SAY YOU’RE SORRY (Sacramento #1, Romantic Suspense #22) by Karen Rose is an edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense with a hero and heroine who are both damaged and yet extremely strong and a twisted serial killer who is only discovered when he picks the wrong victim. Every page of this dense thrill ride kept me guessing, surprised, tense and turning the pages. I love Karen Rose books and I feel this is the best Karen Rose romantic suspense to date!
Daisy Dawson is the sexy female voice on the morning drive
radio show. Daisy involves herself whole-heartedly in her community and events
with her emotional support dog, Brutus always in her carry bag. Seven years sober
and away from her extreme upbringing on an isolated ranch, Daisy has done her
best to live a normal life, until the night she confronts a man following her
and her friend from AA.
FBI Special Agent Gideon Reynolds would normally have
nothing to do with a local attack, but one of the detectives handling Daisy’s
attack recognizes the design on a locket that Daisy ripped from her attacker’s
neck. It is the same design that he once had tattooed on his chest. This is the
first lead Gideon has to another who may have escaped the cult he was raised in
until his escape at age 13.
When Gideon meets Daisy, he is surprised by his reaction to
her. He has never disclosed his full past to anyone and yet he has the need to
tell it all to Daisy. Daisy and Gideon are immediately thrown into a maelstrom of
murders and as much as Gideon protects Daisy, Daisy will surprise Gideon with
how prepared she is to face these threats on her own.
Thank goodness this is the first book in this new Sacramento series because I want so MUCH more! There is so much happening on these 640 pages. You have a current serial killer to catch and then you have a secretive, perverted religious cult to learn about and find which will story arc into future books. Gideon and Daisy are absolutely brilliant together. All of the secondary characters are starting to take shape and you want to know all of their secrets, too. This is an amazing start to this series and I am anxiously awaiting more!
Thanks so much to Berkley Publishing Group and Net Galley
for allowing me to read this eARC. It was everything I am looking for in a
romantic suspense and more.
I am so happy to bring you this Feature Post on Erin Nicholas’ new book NICE AND EASY (Boys of the Big Easy #3). This entire series is smokin’ hot and makes you want to get to NOLA immediately to find one of these boys for yourself.
Below you will find the book blurb and an excerpt, my book review and all of the author’s contact information. There is also a link to get the first book in the series Easy Going for FREE.
***
Nice and Easy, an all-new sexy
standalone in the Boys of the Big Easy series from New York Times bestselling author Erin Nicholas available now!
A
hot firefighter who just wants to take care of her and her little boy? Sign her
up.
Moving
in with him and his little girl who already has a huge chunk of her heart? Very
nice.
Roommates
with benefits? Yes, please.
Convincing this take-charge alpha to let her take care of him too? That’s not going to be as easy.
Lexi could feel Caleb’s breath on her lips, and his
bunched muscles under her palm were hot and hard. She stared at his mouth. He
stared at hers. And she decided that if he wasn’t going to look at her breasts,
looking at her mouth like he was starving and she was a grilled BLT—his
favorite food in the world—was just fine with her.
Being compared, even in her own head, to a grilled BLT
might not seem sexy, but in her mind, it so was. Caleb devoured those
sandwiches. He’d do almost anything for one. He made sexy moaning sounds when
he first tasted them. And he’d proclaimed that hers were the best he’d ever
tasted. Yeah, put that way, along with the schnapps still coating her brain, it
was strangely sexy.
“Caleb.”
She watched his pupils dilate and his jaw clench.
Her hand went to the front of his shirt and she
bunched it in her fists, watching his eyes. He didn’t try to stop her. Then she
tugged, urging him forward.
And he came,
the hand next to her hip pressing into the mattress as she tipped her head to
one side. Their lips touched. Softly. Briefly. But she felt it all the way to
her bones. Heat, want, relief. She
suddenly had to have more. She made a
little almost-a-sob sound and licked her tongue along his lower lip.
“Lex.”
Her name was more of a groan than a word. It was the
sexiest thing she’d ever heard.
“Caleb,”she breathed.
Then the next
groan became the sexiest thing she’d ever heard. It was a combination of hunger
and resignation, and she felt like he’d just set her nerve endings on fire.
Suddenly, Caleb’s hand came up to cup the back of her
head, his fingers diving into her hair. And he took over.
