Unwrapped (Hunk for the Holidays #3)
by Katie Lane
Blurb:
Good
things come in sexy packages...
Jacqueline
Maguire has a problem tying the knot. After fleeing the altar (again), the
runaway bride drives off with no particular destination in mind. Which is how
Jac finds herself stranded in a snowstorm with a hot, hard-bodied stranger who
treats her to the naughtiest night of her life... but come morning, he's long
gone.
Contractor
Patrick McPherson is deeply committed to his bachelor lifestyle. No strings, no
rings. As the Christmas season approaches, however, Patrick still can't quite
forget his curvalicious one-night stand. Then Jac shows up unexpectedly, and
all holiday hell breaks loose. Because this year, Patrick is getting the
biggest Christmas surprise of his life...
Themes: holiday,
contemporary
Rating: 4.5 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
Patrick has finally met his match! I stumbled across this series a few holiday
seasons ago when the first, Hunk for the Holidays, was released and it looked too
good to resist. Then I was thrilled to
find out that there would be more stories about this family of super sexy and
successful people in one of my favorite parts of the country. The best part is the setting almost always
works out with the holidays because I get to imagine myself there with them in
the snow, because it’s Colorado! That
being said, this story had some real issues to overcome for me, mainly the way
both characters looked at the other as shallow and useless. It was obvious to the readers that neither character
really saw the other at first, and their first meeting was definitely strange. Set
around a woman’s quest to meet her aunt’s requirements for marriage to receive
her inheritance and one man’s refusal to ever settle down you knew right away
there would be fireworks. Lane always
manages to rip my heart out and then fill it right back up with the drama and
obstacles she throws at these couples. Since
this series always revolves around the holidays there is inherently that
craziness with families and strangers around this time of year, but Katie
handles everything with such levity and true goodness that you know the characters
will truly find their HEA, even once the trees are down and the midnight kisses
have been given.
Patrick
has escaped his crazy family to hide out at his cabin in the woods when he
finds himself confronted with a woman that seems just the other side of sane,
but that pulls at his hormones and emotions like no other woman ever has. Jac feels like she has just escaped a true
disaster when she finds herself alone the morning after running into Patrick’s
cabin, and when the cops come to take her to safety she tries to forget the man
that no one else seems to think really existed.
But soon it becomes imperative she find him, and when she comes back into
his life with a bang and crash, Patrick will have to deal with his feelings for
her and find a way to really build a relationship.
This
story was one of those that you could never believe happening in real life,
because really no one could be this nuts at her age, but Jac’s antics make the
story lively and interesting in the extreme, even though most of her crazy
actions drive Patrick to insanity.
Patrick is obviously a good guy, but set in his ways and refuses to
change the way he views people and their motivations. It took him entirely too long to accept that
his feelings for Jac went beyond like and friendship, almost to the point of
losing her. But thankfully there is a
certain jolly elf that seems to be looking out for him and Jac. Jac on the other hand had me shaking my head,
laughing, and crying with equal intensity.
She seems a bit like a shallow airhead but then has some seriously deep
moments that make you wonder why she puts on such a dumb-blonde-girl
front. Seeing her grow up and come to appreciate
just how important Patrick—and the family he brings along with him—is to Jac
and her happiness, really showed the readers that even the most vapid seeming
individuals could simply be hiding unimaginable depths of pain and fear. The heat between Patrick and Jac was hot
enough to melt the Colorado winter snow, but it came with moments of laughter,
sweetness, and playfulness that keep the passion from seeming contrived. I am wondering if this will be the last in
the series, but I would love to see Jac’s sister Bailey fall in love and of
course getting to see more of the McPherson’s as Christmases pass will be
wonderful. Happy holidays and many thanks,
Katie!
*eARC provided by publisher (via
netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.
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