BLOG TOUR: Edible by Ella Frank

Synopsis:

Edible, delicious, delectable. 

Rachel Langley is more than familiar with those three words in her line of work. After all, she spends her afternoons and evenings creating desserts so divine that your mouth with water and your taste buds will tingle. 

They aren't, however, the words she would have ever expected to think of when she locks eyes with a certain lawyer she knows only as Cole. 

With each encounter, the infuriatingly persistent man becomes more impossible to resist, and edible is the exact word that comes to mind. 

Crave, demand, covet. 

Cole Madison knows exactly what he wants, and Rachel Langley is it. From the moment he spotted her at Whipped, he knew he wanted to grab hold and take a bite. 

However, the woman has enigmatic moves, avoiding him at every turn. 

But not for much longer. 

Rachel's time is up, and as far as Cole is concerned, he's waited too long for a taste of what he desires. Nothing, including the woman herself, will stop him from consuming what he hungers for. 

The only question left is: Who will take the first bite?

My Review:

Holy caramel-covered goodness!! I don't know why I'm surprised that this book got me all hot and bothered, because let's face it, Ella Frank's novels always manage to rev my engine. (Believe me, I'm just as embarrassed as you are that I used that analogy but don't judge me. Please.) Edible was deliciously dirty and if it were an actual dessert, I'd go back for seconds...thirds...well, you get the picture! 

Rachel Langley is lost and lonely. After losing both of her parents, and seeing her brother and all her closest friends around her get married and live their happily ever afters, Rachel starts to feel like an outsider; like she doesn't belong. In an attempt to gain some control in her life...and over a man...she starts visiting Whipped, a slightly S&M night club. She wants to call the shots, she wants the power. After a rough past relationship, she has no intention of submitting to a man ever again. Until Cole...

Cole Madison is the epitome of sophistication on the outside -- tailored 3 piece suits, cuff links, not a hair out of place; he's very...GQ. But no one around him knows of his other side, the sexy as hell side. Tattoos, nipple piercing, and a little something else but I'll let your mind wander and leave it as a surprise for you ;) He spots Rachel at Whipped and is immediately drawn to her. He hasn't ever taken no for an answer before, and as much as Rachel resists him initially, he isn't about to back down now. 

I almost don't even know where to start. The chemistry between Rachel and Cole was palpable, almost like you could taste it. And if it were a flavor, there's absolutely no question what it would be -- caramel. I don't think I'll be able to look at caramel the same way. I make a caramel apple cheesecake every year for Thanksgiving and I have a feeling this year, my mind is going to be filled with thoughts of Cole and all the ways I could better use my homemade caramel on him instead of on my cheesecake! Ella, do you see what you've done to me?! :-) 

While I don't normally enjoy "shotgun relationships", there are exceptions to everything. Edible is one of my exceptions. I like seeing the gradual growth of a relationship; lust to like to love. I love build up. But here's the thing - the quickness of their connection to each other was believable. I wasn't rolling my eyes, thinking "you've got to be fucking kidding me with this..." and trust me, I've done that more times than I care to admit. They have a very unique bond and because of the wonderfully weaved story lines, the quick dive from lust to like to love didn't bother me; it actually made me happy. 

Edible is the last book in the Exquisite series, and for me, it's bittersweet. I adore all these characters so much that it's almost hard to think that their stories are over. As expected, we get caught up on the lives of Mason, Lena, Josh, and Shelly, and we are introduced to a new character, Logan, who will be getting his own story as well! This fella is intriguing so I am beyond excited that we get to learn more about him. (To clarify, his story is the start of a new series).

