The Will is what I like to characterize as a slow burn. It starts off by introducing us to the main players, while hinting subtly at some potential obstacles and heartbreaking backstory.
The book begins with our heroine, Josephine Malone or Josie as she is known to her much beloved and very recently deceased grandmother, attending said loved one's funeral. As she's trying desperately not to show any sign of distress and emotion in a public forum, her eyes wander to a tall, muscular stranger looking dashing in a well-fitted Hugo Boss suit-surrounded by a trio of young people, whom she correctly assumes are his children. As her gaze settles on him, she realizes that he is indiscreetly staring at her. Josie tears her eyes away and goes through the rest of the funeral attempting not to think about the man and his family; a family she theorizes knew her "Gran" well due to the fact she witnesses the youngest in the brood with tears in his eyes. She becomes curious at this juncture but pushes it aside. Until later.
The title of the book comes into play in the next chapter as Josie finds herself at the law offices of Gran's longtime attorney, Arnie Weaver. She is awaiting the reading of her grandmother's last will and testament. There, she encounters an uptight and extremely rude female attorney named Terri Baginski. Terri is stepping in for Arnie, whose wife is terminally ill. A detail Josie is taken quite aback with since the news was delivered in such a blase and insensitive manner and that she had always found Arnie and his wife very kind and pleasant in the past when she had visited Gran.On that note, the two find themselves waiting on a Mr. Spear who is the only other person who was included in the will. Several irritating minutes later, Mr. Spear walks in and he is none other than...you guessed it, the hot man candy from the funeral-JAKE!
After Jake Spear's arrival and introductions are made, the will is read through a letter written by Lydia (Gran). Unsurprisingly, she leaves Josie everything despite having 2 sons, one of whom is Josie's father. (But later on both sons are known to be sociopaths and abusers and therefore, was estranged from their mother.) As it pertains to the will, everything that Josie is left includes savings, investments and The Lavender House; Gran's childhood home and what became Josie's safe haven through some terrible events from her past. To the shock of both Josephine and Jake, Lydia bequeathes $150K to be divided and placed into trusts for all 3 of Jake's kids. Things take an even more surprising turn when Jake is willed Gran's most prized possession, (view spoiler)Needless to say, this causes a gasp from Josie and a chuckle from Jake.
Throughout the ensuing chapters, Jake manages to break through some of Josie's barriers. To Josie's credit, she really does try to overcome a few long-standing demons, a result of some traumatic struggles in her life and makes a conscious effort to trust Gran's instincts as to why she threw Jake into her life.
The pair develop a beautiful and quite envious friendship and Josie finds herself drawn into a life of contentment in Magdalene with Jake and his family, a few friends and The Lavender House. Along the way, there are a plethora of seedy characters who try to destroy everything Josie and Jake are slowly building. The moment when these two finally come together and Jake "claims his woman," is satisfying and definitely worth the wait. In other words, it was HOTTTTTT!!!
At first, Josephine Malone grated on my nerves a wee bit. Emotionally- she seemed so juvenile and inept; making snap judgments and insulting those around her in the process. But we become aware of the reasons for her madness. It was a joy to be able to witness her evolution from a 45 year old single woman who had spent the past 23 years fixated on her handsome boss. She was beautiful and a giant klutz. Her lack of coordination was actually quite endearing and added to her loveable charms. She also spoke to everyone in an amusingly proper and formal manner. Combine this with the grunting/casual/caveman speech of a KA alpha and the result was hysterical. The way Josie evolved from cold and detached to warm and personable made for an interesting read. Her interaction with Jake's kids- Conner, Amber and Ethan were huge highlights for me.
As for Jake Spear- he has climbed his way into my top 5 of KA Alpha Male Heroes List (I may need to make this into a Top Ten). His patience with Josie and his loving and loyal ways with his kids were astonishing. Jake was a great combination of macho/hot and sensitive/caring, mixed together make for a very sexy beast of a man.
The supporting characters were plentiful but not overwhelming. I can't stand it when authors bombard readers with a never ending assault of quirky "townspeople." And Jake's family- Conner, Amber and Ethan were all so loveable and fun to get to know. They were a huge part of what really worked in this book.
All in all, The Will was a great start to another amazing series. I can't wait to read more about the citizens of Magdalene. I'm hoping to get some more on Mickey and Coertt. Of course, what I'm really wishing for is a continuation of (view spoiler)
Kristen Ashley did it again. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for another entertaining read and a well-worth it sleepless night. Now- I want some more!!!
And the epilogue...
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