When your best friend growing up is a girl, that’s the song your classmates taunt you with over and over again. But it was never like that… until now.
It’s always been Clara and me. She’s the only one who truly knows me. After I was drafted into the NFL and ended up the starting quarterback for the San Francisco Kingsmen, I begged her to come with me. But she had her own life and responsibilities back in our small Alaskan town, so I didn’t fault her for staying.
We remained the best of friends despite the distance. I’d hang with her in Alaska during the off season, and she’d visit me in California while I was playing. Then, one night the lines blurred for the briefest of moments and set in motion a series of events that changed everything.
I’m not proud of the decisions I made after that fateful night, and I plan on making amends, because I need Clara back in my life. But not as my best friend—as my everything.
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo!
I’ve been intrigued by Xavier and Clara’s story since the start of the Greene Family series, and My Scorned Beat Friend did not disappoint!!
All of my questions about their friendship and how it fell apart were answered — and it was a lovely journey as X and Clara repaired their friendship and eventually took a chance on love. The intervention scene with his family had me in tears; everyone knew how perfect Clara was for him, but X was so afraid to take that leap.
I appreciated how there was minimal drama from outside forces when it came to X and Clara. It was all about X needing to get over himself and setting aside his self-imposed fears when it came to their relationship.
Narrators Aaron Shedlock and Holly Warren did a fabulous job of bringing these two characters to life, and I loved escaping into this world once again!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
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!
About the book: Theo Rothschild wasn’t a bad boy, but he wasn’t quite good either. And shy Lily Beachem was content admiring the hottest guy at Welles Academy from the comfort of her quiet corner. Until Lily’s best friend, Theo’s sister, decided two lonely souls should be together.
And maybe she was right.
Theo and Lily felt something that night they sat awake and talked for hours under the cover of the woods and a blanket of stars. But when tragedy struck their small, elite East Coast boarding school, robbing them of friendships and any hope of a normal life, being alone became the only thing that made sense.
But sometimes the deepest bonds are forged through pain, and for Theo and Lily, holding on to the threads of their connection might do more than ease their broken hearts. It may finally make them whole.
Loner is a gripping and heartbreaking story of grief, friendship, and forgiveness. Theo and Lily seemed like an unlikely match, but their shared trauma created a solid bond between them and a lovely romance was born out of their heartbreaking common tragedy.
Lily and Theo both had so much depth to their characters. After the accident, Lily really struggled with her position on the swim team, and all of those fears were wonderfully written by Ginger Scott. She felt like an outsider with her roommates, and I adored the scene where the other B’s told Lily just how much she mean to them. Theo is carrying around so much anger and hurt, and there was a lot of growth on his part as he comes to terms with what happened last summer and learns out to let it go.
Loner deals with off-page abuse and self-harm, so reader beware. Also, I’m not sure if this book is a spinoff of another series or not that I didn’t read, because I felt like there were some pieces of the backstory missing as far as the history Lily and her roommates shared with Anika. Especially the accident. Still, I enjoyed the progression of Lily and Theo’s relationship and how these two tortured and lonely souls found solace and a companion in the other.
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
I lie to keep a secret that would destroy everything in my life if everyone knew.
Holly is the new girl at school and my unwilling lab partner. She hates me because I’m one of the popular guys—one of the bullies who terrorize the unfortunate and the unpopular. For me, it’s who I’ve had to become to keep anyone from getting too close—close enough to see right through me.
When Holly finds out my secret, I have to do whatever it takes to keep her quiet—even if it means telling the most damaging lie of all—the one I tell myself.
“There are so many emotions in this story. It makes you laugh, cry, hope, sigh. It will take you back to your teenage years. You will relive the emotional rollercoaster of that time in your life. This is a must read that you can’t put down.” – Julie, Goodreads
“I could not stop reading this book. This is an exploration of all that motivates the young as they navigate the waters to reach adulthood along with a smattering of education. It shines a light on the invisible burdens that are not so easily recognized by the world at large. Not all handicaps are visible, and the ones we place on our own hearts may do the most damage. I think this book could start a hundred important conversations.” – Rebekah, Goodreads
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
I wasn’t sure what to expect from The Lie That Binds after reading Amy Argent’s Embrace Tomorrow duet. But wow, what a story!
