Fixer-Upper

Spinning Hills #3

by Inés Saint

This charmer just needs a little attention…

Spinning Hills, Ohio sure is sweet, which might be why the Amador brothers are not only renovating the town’s lovely houses, but settling down in them. Because there’s nothing more blissful than coming home to a houseful of love…

Masquerade parties were not exactly Johnny Amador’s thing—until he found himself captivated by a witty, dark-eyed young woman in a peasant costume. Even her mask couldn’t obscure her beauty. Only after a disastrous case of mistaken identity did he discover that his mystery woman was none other than Marissa Medina, his best friend’s youngest sister—which brings a whole new set of challenges.

Marissa never forgot the night she and Johnny kissed—the feelings that flared to life. Not that she’s going to give the too handsome, too sexy charmer a chance. She knows how dangerous Johnny is and she can’t surrender to him at any cost. But that’s a tall order now that he’s showing how dedicated he is to turning his own fixer-upper—and his life—into the stuff of her dreams.

Genres: Romance

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2016

About the author

A little bit about me: I was born in Zaragoza, Spain, though my parents are from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, I've moved more than twenty times. I went to school in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico and I'm bilingual and bicultural. I've spent the last thirteen years raising my fun, inspiring boys while working from home. My greatest joys are spending time with family and close friends and coming up with characters and interesting situations.

I'd love to hear from you! Please email me at ines.saint@gmail.com.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johnny is known for being a bit popular with the ladies until one night he leaves a masquerade ball and gets stuck in an elevator with a mystery girl. While they were trapped in the elevator they talk and he really feel like he connects with her, and they share a steamy kiss. He eventually finds out it was his best friend's younger sister and spends the next year trying to prove to everyone that he has changed his ways, only to see her again, AND realize that she is now engaged. Marissa has been thinking about that kiss they shared a year ago too, but she knows she needs someone more like her fiance in her life to balance her out. Now if she could just get her heart to agree...

I've enjoyed all of the books in this series! I know there are only 3 brothers but I'm kind of hoping the series doesn't end yet. Maybe there could be a new story about Marissa's sister Melinda...or Marty?! I'm not ready to say goodbye to Spinning Hills yet! I've really enjoyed all of the main characters and the secondary characters. They are so much fun. I was looking forward to Johnny's story a lot because he always seemed so funny, and I wasn't disappointed.

[Book Gannet · Rating 4 out of 5]

At last, a Spinning Hills novel in which I loved not only the town and the quirky characters that make it so much fun to read about, but both the hero and the heroine too. In fact, this is definitely my favourite of the series so far. Which is funny, because if I’d known going in that these two would spend most of the book unable to be in a relationship because one of them was engage to someone else, I would have been a lot more hesitant to read it.

To say that Johnny and Marissa’s relationship is complicated would be a huge understatement. As kids, Johnny was (and remains) best friends with Marissa’s brother, yet they were friends too. In fact, at one point in their lives they were very close indeed, but things ended badly and led to them avoiding each other for years. Until a chance meeting at a masquerade sparks unexpected feelings and fresh misunderstandings that mean working together is the last thing they need. Except Marissa’s a teacher and Johnny’s a school counsellor and they have a summer of teaching disadvantaged students stretching ahead of them.

I really enjoyed this book. It was unexpected and sweet and charming, as well as fun. Johnny is lovely, even if he can be too nice for his own good at times and unintentionally mislead people thanks to his hatred of conflict. His kindness is his biggest weakness, actually, and often leads to trouble – it did when he was a kid and it still does as an adult. It also means that most people underestimate him and aren’t willing to acknowledge that not only has he grown up, he’s matured too and is capable of thinking things through before jumping. Although he doesn’t do himself many favours when he adopts five puppies and has to move into a cursed and dilapidated house in order to keep them. Contrary to popular opinion, though, he’s no fool and has got it all sorted out. If only things with Marissa were so easy.

Speaking of Marissa, I liked her too, even if I found her insistence that her fiancé was so perfect for her a touch frustrating at times. She’s a caring, giving woman who has always let her heart rule her head, but is determined not to make such a mistake when it comes to marriage. Which is why she refuses to give Johnny a chance, because they’re so alike that they would end up working themselves into the ground to make others happy, while forgetting to spend time together. Or so she believes. Yet despite this willful obtuseness, I did like her. I loved how she encouraged her kids and the way she and Johnny worked together so well.

