Book Review – Draw Me Close

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Book Review, Draw Me Close, Hearts and Crafts series, Nicole Michaels

Draw Me Close

Hearts and Crafts series

by Nicole Michaels

YOU NEED A GOOD FOUNDATION

Lindsey Morales is a decorating genius with a natural flair for design and an eye for a bargain. As a contributor to a popular lifestyle blog, she can take anything from trash to treasure-except for her own life. Burned once, and badly, she’s more than twice shy, especially when it comes to the breathtaking builder who broke her heart…

BEFORE YOU CAN BUILD HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Architect Derek Walsh has made a name for himself designing sleekly modern buildings, but when renovating a hundred-year-old farmhouse gives him the chance to see Lindsey again, he jumps at it. Still dreaming about her after eight long years apart, he’ll do anything to prove that he’s serious about spending the future with her. Can he convince sassy, stubborn Lindsey that they can DIY their own happy ending?

(Although characters appear in stories throughout the series, this book can stand on its own.)

If you read Win Me Over you know that Derek and Lindsey had a history and now you get to find out exactly how bad it was.  I think my favorite part is that there aren’t any bad guys in this story – these people find themselves in an unfortunate situation and do the best they can.  The worst that could be said is that Derek underestimates how truly harmful his actions were and the long term impacts they had.  He expects some heartfelt words, maybe an explanation, will fix things but Lindsey’s scars run pretty deep.

I thought I would get tired of her attitude but it makes sense in the story – she realistically works through her old hurts and the feelings being with Derek again brings up.  I do get a little frustrated at how Derek didn’t seem to understand how she would hold on to the hurt but I think that is typically male of him 🙂

Overall I am very pleased at how they handle their history, being together again and developing a new relationship.  It is so sweet and super believable – I just love the idea of a second chance romance between the two.

 

Book Review – Win Me Over

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Book Review, Hearts and Crafts series, Nicole Michaels, Win Me Over

Win Me Over

Hearts and Crafts series

by Nicole Michaels

WINNING ISN’T EVERYTHING

Callie Daniels is a singular sensation. She owns and operates her own bakery, contributes to a popular lifestyle blog, and is the dance team coach at a local high school. She lives by her own design and is much too busy to consider dating. Mr. Right will have to fit into her life when the time is right…

UNLESS YOU’RE PLAYING FOR KEEPS

Football coach Bennett Clark always plays by the rules. He knows that his new colleague Callie is off limits but she’s so beautiful-and irritating!-that Bennett can’t get her off his mind. She wants him to participate in a charity dance contest, and won’t take no for an answer. Soon, what begins as a festive athletic endeavor turns into a heated flirtation on and off the dance floor. Could it be that the free-spirited Callie has finally found a way through Coach Clark’s line of defense?

Callie is wonderfully spunky and fun – sassy and a great match for Bennett.  She helps him not take things too seriously and brings out a more playful side to the devoted coach.  I really like how dedicated both are to their students and their friends.  Their interactions are full of humor and heat – the time they spend together learning to dance is the perfect playful foreplay to taking their relationship further.  I also love her friends and her parents – they are more bright spots in an already shining story.

And so, I adored this book … until about 4/5 of the way in.  And then, while I still liked it, I was a little disappointed as well.  There’s a tragedy that shakes Callie and Bennett’s world and while I think Michaels handles the fallout from their perspective very well, there were more people involved and that was glossed over.  I think if maybe this event had happened a little earlier in the book, there’s great potential for additional character and relationship development.  It isn’t enough of an issue for me to lower my ranking of the book, but it is enough to leave me a little dissatisfied.

Outside of that, though, I did enjoy the ending.  I think that the way that Callie and Bennett face their troubles fits well with the people we’d grown to love.  It left me a little bruised for them, which shows how much I’d begun to care, but then I gave a little cheer when they figured it all out and started moving forward together.

If you are like me and this is your first book by Michaels (of course), no worries because it can totally stand on its own.  We do get more of Anne and Mike, who were the characters from the first book, but I totally wasn’t lost by not having the details from Start Me Up.  Although I’m really looking forward to the next book, Draw Me Close, because what we were given a glimpse of here definitely has me curious about what is coming for Lindsey & Derek!

 

Buy Win Me Over on Amazon