His mouth opened over hers and his tongue stroked deep
and hot. Every glide of his tongue felt as though he was running a finger over
her clit. Some were firmer, some softer, some longer, some shorter, and her
need ratcheted up with each one.
She ran her hands over his chest to his shoulders and
up the sides of his neck, loving the hard muscles and the heat under her palms.
Then she slid her hands down his sides to the bottom of his shirt. She slipped
her hands underneath, moaning as she met hot, bare skin. He sucked in a quick
breath and she smiled against his lips, loving having an effect on him.
And suddenly she was on her back and Caleb was moving over
her. Her hands slid to his back, the muscles there bunching as he braced
himself above her, still kissing her like it was his job. Instinctively, she
slid her legs apart and he settled between them. The comforter was between
them, but she felt him hard and hot and deliciously heavy against her. The feel
of his cock pressed against her made her ache. She’d done that to him. She’d
made him hard.
Hallelujah.
***
Start the Boys
of the Big Easy series for FREE with Easy Going!
NICE AND EASY (Boys of the Big Easy #3) by Erin Nicholas is
another smokin’ hot contemporary romance which makes you want to travel down
south and try to grab one of these boys for yourself. This series is based
around a single parent group in NOLA and each book focuses on one of the
parents becoming a HEA couple. The books can be read as standalones per couple,
but the characters do help each other out and build on their relationships
throughout each book as in real life.
Lexi Scott is one of the younger members of the single parent
group. She has been living with her mom while attending nursing school and raising
her baby son, Jack.
Lieutenant Caleb Moreau is used to being in complete control
and in charge. He and his men save people from burning buildings. When his
sister and brother-in-law are killed in a car accident, Caleb is suddenly the
guardian of his little niece, Shay and joins the single parent group for
support.
For two years Lexi and Caleb have found that their hectic
schedules work for sharing the raising of their kids, but Lexi has always
wanted more. Caleb knows Lexi wants him, but he is afraid that she wants him
out of gratitude for all he does. When circumstances have Lexi and Jack moving
in with Caleb and Shay, these two are going to find out that they do not know
each other as well as they thought.
There is so much happening in this story. As in all of the
other Boys of the Big Easy books, Lexi and Caleb have their chance at romance,
but there is a little more going between with this couple. Lexi wants to be
dominated in the bedroom. Role playing, spanking and submission are included in
this romance. There are several serious scenes with Caleb trying to learn that
he cannot always control everything and Shay’s long-term prognosis to deal
with. This book is as hot and fun as it is serious and Erin Nichols balances it
all to perfection!
This author just keeps giving me more great stories and characters. I am looking forward to many more books in this series.
***
About Erin
Nicholas
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing
romances almost as long as she’s been reading them. To date, she’s written over
thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as “toe-curling,”
“enchanting,” “steamy,” and “fun.” She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect
heroines, and happily ever afters.
Erin lives in the Midwest,
where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex
scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her
books), and her family and friends (who claim to be “shocked” by the sex scenes
in her books).
JAKE’S REDEMPTION: THE ANGEL EYES SERIES PREQUEL by Jamie
Schulz Is a full length prequel to a new dystopian, western, sci-fi romance
mash-up series. This story pulled me in right from the first chapter. The
author brings you into a new world order in which females are in charge and the
institution of slavery has reappeared. All of the characters in this book have
survived the war, but some are much more damaged than others.
*WARNING: This book is written with authenticity to the sci-fi
story so there are triggers for more sensitive readers which include scenes of
abuse, torture, non-consent, rape and slavery.
Jake Nichols is trapped and enslaved. After two years of
torture and abuse by his sadistic owner, he is loaned out to a neighboring
fledgling rancher who needs his services as a builder. What he discovers is an
owner unlike his Mistress, who does not believe in cruelty and submission. He
begins to feel like the man he was before he was captured, but this is only a
temporary reprieve. As much as he dares to hope for a future on the ranch with
his new owner, he is afraid he must try to escape before he is returned to his
Mistress. Death would be better than returning.
Monica Avery has given up on finding love. She works instead
at sheltering those under her care from the harsh realities of this new
society. When Jake comes to work for her, she is intrigued by him. He wants
nothing to do with the females on the ranch, but he shows his caring nature
with his treatment of the children and his respect of those who work with him.
Monica wants Jake to care for her, but she knows he has been damaged and is
just starting to trust she is not like other females. Can she rescue Jake from returning
to a captivity that will destroy him?
