A Decent Proposal (The Bachelors of Blackwater Lake) - Teresa Southwick

Series: Bachelors of Blackwater Lake (Book 4)

HER KNIGHT IN A SHINING AUTO

 

Sydney McKnight is looking for Mr. Convenient, not Mr. Right. Her dad insists that Syd be settled…so she asks the first guy she sees to act as her boyfriend. This gorgeous stranger is magnetic, but Sydney has sacrificed her heart before. She isn't about to give it away, even to a man who revs her engine like no other!

 

Burke Holden is taken aback when Sydney requests he be her pretend paramour. After all, the single dad hasn't exactly been Mr. Romance since his ex left him and their son. But as he gets to know lovely Sydney, the bachelor might be willing to give love another shot. Will Sydney and Burke drive off into the sunset on their happily-ever-after…or will the past throw a wrench in their fairy-tale ending?

 

Very good story. Sydney is frustrated by her father's insistence that she be settled, or at least in a good relationship before he will propose to the woman he loves. She was burned in love several years earlier, and hasn't found anyone worth risking her heart over. So in order to move her father along in his relationship, she asks a stranger to pretend to be her boyfriend.

 

Burke is surprised by Syd's request. He's in Blackwater Lake because his company is building a new resort on the outskirts of town. He's intrigued, not just by her proposition but also by the woman herself. He wouldn't mind getting to know her better, but he's not the type to get involved. He was married once before, and it didn't end well, leaving him as a single father, and one that doesn't have much confidence in his ability to do it right.

 

I loved the romance between Syd and Burke. It starts out as a pretend relationship, but there is an undeniable attraction between them. Syd is cautious because her heart has already been broken once, but she can't deny her attraction to Burke. She knows a true relationship isn't possible, since he has said that he will never marry again, and he won't be staying in town for long anyway. But the more time she spends with him, the more she actually likes him. When he has to bring his eight year old son to stay with him, she discovers a whole new side to him, one that she could easily fall in love with. Burke starts out simply willing to give this intriguing woman the help she has asked for. But the attraction he feels for her is something different, and he wants to pursue it. It isn't long before he's feeling more than just attraction, but past experience has him convinced that he's not marriage material. I loved the buildup of their feelings. Both try really hard to convince themselves that their hearts are not involved, and that they can keep their relationship on the light side. Burke especially runs scared of letting himself feel more than just friendship and attraction. It takes a surprising conversation with his father for him to be able to overcome his past. I loved his big moment at the end - sweet and so emotional.

 

I loved Burke's son Liam. He was such a big part of who Burke was and why Burke has the issues he has. I loved seeing how their relationship changed because of Sydney's influence on Burke. The dynamics between Burke and his father were good too. He was determined to be a better father to his son than his dad had been to him. I liked seeing how his father owned up to his mistakes and wanted to help keep Burke from following in his footsteps.