kimbacaffeinate
Written on Jul 26, 2015
- Brothers-*Squee* I do love series with brothers and Made For Us delivered with the Shaughnessy family. Our first book begins with the oldest Aidan. He is thirty-four and a successful homebuilder.
- Small-town setting- The tale takes place in a beach side community in North Carolina making this a delightful summer read.
- The Shaughnessy family- consists of four brothers, their Dad and a baby sister who is now seventeen. All the boys are wildly successful and Darcy the little sister is trying to deal with her overprotective brothers. The family loss their mother during Aiden’s first year of college and it influenced all of their lives, particularly Aiden as he stepped in to help his father out.
- The plot- The story centers around Zoe and Aiden. Zoe Dalton is an interior decorator who after losing her mother moves to North Carolina. Zoe was sweet, successful and perhaps the only one who will stand up to Aiden. I had some issues with her, and really felt the author’s intention for her did not come across. (See Decaffeinated Aspects) Aiden has some serious control issues and while it works in his professional life, it has done little for his personal. His whole life revolves around taking care of protecting his family. Many of his traits are admirable, but oh, lord the man needs to drop the lease. We get a hurricane, a cute dog and banter as Zoe unlike everyone else isn't ready to fall in line and take orders from Aiden.
- Secondary characters- from siblings to the local sheriff and his sister added interest and hinted of storylines to come. I am most excited about Anna and Quinn whose book will be a friends to lovers romance. I am hoping Dad will get one too and I have a character in mind.
- The romance- despite the angst was slow building and I believed in their affections for each other. Chase shared some sizzling kisses but the sex was not overly detailed in the bedroom. It was a nice balance somewhere between Robyn Carr’s small-town romances and Bella Andre's Sullivan series.
Decaffeinated Aspects
- Angst and drama- at times spoiled the read. Yes, Aiden has issues, but I felt a little communication would have resolved things sooner.
- Zoe- had attributes I admired but she was not fleshed out firmly enough for me. She teetered sometimes in her convictions and with all of Aiden’s issues, I felt she needed to confident, head-strong, and firm while still being able to see the man beneath his overbearing personality. One moment she is in Aiden’s face the next, she is muttering, not my family not my problem.
- Aiden- is not an easy hero to swoon-over. I felt for him, but also wanted to smack the man and often. I was a tad surprise his family tolerated his controlling behavior. You cannot fault him for his love of family and the passion he brings to the homes he builds, but the transformation for this stubborn hero was not easy. Thankfully like Zoe, I was able to see the good beneath that hard head.
Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer