Book Review – Drawn to the Marquess

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Book Review, Bronwen Evans, Drawn to the Marquess, Imperfect Lords series

Drawn to the Marquess

Imperfect Lords series

by Bronwen Evans

Destined to go blind, a rake sets his sights on the toast of society, lighting a fire of passion that scorches the night, in this captivating novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans.

Stephen Hornsby, the Marquess of Clevedon, has one goal: to see every exquisite thing he can before he goes blind. His greatest joy, watching a woman shuddering in the throes of passion, will be gone. But before the darkness descends, he is determined to seduce a magnificent widow, Lady Penelope Fisherton. Unfortunately, his rakish reputation has preceded him; Lady Penelope spurns his advances. Being a man who relishes a challenge, however, her reluctance adds only luster to his desire for the last beautiful sight he’ll ever see.

Considered the belle of London society, Lady Penelope was married to a scoundrel who cared for no one but himself. Now that she’s free, she wants nothing to do with love, passion, or desire—emotions that abandoned her with a cruel husband. So why does her body react when Stephen smiles? As much as she’d like to avoid the rogue, her brother-in-law wants her fortune, and he’ll kill to get it. Stephen is willing to help, but he’ll take only one thing in return: Her. In his bed.

I really enjoyed how well Evans handled Stephen’s issues with his sight and how he’s dealing with his fear about what his future holds.  It’s definitely an intimidating prospect and bleak for a man of his position & personality.  His emphasis on not getting married or having children got just a bit repetitive but as he started fighting his heart he was doing everything he could to remember why.

Unfortunately I think that Penelope’s situation with her husband was a bit weaker but it was still interesting.  She worked hard to get Stephen involved but didn’t really want him to find out the complete truth.  I’m not sure what she expected him to do but I don’t know that it was well thought out because he’s not the type to let it go without finding out everything.

I do think the two of them together are enjoyable and I really liked how supportive & understanding of Stephen she is.  She sees things about him, including his vision issues, that no one else does but she does what she can to help him understand that no matter what he has value.  It’s sweet and a joy to read.

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Book Review – Until We’re More

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Book Review, Cindi Madsen, Fighting For Her series, Until We're More

Until We’re More

Fighting for Her series

by Cindi Madsen

Chelsea is smart, funny, gorgeous, and the best friend I’ve ever had. Ever since she left, I’ve been a wreck. I’ve been focused on keeping my family’s MMA gym afloat while I train and coach fighters, anything to not miss her more. But now she’s finally back, along with her grumpy, possessive cat, and things are weird between us.

By weird, I mean I can’t stop thinking about her in that way. She’s in the room next door, and it takes all my control not to storm in there, sweep her up, and bring her back to my bed. Even stranger, I’m pretty sure she’d be into it.

And this time, I’m not going to stop fighting until we’re more.

Madsen perfectly captures Liam and Chelsea’s conflict.  They both are struggling with their attraction but their friendship is so massively important that just the thought of endangering that is unthinkable.  And she makes sure that readers get that – we understand how they support each other and how they suffered with the recent distance in their relationship.  But sometimes things are bigger than you can control and even though it takes a while they finally give in … and it is wonderful.  For a while 🙂

As is probably evident, there is a bit of back and forth here that might get old for some readers but for me Madsen uses it to really bring home how important this decision is for them.  It would normally bother me, and I did want to smack them (especially Liam) more than once, but it works for this story.  So while it may be a slow burn romance, Madsen makes sure that the journey is full of humor, cuteness, and touching moments to keep readers going.  Before she turns on the steam!

 

Spotlight – Wild On My Mind

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Book Review, Laurel Kerr, Where the Wild Hearts Are, Wild On My Mind

This is Kerr’s debut novel and it is very much a charmer.  I am SO looking forward to finding out what awesomeness she has in store for us next!

*****

Wild On My Mind

Where the Wild Hearts Are

by Laurel Kerr

Blurb:

Love runs wild at the Sagebrush Flats Zoo, where a motley crew of big-hearted animals helps the most unlikely couples find love.

When Katie Underwood discovers a litter of newborn cougar cubs, the last person she expects to come to the rescue is her former crush—and high school nemesis—Bowie Wilson. The worst part? He doesn’t seem to remember the trouble he caused her.

As a single father and owner of a cash-strapped zoo, Bowie struggles to balance budgets while raising his preteen daughter and a host of rascally animals. He considers himself lucky when Katie agrees to lend her talents to a publicity campaign in support of the zoo’s animal rescue programs—until he learns just what she’s planning…

This time, Katie is determined to resist Bowie’s charm. But a lovelorn camel, a matchmaking honey badger, and a nursemaid capybara have different plans. Can they and the rest of the zoo’s menagerie help Bowie break through the barriers surrounding Katie’s heart?

Love can’t be tamed…

Amazon:  amzn.to/2MwJeW0

B&N:  bit.ly/2KucfRt

Apple:  apple.co/2Nianwu

Kobo:  bit.ly/2MLVhT2

IndieBound:  bit.ly/2MNncSp

*****

Excerpt:

“What are you working on?”

Katie tilted the screen in Abby’s direction. “A new website. Do you want to see what I’ve done so far?”

Abby nodded eagerly. As Katie flipped through the unfinished pages, the girl leaned close.

“That looks so awesome!” she said.

A smile spread across Katie’s face. Sharing her work with a tween was completely different from showing her old, grouchy boss. Abby squealed constantly and even clapped her hands twice. She pointed at the screen, excitedly giving suggestions. Some, especially her personal stories about the animals, were great. Katie’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she felt a rekindling of her old excitement for web design. In fact, she and Abby were so engrossed in the website that they didn’t even notice when Bowie woke up.

“How long was I out?” he asked. Katie turned to see him sitting upright on the air mattress, rubbing the back of his head. The gesture caused his already dishev­eled shirt to hike up, revealing several inches of nicely toned abs. It also had the side effect of flexing his right bicep—his very nice, very muscular bicep.

Katie’s stomach flip-flopped. The man was seriously attractive.

Even a model would have trouble pulling off sexy dishabille so effortlessly. Sleep had cured Bowie’s drawn features and dark circles. The fact that he wasn’t fully awake only added an element of intimacy, despite Abby’s presence. His black hair stood up in uneven spikes, making Katie want to smooth it down…and not just because it looked messy.

Bowie wore the sexy look well—too well.

Katie didn’t want to feel that slow, pleasurable tug again. It had muddled her mind in the past, and she didn’t want to start gazing at him with pup­pylike adoration, especially now. She was having enough trouble trying to figure out her career path without adding distraction into the mix—especially distraction of the male variety.

She was an adult. She understood the pull of sexual attraction and knew how to prevent it from turning into infatuation. She certainly knew not to mistake it for love.

“It’s six thirty,” Abby chirped happily, bouncing up from the floor. “I gave your breakfast to Katie. I’ll go grab another bagel.”

She bounded from the room with the energy only someone under the age of thirteen could possess. Bowie yawned and stretched, showing even more of his stomach muscles. Halfway through, he must have realized that his shirt had slid up, because he stopped and yanked it down.

Pity. Although, really, wasn’t that what Katie wanted?

“You should have woken me,” he told her, standing up.

She shrugged. “You looked like you needed the rest, and I was on a roll with the website.”

Bowie shifted uncomfortably and said gruffly, “Thanks, but you didn’t need to do that. I’ve run on little sleep before.”

“No biggie. So have I. And I had plenty of fuel.” Katie gestured to the two empty cans of Red Bull beside her.

“Did the cubs wake up for a feeding?”

She nodded. “They drank like champs.”

“So what were you and Abby looking at when I woke up?”

Katie got up and handed him the laptop. “She was helping me put together information about the animals for the website. What do you think so far? I’ve kept it professional and user-friendly. We can add some flashier features, but I think the portal should be streamlined.”

“This looks great,” Bowie said, the enthusiasm in his voice sounding legitimate. “You accomplished all this last night?”

