Book Review – Daring to Fall

26 Thursday Jan 2017

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Book Review, Daring to Fall, Hidden Falls series, T.J. Kline

We saw the start of this series a few months ago with Making the Play. Since then I’ve been looking forward to seeing more of the McQuaid siblings and we have so much going on today! First, T. J. Kline stops by to answer a few questions, then we get a little peek at the book, and then I get to tell you what I think about it 🙂 *hint: Ben is as sexy as Grant*

*****

Q: Can you tell us a little about your book?

DARING TO FALL is the second in the Hidden Falls series. It’s a small-town, family saga following the McQuaid family, all seven siblings. This story centers around Ben McQuaid, the second oldest, a Hidden Falls firefighter who finds himself torn between his duty to protecting the town and his desire to protect a woman who might be threatened by the people of Hidden Falls. Emma Jordan, on the other hand, is returning to Hidden Falls and her father’s wildlife rescue, after his sudden death, to find that not everyone is excited about her return, or the fact that she’s taking over the sanctuary.

Q: How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

With the Hidden Falls series, I knew I wanted a family saga but I wanted a diverse family unit that, at first glance, seemed so complex they couldn’t possibly be as close as they are. The McQuaids were born. Ben has always been the “responsible” guy, the Jiminy Cricket to the rest of his brothers, and exactly the kind of guy who does you expect of a small-town hero. He needed a woman who would appreciate those aspects of him, even if it meant fighting her attraction to them.

Emma Jordan sort of created herself. The same things that draw her to Ben, frighten her and, oddly enough, are the same things putting her into the predicament she finds herself in. She’s tenacious, loyal and a hero in her own right. Determined to save others who can’t save themselves. However, the idea for an animal sanctuary came because, in spite of all my ambitions to be a writer when I was young, this was the other job I wanted to have – saving (or training) wild animals.

Q: What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I loved the research for this book. As a kid, I spent hours reading about a wide variety of animals, sure that one day that information would serve me. It did, in DARING TO FALL. I would spend one day researching bobcats and the next figuring out exactly which type of dart gun and dosage of medication should be used. Not to mention that I was able to reach out to wildlife rescues, trainers and fireman. What could be better than that?

Q: What gave you the most trouble with this story?

Staying concentrated on the external conflict of their situation. I had a hard time with these two characters not wanting to keep their hands off one another. They have a great chemistry – it burns hot but both have reasons to hold back – and it meshed together well to create a very “real” couple with ups and downs. Unfortunately, if I’d left them to their own devices, I’m not sure the animals would have ever gotten fed.

Q: Name one thing you won’t leave home without.

Easy! My cell phone. I live on it. I made sure the last time I upgraded that I purchased one that would serve me, and my writing, on the go. I do everything from it – reading, emails, texts, appointments, even writing. I can even set my home alarm from it. I even use it to set up playlists for while I’m driving. I’d be lost without it (which is why it has frequent backups!)

Q: What do you like best about being a writer? What is the most challenging part?

The best? The fact that, most days, I don’t even have to brush my teeth if I don’t want to. I do, every day, I swear! But I don’t HAVE to. I have the freedom to style my hair or not, wear PJs all day or dress up. I can set a doctor’s appointment whenever I want to rather than in limited “free” time. I work around vacations and trips, around my kids’ schedules and when I want to. Being a writer has given me more freedom than any job I could ever imagine.

The most challenging? The freedom. When you don’t HAVE to do anything, you have to be self-disciplined to still get up every day and do what needs to be done. There are times, under deadline, when I’ve planned poorly and forgo a trip to the movies. Or, even more difficult, when I’m not under deadline to actually sit in the office chair and put words on the page knowing no one is keeping tabs and I have an entire season of Hart of Dixie waiting for me on my DVR.

Q: What do you do when you are not writing?

When I’m not writing, you can either find me hanging out with my husband and kids (two- and four-legged). If I’m not out working with my horses – is it work if it’s something you LOVE to do? – the family loves being outdoors. We’ll take off and go to the beach for the day, hiking in the mountains, or playing in the snow. Living in California, we can pick from all three, in the same week even, and I’ll be taking pictures the entire way. If weather doesn’t permit, you can find us watching movies together with popcorn, pizza, candy and sodas.

Q: Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Be prepared for the “real” life of writing. It’s not all fun and games, pajamas and book signings. Most days, it’s ugly, hard, gut-wrenching work. You will doubt yourself, listen to people rip your work apart and feel like you are crazy for attempting to make this your life. It’s okay…we all live there. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve written one book or nearly twenty, writing is always hard work. But, as I said earlier, is it really work if it’s something you love to do? Never give up on what you love to do, whether it’s writing, painting, acting, debate, mathematics, history, woodworking…do what you love and it will show in the results.

*****

Daring to Fall

Hidden Falls #2

by T.J. Kline

Releasing January 17, 2017

Avon Impulse

Blurb:

T.J. Kline returns to Hidden Falls with the sweet and fun story of a small-town firefighter and the stubborn woman who refuses to fall for his charms.

Emma Jordan has returned home after her father’s death to run the animal sanctuary that had been his legacy. But strange things start happening, and it seems that someone is out to shut her down, someone who doesn’t mind putting lives in jeopardy to see it through. When Hidden Falls’ sexiest fireman starts to ask questions, Emma needs to make sure his charm doesn’t distract her from keeping her dreams alive.

Ben McQuaid has an obligation as a local fireman to protect the community, even from a well-meaning wildlife veterinarian who’s in way over her head. But, it’s becoming hard to keep his loyalty to the town and his desire for the pretty vet separate. As Ben and Emma become caught in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, their feelings for each other are growing.

Will they let duty drive them apart or will they dare to fall?

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30166231-dare-to-fall

Goodreads Series Link https://www.goodreads.com/series/181009-hidden-falls

Buy Links: AMAZON | B & N | GOOGLE | ITUNES | KOBO

*****

Excerpt:

“Hey, Ben, I have a favor to ask.”

Ben McQuaid rolled his eyes skyward. Of course, his brother Andrew needed another favor. Lately, Ben seemed to be the one doing the favors more often than receiving any. But, that’s what brothers did for one another, right? And with six siblings, most of them younger, that added up to be a lot of favors.

“Make it quick, I’m on my way into the fire station for my shift.”

“Good, because this is more of an official call than a favor anyway. I need you to head down to the Quinn place on Mosquito Road. Apparently, there’s a cat stuck in a tree. It seems stupid to call it in to the firehouse and drag the engine out for a cat. See? I’m actually doing you a favor and saving you all that cleaning and polishing you have to do just for driving a truck out of the garage.”

They’d be cleaning the engine anyway. Plus, without an engine, Ben had no ladder to get up the tree. “So, what you’re suggesting is that I shimmy up the tree the way I did when we were ten to get the football you and Grant would get stuck.”

Andrew’s chuckle sounded through the receiver. “Pretty much. Look, the call just came in from dispatch and you’ve got to drive by there on your way into town anyway. No sense in making it an official call.”

There was nothing about this that was a favor for Ben. “What’s wrong, is there an apple fritter with your name on it? This way you save yourself the effort of having to fill out another police report, right?” Andrew wasn’t fooling him.

