Rescuing the Reluctant Groom

Windy City Romance #4

by Barbara Lohr

Selena Ruiz wants more than romance from Seth Kirkpatrick and she's willing to fight for it. The Chicago midwife demands commitment and a ring. But after two years? Nada. Words of love aren't Seth's strong suit. Is the hot Chicago EMT marriage shy or tongue tied?

She's never been a quitter. No room for that in a migrant worker's childhood. In this heartwarming multi-cultural love story, Selena fights for him with every trick in her toolbox, including a trip to Savannah to visit his sister. But it takes an abandoned kitten to loosen Seth's tongue and open his heart. Secrets abound in this wedding standoff, with everything at stake. Can they heal each other's past to find their future?

Genres: Contemporary, Romance

266 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2015

About the author

Barbara Lohr writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction, often with a humorous touch. Her series include Windy City Romance, Man from Yesterday, Best Friends to Forever and Romancing the Royals. In addition to romance, her work often explores family relationships. She believes that no man or woman falls in love without family influence, for better or for worse. Dark chocolate is her favorite food group and she makes a mean popover. When she's not writing, she loves to bike, kayak or golf. Barbara lives in the South with her husband and a cat that claims he was Heathcliff in a former life. Visit her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barbaralohrauthor.

Reviews

[Gail]

I loved this book! A very well written story and the characters all work so well together. I loved getting to know the Kirkpatrick's. Seth and Selena's story was very heartwarming. This was my first book by this author but I am looking foreward to reading her other books.

[Jenni]

Barbara writes wonderful characters that you feel you know and into a world where you feel like you are walking right beside them.
Her contemporary romance stories come from the heart and hit you in the heart.
I have not read one book by this author that I have not loved.
Grab a book or two of hers and get stuck in you won't regret it if you like contemporary romance and women's fiction stories.

[Amy]

I absolutely LOVE this series! I will pause to say that this book can be read by itself as a stand alone novel, BUT I can almost guarantee that once you read it, you will want to go back and purchase the other books in the series, so you can find out the stories for the rest of the couples mentioned in this book.
The Kirkpatrick family is one you want to belong to. The love and loyalty you find as you read this book is palpable. Seth is blood, but Selena is a "sister of the heart"...They all know these two stubborn people belong together.
This is a wonderful read, that I would recommend to anyone who loves a good romance story. I cannot wait for Ms. Lohr's next book to come out. She is a wonderful author and her characters are "friends" you will want to grow old with.
I was given an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. But I would of bought it on my own...It is that wonderful of a read!

[Debra K. Brown]

Summary

I like to read. This book was not raunchy and it keep you attentive while read. It is a good book to read. Anyone can read it.

[Emily Pennington]

Selena watched Seth sleep and was so happy to be in a relationship with him. He was a good, loving man. He just seemed to have a problem expressing his feelings and those magic words she kept waiting to hear. Two years together and he still couldn’t say the “L” word and ask her to marry him. In his sleep, he moved his hand down her side and mumbled, “Sissy….” WHAT? She leaped out of bed, threw on her clothes, and headed for the door. When he got up and tried to follow her, she threw dishes at him. Then she angrily drove to the hospital to catch up on some paperwork.

Heart breaking, she sat down at her desk. Then McKenna, her friend and Seth’s older sister, came in and she told her everything. Now McKenna had to do some plotting to wake her silly brother up to what he was missing! With Selena and McKenna working on the plan, how could things ever go wrong?

This was an adorable story that I highly recommend! The characters are the kind you would love to have in your life. Friendship and love is all over the place! (But the guy IS always the last to know, right ladies?) Grab yourself a copy and enjoy! You won’t be sorry!

[Judy Tulloch]

The book description gives enough info to let one know what this book is about. The plot and characters were well developed. It was full of twist and turns that kept my interest from beginning to end. Selena and Seth each had secrets that they were embarrassed about. In return it strained their relationship. Selena and Seth's story was heartfelt and enjoyable. I highly recommend this book. I asked for a review copy and voluntarily reviewed this book.

[Lori R]

I liked this story because it is about overcoming disabilities and being able to find the words to communicate to your partner how you feel and what you want in your relationship. There are a lot of twists and turns in the story line which kept me interested and made me not want to put the book down until I knew how it ended!

[Debra]

Rescuing the Reluctant Groom

With his past part of his present he has trouble expressing just what he wants. He is reluctant because he doesn't think he is good enough for her. She has her past also but she has over come to become more. Can she give him the courage to reach for more. This was a courtship that had several twists and turns.

[Diana]

ADD Doesn't Always Mean +

Selena and Seth make such a striking couple. When everything fell apart I was reading faster and faster to find out what the solution would be.

