The Change Up by Meghan Quinn
Release Date: June 11th
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Photographer: Michelle Lancaster
Cover Design RBA Designs
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Blurb:
It’s
been a lot of years and another lifetime since Dax Trevino was a
playboy detective for the Franklin Police Department. He’s been through
hell and back, and now he just wants to be left alone, so he can cuddle
his otters.
When
two of his babies are kidnapped in the middle of the night, and Claws
and Effect Pet Detectives are called to the rescue, quiet, broody Dax
never expects to be tackled and handcuffed by the only woman he ever
regretted being a douchebag to all those years ago.
Harley
Blake has spent her entire life taking care of her accident-prone
father with a fondness for dead animals, and her forty-year-old brother
who refuses to grow up. The last thing she needs is another complication
in her life, and Detective Douchebag is at the top of the list.
Dax
might not be a cop anymore, and he might have outgrown his one-and-done
player status, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to get burned a second time and fall for his charms. The infuriating man already branded a
mark on her heart years ago, making sure she’d never forget him.
Besides, she has a case to solve for the guy, and this is just business.
But
the sarcasm starts flying, there are a gaggle of adorable otters who
need to be cuddled, a Bandit Von Trash Panda who just wants to play
poker, pot brownies, and squirrels dressed for a wedding... at a
funeral. Things are heating up—and not just from the small tree fire
after the grenade went off—and this man is suddenly simplifying her life
instead of making it worse.
Harley knows she won’t escape this time without being Otterly Scorched.
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Review:
I've waited a LONG time for this story, and it did not disappoint.
This is the one character who first appeared in the romantic suspence Ignite trilogy (that really became a duet) when the third book was never released. Dax was the sexy copy friend to the main characters in the second book in this series (DJ the firefighter), and everyone who read these expected that Dax would have the third book....but then he didn't. And us readers waited. And waited. And waited. And waited.
Fast forward nearly six years later, and he appears in a totally different series!
Glad that Dax and Harley had their story - it starts with them meeting at a bar one night, only to discover that they're coworkers. Fast forward many years and they meet again, only Dax has secrets from his past and daddy issues, and Harley is called in to help him recoever stolen otters. What ensues is the typical snark, hilarity and swoon worthy scenes you'd expect from Sivec.
This one is not to be missed!
Thankfully, Tara Sivec outlined the road to this book so I didn't have to!
“A gentleman should be polite and courteous on a date, while being firm and manly by listening to what his date would like to eat and then ordering it for her,” Dax informs me, holding his pointer finger up to the waiter while he grabs his water glass and chugs half of it before setting it back down on the table.
“Why are you talking like this?”
“Like what?”
“Like... you’re Google, and I just asked you how to go on a first date. In 1952.”
Dax quickly picks his menu back up and looks down at it.
“Chicken parm sounds good.”
A few more previously dead brain cells join the smart living one, and I tell the waiter to give us a couple minutes. The confused young man walks away, and I lean forward to rest my elbows on the table, take the menu out of Dax’s hands, and set it down on the table off to the side.
“Dax Trevino. Did you google how to go on a date?” I ask softly, never knowing before this moment that my heart could actually feel like it’s melting in my chest.
Dax sighs, leaning forward in his chair to cross his arms and rest them on the table with me until our faces are a few inches apart.
“You’re goddamn right I did.” He nods with conviction, all of the nervousness finally gone from his face now that the truth is out. “Harley, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here either. I’ve never dated anyone. I’ve never wanted to date anyone, or make them feel special or like a princess on a date. I know you’re not really the princess type, but I want to do this right, and I’m fifteen steps into Twenty-Five Ways to Date Like a Gentleman. I’ve had my car detailed, I’ve taken extra time to properly groom myself, I’m wearing an outfit that gives me confidence, I’m maintaining eye contact, and I’ve prepared a list of topics for us to discuss in case there’s an uncomfortable lull in dinner conversation.”
Dax reaches over, grabs my fingers, and tugs my hand to his mouth, kissing the top of it.
“Now, let me order dinner for you without you stabbing me, and then just sit there like a good girl and let the nice man I paid play the violin right next to our table and make it super awkward while we eat the main course.”
Sometimes it takes an outsider to force us to see who we are. The real struggle is accepting what we learn. For Beverly Townsen, nothing could be closer to the truth. Virtually a shut-in, Beverly has pulled back from Green Valley’s community, preferring the isolation of her farmhouse and her daily routine of viewing home improvement television shows. When the opportunity arises for her own home improvement and a personal re-assessment, she’s not so excited about the reality of real life versus DIY programs.
Jedd Flemming understands physical pain and personal loss, but it’s never stopped him from bucking forward in life. A former military man and rodeo star, his life as a nomad comes to an end with false accusations and a family matter back in the Valley. It’s been a long journey to find his way home and once there, there’s nothing he wants more than to reclaim what he’s lost…and maybe the elusive female reclusive who holds a sliver of his past.
