5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very highly recommended, February 2, 2001
This review is from: Have Gown, Need Groom (The Hartwell Hope Chest) (Harlequin American Romance) (Paperback)
Ever since Dr. Hannah Hartwell received the hope chest from her grandmother, her life has been turned upside down. Determined to outlive the family reputation for flamboyance, Hannah chose to marry Seth, in a very business-like merger guaranteed to provide stability. Seth would make her a Broadhurst, a member of one of the most prominent families in Sugar Hill, finally freeing her of the Hartwell image. Hannah blames her flamboyant father's ridiculous used car ads for her mother's decision to walk out on her ninth birthday. Despite her father's successful business, Hannah strives to maintain a quite, refined presence befitting a doctor.
In the hope chest are several gifts. A stone to remind Hannah not to let her man weigh her down. A doll to add to the collection that Hannah abandoned when she was nine. And most importantly, a pearl ring. The ring bears a family legend that if a woman wears the ring to bed the night before her wedding, she'll dream about the man she's meant to marry. She had the dream all right. And the man she dreams of is not Seth, but a mysterious stranger with a small crescent-shaped quarter-moon birthmark on his hip.
Dressed in her wedding gown, moments before the ceremony, Hannah calls off the wedding. Fleeing to the only place that can offer her refuge, Hannah goes to the emergency room. Embarrassed at having created another Hartwell spectacle, Hannah wants to loose herself in her work. There she meets Jake, who works for her father at the used car lot. He was shot in the derriere when someone tried to steal a car off the lot. When Hannah sees his birthmark, she realizes she knows him...intimately. He's the man from her dreams.
For the first time, Jake hopes this suspect turns out to be as innocent as she appears. He needs to use Hannah to prove that her father's used car lot is central to a car-theft ring. But a red rose, a handmade Christmas ornament, and suddenly the simple gestures suffuse him with emotion. He can't risk entanglement with Hannah; he's not meant for that kind of life. That's why he accepted the position with the special Atlanta task force that placed undercover detectives in hotbeds of crime.
She knows they can't have a future together. He's a self-proclaimed drifter who has no desire for ties, for family, for permanence. She wants all those things, a family practice and the town's respect. She couldn't tell him that she cancelled her wedding after dreaming about him. She'd promised to marry Seth because he was safe, stable, and Jake is none of those things.
I can't help but love a Grandma that sends a male stripper to her granddaughter's bachelorette party! And this family legend surrounding the ring promises two more stories in this miniseries. If they are as lively, sexy, and fun as this one, then they are all destined for my keeper shelf. Rita Herron's combination of passion and humor is wonderful, and comes Very highly recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