Oy vey, I'm rambling now. Let me just sum this up for you real quick: Edible is the cherry on top of a delicious series from Ella Frank. If you haven't read these books yet, you are seriously missing out. And just in case you need further encouragement, here's a little something: there are some piercings on some people that will...make your jaw drop. Intrigued yet? Of course you are! Go buy Edible right now and enjoy the deliciousness that is Cole Madison. If you're anything like me, you'll be going back for seconds...thirds...wait, didn't I already do this?? ;)

MY RATING: 4 STARS

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Review: Finding My Way by Megan Keith

Synopsis

When twenty-three-year-old Emma discovers that her ex is moving on with his life, she decides to harden up and get on with living her own. Who knew that just opening up to the possibility of a new relationship would be all that it took? Things start looking up when her hot new co-worker Seth notices her. He had been the subject of her fantasies, but she never thought she stood a chance. Then there’s Nick, the sexy and self-assured guy she met at the train station that she cannot get out of her head. When even more prospects begin to show it seems that life is finally looking up. Top it off with a new career opportunity and Emma finally believes she can find her way to a whole new life.

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Review

The first thing that I have to mention is that I LOVE the cover of this book. Something about it really appealed to me. I want that freaking outfit and I want the damn body to pull it off! :D

I absolutely enjoyed Megan Keith's debut novel, Finding My Way. It's an appropriately titled book as three characters stories are interwoven as they try to figure out their paths in life.

 Emma is trying to move past her breakup with Josh, her boyfriend of seven years. While preparing for her best friend Kat's wedding, she learns that Josh has begun dating. Once she discovers this, she finally resigns herself to the fact that they'll never get back together, and it's time for her to really move on.

Seth, Emma's charming and definitely attractive co-worker, is tired of the dating scene's revolving door. With a good job, and a great family example, he's ready to meet the girl of his dreams, settle down, and start a family of his own. Emma catches his eye and he's quick to ask her out. Emma's quite smitten with him as they fall into an easy, sweet, and very compatible relationship.

Nick's the playboy that works at the train station that Emma uses every morning to get to work. He's used to women falling all over him, so he begins a friendly flirtation with Emma. Something about her makes him want to be different, but he just can't put his finger on it.

Both men couldn't have been more different, so Emma's nerve-wracked when she finds herself attracted to them both. Seth's the sweet guy who makes your heart flutter, the guy you bring home to Mom, the guy who wants to commit. Nick's the self-described player who doesn't believe in dating.

Who do you choose? And how to you follow your head when your heart's moving in a different direction?

*****
If you've ever had to choose between two men, then you'll certainly connect with this story and Emma's emotional journey in determining how to follow her heart. Having conflicting emotions for two very different men could cause anyone to go a little crazy. Megan Keith puts a new twist on the love triangle as she shows all three POVS, so we can get into the minds of each character. I really enjoyed that aspect because I was able to connect a lot deeper with each one and their relationships.

I'm normally not a huge fan of love triangles. Why, you ask? I usually find that I'm so overwhelmingly on one guy's side, and in this book, I felt no differently. To be honest, I was devastated by the end of this book. I wanted to scream and cry. I had to take a step back and realize that Emma had to follow her heart. The heart wants what the heart wants, reader be damned! :) I can't win them all, I guess! And while my heart was torn in two, I found myself still okay with it. There's a lot left in store for these characters, so I'm definitely along for the bumpy ride!

One thing that was really fun about this book was learning a bunch of cool Australian slang and lingo. The writing was fantastic, and I'm completely impressed with this debut novel. There isn't exactly a cliffhanger here, but the book ends with a big question: Where do they go from here? I, for one, can't wait to find out. 

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Author Bio

Megan Keith is a married, mother of three, living in a small country town in New South Wales, Australia. She has a constant thirst for a good story, whether it is in books, music, movies, on TV, or just plain old-fashioned gossip. She has always had a creative side and loves to let her imagination run wild. On a few occasions over the years, Megan has put those imaginings into a written story, but never dreamed of publishing. She has always loved to read, but it wasn’t until she got given a Kindle that it became a full-blown addiction. Her introduction to the world of Indie Authors re-ignited her passion for writing and she has spent the past ten months working on what was supposed to be one book, but has now turned into three. Finding My Way is the first of the trilogy, and is also her debut self-published novel.

