Tempestuous/Restless Heart [Paperback]

From the back of the book:

Alexandra Gianni had come to Briarwood with her infant daughter, Isabella, to start over. Determined to rebuild her life and the ramshackle farm she'd purchased with the last of her money, Alex had one goal: independence. She wasn't looking for another relationship or to share the painful revelations about her past. Most of all, she wasn't looking for a man like Christian Atherton, who could lead her dangerously astray. But the handsome, aristocratic English rider won't accept that it's too late for Alex or that she has to keep running . . . from her past and him.

This is my second book by this author. I couldn't decide if I wanted to give this story 3 stars which is the way I felt about it until the last 50 pages or so or give it 4 for the ending which is good so I felt generous and gave it a 4. The author builds her stories slowly with alot of dialogue which can be frustrating to read sometimes. There is always the romance: a couple attracted to one another but one is more reluctant than the other to get involved. In this case, it was Alex. She had secrets, a past, something that happened that had changed her and not in a good way. Christian was the typical male who had a string of women in the past that he never cared about. He stayed as far away from commitment as possible - until Alex. It all started as a bet. She was an ice queen or so the men said because she turned each and every one of them down. Not Christian. He knew he could break through so he made the bet - a thousand dollars - and he had a month to do it. Much too much time he thought. The story takes place in Virginia and the backdrop is horse jumping competitions. It's a good read if you have the patience to stick with it until the end.

From the back of the book:

As a world-renowed globe-trotting photographer, Danielle Hamilton was at home with Tibetan nomads and Kenyan bushmen. But she didn't think she'd survive six weeks in the "wilds" of New Orleans babysitting her sister's five children. Then help arrives in the form of the most unlikely nanny Danielle could imagine. Tall, dark, and Cajun, Remy Doucet isn't really a nanny and he isn't accepting Danielle's certainty that true love isn't in the cards for her. He's convinced that her self-control masks a deeper need to let go, and he's determined to prove she could trust him with the memory of a tragedy that still haunts her dreams.

This was my favorite of the two stories and deserves a solid 4 stars. This story grabs you from the first paragraph. The humor sprinkled throughout the story makes it so much fun to read. The five children with names like Dahlia, Eudora, Jeremy, Tinks, and Ambrose were all as different as night and day and into everything even one time blowing up the macaroni surprise they didn't want to eat with a firecracker. The love developing between the total opposites Remy - the Cajun thiry-one year old who had lived almost all of his life in Louisiana - to Danielle - the nearly 40-year old American who had traveled all over the world was a touching thing to see. Remy was so sex, so masculine, so handsome and then so tender and sweet with the children especially the baby, Eudora. Danielle was the troubled character that doubted everything about herself. How the two come together with the children in tow is really a joy to read about.

This is not my cup of tea, I love Tami Hoags mystery thrillers but this genre is not for me.

› Go to Amazon U.S. to see both reviews  2.5 out of 5 stars