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Tag Archives: To Win Her Heart

Book Review – To Win Her Heart

13 Friday May 2016

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

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

We’ve seen this one already as a spotlight, but I finally had a chance to read it 🙂

To Win Her HeartTo Win Her Heart

Book Three in the Players series

by Mackenzie Crowne

In order to protect her, they’ll both have to let their guards down…

Country music’s It Girl Jessi Tucker is fed up with her family’s stifling security measures. The threat of a dangerous stalker has gotten the men in her life—including her football star cousin, Tuck Tucker—monitoring her every move. To get the freedom she yearns for, Jessi hatches a plan to recruit Max Grayson, Tuck’s sexy brawler best friend, to play the role of her new boyfriend. But if her scheme works, will she be forced to hide her true romantic feelings for the sake of her independence? Or will she finally steal the heart of her dream man?…

Max has been pining for Jessi for years and would do anything to protect her, but a professional cage fighter with too many skeletons in his closet has no business being with one of America’s sweethearts. Yet while Max does his best to keep Jessi at arm’s length, the Tucker family persuades him to accept her offer.

Max believes he can keep Jessi safe from danger, but can he shelter her from his own dark secrets, the media’s unforgiving spotlight—and a mutual desire that’s harder to resist each day…

I knew I’d love this one because Crowne did such fabulous things with the first two books and I was so anxious to see what she would do for the oh-so-sexy Max 🙂  Even though he’s done extremely well for himself, Max still feels unworthy of Jessi for so many reasons – the way he grew up, the things he did surviving on the streets, their age difference, his relationship with her family.  Jessi though sees the man he is now and is convinced that nothing he’s done can change how she feels about him.  And now she’s got the perfect chance to make him see it too.

The Tuckers are a force unto themselves!  Smart, funny, caring and stubborn, once they start something they don’t give up easily.  And Jessi is going to need all of that to help her get through to Max.  As the two spend time together he starts letting slip some of the reasons why he’s been fighting their attraction so hard and it’s heartbreaking, for her and for us.

Unfortunately Max can be just as set in his thinking as she is so he’s not going to go down without a fight.  Convinced that he’s not good enough to be loved (completely missing how much his friends already love him and how they would do just about anything for him) Max has done everything he can to resist Jessi but close contact for too long pushes even him to the limit … and what a fabulous time that turns out to be 🙂

Interestingly enough the stalker part of it doesn’t play that big of a role, except to throw the two of them together and as a means to give them some alone time.  I actually liked the way it is handled because it makes sense in the story but if you are looking for something more suspense-y I think you might be disappointed.  Crowne definitely focuses on the romance part of it, delivering an emotional read full of ups & downs as the two fight for what they believe is right.

(Even though this is part of a series, you can start here … although, there’s a good chance you’ll be drawn in too and anxiously await whatever Crowne brings next!)

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Spotlight – Cooking Up Trouble & To Win Her Heart

12 Tuesday Apr 2016

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Cooking Up Trouble, Judi Lynn, Mackenzie Crowne, Mill Pond series, Players series, To Win Her Heart

I’m so excited about these two books – it’ll be my first Mill Pond Romance (although it looks super good!) and I’ve loved the rest of the Players series (To Win Her Love, To Win Her Trust) … I’ve been waiting for Max to get his girl 🙂

*****

CookingUpTroubleTour copy

~

Cooking up TroubleCooking Up Trouble

A Mill Pond Romance

by Judi Lynn

Blurb:

Tessa Lawrence swore off men when she found her fiancée in the arms of another woman.  These days, she concentrates on caring for her small farm and running a bakery and farm stand out of its barn.  Ian McGregor moves to Mill Pond to build a resort on the property next to Tessa’s.  Tessa’s fine with that.  Mill Pond’s trying to attract more tourists.  The problem is, Ian understands business, but he’s never changed a tire or pounded a nail.  She finds herself helping him more than she expected, and spending time around Ian is a dangerous proposition.  The man’s far too good-looking and fun to be around.

Purchase Links:  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/32318

~

Excerpt:

He stared at her a minute, then threw back his head and laughed. “I get it. Everyone knows your dirty laundry here.”

“Pretty much.”

“Then I’d better learn to be discreet.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Hmm, that much to hide? This should be interesting.”

With a grin, he motioned for her to follow him as he toured the first floor of the house. A small room, near the back, had a double bed made up and ready. He went to the kitchen and opened a few cupboards. A bag of ground coffee sat in the one above the coffee pot. “No food, but I can figure that out later.”

“No problem. When you come to my place for supper, I’ll send you home with some leftovers and a coffee cake for breakfast.”

He turned and reached for her hand. “Thank you. You’ve been really nice. It’s made this  easier.”

She felt a blush creep up her neck and stain her cheeks. “We’re neighbors. It’s what country neighbors do.”

“Well, I appreciate it. If you ever need any help, let me know.” She couldn’t hide her surprise.

He glowered. “I might not be good with tools, but I’m good at fi- nances, business, things like that.”

“So am I, but thanks for the offer.”

