Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas (Travis Family #4)
Releases: August 11, 2015
Contemporary Romance
St. Martin’s

Reviewed by Mandi

Favorite Quote: Lowering his head, Joe murmured, “You’re not in charge. I am.”

I went still. For some reason, hearing those soft words while he was pinning me down like that sent a deep, deranged thrill through me. His voice curled hotly in my ear. “You belong to me, and I’m going to have you. Here and now.”

Oh  Joe Travis. We’ve waited a very, very long time for his book, and it was totally worth the wait. A swoon-worthy hero who is rich as hell, a successful photographer, and a beast in bed. Be still my heart.

The Travis family siblings are all gorgeous, wealthy and talented – sounds like they’d be totally obnoxious but they are delightful people. They are a super close-knit family (I love their family dynamics) and Joe is the last one to still be single. The first time Joe lays eyes on Avery at a wedding, that’s it for him. He wants her and will do anything it takes to get her. What he learns is that he is going to need a lot of patience.

Avery, along with her sister and a good friend named Steven, own a new but successful wedding planning business in Texas. Avery loves fashion and had been in New York city working in the industry and she loved it. But when her fiance dumps her on the day of their wedding, this crushes Avery. Her self-esteem has never recovered from this day.

“People are wrong when they say that time will mend a broken heart. It doesn’t always. My heart stayed broken. I’ve had to learn to live with it that way. I’ll never be able to trust anyone who says he loves me.” I paused before forcing myself to say with stark honesty, “I’m afraid of being dumped again that I’m always the first to leave. I’ve broke off potential relationships because I’d rather be lonely than hurt. I don’t like it, but that’s who I am now.”

When she meets her half-sister in the hospital as their father lays dying, she decides she needs a change. She opens a wedding planning business with her half-sister and starts a new life in Texas. She is perfectly fine wearing clothes that are way too big for her and never going out on dates. But Joe has other plans for her.

The absolute best thing about this book is the courtship. Joe courts the hell out of Avery and it is so damn romantic.

“Tell you what.” His voice turned coaxing and soft. “I’ll drive you to Fredericksburg one morning, while the day is still cool and we have the road to ourselves. We’ll stop to buy some coffee and a bag of kolaches. I’ll take you to a meadow so full of bluebonnets, you’ll swear half the sky just fell over Texas. We’ll find us a shade tree and watch the sunrise. How does that sound?”

Not everyone is going to love Avery. She is a little stand-offish when it comes to men. And when I say “a little” I really mean A LOT. She is so damn scared to let herself get hurt again that she really, reallllly doesn’t want to have a romantic relationship. There were times in this book I just wanted to slap her. But – you have to understand where she is coming from. Having a fiance not only dump you on your wedding day but also say he was never really in love with you is a big blow. Especially to someone who comes from a broken home and doesn’t have the best self-esteem to start. It’s easier for her to just hide in work and baggy clothes. But Joe is special. She is very attracted to him, but so worried he is just a rich player – combined with her feelings with insecurity (the “why would he ever like me?”) she pushes him away, time and time again.

Joe doesn’t give up and damn it Joe.

He braced his hands on either side of me, gripping the edges of the bookshelf.

“It’s over now,” I managed to say. “I think we should chalk it up to – to a spontaneous moment – ” I broke off with an incoherent sound as he leaned forward to kiss my neck.

“It can’t be over when it never even started,” he said against my skin. “I’ll tell you what’s going to happen, brown-eyed girl: You’re going to answer the phone when I call. You’re going to let me take you out, and we’re going to do some talking. There’s too much we don’t know about each other.” He found a pulse, and his lips lingered on the tiny, rampant rhythm. “So we’re going to take it slow. I’ll get to know you. You’ll get to know me. And then it’s up to you.”

Romance characters getting know one another?? No instant love?? What is happening?? (I kid, I kid).

Besides the looks and sculpted body – he has the perfect southern gentleman manners. He is funny. Hardworking. Smart. Demanding, yet amazing in bed. It was hard to find a flaw. Damn Travis family. But yet – Joe and his siblings are not annoying. They are all so darn likable. They are very close to each other and their interactions in this book made me smile and smile.

Eventually Joe worms his way into Avery’s heart and it’s all sunshine. There is also a small side romance with Avery’s sister which I adored. I felt very invested in that relationship too.

Had I wished Avery was a little more open in this book? Yes, but at the same time, her reluctance added some angst in this one that made me turn the pages faster.

If you have never read a Kleypas contemporary I highly recommend them. You can read this as a stand alone but it’s fun to meet the other siblings too. They are done well on audible as well.

Grade: B+

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