The pair of them are adorable, especially when they’re together, but I loved that they’re both too decent and loyal to actually do anything when Marissa isn’t free. Sure, Johnny does some stupid stuff and makes a few bad choices, but neither of them are selfish or malicious and try so hard not to hurt others. Well, not without extreme provocation, anyway. True, I could see where it was headed from a long way out, but I still enjoyed the journey and found the ending really satisfying.

If you’re looking for a romance that likes to take its time reaching its HEA, and allows its characters to really build a relationship before things get the least bit physical, then this book definitely does that. It also places two good people together, with a bunch of family and friends hanging around to keep things fun and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and even though the last of the Amador brothers has now been paired off, I really hope this isn’t the last I’ll be reading of Spinning Hills. I love this crazy little town and there are still so many people in need of their own HEA… not least Marissa’s siblings.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review also found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...

** I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication date is January 19th 2016**

I did not realize that this was the third story in a series however no fear. I was able to read this as a stand alone without issue. I was curious throughout the story about some of the other characters which was most likely explained in earlier books however it did not impact my ability to enjoy this story.

There were a few things I liked about this book that I found refreshing.

The first was how clean it was. Don't get me wrong, I have no issues with varying degree's of steam in my stories but sometimes it can be a little overkill to the point of annoyance. The author chooses to leave the steam off the page, although alludes to it. In a way I found that it made the story a little more honest. Instead of trying to shock the reader with the bedroom scenes, the emotional connection becomes so much more important.

The second was the kids at the school. While anyone who knows me would say that I am not a big fan of children, particularly several of them, I found the children at the school endearing. The way that both Johnny and Marissa embraced them and learned from them pulled at my heartstrings.

Lastly, the story was simply funny in spots. I was cracking up laughing with the bar fight scene. It was so ridiculous, yet so much like I have seen a time or two, that I had to appreciate it. The small town, everyone looks out for their own mentality that I know so well. As well as the fact that trouble followed Johnny wherever he went, even if it wasn't his fault reminded me of a few people I know as well.

The charm in this story is how believable it is. The characters were flawed and realistic and just starting out on their career paths. Nobody was larger than life and I enjoyed that simplicity. If the first two stories are similar I will need to circle back to read them.

Overall a good read!

[⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did a lot of bouncing around. I found Johnny rather unappealing, because he was clueless when it came to women! He wound up hurting them more often than not because of it. I also didn't like how he kept chasing after Marissa even though he knew she was engaged. Marissa herself seemed like a doormat when it came to her fiancé, except at the end when he threatened her disadvantaged students. Only then could she stand up for herself, but she wound up getting sick afterwords! Some of it was believable, but I think the charm on the series has fizzled for me, because I have found it very forgettable.

[Carla Krissinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to ponder my review. It was a Netgalley ARC for a new-to-me author I've got issues but I don't think it's a fault of the author.

[Rose Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fixer-Upper is book 3 of the Spinning Hills series. In this series we have followed the Amador brothers who are said to be suffering a centuries old curse about their love lives. In this one we follow Johnny Amador. Although the wilder of the brothers, he had settled down a year earlier when he met someone after a costume party. He waited a year for her to move back to his area, but things didn't work out as expected. He ends up working as a counselor in the program she is teaching at a summer school, and they learn much more about each other. It was nice to revisit Spinning Hills and the characters from previous story lines. Although this was a good story on its own, I recommend reading the whole series because of the complex characters.

[Monica Cullip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fixer Upper

Ines Saint

This story was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in the Spinning Hills series. I did have a bit of a problem getting started and I believe it would have been better to read the two other stories first but I kept going. It probably didn't help that this story had a bit of a rough beginning. I found it very hard to keep my interest and some parts at the start seemed to bounce around and I got lost, but I kept going. After a bit, I realized who everyone was and what part they played in the story and then it was easier.

It was definitely a sappy love story. Guy wants girl, girl is taken by another guy. Oops what happens now? We are all hoping that the good guy gets the girl at the end. It was a story that featured so much more than just the main characters Johnny and Marissa. It was story about the whole town, her fiance, their friends, their parents and three sweet old ladies. It involved a bunch of kids at the school they both worked at, a cursed house and some very lovable puppies. It has emotions on every page. We, the reader was able to feel everything these two are going through, there was the unreturned love on Johnny's part and the angst Marissa was feeling towards her soon to be husband.

The author does a great job of bringing the whole community together in this love story, as everyone soons knows Johnny is in love and offer him all sorts of advice.

I did enjoy this story, I felt that the plot developed at a good speed. There was no overdone sex scenes this was a clean story. I enjoyed that for once. It was a real feel good story and I have a hankering to read the first two installments too!

