They’d said all that needed to be said.It was going to be down and dirty.He suspected that was exactly what she needed. When Allie Reynolds strikes up an unlikely friendship with the contractor working on her house, Vinny Marino, she never expected how much he’d come to mean to her. So much separates them it seems impossible—he’s mourning his late wife, she’s trapped in a loveless marriage. Will … impossible—he’s mourning his late wife, she’s trapped in a loveless marriage. Will they make the tough choices to give themselves a chance at love? Or will responsibility keep them from their happy ending?
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Allie and Vinny are the parents of the Marino-Reynolds clan in the Clover Park series. I hope you enjoy this sweet and steamy novella that shows where it all began! Plus, you’ll get a peek at their sons when they were still pups!
For more humorous contemporary romance, check out all of Kylie’s books!
Clover Park Series
The Opposite of Wild (Book 1)
Daisy Does It All (Book 2)
Bad Taste in Men (Book 3)
Kissing Santa (Book 4)
Restless Harmony (Book 5)
Not My Romeo (Book 6)
Rev Me Up (Book 7)
An Ambitious Engagement (Book 8)
Clutch Player (Book 9)
A Tempting Friendship (Book 10)
Clover Park Bride: Nico and Lily’s Wedding
A Valentine’s Day Gift (Book 11)
Maggie Meets Her Match (Book 12)
Clover Park STUDS Series
Almost Over It (Book 1)
Almost Married (Book 2)
Almost Fate (Book 3)
Almost in Love (Book 4)
Almost Romance (Book 5)
Almost Hitched (Book 6)
Happy Endings Book Club Series
Hidden Hollywood (Book 1)
Inviting Trouble (Book 2)
So Revealing (Book 3)
Formal Arrangement (Book 4)
Bad Boy Done Wrong (Book 5)
Mess With Me (Book 6)
Resisting Fate (Book 7)
Chance of Romance (Book 8)
Wicked Flirt (Book 9)
An Inconvenient Plan (Book 10)
A Happy Endings Wedding (Book 11)
The Rourkes Series
Royal Catch (Book 1)
Royal Hottie (Book 2)
Royal Darling (Book 3)
Royal Charmer (Book 4)
Royal Player (Book 5)
Royal Shark (Book 6)
Rogue Prince (Book 7)
Rogue Gentleman (Book 8)
Rogue Rascal (Book 9)
Rogue Angel (Book 10)
Rogue Devil (Book 11)
Rogue Beast (Book 12)
more
Most happy endings begin with a heartbreak. For Allie and Vinny love was not part of the equation, but fate had other plans. Nobody breaks a heart quite like Kylie Gilmore. A Valentine’s Day Gift is a celebration of love. Gilmore looks at love from every angle. Out of grief and unhappiness comes hope for a second chance. A perfectly imperfect romance.
Very sweet novella, filling us in on how Allie & Vinny came to be!
Follow their sweet story on how they met, and how long it took for them to get where they are today with their combined families, the Marino’s and the Reynolds.
I absolutely loved this story, second chance at romance for these two and it was written great!
5 bright stars for this story!
This was a very fast read. Kylie gave us sweet kind with a little turmoil in the mixed. Single dad wanting to do the best for his kids. A mom trapped in a loveless marriage. Can they make it work? Can they mix up 6 boys and still have a functioning family?
Allie and Vinny’s amazing love story in the novella A Valentine’s Day Gift by Kylie Gilmore, the eleventh book in her Clover Park series, provides the story behind the Reynolds and Marinos becoming a blended family; prior to any of their sons growing up and finding their own happy endings. Allie and Vinny become friends while he was the contractor, creating an artist studio above her garage. Vinny had just lost his wife to cancer and Allie was trapped in a loveless marriage; both the parents of three boys close in age. Exchanging weekly letters allows for their friendship to grow as well as their attraction. Both Allie and Vinny have difficult choices, regarding family responsibilities before either is able take a step toward a second chance at love. I loved how encouraging and supportive Vinny was about Allie’s artist talent, unlike her husband. I also enjoyed seeing the apprehension and nervousness each had regarding dating again. Lastly, I was impressed with how Allie’s sons reacted to Vinny in comparison to how badly they behaved with their father.