“There’s that too.” Ben heard Andrew address someone else in the background. “Hey, I have to run. There’s a domestic dispute at the winery. You got this, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll take care of it,” Ben said with a sigh.

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

“One?” Ben muttered to himself as the receiver disconnected in his ear and he took the turn off onto Mosquito Road. “You owe me more than that.”

He wasn’t looking forward to this. Hollister Quinn was one of those old guys who spoke his mind, loudly and often. He’d been the first in line to protest the latest upgrades being done to spruce up their small foothill town. Said he liked it rustic, the way it’d been for years and that it should stay that way. However, now that there was talk about Hidden Falls trying to become more of a tourist attraction along the way to Tahoe, an idea that would bring higher profits for local businesses which, in turn, kept the town thriving, Quinn was complaining even more. A visit with Quinn, even to retrieve a kitten, was sure to bring a lengthy lecture about how the people of Hidden Falls were selling out. Ben rubbed the knots of tension already building at the back of his neck.

Pulling into the circular driveway in front of the Quinn house, he maneuvered his pickup between several other vehicles, none of which were Hollister’s. A crowd was already gathered under one of the tall pines in the front yard.

“Great,” the old man complained as Ben edged closer to the chaos. “Please, tell me you’re here to do something productive, not just here to gawk like everyone else. I need someone to get that damn thing outta my tree.” He pointed to where a tabby kitten yowled loudly from a high branch on the tree.

Ben squinted, following the old man’s gaze. “Are you sure that’s a cat? It doesn’t look—”

“What else would it be?” Quinn rolled his eyes before glaring at Ben and shoving him toward the god-awful howling the cat in the tree was making. “Do your job, fireman, and get that thing down.” He turned away, muttering something about the woman running the animal sanctuary down the road but Ben didn’t quite catch it and he wasn’t about to risk having the old man rip him a new one again.

“Sure thing, Mr. Quinn,” Ben agreed, wondering again why he’d wanted to be a firefighter. Sweating it out with the cattle on his parents’ ranch sounded a hell of a lot better right now than climbing a tree to get the shit clawed out of him by a frightened kitten.

He glanced around at the large group of neighbors that had come to watch, curious at the interest for a simple kitten stuck in a tree. It wasn’t a big enough deal to warrant this sort of hullabaloo. The kitten yowled louder and Ben had just lifted his foot onto the ladder Quinn had left braced against the side of the tree when Ellie Quinn, the old man’s daughter, hurried to his side.

“Ben, I’m sorry. I tried to get my dad to just leave the poor thing alone, but you know how he is.” She shot him a coy smile and her eyelashes fluttered.

Ellie was a nice woman. The same age as his younger sister and obviously interested in him. She was sweet, kind to everyone she met, a member of the local women’s shelter planning committee and generous to a fault. In fact, she was exactly what he wanted in a woman, plus she had a “girl next door” quality that made her adorable. His mother had been trying to set them up for months, reminding him that he should be giving her grandchildren before she was too old to enjoy them. The problem was, Ben wasn’t attracted to Ellie at all. He wanted to be, but every time he was around her, there was no stirring in him, no warm fuzzies like he’d had with other women. Nothing to get a rise out of him, so to speak, at all. It was almost like he wanted to continually find himself getting screwed over by crazy women. “Don’t worry about it, Ellie,” he said, waving a hand in her direction and looking up the tree. “I’ll just get this guy down and he’ll take off back home.” Ben wasn’t nearly as confident about his ability to get the cat down as he sounded but Ellie was sweet. He couldn’t blame her for her cantankerous father.

She cocked her head and gave him a confused look. “Oh. Um, okay.”

Putting one foot over the other as he climbed the ladder, trying to ignore the jeers and shouts from below, Ben pulled himself into a fork in the tree, hanging his legs over the branch as he straddled it. He could barely see the spotted fluffy coat of the kitten but, from what he could see, it was definitely young. He’d never understand how a stupid animal could get itself into a tree but couldn’t get back out. Then again, it wasn’t like people didn’t get themselves into some pretty precarious positions they couldn’t figure their way out of.

Tucking his feet under him so he was squatting on the limb, grateful for the heavy tread of his work boots, Ben reach for a thick branch to his right, using it to swing him to the V beside where the cat was hiding. The gasp from the onlookers below nearly made him laugh. Sure, falling would be painful but the fifteen-foot landing into mulch couldn’t hurt any more than the second story floor of an old farmhouse collapsing from under him during a call and dropping him into the concrete basement below. Those two fractured ribs had hurt like hell.

Straddling the second branch, he watched the kitten for a moment. The poor animal was scared out of its mind. Its big blue eyes were round with fear and, from this vantage point, he could see that it was a matted mess. Tiny claws clung to the rippled bark of the tree and he wondered how he was possibly going to convince the frightened animal to let go without his very vulnerable bare arm replacing the tree trunk under its claws.

“Here, kitty,” he called quietly. The cat turned toward him and he saw the unmistakable black tufts over the kitten’s ears. It turned away again, edging out onto the branch and he saw the stubby tail.

Holy crap, that is not a cat. It’s a freakin’ bobcat kitten.

“Shit,” he muttered. “That damn brother of mine owes me big time.”

*****

Review:

Ben is a good match for Emma. As a firefighter he’s going to understand about her having a dangerous job but that with proper training and care things will be as safe as they can be. He’s also got a big heart which goes well with her own. Up to this point his romantic life has always been about being the big, strong hero so of course he falls really hard for someone who can take care of herself! Now he just needs to learn that he can be supportive without sweeping in on his white horse to rescue her.

Emma’s world is already a mess when Ben comes storming in with his rescued bobcat kitten. He’s definitely a distraction she doesn’t need, and her past has taught her that men can’t handle a strong woman whose whole life is centered around wild animals that could seriously hurt her. Not used to leaning on anyone, it’s hard for Emma to let Ben in to help. Too bad that the man is too stubborn to just go away.

Kline doesn’t really do much to hide the who and what behind the trouble that Emma experiences. After a bit it becomes obvious who the choices are for the culprit but the how of carrying out the plan does keep you guessing. And really it’s mostly about the romance 🙂

*****

Author Info:

T.J. Kline was bitten by the horse bug early and began training horses at fourteen—as well as competing in rodeos and winning several rodeo queen competitions—but has always known writing was her first love. She also writes under the name Tina Klinesmith. In her spare time, she can be found spending as many hours as possible laughing hysterically with her husband, teens, and their menagerie of pets in Northern California. That is, when she isn’t running around the California Gold Country researching new stories.

Author Links: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

*****

Giveaway:

3 print copies of MAKING THE PLAY: Hidden Falls #1 by T.J. Kline (US Only)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/521ac4c81208/

*****

Click on the link below to check out the rest of the series

Book Review – To Win Her Back

23 Monday Jan 2017

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Book Review, Mackenzie Crowne, Players series, To Win Her Back

To Win Her Back

Players series

by Mackenzie Crowne

Will the mistakes of the past ruin their future?

