The Worst of Me by Lisa J Hobman

Opposites attract or so the saying goes and this is the perfect example of that dictation. Because if ever there were two polar opposites they are Nick and Cat!

I adored Cat’s ascorbic tongue, she was so opinionated and not shy about voicing whatever particularly prickly tirade she was willing to unleash. She was stubborn and I think I would have to say she wielded the sword of sarcasm like an absolute master but that wasn’t enough to protect her from falling for the charm of the fabulous Nick Dacre.

Now, Nick is in desperate need of a little alone time, his life in the public eye may fuel his career as a rock god but it doesn’t exactly cut it anymore when it comes to him being his own man. And when his anxieties start affecting his performances and he is struggling to contain that impact, he decides to take drastic action to get away from the melee that surrounds him.

Now your average superstar is going to head for all the luxury and seclusion that their money can provide them, but then again Nick isn’t your average star and that is what sets him off on the wrong foot with Cat, because Nick heads to the tiny picturesque village of Gairloch in Scotland and as far as Cat is concerned he may have just hitched up the world’s media and brought them along because she is certain that it is only a matter of time before the peace she so readily enjoys is shattered.

Now Nick would have never happened upon the town had he not heard how magnificent it was from a maid that had been working in a hotel that he was staying in, and since that maid was Cat, I suppose he has no-one to blame but herself for him being there but then again I don’t for one second imagine that she ever thought he would visit, let alone stay in her folks B&B.

I think Nick always hoped that he would bump into her again but staying at the family guest house would have been a stroke of genius had he thought about it but the gods were obviously on his side because his bed for the night was down to pure luck.

Can Cat hold her tongue long enough to see that he is a man that needs her friendship not her distain? I was beginning to have my doubts, when she started out on a none too subtle offensive to get him to pack up and ship out!

It took a while but eventually she cottoned on to the fact that there was more behind him being in her little village, this was a man that was teetering towards being broken and she was doing her best to finish him off, he needed an friend not a lecture and when she finally picked up on the signs and packed her attitude away they formed a fantastic friendship.

Now I say fantastic but as you would expect it wasn’t all sweetness and light, it had a bumpy path to tread. Cat found it really tough to get past Nicks reputation, to see that he wasn’t who she thought he was and that everything she had read about him wasn’t necessarily true and Nick well he just had to learn to let her vent!

The man had the patience of a saint I think I would have locked her in a cupboard.

I enjoyed the story, the depth behind the characters and the realism that they brought to the picture, they were both looking for the same thing in many ways, they just had different approaches.

I admire the author for the clarity with which she approached the story, the sensitivity with which she addressed the fact that far from being famous, all Nick wanted was to be normal, to be important enough as a man for someone to love, no matter his persona, no matter his bank balance, no matter his fame and with Cat he may just have found the person that saw beneath the façade.

I loved the descriptive hues that the author used with a flourish when describing the location, the village, the people, the beauty of the place because as a Scot, I understood how much getting that right would mean, it truly is one of the most beautiful spots on earth.