[Katie Battaglia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

Fixer-Upper follows the story of Johnny and Marissa. While attending a masquerade ball a year ago, Johnny finds himself stuck in an elevator with a mystery woman who's name he never got, but he knew she was something special. A series of clues made him believe it was one of the Medina sisters, now one year later, he learns it was actually the other sister, Marissa. Marissa is currently engaged to Brian, but she has never been able to forget that wonderful night in the elevator. Now, Johnny and Marissa are working together at the same school. Will they be able to ignore their thoughts and feelings? Do they both feel the same way? Or was this all just like a fantasy?

I was a little unsure of this book at first, but I ended up really enjoying it. I had a little trouble at the beginning trying to remember all the characters, and it was a little slow to start. But once I got a few more chapters in I was hooked. I really enjoyed all of the characters, main and otherwise. I enjoyed the storyline and the way it played out. I also liked the way the main characters grew from beginning to end. I liked that this was told from both perspectives, though it was sometimes a confusing transition from when one character to the other. Overall I thought this was a cute book and I would recommend.

[Micah Persell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This final installment of the Spinning Hills series, which reminds me of Showalter's Original Heartbreakers series both in author talent and my enjoyment, is my absolute favorite of the three. More than even the first two, I found myself really connecting with the characters: a teacher and counselor who serve underrepresented students. They both have so much heart, the reader can't help but root for them to have their happily-ever-afters. I also felt the theme was flawlessly plotted, both in the main plot and subplots. Following your heart is such a common theme that it's become cliched; however, Saints take on it flips it on its head. It's not following their hearts that the characters need to strive to achieve. They already follow their hearts in spades, to the point that it sometimes leads to their detriment. It was refreshing to me that this author didn't change this about the characters; rather, she changed their perception of it from one of self-loathing to self-acceptance. I find myself wanting to know what Marissa and Johnny's life looks like ten years from now, when they have their four rambunctious kids and several year's worth of students whose lives they've touched. So, Ms. Saint, if you publish that novella, I'm buying!

[Jack Vasen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book for all of the emotion and love, not just between the two main characters but all of their friends too.

The opening was particularly good. It was romantic and funny and a great set-up.

The story includes a encouraging tale of lower-income multi-ethnicity people learning to work together and then love one another.

I thought the last two chapters were wasted and totally anti-climatic. I also thought that Marissa was way too easy on Brian. He had no right to complain one bit after what he did. Any intelligent man would have known what he did with the committee ended any chance he would ever have with her. And any honest man would have realized that if he could do that, then he didn't love her, especially if he tried to keep it secret. Then he made it worse by not cancelling the party. All of that might have been made beside the point if the story had ended with Johnny and Marissa driving off into the sunset in the truck, but then the book would have been two chapters shorter.

[Bette Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read. It has a ton of characters but once you get them straight it makes for a fun read. It's well written and has a sweet romance that develops slowly but surely even though Marissa tries to ignore the feeling Johnny stirs in her. She is engaged so those feelings need to go away! Johnny doesn't trust the guy she's engaged to and tries to prove to her he's the man she deserves. Working at the same school and the same summer project gives him plenty of time to try and convince her.

Definitely one I would recommend.

[Becky Burciaga · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new author to me and I truly enjoyed the writing of this third book in the series. Even though I haven't read the first two installments, there is enough backstory to keep the reader from feeling lost. The story of Johnny and Marissa is a sweet boy falls for best friends sister story, but with a fun twist...after a kiss of mistaken identity! Now that my reading appetite has been whet with this story, I will need to read the first two books.

This book was provided through Netgalley for my honest review.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a re-read, I would generally read only the engaging parts and skim/skip over the rest. But I read the entire book again since there is no part that is not interesting - the whole atmosphere of Spinning Hills, Johnny's humorous quips, the grandmas's chatter, the Amador brothers camaraderie and Johnny-Marissa's heart-to-heart conversations/intense romance.

[Isha Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of Fixer Upper in exchange for an honest review. I have really come to enjoy Ines Saint's imaginative Spinning Hills series. She takes subjects that fascinate me such as romance and renovation and centers stories that are delightful, uplifting and hilarious but still wonderful around them. Not to be missed.

[Lorelei Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series was so good! I enjoyed all three of the books. I would put them on as "must read" list for everyone to read. Three brothers finding their one, all different scenarios but all with a fun story. Some laugh out loud moments and some tear jerking ones too!

[Danielle]

Dnf @31% it's not my kind of book. This is the first book I have read the series but I am having a hard time getting into the characters and understanding why they should be together.

[Jennifer Schultheis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review at http://wp.me/p2F7IH-bPu