I kind of read the stories in the wrong order, but it by no means made them any less wonderful. Barbara Lohr is one of the finest romance writers EVER!

I'm on to the next adventure in RomCom from Ms. Lohr.📚💗

[Diane]

A happy relationship hits a big snag and the Kirkpatrick family dynamics play an important role in Seth and Selena's happily ever after. This is a great series with interesting family dynamics and plenty of romance for contemporary romance fans of all ages.

[Xine's Obsession]

3⭐️

[Lorelei Frank]

Great series

Heartwarming story about a man who loves deeply but is challenged in saying what he feels to the people he loves

[Donna Kale]

Great series, really liked the author’s style!

[Stacey]

Seth and Selena have been together for two years, but Seth can't even bring himself to tell Selena that her loves her. When he wakes up one morning mumbling another woman's name, Selena questions his feelings for her. Despite wanting to spend her life with him, she breaks off their relationship, but neither one is quite ready to let it go.

Both Seth and Selena are great characters who have overcome the odds to get to where they were. Seth suffers from ADD, which caused him to be bullied when he was growing up. Selena was the daughter of migrant workers, moving from farm to farm while she was growing up. She never stayed in place long enough to make any friends. My only issue was that during the course of their relationship, they had never confessed these things to one another. They were together long enough that they should have felt comfortable enough to trust each other with the truth long before when they actually did.

I liked that despite his issues, Seth wanted to be better for Selena. He tries to overcome whatever is holding him back from admitting his feelings to her. I also liked that Selena never truly gives up on him. She knows her loves her, she just wants him to say it out loud and does whatever it takes to try to get him to that point, including pretending to be in relationship with another doctor at the hospital.

We get to see characters from the other Windy City books, which was a treat. It's always nice to catch up with the lives of the rest of the Kirkpatrick clan.

Barbara Lohr has yet to write a book that disappoints me, and this is no exception. It's well-written with likable, relatable characters and an interesting story line. I recommend giving it a read.

**An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**

[Dawn Pearson]

Note: I was given a complimentary copy for an honest review.

Selena Ruiz is in love with Seth Kirkpatrick, but how is she to ever know if her feelings are returned if he never says the words. Seth's world revolves around Selena and he knows she wants to hear "the" words, but they keep sticking in his mouth. So, when Seth is dreaming of his blond coworker and mumbles her name in his sleep, Selena is enraged and leaves. At first, Seth is confused by her anger, but soon realizes that she's upset at more than his verbal slip in his sleep. He knows what she wants to hear, but can't seem to say them.

In an effort to get Seth's attention and to make a statement, she leaves him. Over the next many weeks, she grows closer to his sisters and learns things about him that he's never revealed. His family also works on him, expressing their desire for the two of them to work things out.

All in all, I liked the book, but I did find it rather melancholy for much of it. There were a lot of emotional issues to sort through. Of course, being a romance book, it all works out in the end, but the path is rather rocky a few times.

Probably the best part of the book is the character development. I really felt the emotions of both Selena and Seth. And, when they realized that they were each part of the problems, they worked at changing for the better.

Language - PG - a few swear words, but nothing too strong
Romance - PG / PG13 depending on your sensitivity. There are a couple of scenes, but nothing is graphic and it's mostly blacked out.

My rating - 4 stars.

[BookSnuggle]

I received a copy of this book for an honest review. "Rescuing the Reluctant Groom" by Barbara Lohr is book five in the "Windy City" series. The book can also be read as a standalone. This is Seth Kirkpatrick and Selena Ruiz's story. Oh my what a rocky road they traveled. Seth and Selena have been together for awhile. Their intimate life is great but Selena wants more. The intimate scenes display passion and chemistry but are done respectfully mostly behind closed doors. Selena is ready to settle down, get married, and start a family. Seth seems to be content with the way things are. Selena has to make a decision if Seth isn't ready to commit does she need to move on? As they work through their struggle you begin to have a better understanding of why Seth and Selena feel and act the way they do. The reader can feel the different emotions of the characters. Will Seth and Selena allow their insecurities to get in the way of true love? They learn the importance of family and communication. Also, keeping secrets from each hurt the growth and closeness of their relationship.
This is a great romance. A great story to unwind after a hard day at work or when you need a little escape.

https://booksnuggle.wordpress.com

[Suzan]

I enjoyed the story but a few things kept this rated at a 3.5 for me. First, and most annoying to me was the regular infusion of Spanish. It was only a phrase here and there, but it occurred on almost every page for a while. I don’t speak Spanish and found the use of it distracting and unpleasant. Someone else may really enjoy it. As for the story, the hero was really truly lovable and it was easy to be on his side. I had a harder time identifying with the heroine, I just wasn’t feeling her reasons for calling it quits on what was obviously a wonderful relationship. I get it, that it had been some time and he hadn’t said the “L” word. She was ready to get serious. He slipped up and muttered another name in his sleep and it sends her off the edge. I just really don’t like it when 2 main characters refuse to communicate and that becomes the basis for the story. I lose sympathy for them. I’ve not read the other books in this series and I felt like I was missing out on things when the family got together. I really love a strong family unit and the Kirkpatrick’s definitely have that. All in all, not a bad book, the HEA was satisfying. Yes, I’d read more by this author, but I probably won’t seek them out right away.

