Just Finished: Like One of the Family

Like One of the Family by Kimberly Van Meter
#1 in Family in Paradise Series

Rating-

Book Blurb

Trouble in paradise

White beaches, blue waters...St. John is paradise for most. But not for Lora Bell. Her childhood home is a source of painful memories and obligation. And this visit isn't likely to change anything. She's here to deal with a mountain of trouble at her family's resort, her grandfather...and Heath Cannon, the guy she'd rather forget.

Being around Heath reminds Lora of another side of herself-the less serious, more carefree side. And while that might be a welcome change, this is not the time. She has to be strong to make the tough decisions required to save the resort. So these feelings need to stop. Now. But it may be too late. Because those beaches, the water and Heath seem to be changing everything.

My Thoughts

The description of the island with the resort, along with the ocean and beaches are amazing. The Male lead, Heath Cannon, is a family friend who while trying to open a business of his own was offered start up money from Pops (Lora's Grandfather). But things come into light that the money wasn't really able to be freely given, as a result the resort is in jeopardy. Enter the eldest granddaughter.. When first introduced to Lora Bell and experiencing her meanness, I figured it was all part of her living in a city as big as Chicago and working at a big company. That it would eventually fade the longer she stayed on the island and interacted with her family. I was willing to give some leeway and see if things got better between her and her family (Heath included).

I was halfway through this book and Heath and Lora were still acting like they hated each other.. At that point I almost stopped reading the book because I disliked Lora so much. But I kept going cause I wanted to see if she redeemed herself. The result of them still fighting at the halfway point is it all felt rushed, one minute they were arguing with each other and the next they couldn't keep their hands off each other. It wasn't believable to me and Lora's change of heart didn't seem like it had enough time to develop like it truly should have. Overall I really wanted to like this book but even to the end didn't really like Lora. Kinda hard to truly like a book when you are so much against one of the main characters.