Damien and Trinity’s story was lovely. He is a broody, grumpy reclusive, still mourning the tragic death of his wife eight years ago. Trinity is a vibrant, young, social media manager newly hired by the Shockwaves to create content. From the moment they meet, Trinity sparks something in Damien that has been dormant for a long time.
A beautiful friendship forms between the two of them. She knows nothing about hockey, and as they spend time together while Damien teaches her the game, the attraction between them grows. It’s a slow burn, as Damien has to sort through his feelings about moving on again and what that means for the love he still has for his late wife. Trinity is so patient and understanding, and I really loved that she was so kind about not wanting to replace Kelly’s presence in his life, but share his life now with him.
While I did feel the ending was a little rushed, the story tied up in a nice, pretty bow for Damien and Trinity’s HEA.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Samantha Lind:
Samantha Lind is a USA TODAY Bestselling contemporary romance author. When she’s not dreaming up new stories, she can often be found with her family, traveling, reading, watching her boys on the ice, or watching her favorite professional hockey team (Go Knights Go!), and listening to country music. She can be contacted by email or found on Facebook.
Keep up with Samantha Lind and subscribe to her newsletter: http://bit.ly/FDSLNL
To learn more about Samantha Lind & her books, visit here!
Tropes: Found Family/Friends with Benefits/Small Town
Release Date: August 22, 2023
BLURB
What happens when your wandering heart is captured by your friend with benefits?
Scarlett
Archer Kincaid is supposed to be all the fun and none of the strings, but the longer I stay in Willow River, the more I feel roots pulling me to settle down.
I plan to complete a one-year photography contract with Captured Moments, then move on to travel the world. Chasing my dreams, taking photos, and living life on my terms—shot by shot.
But I’ve been on my own since losing my adopted parents, and home isn’t about a place as much as it is a feeling. And Archer’s starting to feel like home, but loving him means trading one dream for another.
Archer
Scarlett Hatfield is the kind of girl who can’t be tamed. Her adventurous spirit is contagious, but a blue-collar man like me doesn’t chase dreams. I build them from the ground up. And my home is in Willow River.
I can see myself building a life with the gorgeous redhead who’s turning my world upside down, but that means clipping her wings. And I could never do that, not when she’s meant for more than my small-town life.
Even if it means destroying my heart, when the time comes, I’ll have to say goodbye and let her stay wild.
Stay Wild is another great book in the Kincaid Brothers series. I loved the immediate spark between Archer and Scarlett and was rooting for this couple to work out in the end.
Scarlett is a free spirit and only plans on staying in town to fulfill a one-year contract as a photographer working for Palmer. She also doesn’t know what to make of the rowdy Kincaid clan, having been adopted as a child and then losing both of her parents at a young age. She’s been on her own for a long time. Falling for Archer was never part of her plan, but there was something about the big teddy bear! Archer, meanwhile, was completely smitten from the start with Scarlett, and it wasn’t long before he, like the rest of his brothers before him, fell hard for the lady that captured his heart.
Archer and Scarlett knew there is an end date to their fling, but that didn’t make it any easier as the date approached. As much as he felt like a safe haven to her, Scarlett was afraid to give up on her dreams to travel the world. And although it broke his heart, Archer had to let her go. (If you love something, set it free….)
Thankfully, there is a HEA for this couple after the Third Act Breakup! But I definitely needed some tissues as I read this story.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan has been crowned the Queen of Swoon by her readers. With nearly fifty romance books under her belt, she’s known for penning happily ever afters with heart. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand or hanging out with her family where she resides in her home state of Ohio.
Overdue, an all-new steamy enemies-to-lovers, new adult, small town romance from bestselling author Avery Samson is available now!
The first time I saw her, I knew she was the one.
Then she broke my nose.
She started a war, one that would last through our childhood.
After years of being gone, I’m home for good this time. If that isn’t bad enough, guess who I find bent over a filing cabinet, looking better than I remember?
Everything in me tells me to run. But I’m a glutton for punishment.
How can I convince her I’m worth a second look if she sneers whenever she sees me? But I’m not the same boy she thought she knew.