A part of her thrilled at his words. Even long after Katie should have known better, she’d yearned for his and Sawyer’s respect. Suddenly, her dad’s words from yesterday popped into her mind. Was a part of her still trying to prove herself? Is that why she wanted a flashy job so badly? To have something to brag about? To automatically impress people?

Before Katie could reply, the door opened, and Lou entered. He walked a little stiffly but was still steady on his feet. She wouldn’t call him frail, but he didn’t quite fit the category of robust either. Lou glanced back and forth between her and Bowie, and Katie didn’t like his speculative look. Both the elderly zookeeper and her mother were a little too eager for them to work together. Thankfully, Lou didn’t make any comment. Instead, he just greeted them cheerfully.

“So how are my charges this morning?” he asked.

“They’re good,” Bowie told him. “Katie said they took their bottles well last night.”

Lou turned toward her. “So, you stayed the whole night. Couldn’t tear yourself away from the little critters, could you?”

“Nope, especially when they were curled up in little balls next to Sylvia. Plus, Bowie looked like he was on his last legs, so I thought I’d give him a few extra hours of sleep.”

Lou’s eyes gleamed at her last comment, and Katie nearly winced at her blunder. She did not want to encourage the elderly vet’s matchmaking.

“Would you like to help me weigh the cubs and check them over?” he asked.

Katie nodded eagerly. “I’d love that.”

“I’ll be out feeding the animals,” Bowie said. “Let me know if you’re too tired to drive home, Katie. Lou can watch the cubs, and I’ll give you a lift.”

“I’ll be fine,” she told him, surprised by his offer.

He gave her a close look. “Are you sure? It’s not easy staying awake after an all-nighter.”

“It’s not my first,” Katie said. “I’m wide awake.”

Bowie nodded and was starting to leave when Katie thought of something. “This is most likely nothing, but I thought I heard an animal last night. It was probably just my imagination.”

He immediately turned around, his voice resigned. “What did you hear?”

“A chittering sound,” Katie said, and then, as best as she could, she mimicked it.

Bowie exchanged a look with Lou. Then both men said simultaneously in the same exasperated tone: “Fluffy!”

“Who’s Fluffy?” she asked.

“The zoo’s honey badger, but he isn’t a true badger. He’s more closely related to a weasel or a marten,” Bowie answered.

Katie had never heard of the creature, which surprised her. “What part of the world are honey badgers from?”

“Africa,” Lou answered before he turned to Bowie. “You better get Abby before she leaves for school.”

“Abby?” Katie asked in confusion.

Bowie nodded at Lou before turning to her. “Abby is the only person who can catch Fluffy.”

“Honey badgers are ornery critters,” Lou said, “but Fluffy has a real soft spot for our girl.”

Bowie scowled. “It’s those honey-covered larvae that she sneaks him.”

*****

Review:

I really enjoyed how well Kerr captured Bowie’s growth since school and Katie’s struggles not just coming face to face with him after all these years but also with the long term effects her high school years had on her.

Bowie had his reasons for doing the things he did (in addition to being a stupid teenager) but he didn’t really understand exactly how damaging his actions were.  Now the dad of a preteen daughter it hits home a little too hard exactly what he did.  But the years have also turned him into a stand-up guy and he’s not going to hide from it.  Hopefully, though, he can prove to Katie exactly how much he’s changed.

I can’t imagine how hard it was for Katie to meet Bowie again.  High school can be bad under normal circumstances and truly awful when you find yourself a target.  But she handles it with class.  She doesn’t let him completely off the hook but she keeps her sense of humor about her when she goes about getting her revenge.  Revenge that has her spending time with Bowie and his endearing family, both two legged and four.  Before long she’s finding them all pretty hard to resist.

If the zoo’s misfit animals don’t steal your heart, then Bowie’s cute-as-a-button daughter definitely will.  They provide a little extra charm to be the backdrop of an already delightfully irresistible guy who is trying really hard to prove that he deserves a second chance.  Full of humor and fun, with the right amount of heartfelt moments and even a little suspense mixed in, Kerr delivers an absolutely adorable read that I found pretty darn hard to put down.

*****

Giveaway:

Enter to win one of 5 copies of Wild On My Mind

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7693/

*****

Book Review – Going Down Easy

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Book Review, Boys of the Big Easy series, Erin Nicholas, Going Down Easy

I’m so thrilled to have Erin Nicholas stop by today to share a little about her newest book.  I’ve read it and I think it’s fantabulous!

*****

Wooing a Woman: New Orleans Edition with Erin Nicholas

My newest book, Going Down Easy, is a hot, contemporary romance set in one of the sexiest cities in the country: New Orleans. I’ve loved New Orleans since my first visit there in 2011 and have been back multiple times. I fall more in love with the place every time I’m there. There’s just something about the city that I can’t explain but that keeps me coming back. The music, the history, the laid-back attitude, the food…there’s just so much to love. So finally, the right characters and stories came along and it was time to write a series set there. Here’s a little bit about my characters and book…

Gabe Trahan: dirty-talking, charming, and a little bit sweet bar owner in the French Quarter. Has lots of friends and close to his family. Has a slow, sexy drawl, panty-melting grin. And a son, Cooper, who is five years old.

Addison Sloan: restoration architect who comes to New Orleans from New York City once a month to consult on a new project with a local firm. Confident, independent (very), smart, sassy. Loves dirty-talk in a slow Louisiana drawl. And jazz. And beignets. And pralines. And pretty much anything related to New Orleans. She’s also a single mom to five-year-old Stella.

How they meet: Addison comes into Gabe’s bar with a friend. The chemistry is immediate. And Addison’s love for New Orleans is obvious. Even the mention of beignets makes her eyes sparkle, she melts when she hears jazz, she loves the café au lait, the horse-drawn carriages—just everything. Gabe’s never been much of a romantic, but suddenly he wants to get that sexy, sweet look on her face as often as possible. (You can actually read all about this in “Easy Going”, the prequel novella! Check out Goodreads to find it 🙂

So whenever Addison is in town they go to jazz clubs, eat all the traditional New Orleans dishes—gumbo, crawfish, pralines—and they take in everything about the city. And Addison gives him a new appreciation for his home town. Though, their favorite place is definitely the balcony on the apartment above Gabe’s bar. For lots of reasons 😉 (Did I mention the prequel novella? “Easy Going”. Goodreads).

Then, everything changes. Addison is moving to New Orleans to take a permanent job with the firm…and she has no time or energy or interest in a full-blown, all-the-time, same-city relationship.

But Gabe’s not giving up.

He has every intention of using Addison’s weakness for New Orleans and the south “against” her in a huge play for her heart. So how does he do it? Read on for hero Gabe Trahan’s Seven EASY(ish) Steps To Woo A Woman in New Orleans:

Step #1

Start off with reminding her of the sweet stuff about being with you in New Orleans. Send a basket of pralines and Magnolias. Be romantic. Do not mention dirty stuff on the card. Probably. 

Step #2

Turn up the heat. Send her some beignets and an extra bag of powdered sugar to remind her of the night on your balcony where lots of other things ended up with sugar on them. Maybe mention the dirty stuff on the card now. Or again.

Step #3

Invite her on a horse-drawn carriage ride around the Quarter. Make it impossible for her to say no by sending the invite with a bottle of Pimm’s No. 1 and tell her that there’s going to be a parade at the end. She can’t resist a parade.

Step #4

Have your mutual friends suggest a night out on the town to her and then surprise her by joining them at Preservation Hall for the jazz show. Make sure you show up just before it starts. There’s no way she’ll yell at you when she can be listening to jazz. She’ll very likely let you stand really close and wrap your arms around her like you’ve done all the other times she’s heard a jazz trumpet. You can say some dirty things in her ear here. For sure.

Step #5

A few days later, send her a book about alligators. Make sure it’s something her five-year-old daughter will be interested in. A coloring book with alligator trivia would be perfect. Insert a brochure for a swamp boat tour in the book. Text her the next day and suggest you all go on the swamp boat tour together.

