Today I am giving everyone another look at the Brothers In Blue Trilogy by Jeanne St. James. I previously reviewed all of these books separately as they were released.
Below you will find my book reviews for Max, Marc and Matt and author info. Enjoy and give these books a read and/or listen on audiobook if you missed them the first time around. You will not be disappointed.
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
BROTHERS IN
BLUE: MAX (Brothers in Blue #1) by Jeanne St. James is a HOT contemporary
romance read that introduces the reader to a rich, immature party girl that has
her whole life turned upside down and a small town cop, who is an ex-Marine and
all Alpha.
Amanda
Barber is a young, rich girl partying all over Miami with her friends and no
responsibilities. Suddenly, she has to move to small town PA to live in her
dead father and stepmother’s home to care for her 22 year old special needs
half-brother and his dog. She has never met Greg and Chaos due the messy
divorce of her parents and has no idea how to deal with him or his needs.
I did not
like Amanda at first, but as the story progresses and you see how she is trying
to learn to help Greg and stand on her own two feet for a change, she pulled me
to her side. You learn her backstory slowly, and like me, the small town folk
did not care for Amanda at first either. She makes mistakes, but you also watch
her mature quickly. She wants to go back to her old life at first, but things
conspire to make her want to stay more and more as the story progresses.
Max Bryson
is a third generation police officer in his hometown and the oldest of three
Bryson boys. When he first runs into Amanda, he has trouble believing such an
immature girl has been assigned the care of Greg, but even as her attitude
chafes, he finds her extremely hot. The back and forth between these two was
extremely well written. You can see in each encounter the strength in Amanda
continues to grow as she stands up to him and takes control her own life and
Greg’s. How much Max’s attitude changes towards Amanda is also realistically
written. The emotional growth of both Amanda and Max is what makes this an
engaging romance.
It was great
getting to know all the secondary characters in this story, also. Max’s loving
and stable parents and his teasing younger brothers. Not so nice, but necessary
to understand Amanda were her mother and ex-boyfriend from Miami. I am looking
forward to reading Marc’s story next.
Please Note:
Although this is a small town love story it does contain many explicit sex
scenes throughout the story. They are well written, integrated into the story
and very, very hot!
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
Another HOT
book about a Bryson brother from Manning Grove!
BROTHERS IN
BLUE: MARC (Brothers in Blue #2) by Jeanne St. James has the second Bryson
brother having to train the new police recruit who just happens to be female.
For an alpha male like Marc, who also happens to still believe there should not
be any female officers, being made her FTO (field training officer) by his brother
the chief seems like a sick joke.
Leah Grant
is determined to be a police officer just like her deceased father. She has
fought all the stereotypes and risen to the top of her training class to have
no one, but Max offer her a job. Manning Grove is very small town to her old
home of Philly, but she is determined to make it, even with the chauvinist
beliefs of her FTO.
As Marc and
Leah train and ride together, their chemistry starts to override their common
sense. They try to keep their work life separate from their increasing
attraction, but Marc wants her in his bed as much as Leah wants to prove she is
as capable as any male officer. The taboo of trainer and trainee does not stop
these two, but they do keep it out of work hours.
These two
have explosive chemistry in bed and are so perfect for each other. There are
explicit sex scenes that are well written and have a surprising appearance of
nipple rings and other sex toys. I also loved that Leah stayed at Marc’s
parents’ house when she moved to town so that we continue to be involved with
the whole family from Max’s story in Book #1. This romance can be read as a
standalone because of its own HEA, but the family ties and small town life
carry over.
I love that
Ms. St. James has made each of these books in this series unique so far. I
appreciate that they are not both the same premise with new names inserted. I
am looking forward to what happens with the last Bryson boy, if he ever comes
home!
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
What a great
addition and emotionally charged finale to the Bryson brother trilogy of books!
BROTHERS IN
BLUE: MATT (Brothers In Blue #3) by Jeanne St. James has the youngest Bryson
finally returning home after several deployments overseas to a job and extended
family that he is finding very difficult to deal with due to PTSD.
Matt Bryson
believes his mind is broken. He is not ready to accept help except what is
forced on him by his brother to keep his job as a police office in their small
town. He has buried his emotions and is barely making it day to day.
Dr. Carly
Stephens is Amanda’s obstetrician at the local hospital. She is tall, calm and
extremely professional working hard to help her elderly parents and save money
to adopt a baby of her own one day that she cannot have herself. When Matt ends
up being the brother to rush Amanda to the hospital to deliver, he is attracted
to Carly’s calm and leadership. Carly is attracted to the hot police office.
They start
out as landlord and tenant, but soon agree to a sexual, no commitment
relationship. They are just too different and want different things out of
life. Matt with his OCD and PTSD believes he will never be able to love and he
never wants children. Carly is too busy earning and saving money for her future
home and adoption and just wants the hot sex. But can they truly keep to this
arrangement? Hot, steamy sex is great, but soon emotions become entangled and
they will have to find a way to compromise or break.
Matt had me
all tied up in knots emotionally. There are many forms and degrees of PTSD and
I feel Ms. St. James handled Matt’s character responses in a realistic way. I
especially agree with the way that Matt had to handle a lot of his decisions on
his own and in his own time. Carly was an equally strong character because even
though she is a doctor, she knows she can’t heal Matt, she can only love and
help him. The plot was a delicate back and forth written with empathy and
compassion.
