Looking to have your heartstrings tugged? I have the book for you!
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Child of Mine
The Masonville Series, Book 1
by Jana Richards
Genre: contemporary small-town romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: February 20, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5092-2481-4
Number of pages: 262
Word Count: 64,880
Cover Artist: Rae Monet
Blurb:
Is Lauren’s love for Cole stronger than her fear of scandal in her hometown?
Lauren didn’t intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband’s funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she’s not sorry. Cole’s given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He’s been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she’s afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn’t his.
Cole’s been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother’s. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren’s heart ever be his?
Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?
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Excerpt:
Cole wrapped her in his arms. He held her securely, whispering reassurances. “It’s all right, Lauren. Don’t cry. It’s going to be okay, sweetheart.”
She clung to him, her face buried against his neck. How wonderful to be held, to be touched. It had been so long—
What was she doing? This was Cole, her friend. She pulled away from him. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for.”
She turned away and tried to wipe the tears from her face. After she got her tears under control, she made herself smile at him. “Do you remember the homecoming dance? The time I tripped in my new high heels and sprained my ankle?”
“Of course I do. You couldn’t walk, so I carried you from the school gym to Billy’s car, and he drove you home. I remember you were a lot heavier than you looked.”
She swatted his shoulder, hiccupping laughter mixing with her tears. “Very funny. I was trying to make a point.”
He wiped the tears from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, his dark eyes full of tenderness. “So what was your point?”
“You’re a good friend. You’ve always been there every time I’ve needed you, and here you are again. Thank you.” He stared into her eyes, but said nothing. She couldn’t look away. He continued to stroke her cheek with his thumb, the tiny caress acting like a balm to her battered heart. She placed her hand on his cheek.
“Cole.”
They reached for each other in mutual need. He pulled her against his chest, his mouth descending on hers in a hungry, urgent kiss. She sighed against his mouth, and he brought her closer. He wants me. It had been so long since someone had wanted her. Only her.
*****
Review:
I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this one. It’s ripe for drama and conflict but surprisingly (and happily) Richards steered away from that. Instead we get a couple of people going from friends to lovers, with just a few bumps along the way. Neither of them are very good at talking about how they feel and make a lot of assumptions. It took a bit to get over what they did on the day of the funeral – it only makes sense that it would make things awkward, which only exasperates their difficulty in communicating.
There’s so many emotions running through Child of Mine. You can’t help but feel for Lauren as she deals with the disaster that her marriage turned in to, the fear of problems with her pregnancy, and the conflict over her relationship with Cole. Speaking of Cole, he’s just about a saint. His mother is just awful and he’s been in love with his brother’s wife for years! Things work out the way they should, but your heart goes out to him every step of the way. (And I love Lauren even more for what she does for him at the end – he deserves someone on his side for once!)
This is the first book by Richards that I’ve read but I definitely doubt it will be my last! I loved her characters and she does a fabulous job of giving them a story that treats them well.
*****
Author Info:
When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal. Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was a 2008 EPPIE finalist, and in 2018 “Lies and Solace” won Best Contemporary romance in the I Heart Indie contest.
In her life away from writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant, a mother to two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga, movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and her husband live in Winnipeg, Canada with their Pug/Terrier cross Lou.
She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at
Blog: http://janarichards.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards
Amazon UK Author Page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B002DEVWWG
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2892274Jana_Richards
Google+ Profile: https://plus.google.com/100820406211390323245
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jana-richards
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Giveaway:
$10 Amazon Gift Certificate
1 ecopy of LIES AND SOLACE
3 ecopies RESCUE ME
3 ecopies TAKE A CHANCE ON ME
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Romantic Reads and Such 