He stared. “You’re good at money management, too?” “I took accounting before I dropped out of college.”

He thought a minute. “If you need a spider killed, a hand held, I’m your man.”

He was pretty sweet, really. But Gary had been sweet, too. Nice, handsome men might make great friends, but nothing more. “I’ll keep that in mind. For now, I’ve got to go. I have blueberry bushes to plant. You have a beautiful place. Settle in and I’ll see you at six.”

With a nod, he watched her go.

On the drive home, she couldn’t help thinking about him. Boy, did he have a lot to learn. She’d been lucky. She’d stayed with her grandparents every summer before she’d moved here. She knew what to expect of a small town. She had a feeling Ian McGregor didn’t have a clue.

~

P1030252Author Info:

When some people think of Indiana, they think of corn—which we have a lot of.  But to me, Indiana is green—lush, beautiful, vibrant greens—so I use fictional towns and plunk them in an Indiana setting for a lot of my stories.  I love cooking and gardening, and those sneak into my novels, too.  I’ve collected more strays than I deserve.  I’m a fan of Agatha Christie and urban fantasy, and I believe in happy ever after.

Website:  http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/

Blog:  http://writingmusings.com/

My twitter handle:  @judypost

My Facebook author page:  https://www.facebook.com/JudithPostsurbanfantasy/

~

Giveaway:

Ebook copy of Cooking Up Trouble

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e4be888269/

*****

ToWinHerHeartTour copy

~

To Win Her HeartTo Win Her Heart

The Players Series, Book 3

by Mackenzie Crowne

Blurb:

In order to protect her, they’ll both have to let their guards down…

Country music’s It Girl Jessi Tucker is fed up with her family’s stifling security measures. The threat of a dangerous stalker has gotten the men in her life—including her football star cousin, Tuck Tucker—monitoring her every move. To get the freedom she yearns for, Jessi hatches a plan to recruit Max Grayson, Tuck’s sexy brawler best friend, to play the role of her new boyfriend. But if her scheme works, will she be forced to hide her true romantic feelings for the sake of her independence? Or will she finally steal the heart of her dream man?

Max has been pining for Jessi for years and would do anything to protect her, but a professional cage fighter with too many skeletons in his closet has no business being with one of America’s sweethearts. Yet while Max does his best to keep Jessi at arm’s length, the Tucker family persuades him to accept her offer.
Max believes he can keep Jessi safe from danger, but can he shelter her from his own dark secrets, the media’s unforgiving spotlight—and a mutual desire that’s harder to resist each day?

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

KOBO

GOOGLE PLAY

KENSINGTON BOOKS

~

Excerpt:

“Actually, I came by to apologize.”

“Apologize?” She crossed her arms and hid her surprise. “Are you saying my proposition wasn’t as screwy as you made it sound?”

A wry smile curved his lips. “Hell no. Your plan is full out nuts, but I shouldn’t have shut you down the way I did without hearing you out.”

Renewed anger simmered in her belly and her laugh was harsh. “My plan was nuts but you should have asked for details? Right. Don’t patronize me, Max. I get it. You think I’m a silly little girl who has nothing else to do but come up with ridiculous larks to fill my time. Believe what you want. I don’t care.”

Pulling his hands from his pockets, he closed the distance between them in four long strides. She took a tentative step back and her gaze skidded briefly to Dan. He didn’t look up from his book, and she didn’t bother calling out to him. The studio was soundproof with the intercom shut off. He wouldn’t hear her, anyway.

Her pulse sped up as Max dipped his head until his face was only inches from hers.

His sober expression held no hint of humor. “First, don’t put words in my mouth. A silly little girl is the last thing I see when I look at you, and second, you do, too, care.”

She yearned to ask what he did see, but crowded between the keyboard at her back and his big body, she was too flustered to pull off the question. She settled for a blatant lie. “No, I don’t.”

“If you don’t care then why this angry little wrinkle?”

The breath caught in her throat as he touched a fingertip to the space between her brows. Shaken, she jerked her head back. “Because I don’t happen to like you anymore.”

He dropped his hand to his side, but didn’t step back. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad. He smelled delicious, but her heart tended to overreact whenever he was near. This close, that foolish organ was going bonkers.

His deep chuckle made her shiver. “Liar. You’re pissed.”

~

Head shot 2014Author Info:

Wife, mother and really young grandmother, Mackenzie lives with her high school sweet heart husband, a neurotic Pomeranian, and a blind cat. She calls Phoenix home because the southwest feeds her soul. Though her friends claim she’s a princess, she disagrees. After all, one can’t raise two rambunctious boys to wonderful men without getting a little dirt under their nails. A lover of the romance genre, her resolve to share her stories with others was sharpened by a bout with breast cancer. Today she is an award-winning author and eight year survivor, living the dream. Her friends call her Mac. She hopes you will, too. Connect with her at http://mackenziecrowne.com, https://www.facebook.com/MackenzieCrowne and https://twitter.com/MacCrowne.

~

Giveaway:

Ebook of To Win Her Heart

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e4be888268/

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