Title:  Girl Having A Ball
Series: Sequel to Girl On The Run
Author:  Rhoda Baxter
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  September 27, 2016
Publisher:  Choc Lit
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

What if you had to learn to stand on your own feet?

Although Stevie lost her parents when she was very young, she’s always been able to rely on her brother, Marsh. But now Marsh is married and Stevie feels like she is losing him too. Determined to prove her independence, Stevie sets about transforming her life, giving up her dead-end job and following her passion for events management.

Her first assignment takes her to a stunning manor house in Oxford where she is tasked with organizing a charity ball on a shoestring. Between canape worries, celebrity guests and trying to keep the hyper-critical Lady Beryl happy, Stevie’s teenage crush, Tom, resurfaces to confuse things even further.

But ‘poor needy little Stevie’ is now ‘Stevie the strong woman’ and she won’t let a man get in the way of her dreams – will she?

Titles in this series include:  Girl On The Run, Girl Having A Ball

Read on for my thoughts on Girl having A Ball.  No true spoilers, promise.

I have to admit that in the early parts of Girl Having A Ball I truly wanted to sit Stevie down and have a very stern conversation with her about being possessive, letting her brother have his own happiness and simply growing up to find her own place in life.  It turns out that she manages to do all of that and more on her own.

It was very realistic to watch Stevie change over the course of this story, to see her come into her own and become a much more likable, understanding young woman by the ending.  Part of that was stepping out on her own and seeing that she could stand on her own two feet very well.  The other part was discovering that loving someone changes everything, the way you feel, the way you think, even logic seems to function differently when seen through the eyes of a personally strong emotion.  Reconnecting with Tom as an adult, a still growing adult opened Stevie’s eyes to a whole different part of life.  Call it a wake up call to a better understanding of her brother and his wife.  Or simply call it falling in love for herself.

Now all this self-discovery doesn’t mean that everything is smooth sailing from now on.. no way.  She still has to prove herself as an event planner, create a fabulous charity ball out of basically nothing – and win the man of her dreams.  Not so easy, but Stevie is capable of so much now.  There’s no stopping this girl from getting all of her dreams.

Tom’s email chats with his friend were delightful.  They gave us an insight into the emotions, fears, confusion and excitement of a man who isn’t sure he’s ready for commitment.  They were almost like crawling into Tom’s head, his innermost thoughts at times.  A nice touch indeed.

Honestly, I started Girl Having A Ball not certain about this heroine and hero at all.  By the ending, I had been treated to a unique look into the process of lives changing before my reading eyes.  Stevie and Tom did some major growing up during their story.  The resulting romance was perhaps all the more sweet and precious because of their discoveries along the way.

I would recommend this story to any Romance reader.  Give Stevie a chance to show her true colors to you, I’m certain you’ll enjoy going along for the ride with her as she grows and has a few life lessons along the way.

*I received an e-ARC of Girl Having A Ball from the publisher, Choc Lit and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Available for the Kindle