He was my nemesis, but also my childhood crush.
He threw shade, I ignored him.
He irritated me, I retaliated.
It was a childhood war for the ages. But that’s all about to change. Now we’re all grown up and back in the small town where it all began.
He’s always been the most beautiful boy I’ve ever known. He’s just as stunning as a man.
His attitude though? I can still do without it.
We might be able to build something, if he’d just keep his mouth closed.
Can I learn to get along with the boy from down the street?
Avery Samson is a new-to-me author and I quite enjoyed Overdue. It was a witty small-town frenemies-to-lovers romance with captivating characters that had sizzling chemistry.
I loved the banter between Austen and Reese. She is a bit of a drama queen, but he handles it well! The story goes back and forth between present chapters and flashbacks, so the reader really gets a sense of the history between Austen and Reese and how they got to be where they are today.
Overdue isn’t a very long book, so it’s easy to indulge in this sweet and spicy romcom! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Keep reading for a look inside Overdue!
REED
Austen Caraway. There’s a name I’ve never been able to forget. Gran mentioned she was moving home to become the head librarian. I didn’t consider I’d run into her when I walked through the library door. Okay, that’s a lie. I totally knew she was who I’d find when I showed up. She’s all I’ve thought about since she moved back in down the street. I hadn’t counted on how incredibly gorgeous she has become, though. She had been pretty in high school, even with the braces. But, with her ass being caressed by the tightest skirt in history as she leaned over the file cabinet. Holy hell. My instant semi almost proved an embarrassment when she turned around. Except it got worse when she did turn around. Just looking into those deep brown eyes again made my heart skip a beat. Corny, I know. But that’s what happened. That’s what always happened when she looked at me growing up. Her rich brunette hair with the gold highlights, the sexy as fuck glasses, and full lips the color of bubble gum almost brought me to my knees. My mind races to another place. One with her leg hiked up on my shoulder. My tongue slowly…but I digress. She wasn’t interested in me in school, and chances are good she’s not interested in me now. Granted, I did turn into a complete douchebag trying to get her attention after that first introduction. The harder I tried to get her to notice me, the more she ignored me. It drove me crazy. I doubt pissing her off enough to break my nose that first time helped, either. I started my first day of high school in a new place with two fading black eyes. Luckily, no one ever found out I got my ass handed to me by a girl. A younger girl at that. Damn, that girl had a hell of an arm. Puberty hit me hard after that. Now I have a raging hard-on as I stomp to my truck in the parking lot. Just once I’d like to engage Austen in sophisticated conversation, resulting in her accepting an invitation to dinner. But, I can’t seem to stop slipping into the role of insulting asshole. Which leaves her the part of incensed vixen. The only difference now is she was dressed like a wet dream. Leaving me with raging blue balls. Ugh, why does she get to me like this? Just when I’m starting to get my stupid feet back on the ground in this town. The last thing I need is Austen Caraway messing with my chi. Or is it chai? One is tea and the other is that self-centering mumbo jumbo. Either way, she is going to fuck it up.
From Marie Johnston comes asmall town second chance romance.
I fled minutes before my wedding when I learned my fiancée was being paid to marry me. Ten years, too many crappy exes, and one drunken decision later, I’m now his boss.
I worked hard to get where I am. New house. Good job. Fresh start. I even have a budding horse rescue, but with my full-time work, I need a manager to rehabilitate and train the animals.
During a night out with a friend, we start commiserating about how crappy exes never get their due. A stalker ex is happily married, yet I just got dumped after being told I was cold and emotionless. That ex got my promotion. And then there’s the ex who shall not be named—it’s Ansen Barron, as if I can forget his devastating grin and talented touch. If only someone could teach them a lesson.
Just so happens he who shall not be named is down on his luck. It’s my turn to be in control. After sending a tipsy email from a dummy account offering Ansen the new (low paying) position of rescue manager, I wake up hungover, with an employee.
When he arrives, I feel anything but cold and emotionless. He reignites a spark inside me I didn’t know was extinguished. He blows the dust off the old Aggie and I realize how much of myself I’ve smothered.