Nathan is one of the popular guys in his high school, and Holly is the newcomer in town, kind of a misfit. They have zero in common, Holly and her friends are often the butts of the jokes made by Nathan and his buddies, and Holly hates her new school at first because of it. But then she witnesses something that Nathan never wanted anyone to see, never planned for anyone outside of his brother and parents to know about. His secret is so devastating — at least to a 17-year-old — that he is willing to do anything to keep his secret. Include befriend and date Holly so she won’t share her business.
But then Nathan falls in love with Holly. And what does he do now?
Amid all the teenage angst and secrets, The Lie That Binds is a wonderful tale of the healing power of love. Despite Nathan’s lies at the onset of their relationship, there is so much beauty in how his feelings for Holly changed him, and the selfish boy’s selfless act changes everything between them. This story was quite enjoyable, and I also loved the support that Nathan and Holly got from their friends!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Hold Me Close, an all-new heartfelt, angsty and emotional novella set in the All of Me world from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Siobhan Davis, is live now!
Sons pay for the sins of their fathers…
Bodhi and Easton Lancaster O’Donoghue have grown up sheltered from the truth. Until it’s time for their parents to reveal what happened and how it shaped the events that came later.
Bodhi is quiet. An intelligent, introspective boy who hides his pain deep inside. Shattered by the harsh reality of the past, he spirals into a dark place where no one can reach him.
Easton loves his brother fiercely and has always been there for him. Despite his own grief and confusion, he tries his best to support Bodhi—even if he seems determined to push everyone away.
Vivien and Dillon knew this moment would come. Yet nothing prepared them for the massive fall-out. As Bodhi retreats, and Easton struggles, they fight hard to keep their family together.
Before history repeats itself and they suffer more devastating loss.
It was so great revisiting Dillon and Vivien in Hold Me Close! Set about seven years after the duet, this novella deals with the trials and tribulations of Dillon and Viven raising two teenage sons. This novella is not a standalone story and should be read after the All of Me duet.
Easton and Bodhi are now high schoolers, and the boys have learned the truth about their family’s scandalous past. I loved how Dillon and Vivien handled their sons’ heartache. This story is messy and chaotic and the boys are each carrying around so much hurt and anger, but Dillon and Vivien rely on one another to get through the hurricane that their family life has become. With multiple chapters from the POV of Dillon, Vivien, Bodhi and Easton, we get everbody’s take on the situation, and I loved that storytelling decision!
I thought there was a missed opportunity for Dillon to have a serious sit-down with Bodhi and talk to him about his own teenage angst. It’s alluded to, but it happens off the page and I really would have loved to have seen how that conversation went! Still, Hold Me Close was a fantastic reunion with a couple that I loved the first time around!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Siobhan Siobhan Davis is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Amazon Top 10 bestselling romance author. Siobhan writes emotionally intense stories with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She has sold over 1.5 million books and her titles are translated into several languages.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She lives in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
Ford and Sydney’s one-night-stand is explosive. And then his head pretty much explodes when they realize that Sydney has applied to be the nanny for Ford’s adorable daughter, Everly.
There is so much heat between these two, I needed to fan myself. And while Ford is swoony and hot and successful and all those other things that we love in the billionaire hero trope, he’s an absolute mush when it comes to his darling daughter. I could not get enough of those sweet scenes with Everly! As Ford and Sydney try their hardest to ignore the attraction between them, she is creating a wonderful bond with Everly, and I adored the relationship established between the two of them.
This book has all the feels, and kept me entertained from the prologue to the last page.
*UPDATE FOR AUDIO* I did read this book when it was first released several months ago, and had the pleasure of experiencing it all over again on audio thanks to Tor Thom and Summer Morton.
I am a new reader to this series, but I so enjoyed getting to know the Dalton brothers! I will definitely be going back to read the previous books and be on the lookout for The Intern!
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann knew she was going to be a writer since middle school. While other girls her age were daydreaming about teenage pop stars, Marni was fantasizing about penning her first novel. She crafts unique stories that weave together her love of darkness, mystery, passion, and human emotions. A New Englander at heart, she now lives in Sarasota, Florida, with her husband and their yellow Lab. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop, working on her next novel, she’s scouring for chocolate, sipping wine, traveling, or devouring fabulous books.
Moments in Time is a very fitting title for this wonderful small-town, best friends, second-chance romance. It’s got the perfect balance of sexy and sweet, lots of feels, and the right amount of angst.
Jamison and Violet were best friends once upon a time, but their relationship fell apart and they fell out of touch. Violet has always been the one that got away — so when she literally falls into his lap during a lap dance at a private party, he’s determined to be a part of her life once again. And that means tracking her down in the small town where they grew up. Jami is also there to help his brother Anderson run the family campground, so reconnecting with Violet is a bonus.