As the slow burning romance between Jake and Monica grows,
you are introduced to a whole host of secondary characters. Ms. Schulz has done
a great job of world-building. I never felt bogged down by info or character overload.
Every scene was interesting and integral to the plot and world-building. This
is an emotionally charged story of a dark future where it does not seem females
learned their lessons from the past. If you are looking for an extremely well
written new story that is different from the norm, I can definitely recommend this
book to you. I am anxiously waiting for the next book in this proposed six book
series!
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
Today’s Feature Post and Book Review is for Tracy Brogan’s MY KIND OF FOREVER (Trillium Bay #2). This blog post includes a message from the author, an excerpt from the book, my book review, the author’s social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway.
I know you are going to love Brooke and all of the entertaining and quirky characters of Trillium Bay. Enjoy this addition to the series, which can easily be read as a standalone and good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Guest Post:
The Risks (and Rewards) of Dating in A Small Town by Tracy Brogan
MY KIND OF
FOREVER is the second book in the Trillium Bay series set on a small island in
Northern Michigan, and tells the story of thirty-five year old Brooke Callaghan
who has just been elected as the youngest, and first female, mayor the town has
ever had. As the oldest of three sisters, Brooke is accustomed to taking charge
and bossing others around, but the stodgy, long-time members of the decisively
not-modern city council are determined to keep the status quo. In fact, the
only one who seems to take Brooke seriously is Leo Walker, the new bartender
whose reasons for being on the island are both short-term and known to him
alone.
Despite a
budding attraction to Leo, Brooke knows she needs to focus on mastering her new
job, especially when rumors of a jewel thief hiding out on the island begin to
circulate and the well-established rumor mills goes into overdrive. And
speaking of rumors, Brooke is more than a little concerned with what the
townspeople might say if they discover she and Leo are spending time alone.
Coming from such a small community, in this case a village with a winter
population of just six hundred people, people’s private lives rarely stay
private, and modest, pragmatic Brooke doesn’t like the extra attention.
Especially since a bad relationship from her past has left her overly cautious.
Although determined to prove to her neighbors and family she’s got what it takes to be a great mayor, with Leo’s encouragement, Brooke comes to realize she’s also entitled to address a few of the more personal aspects of her life, such as finding romance. But when things with Leo get rocky, she falls back into old patterns, believing that love is too elusive and not for women like her. Fortunately, the local community knows otherwise. They see the real Brooke, the one she thinks is hidden. They know her dedication and intelligence and worth, and they know she deserves to have it all. They know she deserves to have a forever kind of love. And so does Leo.
***
My Kind of
Forever Excerpt
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Leo said after everyone else had
left and I remained seated in the small meeting room holding my aching head in
my hands. “But it sounds like you have your work cut out for you.”
Wow. Did I ever. I’d just spent the past two hours listening to so-called adults
bickering about a litany of arbitrary topics. Should Polly’s Popcorn Shop be
allowed to sell day-old products? Could the street sweepers add five minutes to
their afternoon break? Who was going to play Santa during the Christmas Parade
if Harry didn’t come back in time? And the biggest topic of the day? Did
everyone see the awnings Tasty Pastries had put up, and who on earth had
approved that?
“It’s like they couldn’t even hear me talking,” I said, looking up
at him for a response, just to reassure myself that I was, in fact, speaking
out loud.
He picked up an empty glass with one hand while wiping a ring of
condensation off the table with a damp rag. “I’m not sure they could hear each
other talking. Seemed like a lot of monologuing without any listening.”
“But I had an agenda.” I shook my paper at him, now covered in
notes that I’d scribbled in the margins about all the other things I
wanted to discuss. Things I would have discussed if I could have gotten a word
in edgewise. The only one who didn’t interrupt me was my own father, but that’s
because he didn’t say anything the entire time. Not unusual for him, but I had
hoped to demonstrate a little more power over that cluster of clucking hens.
“They were worse than teenagers. I have so many great ideas, but all they care
about is the awnings.”
Leo wiped another spot off the table. “What ideas?” He gazed down
at me, and I noted how dark blue his eyes were. Depths-of-the-ocean kind of
blue. The kind of eyes that made every glance feel significant, even if it
meant nothing at all. A flutter of something long-forgotten tickled inside my
veins. Attraction. Followed by an immediate need to ignore it.
