Book review: A Gift from Tiffany's by Melissa Hill

Sometimes the best laid out plans fall apart and then anything can happen. This is exactly what Ethan Greene experiences. He had it all planned out with a romantic vacation in New York during Christmas time accompanied by his little daughter and girlfriend. This vacation was supposed to culminate in a proposal with the perfect ring from Tiffany’s, ending the loneliness after the loss of his wife. But it all turns out differently because right after he leaves Tiffany’s with engagement ring in hand, he witnesses an accident and all things go haywire from there. 

Ethan’s romantic adventures become intertwined with those of Gary Knowles, the accident victim, who had also been to Tiffany’s to pick up something for his girlfriend. He wants something not too marriage material, but still likeable, just like he views Rachel, his current girlfriend. Unsure about his commitment to Rachel, he asks for a nice gift for his sister, figuring that anything from Tiffany’s will make Rachel happy and a sister-like gift will not raise too high of an expectation in Rachel about their future. As it turns out, each man is in for a big change from their anticipated New York vacation because a tiny mix up happens. 

Melissa Hill creates a wonderful romance story that teaches out that life sometimes has other plans for us and going with the flow can often be better than planning everything to the tiniest detail. Her story A Gift from Tiffany’s contrasts two male protagonists and their very different approach to life, one easy going and carefree, the other filled with responsibility to this daughter and careful action. In the end, both find happiness, but in different ways than either one expected. 

This was my first book by Melissa Hill and while her story can be described as traditional romance, the book is anything by boring and predictive. The ending is surprising, the tone upbeat and the events described comical. The characters are well developed and very believable. I really enjoyed the comical reactions of the characters to some of the events they experience. This book was a very quick read because I had a hard time putting it down once started and I really enjoyed the style in which the author describes both characters in the story and the events in the storyline.