The Synopsis :

Kate Yager never had a father, and she never minded – until her mom died. Now, acting on the name called out on her mother’s deathbed, Kate has moved to San Francisco and gotten herself hired by the man she suspects to be her dad. As if a new job, new apartment, and new parent weren’t enough, Kate finds herself head-over-heels in lust with a complete stranger she met at an art show. A stranger who, she later finds out, happens to work in her office.

As her relationships with her friends and father grow stronger, Kate has to confront the decisions of her past to find out whether she can love the man who gave her up, love the man who loves her truly, and even whether she can love herself.

My review:

 Heather Huffman has become a favorite author of mine. Ties that Bind is the third book I’ve read by Huffman and once again I was enchanted by her writing.   This is the kind of novel I love re-reading. The story, the romance, the characters…everything resonated with me and every time I become more and more convinced of how talented an author Huffman is.

You all know by now how much I like love stories. In fact Romance is the first genre I opt for when looking for a book to read. Let me tell you that  the romance in Ties that Bind left me completely satisfied.  Kate and Gavin make for a great couple, one you could read about for hours on end.

Kate is a  woman whose past left scars she tried desperately to heal- she’s kind and with much inner strength, but has difficulty in  letting people in her life. She’s gone through some tough experiences that still sting  and opening up is hard for her. Kate’s character is very likeable and she grew very dear to me. She’s strong but vulnerable at the same time. A very human and endearing woman.

Gavin enters Kate’s life when the last thing she’s looking for is love. She wants to resist the feelings she has for him, because she doesn’t want to hurt again, but he’s able to make his way into her heart. And when he does, they both can’t get enough of one another.  Gavin is a “dream-man”- he’s everything a woman could hope for. He’s beautiful, caring, sweet and doesn’t give up when challenges present themselves, especially when the challenge is to conquer Kate’s heart.

I love this couple. I really, really do. The romance they start is so sweet and tender that it made me sigh dreamily in a lot of scenes. This is what I love about Huffman’s writing – despite the fact that there aren’t graphic details in the book, she’s able to pen great scenes between two lovers. I really felt Kate and Gavin’s love, the chemistry between the two of them is amazing and kept me glued to the book. I enjoyed seeing how they wanted to build their relationship through small steps, that brought them to trust each other and finally gave in to love.

This is also a story about family, about how ties that have been broken can be restored again, when there’s forgiveness and kindness. There are some interesting twists and turns, especially when it comes to Kate and her father’s relationship…

As it happened with the other books by Huffman, I loved the dialogue.  There’s a lot of humor that made me giggle in more than one scene, and the banter between Kate and Gavin made me love this couple even more than I already did.

I highly recommend this book. I give it 4.5 stars.

Some of my favorite passages :

1.” ‘When we walk out the door, the spell is broken and you have to keep your hands to yourself again.’ She eyed him warily.

‘ Then I’d better do this while I have the chance.’ In one fluid motion, he stood and pulled her to her feet and to him. His lips claimed hers hungrily. His arms held her tightly to him, her own hands held his shoulders as if clinging to dear life.”

2.” I want to gather you in my arms and tell you that time is up. I want to whisk you back to my loft and tell you no more space between us,” he growled, catching her chin with his hand and tilting her face up so his lips could claim hers. There was a need that was so newer, fresher, edgier than it had been before.”

3.”He’s still doing that. Then using his mouth to get himself out of trouble. It’s astonishing, the things he can do with that mouth of his.’ Gavin’ s eyebrow shot up and Kate blushed.”

4.”I miss that electrifying feeling I get whenever I’m about to touch you,’ he said suddenly, as if he could read her thoughts. ‘And I miss smelling you. And seeing you flush when you’re mad at me.”

Elena