It was great
reading about all the characters from the previous two books, also. I am going
to miss these brothers, the loves they found and the entire extended family.
This is an excellent contemporary romance series with plenty of hot and steamy
sex scenes. They can all be read as standalones, but is much more fun to read
them all in order and get three HEAs.
***
Author Info
JEANNE ST. JAMES is a USA Today bestselling romance author who loves an alpha male (or two). She was only thirteen when she started writing. Her first paid published piece was an erotic story in Playgirl magazine. Her first erotic romance novel, Banged Up, was published in 2009.
She is happily owned by farting French bulldogs. She writes M/F, M/M, and M/M/F ménages. Want to read a sample of her work? Download a sampler book here: BookHip.com/MTQQKK
STARTING OVER AT BLUEBERRY CREEK (Sweetwater Springs
Book #4) by Annie Rains is another wonderful addition to the Sweetwater Springs
contemporary romance series. Ms. Rains has written a friends-to-lovers story
that pulled at every one of my heartstrings.
Brenna McConnell put her college education to become a
teacher on hold to finish raising her younger sister, Eve when their parents are
killed in an accident. Brenna takes over her mother’s catering business with
her aunt and when her sister graduates from high school she fears her sister’s
desire to become a firefighter like their father. Eve is headstrong and
difficult with Brenna acting like a mother instead of the sister she misses
which causes a rift between them.
Firefighter Luke Marini moves next door to the sisters to
start over in a new town. He immediately notices the beautiful brunette next
door, but one of the reasons he moved was to get away from his previous
neighbor and have people not know about his past. Brenna welcomes her new
neighbor even as he seems cold to her neighborly advances, but Luke is finding
he cannot stay away from the temptation of the sweet Brenna.
Luke helps Brenna realize that her sister is an adult, even
though she may not act like one at times and it is time for Brenna to work on
realizing her own dreams. Brenna is used to sacrificing for others and she is
finding it difficult to only think of herself, especially when wonderful
firefighter may be her chance at a future that may be slightly different than
what she always dreamed of.
I love Ms. Rain’s storytelling! It pulls me in to her small-town
characters and lives effortlessly. Brenna and Luke both had so much going on
emotionally, past and present and yet Ms. Rain’s writing makes you feel empathy
and not sympathy. The growth and changes flow throughout the story, including Brenna
and Eve’s relationship. Sometimes what we believe will make us happy, is not
necessarily so and both of the main characters learn that and grow. All the
secondary characters are fully fleshed out and the sex is all behind closed doors.
I love this book and all the Sweetwater Springs books and recommend them all! I want to thank Forever Books and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC. It was very much my pleasure.
A Favor for a Favor (All In Book #2) by Helena
Hunting is a contemporary romance that will have you laughing out loud and/or teary
eyed more times than you can count throughout this fun and entertaining read.
This is the second book in the “All In” series featuring alpha professional hockey
jocks from Seattle’s new expansion NHL team, but it is easily read as a standalone
romance.
Stevie Bowman is excited to surprise her boyfriend returning
from her trip early to her and her boyfriend’s new apartment in time for her
birthday. But the surprise is on her when she walks in and finds him in bed
having sex with someone else.
Her brother, Rook helps her out by letting her live in his
team apartment he is not using while she gets back on her feet. As she stumbles
in late at night, she wakes her neighbor, who is not happy to be woken up. Stevie
just wants to hide and get away from this jerk of a neighbor.
Bishop Winslow cannot believe his strait-laced team captain
is keeping a side piece in his apartment. He already hates that Rook was made
team captain instead of him and this makes it even worse. Imagine his surprise
when he finds out the mistress is actually the hot younger sister.
Bishop suffers a severe groin injury in the very first
pre-season game. Stevie offers Bishop a deal. She will assist with his rehab so
he can return to the ice sooner, if he will give her a letter of recommendation
which will help advance her career in sport physiotherapy. Can they keep it
strictly professional?
I absolutely love Bishop and Stevie. They are perfect
examples of “do not judge someone because you don’t know what they are going
through privately.” The underwear war had me laughing out loud.
I am fast becoming a huge fan of Helena Hunting’s romances. The
characters are realistic, full-fleshed and the dialogue is pitch perfect. She
captures the sex appeal and down-and-dirty language and foibles of young
professional male athletes. The women she creates are strong, but surprisingly
quirky and/or have an emotional impediment that I would never think would work as
a match for these men and yet each is the perfect match.
I highly recommend this contemporary romance and author!
***
Author Biography:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting lives on
the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately
intolerant cats. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance with all
the feels to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.
Today I am excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review for a new women’s fiction/contemporary romance from Colleen Hoover titled REGRETTING YOU.
Below you will find a Q&A with the author, an excerpt from the book, my book review, a book summary, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway for $100 gift card from Amazon. Good luck and enjoy!
***
Q&A with Author Colleen Hoover
You are
‘label-less’ in the fact that you write in several genres. Readers never know
what to expect next. If someone asks, how do you label yourself?
When I self-published my first novel I had no
idea what genre to put it in. I thought I had written a drama but it turns to
that I had written a romance. I’ve learned a lot since then, but I still don’t
put a lot of weight in genre when I write. When your best friend is begging you
to read a book, it’s not going to matter what genre it is when someone you
trust is passionate about the story.
To keep all of your stories and characters
straight, you must be very organized.
