The Trouble With Valentine’s Day

Private investigator Kate Hamilton is retiring. She feels she can no longer judge people’s character as well as she used to. She’s dated a loser; he looked like a charmer, but appearances can be deceiving, as Kate soon found out. How can she justify hunting down people she doesn’t really know? Is she any better than they are? Are their secrets worth exposing? Is it any of her business? She has one place she can go - back to Gospel, a small rural town where her recently widowed grandfather lives. She packs up and moves from Las Vegas to Gospel.

Rob Sutter had it all and lost it all. He was a pro hockey player who made some poor choices in his life. He got married, had a baby, cheated on his wife, and got shot by a woman; there went his family and his career. He’s moved to Gospel where his mother, a nurse, can help him with his physical therapy. He needs a break from people who aren’t what they seem. In Gospel, he can run his sport store, mind his business, and recouperate.

This novel starts out with a bang. It's Valentine’s Day and Kate is going home to Gospel; she’s stopped in Sun Valley at the ski lodge. The decorations bug her. The couples annoy her. She’s boozing it up a little, not drunk, but heady with drink when she sees the man as hot as sin itself. She decides to go for one of her fantasies. She wants to find a man she doesn’t know, use him, then be the one to leave (as opposed to being left as she was in her last relationship). And the man drinking the ale beside her looks like just the ticket. She puts the make on him and he shoots her down - hard. Hurt and a bit humbled, Kate attempts to put it behind her until she meets Mr. Sexy again in Gospel.

The sparks fly between Rob and Kate from the very beginning and the chemistry only increases as the story progresses. Rob’s emotions are so true to nature that one cannot help but laugh aloud many times throughout this novel. His reasoning process alone is worth the recommendation I give this novel. There is also a secondary romance between Kate’s widowed grandfather and Rob’s widowed mother. Their story is touching and sweet, reminding us that moving on after the death of a spouse is natural and in no way diminishes the love that was shared. This was a touching, sweet, and fun story, therefore, it garners my 5 angels and a Recommended Read rating.

Reviewed by: Izzy