Step #6

After a day in the sun on the bayou with your kids, invite her to a masquerade ball. Be sure to mention it’s at a plantation. And that she gets to wear a ball gown. And a mask, of course. And that there will be mint juleps. She’ll be putty in your hands. This is your chance to do a few dirty things.

Step #7

In the end, even if some of the other stuff has failed, use the Ace up your sleeve. Show up on her doorstep with a pot of your grandma’s gumbo and tell her that you’re madly in love with her and that if she’ll let you in, she’ll be able to have that gumbo regularly for the rest of her life. No one can say no to grandma’s gumbo.

*****

Going Down Easy

Boys of the Big Easy #1

by Erin Nicholas

Release Date: August 28, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Blurb:

As far as flings go, single dad Gabe Trahan is pretty sure that Addison Sloan is his best bet. Once a month, Addison comes to New Orleans and then…It. Is. On. Until Addison returns to New York, it’s just hot, happily-no-strings-attached sex. And beignets. And jazz. But lately for Gabe, it isn’t nearly enough.

Sure, maybe Addison’s gotten a bit hooked on Gabe. After all, who can resist a guy who’s so sexy, so charming, and so…available? But maybe he’s too available for her right now. Addison’s just moved to New Orleans, and relationships are definitely off the table. Besides, guys always bail when they learn her secret: she’s a single mom.

Only Gabe’s not running. Worse, he’s thrilled. But Addison never signed up for ever-after romance, and Gabe won’t settle for anything less. Now it’s a battle of wills—and when it comes to the woman he’s falling for, Gabe isn’t above playing a little dirty.

*****

Excerpt:

Gabe had sent her flowers.

Addison stood staring at the gigantic bouquet of white flowers sitting on the desk she was using for the day.

“These are magnolias, right?” she asked Elena.

“They are. The state flower of Louisiana.” Elena stroked the petal of one of the gorgeous flowers. “Someone knows your weakness for all things New Orleans.”

He definitely did. Addison hadn’t even needed to read the card to know who the flowers were from. Gabe knew she was a sucker for anything that was traditionally associated with the city. Beignets, bourbon, masks, beads, gas lanterns, and balconies with looping wrought iron railings. For six months he’d been taking her out on the Sunday she was in town and letting her soak up the city. And now she’d gone from associating those things with New Orleans and the unique spirit of the city to associating them with him.

But why was he sending her flowers? That was new. So far, their routine was she showed up at the bar on Saturday night, they spent the weekend together, she left on Monday morning, and then thirty days later, they repeated it all over again. There was no contact in between times. No texts or calls—they didn’t have each other’s number. No letters or gifts—he didn’t have her address. And definitely no flowers.

“See you soon, Gabe,” Elena read from the card. She lifted her eyes, meeting Addison’s. “Gabe? Who’s Gabe?” Then her eyes widened. “Wait. These aren’t from Gabe Trahan, are they?”

Oh, crap. Addison took a deep breath, thought briefly about lying, and then realized there was no real reason to not tell her friend the truth. “Yes.”

Elena’s eyes widened, almost as if she hadn’t expected that answer. “Really? You’ve seen him since that first night?”

Addison rounded the desk and set the folder she was carrying on top of the nearest stack, straightening the pile of already straight files. “Yes,” she said simply. The fewer details she offered, the better, probably.

“When?” Elena asked. “I had no idea you’d seen him again.”

And then it hit Addison . . . Elena wasn’t just her friend anymore. She was Addison’s boss. Was this going to reflect badly on her? Was a just-when-she-was-in-town affair something Elena would frown upon?

“I didn’t think it was important to mention. We just . . . went out a couple of times.” They had. They’d gone out to Preservation Hall for jazz. They’d gone to Café du Monde for coffee and beignets. They’d gone to the French Market. They’d gone to Gabe’s bedroom. And his shower. And his kitchen table. And his balcony . . .

“You’re dating Gabe Trahan?” Elena asked, planting her hands on her hips.

“No,” Addison said quickly. “Not dating. We’ve had . . . drinks when I’ve been in town.” And many, many orgasms. And laughs. And fun.

“Which time?” Elena asked.

“Which time what?”

“Which time that you were in town did you have drinks?”

Addison sighed. “Each time.”

“You’ve seen him every time you’ve been in town since you met him?” Elena asked, clearly shocked.

“Yes. But,” Addison added before Elena could go on, “it’s nothing serious. It’s been . . . a fling. Just a little fun. No big deal. And”—she took a deep breath—“this weekend was the last time. Now that I’ve moved here, I won’t be seeing him anymore.”

Saying it out loud made her heart clench even harder than it had when she’d driven away from him that morning.

*****

Review:

I just love how realistic this story was – not too much melodrama, just believable issues around people trying to mesh their lives.  Gabe and Addison have different approaches to a lot in their lives but they are differences that could mesh together very well.  If only they’d let them 🙂

Both are appealing – Gabe a little more so because Addison can be a big prickly but once you understand her it is so easy to see why.  Together they do a good job of propping each other up when they need it and that’s pretty much what any of us could hope for in a relationship I think.

Their issues are believable and they handle them rationally, with a good deal of understanding.  I appreciate how nothing gets blown out of proportion.  Instead everything is addressed in a very satisfying manner, so that by the end you are delighted with the fact that they could figure out their HEA like a couple of adults.

Sexy, charming, real and fun, Going Down Easy showcases why Nicholas is a bestselling author.  If you are looking for real and touching and hot, this should definitely be your next read!

*****

Author Info:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as she’s been reading them. To date, she’s written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as “toe-curling,” “enchanting,” “steamy,” and “fun.” She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.

Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be “shocked” by the sex scenes in her books).

Website: http://www.erinnicholas.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErinNicholasAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErinNicholas

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3155383.Erin_Nicholas

*****

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon Gift Card and Digital Copy of Erin Nicholas’ GOING DOWN EASY

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f199/

*****

Book Review – Making Chase

Tags

Book Review, Chase Brothers series, Lauren Dane, Making Chase

The Chase boys are seriously hot and falling in love one by one … now there’s just one left!

*****

Making Chase

Chase Brothers series

by Lauren Dane

Genre Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher Carina Press

Publication Date August 28, 2018

Blurb:

The Chase boys. Ridiculously hot and notoriously single.

All of Petal, Georgia, is waiting for the last Chase brother to fall. At least, that’s how it feels to firefighter Matt Chase, who’s getting a little anxious himself. His brothers have all found love—why hasn’t he? But fate, in the form of a curvaceous hairdresser, is about to change that.

Salon owner Tate Murphy has come a long way from her trailer-park roots, taking care of her seven siblings along the way. Even though she’s put the past behind her, she knows someone like Matt Chase is way out of her league. But that doesn’t stop her from getting a good eyeful every chance she gets.

When a car accident throws them together, Tate gets more than an eyeful—she gets the whole package. Not that she’s complaining. But when small-town bias and her own insecurities get in the way of their relationship, Matt will have to prove he doesn’t care where she came from…only where she goes.

The Chase is on. One small town. Four hot brothers. And enough heat to burn up anyone who dares to get close. Don’t miss the other books in the series: Taking Chase, Giving Chase and Chased.

Amazon  https://amzn.to/2O6ordy

Kobo  https://goo.gl/oBDCiK

Barnes & Noble  https://goo.gl/MY2Zt3

Google Play  https://goo.gl/bMWYA3

iBooks  https://apple.co/2NwlotO

*****

Excerpt:

Matt opened up the box and the heady scent of cookies greeted his senses. Mouth watering, he read the note, ascertained the cookies were from Tate, the woman he’d helped out earlier in the week after the car accident. He vaguely remembered her from school. Perhaps a year or so behind him, definitely not from his circle though.