I’m the most disorganized person you will ever
meet! I have no schedule. I can’t wake up before nine in the morning. I
probably don’t go to bed until like three in the morning. I usually work about
16 hours a day.
What happens if you get blocked when you are
writing?
If I get stuck writing, I go for a drive and
play music. Music really helps me plot. I love The Avett Brothers, X
Ambassadors, Airborne Toxic Event…I could go on and on.
What can you tell readers about your latest
release Regretting You?
I would spoil it if I told you about it! Most
of my books are like that. I can’t say what they are about or it spoils it. But
I can say that Regretting You is told from a dual
point-of-view centered on the inner lives of both a teen and adult protagonist.
Sounds like lots of different types of readers
will be interested!
Absolutely. I wanted to write a book that
bridged the gap between young adult and contemporary romance so that mothers
can read with their daughters. I think it’s exciting to see people sharing
reading experiences.
***
Excerpt
Despite
knowing I just pissed my mother off by being half an hour late for curfew, I
still can’t stop smiling. That kiss with Miller was worth it. I bring my
fingers to my lips.
I’ve never been kissed like that. The guys I’ve
kissed in the past all seemed like they were in a hurry, wanting to shove their
tongue in my mouth before I changed my mind.
Miller was the opposite. He was so patient, yet
in a chaotic way. It was like he’d thought about kissing me so often that he
wanted to savor every second of it.
I don’t know that I’ll ever not smile when I
think about that kiss. It kind of makes me nervous for school tomorrow. I’m not
sure where that kiss leaves us, but it felt like it was a statement. I just
don’t know what exactly that statement was.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket. I roll over
and pull it out, then fall onto my back again. It’s a text from Miller.
Miller:
I don’t know about you, but sometimes when something significant happens, I get
home and think of all the things I wish had gone differently. All the things I
wish I would have said.
Me:
Is that happening now?
Miller:
Yes. I don’t feel like I was entirely forthcoming with you.
I roll onto my stomach, hoping to ease the
nausea that just passed through me. It was going so well…
Me:
What weren’t you honest about?
Miller:
I was honest. Just not entirely forthcoming, if there’s a difference. I left a
lot out of our conversation that I want you to know.
Me:
Like what?
Miller:
Like why I’ve liked you for as long as I have.
I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t.
I’m staring at my phone with so much intensity that I almost throw it when it
rings unexpectedly. It’s Miller’s phone number. I hesitate before answering it,
because I rarely ever talk on the phone. I much prefer texting. But he knows I
have my phone in my hand, so I can’t very well send it to voice mail. I swipe
my finger across the screen and then roll off the bed and head to my bathroom
for more privacy. I sit on the edge of the tub.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” he says.
“Sorry. It’s too much to text.”
“You’re kind of freaking me out with all the
innuendos.”
“Oh. No, it’s all good. Don’t be nervous. I
just should have said this to you in person.” Miller inhales a deep breath, and
then on the exhale, he starts talking. “When I was fifteen, I watched you in a
school play. You had the lead role, and at one point, you performed a monologue
that went on for like two whole minutes. You were so convincing and you
looked so heartbroken I was ready to walk onto the stage and hug you. When the
play was finally over and the actors came back out onto the stage, you were
smiling and laughing, and there wasn’t a trace of that character left in you. I
was in awe, Clara. You have this charisma about you that I don’t think you’re
aware of, but it’s captivating. I was a scrawny kid as a sophomore, and even
though I’m a year older than you, I hadn’t quite filled out yet, and I had acne
and felt inferior to you, so I never worked up the courage to approach you.
Another year went by, and I continued to admire you from afar. Like that time
you ran for school treasurer and tripped walking off the stage, but you jumped
up and did this weird little kick and threw your arms up in the air and made
the entire audience laugh. Or that time Mark Avery popped your bra strap in the
hallway, and you were so sick of him doing it that you followed him to his
classroom, reached inside your hoodie, and took off your bra and then threw it
at him. I remember you yelling something like, ‘If you want to touch a bra so damn bad, just keep it, you perv!’ Then you stormed out. It was epic. Everything you do is epic,
Clara. Which is why I never had the courage to approach you, because an epic
girl needs an equally epic guy, and I guess I’ve just never felt epic enough for you. I’ve said epic so many times in the last
fifteen seconds—I’m so sorry.”
He’s out of breath when he finally stops
talking.
I’m smiling so hard my cheeks ache. I had no
idea he felt this way. No idea.
I wait a few seconds to make sure he’s done;
then I finally respond. I’m pretty sure he can hear from my voice alone that
I’m smiling. “First of all, it’s hard to believe you were ever insecure. And second, I think you’re pretty epic, too,
Miller. Always have. Even when you were scrawny and had acne.”
He laughs a little. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I can hear him sigh. “Glad I got that off my
chest, then. See you at school tomorrow?”
“Good night.”
We end the call, and I don’t know how long I
sit and stare at my phone.
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
REGRETTING YOU by Colleen Hoover is a mash up of a
story containing women’s fiction/mother-daughter drama and contemporary romance
elements all written seamlessly into a book that I could not put down.
This book starts by giving you a glimpse of two young couples
that consist of two sisters and two best friends.
Flash ahead seventeen years, and the four are back together until a tragic accident that shatters all of the people left behind. The mother/daughter relationship is one focus of this story and also the relationship of the daughter and her new boyfriend, but there are also long-lasting consequences for everyone around them.