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All artwork courtesy of Kari at 'Cover to Cover Designs': http://www.covertocoverdesigns.com/index.html

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Blog Hop: In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow

Synopsis:

Gracie has just finished her freshman year of college in Memphis when she takes a job at a local pizza joint in her home town of McKenzie, Tennessee. She is the epitome of innocence when she meets Noah. Noah is unabashedly handsome, intriguingly reckless and just cocky enough to be sexy. Gracie's instincts tell her to stay far away from him and based on the stories she hears from her co-workers, he leaves broken hearts in his wake. But still, she can't explain her fascination with him. 

Noah puts aside his bad boy ways when what he thought was a summer crush has him unexpectedly falling in love. But soon after Grace transfers to UT Knoxville to be with Noah, their unexpected love becomes riddled with anger, deceit, and humiliation. 

Jake, Noah's former roommate and Gracie's best friend, can no longer be a bystander. Gracie's world falls out from beneath her and when she breaks she turns to Jake for strength. As Jake talks her through a decision she's not yet strong enough to make, together they uncover a truth so ugly neither of them is prepared for its fallout. Will Jake pull her to the surface or is Gracie Jordan finally in too deep?

My Review:

Y'all know those books that make you want to throw your e-reader against a wall...or light the paperback on fire...or just straight up strangle someone because you're so frustrated and pissed off and heartbroken? Yeah, you do. We've all been there. The thing is, if my emotions are going to get whiplash, I like a warning. So, in case you're like me, here's your warning: In Too Deep is one of those books. It rips your heart out, runs over it with a combine, and then just expects you to keep on keeping on with whatever remnants of a heart you have left. 

Gracie is the innocent college freshman with a stable, slightly boring, long distance boyfriend. Noah is the bad boy who brags about how many chicks he banged and how many beers he drank last weekend. They are an unlikely couple, but when Noah finds himself intrigued by Gracie's quiet, soft, demeanor he insists she give him a chance. Against her better judgment, she agrees and finds herself falling head over heels for a guy who seemed all wrong for her. When she transfers to his college, she thinks it will only make their relationship stronger. The problem is that she didn't ever count on Noah reverting back to his bad boy ways. Between all the lies, deceit, and emotional abuse, their relationship has become a nightmare; a nightmare that Gracie keeps praying will turn into a happily ever after. But just how many times can you forgive someone and just how many chances is too many before you finally see the person for who they really are? 

I went back on forth on how I felt about this story. Nope - scratch that - I went back and forth on how I felt about some of the characters, mainly Gracie. I felt for her on a really personal level, and could actually understand her wanting to forgive Noah and give him a chance to make things right. She loved him. Love makes you do stupid things...like give your boyfriend chance after chance after chance...even after he hurts you. I just wish she would have grown a backbone a little sooner instead of literally just letting him walk all over her time and time again. But actually, the biggest issue I had with her was her constant crying. Seriously. It was like every other page she was crying about something to someone. I get that she was hurting, but I just got a little tired of her crying about everything. One other thing that bothered me was how she mentally thought she was somehow better than everyone that had to wait in line to get it in the frat parties just because she was dating a Sigma Chi brother. She mentions a few times that she mentally does a "beauty queen wave" as she walks past the long line of people. That's not in tune with the rest of her personality, IMO. That is something I would expect from a stuck up, bitchy female character; Gracie never struck me as stuck up or bitchy until she went into the "perks" of dating a frat guy. I knew girls like that in college...the ones who dated frat guys and thought every other girl who didn't was beneath them...and I avoided those very girls like the plague. 

I don't really want to delve into the specifics of the plot, because I don't want to give away any spoilers but the relationship between Gracie and Noah is...toxic. But as awful as he could be to her, I kept hoping he would get his shit together! There is something masochistic in me that loves jerks - I can't help it! That being said, Jake might be one of my favorite non-jerks ;)  He was such a wonderful friend and rock for Gracie to lean on while she sorted through problem after problem with Noah. He wipes her tears (and there are lots of them) and tries to make her see that she deserves better than what Noah has put her through time after time. I'll be honest with y'all...Jake is pretty swoon-worthy!