I really liked the way Jami and Violet’s complicated history is drawn upon in this story as it goes back and forth from then to now. Were they dating? It was never labeled, but they were so much more than just best friends back then. It takes a while for them to move past the hurt of the past, but once they bring their relationship to the present, they are honest with each other about how they are feeling and it was lovely to see that kind of growth between them.
Moments In Time is set in the same world as The Weight of Regret. While I struggled to connect with Jami’s brother, Anderson, and Hope in that book, I am bumping it back up to the top of my TBR list after finishing Moments in Time.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet K.K. Allen
K.K. Allen is the USA TODAY Bestselling and award-winning contemporary romance author of sweet, sexy, and inspiring stories that evoke emotion at every turn.
K.K.’s debut romance novel, Up in the Treehouse, was named the Best New Adult Book of the Year by RT Book Reviews, an honor beyond belief. And she continues to take reader’s emotions on an epic ride every single time with real, layered, coming of age romance stories that will make you fall in love over and over again.
Born in Hawaii, raised in Washington, and currently residing in Florida, K.K. lives for laughs with her little dude, the great outdoors, watching football, dancing the night away, and her eclectic taste in music.
K.K. also loves connecting with her readers and attends signings when she can! You can find upcoming event dates and other information at:www.kkallen.com.
★★★★★ “It was edgy, raw, heart-stopping and highly emotional- checking all my boxes.” -BC Booklover
Blurb:
The last time I saw the only woman I’ve ever loved, we stood in a church as I tried to stop her from walking down the aisle toward the wrong man. I failed.
In the four years that have passed, she had his kid while I went on to achieve the sort of success with my band that we never could have dreamed.
I’ve sampled enough of the female population to realize no one will ever measure up to the woman who holds my heart, but she’s a mom now, and I’m unsuitable for kids.
They’ve built their life far enough away from me, but they’re coming to California. They want to see me.
My first response? No comment.
The fire that always burned between us still rages when they show up, but I should really stay away. After all, she didn’t just marry some random guy. She married my brother.
Once again, Lisa Suzanne delivers a powerful, emotional, angst-filled love triangle with No Comment. Tommy and Rachel’s story is a bumpy, wild ride full of missed opportunities, regrets, and a love that won’t die. Lisa Suzanne’s love triangles have always intrigued me, and the story between Tommy, Rachel and Eddie reminded me a bit of the triangle between Mark, Reese and Brian in the first trilogy of the Vail series. But she ups the ante with No Comment because not only is Rachel the one that got away for Tommy, but she is married to his brother Eddie and they have a child.
TW: There is some cheating involved, but I thought it’s handled in a way that flowed well with the story. It also lead to some major anticipation to see Rachel and Tommy finally reunite.
And that bonus epilogue? I cried.
This book is part of the Capital Kingsmen series, but can be read as a standalone. It is also set in the Vail world since CK is on Mark Aston’s Ashmark record label — and I LOVED the scenes between Mark and Tommy as they discussed the unique heartbreak of loving your brother’s girl.
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
From USA Today and Wall St. Journal bestselling author comes a brand-new contemporary romance—an angsty, emotional love story between a grumpy firefighter who thinks he has his life figured out and a beautiful ad exec whose life is anything but.
Between Hello and Goodbye by Emma Scott is now live!
She’s a city girl in Seattle. He’s a firefighter in a rainforest. This is never going to work…
Faith Benson isn’t your emergency contact, she’s the party-girl friend you call for a good time. The gal-pal who loves mimosas at brunch and martinis at Happy Hour. But her carefree lifestyle threatens her job at a top Seattle ad agency. There’s no one better at landing big accounts (when she shows up) but her boss demands she take a leave of absence to get her head on straight.
Faith heads to the remote Hawaiian island of Kauai, far away from the vices that get her in trouble. A twisted ankle on Day One requires rescuing by a man who is vice personified–a gorgeous firefighter who awakens feelings in her heart she never knew existed.
Asher Mackey doesn’t get involved with beautiful tourists beyond taking them to bed and then watching them leave his tiny island. He’s devoted his life to the safety and care of everyone around him…except himself. Until he meets Faith Benson, the city girl whose vibrant, inner beauty shines a light on the dark corners of his life, showing him how safe—but empty—it truly is.
