He ticks every one of her “never again” boxes…
Jo Weaver loves her job as a boat mechanic for her family’s marina in River’s Edge, Indiana. But when she’s pulled away from her high school reunion with her sisters to fix a stranded yacht, she can’t restrain her irritation. Jo doesn’t like wealthy men who think they can have whatever they want, and she has no intention of falling for rich and charming again.
Born into the international Briggs Hotels empire, Alex Briggs has never felt comfortable with his life of privilege. Abandoning his family’s business to pursue medical research, he’s far more at home in his lab. When the yacht he restored himself breaks down on the way to an important conference, Alex begrudgingly goes in search of a boat mechanic and falls, literally, into Jo Weaver’s arms. The fireworks he feels are impossible to ignore.
Jo does her best to keep Alex in the business zone, but he keeps slipping into something more. Can she trust her fragile heart, especially when Alex and his life-altering research are so far from River’s Edge?
PJ's Thoughts:
If you're a regular here you already know how much I've been enjoying the books set in Nan Reinhardt's River's Edge. I love this town and the people who live there. Each one of their stories has touched my heart but this one, Meet Me in River's Edge, didn't just touch my heart, it out and out stole it. Jo and Alex are my favorite River's Edge couple. I've read their book twice. Pretty sure I'll be revisiting them again...and again...and again.
There's so much to love about this couple and their up and down journey to a happy ending, all of which Reinhardt executes flawlessly. We have triplet sisters dynamics, a relationship-averse heroine, smitten hero, snappy banter, mountains of emotional baggage, swoony romance, complicated family (hero), perfectly placed humor, drool-worthy food, delicious chemistry (kissing only), life-threatening obstacles, and a grand gesture that I read while sobbing happy tears. Sobbing.
I love the time the author takes with Jo and Alex, not only developing their relationship gradually but also their individual characters as well as relationships with those surrounding them. Jo's father and Rich, the man who is more father to Alex than his actual father are particular favorites. I like how she weaves mistaken assumptions into the story, as is often the case in real life, as a way of growing both Jo's and Alex's characters and showing that first impressions are not always correct. I also appreciate the communication between Jo and Alex and the way they slowly open themselves emotionally to one another, though that is significantly tested during a particular crisis. Again, a turn in the story that is realistic and relatable, leading to the forgiveness, understanding, and healing which is necessary to move forward and claim that happily ever after.
Meet Me in River's Edge is book two in Nan Reinhardt's Weaver Sisters trilogy set within the author's River's Edge world. Characters from earlier books pop in and out of the story but it's written in such a way that readers new to River's Edge should not be confused or feel as if they are missing something. Jump in here and enjoy the ride.