I’m supposed to be running a horse rescue. Instead, I’ve got pigs and ducks and donkeys and a manager who sees the real me, who makes me wonder how much was fake. He’s slowly piecing my heart back together. Only I can’t forget he was the one who shattered it in the first place.
A Reckless Memory is the first book in a new series from Marie Johnston, and a spinoff from her Oil Barrons series. Ansen Barron is a cousin of the Barron heroes, albeit estranged, and this new series will follow the rest of Aggie Knight’s siblings in their quest for love. I did read the first book in the Oil Barrons series (Make Me Whole) and fully enjoyed it — I’m not sure why I didn’t follow through on the rest of the series to read about the other cousins. There were definitely some references to the cousins that I think avid MJ readers will enjoy as Easter eggs, but some pieces of the story needed more explaining IMO.
But I digress… this second-chance romance is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I felt badly for Ansen, having lost everything, and how he was tricked by Aggie into coming to work for her. But I didn’t like that he was pushing her for a second chance when he was the one who did her dirty 10 years ago and in the present day, he almost had one foot out the door because he didn’t want to be living long-term around his estranged family members.
That aside, this story was enjoyable, not only Ansen and Aggie’s reunion (by the end, I did see that he loved her deeply and always had) but how she worked things out with her family and he did with his. The epilogue is a wonderful HEA for this couple, bringing their relationship back full-circle to the horrible events that the story opens with.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Marie Johnston
Marie Johnston is a RITA® Finalist, and a best-selling and award-winning writer of paranormal and contemporary romance – and an avid reader of them both.
Several years ago, when kids started outnumbering adults in the house, Marie Johnston left her job as a public health microbiologist to stay at home. Settling into working part-time and shuttling kids around gave Marie the opportunity to think about what she wanted to be when she grew up. A die-hard science geek, she explored her previously thought to be non-existent creative side after much time spent making snowman crafts and coloring princesses. Having entertained thoughts of writing a book one day then subsequently deciding it would be too hard, she finally put the figurative pen to paper and began to type – and fell in love with story telling.
The Sigma Menace is the first series by Marie with Fever Claim being her first book EVER. She is humbled by the fact that people are willing to read to her books and looks forward to keeping readers entertained for many years.
Marie lives with her husband and four kids in North Dakota where the summers are gorgeous, the winters are brutal, and spring and fall are luxuries.
To learn more about Marie and her books, visit here!
The Trouble with Runaway Brides by Piper Rayne is now live!
I should not still be hung up on my high school girlfriend.
I’m a billionaire, with a penthouse in New York City, a private plane, and was recently crowned one of Manhattan’s most eligible bachelors.
She’s engaged to my rival. A real prick of a guy whose family is about as famous as mine. So, pictures of the happy couple are plastered everywhere, and it’s driving me insane.
The last time I spoke to her was my freshman year of college, and I never imagined I’d bump into her at a crowded restaurant in the busiest city in the world. But fate had other plans, and when I innocently suggest that the press wouldn’t bother with her wedding plans if she held it in our small Alaskan town where we grew up, I had no idea she’d take me seriously.
Now, I find myself helping her plan the wedding at my dad’s luxury resort while the town’s gossip app follows our every move, afraid that their golden boy will get his heart broken twice by the same girl.
But that’s impossible because she stole my heart when we were fifteen, and never gave it back.
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play!
I did not want Lance and Kenzie’s story to end! The history, the feelings, the lingering chemistry, all the warm and fuzzy moments… I was enchanted by this couple!
This second-chance romance is a slow burn — Kenzie is engaged to Lance’s rival, so it’s a bumpy ride before they have a romantic reunion. And there is so much history between them, good and bad, that Kenzie and Lance have to muddle through. But that’s okay, because it’s an emotionally charged story that sucked me in and had me shipping this couple. It had the right amount of angst, along with the lighthearted moments I’ve come to love from Piper Rayne.