As public relations coordinator for the Manhattan Marauders pro football team, Victoria “V” Price has the wealth, prestige, and glamour she only dreamed of growing up. All she’s missing is a man to share it with. V thought she gave up her shot at love when she left her childhood sweetheart in the dust of her rural Texas town, along with the painful secrets of her family life. But the past comes roaring back when Sam Fitzpatrick, the only man she ever loved, is hired as the Marauders’ new offensive coordinator.

Despite Sam’s reluctance to work alongside V, his distrust of the woman who broke his young heart is no match for their swiftly rekindling passion. Yet even as V’s tough PR persona gives way to her softer side, Sam wonders if their chemistry is enough to overcome the wounds left unhealed between them. But when the devastating truth of V’s past is exposed, threatening both her career and their second chance, Sam finds himself asking a different question: does he have what it takes to win back her love?

I have to be honest … for some reason I just didn’t want to read this book. I got it because it is written by Mackenzie Crowne and part of the Players series, but I just knew that the angst would get to me. Oh, how wrong I was!! Once again Crowne’s deft writing and finely crafted characters caught me from the first page and wouldn’t let go.

These two have so much baggage that they are going to need a cart when they meet up again. They had that amazingly perfect young love … until it all fell apart. Unfortunately when things went bad, they were very, very bad and they’ve let it impact things (even if they won’t admit it to anyone) for over a decade. Being forced to work together, though, means they have to get their acts together, fast.

Part of me thinks that Sam got over it a little quick but MOST of me enjoyed the lack of drama. As I mentioned, I wasn’t looking forward to a whole book of his hurt pride (although I’m pretty sure that Crowne could make even that good!) but luckily we didn’t have to deal with that. Instead, with a little help from their friends, they reflected on their past, addressed it and then moved forward.

Now, there were a couple of moments when I wished Sam had stepped up. First, he allowed everyone to say nasty things about V in their home town, which made it uncomfortable for her to come see her mom. Granted, her relationship with her mom isn’t the best and she didn’t want to go home, but he could have manned up at some point and been all “we were young and did stupid things”. Instead he waited 15 years, and for them to start having to spend time together, to do anything about it.

The other thing was the fact that he buried his hurt feelings in other women and became a man-whore. Now, I’m all for reformed rakes making the best husbands but his seemed a little petty. And it was made all the worse by the fact that V reverted to being celibate. Again, she had her reasons for not getting involved with anyone (and it wasn’t necessarily that she was pining for him), but some readers may have a problem with the double standard.

Personally, I like how Crowne gives both of them intriguing motivations for their actions and pulled it together with their second chance romance. Their love story is complicated for a lot of reasons but characters with depth and a hard to put down storyline made it … well, hard to put down 🙂

Book Review – The Cowboy and the Kid

19 Thursday Jan 2017

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Anne McAllister, Book Review, Tanner Brothers series, The Cowboy and the Kid

The Cowboy and the Kid

The Tanner Brothers, Book 4

by Anne McAllister

Having a father is a big responsibility.

And finding him a wife is a challenge eight-year-old Becky Jones takes seriously. Ex-rodeo cowboy Taggart Jones is adamant. No marriage. Been there. Done that.

Not even if Becky’s dream candidate is her beautiful, blonde teacher, Felicity Albright, who knows about barrettes, patching up scrapes, and hates carrots as much as his daughter. Taggart’s still not interested. Much.

What’s a daughter to do? Becky’s nothing if not ingenious, and she’s determined to convince a stubborn Taggart and a bemused Felicity that they really have met their match.

I get the little girl as a cute driver for these two getting together – she’s adorable and having grown up with an unusual childhood it’s easy to see why she turned into a little bundle of awesomeness. But in her overzealous campaign to get a mom, she might be a little too adorable for some 🙂

Taggart definitely needs that push because after his disastrous marriage he’s not getting involved again … then he meets his daughter’s new teacher. Running scared doesn’t stop his hormones from making themselves known but he’s not going to give in. Nope, definitely not!

I understand his reasons for avoiding commitment but I kinda wish there’d been just a little more about how his first wife had treated him to get the depth of those scars. He’s not the first to fail at a relationship and, while I felt a little of his pain, a little more of his first wife might have made it more traumatic. Worthy of his dedication to staying single.

I still enjoyed these two together. Even though Taggart is your typical commitment-phobe, he’s a very caring father and a good teacher. Felicity is also a good teacher and dedicated to reaching all her kids. She’s got a sense of humor and fun, which she’ll need going up against Taggart’s fear 🙂 It’s not going to be easy because you know he’s going to screw things up. But with patience, perseverance, understanding and forgiveness, they might be able to figure it out.

(This is the first in the series that I’ve read but can easily stand on its own.)

Book Review – Place to Belong

16 Monday Jan 2017

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Book Review, Claire Boston, Place to Belong, The Flanagan Sisters series

Place to Belong

The Flanagan Sisters #4

by Claire Boston

Sean Flanagan has spent a lifetime alone and rejected, constantly hiding who he really is.

With a father who deserted him and a mother who despised him, Sean didn’t think things could get much worse … until he was kicked out of home for being gay. Now he’s discovered he has three half-sisters on the other side of the world. This might be his last chance to find people who will love and accept him. But he’s terrified that if they find out who he really is then they’ll reject him like the rest of his family.

Sean arrives in Houston and is stunned by the warm welcome he receives from his sisters. He begins to hope that maybe this time things will be different. That’s when he meets Hayden Johnson. To follow his heart means risking everything with his newfound family.

Hayden is tired of endless dating. He’s looking for a man to love, someone to spend the rest of his life with. His boss’s new brother ticks all the boxes on the attraction scale, but there’s just one problem – he’s not gay.

Will Sean let his fears rule him, or will he let in the chance of love and find a place where he belongs?

I love this family and it is only getting better with the addition of Sean. Those that have read the rest of The Flanagan Sisters series will know what to expect – great characters, smooth writing, and a realistic story that draws you in from the start. Boston hasn’t turned away from difficult issues before and she doesn’t here either. She does a great job of putting a face to some hard social issues – like homosexuality, homelessness, teen pregnancy, abuse.

I feel so bad for Sean, that he thinks he has to hide his sexuality and that’s he’s afraid that he won’t be loved if anyone finds out. I know that this isn’t such an uncommon thing, even today (or maybe especially today), but it breaks my heart to have it laid out so well and with such an endearing character. Boston does an amazing job of capturing his fear and showing us why he feels the way he does. You know that he’s wrong about the Flanagan’s but he doesn’t and she makes sure you understand that.

Hayden has a lot of patience and is willing to give Sean the time he needs to see that it’s OK to be gay, that his newfound family will still accept him. It’s not easy to hide their attraction but he’s willing to do it for now. It’s a nice contrast of the man who feels comfortable with who he is, loved and accepted by his friends & family, with the man who has been shunned for the same thing.

While Hayden is just so completely awesome (which returning readers already know), it is really Sean’s journey that we are here for. The moment that Sean realizes that he’s going to be OK is so touching and, as he gets some resolution with his present and his past, you feel such joy for him to be able to have that. Even while it is a heartbreaker that he had to be there at all.

Although this is part of a series, it isn’t necessary to have read the rest to enjoy this story but it will help you understand the rest of the characters. And they are such great stories, so why wouldn’t you want to read them all!

