New Release Review ~ A Winter Wedding ~ Brenda Novak

A Winter Wedding by Brenda Novak
Whiskey Creek #9
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Goodreads

Synopsis
One Christmas can change your life...

Kyle Houseman believes he'll never find anyone he could love as much as Olivia Arnold, who's now married to his stepbrother. Not only did he lose her, he's been through one divorce and has no desire to go through another. He's determined to be extra careful about the next woman he gets involved with--which is why he fights his attraction to the beautiful stranger who rents his farmhouse for the Christmas holiday.

Lourdes Bennett is a country music artist. She's only planning to stay in Whiskey Creek long enough to write the songs for her next album--the album that's going to put her back on top. Her dreams don't include settling in a town even smaller than the one she escaped. But as she comes to know Kyle, she begins to wonder if she'd be making a terrible mistake to leave him behind.

Picking up the latest installment of Whiskey Creek is always like sitting down to coffee with old friends. A Winter Wedding was no exception. And despite the tension and angst, it left me feeling warm, cozy, and comfortable...and all caught up with my gang.

Kyle is such an upstanding, good guy. He's always there for his friends and he even continues being there for his ex-wife, Noelle, despite all her manipulations and machinations. So I was thrilled at the prospect of him finally finding that special someone.

Lourdes finds herself in Whiskey Creek under different circumstances than she had planned. After things going south in her professional and personal lives, she's in town to lie low, regroup, and work on a new album. She also find herself on the receiving end of Kyle's hospitality and generosity.

Novak did a fine job of creating the scenario whereby Kyle and Lourdes met. I thoroughly enjoyed watching as they got to know one another. They had an instant chemistry but became friends first before realizing what they were both feeling might be a little more than friendly. Even though they knew each other for a short amount of time and were both essentially hung up on others, their attraction was strong. Maybe things happened at a rapid speed but I felt like it was organic between them.

I appreciated how Kyle and Lourdes dealt with the trouble they were each experiencing in their private lives. They were both mature and gracious, for the most part, in the face of the turmoil it was causing. Those making the waves, Noelle and Derrick, needed to take serious stock of their lives and do some growing up. They both behaved immaturely, although Noelle's behavior was extreme.

I always adore getting to spend time with my friends in Whiskey Creek and being there as Riley and Phoenix planned their wedding was a delight. I love the special bond between this group and that I get to be a part of it. I'm already looking forward to my next visit.