Title: Catching Heir
Series: Dreamspun Desires 23
Author: Julia Talbot
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel (250 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (1 Dec 2016)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 3.5 Hearts
Blurb: Is he in love with an old hotel—or its new owner?
Professional snowboarder Cullen Patrick is successful and kinda famous. So when he inherits an old Colorado hotel from an unknown relative, he really should leave well enough alone.
Matt Nathanson has been managing the Treeline Estates since college. He loved the elderly former owner, and he stands to inherit the place if no one claims it in the next week. Of course, Cullen shows up, and Matt thinks it’s time to move on. He doesn’t want to like Cullen, no matter how engaging the guy is, or how hunky.
Cullen has grand ideas for the Treeline, but he doesn’t want to implement them without Matt, and he’s not sure he’s ready to give up snowboarding. Can Matt convince Cullen that putting down roots is worth it… and maybe catch his heir at the same time?
ISBN: 978-1-63477-678-3
Product Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/catching-heir-by-julia-talbot-7737-b
Reviewer: Prime
Review: I have to admit I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started to read this one. I love to read sport orientated books – especially when you have the famous bad-boy type of competitor (though Cullen is not a bad boy). I also love when one or both of the MCs are thrown into a situation completely unexpected to what they were expecting for their careers. But … I don’t know. I just felt that while reading Catching Heir I was expecting more.
The story is about Cullen Patrick; he’s famous on the snowboarding circuit and is one of the best in the country. However, he gets a call from a lawyer one day. He has inherited the bed and breakfast owned by the grandfather he had never known. There are conditions to the will, though, specifically that hotel manager Matt Nathanson is to be consulted on any major changes and essentially cannot be fired. Matt is the devoted manager of Treeline Estates. He has a lot of ideas to improve, even with a tight budget and still ensure that the building maintains its historical façade. Matt is close to inheriting Treeline too, except that Cullen finally turns up to claim his inheritance.
I enjoyed the story, don’t get me wrong. I particularly love Matt’s character. But for me there was just something missing. I’m not sure how to explain it. I’ve read books by Julia Talbot before and have enjoyed them. I love the writing style. The problem, I think, with Catching Heir, that I while I was able to feel the attraction between the guys; I wasn’t totally sold on the chemistry between them. There was something about Cullen that seemed like things were being held back – whether that was intentional part of the story or just the writing, I’m not sure.
However, for a bit of a winter treat, this was still an enjoyable story, because in the end I really did love Matt and after a while I could see that he and Cullen were meant to be.