Book Review – We Need a Little Christmas

11 Wednesday Jan 2017

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Book Review, Evergreen Lane series, Sierra Donovan, We Need a Little Christmas

We Need a Little Christmas

Evergreen Lane #2

by Sierra Donovan

The best Christmas present? The unexpected romance that brings two former classmates together for a lesson in holiday magic…

With its festive Snowed Inn and year-round Christmas store, the pretty town of Tall Pine knows how to do the holidays right. But this year, Liv Tomblyn’s homecoming trip may be bittersweet. Liv’s grandmother died soon after Thanksgiving, leaving a lifetime of belongings to sort through. Soon Liv is surrounded by memories, including a retro silver Christmas tree. And there’s Liv’s old friend Scott Leroux—the one-time class clown who’s become the town’s go-to handyman.

Scott enjoyed helping Liv’s Nammy with little fix-it jobs in recent years, but now he’s wondering if the crafty grandma had a much larger project in mind. Everything—from Nammy’s mysteriously malfunctioning heater to that silver tree—seems to be conspiring to throw Liv and Scott together. Not that Scott objects. For though Liv insists she’ll leave Tall Pine when the holidays are over, he’s hoping their holiday kisses might thaw her resolve and make this Christmas truly unforgettable…

Although there is a bit of a love story, this is really about Liv finding herself again. She moved away to another state and is now back for her grandmother’s funeral. It’s unfortunate that such a horrible event brought her home but she’s felt guilty about being so far away and now is her chance to reevaluate her life. And it doesn’t hurt to have Scott around as she does 🙂

I love good ol’ boy Scott. He’s hard-working, caring, friendly and giving. He helps so many people around town. And that include Liv. She’s at a cross-roads and he’s there to give her support but also a little push here & there to stay so that they can explore their feelings. She’s a little prickly and confused and can be difficult but she is also dealing with a lot with the funeral & her future. It can put anyone on edge 🙂 While she’s not the softest person she does love her family and she wants what is best for them. And she may struggle a little but she finds it really hard to resist Scott’s charms … because he wouldn’t!

While this is set at Christmas time it isn’t one of those that is steeped in the holidays. This can easily be enjoyed at pretty much any time of year.

(This is the first in this series that I’ve read but I really enjoyed it and not having that history didn’t seem to bother me.)

Book Review – Intended for Bristol

10 Tuesday Jan 2017

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Book Review, Intended for Bristol, L.P. Dover, Second Chances series

Intended for Bristol

A Second Chances Novel

by L.P. Dover

L. P. Dover’s tantalizing Second Chances series scores once again as the Carolina Cougars’ infamous bad boy takes a shot at seducing a driven career woman who’s supposed to be out of bounds.

Trying to live down his very public indiscretions, Carolina Cougars kicker Jaxon Reed feels like the most hated man in the NFL. Fans and teammates alike treat him with the disrespect he figures he deserves. Unfortunately for them, Jaxon’s no easy target. As payback, he sets his sights on the quarterback’s sister: a sultry brunette who’s curvy, confident, and sexy as hell. But what begins as a revenge fling turns into so much more—a lesson in humanity, and in love.

So I read Defending Hayden (which came a couple of books before this one) and while I liked it, I didn’t love it. There were some issues for me with the insta-love and how the characters reacted to it. The rest of the story, including the suspense element, worked well but the actions of the characters kept me from being fully vested.

But I definitely remember Jax and when I saw that he got a story I just had to read it.

Jax has done some very bad things for some very stupid reasons but he’s working to be a better teammate and friend. Although he still slips up occasionally 🙂 Like when he meets a hot girl at a restaurant bar only to realize that she knows his rival on the team. Yeah … too hard for him to resist! But time spent with Bristol quickly has him rethinking his plans to use her against his teammate. She’s sexy, smart and fun, and the one-night stand king quickly finds himself thinking of a future with her.

Like with the previous book these two fell in love just a tiny bit too quickly for my taste. They barely spent any time together at all before they started thinking long term but once again if you set that aside the rest of the story is really enjoyable. The parts with Jax’s stalker are obvious but that doesn’t stop it from working well with the rest of the story.

Not one of my top stories but definitely an enjoyable read. And readers who have liked the other books in the series will absolutely love this one too.

Book Review – Dear Jane

09 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Animal Attraction series, Book Review, Dear Jane, Marissa Clarke

Hopefully, you’ve already checked out our first book for today, Properly Groomed. (If not, make sure you do because it looks FABULOUS!)

For the second, I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy of Dear Jane and I can’t wait to tell you what I think about it 🙂

*****

Dear Jane

Animal Attraction #1

by Marissa Clarke

Releasing January 9, 2017

Entangled Lovestruck

Blurb:

Jane Dixon is a dating disaster. Flammable tablecloths and broken arms are just a typical evening for her unlucky companions. No wonder Jane never gets past a first date. But luckily her co-worker and new bff says he’s got loads of friends who’d date her more than once. If only she could stop thinking about how much fun he was to hang out with. And she’d never dropped a bucket of ice on his junk. Win.

All attorney Eric Blackwell has to do to make junior partner is not screw anything up for six weeks, which seems like a slam dunk until he finds himself matchmaker to the office “One Date Wonder” aka the boss’s daughter. It’s hard to stay focused when setting up the hottest girl he’s ever met with everyone but himself. Maybe he could just set her up with all the wrong men, and keep his hands off his new friend… Yeah. His promotion is toast.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33298986-dear-jane

Book Trailer for DEAR JANE: https://youtu.be/o_p1LnPsX9M

Buy Links: AMAZON | B & N | ITUNES | KOBO

*****

Excerpt:

After dropping off his briefcase in his office, Eric made his way to the end of the hallway and knocked on Jane’s door, flowers in hand.

He felt ridiculous. Sort of like he had before his prom in high school, only Jane wasn’t going to dance with him and the flowers were from someone else. Still, this was a chance to actually speak to her and that was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. He was about to make her day with a clearly expensive bouquet of flowers from another man. His chest tightened. So did his grip on the vase. He was beginning to think pathetic wasn’t a strong enough descriptor.

“Come in,” she called.

When he opened the door, she didn’t look up from her computer screen, clearly engrossed in whatever she was reading. Brow furrowed, she tapped the end of a pen on the side of her monitor. Holy shit, she was beautiful—intensely focused with the sun from the wall of windows making her hair shine like gold. He’d never been this close to her before and found himself a little overwhelmed, which was ridiculous. He was head of an entire team at one of the most prestigious law firms in New York City. Nothing should overwhelm him. Get it together, Blackwell.

When she finally looked up, her eyes widened and she pushed to her feet behind the huge, shiny desk. “I’m sorry. I thought you were Marcie dropping something off.”

“Well, I am… Not Marcie, but dropping something off.” Great. Just great. He groaned inwardly at how ridiculous his first words ever spoken to this woman were.

Her large blue eyes flitted from his face to the flowers and back again.

“These are for you,” he said, awkwardly holding them out.

“Oh…um…” She circled her desk, moving closer. “Wow. Thanks.”

“I’m Eric Blackwell.” He cleared his throat. “From Mergers and Acquisitions.”

She smiled, flashing straight, white teeth. “Yeah, I know.”