Ms. Gilmore is a wonderful story teller and wrote a wonderfully emotional and moving tale filled with sexual chemistry, fun dialogue, and endearing characters that is not to be missed. It was wonderful to learn the story behind Allie and Vinny joining their families, making me want to re-read the original Clover Park stories. I highly recommend this book to other readers.
Completely adored getting to see how this amazing couple became who they are now… I have loved this couple from the beginning of the Clover Park series and it was such a awesome Valentine treat to get to know how their love story began. A sweetly sexy and heartwarming romantic journey that was also highly entertaining to read.
A great second chance love story. Allie is a mother of 3 boys in a loveless marriage trying to create a world of her own despite the lack of any support and encouragement at home. With a inclination to art, is the renovation of her garage into a studio that brings Vinny, a tall and stout contractor with sad eyes into her life. Vinny is a recent widow, with 3 sons of his own, getting back to work after a long and excrutiating time dealing with his late wife disease. When he approaches Allie, her light and hope for a better future draw him. They develop a sweet friendship during the construction but with no hope for any future as a couple. After quite a while, they start to send letters to each other and their friendship start to get more colorful notes. It´s amazing how the author bring us back to the childhood of the beau in the other books in the series and we get a glimpse of how each of them already show their personalities and individual characteristcs very early in their lives. We also have the chance to comprehend the misanderstanding that one of her sons got about how their misterious romance started. This book is at the same time sweet, emotional and hot, and we keep hoping for them to fight for their love and achieve their Happily Ever After! Set time to read this one, because you wont want to put it down!
For a novella, this one packed a punch! Vinny and Allie were sweet and soulful, who were scandalous, but not really in the whole scheme of things. Their connection was immediate, but they knew where to draw the line. This was a sweet and sexy story. Love this series!
I REALLY loved this book.
This was a GENIUS idea. I was introduced to Allie and Vinny in the previous books in the series, but they were always just the parents; the wise grown-ups that hosted Sunday dinner and made Italian wedding cookies. I never considered that they would get their own “flashback” book about how they first met, but I am SO so happy they did!
This story was just so well done. First of all, Vinny was a gentleman. He opened doors, was chivalrous and thoughtful and Allie accepted his gestures. THANK YOU. She didn’t get combative with him, all “I can open my own door, just because I’m a woman you think you have to open a door for me?” like so many heroines are in romances these days. Nope, the two of them made caring gestures back and forth and it was a wonderful illustration of their feelings for each other.
And holy smokes, when these two finally got their moment alone, WOW was that steamy! Leave it to Kylie to lure you in with a sweet story and then BAM! Set your book on fire.
I was nervous about Vinny because I don’t prefer widow/widower stories. But. The matter of his deceased wife was an aspect that truly helped the story instead of hinder it.
I admired Allie’s protectiveness when it came to her kids. She had to be super sure Vinny was the guy for her before she brought him around her kids.
Though not absolutely necessary to have read all of the books in the series first, I highly recommend reading all of them in at least some sort of order to “get the whole picture” of this wild family!
(I was given this book in consideration of my honest thoughts)
A Valentine’s Day Gift was a great story by the very talented Kylie Gilmore, this is a story that will capture your heart and hold on to your heart till the very end. This is a story that has friendship, family and definitely some love. I absolutely loved this book I have to say this maybe my most favorite of the whole series. This is the story of Allie and Vinny two people who know that friendship is all they can have or is it. This is where this incredible story will take you on a great journey with these two wonderful characters there are a few bumps along the way with plenty of twists that will keep you hooked. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book but I also purchased it.
