I had the Bruno Mars song ringing in my head while reading this: ...Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you *cue church bells* *throw petals* 
 Carter Maguire I WANT TO MARRY YOU!!!! 
 Like...damn. Maybe my hormone levels are super high or something but this guy was making me melt all over the place. Thud-a-dud-dud. 
 Seriously if you are an incredibly smart, awkward, easily-flustered klutz with a penchant for rescuing 3 legged cats, always there to take a girl's coat, good listener, a sweetheart and a complete gentlemen and oh yes a sex monkey in bed...call me. :P This guy was ridiculously adorable and so charming I couldn't stand it. I was jealous of Mackensie. Be still my beta-loving heart. Carter was pushing all the right buttons for me and here are a few snippets why: 
 "I don't mean that. For G-d's sake. I mean, she might be wearing something other than a dress. What do I say then: Nice pants? Outfit, outfit, great outfit. You know it's called an outfit. Dear G-d , shut up." 
 "I can't give up on her," Carter said simply. "I've been waiting for her most of my life." 
 "But no one wants to merely settle. To be with someone because being alone's the only other option. Love's not some amorphous concept created for books and poetry and not attainable. It's real and vital, and it's necessary. Dammit it. It changes things. Everything. I can't be what I was before I loved her. It's ridiculous for anyone to expect that. " 
 Gently, he brushed his lips to her forehead. "I love your face, and your hands." He took them in his to press a kiss to her palms. "The way you look when you hold a camera, or hunch at the computer. I have dozens of images, pictures, and moments of you in my head. In my heart. I want a lifetime more. Marry me." 
 Oh Carter <3 
 This was in my TR pile for years and I'm so glad I finally got the chance to sit down and read it. Nora Roberts really surprised me with this. I've only read 3 other books by her and out of the 3, 2 were very mediocre and very heavy handed with the trite dialogue and even cheesier plot line with shallow characters so this for me was a hit. Contrary to what the quotes above may imply, I was expecting to get a whole lot of cutesy overly cheesy flowery dialogue and predictable plot line, this was a pleasant surprise. I really have to hand it to Roberts for making both Carter and Mac relatable, raw, human and so damn likeable. I really loved all the attention paid to every nuance that goes into Mac's business of Wedding photography from setting up her shots, her thought processes, capturing the 'money shot' photoshopping, etc. That impressed me because it was so accurate and real. And of course Carter's teaching position as an English Lit Professor at an Academy. So fun. They both clearly love what they do and I really enjoyed seeing it from their perspectives. It just came off the page how they lived and breathed their work and shared it with each other. It was endearing charming and fun and very realistic. I get so excited when I run into a character who's artistic because as an artist myself it's really exciting and in some cases inspiring. Only negative was I wish more time was spent on sexy time, while still enjoyable I do wish the sex scenes and intimate moments were longer. They seemed kind of rushed and glossed over. 
 I really enjoyed this and I'm curious to see how Emma and Laurel's stories go. But Carter has won a place in my list of top favorite scrumptious 'I wish you were real heroes' for life. Damn do I wish this guy was real. Unf. He was a total stand out and he did it so subtly. :P