This novel was well written, and I liked the drowning metaphors spaced throughout as they related to Gracie's mood. Overall, it was a good angst-driven novel and I applaud Michelle for touching on the subject of emotional abuse, and handling it very well. I'd just say to those who are planning to read this, prepare yourselves. 

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Excerpt:

The strong force of the wave pulled me under. I gasped for air just before my face disappeared below the surface. My body rolled over and over, my arms flailed, and my head pounded into the sea bed which felt like a concrete floor. The salty water stung my eyes. I forced myself to keep them open, fearing I would slip into unconsciousness from the blow I took to the head. I knew I had to hold it together long enough for the swell to pull me back up when the wave rolled. But something was pulling me deeper. I fought with all my might, kicking against the thick water swallowing me whole. I used my arms like underwater oars and sliced through the depths trying to reach what I needed most, but I was in too deep.

“Get out!” I could barely get the words out before I had to run to the bathroom and void my gut of its contents. Noah didn’t move.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and screamed, “I said, Get! Out!” I stumbled back into the room, grabbed the box of mementos I’d collected from the last year of our relationship, and dumped everything into the trashcan in the corner. Like a communal grave, there lay movie tickets, dried rose petals, a strip of photos from the boardwalk, all the beautiful letters he wrote last fall semester, an empty beer bottle, and all the rest of what was now just a reminder of the guy I thought I knew.

“Gracie, don’t…” His face fell, but he didn’t move from the edge of my bed.

“Don’t? Don’t what, Noah? Don’t break up with you? Are you kidding?” My ears burned from his admission of guilt. It hit me broadside. I wasn’t prepared for the words he had spoken just moments before.

The rush of water covering me grew cold. Icy. My body quaked. My lungs burned and begged for air. I could see light above. It glimmered and danced on the small waves my panic created. I reached for the surface. Even if I couldn’t pull myself up, maybe just feeling the sun’s warmth would stop the shivering that threatened to unravel me.

My legs gave out beneath me and I crumbled into a heap on my apartment floor. I sobbed so uncontrollably I gasped for air. I was livid. Repulsed. Crushed and torn. Noah was the love of my life, and things were just getting back to the way I longed for them to be. Back to what used to be our “normal.” Before he pledged Sigma Chi. Our relationship hadn’t been easy since I transferred to Knoxville. But our story wasn’t ready to end.

It went something like this:

Bad boy meets good girl.

First kiss.

Bad boy turns sensitive.

Love.

Good girl gives sensitive boy all of her.

Long distance.

Flowers. Love letters.

Long, sweet phone calls.

Good girl transfers to sensitive boy’s school.

Sensitive boy becomes fraternity boy.

Drunken social events.

Secrets revealed.

Fraternity boy pulls good girl under.

Good girl finds herself in too deep....

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About the Author

Michelle Kemper Brownlow has been a storyteller her entire life. Her debut was on the high school cheerleading bus granting requests to re-tell her most embarrassing moments for a gaggle of hysterical squadmates. 

Earning her Bachelor’s degree from Penn State University in Art Education and then marrying her very own “Jake,” she moved to Binghamton, NY where she taught high school. After having two children she quit work and finished her Master’s degree in Elementary Education at Binghamton University.

The Brownlow family of four moved to Michelle’s hometown of Morgantown, PA while the children were still quite young. A few years after moving, her family grew by one when they welcomed a baby into their home through the gift of adoption. The family still resides in PA, just miles from where that high school cheer bus was parked.

Michelle has been an artist for as long as she can remember, always choosing pencils and crayons over toys and puzzles. As a freelance illustrator, her simple characters play the starring roles in numerous emergent reader books published by Reading Reading Books.

“Writing is my way of making sense of the world. When I give my characters life on the pages I write, it frees up space in my mind to welcome in new stories that are begging to be told,” says Brownlow.

