A BETTER MAN is the first book in Candis Terry's Sunshine Vineyard series. Ms. Terry is a suburb storyteller. She creates fascinating characters that readers can identify with and includes many real-life issues in her stories. Jordan Kincade is wrestling with the family vs. career choice many of us deal with each day. He left home at eighteen for a career as a professional hockey player and never looked back. Jordan's struggle to balance his career and family drew me into the novel. During the reading of his parent's will, Jordan notices all of the family photos in the living room. It bothers him that he's not in any of the photos. Jordan realizes that he has missed a lot of time with his family by putting his career first and decides to extend his bereavement time. Ryan asks Jordan to help their sister Nicki who is failing high school English and may not graduate.

Jordan meets with Nicole's teacher, Lucy Diamond. It is obvious to Jordan that Lucy cares about Nicole and sees Nicole's potential. Something about Lucy seems familiar to Jordan. He doesn't remember that he asked Lucy to be his date for a graduation party and stood her up when he was drafted by the NHL. Lucy wants to help Nicole even if Jordan doesn't remember her! These scenes are well written and touching and show how a great teacher can positively influence her students. Lucy asks Jordan some simple questions about his sister that he can't answer and challenges Jordan to prove his commitment to Nicole. Loved this couple and their commitment to work together to help Nicole. Second chance romances are my favorite romance stories and I enjoyed reading how this couple's relationship developed from friendship to romance. Jordan and Lucy brought out the best in each other.

Seventeen-year old Nicole Kincade is my favorite character. The author has done a fabulous job crafting this teenager who is dealing with several issues. I smiled when the author wrote that Nicole gave the baby dragon look to her brothers as I could imagine Nicole's face and attitude. Jordan understands that Nicole is withdrawn after her parent's death and with Lucy's help tries to draw her out by encouraging her interest in music, drawing and writing.

A BETTER MAN is a brilliant story about a man's commitment to be a better person. Candis Terry is able to use a tragedy to bring the Kincade family together and at the same time show Jordan that his parent's death provides him with the opportunity to change his life. Ms. Terry effortlessly blends every-day issues into the storyline that readers can identify and emphasize. She gets all the little details right—from the description of Lucy's feminine home, her dog Ziggy's on going gastric issues to the type of gel pens that Jordan buys for Nicole—and mixes in just the right amount of humor. The second chance at romance between Jordan and Lucy is perfectly written and there are several heartfelt scenes which brought me to tears. Loved the supporting characters in A BETTER MAN and the ongoing mystery concerning the vineyard.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

Book Summary