Thursday, October 24, 2013

4 stars! Friends to Lovers (Aisle Bound #3) by Cristi Barth



As florist and co-owner of a successful Chicago wedding planning business, Daphne Lovell has been there for the happiest days of other people's lives. As for her own life? Well, it's hard to be perfectly happy when you're carrying a torch for your sexy, womanizing and oblivious best friend. So when the lights go out on New Year's Eve, she seizes the opportunity to kiss him senseless.

British expat Gibson Moore has a lot on his plate. The hotel he manages is being bought out, his family is crazy and someone just kissed him in the dark. When the lights go on, he searches the room, trying to find the mystery pair of lips. Only, he never thinks to ask the woman standing by his side. He's shocked when he discovers that Daphne is the woman he's been searching for. But Gib's also eager to act upon the attraction for her he's always fought to ignore.

It takes trust to move from friends to lovers, and as Gib's work situation worsens, he is no longer sure he can risk the friendship he relies on most. It's up to Daphne to convince him that some things are worth fighting for…

Type: Contemporary Romance
Heat: 3 out of 5 but it takes a while
Rating: 4 out of 5

Amazon All Romance Goodreads
The more I read from Barth the more I love her books and Friends to Lovers was a great little read. The whole friends to lovers set up is one of my absolute favorites. It can be so sweet and touching but can also really rock the awkward and that's pretty much how Friends to Lovers went as Gib and Daphne's years of friendship gets knocked on it's side by an unexpected New Years kiss during a power outage.

I really liked both of the characters individually. Daphne is a passionate business woman, talented and loves her friends. She's pretty much at the end of her rope where Gib is concerned though. She's loved him for years and he's just never seen her as anything other than his best friend. I liked her as a whole even though she had a lot of insecurities where Gib was concerned and sometimes I just couldn't understand her infatuation. I did really like that she was finally going for what she wanted though. Gotta respect that

And Gib. Lordy Gib is a play boy if there ever was one. But he has a really good heart, he works hard to take care of his people (both his friends and employees) and has some vulnerabilities due to a horrible childhood that really make you feel for the guy I swear I was ready to pound on his family. They're incredible. And *not* in a good way.
"Uh, I'm right here. Or have I turned invisible?"

Brushing his lips along the rim of her ear, Gib whispered, "You're the only thing I see."
I really loved these two when they were in their best friend mode. They're pretty cute together and just made me smile with how they interacted. They love each other, depend on each other and it really shows. And I enjoyed watching them bumble about and finally make things work as a couple. Things get steamy but it's stop and go quite a bit of the time.

I did have one complaint though and that was Gib's manwhoreness. It's pretty extreme in his case and while I loved him as a character it was brought up so often and in an almost irreverent way by the other characters that it started to bother me a bit and really had an ick factor. I don't think I could handle that personally so it set me off a bit. I was really proud of Daphne when a night out went horribly wrong--he pretty much treats her to his signature date he uses with all of the women--and she stands up for herself and really lays it on the table that she's worth more. Hell yes she is! And that it finally registered to Gib and he went about fixing things.

But other than that, when I could ignore the play boy factor I really enjoyed Friends to Lovers, the set up and both Daphne and Gib. It's an easy read that ended perfectly and really had me happy for them and that they'd made it work despite all of the bumps along the way. Their friends are all pretty awesome too and have me antsy to read all of their stories next. They all played a great supporting roll and really are people I think I'd like to have on my side.

Have you read Barth? Have a favorite?
Do you like the whole friends to lovers theme?

I've got a print copy things to the publisher that's looking for a home.
Feel free to enter :) But you're more than welcome to just leave a comment if you'd rather not enter the giveaway.


1 comment:

  1. This looks right up my alley, I've been craving a good contemporary book. I haven't read anything by this author yet.

    ReplyDelete

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