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Cover Reveal: For the Summer by Shey Stahl

TITLE: For the Summer by Shey Stahl

RELEASE DATE: August 2013

COVER DESIGN: Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations

SYNOPSIS:

Freckled cheeks, sunburns, a river bank --young, wild, and brave. Sophie Kaden falls in love with the smart-mouthed boy she can't seem to forget. She's looking to fit in for the summer; he's just hopeless. She's afraid to let go; he won't let her. 

EXCERPT:

No love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it

forever.

Francois Muriac

The sun set. Just past the dock you could see the boats lining up and smoke billowing as the party started

near the clearing. Country music drowned out the party not more than twenty feet from us, but it was him I

saw. Only him.

I thought—hoped—that my feelings would have changed. But they haven’t, and in that moment I realized

they probably never would.

I wasn’t sure I would ever see him again. And I’d certainly never wanted to after what I knew now. But part of

me, the part that still held on to those eyes and that smartmouthed

southern drawl, was waiting for him to

at least acknowledge me, tell me everything that happened wasn’t my imagination.

I’d gone over it in my head, what I’d say to him—the words, the expression, the tone. All of it. This, right

now, wasn’t how I envisioned this would happen.

Barefoot, covered in thick Georgia mud, a beer in hand, and scars on my heart wasn’t how I planned it.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” I spat, regretting the words immediately. After last night, I said I’d let this

go. But … I couldn’t. The liquid courage in my hand made sure of that.

I expected him to say something—anything—but there was only silence, the awkward kind before his eyes

deceived him and he looked at me, briefly.

That expression, that one right there, told me what I needed without any words being spoken. He

remembered but wouldn’t admit it because who wanted to admit they purposely broke someone’s heart?

He crumbled me with that look—the only look I’d gotten since he’d been back.

Bensen, though a complete asshole at times, didn’t want to break my heart. “No,” he said, his eyes on the

lake avoiding any reaction I might have. He took that old worn baseball cap from his head with his right hand

and ran his fingers through his mop of dusty brown hair before replacing it, agitated and aware.

But the thing was, all these years, all those summers of writing in that damn journal had led me here,

remembering and regretting the things I couldn’t let go of.

“Well,” I said, shifting my weight from one foot to the other—my journal, my life, my tears, and my dreams

clenched in my sweaty palm. My eyes drifted to his; he stared at my feet, wishing they’d move, wishing all

of me would move away from him, but I couldn’t.

Feeling the sudden panic rise, my hand and heart trembled as I decided what I would do next.

I’d had enough remembering, and certainly enough regretting, so I did what I never planned to do when I

opened that leather bound notebook all those years ago. Inside that book was a love bound by blue gray and

sealed by the thick Georgia mud around us. It was pages and pages of nights I didn’t regret; it was

memories of legs on the dash while singing Marshall Tucker and his arm around my shoulder, swimming

after the sun went down and anything else those summers brought with it. Everything was in that book.

Unfortunately, my anger got the best of me. Searching for the moment, the lie I knew he’d been keeping, I

wiped the tears from my heated cheeks, squaring my shoulders, before I threw the notebook at him. “Maybe

this will help you remember.”

Not that I expected anything less, given his behavior the last week, but the notebook fell at his feet, his eyes

never moving as I walked past him.

“Read that, and tell me you don’t remember.” I didn’t turn around, nor could I. I had just handed him my

heart, as if he hadn’t already had it. Only now, nothing was hidden.

Suddenly, I’m thirteen again, living for the summer. The sun glowing, the days long and hot, sticky and

heavy, everything his memory was.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shey Stahl is the USA Today and Amazon Best-Selling author of Delayed Penalty; the Racing on the Edge series: Happy Hour, Black Flag, Trading Paint, The Champion, and The Legend; Waiting for You; and Everything Changes. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and daughter. 

Shey Stahl I Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads

***PSSSST! Today is Shey's birthday, so go find her on one of those sites above and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! :-) 

Cover Reveal organized by:

BLOG TOUR: Precious Embrace by Dana Mason

A second divorce and a new baby wasn’t the vision Alison Hayes had for her future. Now a single mother with two young boys, she wants to focus on her kids and what’s left of her stagnate career.