I recommend you just get this book and start reading because
any type of summary will give preconceived notions which will not even come
close to the expectations and emotional upheaval you will experience yourself
while reading this book. Even with all the heartbreak and anger, the author takes
you on a journey of differing types of forgiveness and love.
This is definitely a book that will stay with you even after you finish the last word.
***
About the Book
Title: Regretting You
Author: Colleen Hoover
Release Date: December 10, 2019
Publisher: Montlake
Summary
Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would
like nothing more than to be nothing alike.
Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she
did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams
on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her
predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.
With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it
increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the
household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But
that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable
accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond
just Morgan and Clara.
While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds
comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s
been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and
misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it
might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.
***
Author Biography
Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling
author of several novels, including the bestselling women’s fiction novel It
Ends with Us and the bestselling psychological thriller Verity.
She has won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance three years in a row—for Confess (2015), It
Ends with Us (2016), and Without Merit (2017). Confess was
adapted into a seven-episode online series. In 2015, Hoover and her family
founded the Bookworm Box, a bookstore and monthly subscription service that
offers signed novels donated by authors. All profits go to various charities
each month to help those in need. Hoover lives in Texas with her husband and
their three boys. Visit www.colleenhoover.com.
I am excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for Kelly Elliott’s new contemporary romance NEVER ENOUGH (Meet Me in Montana #1). This is a wonderful start to a new series.
Below you will find a Q&A with the author, an excerpt from the book, my book review, a book summary, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy and as always good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Q&A: Author Kelly Elliott
1) In just a few short years you have published dozens of
books and climbed bestsellers lists. Tell us a bit about your crazy fast rise
in the romance world?
Honestly, it has been a dream come true! I sometimes feel like I have to pinch
myself. I’m very humbled by the success I’ve been able to achieve and do not
take a second of it for granted. I think one of my favorite things has been
getting to meet so many amazing readers along this journey.
2) You just started a new series with Never Enough. What can readers
expect from these stories?
They can expect stores filled with love, hope, second
chances, some tears, and also some laughter. Family and friends play a major
role in each book and that is always important to me. My goal with each book is
to give the reader a chance to escape reality for a bit while making them fall
so in love with the characters they want to revisit them often!
3) This series takes place in Montana with some seriously sexy heroes—bull
riders, ropers, ranchers. What makes these Alpha men that work with their hands
so irresistible?
Who doesn’t love a cowboy right!? I
think it is their charm and ability to make us swoon that makes them so
irresistible. Of course it helps I’m married to my own cowboy so he often
inspires the heroes in my books!
4) To add a
little something special to the mix, your first heroine, Lincoln, comes from
Georgia and practically oozes southern charm (certainly enchanting your hero as
she goes). What made you decide that this H/h would work so well?
In the very beginning I knew Lincoln
had to be from somewhere other than Montana. Me being a southern girl myself,
it felt right for her move from a southern state and I love Georgia. In the
beginning of the book we find a very different Brock and I knew I had to have a
strong heroine who knew who she was and what she wanted. She had no problem
confronting Brock and I loved that about her. From the very beginning I knew
these two were meant to be.
5) If Brock Shaw
had a song dedicated to him, it would be Katy Perry’s Hot N Cold
considering the fact that his emotions about Lincoln change with the breeze.
This is mainly due to his past—tell us about his journey.
Oh Brock. He gave me a bit of whiplash in the beginning of
this book. LOL! He is filled with so many different emotions, guilt, anger,
regret, and when Lincoln comes into his life like she does you can almost feel
his struggle. He wants to move on from the past, but he honestly doesn’t think
he deserves to. He used his career to bury all these emotions for years and
when he is confronted with them he is really confronted. I think Lincoln was
the happiness he had always longed for and it didn’t take him long to realize
that. But that realization came fear, which he had to overcome.
6) Lincoln isn’t quite running away from home, but she certainly is running
towards a new life. How does Brock, and his son Blayze, fit into her plans?
I don’t think Lincoln was looking
for those two cowboys when she first started towards her new journey, but when
they came into her world they both were piece of the puzzle she hadn’t even realized
was missing. The three of them fit together so beautifully.
7) At the center
of this story is loss, but also redemption. Is this a theme that we will see
going throughout your Meet Me in Montana books?
I think you will see the emotions kicked up a bit with each
book in the series. Book two really focuses on healing and finding that one
person who is your true love. Your soulmate.
***
Excerpt
Betty Jane handed me a set of keys. “Here,
these are his. Make sure he gets out of here and safely home.”
My hand instinctively took the keys, and I sat
there for a few moments, stunned. When I finally realized Betty Jane was
putting me in charge of getting Brock home, I jumped up and followed her over
to the bar.
“Wait! Ty said you would make sure Brock got to
his truck and slept it off. He didn’t say anything about making sure he got
home.”
Betty Jane loaded up empty beer bottles onto
her tray. It was then I looked around the bar and noticed it was almost empty.
“What time is it?” I asked, reaching for my
phone. “It’s almost one!”
She laughed. “Yep, it’s been real fun watching
you give dirty looks to Lee for the last hour. I figured I’d help a girl out
and get rid of her for you.”
When I looked back at the table, Brock had his
head on it.
Good grief. Is he sleeping?
“What do you mean, get rid of her?” I asked,
still trailing behind the waitress, who honestly looked to be just a few years
older than me.
