The Trouble With Valentine's Day [Mass Market Paperback]

Rachel Gibson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 2005

New York Times extended bestselling and RITA award winning author Rachel Gibson's smart, sassy contemporary romances are making her one of the genre's fastest rising stars.

When everything about her life in Las Vegas just seems to be going wrong, Kate Hamilton leaves her job as a PI and points her car toward Gospel, Idaho. Gospel is the kind of town where a girl can take it easy and just be herself, or so she hopes. But when she gets there, people get the impression that she's a bit of a ball–buster. And she is, at first.

But Gospel has a way of softening people up. One of those ways is Rob Sutter. He's a spectacular–looking former hockey player with a wild past of his own, who now lives a quiet (albeit slightly macho) life running his sporting goods store and fly–fishing. Kate and Rob are so wrong for each other that there must be something right. If only they can start seeing each other for who they really are...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"There [is] nothing like one whole day devoted to lovers to make a single girl feel like a loser," muses Kate Hamilton, the heroine of Gibson's frothy new romance set in Gospel, Idaho. When Kate's advances are rebuffed by the sexy man sitting next to her in a bar on Valentine's Day, she feels the sting of rejection—which is soon compounded by humiliation when she learns that the stranger is Rob Sutter, owner of the sporting goods store located next to her grandfather's grocery. Both Rob and Kate have skidded to a halt in Gospel—Kate after her work as a PI unwittingly armed a man with information to track down and kill his family, and Rob after his pro hockey career was derailed by a gun-toting psychopath. Instead of exploring this weighty material, Gibson focuses on such lighthearted frolics as whipped-cream fights in the aisles of Kate's grocery store. Because Rob remains literally and figuratively behind the wheel of his Hummer and Kate never fully faces her own demons, their romance lacks emotional heft. Gibson also portrays Gospel's elderly citizenry as cartoonish, rendering what could have been a poignant romance between Kate's grandfather and Rob's mother as condescendingly sweet. The novel begins and ends on Valentine's Day, and the rest of the story never transcends the holiday's reputation for false promises.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Kate Hamilton is a private detective on hiatus because after she helped a man find his family, he turned out to be a homicidal maniac. She is looking for some R & R at her widowed grandfather's house in Gospel, Idaho. En route, she stops at a ski lodge in Sun Valley and decides to break her own rules by having a one-night stand with a gorgeous man. But much to her chagrin, he not only turns her down, he also lectures her. Rob Sutter wants nothing to do with loose women in bars. His last partner in forbidden love was a pyscho stalker who shot him, ending his career as a professional hockey player. When Kate gets to her grandfather's, she meets his new friend, none other than the dream guy from the ski lodge. Now Kate has to prove to Rob that she is not really a slut. Unabashed matchmakers, including a romantic, second-time-around older couple and some of the world's worst poets, populate the close-knit community that award-winning Gibson brings so vividly to life in this heartwarming, small-town romance filled with humor, charm, and passion. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (January 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060009268
• ISBN-13: 978-0060009267
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With the publication of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rachel Gibson's first book, readers discovered one of contemporary romance's freshest voices. Four of her novels were named among the Top Ten Favorite Books of the Year by Romance Writers of America.

Rachel's storytelling career began at the age of sixteen when she ran her Chevy Vega into the side of a hill, retrieved the bumper and broken glass from the ground, and drove to her high school parking lot. With the help of her friend, she strategically scattered the broken pieces and told her parents she'd been the victim of a hit and run. They believed her, and she's been telling stories ever since.

When not writing, Rachel can be found boating on Payette Lake with Mr. Gibson, shopping for shoes, or forcing her love on an ungrateful cat.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still A Good Read, February 22, 2005

By 

C. A. Dahl (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Trouble With Valentine's Day (Mass Market Paperback)

I have to put my two cents in. I almost didn't read this book because of the bad reviews, I'm glad I changed my mind! While this book is not Ms. Gibson's best, it is a worthwhile read.

As to all the complaints about the fu mancho, get over it!! Is every male character suppose to be generic in looks? As to Rob's cheating, get over that as well. He's a flawed character who changed his ways. Is every hero suppose to be perfect? Sometimes characters disappoint us.

Again, while this is not up to par with some Ms. Gibson's other works, it still is worth reading. I found it very enjoyable.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My first Rachel Gibson read -- I enjoyed it!, March 28, 2005

By 

Reester11 "R" (The South) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Trouble With Valentine's Day (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading The Trouble With Valentine's Day I came here to write my review. I have to say I was shocked by the terrible reviews it received here. I thought it was an amusing, easy read. The comments here about Rob's facial hair made me laugh since this book was about fantasies. Rob (and his facial hair) fit the bad boy image Kate had in her head. It wouldn't have 'fit' if some clean cut, fashion model with perfect looks sat down next to her at that bar.

I enjoyed Ms Gibson's witty writing style. I found myself laughing out loud at parts (which is rare, usually only Janet Evanovich can get me to do this). I look forward to reading her other books.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, light read.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't forget the heart, Ms. Gibson..., January 31, 2005

By 

MN Bookgal (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Trouble With Valentine's Day (Mass Market Paperback)

Kate is at a crossroads in her life, both professionally and personally. She decides to move to Gospel, Idaho to help her recently widowed grandfather run his grocery store. On the way to Gospel, Kate hopes to live out a fantasy and have hot sex with a stranger at a hotel. Unfortunately, the tattooed stranger turns her down flat. Things get more interesting when the stranger turns out to be Rob, a former pro hockey player who runs a sporting goods store near her grandfather's grocery store.

Although The Trouble with Valentine's Day is entertaining, it falls short. I have read quite a few Gibson books and consider See Jane Score her best by far. The dialogue and storytelling keep the pages flying.

The Trouble with Valentine's Day had promise but she needs to freshen things up a bit. Do we really need another hero with a tattoo? This time it's an enormous snake that wraps itself around Rob's body. Secondly, her fascination with light reflection---blue from the dashboard, gold from the window, etc.---gets old really fast. She does this in nearly EVERY book. It has become a distraction for me.

Luckily, Gibson has continued with her humorous dialogue and interesting secondary characters. However, following her grandfather's sweet romance only points out the weakness in this story. While Kate and Rob generate hot, sweaty scenes, they are missing heart.

Note: the author needs a better editor. Rob is a former hockey player from the NHL not the NFL. Geesh!