Emily Woo Zeller was a new narrator for me, and I quite enjoyed what she brought to the table. Aiden Snow, as always, performed perfectly in telling Lance’s story.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Piper Rayne
Piper Rayne is a USA Today Bestselling Author duo who write “heartwarming humor with a side of sizzle” about families, whether that be blood or found. They both have e-readers full of one-clickable books, they’re married to husbands who drive them to drink, and they’re both chauffeurs to their kids. Most of all, they love hot heroes and quirky heroines who make them laugh, and they hope you do, too!
She’s a country music star trying to escape the spotlight. He’s the scorching hot bodyguard she doesn’t want on her vacation. And there’s only one bed.
Hideaway Heart by Melanie Harlow is now live!
All I wanted was a break—two weeks off from being Pixie Hart, country music sensation, and fourteen days of peace, privacy, and solitude as plain old Kelly Jo Sullivan.
But thanks to some overzealous paparazzi, my family refuses to let me go anywhere alone, and I’m stuck sharing this tiny cabin with a tall, dark, and bearded bodyguard.
And guess what? There’s only one bed.
Well, he can couch it.
Xander Buckley might be hotter than a stolen blow torch, and I get that he’s a former Navy SEAL and all, but the man gives new meaning to the words overbearing, overprotective, bossy alpha male. I can’t even post a photo on social media without him warning me it’s not safe, or take a morning jog without him following behind.
But he’s made it clear that what he says goes, and if I don’t like it, I can kiss my vacation goodbye.
Instead, I end up kissing him.
I don’t even know how it happened—one minute we were at each other’s throats, the next we were at each other’s mercy. What’s even more shocking is how good we are together. He understands my need for freedom, and I understand his need for control.
But emotional trust doesn’t come easily to me. And we’re on two completely different paths.
Without question, I’d put my life in his hands.
Just don’t ask me to give him my heart.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Hideaway Heart is a feel-good celeb/bodyguard romance that will had me rooting for the couple to work out their differences and confess their feelings for one another! Kelly Jo (aka country music darling Pixie Hart) is on a much-needed vacation, looking for 2 weeks away from the critical eye of the Nashville paparazzi. What she’s not expecting is that her Navy SEAL brother would hire her a big brute of a bodyguard in the form of Xander Buckley. Babysitting a musician isn’t exactly on Xander’s to-do list since he’s about to open an upscale sports bar, but he can’t say no to the guy who saved his life.
While they definitely get off on the wrong foot, Xander and Kelly had sizzling chemistry and a great connection. He didn’t care who she was or where she came from, and he made her feel safe at a time when everything in her life seemed out of her control.
I wish there would have been more to Xander’s backstory explored, like his time in the Navy and how Kevin saved him. I love getting inside the head of a military hero when there’s an intriguing history like that, and I thought there was a missed opportunity here with Xander. But otherwise, this story was perfect and I adored the relationship that formed between Kelly and Xander!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Melanie
USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author Melanie Harlow writes sweet, sexy, feel-good romance. She likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. If she’s not writing or reading, she’s probably at Orangetheory or watching Schitt’s Creek again. She lifts her glass to readers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
Right Guy, Wrong Word by Jewel E. Ann is now live!
Do books have souls?
Anna Black has the perfect novel choice for her book club. She also has a sexy new neighbor who jumps at the opportunity to join fellow bookworms in discussing her pick for their summer read.
It’s lust at first sight and the marriage of two literary souls.
The charismatic owner of a new T-shirt store in Des Moines’s East Village, Eric Steinmann, has a confident air and an irresistible “mating dance.” He’s almost perfect … until he says the wrong word.
Will Anna and Eric write their own story? Or will their chemistry die when fiction turns into reality?
**Right Guy, Wrong Word was originally written as a short story, The Last Person. It’s been revised with significant changes to the original content and extended into a full-length novel.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
I’ve had Jewel E. Ann’s short story The Last Person on my TBR list for a while, so I was excited to read Right Guy, Wrong Word as a full-length novel. Eric and Anna’s story is fun and flirty, with witty banter and some very sweet moments.
I loved how Eric insults her favorite book at book club, but man, she held onto that grudge longer than necessary! But that also set the scene for Eric to woo her to win her over when they reconnect several years later.
