Holiday Heat
Fiona NealContemporary romance
Available from New Concepts Publishing
ISBN: 1-58608-578-6
November 2004
| Kate is a vet in South Carolina. She loves her job but something is missing. That something is Kyle, her ex-fiance. She loved, and still loves, him, but his father disapproved of them being together. He has high hopes for his son, and that doesn't include Kyle marrying a "nobody." So when Kate's grandparents come to the bank for a loan, he gives it to them with a low interest rate, and a clause that states he can call it in anytime he wants. And when Kate tells him of her impending marriage, he threatens to call it in, meaning her grandparents would lose their farm, the only home they know. She agrees to leave the state, to never see or speak to Kyle again, and to not tell him the reason for her abandonment.
But she eventually had to go back home to visit her grandparents. And when she does, she ends up having a fender-bender on the way there due to ice. The owner of the other vehicle is Kyle. He displays an icy civility but style cares for Kate, and wants to know the reason why she left him. Holiday Heat reminded me of a Diana Palmer book, without the angst in the relationship of the male and female characters. It was a bittersweet tale in the beginning, especially since it seemed to unfair for Kate and Kyle to be separated by his father. I think the characters handled it admirably. Kyle was understandably angry, but not the point that he allowed it to get in the way of his feelings for Kate. Nor did he allow it to cause him to be cruel. Kate, on the other hand, did what she could when faced with his father's threat, and when she had the chance, experienced love with Kyle again. Kyle's father's complete turnabout did bother me. I would've expected something similar after a heart attack, but not a complete admittance of guilt and a "welcome to the family" kind of attitude towards Kate. Had it come a little more gradually, a little later, or even a little more grudgingly, I'd have believed it more from that character. The HEA in Holiday Heat fit the story and characters, and dedicated Silhouette fans would very likely love this story.
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Reviewer: Tara Black |