Knowing she wasn’t a terrorist, he gave in and shoved a chocolate chip cookie in his mouth. And moaned. Holy shit, that was the best thing he’d ever eaten, even better than Maggie or his momma’s cookies though he’d never admit it to them. An oatmeal cookie followed. Nope, that was the best cookie he’d ever eaten. Peanut butter chips in oatmeal cookies? Fabulous. Thank goodness she’d been okay after she’d gotten whacked by that car. The world couldn’t live without this cookie-baking goddess.

Looking at the outside of the box, he realized the address was the beauty salon just across the way. He’d have to go and thank her in person.

He’d saved some folks, helped at quite a few accidents and emergencies and fought fires in and around Petal for the last decade. Still, he could count the number of times he’d received a thank you note on one hand. It felt good to be appreciated.

Finishing up in the late afternoon, Matt grabbed what was left of the cookies, knowing he’d have to work out extra after the dozen or so he’d scarfed down since the mail came. He’d had to hide them from the rest of the weenies at the station who’d have swiped them if they’d known. And with cookies as good as the last five in the box, he wasn’t gonna share.

He’d never been inside the beauty salon though he’d seen it just about every day for years. He had a vague idea that the women in his life got their hair done there, but that was the extent of it.

When he opened the door, the jingle of pretty wind chimes greeted him first, followed by the pleasing sound of feminine laughter. Oh how he loved the sound of a woman’s laugh.

Smiling, he headed toward it. He saw her before she saw him. Her hair was the prettiest blonde he’d seen on a woman and unless he was mistaken, she came by it naturally. It hung in a high ponytail and still cascaded down her back in a long spiral curl. Those wide blue eyes of hers were set off by some floaty-looking blouse that was a sort of pinkish-orange. He was sure they had a name for it, women always had names for colors like that. He’d say that Nicholas had light green walls in his room but Maggie had told him they were sea-foam green. He’d just looked at his brother over her head and Kyle rolled his eyes back at him.

She was short. Like really short. And all curves. Her musical laughter cut off when she caught sight of him and then began to choke.

Dropping his things on a nearby counter he rushed to her, concerned as she waved him off, her eyes widening as she backed away.

“She’s all right,” one of the other women said.

Tate recovered and turned a shade of red he was sure they had a name for too, but it was clear she’d either injured herself or was mortified.

“Fuckety fuck,” she muttered as she tried to catch her breath.

“Are you all right?” He touched her arm.

Her blush deepened as she nodded, sending her ponytail swaying. “Fine. Um, can’t breathe and swallow at the same time. Apparently I forgot that.”

He grinned. “I’m Matt Chase. I just wanted to come by to thank you for the cookies.”

“Oh…oh, I’m glad you got them. I should have just brought them over but I didn’t know when I’d get the chance to get away and my family was sort of trying to steal them and if I hadn’t wrapped them up they’d have ended up at the University of Georgia with my kid brother and sister.”

He couldn’t stop grinning. The woman was like one of those little dogs with all the energy. “It’s fine. They’re really good. Like criminally good. In fact, and if you repeat this, I’ll deny it, they’re the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. You missed your calling you know. You should have opened a bakery.”

“Her cookies are a drop in the bucket. She makes a peach cobbler that’ll bring tears to your eyes and the most perfect scratch biscuit you ever tasted. That’s until you try her chicken paprika,” one of the women, clearly a relative, told him proudly.

“Stop it now. I already said you could have Saturday off.” Tate winked and the other woman laughed. “Oh, my manners! I’m Tate Murphy. Aside from bleeding all over you the other day, I figure we haven’t been formally introduced.”

He shook her hand, still wearing a stupid grin.

“This is my sister Anne and the sister just younger than her, Beth.”

He nodded to all of them and noted they all had the same nose but they were redheads with green eyes while Tate had blue eyes and blonde hair. She was also a lot shorter than the other sisters, who were at least five-seven or so.

“Nice to meet you all. I think I know your brother Tim. He and I were just a year apart in school. We had a few classes together. Redhead right? Green eyes? Freckles?”

“That’s our brother.” Tate grinned.

“He’s a nice guy. Tell him I said hello. Well, I don’t want to keep you all. I just wanted to thank you for the cookies.”

“Well, thank you for helping me. A few cookies are nothing in comparison.”

He liked her smile. Wide, open.

“I’ll see you around then.” And he realized that he’d never bumped into her at all around town. Which was sort of silly considering they worked right across the street from each other.

“Night, Matt. Nice to meet you. Your mother talks about you all the time.”

He stopped as he’d reached the door and heard her laugh. “You knew that’d get me, didn’t you?” he said, looking back over his shoulder at her.

Her eyes widened in mock surprise. “Me? I have seen you naked though. With a cowboy hat on even.”

He groaned, knowing the picture. His momma did love to show that picture of him at about eighteen months old, naked as a jaybird wearing a cowboy hat.

“Are you imagining me naked now?” he teased back and she blushed bright red again. He toyed with asking her what women would call that shade of red but decided against it. He winked and waved. “See you around, Tate Murphy.”

He whistled all the way to his truck.

*****

Review:

I think Matt might be my favorite brother … but don’t tell the others 🙂  He’s patient, caring, and smart enough to realize what a great thing he could have with Tate.  I love how he takes his time wooing her, in a way that she doesn’t even realize what is happening until she’s too far gone over him.

Tate may have a few insecurities thanks to the way she grew up but I love her grit and spunk.  She’s a little prickly but it is totally understandable,  Not too much for the Chase charm to overcome, of course.  And the closeness of the Murphy family is awesome to behold, enough to rival the Chases, and I do think Dane handled their issues really well.  It was realistic and gave a believable drama moment between Matt and Tate that worked well with the relationship they’d created.

I do wish a little more time had been spent resolving the issues with how Tate is viewed by people in the town.  There are “mean girls” who make trouble for her and for the most part they handle them really well.  I just needed one more scene, I think.  I felt like it wasn’t quite wrapped up as much as it could have been, especially with how well the family portion was done.

Realistic characters with real world troubles and believable reactions, Dane does a fabulous job giving her readers an awesomely emotional finale to her Chase Brothers series.

*****

Author Info:

The story goes like this – While on pregnancy bed rest, LAUREN DANE had plenty of down time so her husband took her comments about “giving that writing thing a serious go” to heart and brought home a secondhand laptop. She wrote her first book on it before it gave up the ghost. Even better, she sold that book and never looked back.

Today Lauren is a New York Times bestselling author of over fifty novels and novellas across several genres.

Website http://www.laurendane.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLaurenDane

Twitter https://twitter.com/laurendane

Goodreads https://goo.gl/pg3R22

Amazon https://amzn.to/2uDfIHF

*****

Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of MAKING CHASE by Lauren Dane, we’re giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner!

http://bit.ly/2Lujyw8

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to internationally. One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Carina Press.  Giveaway ends 9/3/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Limit one entry per reader. Duplicates will be deleted.

*****

Book Review – Come Back to Me

Tags

Blessings Georgia series, Book Review, Come Back to Me, Sharon Sala

I absolutely LOVE this series and I get so excited when a new book comes out!!

*****

Come Back to Me

Blessings, Georgia series

by Sharon Sala

Blurb:

Love always endures the test of time

After a devastating fire pitted their families against each other, high school sweethearts Phoebe Ritter and Aidan Payne were torn apart. Twenty years later, Aidan is called back to Blessings, nervous about confronting his painful past. And that’s BEFORE he knows about the nineteen-year-old secret Phoebe has been harboring all this time.

As Aidan tries to make up for lost time with the family he didn’t know he had, Phoebe and Aidan rediscover long-suppressed feelings. But the past won’t lie buried, and old enemies threaten to destroy the peace they’ve fought so hard to find.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2J3i0UJ

B&N: http://bit.ly/2KRrnvO

Apple: https://apple.co/2JuiY0x

“Sharon Sala’s Blessings, Georgia series is filled with unforgettable charm and delight!”— ROBYN CARR, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

*****

Excerpt:

Seeing the porch light on as she pulled up to the house was just like old times. He’d done that since he’d been old enough to stay home alone, and she’d missed it. She grabbed her things, ran up the steps, and let herself into the house.

