Five Days in Skye

GIVEAWAY

RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

LAUREANO, CARLA
FIVE DAYS IN SKYE

Hospitality consultant Andrea Sullivan has one last chance to snag a high-profile client or she'll have to kiss her dreams of promotion goodbye. When she's sent to meet Scottish celebrity chef MacDonald on the Isle of Skye, she just wants to finish her work as efficiently as possible. Yet her client is not the opportunistic womanizer he portrays himself to be, and her attraction to him soon dredges up memories she'd rather leaave buried.

For James, renovating the family hotel is a fulfillment of his late father's dreams. When his hired consultant turns out to be beautiful, intelligent, and completely unimpressed by his public persona, he makes it his mission to win her over. He just never expects to fall under her spell.

Soon, both Andrea and James must face the reality that God may have a far different purpose for their lives -- and that five days in Skye will forever change their outlook on life and love.

My Review:

published in 2013
My thanks to my public library for providing me with another amazing retro read!

Whooossshhhh! That's the sound of my pent-up breath releasing in a swoony sigh of satisfaction! I don't think my toes are ever going to uncurl! That Jamie....just thinking about him gives me heart palpitations. So please excuse this romantically-addle-brained review, but once you meet this hero, you'll totally understand. And then we can lounge on our fainting couches and commiserate with each other because Andrea gets the man. :-)

And I'm totally enamored over the setting! I mean, hello, it's Scotland!!!! And the way Laureano writes it has me yearning to hop on a plane and discover it all for myself. Especially a certain celebrity chef of the MacDonald variety. Wistful sigh. Speaking of which -- the first time Andrea and James meet -- sqqquuueaaallll --- snort - guffaw!!!!!! Cutting dialogue. A flirty Scotsman. A 'wickedly sharp tongued' Yank. Talk about the perfect set up for a romance!  (Rats, I'm back to hyperventilating over James again.)

Concentrate, Kav, concentrate. There are other elements that make this novel a fantabulous read! Like...um...Ian, James' brother. "Being in the same room with the MacDonald men was like standing in a demilitarized zone. It seemed safe and cordial until someone got trigger-happy and started sniping."   Sheesh, I just mentioned James again, didn't I? One might think I'm a bit obsessed...and they'd be right!

Love the way the author slowly reveals bits and pieces of back story for both hero and heroine. I fell deeper and deeper into their story as I discovered how past hurts and failures dictated present day actions. My heart broke for Andrea, though the slow reveal of all the particulars sent me into a frenzied rabid-reading snit! So much vulnerability hidden behind the professional businesswoman facade that James is so determined to chip away at. And -- insert euphoric tizzying shiver of delight -- he is so tenderly relentless in his pursuit. Thud....and we're back to talking about James. Again.

I'm trying to figure out a way to talk about the inspirational thread without mentioning you-know-who but since James is the one who gently shares his faith with Andrea, I'm afraid that even this paragraph is going to be about him! "We're all broken. We're only human. Some wounds only God can mend."  There's a beautiful redemption story here which makes this my favourite kind of romance.

My apologies for this exceedingly James-centric review...but if you're in the market for a new 'book boyfriend', Five Days in Skye is a great place to look.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Five Days in Skye, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca.  If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 12 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!