WHEN LOVE HAPPENS (Ribbon Ridge #3) by Darcy Burke-a review

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About the book: Release Date May 26, 2015

Tori Archer is married…well, on paper anyway. She hasn’t actually seen her husband since the disastrous morning after their impulsive Vegas wedding. The memories of their intense passion may still make her weak in the knees, but Tori knows their marriage was a mistake.

After six months filming abroad, television producer Sean Hennessy wants nothing more than to track down his sexy, captivating wife and get her into bed… fast. So when his boss sends him to Oregon to persuade the famous Archer sextuplets—the former stars of a reality TV show—to do a reunion special, Sean sees the perfect chance to win Tori back.

Only, Tori wants nothing to do with him and is determined to push him away. But their attraction is as hot as ever and Sean will do anything to prove their relationship was more than just a fling…because he knows that when real love happens, it changes everything.

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REVIEW: WHEN LOVE HAPPENS is the third full length installment in Darcy Burke’s Ribbon Ridge adult contemporary romance series focusing on the Archer sextuplets of Ribbon Ridge, Oregon. The Archer family owns several successful breweries and pubs, and most of the siblings play a role in the daily business operations. This is Tori Archer and Sean Hennessy ‘s storyline-a second chance of sorts for two people whose marriage collapsed the day after their wedding. WHEN LOVE HAPPENS can be read as a stand alone but each successive storyline builds upon one another with the overriding premise focusing on the family and the aftermath of a sibling suicide.

Told from third person point of view WHEN LOVE HAPPENS follows the re-building of the relationship between Tori Archer and television producer Sean Hennessy-a Englishman whose family depends upon Sean for financial support. After a whirlwind courtship of five weeks, Tori and Sean did the unspeakable-got married in Vegas- but their happiness is short lived when Tori’s brother Alex commits suicide the next day and Tori heads home leaving a confused Sean behind. Fast forward six months and Tori has yet to reveal to her family that she is married. A surprise appearance by Sean at Ribbon Ridge Octoberfest celebration finds Tori torn between her attraction to the man she hasn’t seen in six months and pushing, said man, out of the picture. What ensues is Tori’s attempt to destroy the marriage that never began.

A secondary storyline develops when Sean’s boss gives our hero an ultimatum regarding the Archer family and a proposed business opportunity-he wants a televised update-a ‘where are they now’ broadcast about the Archer sextuplets or Sean’s future with the company comes to an end.

The relationship between our leading couple is two sided. Tori’s personality has changed since the death of her brother and in this she has hardened her heart to any enjoyment, laughter and fun. As Sean tries to seduce the woman that he loves back into his life, Tori tries everything to push Sean away. Tori is exhibiting symptoms of depression and in this she is having a difficult time moving forward from the guilt and grief. Her emotional stability is questioned; her actions and words hurtful and aggressive. Sometimes our heroine was a difficult character to like.

WHEN LOVE HAPPENS is an ensemble storyline where all of the previous storyline characters play a secondary and supporting role including the Archer family parents whose own relationship has dramatically changed since the suicide of their son. We are reintroduced to the surviving sextuplets (Evan, Sara, Tori, Kyle & Liam) and their younger brother Hayden made famous by a television reality show ‘Seven is Enough’ that placed the family front and center on the entertainment pages, along with their ‘foster’ brother Derek. Herein lies the ‘where are they now’ scenario that finds Sean on a collision course with his wife and his boss. The Archer family dynamics are stressed since the death of Alex; and there are a number of physical, emotional and mental issues with which the family struggles and endures.

Darcy Burke continues to pull the reader into one family’s struggle multiple births, fame, health issues and suicide. There is always a happily ever after but the journey is not always smooth or easy. The characters are engaging, colorful, charismatic and flawed; the premise sobering and realistic. WHEN LOVE HAPPENS looks at grief, depression, friendship and love; and in the Archer family, there is always someone to tell you exactly how it is and open your eyes to the future and the truth.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
.5 Where The Heart Is
1. Only in My Dreams
2. Yours to Hold
3. When Love Happens

Copy supplied by the publisher through Edelweiss

Reviewed by Sandy