Why this ISN'T a 5-star book:Harper, the female lead, is astonishingly annoying. I mean I've read cynical characters and even ultra bitchy ones, but Harper's harping was so repetitive and, well, mean, I found her hard to like. Add her rotten attitude to constant lawyer speech and you've got one unlikable lead. The entire book from her POV meant there was an emotional depth lacking, because Harper's emotional capacity was "stunted" or "guarded" throughout. I find some issues get ignored in romance reconciliation books, and this was no different. Nick has a second ex-wife he still sees regularly at her daughters events and lunch dates and a step daughter that he stays in contact with like a father. Come the f***-on. That part was sailed over like it doesn't matter. Since it didn't matter any to Harper why bother including it other than to annoy me. The issue of kids didn't really come up and that was one of the main reasons Harper was pushing to marry her boyfriend. There were a couple other things mentioned but never really addressed and I ask again, why bother.Why this IS a 4-star book:As much as Harper bothered me, I also felt deep sympathy for her. Her mother left her and her father on her 13th birthday. Her dad came home after a week in Vegas with Crazy Texan mother replacement BeverLee (I loved that spelling!)and sweet, but disgustingly spoiled, Willa. Her husband, Nick, ignored her problems when they were married leading to an inevitable divorce. There were some very deep emotions going on in this book and I felt everyone of them.Higgins dialogue is WONDERFUL! I love humor in romance books, and this book is really great for the humorous/combative talk. I admit to laughing at times and shed a couple tears as well. I would recommend this book as an enjoyable read.
