Meeting Miss Mystic (Heart of Montana #5) [Paul & Zoe] by Katy Regnery

I thought I could do this but apparently I can't... I had the most horrible week EVER. I was stressed out, sad, tired, quite a mess most of the time and so even though I had A LOT of time to read, I couldn't concentrate on ANYTHING really. I sat and done very little so it took me awhile to get into this book. There is something very relevant for this book in my life. As I've been single for a while, and since I also have an account on a dating site I could totally relate to Paul and Zoe's situation. At first I felt a pang of longing for finding someone like Paul, it feels as though most guys don't know what they want and if they do we are not a match for some other reason. But as the story progressed I realized Paul is so very like these guys who look for a fantasy that doesn't really exist, and in the end I found I dislike both Zoe and Paul but moreover, if I was in either of their shoes I wouldn't have wanted the other. 



Let's back up a little bit. We've met Paul before. He was in love with Jenny for a few years before he "lost her" to Sam Kelley (in the first installment). Living in a small town means finding your other half might be more difficult.. (so little to chose from..) and so even though Maggie was doing her best to look for someone for him, it didn't work out. On her last resort, Maggie made Paul an account on a dating site and even matched him up with the sweet Holly. Paul was HIGHLY annoyed with Maggie at first, but once he saw Holly, and after her read Maggie and Holly's transactions he decided to give it a fair chance even though she lives VERY far away from Gardner. 

Paul is a true romantic, he is looking for a Princess really, he wants to be the Westly to his Buttercup, and if you are a fan of "The Princess Bride" like me (Paul and Zoe..) you'll totally get what that means. He wants a pretty, sweet, gentle girl. Not too complicated, sunny and preferably blond with blue eyes - like Jenny, but also like the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright). From her pretty picture, this is who Holly IS, and Paul is sucked into his own fairytale even if he only shared a virtual space with Holly. Texting, talking on the phone. She was everything he wanted. 

Yet Holly or rather Zoe (middle name Holly), is FAR from who Paul thinks she is.. She made her profile two years ago when she WAS the pretty sunny girl Paul have been interested in, but now, with brown contacts, black dyed hair, a scar on her face and a limp due to more scarring on her leg, she is a shell of the girl she has been before the accident that cost her nephew's legs. Yet Paul keeps reminding her who she USED to be, making her smile, making her HAPPY, for the first time in SUCH a long time. 

It all gets more complicated as Paul decides to visit her sooner than she was ready.. They talked about Christmas, by then she could have dyed her hair blond again (her natural color), replaced the contacts, made her last surgery for the scar on her face, and lost the weight she gained. She could be his Holly again.. The person she used to be.. yet he bought a ticket for two months from now and if he arrives in Mystic seeing a girl he doesn't recognize he'll just go back home and never agree to see her again. Her only choice as she sees it is going to Gardiner FIRST, telling him the truth where he can't really run from her, she'll have more time to talk to him, to explain and make him realize she is the girl he fell for even if she looks a bit different (and she was hiding from him a little bit more about her family, job and yeah, appearance). 

I enjoyed seeing Paul and Zoe / Holly fall for one another. There was something so very sweet about them. They both deserved to be loved and find someone who can appreciate them for who they are. Yet once Zoe came to Gardiner it got SO messed up I ended up disliking both of them, right until the place (55% into the book) I decided I don't want to see them get a HEA because I wouldn't be able to trust EITHER of them in a relationship. 

See, when Zoe comes to Gardiner she loses the nerve of telling Paul who she truly is, and Paul, instead of being no more than mildly interested in the new girl in town who came to paint in Yellowstone Park, feel deeply attracted to her and even acts upon his attracting. HELLO??? are you a 15 years old kid? You have made a COMMITMENT to someone else, someone you claim you love, even if you haven't met her, yet you kiss the first girl who looks at you? If I was Zoe, I wouldn't want a guy like that, someone I couldn't even trust when I'm not around.. Yet Zoe isn't better, she lies and deceives Paul EVERY step of the way, making him torment about his bad behavior even though he is technically not cheating on Holly.. A true mess. Paul is having trouble deciding who he wants, the "fantasy girl" - Holly, who is everything he wanted and the "real girl" - sad and complicated Zoe, which shows exactly how immature he is and anyhow Zoe is FAR from the courageous girl he thinks she is, she just does what's best for her no matter who gets in her way. 

So yeah, I'm sorry, cheaters / deceivers is something I HATE in real life as well as in novels. Paul and Zoe deserve to spend their time either with each other (while they're not even faithful with one another..) or alone, but either way, I'm not interested in hearing their story. I'm sorry Katy, though I LOVED so so many of your books, this one is NOT for me. 

Rating: ★★★ DNF 55%

E-Book Edition

305 pages

Read on: 21-25 Feb-17

ABOUT THIS SERIES

 

Heart of Montana is a Contemporary Romance series by Katy Regnery (the first books she published), all taking place in the sweet small town of Gardiner. It mostly tells us of the Lindstrom family - Starting with the youngest in the family - Jenny, and  moving on to her three older brothers. Besides these there are two more stories, one an almost outside short novella (though one of the MCs DOES appear in the first and last installments for a short part, liked her better in the last one) and another of Paul who is almost a part of the Lindstrom family as it is (looking like one too!). 

I loved Gardiner, loved the way the town was described, wished I was there at Maggie's cafe enjoying a cup of coffee while reading these books :) 

My absolute favorite was the last one of Nils and Maggie. But I also really enjoyed Jenny and Erik's books (1st and 3rd). 

Books: 
1. By Proxy [Jenny Lindstrom & Sam Kelley] (Published 22 September 2013) ★★★★★
2. The Christmas Wish [Tess Branson & Lucas Flynn] (Published 27 October 2013) ★★★½
3. Midsummer Sweet [Erik Lindstrom & Katrin Svenson] (Published 10 February 2014) ★★★★½
4. See Jane Fall [Lars Lindstrom & Jane Mays] (Published 28 March 2014) ★★★
5. Meeting Miss Mystic [Paul Johansson & Zoe (Holly) Flannigan] (Published 26 June 2014) ★★★ (DNF 55%)
6. What Were You Expecting? [Nils Lindstrom & Maggie Campbell] (Published 8 September 2014)  ★★★★★