Anything for You by Kristan Higgins

LOVED this book. Loved it. 4 1/2 stars. There was a B story that I felt was distracting and not needed but we finally get to see restaurant owner Connor find his HEA. He's already found his true love. Hell, he found her 21 years ago. But they've had a rocky road and Jessica has very valid reasons for why she doesn't want to have a "real" relationship and we get to see many of those reasons as we skip along their relationship's past. And Higgins once again tugs on the heart strings while creating a truly happy-ever-after.

Four and a half stars
Comes out on Dec. 22, 2015
Follows: In Your Dreams

In your Dreams by Kristan Higgins

I absolutely devoured this book. Read it all in one sitting. While I was reading it, I was loving it. But thinking back, I have a few issues. I'll hide those behind spoilers in case other people don't share my opinions. I don't want to infect you if you didn't notice them.
First things first. What was with the prologue and epilogue. It would have been a good hook had it been done in the rest of the series, but it just seems odd coming up now. The good news is, you don't have to have read the rest of the series to get into this book.
Jack Holland is the perfect man. Built like a Greek god, good to his family, a conscientious entrepreneur (wine, hello!), and honest-to-God hero. It's that act of heroism that's currently haunting him. When Emmaline Neal, policewoman, part of his hockey team, needs an out-of-town date, he's only too happy to leave town.
Definitely in line with the rest of the Blue Heron series. The past characters are involved, but in ways that totally make sense with te story, nobody shoehorned in. Definitely worth reading.

I had this nagging feeling that Jack was too perfect. But then I remembered how he dicked Emmaline over when it came to his ex-wife being locked in a cell. I guess that was my problem. He was soooo perfect in every other aspect and then comes up a dick? It was jarring.
And Emmaline, though a strong woman, we saw waaaaay to much of her issues. It's fine for real women to have issues. It's good for fictional heroines to have issues. But when she stutters, can't get over her ex, is a little too whiny, and her relationship with her family is just painful... especially in comparison to the Greek god. It just didn't seem like an equal match.

Followed by: Anything for You (posts on Dec. 22)

Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins

Image linked from Goodreads

I've been looking forward to this book for awhile. Colleen O'Rourke, local bartender (bar owner, really), has been a B character in other Blue Heron books but she has seemed like a confident woman who is comfortable in her own skin. Even better, it's hinted that she has had "relationships" with many of the men that come into the bar (though Higgins does have to mention that her reputation is hugely inflated. Why can't we just have a confident woman who actually deserves her reputation?) but her friends don't think less of her for it and she doesn't think less of herself.
For four years, she dated Lucas Campbell while they were in high school and even while starting college. Then

she found out that he knew her father was cheating and didn't tell her. Also, he had issues saying "I love you" and just sharing emotions in general

her world fell apart and so did their relationship. While she hasn't lost faith in love, she's lost the idea of it for herself.
This book was three stars for me until the ending. I didn't love

that Joe was such a douche about Colleen sleeping with his cousin but you do have to factor in that his world had just shifted with the loss of his uncle

but the fact that he sort of figured it out on his own was a nice touch and, oh, the feels.
This book comes out on March 25, 2014 and is most definitely a book worth reading.

The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins

Wow. I have to say, I was predisposed not to like this book when it opened with a family friend/gynecologist telling Hope that, at 35, her eggs are dying and she has to have kids now!!!!! Um, okay. This sends Hope into a spiral and she decides that the guy that she’s been having a friends-with-benefits-relationship with for almost 20 years is going to her one and only. Really? She’s known for a looooong time that he’s not interested in being in a real relationship but now she’s going to leap into the marriage question?

Granted, she’s pushed into asking by a frenemy who really wants said guy for herself but… okay

It’s a testament to Kristan Higgins writing skills that I not only kept reading the book but really, really enjoyed it. And that as I write this review, I keep thinking of more and more things about the book that bothered me but I still have warm fuzzies and will re-read this book before the gods of NetGalley push its expiration date.

Hope is kind of in a rut. And we’ve all experienced this, where we think life is going okay and suddenly it’s x number of years later and we haven’t at all accomplished what we thought we were going to.

I also liked her hero, Tom. He desperately needs to stay in the country in order to remain physically close to the boy who was almost his stepson. However, he finds out that the university where he’s teaching can’t afford to renew his greencard

another peeve here-even though there’s a last minute change and suddenly there’s no need for Hope and Tom to marry… unless it’s truly love…-why hinge the whole book on a premise that’s gone at the end?

He’s got issues (ahem, the drinking) but he’s aware of and working on many of them. And he really loves his stepson.