When Renee McClendon was a teenager, she made a list of all the qualities her perfect man would have, but no matter how many handsome guys have ticked the boxes, she has yet to find the man for her. She wants a regular guy who's not afraid to get his hands dirty, and she's given herself a deadline. If she doesn't find Mr. Right by New Year's, she's done searching.
Patrick Dunlap is used to woman looking at him as a lowly chauffeur…until they realize he owns the whole company. All he wants is a woman who'll want him for who is, and not only see dollar signs. He hits it off with Renee right away, so while they get to know each other, he withholds some small details instead of risking what they're starting to build.
But when the truth comes out, how forgiving will Renee be?
Each book in the McClendon Holiday series is a STANDALONE story that can be enjoyed out of order.
* A McClendon Thanksgiving
* The Christmas Promise
* A Husband by New Year's
Review:
In all, A
Husband by New Year’s was a book I wanted to love; however, the cons
outweighed the pros unfortunately. I still suggest it to those who love holiday
romances, as the holiday cheeriness is fun, and maybe you’ll be able to find
something in Renee and Patrick that I couldn’t quite grasp.
I added Sean D. Young’s A
Husband by New Year’s to my TBR as soon as I saw the cover and the title. I
mean, a husband by New Year’s? Now that’s sure to be interesting. Also, what
was the rush – I was dying to know!
Unfortunately, A
Husband by New Year’s wasn’t the book for me. The characters felt
one-dimensional, the romance wasn’t nearly as fleshed out and lively as I
expected, and more times than one I was skipping entire passages and even pages
just to get to the big point.
A Husband by New
Year’s introduces us to Renee and Patrick, two young professionals on the
search for true love.
I wanted to love Renee and Patrick. On the surface, they had
such great qualities and characteristics – hardworking, kind, and passionate;
however, they never managed to work their way into my heart, and because of
that, it was hard to be invested in their story.
Additionally, Renee was kind of annoying. At first, I
thought her idealized view of love and romance was admirable and cute, but as
the book progressed, it started to get on my nerves – no one’s romantic partner
is ever going to fit a perfect list, no matter how great they may seem on the
surface. Life is messy, and love is even messier. Also, she constantly jumped
to conclusions, especially in regards to her relationship with Patrick. At
first, I liked the drama and suspense it brought with it, but by the end, I was
left feeling frustrated – Patrick’s big secret wasn’t even that big of a deal,
and if Renee hadn’t jumped to a conclusion without first asking, they wouldn’t
even have been in the predicament to begin with.
The plot in this mainly revolved Renee and Patrick’s
developing romance, their respective work issues, and their families. As hinted
to above, the romance here really didn’t work for me. Mostly this was due to me
having a hard time connecting/loving the characters, but it also had to do with
the lack of jazz and spice that came with it. Their conversations were stilted,
making it hard to relate or even find it to be realistic. However, I did love
the parts that involved their careers and families. I wish more time had been
spent looking into both of those areas, since I liked them so much.
Another aspect that I did like was the holiday themes. The
book starts prior to Thanksgiving and lasts until New Year’s. The little
tidbits about each respective holiday were cute, and I especially loved the
quaint inn Renee and Patrick stayed in.
Grade: C-
A Husband by New Year's is now out!
Source: eARC provided by publisher
Buy Links:
Sorry that this one didn't work out for you. I hope you enjoy your next read a bit more.
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