“I’m home,” she yelled.

“Me, too,” he yelled back.

She laughed. Just like old times. She left her purse on a table as she hurried into the kitchen, and found Lee at the stove, heating up food.

He gave her a big hug.

“I waited for you,” he said. “Go change and get comfy. I’ll set the table while you’re gone.”

“Wonderful!” Phoebe said, and hurried down the hall to her room.

She changed out of work clothes into a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt, and changed work shoes for sandals, washed up and hurried back to the kitchen.

“You cooked,” she said, eyeing the table and the inviting food.

“I just added some baked beans and fries to the ribs and slaw. Sit, Mom. Let me wait on you tonight.”

“I won’t argue,” Phoebe said, and smiled at him when he brought glasses of sweet iced tea to the table, followed by the food.

After filling their plates, they began to talk as they ate.

“My grade point for the year is 4.0 and I was accepted into an accelerated Physics program next semester,” Lee said.

Phoebe beamed. “Oh, Lee, congratulations. I’m so proud of you. I know you didn’t get that from me.”

Lee took a deep breath. “Did I get it from my father?”

Phoebe’s smile slipped a little. The sorrow she lived with was once again, evident on her face.

“Yes. He was very smart.”

Lee ate a few more bites, then took his phone from his pocket, pulled up the picture, and pushed it toward her.

Phoebe smiled. “A new girlfriend?”

He shook his head, then waited as she looked down.

Her fork clattered onto the table. She pressed a hand over her mouth, but it didn’t muffle the moan.

He grabbed her arm. “Mom. Are you okay?”

“Where did you…oh my God. That’s the store parking lot.”

She looked up. “You took this today.”

He nodded. “I saw him by accident. Wasn’t for sure, so I took a picture, then came home and compared it to yours. He’s older, but it’s him, isn’t it, Mom? That’s my father.”

She nodded, then started to cry.

~

Across town, Aidan was already asleep, more at ease in this old house in Blessings, than he was in his New Orleans home, sleeping with the best security system money could buy. But there was no way to control where sleep took him, or enough locks on a door to keep Phoebe out of his dreams.

He saw Phoebe running toward him. He’d been waiting for days and days for her to come but she had not. She’d been part of the people who’d shunned them, and seeing her now, the pain in his heart hurt so much it was hard to draw breath.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He hardened his heart and turned away.

“Don’t leave,” she cried. “I’m sorry, so sorry.”

He remembered how soft her lips were against his mouth, and how her body curled into his when they embraced, and kept walking.

“Aidan, please,” she begged.

He wanted to bury his face against her hair and cry, but he didn’t, and then the dream hit fast-forward and they were driving away and she was running behind them, but this time she didn’t stop. She was behind their car as they drove out of town. She was running right behind their car all the way to the interstate, and then all of a sudden she was gone. He turned around in the seat, searching for sight of her, but she had disappeared.

He was screaming at his Dad, “turn around, turn around. We can’t leave Phoebe behind.”

*****

Review:

While I love Aidan & Phoebe together and how he completely embraced his son, I did have just a teeny issue with how easily Aidan accepts how Lee’s existence was kept from him.  Yes, they were young when everything went wrong but he wasn’t necessarily wrong with how he left town.  Things were seriously bad for him & his dad and I really have no problem with them packing up and leaving without looking back.  But really someone should have really let him know about his son before this.

Sala’s down-home writing is always a treat to read and everything else made up for any issues I had with how quickly Aidan got over his hurt.  Once the two of them reconnect all of their past feelings come back and deepen even more.  It’s sweet and heartwarming and, as always with Sala, a feel-good read that made me happy every page until the end.

If you love quirky small-town characters, a touching romance, and emotions galore, Sala is your girl!

*****

Giveaway:

First 3 books in the Blessings, Georgia series!

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7673/

*****

Book Review – Through the Fire

Tags

Book Review, Katie Ruggle, Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series, Through the Fire

Awkward, geeky, sexy Wes is my new book boyfriend!

*****

Through the Fire

Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series

by Katie Ruggle

Blurb:

He’s tall.

He’s dark.

He’s brutally handsome…

And he may be her only hope.

Kit Jernigan despairs of ever fitting in with her new tight-knit K9 unit—they’ve been through too much to welcome a stranger. So when a killer strikes, it’s a fight to convince her fellow officers to trust her long enough to catch the woman she knows is responsible.

She can’t do it on her own. What she needs most is a partner: local fire spotter Wesley March.

Wes knows in his heart that Kit is right, and he’s willing to leave his lonely tower to help her prove it. But the more time they spend together, the hotter the fire smolders…and the more danger they’re in. A member of the K9 unit’s inner circle is determined to have her revenge—no matter who gets burned in the process.

This time, it’s personal.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KPMej7

B&N: http://bit.ly/2KPMeQ9

Apple: https://apple.co/2NwGUiW

*****

Excerpt:

The snow crunched under Wes’s boots as he climbed. It was a beautiful day, with the late-afternoon sun shading to orange as it approached the mountain peaks it was about to hide behind, but Wes didn’t pay much attention to the scenery. He was intent on reaching the bat cave.

Despite its name, the bat cave was more of a rock overhang than a cave, but the bat part was true enough—it housed a good-sized colony of silver-haired bats. Researchers and animal-loving hikers frequently visited the location. Although Wes had gotten some striking photos at the bat cave, he hadn’t even brought his camera with him this time. He was more interested in the cell reception.

When the trail evened out, leading to a large, flat rock overhang, he pulled out his cell phone. Sure enough, he had reception. Finding his sister’s name in his short list of contacts, he called her. As he waited for her to answer, pacing back and forth across the granite ledge, he made a mental note to set up a cell-signal booster at the tower. He should’ve done it before, but he hadn’t missed phone service. Having to mindfully go somewhere with cell reception allowed him to control when and whom he called. It wasn’t enough now, though, not when there was someone he was hoping to call—as soon as he got her number.

“Wes!” Leila sounded winded. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Well, nothing except his social skills when women—not including his sister—were around.

“Oh.” There was a pause. “I thought there was an emergency. You never call except for every other Sunday afternoon.”

“No emergency.” He tried to mentally plan out his question. “I need some advice.”

“Advice?” Another silence fell, and Wes could almost hear the gears in her brain turning. He smiled. Leila was even smarter than he was, and she was a whole lot more intuitive and perceptive. That’s why he was calling her. “Does this have something to do with a woman?”

“Yes.”

She squealed, the sound so excited that he smiled wider even as he winced and pulled the phone slightly away from his ear. “Are you dating someone? What’s her name? When do I get to meet her? What does she do? Is she funny? Pretty? Smart? A badass? Tell me details, Wes!”

“Answering most of your questions might be premature.” As much as he wanted to talk about Kit, Wes knew it could be dangerous. The more he said, the more real the possibility of something happening with her felt, and he didn’t want to build up hopes too high. After all, the more excited he got, the harder the disappointment would hit if she never wanted to talk to him again.

“Fine.” Although Leila was obviously trying to sound calm, Wes could tell that she was thrilled, and it made him wonder if he’d done the right thing by calling his sister. Now there might be two extremely disappointed people if nothing happened between him and Kit. “Just answer the basic ones, then. Are you dating?”

“No. We’ve only met three times.” He didn’t think their radio conversation counted.

“But you like her?”

“Yes. I like her.” It seemed like a barely adequate phrase to encompass the fizzing excitement he’d felt around her—and even later, when he was alone and thinking about her. “I’m…interested in her.” That didn’t seem much more accurate.

Leila let out another small squeal, and Wes looked up at the sky, even as he felt his face heat. “Sorry,” she said as if she could see his long-suffering expression. “That’s out of my system now. Back to basic questions. Is she interested in you?”

