Title: Starting Over
Author: Michele Shriver
Release Date: December 9, 2014
Synopsis
Liz Matthews agrees to a blind date for her daughter’s
wedding with only one goal in mind- making her ex-husband jealous. The plan
works, but also backfires as she finds herself enjoying the company of her
younger date.
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Review
4 Stars!
When I first started reading this story I was a little hesitant due to the age of the characters. I must say that all the books I have read usually range from high school to young adult. This was the first story that I've read where the male character is 47 and the female character is 54! It took some getting used to, especially the love scenes. However, I really found myself enjoying the story and the characters. This was a great story about Ben and Liz meeting on a blind date that led to a relationship they didn't plan on having.
Ben has a 16 year old son named Landon, and is getting over the loss of his late wife. He thought he was going to be with her forever but it didn't turn out that way. The last year had been the hardest to get through, so when he is asked to go on a blind date he wasn't too excited about it.
Liz hasn't been married for 17 years, but for some reason her ex-husband Brandt has always had a hold on her. So, in hopes of making him jealous, she agrees to bring a blind date to her daughters wedding. When the night started she knew it was all for show, but she couldn't help the feeling she got when she first meets Ben.
Ben and Liz hit it off from the beginning. The chemistry they feel for one another has Liz constantly reminding herself that it's a fake date. Ben feels the same connection with Liz and can't keep his distance from her and notices she's the first person to make him smile and laugh in the last year.
After the "fake date" they agree to meet for a "real date" and make arrangements to have dinner. After their first real date, things start to come together for Ben and Liz. They start having a relationship and hope for more.
Ben and Liz's relationship was really sweet. It wasn't easy in the beginning. Landon is still struggling with his mom being gone, and doesn't want anyone to replace her, which is totally understandable. So, when he first meets Liz he isn't very nice. As time goes on, he realizes that Liz is a good person and really makes his dad happy. But Landon isn't the only one that gets in the way of Ben and Liz's relationship. Now that Brandt sees Liz with another man, he realizes he wants her back. He does what he can in hopes to get between them.
If your looking for a great story about Starting Over you will definitely want to read this! It was really good. I loved the relationship that Ben had for his son Landon. Some of the heart to heart conversations brought tears to my eyes. This really is a heart warming sweet story that I would recommend to anyone that is looking for a great love story, that doesn't want to deal with the younger crowd drama. Don't get me wrong, this did have a little drama, but it was very tasteful.
I am really looking forward to reading Love & Light . I did enjoy Landon's character and while reading this I was thinking to myself... I hope he has a book! So when I got to the end and it said that he did in fact have a book coming out, I got excited! I will definitely be reading that!
~Juls
Excerpt
Something
was wrong with this picture, Ben decided as he watched Liz dance with her
ex-husband. Oh, they certainly made a very attractive couple as they moved
across the floor with a grace that reflected many dances together. And Brandt
looked at Liz the way Ben expected she wanted him to look at her—as if she was
the only woman in the world. Heck, at one point it even appeared Brandt would
kiss her, right there in front of his date, and hers, and an entire wedding
party. Liz’s plan to get Brandt’s attention seemed to be working to perfection.
So why
didn’t she look happy to be on the receiving end of that attention? Why did she
pull away, rebuffing Brandt’s attempt to kiss her, rather than moving into it?
And why was Ben so relieved when she did? His role was supposed to be to make
Brandt jealous, and suddenly Ben was the jealous one.
The song
ended and Liz separated herself from Brandt and made her way back to where Ben
stood. “Sorry about that,” she said.
“Don’t
be. I know my role.” He’d played it well so far, and Ben planned to continue.
“I would like to dance with you, if you’re still interested.”
“I am,
yes.”
Ben took
Liz’s hand and led her to the dance floor and settled his hand in the small of
her back. He hadn’t shared a slow dance with anyone but Amy in two decades, and
he hoped he wouldn’t trip over his own feet. “We get a better choice in songs,
at least,” he remarked as Lifehouse’s You
and Me began to play. The lyrics were appropriate, too, since Ben couldn’t
seem to keep his eyes off of Liz, and he sure couldn’t explain why.