Despite their best efforts to keep their distance, Faith and Asher fall hard and fast, but there’s an ocean between them. Both are building their lives on opposite sides of the Pacific while their feelings for each other grow more profound and undeniable by the day.
Something has to give.
When Asher receives devastating news, he and Faith have to decide once and for all to entrust their hearts fully to the other or return to their safe—but separate—worlds. Because neither can endure much longer, living somewhere between hello and goodbye.
Between Hello and Goodbye is a contemporary romance about love, loss, and experiencing life in all its facets. It deals with sensitive topics that may be triggering for some readers.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Between Hello and Goodbye is so much more than an opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine romance. Emma Scott’s latest story delivers an emotional punch that will leave you with a book hangover.
As hard as Asher and Faith try to ignore the crazy chemistry between them, it’s inevitable. But she’s a city slicker ad exec from Seattle on retreat to “reset” her life in Hawaii, and he’s a firefighter in a small island town. Sure, he was once a Wall Street hedge fund manager, but Asher’s traded in that life for a simpler existence. How will they ever make their vacation fling work?
As it turns out, the distance between Hawaii and Settle is not the only thing working against Asher and Faith. They both have baggage to work through and just when it seems that they’ve made their way through that, a devastating turn of events threatens to tear them apart for good. This book is emotional, heartbreaking, heartwrenching, and every other angsty synonym you can think of. But so, so beautiful despite the heartache that befalls Asher and Faith.
I didn’t realize at first that Faith was Silas’ fake fiance from Someday, Someday, and I loved that she got a story of her own — as emotional and teary as it was!
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
Emma Scott is a USA Today and Wall St. Journal bestselling author whose books have been translated in six languages and featured in Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, New York Daily News and USA Today’s Happy Ever After. She writes emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy emotionally-charged stories that rip your heart out and put it back together again, with diverse characters and kind-hearted heroes, you will enjoy her novels. Visit www.emmascottwrites.com
“Everything amazing about a small town romance…family, secrets, old wounds, unforgettable connections, plus the sweetest love story that had my heart soaring. An absolute must read! Addie and Beckett were magic together!”–A.L. Jackson New York Times Bestselling Author
Hidden Waters, an all-new touching and heartfelt friends to lovers, small-town romance from bestselling author Catherine Cowles, is now available!
My family tried to break me. But, somehow, I made it out alive, even though the wounds from that survival are forever carved into my bones. Now, my only wish is for…normal. To know what it’s like to have friends, a job, a home.
The last thing I want is for my new roommate to see the scars I’m so desperate to keep hidden, especially not the ruggedly handsome man who steals my breath and sends my heart into overdrive.
But something tells me that Beckett has demons, too. I see it in the shadows haunting his gorgeous eyes and the way he looks at me with gentle understanding.
As our unlikely friendship becomes so much more, forces from my life slink out of the shadows. And we could both lose everything we’ve fought so hard for—down to our very last breaths…
“I’m getting it. I’m making that beautiful life now. And I’ll appreciate it so much more because of what I’ve been through.”
It wasn’t enough for me. It never would be. But I admired how Addie could view her past. I struggled not to hold her too tightly. The urge to burn the world down around me was too strong. I wasn’t good the way Addie was. I still wanted to start with Allen.
“Beckett,” she whispered against my ear. “I’m okay. It doesn’t hurt. The skin is ugly but—”
I reared back. “Nothing about you is ugly.”
Her cheeks flamed. “It is. It’s just facts. I don’t care. There are so many more important things.”
“Show me.” I was already climbing to my feet.
“W-what?”
“Show me.”
Addie stood shakily. “I don’t want you to see it.”
My gaze locked with hers. I poured everything I was feeling into that one look. “Please.”
She didn’t say anything for a moment, searching my face for something. Then she nodded and turned around. Slowly, so painfully slowly, she unbuttoned her blouse. When she was done, she simply stood there, not lowering the shirt. Her ribs expanded and contracted in ragged breaths. Then she let the fabric fall to the floor.
Angry slashes crisscrossed her back. They were varying tones, shapes, and depths. In that moment, I knew Allen had done this to her over and over. My hands fisted so tightly I was in danger of breaking a knuckle.
I moved closer and then sank to my knees again. “It’s just me.” My hands went to Addie’s hips. She gave a slight jolt. I stilled. “You okay?” She nodded, the movement jerky, her breaths ragged. I slowly swept my thumb across a patch of raised skin. Then I bent forward, my lips going to the worst of the scars. I ghosted them over the flesh that had been torn apart but had come back together stronger than it had been before.
