Review: The Bachelor Auction by Rachel Van Dyken (Bachelors of Arizona #1)
Note: This ARC was provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) in exchange for an honest review.
"What?" she asked, cupping his face with her hands then running them down his muscular shoulders.
He swallowed. "I think you're incredible." He leaned in closer, his mouth grazing hers. "I think you're absolutely stunning." His lips teases hers in a draining kiss that had her heart erratically slamming against her chest. "I think that I'll never get enough of this." He kissed her harder. "It's not just your taste..." His lips lingered on the slender column of her neck. "It you. Jane, it's you."
There's a line in this novel where one of the male main character's brothers tells the female main character, "Once you go Brock, you never go back," and I heartily agree. The Bachelor Auction is the first novel in bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken's new romantic comedy series, Bachelors of Arizona, which also happens to be a spin-off of her The Bet series. If you loved Nadine Titus, the matchmaking grandmother of The Bet, The Wager, and The Dare, she makes a very memorable appearance in this new series starter. On a side note, reading The Bet series prior to this one isn't required, but if you enjoy romantic comedies, you need to give that a whirl, because it's zany and wacky. She isn't the only senior citizen worth remembering, but why limit it to the older supporting characters, when in fact, nearly everyone who had a prominent role in this story was unforgettable. If it's one thing that the author has a knack for, it's creating a cast of characters that steal the spotlight as cheekily as they steal readers' hearts.
The Bachelor Auction is the story of thirty-five-year-old Brock Wellington, elder brother to twins Bentley and Brant, grandson to Charles, and one of the prime movers of Wellington Incorporated, and twenty-two-year-old Jane (whose last name never appears in the book, which kinda peeved me but then I'm anal that way), younger sister to Esmeralda and Essence and the beauty, brains, and body behind Cinderella Cleaning. The story has a Cinderella feel to it put given a fresh and creative twist to it. A busted shoe, two user-friendly sisters, two far more charming society princes as compared to their brooding, serious brother, a fractured fairy tale-like grandmother who could probably out-bibbidi-bobbidi-boo any fairy godmother, and even two mice--yup, they're all part of the fun-filled and funny love story of Brock and Jane. Brock's grandfather wants him to participate in a bachelor auction for positive press for their company, with marriage thrown in as well...then he meets Jane. Can he say "yes" to the woman who makes him believe in happily-ever-after? But will that mean having to say "no" to his grandfather and his legacy?
With numerous quips and hilarious scenarios, this book was a joy to read. There was no putting my e-reader down throughout, not wanting to have my attention taken away from what was unfolding between Brock and Jane. The machinations of Charles and Nadine and the surprisingly wise words of wisdom coming from Bentley and Brant provided a lot of the lighter moments in the story, but Brock and Jane managed to get themselves into a couple of rather silly situations as well, all of which elicited either a smile or a laugh on my end. Brock and Jane were easily likable characters, although I admit that for a period of time while in the family cabin, Brock was asking to be smacked upside the head for his boorish behavior. Their love for family often equated to this heavy weight of responsibility that they put on their own shoulders, so even though their financial statuses may have made them opposites, they had more similarities than they realized in the beginning. These two, together with the supporting characters and a cleverly written love story, made this novel one of my favorite reads so far this year, and it sets the bar quite high for the Bentley's story in The Playboy Bachelor. The Bachelor Auction receives five-plus stars. ♥
Date Read: 06 October 2016
Learn more about Rachel Van Dyken.
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