When Detective Johnny Rhay Bennett breezes into her life with his country-boy accent, she wants to run. She doesn’t need another man in her life, or another reason to make people talk. But when her worst nightmare becomes a reality, Johnny is the only person who can pull Ali out of her despair, forcing her to stay strong and not give up hope of finding her missing child.

~~~

Who falls in love after a one-night stand? Johnny Rhay doesn’t believe it’s possible until it happens to him. With Nashville in his rear-view mirror, he’s determined to convince Alison she loves him too, even if it means moving to the West Coast.

Ali’s not easy, and she’s living on just this side of bitter after her divorce, but Johnny doesn’t care. He’s up for the challenge. At least, he believes he’s up for it until baby Micah is stolen right out from under his nose. Now Johnny has to keep it together and get that sweet little boy home safe before his dreams of having a family vanish too.

 

INTERVIEW 

 

Hey, Dana. Thanks for interviewing with Gutter Girls Book Reviews. We're all wondering...Where did you get the inspiration for the characters in Dangerous Embrace and Precious Embrace?

 

Sarah was the first character I created. She is much like me but overdramatized. Like Sarah, I moved around a lot growing up. I also had a bit of a ‘dangerous’ boyfriend in high school who wasn’t very nice to me. Of course I wasn’t physically abused or raped like Sarah, but he was very emotionally abusive. And I fell right into his trap and swallowed all of his narcissistic lies, just like any impressionable young woman might.  

 

Ava, Sarah’s best friend, is much like my best friend. Unfortunately most of Ava’s scenes were eventually edited out. 

 

My husband handles security for his company along with all of their IT needs, so he is where I got the idea of Mark. The rest of the characters unfolded from the story. I actually added Johnny on a whim once I realized Brian needed to contact the Nashville police. It was one of those shrugable ‘why not’ moments.

 

Do you relate to any particular character more than the others?

 

Aha, yes, Sarah, but I can relate a little to all of them. I’m a parent like Ali and Mark. I’ve lived in Nashville, which made Johnny a little easier to write, and I’ve had my heart broken like Brian. (This you’ll learn about in book three)

 

I have to be honest, I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to embrace Alison's character because of her history with Mark. Were you worried that readers would dislike Alison in Precious Embrace for that reason?

 

YES! Very worried. When I wrote Dangerous Embrace I didn’t have any intentions of writing a series. I hoped, with crossed fingers, that if I did my job correctly, people would grow to like Ali and understand her. I wanted people to make the connection between her having lost her father at a young age and her lack of any real history with men, and realize she was simply misguided. I find that women with stronger father figures tend to have smarter heads when it comes to men. Not always, but most of the time this is true. Ali’s not a bad person, but she’s naïve and she’s compulsive when it comes to men.

 

When I added Johnny’s character to Dangerous Embrace, I thought about pairing him with Ava, but Johnny decided for himself who he wanted. It was a bit kismet really. Johnny and Ali had chemistry as soon as I put them on the page together. How could I not give Johnny what he wanted? If he didn’t care about her history, why should I?

 

We love country boys here at Gutter Girls Book Reviews, so Johnny Rhay Bennett fits right in! Any particular reason you chose to write about a southern boy from Nashville, TN?

 

I spent several years in Nashville growing up, and, well, let’s just say, the boys made an impression on me. Johnny was modeled after one particular 13 year old boy who I thought I loved for a short time. I guess you can say Johnny is how I hope this boy turned out. 

 

A lot of authors swear by using music as inspiration while they write. Does that go for you too? What's on your playlist?

 

I have an extensive playlist. Johnny even has his own theme song. I’ll list a few songs here, but you’ll be able to see the entire list on my blog in a few weeks.

 

Bad Things by Jace Everette (Johnny’s song) Yeah, I know, it’s the True Blood song, but I picture Johnny when I hear it.

Follow Through by Gavin DeGraw

Criminal by Fiona Apple

Here With Me by Dido

I’m Yours by The Script

One and Only Adele

Overjoyed by Matchbox 20

Ho Hey by The Lumineers

 

Are you working on any writing projects now that Precious Embrace has been released? What can we expect from you in the future? Do you plan to stick with writing Romantic Suspense?

 