She stopped and faced me. “I’ve been doing this
job since I was eighteen. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell that
you’ve got a thing for our Brock. I can’t blame ya, really. He’s a looker.
Those blue eyes and dimples. Not to mention the way the man can fill out a pair
of Wranglers. Throw in he’s a professional bull rider and worth some money, and
you’ve got yourself one sought-after cowboy. He doesn’t normally come in here
and get drunk like this, so I’m going to guess he’s had a bad day and he’s
trying to drink away his problems.
“Now, the way I see it is, he seems to be
smitten with you, and you’re smitten with him. So, it only makes sense that you get him home safely. What happens after that is your
business, but just know that the rest of the town will most likely find out
within seventy-two hours—unless you’re discreet about it.”
I stood frozen in place. What in the world is this lady talking about?
“Okay, I didn’t really understand half of that,
but you’re very wrong on one thing. Brock Shaw is not . . . smitten . . . with
me. It’s really the opposite. I don’t think he can stand me.”
Betty Jane winked. “Ralph will help you get him
out to his truck.”
“But . . . I . . . my . . . I’m not . . .
wait!”
Placing her hand on her hip, she rolled her
eyes. “Listen, I’ve got to finish cleaning up and then kick everyone out of
here. Just spit it out, would ya?”
“My car! I have my car here. I can’t leave it.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about it being
left here. It’s perfectly fine.”
She turned and walked away. When I called out
for her again, she ignored me.
I turned around and walked back over to the
table to find a sleeping Brock. Burying my face in my hands, I mumbled, “Oh my
God! Why me?” Poking his shoulder, I said, “Brock! Brock, wake up!”
His head popped up, and I let out a little
yelp.
He turned to look at me, and instead of
frowning, he smiled for once. “Hey, pretty little thing.”
He’s so drunk he doesn’t even know who I am.
“Um, hey. Listen, I need to get you home, so
could you maybe stand and walk out to your truck?”
Brock smiled bigger, and his dimples seemed to
scream out at me.
Oh. Holy. Hell.
This guy was beyond good looking. I mean, I
didn’t think I’d ever seen a guy smile and look so damn sexy, despite his
highly intoxicated state. Even with his cowboy hat all crooked, he looked
handsome as hell.
“I can stand,” he grumbled out as he slowly
stood.
I slipped my arm around his waist. After doing
a quick scan of the table, I reached behind me and felt for my phone. I had my
license and credit card tucked into my phone case, and I had my keys in my pocket.
“Okay, let’s get you to your truck.”
His head dropped forward, and I was pretty sure
he was falling back asleep.
“Brock!” I shouted, making his head jerk up.
“Walk to the door.”
“What do you adore?” he asked, taking a few
stumbling steps next to me as I guided him.
I chuckled. “No, I said, walk to the door!”
“I am walking to the door, woman!”
With a roll of my eyes, I focused on keeping
this man upright. It wasn’t an easy task. His stocky frame was heavy. With the
way my arm was around him, I couldn’t help but notice his muscles flexing as we
walked . . . no, stumbled along. I let my silly
mind wander to what he would look like without a shirt on.
Stop it right now, Lincoln Pratt!
Betty Jane opened the door for us and winked at
me yet again as I walked by. “Have a good night, and don’t worry about your
car!”
I mumbled under my breath about being set up
and then stepped out into the cool night. A shiver ran up my spine as I
searched the parking lot. I’d only seen Brock’s truck once, and the only thing
I remembered was that it was silver.
“Where’s your truck?” I asked, glancing at
three trucks still parked in the lot.
Brock lifted his head and looked around. “My
truck is the best damn truck in the parking lot.”
“That doesn’t help, Shaw. What’s your license
plate number?”
Brock turned, his big, drunk blue eyes gazing
down at me. “You want my number, Lincoln? I thought you didn’t like me.”
My mouth dropped open. “Um, excuse me, but
you’re the one who’s been shooting daggers at me all night long. Not to mention
how rude you were to me earlier today.”
“You didn’t catch me at my best, sweetheart.”
My stomach dipped at the endearment. No one had
ever called me anything like that. Not baby, babe, sweetie, or sweetheart. I
was always just Lincoln. Every guy I’d ever dated called me by my first name.
Even in bed, I was always Lincoln.
It pissed me off how much I liked hearing that
come from Brock’s mouth. I liked it a lot . . . more than a lot.
Damn it. What is it about this guy?
“I didn’t ask you for your phone number, you
drunk fool. Your license plate number on your truck.”
He frowned. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know the license plate on your own
truck?”
“Nope!” he said, popping the p in the most adorable way.
I found myself smiling up at him.
“It’s the silver one on the far right!” Betty
Jane called out.
I looked behind me, almost losing my grip on
Brock. “And I don’t suppose you’d help me get him there . . . or Ralph, maybe?”
She laughed. She actually laughed before turning and
walking back into the bar.
“Thanks for nothing,” I grumbled as I guided
Brock over to the truck.
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
NEVER ENOUGH (Meet Me in Montana #1) by Kelly Elliot is the
start of a new contemporary cowboy romance series. Kelly Elliot is a new-to-me
author who pulled me in with her writing style and I will be continuing to look
for her name and series in the future.
