Series:
Fortunes of Texas: The Wedding Gift (Book 3)
“You say my name like it's a dirty word.”
Self-made woman Sofia De Leon has heard enough about the
old money Fortune family to know that Beau Fortune is not to be trusted. He
might be tall, dark, handsome and rich, but he's so not her type. And now that
they are competing for the same business award, he is also her rival. It is
just a hot Texas minute, though, before ambition begins warring with
attraction…
A good book about two people from vastly different
backgrounds competing for the same business award. Sofia is a self-made woman
from a poor family. She worked hard through school and setting up her financial
planning business. She watched her mother and grandmother struggle to make ends
meet as she grew up while watching those with more money have all the advantages.
Then she suffered through the betrayal of her wealthy college boyfriend, who disrespected
her because of her past. This left her with a bad taste for anyone with money.
At the top of the list are the members of the Fortune family, who seem to be
taking over the town of Rambling Rose.
Beau Fortune and his brother Draper have opened a branch
of Fortune Investments in Rambling Rose. They work hard to give their clients
the best service possible. Rather than living in the exclusive section of town,
they rented a house in a "normal" development. Beau is aware of his
advantages growing up but hasn't let them go to his head.
At the end of the previous book,
A Soldier's Dare, Beau
and Sofia had a brief conversation at the Valentine's Day dance. As she was
there with someone else, Beau backed off when the other man seemed to have a
problem with him. But he has never forgotten the beautiful woman in the red
dress. At the beginning of this book, they meet again while dog walking and
quickly connect though still without exchanging names. Beau's subsequent
encounter at the dog park is with Sofia's grandmother, who, after a not-so-subtle interrogation, invites him to
Sunday dinner. In the meantime, Sofia and Beau are notified that each has been
nominated for a prestigious business award. But in an awkward scene, Beau
overhears Sofia complaining to a friend about how those prosperous Fortunes
seem to walk away with all the accolades because of their unfair advantages. That
puts a damper on the budding relationship between them. Complicating matters
further, as part of the competition, they are assigned to work together on a
project to benefit their community.
At this point, I wanted to give Sofia a good, hard shake.
She is such a reverse snob, looking down on anyone who hasn't had to struggle
to succeed. Beau is hurt by her attitude but doesn't let it get to him. He is
determined to do his best in the competition and let his actions speak for
themselves, while Sofia takes every chance to take potshots at his job,
background, and lifestyle. I loved the project they decided on - teaching high
school seniors about financial responsibility. They covered budgeting, saving,
taxes, loans, and even investing. (I wish my school had offered something like
that!) I loved watching the students get involved in the subject and seeing how
Beau and Sofia brought their personal experiences into play. I liked seeing how
Sofia and Beau learned a little about each other during those classes.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Beau and
Sofia develop. Beau is a great guy, down-to-earth and good-hearted. He is
attracted to Sofia and ready to show her that he's nothing like she thinks. Something
proves her wrong whenever she thinks she has him pegged as a spoiled rich guy.
I got to the point where I couldn't wait to see which preconception got blasted
next. I especially enjoyed seeing her reaction when she discovered that he and
Draper clean their own house, cut their grass, and make their meals. I liked
how Beau and Sofia came to respect each other and their abilities during their
time together. I was initially not very happy with the judging for the award
but felt the judges redeemed themselves with their creative solution.
Their relationship is also helped by Sofia's grandmother,
Maria, and her mother, Camila. From the moment she met him, Maria was sure that
Beau was The One for Sofia. I loved her first meeting with Beau and her
not-so-subtle interrogation before inviting him to dinner. She takes every
opportunity to throw them together. She's a source of great advice for both
characters when trouble arises. I ached for both Beau and Sofia when the
mysterious delivery of a pink baby blanket brought Sofia's fears and
insecurities back to the surface, driving a wedge between them. I felt like
Sofia had earned her misery but hurt for Beau. I loved watching Beau try to
find a way to show Sofia that she could trust him, but none of the "grand
gestures" that other people suggested felt right. I loved the one that
finally hit him as just right because of the way it showed how much he
respected and admired her. I also liked that Sofia realized how wrong she'd
been and that her issues, not his actions, caused the problems. I loved seeing
Sofia face up to her mistakes and her scene with Beau. The ending was terrific.
The book has a secondary romance between Beau's friend,
Dan, and Sofia's mom. I loved seeing them meet and experience an unexpected
attraction to each other. Both have painful pasts, and I liked seeing them take
their time to get to know each other. Maria is over the moon with happiness at
having helped with two successful relationships.
In this third book, another mysterious gift is given to a
Fortune. The first book had a sculpture; the second was a picture and a pink
baby blanket in this one. No one has any idea who sent them or what they mean.
I'm looking forward to reading the other books and solving the mystery.
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