REVIEW: Wildflower Wedding by Luann McLane

In Wildflower Wedding by Luann McLane, Gabby has come a long way from the trailer park she grew up in and now owns a flower shop in Cricket Creek. She hasn’t forgotten where she came from, but she’s worked hard to get where she is now. Watching her mother be hurt by many men over the years, Gabby is very cautious when it comes to men and relationships. Before her mother died, she insisted Gabby find a stable, good man and not to settle for less. With this in mind, Gabby has her eye on the mayor who also has his eye on her…even if he doesn’t quite light her fire.

When her secret high school crush shows back up in Cricket Creek, the sparks she feels for him are hot. Reese has always been the bad boy, not the steady reliable man that Gabby should be attracted to. Reese has always been attracted to Gabby too…even in childhood when he bought her a candy necklace she couldn’t afford. He was a troubled teen though, especially after his Dad inexplicably left Reese and his mother, and Reese ended up going to New York to live with his uncle. Hence, he has never felt good enough for someone like Gabby, no matter how much he’s matured. Nor has he had a desire to have a relationship with anyone after what his family had been through and all the hurt.

Now Reese is back in Cricket Creek, part owner of a restaurant with his uncle, and drawn to Gabby more than ever before. When he realizes she has feelings for him too, he can’t resist her and all she means to him. Gabby is shocked and unsure about a growing relationship with Reese. Even as they fall harder for each other, they are both still holding back so much. They will need to be open, honest, and have trust in each other if they want to make any kind of relationship work. Have they both grown up enough that they can let go of the past and be open to what the future might hold?

Wildflower Wedding gives us a slowly evolving relationship that can go either way as Reese and Gabby come to know each other as adults. I loved that they knew each other in childhood and have come back together. Luann gives us brief flashbacks to their youth, and I think these were fun additions to the story. They also let us see how similar Reese and Gabby actually are and how they fit together, past and present. Reese and Gabby were both fun, real people and Luann characterizes them well. You can certainly see why Gabby is drawn to alpha bad boy Reese! Luann gives us a blend of strong emotions, ones that will pull your heart strings and others that will make you laugh to give us a well rounded story in Wildflower Wedding.

The small town feel with a host of supporting secondary characters is a great feel for the Wildflower Wedding and the whole Cricket Creek series. I really enjoyed how Luann brings a strong, mature secondary romance into the story line! Tony is Reese’s uncle who was badly hurt by his ex-wife, Trish is trying to move on after a divorce that really knocked down her self esteem. It was a really fun addition and I looked forward to finding out where Trish and Tony went as much as I wanted to find out where Gabby and Reese ended up!

I would recommend Wildflower Wedding to romance readers looking for a sweet, smooth romance that is an easy read with great chemistry!

Book Info:

Published April 1st 2014 by Signet

Cricket Creek, Kentucky, is a sweet river town known for its baseball, shopping, and weddings. After the recession, business is finally bouncing back, but old insecurities—and heartaches—are slower to heal…

Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, Gabby Goodwin had more to prove than the rest of Cricket Creek. Even now, as the successful owner of the local flower shop, she hasn’t forgotten her humble beginnings. So when her high school crush, the former class bad boy, walks back into her life, she keeps him at arm’s length, protecting her heart—and her pride.

Reese Marino gave up most of his wild ways years ago, graduating from college and becoming part owner of his uncle’s pizza parlor. The fact that Gabby still treats him like a troubled teenager drives him mad, but that’s not the only thing about the sassy florist driving him to distraction. Despite Gabby’s reluctant attitude, Reese is determined to win her over and show her that love often blooms right where you least expect it.