I love Sharon Salas’s books – and not just because she’s an Okie gal too ๐ ย
I am so thrilled to get to share I’ll Stand By You with you because I think this is going to be one of my all time favorite stories.ย It is just so amazingly sweet …
*****
Iโll Stand By You
byย Sharon Sala
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb:
No one is alone
Dori Grant is no stranger to hardship. As a young single mother in the gossip-fueled town of Blessings, Georgia, she’s weathered the storm of small-town disapproval most of her life. But when Dori loses everything within the span of an evening, she realizes she has no choice but to turn to her neighbors.
As long as there is love to give
Everyone says the Pine boys are no good, but Johnny Pine has been proving the gossips wrong ever since his mother died and he took over raising his brothers. His heart goes out to the young mother and child abandoned by the good people of Blessings. Maybe he can be the one to change all that…
Goodreads Link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23510410-i-ll-stand-by-you
Buy Links
Amazon: http://bit.ly/AmazonSala
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/BNSala
iBookstore: http://bit.ly/AppleSala
IndieBound:ย http://bit.ly/IndieSala
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Excerpt:
โNothing means a damn thing if I donโt have my baby.โ
โAnd now we get to my suggestion. Do you like Johnny Pine?โ
โYes, of course. Heโs been wonderful to us.โ
โNo, I mean, could you like him as relationship material?โ
โThat possibility exists,โ she said.
โGood. Now let me talk to Johnny.โ
She handed the phone back to Johnny.
โNow he wants to talk to you.โ
She took the baby and Johnny took the phone.
โYeah?โ
โI have a suggestion that could bring an end to your troubles.โ
โLike what?โ
โDo you like Dori?โ
โWell, sure. Sheโs great.โ
โDo you like her enough to consider a personal relationship with her?โ
Johnny looked at Dori, then cupped her face and ran his thumb down the side of her jaw.
โYes, I like her enough to consider a personal relationship.โ
Dori shivered beneath his touch as she realized Butterman was asking Johnny the same question heโd asked her.
โPut the phone on speaker,โ Butterman said.
โJust a minute,โ Johnny said and then pressed a button. โOkay, youโre on speaker now.โ
โHereโs the deal,โ Butterman said. โYou two are very young to have such adult responsibilities. Youโre both trying to take care of your families on your own, and now DFCS has their nose in your business and is threatening you with removing the children from your custody, right?โ
โRight,โ they said.
โSo this would end tomorrow if you were married.โ
Johnny took a quick breath, started to speak, and then found himself staring at Dori instead, waiting for her reaction.
Dori already knew Johnny cared for her because heโd told her. What he didnโt know was that she was very attracted to him.
โWell? Did both of you faint or what?โ Butterman asked.
โIโm game if she is,โ Johnny said.
โIโm willing to do whatever it takes to keep our boys,โ Dori said.
Butterman chuckled. โCongratulations on your upcoming nuptials. If it were me, I wouldnโt waste any time. Go get the license and find a preacher, and your trouble with Miss Carter is a thing of the past. I assume I am invited to the wedding.โ
*****
Review:
It’s the characters that are so important in this series and Sala once again brings us wonderful ones.ย Not only Dori and Johnny, but Johnny’s little brothers and those people in the town who are so willing to lend a hand when needed.
Life hasnโt always been kind to Dori or Johnny, but they have never given up.ย They work hard at making a good life for those they care about and when life brings them into the same sphere, that dedication expands to encompass both families.ย But while life keeps throwing them punches, now they have each other and it is so very sweet watching them fall in love.ย Iโm impressed at how, being so young but having to take on so much responsibility, they still manage to keep a good attitude.ย They arenโt naรฏve but they arenโt letting it turn them bitter either.ย They are such a fantastic match and I was so very happy that they found each other.
As with the other books, Sala continues to bring a great cast of secondary characters โฆ unfortunately not all of them have a good heart.ย It isnโt always pretty, but Sala manages to do a fantastic job of capturing that small town feel.ย There are caring people, who help and support those around them, but there are also those that only look out for themselves.ย Itโs both kinds of people that bring Dori and Johnny to their eventual HEA.ย And while it isnโt always roses and sunshine, thee good definitely outweighs the bad in their lives, which I think is what most of us hope for.
If you havenโt read Count Your Blessings (previously titled Color Me Bad) or Curl Up & Dye, it’s OK because all of these books can stand on their own.ย But it does help to give you an idea of the small Southern town charm and politics that Sala captures so well.ย And as much as I loved the first two stories, I think this one is my favorite (so far, because I canโt wait to see what Sala has in store for us next).
*****
Author Info:
Sharon Sala, who has also written under the name Dinah McCall, has 85-plus books in print, published in four different genres-Romance, Young Adult, Western, and Women’s Fiction, and her Young Adult books have been optioned for film. She has been named a RITA finalist seven times by Romance Writers of America, and in 2011 they named her the recipient of the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. Her books are New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly bestsellers and published in many different languages. She lives in Oklahoma, the state where she was born.
Social Networking Links
Website: http://sharonsala.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharonkaysala
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharonSala1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/40570.Sharon_Sala
*****
Giveaway:
Win your own copy of the book and a diamond hummingbird necklace
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f74/
*****
Romantic Reads and Such 