Lincoln Pratt is one of the top interior designers in
Atlanta, but she wants and needs a fresh start. She sold her company and is
starting over in Hamilton, Montana. Lincoln and her best friend, Taylee drive
across country to the new home she purchased from the mysterious Brock Shaw.
Brock Shaw is attempting to win the competitive bull riding championship for the third time. The money and endorsements will secure his future and allow him to raise his young son with no financial worries. But even as he misses raising his son himself, the travel that keeps him from home and the adrenaline of the rides let him forget even if for just a short time the pain and guilt of his wife’s death.
From the moment they meet, even with the strong physical attraction,
Brock and Lincoln do not know whether they even like each other. Lincoln cannot
resist Brock’s son, Blayze and is willing to open her heart to Brock, too even
as he runs hot and cold. Brock wants Lincoln, but he is going to have to let
the pain and guilt of the past go to finally find what he needs.
This romance ticked off all the things I love about this
genre. A book that I can sit down with and fall into the story and lives of all
the characters immediately. Also, a strong, but wounded hero, add cowboy and
single dad, to reel me in and a strong heroine who stands up to and takes no
bull from this bull rider, but wants to heal his heart. The sex scenes are
smokin’ hot, but not gratuitous. All the family and secondary characters were
fully fleshed and add depth to this story. I am looking forward to seeing them
in future books in this series.
I can highly recommend this second chance contemporary
cowboy romance. I am looking forward to more books in this series and by this
author.
***
About The Book
Title: Never Enough
Author: Kelly Elliott
Release Date: December 10,
2019
Publisher: Montlake
Summary
Longing to forget the pain of his wife’s death, Brock Shaw
has immersed himself in the one thing that lets him escape the guilt. Bull
riding. But life on the road means leaving his young son at home with his
parents. They want him to give up his career and be a father to his child, but
Brock needs the adrenaline to get through each day . . . or so he thinks.
Lincoln Pratt needs a fresh start. As a top interior designer in Atlanta, she
has everything she could ever want, but she’s always at her father’s mercy.
Something’s missing, and Lincoln knows she’ll only find it somewhere far
away—like the rolling pastures of Hamilton, Montana, where she meets the
irresistibly mysterious Brock.
In Brock Shaw, Lincoln sees the part of her that’s missing. In Lincoln Pratt,
Brock sees the part of himself he thought he’d lost. But the pain of his past
binds him. Can he let himself love again?
***
Author Biography
Kelly Elliott is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling
contemporary romance author. Since finishing her bestselling Wanted series,
Kelly has continued to spread her wings while remaining true to her roots with
stories of hot men, strong women, and beautiful surroundings. Her bestselling
works include Wanted, Broken, Without You, and Lost Love. Elliott
has been passionate about writing since she was fifteen. After years of filling
journals with stories, she finally followed her dream and published her first
novel, Wanted, in November 2012.
Elliott lives in Central Texas with her husband, daughter, and two pups. When
she’s not writing, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She is
down to earth and very in touch with her readers, both on social media and at
signings. To learn more about Kelly and her books, you can find her through her
website, www.kellyelliottauthor.com.
I am very excited be included on the Harlequin Holiday Blog Tour 2020! This Feature Post and Book Review is for RaeAnne Thayne’s new Christmas contemporary romance COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (Haven Point #10, The Women of Bramberry House #3).
Below you will find an excerpt from the book, a book summary, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. This is my favorite Christmas book this season!
***
Excerpt
Chapter One
This was it.
Luke Hamilton waited outside the big, rambling Victorian house in a little coastal town in Oregon, hands shoved into the pockets of his coat against the wet slap of air and nerves churning through him.
Elizabeth was here. After all the years when he had been certain she was dead—that she had wandered into the mountains somewhere that cold day seven years earlier or she had somehow walked into the deep, unforgiving waters of Lake Haven—he was going to see her again.
Though he had been given months to wrap his head around the idea that his wife wasn’t dead, that she was indeed living under another name in this town by the sea, it still didn’t seem real.
How was he supposed to feel in this moment? He had no idea. He only knew he was filled with a crazy mix of anticipation, fear and the low fury that had been simmering inside
him for months, since the moment FBI agent Elliot Bailey had produced a piece of paper with a name and an address.
Luke still couldn’t quite believe she was in there, the wife he had not seen in seven years. The wife who had disappeared off the face of the earth, leaving plenty of people to speculate that he had somehow hurt her, even killed her.
For all those days and months and years, he had lived with the ghost of Elizabeth Sinclair and the love they had once shared.
He was never nervous, damn it. So why did his skin itch and his stomach seethe and his hands grip the cold metal of the porch railing as if his suddenly weak knees would give way and make him topple over if he let go?
A moment later, he sensed movement inside the foyer of the house. The woman he had spoken with when he had first pulled up to this address, the woman who had been hanging Christmas lights around the big, charming home and who had looked at him with such suspicion and had not invited him to wait inside, opened the door. One hand was thrust into her coat pocket around a questionable-looking bulge.
She was either concealing a handgun or a Taser or pepper spray. Since he had never met the woman before, Luke couldn’t begin to guess which. Her features had lost none of that alert wariness that told him she would do whatever necessary to protect Elizabeth.
He wanted to tell her he would never hurt his wife, but it was a refrain he had grown tired of repeating. Over the years, he had become inured to people’s opinions on the matter. Let them think what the hell they wanted. He knew the truth.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
There was a long pause, like some tension-filled moment just before the gunfight in Old West movies. He wouldn’t have been surprised if tumbleweeds suddenly blew down the street.
