The Valentine’s Day Resolution by Ava Hayden: Release Day Review and Giveaway

Huxley carries invisible scars from a near-fatal car accident. He sleepwalks through a job at his father’s company, marking time until he can quit and pursue his own dreams.

Everything changes the moment he makes eye contact with a stranger while riding to work. It’s as if he’s been shaken out of his stupor, and Huxley vows to find the man.

Thanks to a thieving ex-lover, Paul’s florist shop is on the brink of closing down. He needs to milk Valentine’s Day for all it’s worth—and the irony that a day dedicated to love might help undo the damage of a failed relationship is not lost on him.

When Huxley finds Paul at his shop, both men feel an instant attraction. Before long, they’re falling hard, but Huxley holds back. If Paul knew all the baggage he’s carrying, he might run.

Paul’s gut tells him Huxley is hiding something. Huxley looks like a keeper, but Paul can’t go through another disastrous romance.

When Valentine’s Day arrives, will they have anything to celebrate?

Title: The Valentine’s Day Resolution
Author: Ava Hayden
Release Date: August 2, 2017
Category: Contemporary, Holiday
Pages: TBD (Novella)

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Dreamspinner Press

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This was a sweet holiday read (although I did wonder why it came out in August versus around Valentine’s Day, but it was still a lovely insert into summer). The Valentine’s Day Resolution did not have a lot of angst, but definitely brought a few tears to the eyes, especially as you saw what Huxley had been through in the previous year.

One of the things that I liked most about Huxley was not just that he was trying to deal with his issues surrounding his car accident, but also that he was trying to grow himself as a person, and a man running a successful company. He realized that he had been sleepwalking through his position since he started, and really wanted to find a way to make a difference in the work lives of his employees, as well as the company as a whole. Healing as a person was important to him, but becoming a manager that could be relied upon, and be seen as forward thinking was important to him as well, and he worked on that nearly as hard as trying to get past his accident.

Meanwhile, Paul himself was working on whether to allow Huxley in, to trust him, after learning he trusted the wrong person in the past, and it created such a devastating position for his shop. I didn’t necessarily agree with his method of dealing with things, as sometimes it seemed he was trying too hard to do everything himself, and not allowing those that cared for him to help. In the end that lack of trust made things more of a challenge for him to get through the tough spots, and almost lose his new love.

I really enjoyed, though, the big “final” scene. I loved how it brought all their issues together, clicked them off one by one, and of course brought them to their HEA. But it was dealt with in a very unique way (in fact one of the MC’s was not in that entire scene, which was very creative).

3.5 pieces of eye candy

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