When Scottish antiques appraiser Caitlin Paterson accepts a commission in the Hamptons, ‘tis the season for Christmas miracles. Too bad she doesn’t have one handy.Successful businessman Holt Ridley resents being forced by his great-aunt’s bequest to winter at the family estate he has hated since childhood. Still, the enticing appraiser he finds there is an unexpected holiday gift–or is she? … Among the furnishings Caitlin is tasked with evaluating, she discovers the key to a centuries-old heartache that plagues Holt’s family. Caitlin longs to help Holt find the happiness that eluded him his entire life–but this secret could destroy everything.
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Ever since he was little, Holt despised his aunt and her grand estate in the Hamptons. When a lawyer reads Holt his aunt’s bequest, Holt refuses. But his business needs capitol and he’s sure he can sell off the estate and all its priceless antiques to raise the capitol. He packs up and moves in. What he doesn’t expect is the alluring Scottish antiques appraiser to capture his heart. Can he keep her at arms length, or will she be the key to unlock his heart’s desire?
When You Find Love is a beautiful romance filled with combative personalities, a family curse and a love that can’t be quenched. The whole cataloguing of the estate fed my Antiques Roadshow obsession and I commend Willa Blair on her descriptive narration. It transported me to the past and the present while being able to dive into the mystery. Holt and Caitlin are opposites when they first meet but as the story goes on, we discover they’re more alike than either of them will admit. Character-driven plot with supernatural undertones make this a must-read. There’s a few twists I didn’t expect which only added depth to the story. The ending was so fantastic, I didn’t want it to end. If you love fantasy romance, you’ll be smitten with When You Find Love.
Favorite Character/Quote: Caitlin. From the moment she appears in the story, I connected with her. Her Scottish brogue and mannerisms delighted me but it’s her love of history and finding treasure in attics I adored most about her. She’s spirited and the perfect match for Holt.
My Rating: 5 stars
Caitlin is from Scotland and a very talented antiques appraiser who has been hired to catalogue an entire house of antiques in America.
Holt is the heir of his great-aunt’s estate clear across the country. He live sand runs his own successful business in California. He doesn’t want to inherit anything from the witch who was so awful to his mother. He could use the influx of cash that the selling of the antiques would bring, though, and the stipulation is that he has to spend 3 months on the estate. Is it worth it? He’s not so sure but he will go and resolve this with the lawyers and get back to California as soon as he can.
Holt and Caitlin are great sparring partners and the sparring brings on other feelings. Holt is reserved and doesn’t trust women. Caitlin is kind and normal and intelligent and she knows a treasure when she sees one and she might just see the treasure in Holt. Is he worth the risk to her heart? Only time will tell. First she has to finish the job she was hired to. But, when you find love, there really is no going back to what was before.
This was a sweet story about breaking down the walls and learning to trust again, at least for Holt. He had so many cobwebs in his closet that only Caitlin was able to see through.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
Holt Ridley just inherited a large property on the East Coast, which he wants no part of and the sooner he can sell it the better. The problem is he has to live in it for a period of time before anything can be done.
Caitlin Paterson has been hired to catalog all the items in Holt’s newly acquired home. She is thrilled to be a part of this job but is not so thrilled to be around her employer. He seems like a very grumpy individual. Slowly but surely Holt and Caitlin get to know each other and are surprised at what they find in each other as well as other secrets that come to light.
I felt like I got to know the characters easily and quickly, the plot flowed smoothly and kept my interest in that I wanted to know how these two would get their “happy ever after”. The author has a knack for these kinds of stories in that she threw in a bit of Scottish flavor on American soil. I loved that the heroine was connected with previous characters from Waiting For the Laird, a story that I thoroughly enjoyed. However, you don’t have to read that one as the character was just connected by being related. When You Find Love had wonderful secondary characters that I enjoyed getting to know as well. The plot had an unexpected twist, which was nice for the hero. The author tied everything together quite nicely in the end. When You Find Love was a very enjoyable story.
I read the first book of Willa Blair’s TIMELESS series. I really liked ‘Waiting for the Laird’ with her lovely characters, Lara and Ian. While I read it, I found it really fun to read! During my reading of this new novella, I didn’t feel the same way, it didn’t quite grab my attention, I’m a little disappointed! Unfortunately, I felt it was so different from the first story. Don’t get me wrong, “When You Find Love” is well written but I feel that it lacks something to really hold my interest. Sorry, Miss Blair, but this is my honest opinion!