The beginning of Can’t Hurry Love is impressive. It features great sexual tension between the hero, Liam Bennett, and heroine, Giuliana Baci, interesting secondary characters, and an intriguing plot with a secret, but toward the middle of the book, I just became tired of the big misunderstanding and put the book down for several weeks.

The book opens as Giuliana Baci sits on the curb watching a fire consume her apartment. Within minutes a muscle car has smashed into her sedan and then Liam Bennett shows up. Giuliana (Jules) has a long history with Liam. As children they were playmates, then boyfriend and girlfriend, changing to lovers and more. Their relationship ended when Jules was just 18, but there is more than the past relationship keeping them connected since they share a secret that’s ten years old. Still, Jules has been doing her best to ignore him.

Liam feels guilty for his role in the demise of their relationship. He is ready for closure, tired of their charged animosity and silences but Jules keeps putting him off. All her energies are concentrated on her family vineyard, Tanti Baci. Her father died a year ago, leaving the 100-year-old business in shambles. As the oldest sister, Jules believes that it is her responsibility to make the difficult decisions concerning the business even though her sisters are adults. She can’t handle Liam’s needs right now just when she and her sisters are planning a large celebration for the fiftieth anniversary of their sparkling blanc de blancs, a wine bottled exclusively for weddings. Things become even trickier when Jules’ sister Allie discovers that no couple that ever toasted each other with Tanti Baci blanc de blancs has ever divorced.

Kohl Friday, the vineyard manager, is stuck on Jules but his lustful thoughts center around Grace Hatch. There is no chance of anything happening there. He is a bruiser with destructive tenancies suffering from PTSD and she is has been a victim most of her life, with beatings from her father, and then her ex-husband. However Grace views Kohl as a hero, and sees through to the gentleness within. Kohl and Grace almost overshadow the primary couple. His family background is extremely appealing. I definitely would read a spinoff book featuring his hippie parents and siblings.

The conflict between the two couples focuses on faulty belief systems, causing me to want to put both the male characters in front of a counselor. While I can somewhat understand Liam believing certain things at twenty, the fact he still bought into it all ten years later is frustrating. Pairing that with the fact that a couple hours of conversations could have easily eliminated the enormous fissure in Jules and Liam’s relationship caused me to take a break from the book. Kohl has a more concrete, genuine reason for the way he feels making me more sympathetic to his dilemma. Still the “I am not worthy of you” chorus became old.

I enjoyed Ms. Ridgway’s writing and storytelling, really only having a problem with the conflict. As I am always on the lookout for new contemporary writers, I will definitely check out her backlist and future releases. Readers who don’t have a problem with this type of Big Mis conflict will find plenty to enjoy. For those readers, I can easily recommend Can’t Hurry Love.. However, if big misunderstandings that can be resolved with a little honest communication are on your pet peeve list, this is not a book for you.