Review: Save Me: An O'Brien Family Novel

Save Me: An O'Brien Family Novel by Cecy Robson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this is a love-it or hate-it book. I veered between three and a half and four stars but in the end I decided on four stars.

Seamus O'Brien is (I think) the third oldest of the seven O'Brien siblings. This is the fifth book in the series and I have only read one previously, Feel Me which features Seamus' older brother Declan, the DA.

Seamus is a big contrast to Declan. He's loud, opinionated, attracted to crazy women and has a VERY high opinion of himself. His little sister Wren is getting married and she (and his mother) are badgering him about bringing a 'nice' date to the wedding. One who isn't already married, or on parole, or will set the church on fire, literally. When cornered Seamus can't stop talking and so he makes up a fake girlfriend, someone 'nice'.

Forced to assist in Wren's wedding plans by choosing various pastries for one of the events he is queueing at a local bakery when he runs into Allie Mendes. Although he doesn't recognise or remember Allie they grew up together, she taught his younger siblings at Sunday School, they went to the same school etc. Allie too has a wedding-related problem. Her sister Valentina is getting married, to Allie's high school sweetheart, the man Allie thought she was going to marry. So Seamus and Allie agree to help each other out. Seamus will help make Allie look and feel more attractive and in return Allie will be Seamus' date to three weddings due to take place.

Seamus was a problem character for me. At first he was just a bit blunt, a 'say it as I see it' kind of guy. Then around the halfway mark he and his family became that obnoxious group of loud mouthed people who make offensive comments - you know the ones that you ALWAYS get sat next to in a family restaurant. None of them seemed to have filters and all of them felt it was appropriate to say whatever the hell they wanted. Maybe that's what people are like in Philly? Anyway I started to get that Elle Casey feel about the book but I persevered. And what do you know? Under that uber-confident exterior is a man who thinks all he deserves are skanks and crazies, that nice women only want one or two 'dates' before they leave him for a real man with prospects, like a doctor or a lawyer.

Despite my mid-book misgivings about Seamus I really enjoyed this book, I liked the way that Seamus and Allie fell in love quietly and almost unnoticed. I liked the way their fake relationship went on, not a two week insta-lurve thing but weeks of texts and calls and dinner with Seamus' family and wedding rehearsals and dress shopping - yeah they were dating and they didn't even realise!

I think Cecy Robson may have a tendency to draw her characters a little too broad - you know the baddies have no redeeming qualities and everyone is a Character with a big C - but this was still a charming and thoughtful romance where I really felt they way that Allie and Seamus got to know each other slowly, supported each other and most of all made each other laugh.

I am definitely going to go back and find the first three books to see how Seamus' other siblings found love.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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