Book Binge

Rowena's review of Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson.

Hero: Sam Leclaire
Heroine: Autumn Haven

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS . . .
DOESN'T ALWAYS STAY THERE.

Autumn Haven's Las Vegas "to-do" list said to catch a show and play the slots—not wake up married to a sexy jerk like Sam Leclaire. The first moment she saw him eyeing her like a luscious piece of the dessert buffet, her usually responsible self told her run. And she did—right into the wildest fantasy weekend of her life. But Monday morning jolted her back to reality and before she could say "pass the coffee" Sam was gone.

Now a successful wedding planner, Autumn she hasn't clapped eyes on the heart-breaking hockey superstar for over two years... until she organizes his teammate's "Special Day," where Sam makes a BIG play to pick up he left off! But she has vowed any man of hers plays for keeps. Is Sam the man for her or does she banish him to the sin bin forever?.

I love reading Rachel Gibson books. They never fail to make me smile, laugh out loud and sigh when all is said and done. She also never fails to make me salivate for more. I love her hockey books, there hasn't been a hockey book that she's written that I haven't liked in one way or another and this book isn't any different.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it so much that I read it all in a day. I started it at work and finished it before I went to bed that same night. I really enjoyed watching Sam and Autumn battle it out throughout this book and then watching them both win at the end. Both characters weren't perfect and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Six years ago, Sam and Autumn met in Las Vegas and had one of those "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" weekends that had consequences that stayed with them long after they parted ways. Consequences in the form of a young child being born nine months later and a divorce that hurt Autumn more than she cared to admit. These days, the divorce is final and Sam went back to his womanizing ways and Autumn picked up the pieces of her life and moved on. She's raising her and Sam's young son, Conner and she's started up an event planning company that is doing pretty well.

Everything is going well until Sam starts wanting to play a more active role in Conner's life. Since Conner was born, Sam's played the daddy role when it was convenient for him. He dropped in and out of Conner's life under the I'm too busy working mentality and something Autumn says to him snaps him out of the selfish role that he's played in Conner's life. He starts thinking long term and starts wanting to be a more permanent part of his son's life.

While Autumn is happy that Sam is taking a more active role in Conner's life, she can't help but wonder how long this attentive father act is going to last. For as long as Autumn can remember, Sam's been breaking promises to Conner and she's had to mop up his tears and that's a huge part of why she hates Sam so much. Watching these two fight their way to their happy ending (the one where they get it right this time around) made for a delightful reading treat.

What I liked most about this book was the way that Sam came into his own. He realized he was being a pretty shitty father to his son and he took the necessary steps to fix that. He also fell in love with his ex-wife all over again. Autumn on the other hand was all over the place. She went hot and cold all the time and for some reason, it didn't annoy me the way that it probably should have. Sam did a real number on her and she was right to doubt him. The chemistry between the two of these guys rang true and I just totally ate their story up. My one complaint is that the story ended too soon and I was left wanting more. I read this book entirely too fast and was bummed when I had to say goodbye to them.

Gibson does a good job making me curious about Vince. I really want more from Vince and can't wait for his story. The characters in this story, the new and the old ones were wonderful additions to the overall story and I really enjoyed the ride. Rachel Gibson hits it out of the park again for me.

4.5 out of 5

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here.

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