Nico:
I left my family and tiny Texas hometown fifteen years ago to escape small-town gossips and to give my mom and sister the chance at a better life. But when a phone call from an attorney back home informs me that my sister passed away, leaving me custody of her newborn baby, I’m shocked out of the steady life I’ve built for myself running a tattoo shop in San Francisco.
The thing is: I don’t do babies. And I don’t do small towns. Or commitment. And I especially don’t do family. My plan is to go back to Hobie just long enough to sign adoption papers, giving my niece the kind of stable, loving family I could never provide.
But the moment I meet my niece in the arms of Weston Wilde, my sister’s best friend and the town’s handsome doctor, my plans begin to change. Because suddenly, I see a different future. One with the very thing I thought I never deserved: a family. If only I can convince West that I’m not the same good-for-nothing kid ready to bolt when things get tough.
Weston:
There’s one thing I know for sure about Nico Salerno: he was a good-for-nothing as a kid and judging by the purple-haired, tattoo’d punk who shows up at his sister’s funeral, he hasn’t changed. There’s no way I’m letting him take custody of my best friend’s baby.
But the more time I spend around him, the more I realize that his rough exterior is just a shell and that beneath all the tattoos is a scared, insecure man searching for a place to belong. And pretty soon I know exactly where he belongs: in my bed and by my side.
The problem is, he abandoned his family once before, how do I know that if we become a family he won’t do it again?
Facing West is the first in the new Forever Wilde series about the huge Wilde family from Hobie, Texas, whose patriarchs aren’t above a little meddling if that’s what it takes to help their grandkids find true love.
Reviewer: Annika
If you've read Lennox's Made Marian series you can pretty much expect the same set up for this series as well. We have another family with an abundance of gay young and attractive men. Add in a couple of nutty and meddling grandparents and you have the complete dish. The main difference is that this series seems to be a bit saner, more grounded. Doc and Grandpa are saner and more credible than the old ladies in her previous series. Sure they can be a bit out there, but they are sweet and fun. More balanced.
But I’m also sad to admit that I was a bit disappointed by this book. My main issue was West. He got on my everlasting nerve and I never really warmed to him. He was just too judgmental and selfish. He came across like and arrogant prick. And that really rubs me the wrong way.
Didn't he ever wonder why a 15 year old boy leaves home never to be heard from again? What drove him to leave everything behind, everyone he'd ever known. Did he think that a life as a homeless runaway at 15 was all roses and shiny rainbows?? And to then blame everything that went on in the town he left behind on that 15 year old? Just no. And West never really redeemed himself in my eyes, never tried to make things right. He constantly kept demanding things and answers from Nico but never really giving anything in return. And in my book that doesn’t make him a swoon worth guy. (Sorry for the rant guys)
I never felt the connection between Nico and West, but that might be because I disliked the latter so much. And the progression of their relationship didn't really feel natural too me. One minute they are at each other’s throats, fighting and where every word is colored with a lot of distrusts. The next minute, they are suddenly BFFs , hanging out every night with major hots for each other. So yeah, that didn't work for me.
I loved Nico a lot, but he also broke my heart. Cast aside time and again by everyone he’d ever known and trusted, he doesn't believe he deserved to be loved, to be happy. His biggest fear was to love someone (in this case Pippa) only to have them disappear or leave him alone. He’s always alone and looking in, longing for the family that he’s been missing but never felt he deserved. I kept waiting for Nico to be put first. To have someone truly in his corner and fighting for him no matter what. But that never really happened. Sure he had Griff and Rebecca fighting for him, but only from a distance. Everyone should have at least one person championing you and building you up, and it broke my heart that Nico never really got that.
If you are looking for some mindless fluff and aren't too picky with the details you will probably enjoy this book. It is predictable, but sometimes you just need to have that mindless read and get away for a while. And that's exactly what Lennox delivers with Facing West.
Trivia Question: In the Sunshine and Happiness series, who did housemate River have a secret relationship with? 10 pts
Random winner will be chosen on (or about) Noon EST 11/19.
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