Then, from behind the first woman, another figure stepped out onto the porch, slim and blonde and…shockingly familiar.
He stared, stunned to his bones. It was her. Not Elizabeth. Her. He had seen this woman around his small Idaho town of Haven Point several times over the last few years, fleeting glimpses only out of the corner of his gaze at a baseball game or a school program.
The mystery woman.
He assumed she had been there to watch one of the other children. Maybe an aunt from out of town, someone he didn’t know.
Luke had noticed her…and had hated the tiny little glow of attraction that had sparked to life.
He hadn’t wanted to be aware of any other woman. What was the point? For years, he thought his heart had died when Elizabeth walked away. He figured everything good and right inside him had shriveled up and he had nothing left to give another woman.
Despite his anger at himself for the unwilling attraction to a woman he could never have, he had come to look forward to those random glimpses of the beautiful mystery woman who wore sunglasses and floppy hats, whose hair was a similar color to his wife’s but whose features were very different.
For the first time since he had pulled up to Brambleberry House, he began to wonder if he had been wrong. If Elliot had been wrong, if his investigation had somehow gone horribly off track.
What if this wasn’t Elizabeth? What if it was all some terrible mistake?
He didn’t know what to say, suddenly. Did he tell them both he had erred, make some excuse and disappear? He was about to do just that when he saw her eyes, a clear, startling blue with a dark, almost black, ring around the irises.
He knew those eyes. It was her.
There was nervousness in them, yes, but no surprise, almost as if she had been expecting him.
“Elizabeth.”
She flinched a little at the name. “No one has…called me that in a very long time.”
Her voice was the second confirmation, the same husky alto that had haunted his dreams every single night for seven years.
The other woman stared at her. “Sonia. What is going on? Who is this man? Why is he calling you Elizabeth?”
“It is…a really long story, Rosa.”
“He says he is your husband.”
“He was. A long time ago.”
The anger simmered hotter, flaring up like a controlled burn that was trying to jump the ditch. He did his best to tamp it down. He would not become his father, no matter the provocation.
“I’m still your husband. Nothing has changed. Until we divorce or you are declared dead, we are very much still married in the eyes of the law.”
Her mouth opened again, eyes shocked as if she had never considered the possibility. Maybe as far as she was concerned, her act of walking away without a word had terminated their marriage.
It had in every way except the official one.
“I…guess that’s probably true.”
“That’s why I’m here. I need you to come back to Haven Point so we can end this thing once and for all.” He was unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “It shouldn’t be that hard for you. You know the way. Apparently you’ve been back to town plenty of times. You just never bothered to stop and say hello to me or your two children.”
Her skin, already pale in the weak December afternoon light, seemed to turn ashen, and Luke was immediately ashamed at his cruelty. He tried to be better than that, to take the higher ground in most situations. He was uncomfortably aware that this unwanted reunion with his long-missing wife would likely bring out the worst in him.
The other woman looked shocked. “You have children? I don’t understand any of this, Sonia.”
She winced. “It’s so complicated, Rosa. I don’t know…where to start. I… My name isn’t Sonia, as you’ve obviously…figured out. He is right. It is Elizabeth Hamilton, and this…this is my husband, Lucas.”
The other woman was slow to absorb the information, but after a shocked moment, her gaze narrowed and she moved imperceptibly in front of Elizabeth, as if her slight frame could protect her friend.
It was a familiar motion, one that intensified his shame. How many times had he done the same thing, throwing his body in front of his mother and then his stepmother? By the time he was big enough and tough enough to make a difference, his father was dead and no longer a threat.
“Are you afraid of this man?” Rosa demanded. “Has he hurt you? I can call Chief Townsend. He would be here in a moment.”
Elizabeth put a hand on the other woman’s arm. It was clear they were close friends. The wild pendulum of Luke’s emotions right now swung back to anger. Somehow she had managed to form friendships with other people, to completely move on with her life, while he had been suffocating for seven years under the weight of rumor and suspicion.
“It is fine, Rosa. Thank you. Please don’t worry about me. I…I need to speak with…with my husband. We have…much to discuss. Go on inside. I’ll talk to you later and…and try to explain.”
Rosa was clearly reluctant to leave. She hovered on the porch, sending him mistrustful looks. He wanted to tell her not to waste her energy. He’d spent years developing a thick skin when it came to people suspecting him of being a monster.
“I’m here,” she said firmly. “I’ll wait inside. You only have to call out. And Melissa is in her apartment as well. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” Elizabeth assured her. “Luke won’t hurt me.”
“Don’t be so sure of that,” he muttered, though it was a lie. Some might think him a monster but he suspected Elizabeth knew he could never lay a hand on her.
First of all, it wasn’t in his nature. Second, he had spent his entire life working toward self-mastery and iron control—doing whatever necessary to avoid becoming his father.
After another moment, Rosa turned around and slipped through the carved front door, reluctance apparent in every line of her body. On some level, Luke supposed he should be grateful Elizabeth had people willing to stand up and protect her.
“How did you…? How did you find me?”
He still didn’t know everything Elliot had gone through to locate her. He knew the FBI agent had spent long hours tracking down leads after a truck driver came forward years later to say that on the night Elizabeth disappeared, the trucker thought she gave a woman resembling Elizabeth’s description a ride to a truck stop in central Oregon.