She knew? His heart hammered harder, which seemed impossible. He cleared his throat again. “Marcie was swamped and asked me to deliver these for her.”

“Oh…” She glanced at the flowers, her smile fading slightly.

“Yeah, she had a bunch of stuff come in at once, and I was already heading this way, so…”

She nodded. “That was nice of you. Thanks.” With her hair pulled into a knot on the back of her head, her eyes looked huge.

Eric placed the vase on her desk, taking a deep breath. Shit. She even smelled good. Maybe it was the flowers. “These are nice. You must have an admirer.” And his morbid curiosity wanted to know who it was so he could direct his irrational jealousy appropriately. He pulled the envelope from the arrangement and handed it to her, hoping not only to extend his time this close to her but also get some intel.

He gritted his teeth as she pulled out the card. This level of interest was incontestable proof that he was working way too hard and playing way too little. Since his break up with Shannon almost a year ago, he’d done nothing but work. No wonder being this close to a woman was the highlight of his day. He had to fix this. Quick.

No. He needed to hold tight until after he made junior partner. That had been his goal from the start. It was important he get that promotion. The money would be nice, but really, it was all about the security, something he never had growing up.

Jane’s face clouded as she studied the card. “Who does this kind of thing? What kind of…” She waved a hand in an exasperated motion. “What kind of jerk uses a romantic gesture as a way to deliver a message like this. Really?”

And here he’d thought dropping off the flowers would associate him with something positive in her mind. Today sucked.

“I thought I’d gotten a date right for once, you know what I mean?”

Nope. Not a clue. How could a woman like this—obviously smart since she worked at one of the premier law firms in NYC, and gorgeous on top of that—get anything wrong on a date? Eric had an overwhelming urge to hunt down and beat the shit out of the prick who sent those flowers.

When she turned, her eyes brimmed with tears. Not the stream down your face kind, but controlled and held in. Oh God, not tears. They made him feel helpless and “holdy.” That’s what his mother had called it. His solution for tears was to hug, which he absolutely under no circumstances could do to Jane Dixon. The image of holding her soft body against his harder one, made him… well, harder. He clasped his hands behind his back to keep from taking Jane in his arms. “I’m sorry. I…”

She blinked, pushing the tears back before they could fully form. “No, I’m sorry. You were just doing something nice for Marcie. You had no idea you’d been thrown in the room with the One-date Wonder.”

“Maybe I should—” He stepped backward toward the door.

She threw her hands up. “Seriously, how I can screw it up every time? Every. Single. Time.” She paced to the edge of her desk. “Do you know that I haven’t had a second date since I graduated law school?”

His day had just gone from pathetic to surreal. All he could do was shake his head.

She paced to the potted plant in the corner and then back to her desk. “Oh yeah. Loads of first dates. Never a second. And you know what?”

Hopefully that was rhetorical, because no way in hell could he possibly guess what would come out of her mouth next.

“I’m so done. I’m never going to find a guy to ask me out twice. I should swear off men forever. Men suck. Dating sucks.” She took a shuddering breath. “I suck.” And then one of the tears she’d held back this whole time escaped—only one—as she stood perfectly still and silent.

As if on auto-pilot, he crossed to her and folded her in his arms like he’d done with his mother so many times in his life. This wasn’t anything like those hugs, though, and his body made that fact painfully clear as she circled her arms around his waist under his jacket and leaned her cheek against his chest. And it was definitely her and not the flowers that smelled good.

After a few seconds, Eric’s heart hammered so hard he was certain Jane could hear it. There wouldn’t be enough lifeboats in the world to save Operation Smooth Sailing if he continued to rub his hands up and down his boss’s daughter’s back. Reluctantly, he loosened his grip, pulled away to create some space between them, and gave her shoulder an awkward, platonic pat.

“Sorry.” She straightened his lapel and brushed it, stepping back to arm’s length. “I…” She took a deep breath. “…got a little emotional on you there.”

Eric remained frozen in place, only a couple of feet from her, completely clueless what to do or say. He needed a how-to manual for this kind of thing.

She leaned against her desk, facing him. “I’m so frustrated.”

Ditto.

“I mean, why can’t a guy just go out on a date without an agenda or strategy? And why are women held to a different standard?”

Rhetorical. Please let that be rhetorical. He tried to look somewhere else, but couldn’t draw his gaze away from her hands as she fiddled with the necklace that disappeared into her cleavage behind her silk blouse.

“If a guy spills ice water in his date’s lap, she wouldn’t hold it against him forever. She wouldn’t send him flowers with a Dear John letter attached. Am I right?”

Ice water in his lap might be just the ticket right now, Eric decided, finally pulling his gaze away from the freckle on her neck peeking out from under her silk collar. “No. Uh… I mean, yes. Yes, you’re right.” Right in so many ways it made him dizzy. Coming to her office had been a mistake. It had to be the ten months of abstinence in combination with the ridiculous hours he’d been putting in leading up to this merger, and the stress of blowing his promotion this close to his annual review that had him in this state.

“I guess I’m just scared I’ll never find a guy who’ll go out with me more than once. It’s kind of a joke in my family. My three brothers are married and I can’t even get a second date.”

“Maybe it’s just that you’re going out with the wrong guys. I know lots of men who would give anything to go out with someone like you.”

“You do?” Her eyebrows rose, her expression hopeful.

“Sure.” He could think of one in particular, but sadly there was that non-fraternization clause he’d signed when he was hired.

“Ohmygod, you’re the best, Eric!” She held out her hand. “You’re on.”

What the hell? He accepted her extended hand, and she gave it a vigorous handshake.

“I’m free on Fridays after seven.” She scribbled on a Post-It note on her desk. “Give one of your friends my number, and we’ll set up a time.”

He took the slip of paper. “O—kay.”

She smiled. It was a huge smile that lit up her entire face, like the sun coming out. “Great. You’re the best. Really, you are.”

Oh yeah. He was the best for sure. The best at mucking everything up. He finally had Jane’s phone number and now he was tasked with finding another man to give it to. Perfect.

“Oh. And I have another favor to ask.”

Maybe this could turn around.

She held up a finger and wagged it. “No lawyers. I will never date one. Ever. I’d rather stay single the rest of my life.”

Nope. No turning this disaster around.

Numb, and not exactly sure how he’d gone from up-and-coming attorney to flower delivery boy to Jane Dixon’s personal dating service, Eric shuffled out the door and down the hallway to the safety of his office. This time, he closed the door.

*****

Review:

It isn’t just anyone who can make lawyers sexy 🙂 Jane is on her way to a partnership at her family’s firm but that doesn’t mean that she’s happy. Eric is also on the fast-track, but all work and no play hasn’t exactly left him a lot of time for a relationship. And the only woman who has caught his eye lately is one he can’t have. While their jobs may not allow for inter-office dating, once they start spending time together Eric & Jane discover they may have a connection that is hard to resist.

This isn’t a very long book but it is definitely jam packed full of fun. I kinda wish we’d gotten to see a few more of Jane’s bad dates just because they were so disasterously funny 🙂 And the friendship (and maybe something more) that Eric and Jane develop as they bond over those mishaps has all the feels you could ask for.