“I don’t know.” Crouching down, he absently picked up a few small pebbles, his brain fully occupied with the mystery that was K9 Officer Kit Jernigan. “That’s what I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Hang on. I think I need to get comfortable for this conversation.” There were a few rustling noises, and then Leila spoke again. “Okay. I’m ready. Let’s start with the first time you met. Tell me what happened.”

“I needed propane, so I refilled my tank at the station on the southeast side of town. I wanted to be back home before things got busy—”

“Wesley,” she interrupted. “I’ve been to your Podunk town, remember? It never gets busy. There are, like, ten buildings and eight people total.”

“The population of Monroe—”

“Nope. Don’t care. Tell me the story.”

It never hurt his feelings when Leila cut him off like that. In fact, he appreciated her directness. It was easier than trying to guess what a person was thinking by their body language or tactful words. “Four days ago, I was driving west on Mule Drive at six fifty-four, but I was forced to stop due to an SUV backing a small utility trailer into a driveway.” He frowned at the memory. “Attempting to back a small utility trailer into a driveway.”

“Go on. No, wait! Let me guess. Did you save this woman from getting run over?”

“No.”

“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. “Go on, then. What did happen?”

Wes smiled slightly. His sister was terrible at listening to stories. She didn’t have any patience, wanting to rush right to the conclusion instead. “After talking with the driver, I didn’t think she’d move the trailer into the driveway efficiently—which meant I’d be late—so I got out of my truck in order to help.”

“She was the driver?” Her voice was hushed, amusing Wes.

“Yes.”

“That’s so romantic!”

His eyebrows scrunched together. “It is?”

“Well, not really, I guess. I think I’m just anticipating that it’s going to be romantic soon. Go on… Get to the good part!”

He hesitated. “I’m not sure what you’d consider the good part.”

Her gusty sigh was audible. “Just tell me the rest. I’m dying of curiosity here!”

“I helped her get the trailer into her driveway and unhitched it.”

“And then?”

“She drove away.”

There was a long beat of silence. “That’s disappointing.”

“It was.”

“Did she tell you her name, at least?”

Wes found himself smiling. “Yes. Kit Jernigan.”

*****

Review:

I absolutely adored both Kit and Wes.  They are so fun together in all of their awkward cuteness and even though things happen pretty quickly you can feel the connection between the two of them.  Like all of the other couples in the series, they are a good match and have you rooting for them from the start.

Unfortunately there was a point just before the big climax where Ruggle lost me just a little.  Kit had all of the information she needed to make a few connections about what was going on and none of it was ever mentioned, by her or by Ruggle.  It was obvious but when it mattered Kit never even acknowledged the information.  Which was extra disappointing because she’d been so on top of things up to that point.

It’s a minor complaint, though, in an otherwise fun and exciting story.  There’s the danger and suspense that we’ve come to expect from this series, along with the right amount of camaraderie and romance to give you the feels to go with the thrills.  And while we may know who the bad guy is from the first but I will admit that the why totally surprised me.  (I was enjoying Wes & Kit too much to even want to guess 🙂 )

*****

Author Info:

A graduate of the Police Academy, Katie received her ice-rescue certification and can attest that the reservoirs in the Colorado mountains really are that cold. A fan of anything that makes her feel like a bad-ass, she has trained in Krav Maga, boxing and gymnastics, has lived in an off-grid, solar- and wind-powered house in the Rocky Mountains, rides horses, trains dogs, cross-country skis and travels to warm places to scuba dive. In addition to her romantic suspense books, she also writes spicier romances under the pen name Katie Allen. Connect with Katie at http://katieruggle.com/, https://www.facebook.com/katierugglebooks, or on Twitter @KatieRuggle

*****

Giveaway:

Enter to win a Katie Ruggle Prize Pack!

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7674/

*****

Book Review – Hometown Girl Again

Tags

Book Review, Hometown Girl Again, Hometown series, Kirsten Fullmer

I have a very strong urge to find a restored vintage trailer now 🙂

*****

Hometown Girl Again

Hometown Series Book 5

by Kirsten Fullmer

Genre: Romance

Blurb:

How did I end up so broken? It’s a question Katherine can’t answer. First, a surprise inheritance tipped her life upside-down, and now her new RV park is a muddy mess of half-restored trailers. To make matters worse, she’s falling for her first crush all over again. The only thing she’s sure of at this point is a full-blown identity crisis.

Alex came home after a life-threatening wound ended his Army career. Now Katie is back too, and she’s building something called a glamping park? He feels like he let her down years ago, can he make it up to her now? Or are his own problems too much to handle?

Fate brought Katherine and Alex back to Smithville, and the town-folk want to see them together again. Will the couple be able to cope with the locals well-intentioned meddling, or did their chance at love disappear a long time ago…

Goodreads * Amazon

Book trailer 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S4LEdxX12s

Other Books in the Series

Hometown Girl at Heart

Hometown Series Book 1

Goodreads * Amazon

Hometown Girl After All

Hometown Series Book 2

Goodreads * Amazon

Hometown Girl Forever

Hometown Series Book 3

Goodreads * Amazon

Christmas in Smithville

The Hometown Series Book 4

Goodreads * Amazon

*****

Excerpt:

Relieved to have found all the items on her list, Katherine offered the clerk a shy smile and collected her bags. The place was really more of a small town mercantile than a hardware store, being the only store in town that offered more than groceries, and she was glad they saw fit to carry a bit of everything.

When she reached the door, lugging her supplies, she was surprised to see Alex through the glass. He was heading across the parking lot toward her, carrying a small black and white dog, and his characteristic swagger looked more like a limp as he wrestled with the puppy.

Jumping back, her head whipped from one side to the other, looking for a place to hide.

Alex marched into the store, and she ducked behind a rack of men’s overalls. Holding her breath, she crouched and peeked between the overall straps. The little black dog had an adorable smiling face, and her heart melted, but then she noticed Alex’s blustery expression. The puppy wriggled in his grip, and he turned her way.

Her arm shot out to grab a straw hat from the rack, and she plopped it on her head, hoping it would hide her sweaty, lopsided bun.

The dog barked and squirmed, and it was obvious that Alex needed help, but Katherine knew she was a sweaty mess, and she probably looked like she’d just rolled out of bed, since she had, not to mention she smelled like gasoline after spilling on her grubby pants when she filled her can at the gas station earlier.

She’d made a big enough fool of herself already, and she wasn’t eager to repeat the disgrace, so she hunched lower behind the rack, watching with only one eye showing from under the hat

Alex was far too busy wrestling the dog to notice her, so she stayed silent, watching as they passed. Before she could make her move toward the door, however, the dog escaped Alex’s arms and bound down the aisle. Alex reached out, scrambling for the puppy, but lost his balance and fell sideways into a rack of garden trowels that clattered and crashed to the floor.

Dropping her bags, Katherine hurried to his side to see if he was okay. When she reached him, his expression was dark as the devil, so she hesitated, pulling her hand back. “Want me to get the dog?” she asked timidly, and he nodded, so she turned away. Worried about Alex, she glanced nervously over her shoulder, but he was already back on his feet, righting the rack, so she hurried after the puppy.

The little dog hadn’t gone far when she spotted him assaulting a display of chips and other snacks. By the time she reached his side, the puppy had a package of jerky in his mouth.

She scooped up the dog, unable to keep from laughing at his antics. “You’re a naughty one, aren’t you!” she chided, watching the puppy chew on jerky. As cute as he was, she had to wonder why Alex had brought him to the store, and without a leash. “I didn’t take Alex for the dog type,” she mumbled to herself.

“I’m not,” Alex growled, from behind her, causing her to whirl around in surprise. He reached for the dog.

She handed over the puppy, appraising Alex’s face and mood. “Can I help?” she asked before her brain clicked into gear. Here she’d been relieved that he hadn’t seen her, and now she couldn’t help but jump square into his business.

“You don’t— need to do that,” he assured her, his words jarred and interrupted by the wriggling dog. Then over the dog, he eyed her in question with one brow raised.

She squared her shoulders. She knew she looked a sight, but he was being flat out rude. “Would he sit in a shopping cart?” she wondered out loud.

