BLOG TOUR: The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers...the place to be whether you are dead to the world tired or so amped up on life that you're about to burst; there's room for one and all!

So, today we are playing host to a Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc (better known through BookTrib) blog tour featuring a WELL KNOWN author who has published MANY previous works but...is in a genre that I don't normally tap.  Correction:  I've NEVER previously read a book actually in THIS genre/category. Which one is that you might ask?  

*drum roll*

ROMANCE

Shocked?

So was I, especially since in my review policy I actually list it as one of those cat's I don't read.  Silly me, I should have remembered, banning (completely without individual consideration at least) is for the close minded...and if you can't be open minded in books than where CAN you be?  (Rhetorical question.  No need for elaborations...)  If you are quite over your initial shock, please join me in welcoming today's blog tour, and first of it's genre to this blog book of choice....

The Best Man

by 

Kristan Higgins

About the book...

SOMETIMES THE BEST MAN IS THE ONE YOU LEAST EXPECT...
Faith Holland left her hometown after being jilted at the altar. Now a little older and wiser, she’s ready to return to the Blue Heron Winery, her family’s vineyard, to confront the ghosts of her past, and maybe enjoy a glass of red. After all, there’s some great scenery there....
Like Levi Cooper, the local police chief—and best friend of her former fiancé. There’s a lot about Levi that Faith never noticed, and it’s not just those deep green eyes. The only catch is she’s having a hard time forgetting that he helped ruin her wedding all those years ago. If she can find a minute amidst all her family drama to stop and smell the rosé, she just might find a reason to stay at Blue Heron, and finish that walk down the aisle.

Oh where to begin, where to begin.
Let's see...I loved the main characters, all of them actually (even her mis-directed love interest...ahem).  I loved the fact that for every ounce of perfection they seemed to have, they were equally balanced by a flaw whether self perceived or actually there.  Faith with her pureness of heart, always falling for the wrong guy even when she pretty much stalks them prior to accepting the actual date...not to mention the misplaced feelings of blame she's been harboring for so many years (you just want to hug her or offer your shoulder to cry on with a pint of Ben & Jerry's).  Oh and speaking of Ben & Jerry's, totally loving the fact that Faith wasn't described as a wisp of a thing but more along the lines of the "every woman"...you know, good looking/pretty but still wanting to lose a few pounds.

Jeremy with his football hunk physique combined with a heart of gold...which ends up beating for the "other team" if you know what I mean...who may know Faith like the back of his hand and yet doesn't have the sense (or perhaps strength of heart) to break things off WAY earlier.  Yeah, that was a shocking revelation...well to most of those in the story; us readers get the inside scoop in the prologue.  Then we have Levi who, yes, is Jeremy's best friend, and yes, definitely a contender for the "hottie" title, but the guy is as subtle as a moose in a china shop...except when it comes to his true feelings and that's what gets him into trouble WAY more often than not because he's a closed book!  Fort Knox would be easier to infiltrate. *shakes head*  So, you see....lots to love, lots to loathe but they are each granted a measure of both making them a bit more HUMAN.

Reminds me of a particular scene...

As far as the genre/category moniker, I have to say for me or at least what I think of when I think "Romance", it was more along the lines of Women's Fiction or Chick-Lit with a bit more bite...and no, no pun intended.  Minds on the book people, minds on the book!  No really though, the "hot and heavy" stuff was kept to a minimum and the "bodice ripping" moments are...okay, so there is a tank top that she loses but it's brief, merely inter-spaced within the story line. Speaking of the story line, as I said, there is MUCH more going on here than merely a search for love...not that there's anything wrong with THAT as a story line, but the role it played in this story for me seemed almost second fiddle.  Faith was left at the altar, a mind blowing experience especially the way it played out.  She ran, made a new life for herself and is brought back to the family homestead by her sister (which by the way, she has SEVERAL of - and a brother - and they are all memorable in their own right) to help in a family matter that deals with the heart, yes, but uncovers lost years of guilt and shame shouldered (as we discover...though I won't tell you how, by whom, or any other details...humpfh) in err.  There are friendships rekindled, new acquaintances met, and lost ties re-knotted...not to mention memories made.

Oh and speaking of those memories, just try picking just ONE as your favorite.  Like the time she flushes her sweater down the automatic toilet (bwahahaha!) or the date she is set up on with a seemingly regular "Joe" that turns out to be more "50 Shades" (whoa... *-*...yeah, she and I both were glad that was in conversation only and I loved how the author worked in a vague mention of the fairly infamous trilogy).  That's not even mentioning the flashback (and present day) encounters with the opposite sex (and no creepy perv guy SO doesn't count!); think weak knees and smile inducing moments that leave you breathless.  Too cute, too sweet, too funny, too FUN!

So, in conclusion...a sweet story with much MUCH more than a simple romance at heart.  The cast of characters are so quirky and endearing, so maddening and sweet, so "little bit of everything" all at once that you won't want to let go once the ending arrives.  You'll want to go back and join in their muddled conversations over dinner where everyone talks at once and yet is somehow heard midst the brouhaha.  You'll leave room on your calendar to take part in the frozen grape harvesting where you might freeze your butt off but you're part of a team that loves you just the way you are. You'll even be jonesing to pick up Blue's favorite tennis ball, all dirty and drool covered, to fling across the park so his Golden Retriever happiness can run amuck amuck amuck.  (He's such a sweetie!)  It's a big mix of what life has to offer with good friends, family and hope for a future filled with what else...LOVE.

Author Kristan Higgins

Recommended read for adult readers...and perhaps even older teens; as I said...the "usual" romance aspects are kept in check for the most part, but there are definitely a few steamier scenes...and yeah, can't say you'd want to miss them here.  So, yes...I'm GLAD I took a chance on this book; HAPPY even.  Just goes to show you that reading outside the box can sometimes net some pretty sweet results.


Review copy received courtesy of Liz at Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this tour as well as those upcoming, be sure to stop by their site or pay a visit to BookTrib, where everyday is a literary feast!  (Also, they're on Twitter! ^_^)  To learn more about author Kristan Higgins and her complete body of works, drop in over at her site, catch up on her blog, like her on Facebook or follow along on Twitter.  This book was released just last month via Harlequin and should be available now on a bookstore shelf near you.

Until next time...happy reading!