“Oh, all kinds of ideas.” I smiled tiredly and pushed myself up,
because it was nearly five thirty and the Palomino Pub would start filling up
with the evening crew pretty soon. “I’ll get out of the way now so you can have
the room for dinner guests.”
“Speaking of dinner,” he said, “I’m new around here, so I was
wondering, what restaurants do you like?”
“Oh, we have lots of great places to eat. All price ranges. The
Windemere Grill is right down on the corner. There’s the Imperial Hotel dining
room if you want something elegant. The Feast Well Bistro, Carmen’s Café, and
Tate’s Tavern on the Bluff are good, too. At the tavern, you can watch the sun
set behind Petoskey Bridge. It’s a great view. And for breakfast, I recommend
Link & Patty’s Breakfast Buffet. The pink piggy décor is a little much, but
the pancakes are the best.”
“Are you suggesting we have dinner and breakfast?”
His dark eyebrow arched just as the corner of his mouth quirked in a
ridiculously endearing fashion.
I pushed in my chair with an abrupt scrape. “Excuse me?”
“I was inviting you to dinner. You were inviting me to breakfast.”
That flutter of attraction multiplied even as my mouth fell open
for a second. I’m sure it was a great look on me. “I wasn’t. And you weren’t.
Were you?”
He laughed, and even though it might have been at my expense, the
sound of it sent a flush over my skin and a tingle to places that hadn’t
tingled for a very long time.
“I was inviting you to dinner, but not very well, apparently. I’ve
been on the island a few days, but I don’t know anyone here, so would you like
to have dinner with me?”
I was starving. And he was handsome. And new in town. And looked to be roughly my age. There was no history, no baggage, no reason to say no. But it had been so long since anyone had asked me out, it nearly felt improper. Everyone knew me around here. Everyone would know that we’d had dinner, and certainly everyone would have an opinion about it. And it’s not as if we could go someplace private because there was no place private on the entire island. And there was that issue of the flutter. I didn’t want to be fluttering. Fluttering led to heartbreak.
***
My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
MY KIND OF FOREVER (Trillium Bay #2) by Tracy Brogan is a charming
contemporary romance. This cozy romance has an adult romance with no explicit
sex, an endearing and funny heroine, a handsome newcomer, a quirky island population
and a side mystery to be solved. This is the second book in this series, but it
can be easily read as a standalone.
Brooke Callaghan is the new mayor of Trillium Bay on Wenniway
Island. She is the first female and the youngest person to ever hold that
position. It is quite a change from her role as a school teacher on the island,
but she is excited about the challenge. Between her new job as mayor and dealing
with all the town’s characters and her own extended family, she does not want
to be attracted to this new, handsome stranger. Brooke wants forever, not just
a few weeks.
Leo Walker is a newcomer to the island and is hired as a bartender at the local pub. He is handsome, single and interested in Brooke. Leo says he is on the island for a break after the security company he worked for closed down and to write a book. There is definitely chemistry between Leo and Brooke, but he will not commit to staying on the island.
A strange private investigator shows up in Trillium Bay and
claims there is jewel thief hiding on the island, but Brooke knows of no new
islander except the new bartender. Rumors are all over town and everyone has a
different tale to tell. What will Brooke do when she discovers long held
secrets and the real reason Leo is on the island?
I loved Brooke and all of her family and friends. To have a friend that makes specialty pasties for dancers, a grandmother who wants to send the ashes of her exes up in fireworks and all the others island characters had me laughing several times throughout the story. This is a cozy romance with a mystery thrown in that surprised me with its resolution. I will definitely be looking for more to read from the entertaining Trillium Bay series.
***
About the Book
Title: My Kind of Forever
Author: Tracy Brogan
Release Date: January 22, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary
As the youngest mayor Trillium Bay has ever elected, Brooke Callaghan wants to prove she’s up to the challenge. She’s stepping out of her practical teacher flats and into her sister’s treacherously high heels…with disastrous results. But if she’s going to (literally) stumble her first day on the job, why not fall into the arms of a handsome stranger?
Leo Walker is a rarity on Wenniway Island. Not only handsome, he’s also single, funny, and—most importantly—interested in Brooke. Unfortunately, his reasons for being on the island are temporary, so in spite of the undeniable chemistry between them, he’s not a forever kind of guy.
