Tucker (The Family Simon, #1) by Juliana Stone
Romance Contemporary
E book
February 6, 2014
Self Published

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “Couldn’t he see what was inside of her? Why couldn’t he see?”

Tucker Simon lost his wife, Marley, when her plane went down over the Atlantic. Unable to locate her body, Tucker has lived in a sense of limbo for three years. He has avoided his family and relationships, choosing instead to involve himself with women who don’t expect more than sex. When he receives an invitation to his cousin’s wedding and his mother offers to find him a plus one for him to take as a date, he goes to his favorite bar and bartender, Abby Mathews, to unload. She offers to go with him, no strings attached, even though she has been in love with him since the first time they met.

The sensual atmosphere of a tropical Florida wedding forces Tucker to reevaluate his current attitude concerning his life, his family, and his feelings for Abby. Though he has kept her firmly in the friends only slot because he knows he can’t give her what she wants or needs, finding out that others find her attractive and are more than ready and willing to warm her bed brings his feelings for her roaring to the surface.

Abby wants more than Tucker in her bed…she wants his heart. But Tucker is shut up emotionally tighter than a drum. If she wants Tucker to open up and give her his all, she has to be prepared that his all may fall short of her needs. And if that happens, then she may lose the best friend she ever had.

Tucker, the first book in the Simon family saga, is a spin off from Ms. Stone’s Barker Triplets trilogy. This mid-weight romance contemporary  addresses grief, lost love, and second chances. Heavily character driven, Stone doesn’t whitewash or over dramatize the romance or the issues involved. Death of a spouse and entering a new romance is a serious trope and Stone treats it with the compassion and respect it deserves.

I admit, I was a little tremulous about reading this one. We are instantly warned that Tucker has a lot of emotional baggage that doesn’t bode well for any real romantic connections. Add in a woman with a long time crush and all I could hear was the the squeal of the train wheels trying to break before the wreck. Stone does well in setting up Tucker and Abby’s back story. They are friends and confidants, having had a year to develop their relationship. When Abby agrees to accompany Tucker to a weekend wedding, the dynamics shift, causing an upheaval in their friendship that confuses and distresses both of them.

Stone does a fabulous job of developing Tucker’s character to the readers. A player in his youth, he matured with age and was faithful inhis marriage. Though, he’s still a bad boy. *wink*  A contraction of rough sex appeal and suave businessman, his appeal is a force to be reckoned with.  We learn he genuinely loved his wife and her leaving him left a huge hole in his heart. Plus, there were extenuating circumstances the day she died that leaves him mired in guilt. He knows it’s time to let go but honestly, how do you really do that? How do you move on without feeling as though you are betraying the one you vowed to love forever? This question and more are foremost in Tucker’s mind and he has a hard time dealing with them. I loved that Stone doesn’t take the easy route and make Tucker’s deceased wife a villain in order to assuage the guilt of Tucker finding a new love.

“The smell of the ocean always reminded him of home, family, and ultimately, Marley.”

Abby Mathews is a delightful heroine whose strong romantic feelings for Tucker don’t make her a doormat for his sometimes less than stellar behavior. She has been there for Tucker for over a year, listening, consoling, and watching his seeming less parade of nameless interludes. She never judges though she does call him on his behavior and forces him to see her as person and not just another body warming his bed. She is honest in how she feels about him and has a strong internal radar concerning him that allows her to know when to push and when to let him be.

“I don’t want to be that girl…friend,” she said quickly-Jesus-dropping her eyes back to the tee in her hand. “You know the whiny annoying friend. But I’m helping you out here, Tucker, so the least you could do is treat me like I matter and not as if I’m some lame-ass afterthought.”

It’s strange, but I also enjoyed the fear Tucker and Abby carried inside them. Tucker fears loving someone else is a betrayal to his deceased wife and their love while Abby fears Tucker will never love her as much as she loves him. It’s a steady undercurrent in the book and heightens the tension between our protagonists.

The sexual aspects of the romance are definitely one place Tucker and Abby have no issues. Their chemistry is off the charts from the start but once they hit the sheets, the flames burn out of control. When Tucker’s green eyed monster begins to make an appearance…watch out.

“…I was jealous because I don’t want another man touching you. I don’t want another man looking at you…”

Plenty of secondary characters round out the storyline, adding depth, continuation, and clues towards future storyline and being us up to date on past character romances. I adored Tucker’s brothers and Betty Jo made me laugh more than once.

“You look hot, “Betty said with a grin. “Like if I bent that way, I’d totally do you.”

Cooper, Tucker’s cousin and playboy extraordinaire, goes from being a mere plot device to a strong player in the storyline and is there for Abby when she needs one the most. I can’t wait to get his story.

The story progresses at a realistic rate, giving Tucker time to adjust to his new feelings for someone other than his wife. It’s not an easy path and though Stone uses some outside influences to help push Tucker in the right direction, we never doubt his feelings for Abby. A twist towards the end helps to give Tucker that final push into accepting his wife’s death and his love for Abby.

Fans of Ms. Stone’s work and bittersweet romances are sure to enjoy Tucker Simon and his story of love, loss, and second chances. I look froward to the next book in the series, title and release date to be announced.

RATING: B+

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