“Beauty in the strength that carried you through. Beauty in how you refused to be broken. Beauty that you never let yourself become cruel like him. Addie, there isn’t a thing about you that isn’t beautiful.”
Everything I’ve read by Catherine Cowles has been mesmerizing, wonderful, haunting, brilliant… but Hidden Waters kind of blew the rest of those books, well, out of the water. Addie and Beckett’s story was fantastically written, a heartbreaking and uplifting story that gave me a serious book hangover.
Having met Addie in the previous two books, I couldn’t wait to see what her story brought to this series. She just came alive in this book through her friendship with Beckett, and blossomed into such a confident woman. I loved watching her find herself after a lifetime of abuse, neglect, and being stifled by here dad. Their friendship was so much more right from the start. Beckett is also a very tortured soul, and these two are drawn together immediately.
Narrators Sebastian York and Ava Erickson were Magic in telling this tale. Their nuanced performances brought this couple to life spectacularly.
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.
Brooke Turner has always had a complicated relationship with her father. But when his health takes a turn for the worse, she drops everything to care for him. He’s her dad, after all, and he needs her. What Brooke doesn’t anticipate is the unraveling of her long-term relationship and a cross-country move to San Diego’s Little Italy.
Luca D’Angelo is the oldest of three children and a single father to a young daughter. When his mother rents the top floor of their house to Brooke, he’s angry. Who is this beautiful stranger with no ties to the neighborhood? Can she be trusted in such close proximity to his family?
As Luca learns of Brooke’s difficult journey with her ailing father, his heart softens. And Brooke, who witnesses Luca’s struggle as a single parent, develops feelings for him, too. But when it all falls apart, will love heal their wounded hearts?
About the Author
New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee has written twenty-eight books that have collectively sold more than five million copies and have been translated into more than eighteen languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Not Quite Series, the Weekday Brides Series, the Most Likely To Series, and the First Wives Series.
When It Falls Apart is a heartbreaking exploration in the heroine’s attempts to juggle her personal life and career with the demands put upon her in caring for her aging parent. Brooke is trying to hold it all together but her life and career fall apart after her father falls ill. She has to pack up her life, put her father into assisted living, end a long-term relationship and try to pick up the pieces of her life. She never expects to find a support system in the crazy chaos of the family she’s renting an apartment from. Or find her soulmate in the hot single dad.
I really liked Brooke as a heroine. She had a lot on her shoulders but handled it well. And Luca was so patient and attentive with her when it came to dealing with her father and showing her what a boyfriend should do for his girlfriend. (Seriously, her ex was a grade-A jerk.) Little Franny was absolutely adorable, and I appreciated how Luca and Brooke presented a united front when his ex-wife suddenly reappeared out of the blue.
However, what I didn’t like about this book was the style of storytelling.
This book is 3rd POV dual perspective, but I found the transitions really choppy. We get the POV of both Luca and Brooke in the same chapter, sometimes with no clear break between whose view we are reading. I haven’t read anything else by Catherine Bybee before, so maybe that is her writing style. But the majority of the books I read are dual POV, and the stories flow so much better with alternating chapters.
There were also a few POV sections with Mama Marie, which I enjoyed. I liked getting her insight to Brooke and Luca’s relationship, and how she knew as soon as she met Brooke that she was the one for Luca. But I think those may have worked better as their own chapters when it comes to the flow of the story.
Despite the choppiness of the storytelling, I did enjoy this story and I will definitely check out the future D’Angelo books because I’m interested in what’s to come for Chloe and Gio!
I received a complimentary copy via NetGalley and voluntarily left a review.
Interview with Catherine Bybee
For anyone wondering the plot of your newest release, you give a great sneak peek with the title—When it Falls Apart. What is “falling apart” in this novel?
All the threads that hold my heroine, Brooke, together are crumbling down around her. When it Falls Apart begins with Brooke’s romantic relationship crashing and burning. At the same time, in a different state, her father is circling the drain in the ICU. And for the cherry on the top of her “falling apart life”, Brooke has found herself demoted at work. In short, everything in Brooke’s life is dissolving around her.
Like all of your books, When it Falls Apart has a beautiful romance, however, there is a rawness about Brooke’s story. How was writing this novel different from your others?