When a private investigator arrives with news of a jewel thief hiding on the island, Brooke finds herself dealing with one kerfuffle after another, and Leo proves to be a delicious distraction. What does she really know about him, though? And the biggest question of all? Does this short-term romance hold the possibility of long-term love?
***
Author Biography
Amazon and Wall Street Journal bestselling
author Tracy Brogan is a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist
for her Bell Harbor series. She writes fun, funny stories about ordinary people
finding extraordinary love, and she lives in Michigan with her two brilliant daughters
and their two intellectually challenged dogs. She loves to hear from readers,
so check out her website at www.tracybrogan.com.
You can also follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tracybroganwriter.
HOW TO SEDUCE A BAD BOY by Traci Douglass is a contemporary romance with an entertaining heroine who wants major life changes by her 25th birthday and a bad boy hero home from the service.
Melody Bryant loves being a librarian in her hometown, but
she wants to break out of the stereotype. Her 25th birthday is in a
few weeks and she has decided it is time for a makeover, which also includes
her personal life. She has only every loved one bad boy who is her brother’s
best friend. Before he left for the Army eight years ago, she offered him her
virginity and was turned down. Now she has plans to get rid of her virginity
and seduce the bad boy.
Adam Foster has always had a bad reputation in his hometown.
He was abandoned by his mother and his father was a drunk. Lucky for him he
made a friend who saw past his family and befriended him as a brother. He was
entranced by his friend’s little sister and was always protective. After eight
years, he is home and building up the car repair shop he and his friends always
dreamed of owning. When Melody comes to him and asks for his help with men,
what else can he do but agree to date her himself to protect his friend’s little
sister once again.
Melody has five weeks before her birthday to lose her
virginity and get the bad boy she has always loved.
I really enjoyed Melody and her journey of change. I cheered for her to finally get her man. Adam was a not-so bad boy whose protectiveness of Melody made him endearing, but I would have preferred much less inner dialogue on how he was not good enough for Melody. The plot is not new and had no new twists, but it was fun to watch this relationship develop. The chemistry between these two was well written without explicit sex scenes. An entertaining romance read that has secondary characters with the potential for future spin-off books.
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
Today’s Feature Post and Book Review is for Carolyn Brown’s upcoming release THE MAGNOLIA INN. Below you will find a message from a character from the book, an excerpt from the title, my book review and info about the author. At the end of the post, you will also see a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book.
Enjoy and as always good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Dotty Welcomes Readers to The Magnolia Inn
Good morning to all y’all. Thank you for inviting me to your
site today to tell you a little about The Magnolia Inn. I’m so
excited about this book. The characters became like family to me as I was
writing it. Today, I have Dotty with me. She’s one of the four ladies—Sugar,
Dotty, Lucy and Flossie—who’ve been fast friends since their youth. I’m going
to turn this microphone over to Dotty now, and leave the rest of the post to
her.
Hello, folks, I’m Dotty Beauchamp—half Texan, half
Louisianan and all sass. I own the Tipsy Gater bar that sets right on the Big
Cypress Bayou near Jefferson, Texas. When my good friend, Sugar, told me that
she was going to give half of The Magnolia Inn, the bed and breakfast that her
family had owned for generations, to her niece, Jolene, I thought she was bat
crap crazy. When she said that her husband, Jasper, was giving the other half
to his wimpy nephew, Reuben—well, I figured Reuben would sell his half the
minute the ink dried on the papers.
I was right! The little weasel sold out his part of the inn
to Tucker Malone. We—that would be Lucy and Flossie and me since Sugar was
already off in that big ass RV touring the United States—had heard that he was
a tortured soul. And dear hearts, we damn sure believed the rumor. He was the
best of the best when it came to carpentry work, and from what we heard he only
hit the bottle on weekends, but still we didn’t want our precious Jolene in
living in that inn with him.
I really didn’t want to hire Jolene when she came to the bar
looking for work, but I needed help and she sure enough needed a job. I figured
I’d take some flack for it from Sugar, Lucy and Flossie, and I did—believe me I
did. But Jolene and I both lived through it.
When we met Tucker for the first time, we were sure that the
rumors had been right. His wife had died in an automobile accident a few years
back. She’d gone to our church so we all knew her very well, and we’d met
Tucker a few times when he showed up at church with her. When she died, he
turned to the bottle and lost his important job on the police force over in
Dallas. It was rumored that he came to our part of the world to be near her
grave site. Poor man, he wore the guilt like a heavy shroud and just couldn’t
seem to get past it.