[Micky]

I have to admit...I found it difficult to read this book. Not because it was bad....in fact I loved it. Difficult in the sense that I saw myself in this book with regard to a past relationship.
Seth and Selena seem to be made for each other, but the words that need to be said in the relationship are not said. Selena loves Seth with all her heart and she knows he feels the same. But after 2 years a girl needs to be told. Seth doesn't seem to have a clue as to how to say the words that Selena wants to hear. Is love enough?
I really like the multi-cultural aspect of this story. Bringing toghether two worlds the author endeared herself to me (being from a Latino background).
Secrets did pop up in the story, and when you discovered them I went through a range of emotions. But it did help to understand both characters better. Pride and love don't always go hand in hand.
I wish I had this book many, many years ago. It could've served as a manual in "that relationship". Lol
I recommend this book. It's not fairy talle, lace and sparkles ...but rather grit, honesty and pain.... Just like life.
**** I received a copy of novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Isha Coleman]

This story reminded me why I am quickly becoming a regular reader of Barbara Lohr. A serious story about relationship compatibility becomes a humorous look at two people that are clueless when it comes to love. With the stoke of a pen she makes you fall in love with her characters and her stories. I received a copy of Rescuing the Reluctant Groom in exchange for an honest review. Selena's neurotic behavior may cost her what she wants most. Love, family and dependability. Seth has deep feelings for Selena but his commitment issues and ability to trust are holding him back. What they have to work out is that love involves the heart, mind and the person as a whole. Enjoyed this appealing read.

[Donna Porter]

Selena Ruiz has been with Seth Kirkpatrick for two years. She knows how much she loves him but she isn't sure he feels the same. He has never told her he loves her and she needs to hear the words. She is beginning to feel like she should move on from her relationship. This is a really great story. This is the fifth in the Windy City Romance series. We hear a lot about Seth's big family, which we read about in prior books. We learn how Selena was raised as the daughter of migrant workers. I am not giving away the story but if you are a fan of Barbara's you will love this book. This book does contain some sex scenes so it isn't for everyone to read. Great read

[Jackie O'Donnell]

This is the first book I have read from this author. If you are looking for a good clean romance with a happily ever after then this is a book for you. Seth is a fun loving EMT who works with Selena. The two of them hit if off when they first meet. After two years of dating Selena is ready for more. She tells Seth how much she loves him but the man has a hard time saying the words back. We learn its not because he doesn't love her but there are factors from his past that scares him. Selena also hides a troubled past. The two finally realize they need to divulge their childhood secrets in order to have a future full of love and family.

[Gina Smith]

Selena is a fiery Spanish woman who dreams of getting married and starting a family. Seth loves Selena very much but has trouble saying the words "I Love You" out loud. When Selena hears Seth say another woman's name in his sleep she decides to go away for a while. As they examine their relationship they discover each of them has been harboring a secret. Can they trust each other enough to share their deepest feelings and will Seth come around before he loses Selena?
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Bernadette Cinkoske]

I like this series. I remember reading and enjoying Harper's story. This is the story of Selena and Seth. After two years, Seth still cannot says he loves her. Selena wants more. This is the story of her journey to a HEA. It is a great story with well developed characters. I did not want to put it down. I am glad it is part of a series because I want more of these characters. Loved it. I think you will too.

[Beth]

Too good to put down

This was such a great book. I was so wrapped up in the entire story and felt as if I was going through this right along with Selena and Seth and all the ups and downs with love winning in the long run. I am so glad I was given the chance to read and review this book. Thank you Barbara Mohr....I so look forward to reading more of your books!

[Sherry Westendorf]

Really liked this book. It takes real life and weaves it into two people who in time make a life with each other. I recommend it. You can learn a lot from this story. Love her books. I received an ARC copy for an honest review.

[Dawn Fernholz]

Seth and Selena

I was gifted this book for an honest review. Was a great read. Catches your attention from the beginning and keeps it through the book. Well written, good story. Looking forward to read about the rest of the family.