While there may roadblocks standing in the way of them committing to each other, there are also issue that keep them from being true to themselves. I love the way that they are able, even indirectly, to help each other find a better course in life.

At about 100 pages Dear Jane is a fast read but that doesn’t mean that it scrimps on the heart. The characters feel real, as do their troubles, and the pacing is well done. The writing keeps it from feeling rushed for being so short and helps deliver a swoon-worthy romance for the reader. Jane has a couple of friends who are sure to make an appearance soon and I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Clarke dreams up for them. (Surely it can’t be as good as setting fire to your date.)

*****

Author Info:

Marissa Clarke is a multi-award-winning, RITA® nominated author of romance for adults and teens. She lives in Texas, where everything is bigger, especially the mosquitoes. When not writing, she wrangles her rowdy pack of three teens, husband, and a Cairn terrier named Annabel, who rules the house (and Marissa’s heart) with an iron paw.

Marissa Clarke is a pseudonym. Her real name is Mary Lindsey and she also writes young adult novels for Penguin USA.

To receive updates and insider information on Marissa’s upcoming books, subscribe to her newsletter.

Author Links: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

*****

Giveaway:

#1 (Kindle Fire Tablet)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2db8a88c20/

#2 (Two Ebook Copies of BRIDESMAID BLUES)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/521ac4c81200/

*****

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Book Review – Brake Failure

06 Friday Jan 2017

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Sneak Peek

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Alison Brodie, Book Review, Brake Failure

I’ve got a fun, quirky read for the end of this first week of the new year … and even better, the lovely Alison Brodie was kind enough to stop by to answer a few questions about herself and her book. And then a little later I get to tell you what I thought of it 😉

*****

Hi, Alison, thank you for joining me today.

My pleasure, Julie. Thank you for inviting me.

I have some questions. Ready?

Fire away!

BRAKE FAILURE is set during the whole Y2K hullabaloo. Is it true that the American government spent 150 billion dollars on preparing for the Millennium Bug?

Yep. It’s true. Also, Virgin Atlantic Airlines would not fly that night. Hong Kong was stockpiling food. Paris had a command centre. (Recently, I met a Canadian financial consultant in Barcelona and he totally remembered the panic everyone was in to protect their money).

You were in Kansas at the time. Were you scared?

At first, I didn’t know what the Millennium Bug meant. Then someone explained that if the computers on the planet registered all those zeroes in 2000, they would crash and we would all end up back in the Dark Ages. As Lionel Shriver says in her bestselling novel, We Have To Talk About Kevin: “1999, a year widely mooted to be the end of the world.”

Yikes. Scary. Besides the fear of Armageddon, did you enjoy your time in Kansas?

Loved it! I loved the people, the way of life, the BBQs! People think Kansas is flat and dull, but it has rolling hills, pocket of pretty woodlands and loads of sparkling lakes and, of course, the great Missouri River. And so much history. And culture.

You live in Biarritz now? What is the down-side and what is the up-side of living there?

Downside: I can’t speak the language very well, so I miss out on sitting in a café and eavesdropping on other people’s conversations, like I could do in America and England.

Upside: It’s against the law in France for guys to wear shorts in swimming pools, consequently one gets an eyeful of French hunks in very tight briefs (“slip de bain”)

I bet you love the food?

Well, in the local markets they serve pigs trotters with red wine for breakfast. Then for lunch they eat “gras double” (tripe, which is the stomach lining of the cow). Dinner is snails in garlic-butter, followed by eels. It’s true: the French eat anything that moves. Luckily, their cakes are out of this world! And I always have one in the morning when I am writing.

Speaking of your writing. San Francisco has awarded BRAKE FAILURE a 5-star review! Congratulations! Ruby is the heroine of the story. How would you sum her up?

She’s been brought up in a world of good manners and polite conversation, where showing emotion is strictly taboo. Then she gets to Kansas and collides with Sheriff Hank Gephart, who brings out her “inner crazy”.

One last question. When is BRAKE FAILURE to be published?

Monday, 9 January.

Good luck, Alison, and thank you for coming by today!

Thank you, Julie!

*****

Brake Failure

by Alison Brodie

Publisher: Clipboard Press

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Page count: 340

ISBN: 978-0-9954568-2-2

Publication date: 9 January, 2017

Blurb:
Brake Failure is a contemporary romance with humour, suspense and a kick-ass heroine. The story is set in one of the most fascinating periods of America’s history: the months leading up to Y2K “melt-down.”

“Is it too late to tell him you love him when you’re looking down the barrel of his gun?”

Ruby Mortimer-Smyth is an English debutante, destined for Ladies Day at Ascot and taking tea at The Savoy. She knows the etiquette for every occasion and her soufflés NEVER collapse.

She is in control of her life, tightly in control. Until fate dumps her down in … Kansas.

Ruby believes that life is like a car; common-sense keeps it on the road, passion sends it into a ditch. What she doesn’t know is, she’s on a collision course with Sheriff Hank Gephart.

Sheriff Hank Gephart can judge a person. Miss Mortimer-Smyth might act like the Duchess of England but just under the surface there’s something bubbling, ready to explode. She’s reckless, and she’s heading for brake failure. And he’s not thinking about her car.

With the Millennium approaching, Ruby gets caught up in the Y2K hysteria. She joins a group of Survivalists, who give her a gun and advise her to stockpile basic essentials, such as gasoline and water-purifying tablets. So she bulk-buys Perrier, Gentleman’s Relish and macaroons.

Ruby, far from home, is making Unsuitable Friends and “finding herself” for the first time. She falls in with a gang of Hells Angels and falls foul of the law. At every turn, she comes up hard against Sheriff Hank Gephart, whose blue eyes seem to look deep into her soul. She desperately wants him but knows she can never have him.

She’s angry and confused at the emotions he arouses in her. Pushed to her limit, she bursts from her emotional straightjacket.

As the clock strikes midnight of the new Millennium, she’s on a freight train with three million dollars, a bottle of Wild Turkey and a smoking gun.

What happened to Miss Prim-and-Proper? And why did she shoot Mr Right?

______

Note: Alison Brodie wrote this story from first-hand experience. She lived in Kansas during this time and was stunned by the hysteria, unnerved that the US government was spending $150 billion preparing for Armageddon. As Lionel Shriver says in her novel, We Have To Talk About Kevin: “1999, a year widely mooted beforehand as the end of the world.”

______

Amazon.com – http://amzn.to/2hJfKph

Amazon.canada – http://amzn.to/2gLOUef

Amazon.co.uk – http://amzn.to/2gLNTDh

______

Reviews for Brake Failure:

5 * “OMG…I freakin’ LOVED this book…going on the list of one of my favorites of 2016.” –Star Angels Reviews

5* “Everyone needs to read this book. It’s blooming brilliant.” –The Reading Shed

5* “Hilarious.” -Lauren Sapala, Book Reviewer and Writers’ Coach.

5* “A laugh-out-tale that will keep you flipping the pages as fast as possible.” –Tome Tender

5* “Empowering…comical…refreshing.” –San Francisco Book Review

*****

Excerpt:

That afternoon, Ruby parked outside Shady Acres. She couldn’t wait for Gephart to ask her out on a date. Then she could tell him she was married. Ha!