But I’m digressing. When we met him we found out that he was
also a Prince Charming. He didn’t have a white horse or a white cowboy hat, or
a crown, but he was so sweet and kind, and he had such a sweet nature, that
pretty soon, we fell in love with him as much as—well, she didn’t know it then,
being as how she had plenty of baggage of her own—but as much as Jolene could
it they’d could get past all the obstacles life kept throwing at them.
I see that my time is up. So let me thank you again for inviting me sit a spell and visit with all y’all. And if you’re ever in Jefferson, Texas, come on down to the Tipsy Gater and I’ll give you a free drink if you tell me that you’ve read The Magnolia Inn.
***
Excerpt: The Magnolia Inn by Carolyn Brown
“Why
is Tucker a tortured soul?”
“He lost his wife, Melanie, a couple of years
ago. She was his whole life,” Lucy whispered. She clucked like an old hen
gathering in her baby chickens. “I just can’t believe he bought half interest
in this place. It takes a people person to operate a B&B, and from what I
hear, Tucker is almost a hermit.”
“I guess we’ve all got our own emotional
baggage,” Jolene said.
“Wait until he hauls his damn sorry ass home
drunk and you’ve got guests in the place,” Lucy declared.
“She loves Jesus, but she still cusses a
little,” Dotty said with a wicked grin.
“He’s a fantastic carpenter. He’s got money to
put into the inn. And I’ll cross the drinkin’ bridge when it happens. And . .
.” She glanced over at Dotty, who shrugged and winked.
“And just so y’all know.” Jolene took a deep
breath. “I’ll be working at the Gator starting Friday night.”
“Lord have mercy,” Lucy groaned. “Have you
talked to Sugar about this?”
“Visited with her last night and was going to
tell her, but . . .”
Lucy threw a hand over her forehead in a
dramatic gesture and then shook a fist at Dotty. “You’re leading our sweet girl
down the path of unrighteousness. Jolene, I’ll give you a job in my place of
business. Full-time with benefits if you’ll quit the Gator right now.”
“I know bartending, and I can only handle
part-time work with the inn, but thank you,” Jolene said and tried to change
the subject. “Do I have the recipe for these cookies in Aunt Sugar’s files?”
“I’m sure you do, chère,” Dotty said. “But now let’s talk about the Easter Tour
of Homes. Surely Sugar mentioned it?”
“Oh, that.” Jolene was glad Dotty had changed
the subject. “She always wanted to be included in it but figured the Magnolia
was too far out of town.”
“It might be, but we want to add it this year,”
Lucy said.
“It’s, what, like three months from now?” Jolene
asked.
“Yes,” Tucker said from the doorway. “We’ll
have it ready by then.”
Jolene felt heat rising from her neck to her
cheeks. How much had he heard? She motioned to the coffeepot and then to the
cookies. “Come on in and meet my friends.”
“Always ready for cookies and coffee. I’m
Tucker Malone.” He stuck his hand out toward Lucy.
Her expression said that she’d rather be
sticking her hand in a rattlesnake pit, but she put her frail hand in his. “You
probably don’t remember us, but we remember you from when you used to come to
church with your wife. I’m Lucy Rogers. I own Attic Treasures, an antique store
in Jefferson.”
“Jolene told me that a couple of you ladies own
antique shops. That’s wonderful.” Tucker brought her hand to his lips and
kissed her knuckles. “I’m right glad to make your acquaintance, ma’am. I hope
to do some business with y’all as we work on this place. We’d like to keep the
antique ambience but use modern things like tubs and showers to make things
nice for our guests.”
From Lucy’s expression, Jolene could’ve sworn
she’d rather have been shaking hands with the devil. “Well, I’ll be sure to
give you a real good price on anything that you can use.”
He turned to settle his crystal-clear blue eyes
on Flossie.
“I’m Flossie Simmons, and I own Mama’s Place in
Jefferson. My antiques are better than Lucy’s.” She winked. “And since Jolene
is like a daughter to all of us, I can beat any deal Lucy would give you.”
“And I’m Dotty Beauchamp.” Dotty’s southern
accent thickened. “I’m a Louisiana girl from the other side of the Big Cypress
Bayou, and I own the Tipsy Gator. I’ve seen you a few times in my bar. You
always sit on the last stool in the shadows, right, chère?”
“Yes, ma’am, I sure do,” Tucker said.
