they laugh, they protect what's theirs. Everything you would expect from a big Irish family. As I said, truly excellent characters.

With that said I really wasn't a complete believer of the ending. Trevor's actions leading up to his declaration didn't fully jive together for me but it did balance out nicely the bitter sweet HEA for Mike and Betty the heads of the O'Neill clan.

Overall I very much enjoyed my first Higgins book. I wish it would have been told in the third person narrative though. I would have loved to have known what Trevor was actually thinking. Even with the 1st person narrative it was a book well done and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to reading more by Kristan.