Review on: The MacGregors: Alan and Grant by Nora Roberts
Series: The MacGregors
Rating: 2/5
This book is a combination of two stories, the story of Alan MacGregor and Grant Campbell, as each overcomes difficulties and obstacles to obtain that one special love.
In Alan’s love story entitled All the Possibilities, we focus on Shelby Campbell, a carefree creative spirit who owns a pottery shop and sells her own creations. There’s an instant attraction between Alan and Shelby who meet at a party. Alan is a famous senator who is expected to be in the running for the presidency, while Shelby is the daughter of a former senator and presidential candidate who though not like the normal high-society girl, carries herself with such poise and confidence. Shelby tries to ignore her increasing attraction to Alan as he reminds her so much of her father who was assassinated as he was running for the presidency. Alan fights to win his way into Shelby’s heart, chipping away at her walls as she and he enter into a relationship. Alan fights to ease Shelby’s fears with his feelings while she fights her personal fears as she starts falling for Alan. The one interesting thing about this couple, besides their complimenting personality, is that their families (Campbell and MacGregor) are from rival families in Scotland.
In Grant’s love story entitled One Man’s Art, we meet again Grant Campbell, Shelby’s older brother. From the earlier novel, we meet Grant, who is explained as somewhat having the opposite personality of Shelby. While Shelby is charismatic and loves being around other people, Grant is more of a solitary kind of guy. In his castle (his secluded lighthouse), he suddenly meets Genvieve Grandeau, a damsel in distress who comes knocking on his door when her car breaks down during a storm. As with Alan and Shelby, there is an instant attraction between the two, though each fight to hide it at the start when each is annoyed with the other’s personality. Shelby,a visiting tourist, arrives in the small town for some relaxing me-time and to go back to painting, when she discovers a nice spot by Grant’s lighthouse, where she sets up her painting materials. Grant discovers Genvieve’s paintings and sketches and discovers that she’s a renowned artist from the city who had only a few months ago lost her sister in a car accident. Grant and Genvieve enter into a relationship but encounter problems when Grant keeps his job as a newspaper cartoonist from her, and she finds out that he was been using her as a character in his comic strips. Both also try to deal with their experiences of losing a loved one, as they look into the future.
Unlike previous Nora Roberts novels, I found that I didn’t like these two stories very much. Though the plot of the story and the background of the stories seemed well thought-out, both stores were so fast-paced that I didn’t feel that the story came together well.
(Spoilers ahead)