Alex glanced toward the front of the store, then back. “I don’t know.”

“I’ll grab you one,” she offered, then hurried away without waiting for his reply. By the time she returned, Alex looked ready to strangle the puppy with his bare hands, so Katherine reached out and took the dog, and put him in the cart.

At first, the little dog seemed confused and frightened, but once he got his bearings and put his front paws on the end of the cart, he seemed happy enough. His oversized ears perked with curiosity and his tongue lolled from the side of his mouth, accentuating his goofy grin.

Alex stared at the dog, obviously unhappy, then his gaze turned to her. “Nice hat.”

Horrified that she was still wearing the stupid straw hat, she yanked it off her head and tossed it onto a shelf. “How old is he?” she asked, motioning toward the dog, hoping to take Alex’s attention away from her.

“Hell if I know,” he grumbled, glaring down at the puppy.

Her questioning glance swung from the puppy back to his face.

“I just got him yesterday. From my nieces.”

“Oh,” she replied, wondering why someone would give a dog to a person who didn’t want one.

For a moment it looked as if Alex would explain, but his mouth clamped closed, and his brows lowered into a glower, so she left it alone. Taking a step back, she motioned toward the door. “I better get moving, but…” she hesitated, then continued. “Feel free to bring him out to the RV park if you need to. I’m sure we can find a place for him to play while you work.”

“I’m here to get him a leash and a play yard, but,” Alex ‘s gaze came to hers, and her discomfort caused his expression to soften, “I appreciate the offer. I wasn’t sure what to do with him, to be honest.”

She was relieved to see him calm down. “It’s not a problem; I’ll see you in a while then.” With a wave she turned away and headed toward the door, hoping he didn’t see her collect her things from behind the overalls.

*****

Review:

While this is labeled a romance I think that it really leans more as women’s fiction.  The two do dance around their feelings and attraction for a bit but it’s really about each of them individually as they find their footing in a new world.  And I really enjoyed the fact that the two being together was more of a catalyst for them to do a little soul-searching.  They don’t make any changes necessarily for the other but instead start seeing themselves a little differently.  It makes things a little more realistic for me.

Katherine is at a crossroads in her life.  A death in the family and an inheritance has her moving back to the little town her mother left years ago and that Katherine has only visited once.  That summer was a great time for her but it ended in heartache and being back, not only in the town but in Alex’s orbit, has her floundering.  In the years since he broke her heart, she’s isolated herself from the world and pretty much everyone in it.  Being near him again has her emotions taking over and it is shaking her already mixed up world even more.

Alex is back home after an IED killed most of his friends and shattered his career & his leg.  Struggling to find faith in himself and a life that he can accept, he’s dropped into a pretty big funk.  Having Katherine in town again has him re-examining quite a few things.

I think I’m going to have to give this one a solid 3 1/2 stars … it’s a pretty good women’s fiction book, but seemed a little light on both the romance and the personal growth of the characters.  It’s an easy read and enjoyable, but it didn’t seem to have the depth that I was expecting.  (I haven’t read anything else in the series but I don’t know that it made much difference with Katherine moving to the town at the start of the book.  Maybe there was a bit more about Alex but overall I feel like it stands on its own.)

*****

Author Info:

Kirsten grew up in the Western US and graduated from high school in 1984. She married soon there after and quickly built a family. With three young children and number four on the way, she returned to college in 1992. Her career as a draftsman included many settings ranging from a steel fabrication shops to prestigious engineering firms. Balancing family life with the workplace forced her to become the queen of multitasking. In 2001, bored with the cubical life, she moved on to teach drafting in technical college, then to opening her own consulting firm teaching 3D engineering software. Due to health problems, Kirsten retired in 2012 to travel with her husband for his job. She now works writing romance novels and enjoys spoiling her three grandchildren. Since 2017 Kirsten has lived and worked full time in a 40′ travel trailer with her husband and her little dog Bingo.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Pinterest * Amazon * Goodreads

*****

Giveaway:

$15 Amazon gift card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/23d974a9899/

*****

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Book Review – Set the Night on Fire

Tags

Book Review, Cottonbloom series, Laura Trentham, Set the Night on Fire

Every trip to Cottonbloom is a treat!

*****

Set the Night on Fire

Cottonbloom, Book 6

by Laura Trentham

Release Date:  July 31, 2018

Blurb:

From award winning author Laura Trentham comes Set the Night on Fire, a novel about starting over, finding your way back home—and falling head over heels. . .

Ella Boudreaux has a lot to prove to her family, friends, and foes—and to herself. So when her marriage ends she decides to invest her energy and money into a place that brings back some of Ella’s happiest memories: the Abbott brothers’ garage. Maybe, if she puts her mind to it, she can teach skeptical, stubborn Mack Abbott how to make the business a true success. Which would be a lot easier if the hunky mechanic didn’t make her motor run quite so fast…and hot.

Mack was furious when his brother, Ford, sold his share of the business. He’s in no rush to team up with a wealthy divorcée who shows up to the garage in stilettos—and the longest, sexiest legs he’s seen in forever. But Ella’s grit and determination won’t quit…and soon Mack can see that she’s been down a few rough roads herself. Neither Mack nor Ella can deny the fierce attraction that’s revving up between them. Could it be that true love has been in the backseat all along…and they’ve finally found the key?

Amz: https://www.amazon.com/Set-Night-Fire-Cottonbloom-Novel-ebook/dp/B078X17ZDW

BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/set-the-night-on-fire-laura-trentham/1127802341?ean=9781250131317

iBooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/set-the-night-on-fire/id1333504213?mt=11

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/set-the-night-on-fire-7

GooglePlay:  https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Laura_Trentham_Set_the_Night_on_Fire?id=-PRFDwAAQBAJ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36797817-set-the-night-on-fire

*****

Excerpt:

“How the—” Mack caught the curse in his hand. “You’re not a mechanic, Ms. Boudreaux.”

“Call me Ella.” At his stony stare, she shrugged and continued. “You don’t need another mechanic. You have plenty of mechanics. What you need is someone to market you.”

“And you know enough about cars to do that?” His skepticism hit her like a kid pulling her pigtails behind the monkey bars. Annoying.

She shouldn’t rise to the bait. Unfortunately, her mouth was less mature than her mind, and she reeled off facts her brother had recited with pride.

“That Datsun 240Z you were under? It’s a seventy-three with a 2.4-liter straight-six and side-draft carburetors. It can hit sixty in 8.2 seconds with 151 horsepower. Top speed is a hundred twenty-five miles per hour. Not that anyone should be driving that fast on parish roads.”

He looked . . . stunned. She confined herself to a small self-satisfied smile. She had a feeling nothing much surprised Mack Abbott, or if it did, he made sure the world didn’t realize it.

“How did you . . . How do you know all that?”

“That’s not important. What is important is that I can help you.”

“We don’t need help.” He shook his head and re-chinked the breaks in his wall of grump.

“Yes, you do.”

“No, we don’t.” The playground-level annoyance continued with his childish denials.

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes, probably not helping to diffuse the situation.

“Name your price.”

“That’s not how this is going to work, Mack.”

“I say how things are run and done in this garage. Not you, Ms. Boudreaux.”

“I have a quarter stake and an equal voice.”

“Except, we handle things democratically around here and my brothers will have my back. Every. Single. Time.”

Dangit. He had her there. Pushing against Mack was like trying to move a mountain. She glanced at the twins. If she couldn’t move Mack, then she’d have to go around him. She wanted to stalk out and slam the door, but forced herself to mosey as if she wasn’t bothered at all by the situation or the man. He followed her to the door. She stopped with one foot out and one in. The breeze caught her hair, and she tossed her head to get it out of her eyes.

“You might vote me down, but at least give me a chance to be heard.”

“Name your price,” he repeated in a growly, grizzly voice that was meant to grind down her dissension.

Where she found the gumption she didn’t know, but she gave his cheek two pats and said, “You can’t afford me, tough guy.”

