Happy Thursday! Storms and Secrets is out today and I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. What a sweet small town romance! This is book two in the Haven brothers series, and unlike book one, this isn’t so much a romantic suspense as it is a romantic domestic thriller (is that a thing??) We’ve seen Marigold in other books as the best friend, the girl who’s waiting on her own HEA while all her friends all fall in love. She’s secretly been crushing on Zachary Haven, her best friend’s older brother, but he doesn’t seem to notice her existence, or worse, bolts from whatever room she’s in. After a near death experience, Zachary realizes he’s actually in love with Marigold, but the timing is off as she’s just started dating a handsome new-in-town stranger. Zachary is determined to win her over and I love a determined man! They were so cute together, it felt almost like young love even though they’re in their 30s. Marigold was a sweetheart of a character, always helping everyone else out so I loved watching her finally get her HEA. Zachary made some mistakes along the way but I loved how he learned and grew and became the man Marigold needed. This is an odd thing but I loved that they had normal jobs – he’s an electrician and she’s a salon owner/hair stylist. It fits the small town setting so well, and of course it was great to be back in Tilikum. There is a bit of a love triangle but not one where I didn’t know exactly who she’d end up with. There’s also a secondary plot of a local girl gone missing and we do get to see what happened to her and how it comes around full circle to Marigold and Zachary’s doorstep. While it wasn’t a really suspense filled whodunnit type story, it was interesting to see it all unfold. Overall this was a cute, sweet, easy reading romance that I read in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down!
Happy Thursday! Today we are lucky because a new Claire Kingsley book has released. I am doubly lucky because I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a sweet small town romance! It’s got all my favorite things – grumpy/sunshine, characters in their 30s, forced proximity, quirky small town, and a good dose of romantic suspense.
It’s a slow burn as they move from strangers to friends to lovers and I loved watching how they melted for each other, especially Josiah because what’s better than a stoic man who is perfectly happy on his own falling for a quirky sunshine woman?
Though this is a spin off of the Bailey Brothers (which is a spin off of the Miles family) you could definitely read this one as a standalone. That being said, it sure was wonderful being back in Tilikum with all its weird residents and squirrels. I never thought I’d be rooting for the Havens but I can’t wait for more of these brothers!
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My Take: This was such a special book. I was so satisfied after reading it I could have used a cigarette and I don’t even smoke. This is Claire Kingsley’s best work yet, and I was already a giant fan. She’s broken through to some other dimension of writing I wasn’t aware existed where her words directly squeezed my emotions. I loved the Miles family series and this just takes that wonderful world, expands it, and brings it to a whole other level.
After a terribly tragic evening, Asher and Grace’s lives are torn apart in the most traumatic of ways. Asher returns a broken man, scared of the person he’s become. He tries to move on and put his past, including Grace, behind him, but Grace won’t give up that easy. She’s waited a long time for her fiancé to return and she won’t go down without a fight.
I loved them so much both together and on their own. Asher is so broody and worn down by life. Grace is such a strong badass. The sparks, tension, history, love and friendship between them are so well developed and believable. The world they exist in just feels so real.
I also loved each Bailey brother and can’t wait to continue their journeys. The levity they brought to what could have been a very dark book was certainly appreciated and each one deserves their HEA.
Synopsis
How long would you wait for the love of your life?
The Asher Bailey who comes home to his quirky small town isn’t the same man who put a ring on Grace’s finger. He’s bigger, harder, haunted. Forced to give up Grace and everything else that was good in his life for a prison sentence he barely survived.
Now that he’s home, he finds himself aggressively welcomed by his brothers and gleefully gossiped about by his neighbors. He’d counted on both.
But he never expected to see Grace still wearing his ring.
Grace’s fairy tale didn’t end. It was interrupted. She’s spent the last seven years living her life while waiting for one man. Now that he’s back, she’s got her work cut out for her. He’s scarred and angry, and stubbornly convinced they can’t be together. She’s more than happy to educate him otherwise.
Every beer, every prank, every kiss brings him closer to where he’s always belonged. In her life. In her arms. In her heart.
Asher fears the darkness inside him can’t be contained. But Grace won’t give up on him without a fight.
Author’s note: A brooding, wounded hero and the woman who won’t give up on him. A pack of unruly, prank-loving brothers. A wild neighborhood rumor mill. Spectacular BFF banter. This is a love story about soulmates that delivers the heat and all the feels. The Bailey Brothers series is meant to be read in order and Fighting for Us concludes Grace and Asher’s happily ever after. ☁ Start with Protecting You, FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited: http://mybook.to/ProtectingYou1 ☁ Read book two, Fighting for Us, today FREE with your Kindle Unlimited subscription: https://mybook.to/FightingForUs2 ☁
Claire Kingsley is an Amazon Top 10 bestselling author of sexy, heartfelt contemporary romance and romantic comedies. She writes books with sassy, quirky heroines, swoony heroes who love their women hard, panty-melting sexytimes, romantic happily ever afters, and lots of big feels.
One night brings them together. Another night tears them apart.
Grace Miles misses her easy friendship with Asher, but growing up means growing apart. And really, how could he fall for her when they spent their childhood getting muddy in the creek and splitting sticks of gum?
But this summer, something feels different. If Grace didn’t know better, she’d think Asher was flirting with her. Those dark eyes, hard body, and wicked smile make her insides swirl and her heart dare to hope for things she’s convinced herself she’ll never have.
Falling for your best friend shouldn’t be complicated, but for Asher Bailey, loving Grace is anything but simple. The road to romance isn’t smooth thanks to his pack of wild brothers who are protective of the girl next door, a take-no-sass grandmother, a small town where gossip is a spectator sport, and a feud that spans generations.
But Asher realizes his feelings are too big to ignore. Loving her isn’t the risk. Losing her would be.
And one night, one kiss, changes everything.
Finally admitting their feelings is the beginning of their happily ever after. Until their fairy tale love story is tragically interrupted, and neither of them will ever be the same.
Author’s note: Lifelong soulmates, ridiculous pranks, brother shenanigans, and a feuding town. Protecting You is the Bailey Brothers series origin story. Be there when it begins and fall in love with this wild band of unruly brothers. The series is meant to be read in order, and Grace and Asher’s story concludes in Fighting for Us.
Claire Kingsley is an Amazon Top 10 bestselling author of sexy, heartfelt contemporary romance and romantic comedies. She writes books with sassy, quirky heroines, swoony heroes who love their women hard, panty-melting sexytimes, romantic happily ever afters, and lots of big feels.
Romance Reviewed 