“I was
thinking the same.”
“So you
don’t like Endless Love, either?”
“Not so
much, no,” Liz said. “Brandt thought he was being cute by requesting it. It was
our wedding song.”
She
didn’t sound at all happy about it, which would match her expression during the
dance. Ben officially had no idea what to make of Liz’s relationship with her
ex-husband. “And you don’t look back on your wedding day fondly?” He hoped he
wasn’t prying. Surely, she’d understand that he had some questions, given the
events of the afternoon.
“Oh, the
wedding day was fine,” Liz said. “It’s the marriage that left something to be
desired.”
“Yet you
still want him back.” It was a statement, not a question.
Liz
frowned. “What gave you that idea?”
So she
claimed to not want Brandt back? Now Ben was more confused than ever. “Not
what. Who. Todd, when he suggested this whole thing to me.”
“Of
course. I should have figured.” Liz chuckled. “I’m afraid our mutual friends
don’t always understand my somewhat twisted history with Brandt.”
“That
makes three of us, then,” Ben said. “Are you saying you don’t want him back?” He found himself hoping that was the case,
although the whole jealousy plan would then make even less sense.
“I wish I
could give you an easy answer.” Liz sighed. “It’s a long story. Maybe I’ll get
a chance to tell you sometime. I probably owe you that much, given what you’ve
had to put up with today. For now, can we just dance? I like dancing with you,
Bennett Grayson.”
Ben
nodded, happy to oblige. “I like dancing with you too.”
***
By the time she left the museum following the reception, Liz
wanted a warm bath, a cold glass of wine and the chance to unwind and reflect
after an afternoon that managed to be joyous, bittersweet, and maddeningly
confusing all at the same time. First, she had an obligation to get her date
back home safely. Although he’d played his part to perfection, Liz figured Ben
was probably more than ready for their date to be over. And who could blame
him? He’d just endured an afternoon with a babbling, blubbering
mother-of-the-bride who couldn’t seem to make up her mind what she wanted from
her ex-husband.
She
silently cursed Brandt as she drove back to Concord. Maggie had certainly
nailed it when she remarked on Brandt’s ability to mess with Liz’s head and
heart. He’d done plenty of both today, from showing up with Marissa, to
choosing their wedding song for the dance, the barely-averted kiss attempt and
then almost sounding regretful when she reminded him of the infidelities that ended
their marriage.
“You’re
very quiet all of the sudden,” Ben remarked.
“Just
tired. It’s been quite a day,” Liz said. “Besides, I figure you’ve probably had
enough of me by now.”
“Actually,
I had a good time today. I enjoyed getting to know you, Liz.”
“Me too,”
she admitted as she pulled the car to a stop in front of Ben’s house. He was
intelligent, funny and a perfect gentleman. Oh, and gorgeous. How could she
forget that? “You’re a good sport for going along with all of this.”
“Like I
said, I enjoyed it.” He shrugged. “And hey, I got to put those acting classes
to good use.”
Acting
classes. That’s right. None of his attention was real. She needed to remember
that. “I’m glad they came in handy.” She gave him a smile. “Good night, Ben.”
He unfastened his seatbelt, but instead of
reaching for the door handle he turned to face her. “Good night, Liz.” He put
his hand on her cheek and brushed his lips across hers.
When
Brandt tried to kiss her, Liz’s first instinct had been to pull away. This
time, her body had the opposite reaction. It didn’t want to pull away. It
wanted to move closer. It wanted to respond to the sensation of Ben’s lips on
hers. Common sense prevailed, though. “There’s no one else around.” The words
came out slightly breathless. “You don’t have to pretend to be interested in me
anymore.”
“I
know that,” Ben said, then let himself out of the car.
Author Bio
Michele Shriver writes women’s fiction and contemporary romance. Her books feature flawed-but-likeable characters in real-life settings. She’s not afraid to break the rules, but never stops believing in happily ever after. Michele counts among her favorite things a good glass of wine, a hockey game, and a sweet and sexy book boyfriend, not necessarily in that order.
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