Overall, this was a quirky, fun, story. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Jewel E. Ann
Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance.
And don’t miss the Illustrated Hardcover? It’s NOW LIVE and has over 30 hand-drawn illustrations so you can take a deep dive into Hayes and Hattie’s love story! You can get your copy HERE!
After failing my last semester of grad school, I decided to come back to my hometown and wallow in my boyfriend’s sympathetic arms. Instead, he proceeded to dump me . . . for being boring!
Now, I’m not typically a spiteful person, but there’s only so much I can take. Hence why I’m holding the box of his most cherished possessions…stolen possessions no less!
The plan? To give the box back to its rightful owner and rat my ex out. How’s that for being boring?
But plans never go the way you want them, because instead of dropping off the box with a note, I’m pinned with the crime by the true owner of the box himself.
Hayes Farrow is grumpy, arrogant, and stupidly hot in a way that makes it hard to even look him in the eye. Not to mention he’s my brother’s nemesis so I fully intended to stay far far away from the gorgeous jerk.
But to add insult to the injury that has become my life as of late, Hayes gives me two options: turn me into the police and press full charges . . . or work it off. How could I possibly work for someone I can’t stand? Easy, I don’t look good in orange.
But working for Hayes isn’t as horrible as I thought it would be. The way I hate him begins to turn into something else – something I never thought I’d feel. But the way my brother reacts when he finds out I’m working for his enemy? He’d prefer me in prison orange.
Vanessa Edwin and Teddy Hamilton narrate in duet and are a dream team in THE WAY I HATE HIM! They are sublime in these roles and bring Hattie and Hayes to life! Pop in your earbuds and give it a listen today!
This. Story. Was. Amazing. I laughed. I cried. I snorted out loud. And I re-listened to parts of the audio book over and over because Hayes and Hattie were awesome.
There is so much angst and tension between Hattie and Hayes. Not just sexual tension, either. They both know she shouldn’t be working for him because of his longtime feud with her brother. Their relationship was messy and tangled, and I loved every minute of it. I also loved the messy, tangled relationships between Hattie and her siblings Ryland and Aubree, and the estrangement between former best friends Ryland and Hayes. Meghan Quinn wove it all together beautifully in a hot small-town age-gap story with a beautifully broken, insecure, grumpy hero. And that is kind of my kryptonite lately.
My heart broke for Hayes. All he’d been through as a child, how lonely he actually was when, from all outward appearances, it seemed he had everything he could want. I was hooked on these characters from the very beginning.
Chapters 19 and 20? Holeee Moley. I thought the scene in Put Me In Detention was hot, but listening to Teddy Hamilton and Vanessa Edwin create that fire as Hayes and Hattie blew that other scene out of the water.
There are so many awesome Easter eggs hidden in this story that reference other MQ books too, which I loved!
I am so excited that Almond Bay will be a new series, because I don’t want to say goodbye to Hayes and Hattie yet, so I hope we get to see lots more of them in the future stories set in this quirky town!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
ABOUT MEGHAN QUINN:
USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.
Never miss another NEW RELEASE, text READ to 474747.
Fall for Grae and Caden in their fake dating, brother’s best friend, small-town romance from USA Today Bestselling Author, Catherine Cowles!
He hadn’t always just been my brother’s best friend. There was a time when he was mine, too. Until he disappeared from our small town when I needed him the most.
Now, Caden’s back. With his cocky smirk and infuriating nicknames. And I’m struggling to ignore his presence.
When my ex refuses to leave me alone, Caden steps in, suggesting that it will get my ex and Caden’s calculating father off both our backs if we just pretend to be madly in love.
There’s just one problem… Nothing I feel for Caden Shaw is fake—even when I thought I hated him. And there’s no denying how the touch of his lips sparks a flame I’ll never be able to extinguish.
As those pretend moments start to turn oh so real, someone’s watching. They’re not happy about Caden’s new role in my life. And they’ll do anything to rip me away from him—even burn us all to the ground…
Ah, Caden and Grae’s story was lovely! He has always been her older brother’s best friend, but Caden and Grae had a special bond and friendship all of their own as well — until a scary turn of events one day sent Caden running and he abandoned their friendship.