If you have read the other books in the series, then you already know a lot about Allie and Vinny as older adults. They are such great people! But we only see them through their sons’ eyes, and we know a just few things about their lives before they were married. Now we get a prequel to tell us the story that only Allie and Vinny know. (Just a hint: I would never give 5 stars to a story that involved cheating.)
This could be read as a standalone because it is the beginning of their story; you don’t need to know anything else to understand what is happening. Since I had read the previous books, though, I was looking for little hints and clues of the future I knew was coming. Vinny was adorable and sweet. Allie was brave, and I liked seeing her gain confidence. The whole story was very sweet and made lots of sense in light of the characters we already know. It was fun seeing the boys as kids. The end made me choke up a little. I really enjoyed this peek into the past, and I am looking forward to getting Maggie’s prequel.
A Valentine’s Day Gift by Kylie Gilmore is a beautifully written heartwarming story of Alli and Vinny in how they fell in love. I loved reading about how the parents of the brothers Clover Park Studs series met. Alli is in a loveless marriage with 3 boys and Vinny a recent widower with 3 boys. They both respect marriage and Vinny gives Alli gives encouragement for her art through love letters. This book is one not to miss reading it is heartwarming! I received this book for free for a honest review.
What a wonderful beginning to a life long romance. Since I have read and enjoyed each of Vinny and Allie’s sons stories, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of A Valentine’s Day Gift. Vinny and Allie have a slow start, to a friendship, that as time progresses, turns into so much more. The intermingling of their sons leads to laughter, high jinks, and a one upmanship of the boys that is so real, that I felt like I was there watching it happen. I highly recommend that you read this lovely Valentine’s Romance, even if you haven’t read the other stories yet. I love it!
Allie & Vinny were in very different places when they met. Vinny was mourning the loss of his sweet young wife & trying to find a way to keep going for the sake of his 3 young boys. Allie was stuck in an unhappy marriage & was trying to just get by so she didn’t uproot her three young boys. Two damaged & injuries hearts recognized each other & realized what they needed. Could they find a way to mesh their lives & their boys without destroying them all?
This was great backstory for anyone who has read Ms. Gilmore’s Clover Park series. Since it is the background to other books, I feel you could easily read this as a stand alone. I will say that if you haven’t read the others, this book will make you seek them out. I liked the way Allie was able to prove that she was strong & capable & didn’t just fall into another relationship to avoid being alone. Vinny has to stand up for Allie & himself but he did so by honoring the life he had with his first life. Neither of them forced the boys acceptance but it proved how well they were raised that they were able to accept it. I really enjoyed the sweet romance of this story!
What a wonderful story of life, love and second chances.
When Vinny and Allie first meet, neither is in a position to start a real relationship but they strike up a friendship while Vinny is doing a construction job for Allie.
The timing eventually becomes right for the two of them and they take their time learning about each other and slowly falling in love.
They have a wonderful life together and have taught them six boys what real, true love is.
Very sweet novella, filling us in on how Allie & Vinny came to be!
Follow their sweet story on how they met, and how long it took for them to get where they are today with their combined families, the Marino’s and the Reynolds.
I absolutely loved this story, second chance at romance for these two and it was written great!
5 bright stars for this story!
I have been on a journey to find my happy place. That person that champion me and give me the ability to believe in the talents in which I possess are worth pursuing. It is calming, appreciated, and helps pull you from the dark and depressive that that is your daily life. Guess what, I found her. She is my best friend. Someone I can bounce ideas off of, a person who understands with very little to no judgment because the support is returned. The research, the encouragement, the cheerleading… it is all paid upon receipt.
That was Vinnie and Allie, best friends, that person that brought light to dark. Encouragement to defeat. That “way to go” to “not good enough”. That “follow you passion” to “what about the money”. That laughter to days of tears. An extension of family to make it better. The love when lost was all they knew. The gift of acceptance and LIVING a life that is for you and no one else. Believing in your next step with assurance and a little grace. Knowing you are worthy and can achieve anything.
Thank you Kylie because this was more than a love story. This was a story of a suppotive lasting friendship.