Just a Little Married - Reese Ryan (HD #2830 - Oct 2021)

Series: Moonlight Ridge (Book 3)

She needs a husband…fast.
Could her former flame be perfect for the job?
 
To claim her inheritance, philanthropist Riley George needs to tie the knot -- now! Desperate times call for desperate measures, so she turns to Travis Holloway -- the celebrity chef catering her gala and her ex-lover. Can she make him an offer he can't refuse without giving in to an attraction she can't deny? If Travis can keep things strictly business, he'll save his family's luxury resort. But it's never been about business with Riley, only pleasure. And this agreement on paper is about to tempt them into reckoning with the past…
 
Terrific second chance romance and conclusion to the series. The book works fine as a standalone, but you get the full effect if you read the other two first. Travis is the last of the three adopted brothers to return home to Moonlight Ridge to help care for their father after a health crisis and return the family resort to its former grandeur.
 
Travis and his brothers Mack and Grey were best friends while growing up. That ended fifteen years earlier after a car crash that changed their lives. Each brother blamed himself, but Travis was so severely injured that he lost his football scholarship and dreams of an NFL career. It took him two years to learn to walk again. All three left North Carolina to branch out on their own, and as the years passed grew further apart. We get Mack and Grey's versions of the accident in the previous books, see them come to terms with it and find love.
 
Travis is happy for his brothers, but he doesn't believe in love and happily-ever-after. After being abandoned by his mother, and the devastating break-up with his high school girlfriend, he doesn't trust women. He's quite happy with his bachelor lifestyle. He'll help with his dad, revamp the resort's kitchen and menu, and then return to his celebrity cooking show, restaurants, and cookbooks. He doesn't expect to see Riley again, much less get roped into working with her.
 
I loved seeing Travis's former mentor and resort chef strongarm Travis and Riley into working together. Henri was supposed to cater Riley's upcoming charity fundraiser but has to pull out. He insists that Travis take his place, claiming (accurately) that Travis's name will bring in more donors. Travis counters by insisting the gala be held at Moonlight Ridge, and he and Riley come to a working agreement. Neither one expected the feelings that being around each other stirred up.
 
Riley has another problem she needs Travis's help with. Two of the charities she works with have lost funding. To access her trust fund from her grandfather to help them, his stipulations require that she be married to a man "of independent means." Travis is shocked when Riley offers to invest in the resort if he marries her for a year. Though he laughs himself silly and then refuses, Riley doesn't give up. I loved watching her use every means possible to get him to agree.
 
I liked watching the relationship between Travis and Riley develop. They had known each other first as children when her parents came to the resort on vacation. As they grew older, their friendship deepened into more. But Riley's parents, especially her father, were snobs and didn't approve, and their interference drove the two apart. Neither of them has forgotten those feelings, but they don't want to risk their hearts again. However, it is impossible to spend time together and not remember the good times, so they grow close again. There are some sweet scenes between them, such as skipping stones and cooking together.
 
I loved seeing the depth of caring that developed, though neither one was willing to admit it. The scene where they had dinner with Riley's parents was great. I loved seeing Riley stand up to them, and the conversation between Travis and Mr. George was excellent. Though Travis is still fighting his feelings, the proposal scene at the gala was incredible and very romantic. I enjoyed seeing Mack and Grey try to get through to Travis since his feelings for Riley were obvious, but he remained obstinate. His feelings came through clearly with the surprise he had for her on their wedding day.
 
But an uninvited guest at the wedding threw Travis's emotions into turmoil. I ached for him and the memories it stirred up, and I liked how Riley tried to help. I hurt for her when she got caught in the middle of a stunning revelation and how Travis turned on her. I loved how Jameson straightened him out and the subsequent advice he received. The big moment at the end was great, and the epilogue was a terrific wrap-up.
 
Two storylines went across all three books. One was the developing relationship between Jameson and his nurse/former housekeeper. They were sweet together, and I enjoyed seeing Giada keep him in line. The other, more critical issue was the embezzlement that Mack discovered in the first book and Grey investigated in the second one. I had my suspicions right from the start and was happy to be proved right. 

Best Laid Wedding Plans - Karen Booth (HD #2826 - Sept 2021)

Series: Moonlight Ridge (Book 2)

“You could use a lesson in
giving in to temptation.”
 
But who's Autumn Kincaid to talk? Her reputation as a wedding planner is on the line after she's left at the altar. So is her job at Moonlight Ridge -- unless she proves herself to grumpy Grey Holloway, whose family owns the resort. Grey doesn't even believe in true love. She has to convince him romance is real, that all he needs is to give in to the heat threatening to burn them both. Maybe this time Autumn will get her own happily-ever-after…or is this just another best-laid plan?
 
This was a good opposites-attract story. Autumn is the wedding planner for Moonlight Ridge, but things aren't going so well for her. Her fiancé called off their wedding just days before it happened, thanks to her Hollywood producer, PR nightmare father's latest sexual misconduct scandal. This put Autumn front and center in the gossip rags, which affects her business, as brides begin to cancel their arrangements with her. She's confident she can recover if given a chance, but that chance comes with the supervision of Grey Holloway, one of the sons of her employer.
 
Grey is one of three brothers who were very close while growing up until a tragic accident tore them apart. Now they rarely speak unless it has something to do with their father. When he takes ill, each brother commits to spending a few months - separately - helping at the resort until he recovers. Mack came first, reconnected with his high school sweetheart, and decided to stay (Homecoming Heartbreaker). He also wants the brothers to reconcile, though it won't be easy. Grey accepts helping out for his father's sake but is none too happy about having to shadow the wedding planner.
 
I loved the first meeting between Autumn and Grey. Always an optimist, Autumn takes coffee and pastries to Grey's cabin, hoping to get off to a good start. She doesn't expect to find the handsome and sexy man exercising on the deck and be told he "doesn't do breakfast." Grey is honest that he doesn't believe in love and marriage and has no interest in following her around, but has no choice. Faced with Mr. Grumpy, Autumn lets her optimism bubble up, tells him that he doesn't know what he's missing, but she'll fill him in on everything he needs to know, even though she doesn't want him there either.
 
It doesn't take long for Grey to realize that the wedding problems are not Autumn's fault professionally. He's incredibly impressed with her abilities and has no trouble telling Mack so. I loved the support he gave her when confronted by an unpleasant mother-of-the-bride. He's fascinated and attracted to her, even though he knows he's going back to New York at the end of the summer. Autumn is equally attracted to Grey, and it isn't long before they give in to the heat between them. Neither expected the deeper feelings between them, and Grey fought especially hard against them. I loved his "aha" moment, and his big scene at the end was sweet and romantic.
 
A few other things are going on during this book. Mack and his father, Jameson, are trying to get everyone reunited and moved back to Moonlight Ridge. Mack tends to be a little heavy-handed, and Grey does not respond well, adding more stress. However, Grey agrees to design the new brewery on the resort grounds in time for Mack's wedding, which helps smooth things between the two brothers. There is also romance brewing between Jameson and his nurse/housekeeper, who have known each other for years. Giada is no pushover, and I like the sparks that fly between them.
 
Lastly, the resort isn't doing well financially, and Mack suspects someone is stealing from the resort. He had no luck finding who in the first book. The subject is lightly addressed in this one, with the secret presence of a forensic accountant on the property, but no conclusions are reached. I have my suspicions and can't wait to see if they are correct.