He sat in reception. In full uniform. Why couldn’t he have changed into civilian clothes? Now he would make her look like an offender. Or was that his intention? Just because she’d put a few scratches in his police car.

‘Hi, Ruby.’ He stood up, crushing a plastic cup in one hand and tossing it in the bin.

She stared pointedly down at his belt. ‘Are you going to put me in handcuffs?’ she asked sarcastically.

He winked. ‘Not if you’re good.’

Ruby blushed. Why was it that every time she gazed into his eyes, she felt as if a hand was pressing down on her chest? She was only thankful that once she started reading to the old lady, Hank Gephart would go.

The receptionist was busy dealing with two elderly gentlemen, so Ruby and Hank had to wait to sign-in. Ruby felt strangely jittery in the big man’s presence. She only wished he wouldn’t stand so close. She inched further along the reception counter and, wanting to hide her nervousness, started squaring up the brochures into neat piles.

He came closer. ‘Ruby, I don’t like you mixing with Hells Angels.’

She felt his warm breath on her cheek. ‘Is there a law against that?’ Refusing to look at him, she picked up a brochure and found herself reading about incontinence.

‘No, but-’

‘Then, presumably, I have the freedom to choose with whom I associate?’

‘Yeah, but I’m warning you-’

Warning you. Angrily, she grabbed up another brochure and flicked through it at speed, false teeth and hearing-aids flashing by. ‘Why do you have to be so aggressive? Why can’t you say, “may I suggest?”’

‘Okay.’ He rested his arm along the counter and leant towards her. His eyes were blue, very blue. ‘May I suggest you keep away from them?’

‘No, you may-!’ She stopped abruptly. A matronly nurse was hovering beside them.

‘Well, Hank,’ the nurse said gaily. ‘Is this your lady friend you’ve been telling us about?’

Hank beamed down at Ruby with proprietary pride. ‘It sure is.’

‘I’m not his lady friend,’ Ruby mumbled.

‘Nice to meet you, Ruby,’ the nurse said. ‘I’m Amy.’ She beckoned with a finger as if tempting two small well-behaved children to an exciting treat. ‘If you want to come along, Mrs Amstruther is waiting.’

As they walked along the corridor, Ruby noticed two pretty nurses break off from their conversation to study her. She sensed that Hank had been gossiping about her. She caught up with Amy, determined to quash whatever rumours were flying around. ‘I am not at all familiar with Geph- I mean, Hank.’

The nurse stopped at a door and knocked. ‘I love your accent.’

Ruby persisted. ‘I have merely bumped into him on various occasions.’

‘We know.’ The nurse winked and opened the door. ‘You two go on in.’

As Ruby spluttered indignantly, Hank took her by the elbow. ‘Mrs Amstruther?’ he called. ‘I’ve brought my friend to meet you.’

‘Come in, come in,’ a quavery voice replied.

Ruby stepped across the threshold and froze.

Mrs Amstruther was blind.

The old lady was sat up in bed, dressed in a faded, flower-print bed-jacket, her eyes wrapped in bandages; her skin appeared almost translucent, the pink skull showing beneath a mop of dazzling white hair. She smiled sweetly, reaching out a tentative hand.

Ruby felt a pang. Mrs Amstruther shouldn’t be here; she should be in a cottage-garden in Devon with a wicker table laden with a cream tea and a vase of freshly cut delphiniums; and surrounded by her grandchildren.

‘Dear Hank,’ Mrs Amstruther murmured. Ruby stepped forward, and put her hand in the old woman’s. ‘Hello, I’m Ruby.’

‘Oh, how lovely to hear an English voice! You’re so kind, Ruby; volunteering to read to a boring old lady like me.’

‘It’s my pleasure.’

‘Hank didn’t bully you, I hope?’ Mrs Amstruther said in mock gravity.

With an ache of sadness, Ruby gazed down at the old woman so far from home – a home she would never again see. Ruby realised the childish bickering between her and Gephart was pathetic. The discord she had brought into the room, evaporated. ‘I didn’t need to be bullied. I was delighted with Hank for asking me.’

‘Do take a seat, Ruby, dear,’ the old woman said.

Ruby pulled an armchair closer to the bed. The room was sunny, the walls covered in framed photographs of children at the seaside. Beyond the window, at the far perimeter of a vast lawn, a freight train rumbled passed, the melancholic blast of its horn fading into the distance. Gephart, too, was watching it.

Mrs Armstruther’s hand was searching the rumpled bedding. ‘Ruby, could you possibly read a few pages of Wind in the Willows? My son loved it when he was little.’ She brought out a book from under the covers. ‘It’s so annoying not being able to see. Thankfully the bandages come off at the end of the month.’

‘So it’s not …?’

‘What, dear?’

‘Permanent?’ Ruby asked, taking the book.

‘Oh, no, it’s just cataracts; the curse of old age.’

Ruby, discovering the old woman would recover her sight, felt a lightness of spirit; felt she could embrace all her fellow beings – including Hank. He was standing, studying the photos on the wall. Catching his eye, she smiled at him, tilting her head towards the door, a silent message that he could leave.

He wrinkled his brow, evidently unable to gauge her meaning.

She tried again, running her fingers through the air towards the door.

He gave her a stupid look.

‘Are you going?’ she mouthed silently.

He nodded to signify that he understood. Then he shook his head, walked over to the armchair by the window, sat down and rested his hands squarely on his knees.

He was obviously staying.

‘Have you ever read Wind in the Willows, Ruby?’ Mrs Amstruther asked.

‘Yes, years ago.’

The old lady laughed. ‘Mole is delightful, isn’t he? Who is your favourite character?’

‘Toad. I loved it when he dressed up as a woman to escape the police.’ Ruby instantly regretted the words. ‘Of course, I don’t identify with Toad,’ she added hastily, forcing herself not to look at Gephart. ‘I just think he’s a loveable rascal.’

‘Isn’t he just!’ Mrs Amstruther settled back to enjoy the story, and Ruby began:

‘“The Mole had been working hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home …”’

Why is P.C. Plod hanging about anyway? Surely he’s not interested in riverbank creatures.

‘“First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash till he had dust in his throat and eyes and splashes of white-wash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms …”’

He’s staring at me; I know he is.

‘“Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below …’”

This was too much! Ruby glared at him. ‘Haven’t you got a murder to solve?’

‘What?’ Mrs Amstruther jerked in confusion.

Ruby was appalled by her thoughtlessness. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, Mrs Amstruther, I was talking to Hank. You see, I don’t want to keep him from his work.’

He folded his arms across his chest and grinned. He was obviously taking delight in her embarrassment. ‘I’m off-duty,’ he said.

For the sake of the old lady, Ruby had to speak sweetly, but there was nothing stopping her from raking the man from head to foot with hostile eyes. ‘Do you always wear uniform when you’re off-duty?’

‘I do when I haven’t had time to get to my locker and change.’

She couldn’t bear to look at that smug face a second longer. She snatched up the book and continued to read. ‘“Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below-’” She stopped in confusion, her cheeks a fiery red.

‘Oh, I’ve read that bit already.’

She could sense him laughing at her. And he was!

