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A review by jonetta
Barefoot at Midnight by Roxanne St. Claire
4.0
Lawson (Law) Monroe was the sous chef at the Mimosa Key Ritz-Carlton when Jake Carpenter, his surrogate father, friend and proprietor of the Toasted Pelican, dies of a stroke. Law has begged Jake for years to allow him to turn the seedy bar into a "gastropub" and on his deathbed, Jake told him that he wanted him to have the bar. But, soon after, Law runs into serious obstacles finding Jake's will and the owners of the shell company barring him from taking over. Libby Chesterfield, Law's high school dream, is behind the stonewalling and the two of them go head-t0-head in battling over the property and their obvious personal attraction.
Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to Law's story as I'd judged him (unfairly) as shallow and sexist. Trust St. Claire to turn my opinion on its head as not only was he a man of true substance but was someone quite admirable given all he'd overcome. Libby represents all those gorgeous women we think are so lucky to have those physical gifts but is dying inside to be taken seriously and judged for those things other than exterior assets.
This was a complicated story despite Law and Libby's glib banter. Figuring out the mystery behind Jake's ownership of the bar and Libby's true paternity was a bit gnarly and interesting. But, I wasn't charmed by her offbeat mother, who created lots of unnecessary drama in her children's lives. It was such a good book and am glad I didn't put it off. And, the good news is there will be three more silver fox stories! Well done as it's such a nice change of pace to read about more mature characters. Loved it!
(I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review)
Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to Law's story as I'd judged him (unfairly) as shallow and sexist. Trust St. Claire to turn my opinion on its head as not only was he a man of true substance but was someone quite admirable given all he'd overcome. Libby represents all those gorgeous women we think are so lucky to have those physical gifts but is dying inside to be taken seriously and judged for those things other than exterior assets.
This was a complicated story despite Law and Libby's glib banter. Figuring out the mystery behind Jake's ownership of the bar and Libby's true paternity was a bit gnarly and interesting. But, I wasn't charmed by her offbeat mother, who created lots of unnecessary drama in her children's lives. It was such a good book and am glad I didn't put it off. And, the good news is there will be three more silver fox stories! Well done as it's such a nice change of pace to read about more mature characters. Loved it!
(I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review)