Jolene was totally blown away. One minute they
were ready to crucify her for letting Tucker live there, and the next they were
flirting with him. Good glory! They had to be seventy or older, and he wasn’t a
day over thirty-seven.
“We should let you two get back to work,” Dotty
said with a broad wink toward Jolene. “And since you’re going to be out of
pocket on Friday night, then Sunday afternoon will be our meetin’ time.”
They pushed their chairs back and paraded
toward the foyer. Lucy stopped at the hall tree for her coat, and Tucker
hurried over to help her into it. “Thank
you for the cookies.”
“You’re welcome. Good luck with all this
remodeling.” Flossie gave Jolene a quick hug and whispered, “I hope you know
what you’re doin’.”
Tucker picked up the last coat from the hall
tree and held it out to Dotty. “It’s been a real pleasure to meet you ladies.”
Jolene sank down on the
bottom step of the stairs and sighed when Tucker shut the door behind the
ladies. Tucker sat down beside her
and propped his forearms on his knees. “So you work in a bar?”
“Ever since I was twenty-one. Until then I did
waitress work,” she answered. “How much did you hear?”
“I got there when Lucy was offering you a job
to quit working in a bar,” he answered.
“Sounds like you heard most of it, then. I’ll
be working at a bar on Friday and Saturday nights. I understand that you drink
a little on weekends.”
He got to his feet. “I’m going to get a couple
more cookies and another cup of coffee to take upstairs with me. And, honey, I
drink a lot on Saturday nights.”
“Just so long as we understand each other.”
Jolene stood up and headed toward the kitchen. “Right now we could take fifteen
minutes off and call it a midmorning snack.”
“Got chocolate syrup?” He followed her into the
kitchen. “For the cookies, the coffee, or the milk?”
“Milk, and then I dip my cookies in it,” he
answered.
The ladies had called him a tortured soul. Jolene stole glances at him as she got out the chocolate syrup. It was a shame that he’d lost his wife so suddenly. He might never get over it, but she sure wasn’t looking forward to dealing with another weekend drunk—like her mother or that last worthless boyfriend.
***
My Book Review
RATING 4 out of 5 Stars
THE MAGNOLIA INN by Carolyn Brown is her new contemporary
second chance romance. It is a sweet romance, which I call a cozy romance
because it is written about adults (not YA), any sex is behind closed doors,
some religion may be included and the focus is on the H/h’s emotional growth or
healing. These books also include a strong family, friends and/or community
support system.
Jolene Broussard grew up with a drug and alcohol addicted
mother. She could not get her mother to change or get help for herself, so she
left when she could. She is carrying a lot of guilt though because her mother committed
suicide after she left. The happy times she had growing up were with her mother’s
older half-sister and her husband at The Magnolia Inn B&B during summer
break from school.
Sugar and her husband are ready to retire and travel across
country, so they leave half of the B&B to Jolene and half to her cousin
Rueben. Sugar has big plans, but no money. Rueben hates his memories of the
B&B and decides to sell.
Tucker Malone lost his wife of 5 years in a tragic traffic accident. He hits the bottle hard. After losing his job as a police officer, he vows to only get drunk on the weekends and starts to build a name for himself as a carpenter. Tucker is informed about the sale of Rueben’s half of the Magnolia Inn and decides to buy in and partner with Jolene.
The partnership is rocky at first, but soon each begins to
understand that they each have deep emotional issues to deal with and dealing
with them together as they remodel the inn seems to work better than dealing
with them alone.
I enjoyed this cozy romance. Jolene is so strong and had to survive
so much. Tucker is rebuilding his life, but he is stuck emotionally until he
meets Jolene. I enjoyed how the changes in their lives and the remodel of The
Magnolia Inn seemed to intertwine. The secondary characters are almost show
stealers in this story. Sugar, Flossie, Dotty and Lucy are good for a laugh,
but also share their wisdom with Jolene. This is an emotional growth story with
a very slow build up to romance. Sex is behind closed doors and only in the
last portion of the story. An enjoyable read.
***
Author Biography
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA
Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling
author and a RITA finalist with more than ninety published books, which include
women’s fiction and historical, contemporary, and cowboys-and-country-music
romance. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where
everyone knows everyone else and knows what they’re doing and when. And they
read the local newspaper on Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three
grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. Visit Carolyn
at www.carolynbrownbooks.com.
