Anything for You (Blue Heron #5)
Kristan Higgins
Releases 12/29/2015
ISBN: 9780373789085
LINKS
Before you get down on bended knee…
…you
should be pretty darn sure the answer will be yes. For ten years, Connor
O'Rourke has been waiting for Jessica Dunn to take their on-again, off-again
relationship public, and he thinks the time has come. His restaurant is
thriving, she's got her dream job at Blue Heron Vineyard—it's the perfect time
to get married.
When
he pops the question, however, her answer is a fond but firm no. If it ain't
broke, why fix it? Jess has her hands full with her younger brother, who's now
living with her full-time, and a great career after years of waitressing. What
she and Connor have is perfect: friends with an excellent benefits package.
Besides, with her difficult past (and reputation), she's positive married life
isn't for her.
But
this time, Connor says it's all or nothing. If she doesn't want to marry him,
he'll find someone who does. Easier said than done, given that he's never loved
anyone but her. And maybe Jessica isn't quite as sure as she thinks…
Kristan Higgins never fails to tell a fresh story, as proved
by the interesting beginnings to her novels. In the long-awaited tale of Connor
O’Rourke, (twin of Colleen, who we met in Waiting on You)
she begins with Connor getting his proposal of marriage denied rather bluntly. To
say that Jessica Dunn is not a likeable heroine in that first chapter is an
understatement—she utterly shatters the hero, Connor. At this point, I paused
in my reading (an accomplishment, as I gobble down Higgins’ books like they’re
candy) and wondered… how is she going to
do it? How is she going to make me like this woman who walked coldly away from
a man who clearly loves her so very much?
She manages this with a shockingly pleasing
combination of flashbacks and flash forwards, a technique I’m not usually fond
of, but it really works in this piece. Once we get a good look at the whole relationship,
the line between good guy and bad guy blurs to the point of being invisible.
Soon, I found myself rooting for them to work it out because, although they
were human and both made their mistakes, they clearly needed one another in a
way that no other would ever quite fit.
As with most of the books in the Blue Heron, (and a
lot of her books, in general) the cast of secondary characters planted me
comfortably back in the middle of small town life. From the familiar and
beloved Holland family to the newly introduced Dunn family, each seemed like
people you’d meet and known in your day-to-day life. Higgins did an especially
good job with Jessica’s little brother—Davey—in presenting a realistic kid with
special needs. As a parent of special needs kiddos, I can vouch for the fact
they can drive you to distraction. Surviving meltdowns and so many doctor
visits can leave a parent or caregiver worn down, tired, and not sure how
they’re going to make it to tomorrow.
With Jessica being so young when she took on this
burden, it isn’t surprising to see her have hollowed out moments when she’s not
sure what to do next or if she’s mucking it all up, yet Higgins found the
joyful moments, too. The fact that kids who see things in a different way share
that unique view with their loved ones—tiny snippets of slowing things down and
enjoying the truly little moments. The love for this sister had for her brother
was heartrending and exceptionally well-written.
As to the romance? Sizzling. It is clear from very
early on that Connor and Jessica share a fiery hot connection and that their
friendship never took a back burner to that passion really cemented their bond
for me as a reader. Connor is what we’d all like to find in a man—solid, sexy,
smart, the heart of a marshmallow hidden in a gruff manly exterior, kind, and
all in all just a GOOD guy. I fell madly and deeply in love with him and ugly
cried when Connor said, “You’re gonna do great, sister mine.” I won’t spoil the
scene as to why he said that to Colleen, but that scene… in Connor’s work
kitchen?
Yeah, I bawled.
But that is the magic of a Higgins book. She’s never
let me down. I laugh out loud. I bawl the kind of cleansing tears that actually
make you feel better after they’re shed. I look at the whole world with a little
bit of hope that maybe there is good out there.
We live in a dark and scary time, full of things that
are upsetting and waken all those dark creeping thoughts in our minds and
imaginations. This book, as with many of her stories, managed to bring light
and a little bit of joy to me. I highly, highly recommend this book to those
who like happy endings. To those who like falling in love. And to those who
maybe need to be reminded that it isn’t where you come from, it is all about
where you’re going and who you pick to make the trip with.
Simply said, I loved this book and I think you might,
too.