With an unprecedented proposition, Beverly finds a stranger living in her barn, raising horses on borrowed pastures, and plowing his way into her vacant heart. Old hurts linger, but sometimes love in deed is louder than words.
‘Love in Deed’ is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #6 in the Green Valley Library series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
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My Review
Love in Deed is the second in the SmartyPants romance books released by
LB Dunar. While I loved this book about self-acceptance and the ability
to trust and be loved after being burned, this one was a bit difficult
to read as the heroine Beverly was not pleasant. At. All. This wasn’t a
surprise, as Beverly was introduced in the first book, and is the sister
to Naomi. After reading this story, I fully understand how first
impressions don’t tell the whole story of a person, and the need to look
deeper to discover the beauty within.
I’m not going to give a
summary of the book, just know it’s about Beverly and Jedd, Beverly’s
daughter, her ex-husband, and her farm land. It’s also about Jedd’s
missing brother, his family ties to the community, and his discover of
truths from his own past.
It’s beautifully written, with imagery
and details that make you feel like you’re living the story. It’s one
of overcoming obstacles, living with disabilities, learning to love
after loss, and finding yourself and happiness again. It’s about
learning how words have different meanings and interpretations, and how
sometimes it takes the right person to recognize your true beauty and
help you become your “best self.”
Excerpt
“Momma,” she whispers, and I turn at the soft question in her voice. Her eyes scan my face. Does she fear she’ll look like me one day? Those bright eyes will dim, and lines will form in the corners. Will they be rivers formed from tears, or will she eventually find laughter? Does she wonder if her lips will match mine, permanently curled downward? Can my girl still smile? Will her hair go gray too young as mine did? Will the stress of her life turn her into someone lonely and lost?
I blink back the tears fighting for release. I won’t cry. Nothing left to cry over. It’s all gone.
“Do you fancy him?” my daughter asks, and I choke on the question.
“What…? I…of course not. Don’t be silly. I’m sure he’d be more interested in the likes of you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hannah asks, brows rising in surprise.
“I’m sure I don’t need to explain the birds and the bees to you. Men like him only want young things and only want one thing from those young things. I don’t think he should stay here,” I sneer, recognizing the pulse at my neck and the thump of my heart. My daughter is a pretty girl, and this older man could be attracted to her for all the wrong reasons. Young girls go for older men to solve their daddy issues.
“He’s sleeping in the barn,” Hannah counters, her voice deepening in displeasure. Ticking off points on her fingers, she continues, “We don’t need to feed him. He’ll rebuild at his expense or hire what he can’t do himself. The back field will be plowed and prepped for spring planting.”
I snort in response, but my eyes return to Jedd’s movement. Into the barn. Out in the yard. My observation traces down his perspiring spine to the waist of his pants where his shirt has untucked. My fingers curl on the armrest of the rocker as my eyes outline the fine globes accentuated by those smooth pants. My mouth goes dry.
What is it about this man? Why am I suddenly lusting after him?
I can’t. That’s the bottom line. I can’t anything him. Under fifteen percent and tight pants and a perfect backside is still a man with empty words.
My eyes fall blindly on the reality television program. The only man a girl can count on is the fictional kind. I force my attention away from the barn, but my eyes seem to have a will of their own.
“We can’t have a stranger living in our barn,” I huff. Jedd stops, turning in his tracks with a pile of lumber on his shoulder as if he heard me, which is impossible on two counts: the panes of glass and his lack of hearing. Still, he stills, and his eyes narrow on the house as if he knows I’m watching him, I’m talking about him, and I don’t agree with this arrangement.
“Too late. He’s moving in.” Hannah definitively nods, dismissing my opinion as Jedd swings back around. She leans down to kiss my cheek and then exits my room, but I remain transfixed.
Suddenly, reality is more fascinating than television.
My eyes continue the cat and mouse game of watching Jedd disappear and then reappear. I don’t know how much time transpires, but eventually, the bed of his truck is empty. Still, I hold my breath as if the barn is a giant octopus, swallowing him whole. I fear he might disappear forever like Howard did, which is the silliest thought I’ve had in a decade. I don’t need Jedd. We don’t need Jedd. There will be no attachment to him.
But then, Jedd appears at the open barn door and gives a single wave toward the house, and I smile in spite of myself.
L.B. Dunbar has an overactive imagination. To her benefit, such creativity has led to over thirty romance novels, including those offering a second chance at love over 40. Her signature works include the #sexysilverfoxes collection of mature males and feisty vixens ready for romance in their prime years. She’s also written stories of small-town romance (Heart Collection), rockstar mayhem (The Legendary Rock Stars Series), and a twist on intrigue and redemption (Redemption Island Duet). She’s had several alter egos including elda lore, a writer of romantic magical realism through mythological retellings (Modern Descendants). In another life, she wanted to be an anthropologist and journalist. Instead, she was a middle school language arts teacher. The greatest story in her life is with the one and only, and their four grown children. Learn more about L.B. Dunbar by joining her reader group on Facebook (Loving L.B.) or subscribing to her newsletter (Love Notes).
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