Despite her hurt feelings, Grae has carried a torch for him all these years since, and it’s been hard for her to see him around town once he returned after years of working for his family’s businesses across the country and overseas. Caden has been trying to keep his distance from Grae — because being around her is too painful for him as well. But when his father pressures him to find a girlfriend to save face and secure a business deal at the same time that Grae’s ex is giving her problems, Caden proposes they pretend to date. Naturally, with all of the history between them, it is hard to keep clear lines. Especially when Caden begins showing Grae the glimmers of the relationship they had in the past. Caden is a damaged guy afraid to let anyone get too close to him, but Grae may just be the woman who can break down his walls!
This story has all the elements that I love from Catherine Cowles: Likeable characters, an intriguing storyline, heart and heat, and a bit of suspense. I saw Twist #1 coming, but not Twist #2! Well done! Narrators Joe Arden and Erin Mallon did a fantastic job as Caden and his Gigi!
Now, I will patiently wait for Roan’s story….
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Catherine Cowles
Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.
The One I Want, an all-new emotional, angst-filled new adult stand-alone romance from USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Siobhan Davis is available now!!!
We thought we were forever, but fate had other plans…
I never intended to fall in love.
This girl had goals and guys were an unwelcome distraction.
Until I met Garrick, my sophomore year of college, and he blasted through the walls I kept around my heart, tearing them down.
He knew what he wanted, and he wanted me.
Falling hard and fast, I experienced the rollercoaster highs and lows of first love.
Until life threw us a curveball, and everything flipped overnight.
Stuck in a limbo state, I was falling apart while trying to be strong for my boyfriend.
Then he entered my life. The hot, slightly older guy who looked like a cross between a tatted biker and a billionaire businessman.
Beck understood me, and our situation, in a way no one else could.
As a friend, he held me together and helped to piece back the shredded fragments of my heart.
I didn’t mean to fall in love with him—it just happened.
No one understands, least of all me.
Now my heart is split in two, and I don’t know what to do.
Is my first love my one true love? Or do I belong with the man who brought me to life?
“Can I get you anything else?” I ask, my eyes darting to the door. It’s crazy busy and I need to get back. I also wouldn’t mind putting some distance between the two of us. His presence is magnetic, and it concerns me that I’ve noticed.
Little beads of sweat cling to his brow before he swipes them away with the back of his hand. His disarming smile is firmly in place as he stalks toward me. “Just your company.” He moves in closer, and his breath tickles my face when he speaks. “What’s your name, and do you go to school here too?” Curiosity lights up his handsome face as his inquisitive gaze probes mine.
“Why do you want to know?” I step sideways to create some distance between us.
“I’m just making conversation.”
There’s a weird tension in the air. A crackling charge ripping across the space separating our bodies, and I don’t like feeling some freaky connection between us. “Well, I’m working, and they need me outside, so I should go.”
“It’s too quiet in here, and I don’t like hanging around by myself.” His earnest eyes are shielding nothing, and I know it isn’t a lie or a ruse to trap me into spending time with him. “Not when I’m pumped full of adrenaline. Normally, my friends would be here, but they all had shit to do tonight.” His eyes soften. “You’d be doing me a big favor if you kept me company.” He flops down on the couch, still maintaining eye contact with me. He pats the space beside him. “I only have a short break, and I promise I won’t bite.”He flashes me another ovary-clenching smile. “I’m betting you haven’t taken a break all night. Rest your feet and take a breather.”
A break does sound nice, and he’s right. I wasn’t able to take my usual ten minutes earlier because it was too busy. Suddenly, my feet feel heavy, and my legs ache like they might go out from under me.
Garrick hops up and grabs two chilled bottles of water from the mini refrigerator as I lower my tired butt onto the couch. Fridays are always nightmarish because I have classes until lunch, then I work my shift at Butterfly Flowers, and run back to the apartment I share off-campus with my friend Ellen to grab something to eat and a quick shower before showing up for my shift at the bar. I usually sleep in late on Saturday morning, too exhausted to get up early.