*****

Review:

I love Mack.  He’s taken on a lot, plus the stress that comes with being the de facto head of the Abbott family, after the passing of their father.  He’s working hard to keep things moving as they have been … but things are changing and it is all brought to a head with the sale of a part of the business to Ella.  He’s happy with his younger brothers finding good women to settle down with but the garage belongs to the Abbotts and that’s one change he’s not going to just accept.

Ella has her reasons for buying Ford out and I admire her gumption in not letting Mack intimidate her.  Her fake it until you make it attitude makes her one of my favorite heroines.  She’s not going down without a fight and she definitely keeps Mack on his toes, which he so very much needs.

Both Mack & Ella come into the situation with baggage but I love the fact that once they get over the animosity of how their partnership began there really isn’t too much drama.  There’s a little difficulty in figuring out how to move from enemies to lovers but there isn’t so much back & forth that it gets annoying.  Instead they handle it with the maturity that reasonable people should 🙂

(Returning readers will enjoy the resolution of a few issues in the latest Cottonbloom book, but Trentham does a great job of giving new readers a complete & enjoyable story.)

*****

Author Info:

An award-winning author, Laura Trentham was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee. Although, she loved English and reading in high school, she was convinced an English degree equated to starvation. She chose the next most logical major—Chemical Engineering—and worked in a hard hat and steel toed boots for several years.

She writes sexy, small town contemporaries and smoking hot Regency historicals. KISS ME THAT WAY, Cottonbloom Book 1, won the Stiletto Contest for Best Long Contemporary and finaled in the National Readers Choice Award. THEN HE KISSED ME, Cottonbloom Book 2, was named an Amazon Best Romance of 2016 and was a finalist for the National Excellence for Romance Fiction. TILL I KISSED YOU, Cottonbloom Book 3, is a finalist in the Maggie contest. LEAVE THE NIGHT ON, the latest Cottonbloom book, was named an iBooks Best Book of the Month and a Recommended Read from NPR.

When not lost in a cozy Southern town or Regency England, she’s shuttling kids to soccer, helping with homework, and avoiding the Mt. Everest-sized pile of laundry that is almost as big as the to-be-read pile of books on her nightstand.

Website: https://www.lauratrentham.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLauraTrentham

Or join my reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1733284316920632/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraTrentham

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lauratrentham/

Sign up for my newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bwbOkD

Follow me on Bookbub for new release or sale announcements:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laura-trentham

*****

Giveaway:

The first five (5) books in the Cottonbloom series!

Kiss Me That Way, Book 1

Then He Kissed Me, Book 2

Till I Kissed You, Book 3

Leave the Night On, Book 4

When the Stars Come Out, Book 5

Contest is open to International entries! US winner will receive autographed copies.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/746772684/

*****

Tour Schedule:

July 30

The Reading Café (Review) – http://thereadingcafe.com

July 31

Romance Reviews Today Blog (Review) – https://romrevtoday.blogspot.com

SOS Aloha – http://sosaloha.blogspot.com

August 1

Cara’s Book Boudoir – http://www.carasbookboudoir.com

Ever After Book Reviews (Review) – https://everafterbookreviews.blogspot.com

August 2

Community Bookstop (Review) – http://communitybookstop.blogspot.com

StoreyBook Reviews (Review) – http://www.storeybookreviews.com

August 3

Reds Romance Reviews (Review) – https://redsromancereviews.blogspot.com

Katherine’s Book Universe (Review) – https://www.katherinesbookuniverse.wordpress.com

August 4

Moonlight Rendezvous (Review) – http://www.moonlightrendezvous.com

Nicole’s Book Musings – http://nicolesbookmusings.blogspot.com

August 5

My Novelesque Life (Review) – http://mynovelesquelife.wordpress.com

August 6

Bigreadersite (Review) – http://bigreadersite.wordpress.com

Smut Book Junkie Book Reviews (Review) – http://www.smutbookjunkie.com

August 7

Cathy’s World (Review) – http://cathygeha.tumblr.com

August 8

2014 & Beyond! (Review) – http://2014andbeyond.com

Paulette’s Papers – http://paulettespapers.com

August 9

Romantic Reads (Review) – https://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress.com

August 10

Francoise’s Reading Corner (Review) – https://bookishattic.wordpress.com

Book Review – When We Found Home

Tags

Book Review, Susan Mallery, When We Found Home

If you are looking for an end of summer read, you can’t go wrong with a new story by Susan Mallery!

*****

When We Found Home

by Susan Mallery

Blurb:

Life is meant to be savored, but that’s not easy with no family, limited prospects and a past you’d rather not talk about. Still, Callie Smith doesn’t know how to feel when she discovers she has a brother and a sister–Malcolm, who grew up with affection, wealth and privilege, and Keira, a streetwise twelve-year-old. Calli

But starting over can be messy. Callie and Keira fit in with each other, but not with their posh new lifestyle, leaving Malcolm feeling like the odd man out in his own home. He was clever enough to turn a sleepy Seattle mail-order e doesn’t love being alone, but at least it’s safe. Despite her trepidation, she moves into the grand family home with her siblings and grandfather on the shores of Lake Washington, hoping just maybe this will be the start of a whole new life.food catalog into an online gourmet powerhouse, yet he can’t figure out how to help his new sisters feel secure. Becoming a family will take patience, humor, a little bit of wine and a whole lot of love. But love isn’t Malcolm’s strong suit…until a beautiful barista teaches him that an open heart, like the family table, can always make room for more.

In this emotional, funny and heartfelt story, Susan Mallery masterfully explores the definition of a modern family—blended by surprise, not by choice—and how those complicated relationships can add unexpected richness to life.

Goodreads | Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

*****

Review:

I love Susan Mallery’s writing style.  She does a wonderful job of giving readers all the feels while adding in just the right amount of quirk and fun.  And with When We Found Home, she doesn’t disappoint.

Malcolm joined the Carlesso family when he was 12.  And while he had a great relationship with his mom and formed a bond with his new-found grandfather, his dad was pretty awful… and now they are finding out just how awful with the addition of a couple of half sisters.  You just have to feel for Malcolm as he struggles to relate to his new family dynamic.  His has no idea how to connect with his 12 year old half sister, Keira, and the sudden appearance of a new sister only a couple of years younger than him makes it even more complicated.  Luckily, with the help of a lovely barista, he just might figure things out.

Callie has gone from having nothing to having everything, including a family, and she’s just not sure how to handle it.  Adding in an intimidating and emotionally distant brother doesn’t help.  But the relationship she forms with her new little sister, as the two of the bond over their now drastically different circumstances, will just melt your heart.  Throw in a guy who thinks she hung the moon, and her life might become just about perfect.

Keira is the one I wanted to cuddle the most out of the group (although Malcolm comes in a close second – the man is just clueless but he does try … ish).  Her childhood was awful, including a druggie mom and a stint in foster care.  It’s no wonder that she’s convinced her new posh life won’t last.  Luckily an accident, a friendly barista, and the appearance of her new half-sister just might be the catalysts to help her trust in her new situation.

Mallery uses her trademark wit & snappy dialogue, along with engaging & well-developed characters, to deliver a wonderfully emotional read.  While there is a romance for both Malcolm and Callie, its the three of them trying to figure out how to become a family that really steals the show.  The complications from being thrown together at this point in their lives make it even that much harder to find a way to connect but with a little guidance, some honesty, and sheer will, they just might make something wonderful out of a terrible beginning.

*****

Author Info:

#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives-family, friendship, romance. She’s known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages.Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

*****

Giveaway:

Enter to win a Taste of Seattle gift bag, including:

An “I [Heart] Happy Books” tote bag

Starbucks Pike’s Place ground coffee

Seattle Chocolates gift set (3 truffle jars)

Cucina Fresca marinara sauce

Sahale Snacks (6 packs)

Maury Island Farms jam (2 jars)

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/12a5ba191/

*****

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