Worth the Wait (St. James, 1)

Vivi, an artsy gal, falls for a friends older brother, David, in their teenage years. And so begins the story of unrequited love. David's mother dies and David heads out into the world. Many years pass where David is estranged from family and friends.

They all meet up again at Block Island for a vacation and the action takes off. David is aloof since the death of their mother many years earlier and no one can understand why, especially Vivi. He has brought a new girlfriend along who is the polar opposite of Vivi. Unrequited love turns into a love triangle - sparks fly - and you are hooked!

The book continues with action and emotion and is a page turner until the very end. A strong theme of forgiveness runs through the story line with each character well developed, believable and vulnerable.

David is not hot in any sense of the word. He is not likeable, beyond controlling and just an all around selfish jerk.

Vivi short for Vivienne is thought of and treated by everyone as if she is a child. She needs assistance with hair, makeup and clothes. She meets David when she is 13 years old and he is 18. She pines after David for years. And he thinks of her as a child until, one day when she no longer vies for his attention. And suddenly, when she no longer appears to want him then he selfishly wants what he can't have even though he has a girlfriend.

And because he always sees Vivi as a child, constantly referring to her short stature and the drawings and letters she gave him as a child then it was hard for me to see her as an adult as well.

Plus the dynamic that made it even harder was that Vivi was like a sister to David, his younger brother Jackson and their sister Cat short for Catalina. Their family sort of adopted her after her mother and brother died. She spent the majority of her time with them even vacations.

So due to all these factors, I couldn't get into it at all.

This author wrote another book called, "In the Cards" that is so much better written and the characters are enjoyable and it is HOT!

good read

SAME OLD BEACH STORY TOLE AGAIN AND AGAIN

I liked this group of people but there were definitely moments when I wanted to smack David. He’s the quintessential clueless male – more than a few times actually. He (and everyone else) is aware of how Vivi feels but he thinks that she’ll always be there, trailing after him. He’s contemplating marriage to his girlfriend but seems surprised that she’s picking up on that vibe and thinking long-term with him as well. He thinks that everything can go back to normal even after he momentarily gives in to his attraction to Vivi. Get the idea? He’s overall a good guy and he’s carrying a pretty big secret, so I can give him a pass on some things. But that doesn’t mean it is any less frustrating when he has a stupid guy moment :)

Vivi has so much energy to her that it is hard not to like her and you have to admire her tenacity for holding on so tight to her feelings for David, putting herself out there so blatantly. But my favorite part is how she finally learns to stand up for herself and consider her needs. She’s got a couple of bad relationships in her life but once she gets her wakeup call she starts looking at what’s best for her. It’s refreshing to see that kind of growth in a heroine.

David also has a brother and sister who come with their own set of problems. I’m definitely looking forward to more from Beck so they can get a shot at their own HEA. We get glimpses of their issues here so it’ll be interesting to get more details and see where they go from here.

Sometimes funny, sometimes raw, but always engaging, Worth the Wait is an emotional powerhouse and Beck is going on my list of authors to watch.

(Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review)

First book I read from this author and I really enjoyed it.

Resembled my own love story in many ways. Great read!

Very good read. As I was reading this book I was thinking I wanted to learn more about other characters in the book and was very excited when Jamie Beck wrote 2 more books in the series. Definitely read them in order! I read these on my kindle and then ordered the actual book to keep. I recommend reading any of Jamie Beck's books!

This book was almost like reading about my childhood. I found myself often torn between not wanting to stop reading, and not wanting to read it too fast so that I wouldn't finish it so quickly. The plot was well-developed, the characters were all brought to life, and it was utterly romantic and heartbreaking. At the same time, it wasn't so over-the-top, because I've lived this story, and sometimes the impossible becomes the possible.

I can't wait to read the next book, though I will have to wait a few days to get over being done with this book.

Great