I love romantic suspense so I can’t imagine writing anything else, but you never know. I’d never rule anything out. I have to finish book three, Broken Embrace, and then I’m on to my fourth book, What the Heart Wants.

  

Broken Embrace is about Brian and Melissa. They had the same introduction as Ali and Johnny. Once they were on the page together, they just connected, which is pretty inconvenient considering I had already written Brian as married. You’ll have to wait to for Broken Embrace to find out what happens.

 

Thanks for answering our questions! Is there anything else you'd like to say to our readers?

 

Thank you so much for the wonderful interview. It’s been fun and you asked some great questions.

 

If I could say anything to my readers, it would be to give Sarah and Ali a chance. I don’t write fairytales, these are real women with real life problems and just like us, they don’t always act the right way or say the right things. That’s what makes them women. We are unpredictable creatures who want to do right all the time, but are too often led by our hearts and emotions instead of our brains.  

 

One other thing I would like to say to my readers is THANK YOU! It’s been a rollercoaster ride and I hope it never ends. The support I’ve received is priceless and makes it worth all the ups and downs.

 

Review: 

 

If you love a man who knows what he wants, loves babies, wants a family, and would like nothing more than to adore you for the rest of your life, then you will LOVE Johnny Rhay Bennett. Johnny Rhay is a police detective from Nashville, TN and he’s moved all the way to California to be with a girl that he spent one night with in Maui while attending a friend’s wedding. He shows up on Alison’s doorstep with a smile and that little southern accent of his to charm his way into her life despite her reluctance to dive into another relationship.

Alison is a new mother going through her second divorce. Her first marriage to Mark (from Embrace # 1) ended because of her betrayal. I’ll admit I was a little hesitant about this book because I wasn’t Alison’s hugest fan in Dangerous Embrace. Somehow Dana Mason made her relatable and made me realize that we all make mistakes. Life’s not black and white and that’s why Alison won me over in the end.

 

 

As Alison’s warming up to the idea of having Johnny Rhay in her life, the unthinkable happens. Micah, her baby, is kidnapped right in front of her. Alison’s pain over the loss of her child was gut-wrenching to read about. As they fight to find Alison’s baby, they bond. Johnny Rhay realizes he loves both Alison and Micah and will stop at nothing to stay in their life. He’s determined to bring baby Micah home.

Unfortunately, these crimes are usually committed by those that are close to you, so how can Johnny Rhay keep Alison safe when she refuses to believe the truth? How can he convince her that she deserves to be loved and shouldn’t hate herself for the rest of her life because of one terrible mistake?

Dana Mason really has a way of bringing real life problems to life in her writing. She writes about relationships that seem realistic with an extra dash of romance. Johnny Rhay is every girls dream man and I really enjoyed reading about his devotion to Alison despite the grueling circumstances they found themselves in. Precious Embrace didn’t move as fast as Dangerous Embrace, but I still enjoyed it and Johnny Rhay is the main reason why. I think this is geared more towards older readers with families. This is a book to sit down with when you’re not looking for anything too angsty relationship wise. It’s a sweet read that will touch your heart and make you hug your babies.

I recieved an ARC from Dana Mason in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Reviewed by:

 

Dana Mason

 

Dana Mason started writing to prove to her computer geek husband and her math & science geek kids that she actually has a brain; it’s just a right functioning brain instead of a left. She’s lived all over the country and uses that experience in her writing and character studies. Her debut novel, Dangerous Embrace, is the first in a contemporary romance series about a group of friends from Northern California who learn just how short life can be when you don’t hold on to what’s important. Second chances don’t come easy…but sometimes love is worth the risk.

 

When not writing, Dana specializes in professional development and training. She’s also a board member on the local Art's Council and does what she can to support the art community.

As an avid reader and movie watcher, she always requires a happily ever after ending.

Website I Publisher Author Page I Twitter - @danamason06  I Facebook

 

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