A BETTER MAN - Candis Terry
A Sunshine Creek Vineyard Novel , Book 1
Avon Books
ISBN-1-3:  978-0-06-235117-3
April 2016
Contemporary Romance

Sunshine Creek, California – Present Day

Jordan Kincade and his hockey team, the Carolina Vipers, are on their way to the playoffs for the Stanley Cup when his oldest brother Ryan gives him a call in the locker room after a win.  His parents had been on a helicopter tour of Hawaii and it crashed—no survivors.  Jordan has made hockey his life for the past fifteen years, but at a time like this, family needs to draw together, and he immediately leaves.  After the funeral, Jordan is trying to connect with his four brothers and his sister Nicole, who is seventeen.  Jordan now realizes he hardly knows any of his brothers, even his own twin, Declan.  In fact, on the wall where all the pictures of the family are hung up, there's only one picture of him taken with his hockey team.  He barely knows his sister Nicole, and quickly learns she is a fire breathing dragon toward him, only something else is going on with her.

Nicole's English teacher, Lucy Diamond, has asked Nicole's brother Ryan in for a conference regarding her falling grades and general bad attitude that has changed so dramatically since the start of the year.  In walks Jordan Kincade, and does Lucy remember him!  As the shy daughter of alcoholic parents, no one in high school ever noticed Lucy, until Jordan did while she was tutoring him.  For some reason he asked her out the night of graduation, and a new dress, hair and makeup came out of her college fund so she would look acceptable; except by midnight she knew he was not showing up.  Several days later he left town for hockey, and she never heard from him gain.  After discussing Nicole's refusal to complete assignments and her bad attitude, Jordan acknowledges he will try getting closer to Nicole and, by the way, he remembers who Lucy is.

While going through their parent's estate, oldest brother Ryan discovers there is over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars missing, and even Jordan has noticed that the buildings haven't been taken care of lately.  Add in Nicole's sadness and attitude, despite being a teenager, and something was going on in the family before their parent's death.  Jordan is trying to help his brothers and make a connection with his sister, but after two weeks his hockey team needs him if they want to make it to the playoffs.  Just telling Nicole he is leaving has her again saying she knew he would never stay around and can't be trusted.  Jordan must deal with a real tug of war with his sister, and trying to convince Lucy that he isn't the pig she probably thinks he is for standing her up all those years ago.  It's a good thing Jordan is so heart wrenchingly attractive and has Lucy forgiving him for anything, while struggling to believe he could be at all interested in her.

Candis Terry has the deft touch of bringing family dynamics that are broken and helping to heal what is wrong.  Written from Jordan's and Lucy's points of view, Jordan has dedicated himself to hockey since he was young.  Summers at his grandparent's winery where the family now lives ended early for him to go to hockey summer camps.  Since eighteen and his first major league contract hockey has been his life, and he rarely made it home.  Now his sister is clearly hurting, he barely knows his own twin brother, and the winery appears to be in financial trouble.  Lucy has lived with her family and shyness all her life.  After her father died and her mother moved away, she got a teaching degree and enjoys helping students' eyes light up with understanding of something she taught them.

Secondary characters are richly drawn and human; Ryan is the oldest brother, and his nine-year-old daughter Riley lives with him after his wife left to go to Hollywood.  Declan is Jordan's twin, and Ethan is the youngest brother, and then there's Parker.  Also there is Aunt Pippy, who seems to be keeping secrets about the family that is causing Nicole's heartache.

A BETTER MAN starts the  Sunshine Creek Vineyard novels in a heart-tugging way.  Following will be Declan's story in 2017.  There are several mysteries going on at the Sunshine Creek Vineyard, but Jordan and Lucy can finally acknowledge that though they had to wait; the perfect time in their lives is now.

Carolyn Crisher