Julia Kent's Shopping series continues on, with a pitstop about one of the minor characters seen in prior books, Gerald; the bodyguard/driver for the McCormick /Anterdec men. While this was a pleasant read, nothing stood out for me. Of course, there was a peek-in scene with Declan McCormick's wild and crazy mother-in-law Marie, and Declan himself has a large presence in the book, but I felt as if this book had very little purpose or ending.
Gerald, who is an armed forces vet, finds out he's inherited a rare relic from Afghanistan - something he actually helped smuggle to safety years prior while serving. The lawyer representing this inheritance just happens to be his former fiancee' whom he met while they were both still in the service. Former, yes, because Gerald left her with nothing but a note, a decade ago. Since then, she's been discharged, gone to law school and made a name for herself as a partner in a tony Boston law firm, who also represents Declan's mother's family trust.
The whole relic mystery is really never cleared up. Supposedly there's a curse attached,there's an evil former soldier who also wants his hand in this inheritance somehow, and a few other things that just left me hanging after Gerald decides what to do with the relic. I feel as if there was a whole lotta backstory that never quite comes to light. The two get together again in one meeting and wham bam, they're back together. While his reason for leaving her is ultimately honorable, she forgave the 10 year absence awfully quickly.
I'll be honest...I initially was not interested in reading this side story, but had downloaded it because I was afraid I might miss something if I went on to the next book about Shannon and Declan's baby without having read it. It was fine....you don't have to read this to go on with Shannon and Declan. I still enjoy this series...even if over-the -top Marie is sometimes too over-the-top for me. However, this one feels like it was just a way to make money off the already popular series, with really nothing to tell.