If you read my notes both in the front and the back of this novel, you’ll soon realize that the story was very personal to me. Rawness comes from experience. The relationship Brooke has with her father is hauntingly familiar to me and my dad. The emotions that the heroine experienced when taking care of him were easy for me to grasp onto and write about. Sadly, the love story with Luca was completely made up and I didn’t have the support of a strong Italian family to help deal with the struggles, but I digress.
Relationships with a parent who wasn’t there for you growing up are messy. When that parent ages and needs their child, sometimes that help comes with a bucketload of resentment, even if the child wishes they could stop those ugly feelings from creeping up on them. And THAT is the rawness you speak of.
Books, TV shows, and movies oftentimes glamorize what it means to care for a loved one. However, in When it Falls Apart you don’t sugar-coat anything about caregiving and the toll it takes on a person. How do you think readers who have been in similar situations will be affected by this story?
Justified. Validated. Accepted.
It’s a hard job taking care of an elderly family member. And if there aren’t other siblings to help, or won’t help, it’s made even more difficult. It’s difficult, gritty, dirty work that only has a bad ending…eventually. What I do hope my readers take away is that they’re not alone. That the struggle is very real and that if they don’t find balance (which is almost impossible at times) they will burn out completely and not be fit to help at all. I hope my readers are empowered to set boundaries and balance, so they come out on the other side of caring for an elderly loved one whole themselves.
Brooke gets virtually no support from her significant other, which has her reevaluating their relationship. She realizes she has settled and has to make some hard decisions. Do you think this happens too many times to women in real life?
100% Yes! There is a song by Taylor Swift with a line that says, and I’m paraphrasing here, I can be what you want for the weekend. But often that weekend ends up being a relationship that women hold on to or are convinced they can’t live without. Often it takes a huge shake-up to remove yourself from that situation. But once you’re away from the day to day dysfunctional relationship, the easier it is to see the dysfunction.
After her breakup and move, Brooke is not looking for a relationship. In fact, she tells her best friend: “I haven’t wiped off my smeared mascara from Marshall yet, the last thing I want is to jump into anything else.” Her crying over a man lasts all about two minutes when she meets Luca. Tell us about him.
Hmmm, Luca… he is the kind of man who doesn’t want a place on Brooke’s dance card…he wants to rip it up.
Luca is wired to help the people in his life. Brooke becomes a part of his inner circle simply by moving into the family building where he sees her every day.
Now, if Luca had flat out asked Brooke on a date, she would have run the other way…so no, he doesn’t go about it that way. He simply shows up and does not leave. Not when things get tough, or messy…or when his own past peeks its head in. Luca is a man who is right there at Brooke’s side without question or censor on why she does the things she does. His support and validation of her feelings is the part she was missing. Add in the hunky Italian single father and “Mamma Mia!”
At first, Luca is not thrilled that Brooke is renting a room in his family’s building. What changes his mind about her?
Her strength and vulnerability. I know that sounds contradicting, but some of the strongest women I know have a big vulnerable spot in their life that if you know them well enough, you see. The biggest smiles often hide the deepest pain. Luca sees her struggle and dedication to helping her elderly father and since family is first on Luca’s list, she passes his unconscious test.
Luca’s family, the D’Angelo’s, are incredibly close and share everything from ownership of the family restaurant to helping care for Luca’s daughter Franny. How is this different from Brooke’s relationship with her family?
Brooke doesn’t have that family. She has a father who abandoned her as a little girl that she carved out a relationship as an adult, and now she’s charged with caring for. Even her previous romantic relationship didn’t support her unconditionally the way the D’Angelo’s do for each other. She’s rather dumbfounded when they start treating her like family. It’s a wonderful thing to watch happen.
San Diego’s Little Italy plays a huge part in the story. The community, language, and food are in full display. Tell us about your own experiences in your adopted city.
I love Little Italy, the food, the pace… the people. There are many places in San Diego that are overrun with the college scene, San Diego is a college town. But Little Italy is more family friendly. Very touristy, but there isn’t a day you don’t see locals hanging out. I go to the farmer’s market often. Pick up authentic Italian ingredients for my own home cooking. I try new restaurants and take all my friends there when they are visiting from out of town. Not to mention it was the closest thing to the “real Italy” that I could go during the travel restrictions. So why not write about it and tell the world of this small island within San Diego that shouldn’t be missed?
There are two more siblings in the D’Angelo family. Where will you be taking readers next with the series?
Chloe is a yogi. Think Bali!
And Giovanni loves wine… think Tuscany, Italy.
I cannot wait to show you what I have in store for these two!
.png)
Sunny Shelly Reads 