The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

Sometimes the best man is the one you least expect…

 Faith Holland left her hometown after being jilted at the altar. Now a little older and wiser, she's ready to return to the Blue Heron Winery, her family's vineyard, to confront the ghosts of her past, and maybe enjoy a glass of red. After all, there's some great scenery there….

Like Levi Cooper, the local police chief—and best friend of her former fiancé. There's a lot about Levi that Faith never noticed, and it's not just those deep green eyes. The only catch is she's having a hard time forgetting that he helped ruin her wedding all those years ago. If she can find a minute amidst all her family drama to stop and smell the rosé, she just might find a reason to stay at Blue Heron, and finish that walk down the aisle.

This book should totally come with a warning label:  WARNING - DO NOT READ IN QUIET SURROUNDINGS - UNCONTROLLABLE LAUGHTER MAY ENSUE.  "The Best Man" by Kristan Higgins was just an amazingly incredible surprise.  Not that I'm surprised that it was a good book but I was surprised at just how good it was and how I could not put it down!

I chose to start reading this on a road trip with my family to visit my older son at school and after several laugh out loud moments, my husband informed me that I was distracting.  I finished it over the weekend and didn't care how much I bothered him.

"The Best Man" is, at heart, a family oriented story with a great romance thrown in.  Kristan Higgins is fabulous with creating heroines who we all would want to hang out with because they are fabulous and flawed.  No Victoria's Secret models who have beauty, brains, money AND get the guy!  Love her stories and this one was just above and beyond entertaining! 

The King Next Door by Maureen Child

Single mom Nicole Baxter is perfectly fulfilled without a man in her life. But when billionaire Griffin King moves in next door, she considers a fling. Not only is he gorgeous and exciting, but he's not staying. It's an ideal situation, as long as she doesn't fall in love….

Griffin King never met a woman he couldn't leave. But desire sparks with Nicole like lightning: quick and hot. It's just what this workaholic commitment-phobe needs. But why does the thought of summer's end have Griffin longing for more with the one woman he shouldn't have?

Can I just say how much I LOVE Maureen Child and her Kings of California series?  She hooked me from the get-go with "Bargaining for Kings Baby" - which, FYI, is still my favorite - and still has me coming back with each new book in the series.

What she does that is so wonderful is that she keeps the series fresh.  She doesn't feel the necessity to keep mentioning the thirteen or so King's that have come before and overwhelm her readers, each story is it's own and I so appreciate her for that!  So Maureen, if no one tells you that, know that I, as a loyal reader, appreciate you!

Nicole is your typical single mom and you totally feel her vulnerability and her indecision on what she is supposed to do where men are concerned.  I like that she was not made to be someone who has a child but conveniently forgets that fact because she's too busy sleeping with the sexy neighbor!

And Griffin?  He's a King of the Kings of California!  Need I say more??  

"The King Next Door" is another great read and it's one of the only series that I'll pay the Kindle price of $3.82 for.  Totally worth it!