Book Blurb:
Talk about a hot lead…
Christmas is coming to Pine Mountain—and it has a way of stirring up memories, good and bad. Nick Brennan may manage the Double Shot bar smooth as good whiskey, but his past is a hot mess. When he runs into a burning building to save a little boy, some people start thinking there’s more to his heroism than holiday spirit. And then the local reporter assigned to the story turns out to be gorgeous Ava Mancuso, the girl who got away.
Ava knows what it’s like to have a past. But the changes she’s seen in Nick since she knew him do more than set off her natural curiosity—his warm eyes and gruff charm have her instincts fired up. Still, all the chemistry in the world doesn’t erase history, even when Nick invites her to his little sister’s mistletoe wedding. Does he have a heart under all those secrets? Or is this going to be just another Christmas past?
My Review:
In All Wrapped Up by Kimberly Kincaid, two lonely people running from their past reluctantly find heat with each other...but will it last?
Nick has a past that haunts him, one he keeps hidden and doesn't talk about to anyone. He is physically and emotionally scarred. Pine Mountain is where he's escaped to, and the last place he expects to run into Ava...a love from his past, one he's never forgotten. Ava has her own past that haunts her present, her own secrets she holds close. Working as a reporter in Pine Mountain, the thing she expects to find out is that Nick is the hero of the story she's trying to write. A reluctant hero. The reappearance of Ava in Nick's life after 7 years opens up old wounds, but at the same time starts to heal some of them... There is something about Ava that draws him in and makes him feel again. Slowly they rekindle a romance that never really died out. Trust is a fragile thing though...and when it's broken can their relationship survive it?
Ava and Nick really grew on me through out All Wrapped Up. I liked how Kimberly drew out their stories long enough to keep me intrigued, but not too long to feel frustrated. I felt like the backgrounds of Ava and Nick were given at the right times to further the plot. I wasn't too sure about Ava and what she was doing...I felt like she could have been a lot more open with Nick. I did like how Kimberly dealt with this issue though and how it was written, the meaning behind it. She really made me think about underlying meanings and looking deeper than the surface. Nick is such a tortured hero, I didn't know if he could ever move on. Ava was good for him though, even if it took them both a while to figure this out. As the story progressed I really found myself hoping they could find their happily ever after together, but I did also have my doubts. I liked the growth of these two characters. It was slow and steady all through all Wrapped Up, and I never really knew how things would end.
Kimberly introduces some great secondary characters who are on the periphery but add so much depth and feeling to the main plot. All Wrapped Up is part of the Pine Mountain series, a place I enjoyed returning to, but it is a strong stand alone.
I found All Wrapped Up to be so much more than a second chance romance...it was about healing from the past, trusting, moving on, and looking outside of your own perspective to a hopeful future.
I'd recommend All Wrapped Up to any contemporary romance reader.
4/5 stars
Purchase from Amazon.com
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