He stood up, his eyes dancing mischievously. ‘I’ve got a feeling Ruby can’t concentrate with me here. I’m flustering her pretty little head.’

Her relief that he was going was rapidly replaced by horror. That awful man was insinuating she fancied him! As he passed by, he bent and kissed her on the cheek. ‘I’ll be waiting for you in the lobby … Sweet Cheeks,’ he said softly, squeezing her shoulder.

Wide-eyed and apoplectic, she watched him walk to the door.

‘He’s such a lovely man,’ Mrs Amstruther said after he had gone.

Ruby couldn’t trust herself to speak.

‘The nurses say he’s very handsome. Is he?’

Ruby was still pinning the door with a look of fury. ‘O-h-h, you don’t want to know what I think.’

She picked up the book, her decision made.

She was no longer angry; in fact, she was rather jubilant. Like any institution, this building would have a goods delivery entrance. Well, Gephart, she thought complacently. You’re about to have a long wait because Sweet Cheeks, here, is going out the back.

*****

Review:

I found Brake Failure to be a bit more like a humorous coming of age story than a romance but that definitely didn’t stop it from being fun!

Ruby has a bit of a mid-life crisis as she not only finds herself far from the glamorous Paris she envisioned but she finally starts to experience life without someone else’s restrictive guidance and starts to embrace that freedom. She may only spread her wings a little at a time, but she’ll get there one day … and in the least likely manner possible.

It’s a very quirky read so you have to be prepared for that. Not only is it a stranger in a strange land kind of thing, with a posh English miss finding herself in the middle of Kansas, but even the Kansas she’s in is full of characters. I love that she manages to meet some of the most unusual people on the planet, all in just a couple months’ time 🙂 The only (minor) problem I had was that at first I didn’t like the back and forth from the present to the past, but after a bit I got into it – it’s used as a device to direct the flow of the regular story and adds entertaining foreshadowing to what’s going to happen next.

If you are looking for humor and fun, but not a lot of normal happenings, then come along for this journey of one prissy English woman as she manages to find her true self in the decidedly non-posh state of Kansas.

*****

Author Info:

Alison Brodie is a Scot, with French Huguenot ancestors on her mother’s side. Alison was a photographic model for a wide range of products, such as Ducatti motorbikes and 7Up. She was also the vampire in the Schweppes commercial.

Alison lived in Kansas for two years. She loved the people, their friendliness, the history and the BBQs! Now, she lives in Biarritz, France with her rescue mutt, Bayley.

BRAKE FAILURE will be “unleashed” 9 Jan, 2017. See the reviews on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31683339-brake-failure

Alison loves to hear from her readers.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alisonbrodie2

Website: http://alisonbrodiebooks.com

Facebook PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/AlisonBrodieAuthor/

Pinterest: https://fr.pinterest.com/a_brodie/

*****

Book Review – Max

05 Thursday Jan 2017

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Book Review, Cold Fury Hockey series, Max, Sawyer Bennett

Max

A Cold Fury Hockey Novel

by Sawyer Bennett

The Carolina Cold Fury’s hot new star shows his bad-boy teammates that even nice guys can score big in this steamy hockey romance from the bestselling author of Ryker and Hawke (“Sexy, emotional, and fantastic!” —Sandi Lynn).

The ice is a cold mistress. As the league’s most eligible goalie, Max Fournier has access to his fair share of willing puck bunnies, but right now he’s more interested in bringing home another championship than a one-night stand. A romantic at heart, Max believes in love; he’s just not great at relationships. So when he finally meets a nice girl who’s not blinded by his celebrity, he’s feeling the heat—and the pressure to save her from herself.

Between working two jobs and raising her sister’s kids, Julianne Bradley doesn’t have time for sports—or men. All she knows about Max is that he’s the sexiest customer to ever grace her gas-station counter. And he sees past her tired eyes and makes Jules yearn for things she can’t have: a glamorous fling, a passionate lover, and the time to enjoy both. Max makes her feel like Cinderella, even though Jules has enough baggage to crush a glass slipper. Luckily, he’s no prince—only a fierce competitor determined to win her heart.

Max is a romantic at heart and looking for someone to share his life with – no puck bunnies for him. When he meets Julianne for the first time he knows that there is something special about her and wants to get to know her better. Then when he finds out exactly what her life has become, he realizes just how strong she is.

Jules is raising her niece and nephews after her sister’s death. The insta-family and all that means is taking up all of her time & energy. Even meeting a sexy guy at work only tempts her a little. Luckily for her Max is tenacious and willing to put in a little effort to make sure that they can explore a potential relationship.

I love that Max respects Jules and her needs. He tries to understand where she is coming from and support her, but he’s not willing to let her hide either. If she needs a little push, or a little help, he’s there for that too. There isn’t a lot of drama between them – when bad things happen they face them together and work through it. There is that one requisite freak-out that leads to the HEA moment but it’s handled in line with the rest of the story and doesn’t last long. I think that Bennett does a fantastic job of balancing things, especially in the world of a professional athlete where she could have made it a big thing but doesn’t. It’s realistic and sweet and works with the characters she’s given us.

I have been a fan of the Cold Fury hockey team since the very first book and I’m so pleased to see that Bennett continues to bring winners. With her smooth writing, interesting characters and strong story, she once again reminds me why she’s on my go-to author list!

Book Review – Completely Yours

30 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

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Book Review, Completely Yours, Erin Nicholas, Opposites Attract series

Completely Yours

Opposites Attract #1

by Erin Nicholas

Kiera Connelly leads a quiet life, and that’s just how she likes it. She’s built a name as a graphic designer and meets up with her friends online, all from the comfort of her living room couch. But when a rare outing turns disastrous, Kiera finds herself up close and way too personal with an unbelievably hot real-life hero.

Zach Ashley doesn’t see himself as a hero. He’s just a regular guy who gets to help people every day as an EMT. But when he’s called to a scene and has to treat his most gorgeous patient ever, he finds himself mixing work with pleasure. He never hesitates to put his life on the line…but will he ever risk his heart?

I think the blurb, for me, made Kiera out to be a little more … of a shut-in, I guess, than she actually is. I expected her to be one of those people that is afraid to go outside, avoids all social interactions, only has online friends, food is delivered, doesn’t do anything except spend time on the computer, more extreme things. But she’s actually very well adjusted. She has her issues with getting too involved in other people’s lives, stemming from the way she grew up & a broken heart/trust, but she has friends and activities. She just has a job that has her working at home, with odd hours, and she geeks out about certain things. She’s got her peculiarities but she’s not that weird.

Zach is one of those all around good guys. I mean, come on, the man saves lives for a living! He’s gorgeous, athletic, smart and charming. But that doesn’t mean his life is problem free. He’s got some hang-ups of his own – needing to fix everyone’s problems & be the hero is at the top of the list. It’s not a bad thing to want to help but he also has to realize that he can’t do everything for everyone.

Throw together a woman who separates herself from other’s problems and a guy who gets too involved, add in some sparks and humor and great supporting characters, and things are guaranteed to get messy. But these two are also going to learn and grow on their way to falling in love. It’s fun, quirky and touching. Nicholas definitely has a good chance at a winner with this new series!