“You look like you need this as much as me,” he says, handing me a water.
“Thanks, and I do. It’s hot out there tonight.”
“It’s a veritable sauna, ”he agrees. “If it’s like this every Friday night, I might start showing up in nothing but shorts.”
“That would be one way of keeping your fans loyal,” I tease as I uncap the bottle.
“I’m here for the music, not the girls.” He flashes me a flirty look, that seems to contradict his statement, before gulping back his drink.
“Said no rock star ever,” I deadpan, fighting a grin. “I’m not a rock star nor do I have any desire to be.”
“How come? You must know you’re good, and isn’t it what most musicians dream of?”
He shrugs before draining his second bottle of water and tossing the empty in the trash can. “Not me. Music is a hobby. It’s a release. A way to indulge my creative side. It will never be anything more.”
“It seems a shame to waste such natural talent, but I admire you for knowing what you want and sticking to your resolve.”
“I still don’t know your name.” He twists around on the couch. His knee brushes against my jean-clad leg as he leans in closer, giving me his undivided attention.
It’s unnerving, but I still can’t force myself to get up and leave.
“And you didn’t tell me if you go to UO too,” he adds, looking at me like I’m the most fascinating person in the world.
“I’m Stevie, and yes, I go to school here. I’m studying floral management and just about to finish my sophomore year.”
“Same here.”
My eyes pop wide. I’m pretty sure there are no guys in any of my classes. Floral management is not really a guy thing.
He chuckles. “I meant I’m a sophomore. I’m majoring in family enterprise.”
“Oh, cool. Does your family have a business?”
He nods as his tongue darts out wetting his lips. “My dad is CEO of Allen Lumber and Allen Wineries. I’ll be joining the business when I graduate.”
His tone is very matter-of-fact, and it doesn’t seem like he’s bragging. Wouldn’t matter if he was. I’m hard to impress, and I can’t think of any guy who has ever managed to do it. “I know Allen Wineries. The country club I used to work at back home buys their wine. So, you’re from Seattle too?”
“Born and bred.”
“What part?”
“Dad lives in North Bend, and Mom lives in Medina. I used to split my time between both homes.” Air trickles out of his mouth as he drags one hand through his messy dark hair.
Something akin to desire pools low in my belly, but I ignore it.
“What about you? Where do you call home?” he asks.
“Ravenna. I live with my mom, and my nana is close by too.”
“No dad?”
“I never knew him.” I’m not about to get into it with a guy who is a virtual stranger even if he seems like an okay guy and the conversation is flowing easily.
“This feels a little like fate.” His eyes sparkle with excitement.
“What does?”
“Us meeting like this.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “It’s coincidence. Not fate. And it’s not like there aren’t a ton of people attending Oregon from Seattle.”
“True, but I’m sticking to my convictions. You call it coincidence. I’m calling it fate.” He attempts to dazzle me with that flirty smile again, and it almost works. Angling his body closer, he stares at my mouth like he wants to kiss me.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
Siobhan Davis knows how to write angsty, emotional tales that will keep you up late at night!
While parts of this book dragged on — it’s long at over 700 pages and 80-something chapters — I get the author’s need to dedicate as much time to the development of Stevie and Garrick’s relationship as she does to Stevie and Beck’s relationship. In a way, this book is two in one, without the cliffhanger of a duet.
My heart broke for all three of these characters. Stevie, Garrick and Beck are all in an impossible situation. And I was reading into the wee hours of the morning once I got to that last 25% because I could not put it down.
The second epilogue? Brilliant. The bonus scene between the guys? Phenomenal.
The One I Want is a masterpiece. Emotionally, messy love triangles aren’t for everyone, and not my typical read, but I have loved everything else I’ve read from Davis and I’m so glad I took the chance on this book!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Learn more about Siobhan Davis and her releases by visiting her website:
Samantha Lind is a USA TODAY Bestselling contemporary romance author. When she’s not dreaming up new stories, she can often be found with her family, traveling, reading, watching her boys on the ice, or watching her favorite professional hockey team (Go Knights Go!), and listening to country music. She can be contacted by email or found on Facebook.
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