Somehow from that slim piece of information, Elliot had undergone an impressive investigation on his own time and managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together. If not for Elliot, Luke wouldn’t be here in front of this big oceanfront Victorian in Cannon Beach and this familiar but not familiar woman.
Thinking about Elliot Bailey always left him conflicted, too. He was grateful to the man but still found it weird to think of his former best friend with Megan, Luke’s younger sister. After several months, he was almost used to the idea of them being together.
“I didn’t.” He jerked his attention back to the moment. “Elliot Bailey did. That’s not really important, is it? The point is, now I know where you are. But then, I guess you were never really lost, were you? We only thought you were. You’ve certainly been back to Haven Point in your little disguise plenty of times over the years.”
It burned him, knowing he hadn’t recognized his own wife. When he looked closer now, knowing what he did, he could see more hints of the woman he had loved. The brows were the same, arched and delicate, and her lips were still full and lush. But her face was more narrow, her nose completely different and her cheekbones higher and more defined.
Why had she undergone so much plastic surgery? It was one more mystery amid dozens.
“What do you want, Luke?”
“I told you. I need you to come home. At this moment, the Lake Haven County district attorney’s office is preparing to file charges against me related to your disappearance and apparent murder.”
“My what?”
“Elliot has tried to convince the woman you’re still very much alive. He hasn’t had much luck, especially considering he’s all but a member of the family and will be marrying my sister in a few months. The DA plans to move forward and arrest me in hopes of forcing me to tell them where I hid your body.”
“Wait—what? Elliot and Megan are together? When did that happen?”
He barely refrained from grinding his teeth. “Not really the point, is it? This has gone on long enough. I’m going to be arrested, Elizabeth. Before the holidays, if my sources are right. The district attorney is determined to send a message that men in her jurisdiction can’t get away with making their wives disappear. I’m going to go to jail, at least for a while. Our children have already spent enough Christmases without one parent. Do you want them to lose the other one?”
“Of course not.”
He didn’t know whether to believe her or not. How could he? He didn’t even know this woman, despite the fact that she had once been closer to him than anyone else on earth.
Hearts are lighter and wishes burn a little brighter at Christmas…
Elizabeth Hamilton has been lost. Trapped in a tangle of postpartum depression and grief after the death of her beloved parents, she couldn’t quite see the way back to her husband and their two beautiful kids…until a car accident stole away her memories and changed her life. And when she finally remembered the sound of little Cassie’s laugh, the baby powder smell of Bridger and the feel of her husband’s hand in hers, Elizabeth worried that they’d moved on without her. That she’d missed too much. That perhaps she wasn’t the right mother for her kids or wife for Luke, no matter how much she loved them.
But now, seven years later, Luke finds her in a nearby town and brings Elizabeth back home to the family she loves, just in time for Christmas. And being reunited with Luke and her children is better than anything Elizabeth could have imagined. As they all trim the tree and bake cookies, making new holiday memories, Elizabeth and Luke are drawn ever closer. Can the hurt of the past seven years be healed over the course of one Christmas season and bring the Hamiltons the gift of a new beginning?
COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
Author: RaeAnne Thayne
ISBN: 9781335504999
Publication Date: 9/24/2019
Publisher: HQN Books
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (The Women of Brambleberry House
#5, Haven Point #10) by RaeAnne Thayne is her new Christmas contemporary
romance set in the town of Haven Point Idaho. Even with the tie in to the two
series, this book can be read as a standalone. There is character crossover,
but the focus is on the second chance romance of the hero and heroine.
For seven years Luke has been a single father to his two young
children. One night his wife was gone from their home and he has never known what
happened to her. Because of her depression due to the accidental death of her
parents and the severe postpartum depression she had after the birth of both of
their children Luke has always fear she committed suicide, but some of the
people in town believe he is responsible and foul play is involved. He has
moved on for the sake of his children, but he is in an emotional as well as a legal
limbo.
Elizabeth has been living in a nearby town under a different
name. Seven years ago, she was trapped in a depression so deep she felt her
family would be better off without her. When she realized running was not the
answer, she was involved in a terrible accident which stole her memories and
left her with a severe brain injury among many other physical difficulties. When
she recovered as much as would ever be possible, she has been secretly visiting
her family, but still believes with all of her problems, they are still better
off without her.
Luke has found her and come to take her back to Haven Point
to clear his name before the holidays.
When Luke discovers the full story of Elizabeth’s missing years,
he begins to have feelings once again for this woman who survived so much.
Elizabeth wants to reunite with her children more than anything, but she is
afraid to hope that Luke will ever be able to forgive her. It is Christmas, the
season for new beginnings, love and forgiveness.
I loved this book and it is my favorite Christmas book this
season. This is one of those books that you just fall into the story and you
never want to leave. It is very emotional and yes, you will need the tissues
throughout, but you will never forget Luke and Elizabeth and their story. The
children are an important part of the story and add a whole other layer of
feels. This book gives you a huge dose of romance with no sex, just understanding,
forgiveness and love. RaeAnne Thayne is an author I look for now when searching
for a heartfelt romance that can take me on an emotional and rocky journey, but
then fills my heart with love and happiness by the HEA.
I highly recommend this Christmas contemporary romance!
***
Author Bio and Social Media Links
New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including six RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and Career Achievement and Romance Pioneer awards from RT Book Reviews. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.raeannethayne.com.
