Carter Bravo's Christmas Bride

Carter Bravo's Christmas Bride by Christine Rimmer 

When Carter Bravo decides it's time to settle down this Christmas, the once-burned, no-strings-attached hunk chooses the one woman who isn't looking to be swept off her feet. Not only does his business partner and best buddy, Paige Kettleman, say yes the chemistry sizzling between them is further proof that she's his ideal mate.

Carter's no-nonsense proposition isn't exactly the romantic proposal Paige dreamed about under the mistletoe. After five years of building a business and sharing confidences, her dearest friend still has no idea how she really feels about him. If he did, he'd go running for the Colorado hills. Unless Paige can show Carter how to turn a test-run engagement into the real thing: a holiday wedding with all the trimmings; including love!**

Thanks to Harlequin and Netgally for the book in exchange for a honest review.

Once again, I'm back with the Bravos. I'll admit that at first I wasn't really enjoying Carter. He seemed cocky and emotionally cut off, which he was. He told Paige about her love for him in jest and it hit her like a lightening bolt, that he was right!

Paige and Carter have been best friends for a long time. They just get each other. He helps her with her sister, and they are business partners. Carter doesn't believe in love. He watched his mom throw out his dad over and over again, and yet claim to love him more than anything. How can love exist if that's the example he had for it? It was also pointed out that Carter and Paige are perfect for each other, everyone already thinks they're together, that starts things moving around his head too. It takes longer for it to come to him but he's comfortable with Paige, he likes her and her sister. They work well together why not transition that in to a marriage. It'd just be adding benefits *wink*.

Paige is comfortable with Carter, being friends for as long as they have been how could she not be? While waiting for a meeting he does a silly quiz about love and your best friend and answers all the questions the way she would. It sparks something in her and she starts thinking too much and realizes that she is in fact in love with Carter and he HATES love. It's fake and over-used. When he proposes that they make their business relationship more, a marriage, she says yes because she does love him and she figures she can live with the fact that he'd be devoted to her but not love her. The only question she keeps having is can she live with the fact that her husband will never love her the way she loves him.

Like I said I had a hard time enjoying Carter at first. He was a little off putting. In the end he redeemed himself quite nicely. I liked Paige and her sister Dawn. It's always nice to see other characters from the books before. If you're a fan of the Bravos and a fan of Christine Rimmer, you'll enjoy this one too. Leave the author love in the form of a review.

**Goodreads summary