Ryder's Bride 

Claire Maddox works for Bride Bay Concierges, which offers such services as taking care of homes on beautiful Promise island. It's a rather quiet and private place, that is until Ryder Griffin arrives. A retired NHL hockey player, Ryder hopes to lead a less pubic life, pPursuing his passion for motorcycle racing, which has Claire on edge as she is now his employee and harbors fear from a previous accident involving a motorcycle. To add to her turmoil, he has now purchased her childhood home and has all sorts of plans to strip it of its original charm, making her unhappy. When their professional relationship gets entirely too close to crossing the line, the stakes become high for both. Can they each get past their past hang-ups to start something new?

Claire and Ryder are your typical couple with sparks flying instantly. They are not so original and unfamiliar to a veteran reader of romance, making their traits quite predictable. Attraction at first sight exists here, and even though it takes some time to get to their initial intimate scene, it is endearing and sexy. Claire jumps out as an honest, down-to-earth character, yet her inability to let go holds both her and the story back. Ryder is the elusive bad boy that takes some time to pin down. He is not terribly appealing or endearing in the beginning but reaches a point where this starts to change. What you see is what you get with both the characters and story. A pleasing read without too many unexpected surprises. Your usual contemporary romance which is comforting for those who like this reliable style. 

Maggie Faria