Worth The Risk, Claudia Connor (McKinney Brothers #2)

Hannah Walker is just trying to get over her horrible day – after having to put her beloved dog to sleep, she wanders the grocery store to get the things she needs for dinner at her brothers house. She had no plans to meet anyone, much less the charming playboy Stephen McKinney. 

Stephen sees her upset, and tries to talk to her. She has absolutely no interest in him, and when he asks her out for dinner, she declines. Not willing to let her go, he pushes and they agree to meet for drinks. 

Hannah shows up and Stephen has already arranged for not only drinks that evening, but a table for dinner. Hannah reluctantly agrees, and finds that she really enjoys his company. What Stephen doesn’t know is that this is Hannah’s first date. At the end of the evening, he asks her to go with him to a family party – his family that he’s been distant from for the last few years.

Having lived through a horrific childhood trauma, her uber-protective brothers have kept her under wraps and she’s been hesitant to get out and meet and trust people. Stephen has suffered his own loss and is plagued by his demons as well. Stephen discovers that Hannah is a physical therapist, providing treatment and care to those most in need (injured children), and Hannah finds that while Stephen may have his own successful company, he's struggling to find out what is really important in his life. The two come together and find that with each other, they can let go of their past and move forward and find the happiness they both deserve. 

This is the  second book in the McKinney brother’s series, and it’s just as good as the first. Brother Matt, his wife Abby and the kids are all featured in this book, as are the rest of the McKinney family. This one has a bit more drama and deals with some difficult subject matter, but the author handled it well. I’m looking forward to more in this series and other works by this author! 

About the Author:

Claudia Connor is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of heartfelt contemporary romance. Claudia attended Auburn University, where she received her undergraduate and masters degrees in early childhood education, and completed her studies in Sawbridgeworth, England. Always a lover of happy endings, she enjoys movies, reading, and travel, but spends most of her time typing out the love stories of the almost real people that live in her head. Claudia lives near Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband and three daughters.

 

The Pact, by Karina Halle

Do you need yet another gushing review for Karina Halle’s The Pact? Yes. Yes you do.

The Pact is about three friends, Stephanie Robson, Linden McGregor, and James Dupres. James owns The Burgundy Lion, a local bar where Stephanie once worked. James and Stephanie briefly dated, but have remained friends since. 

One night after Stephanie has yet another bad date and they’re all sitting at the bar, Linden asks “So, do you want to get married?” Stephanie is flustered and after having an internal monologue about Linden and his hotness, asks “Uh, Get married? To you?”

 

Linden clarifies: They’re both 25, dating a bunch of losers, they’re both smart, both good looking, so why not? If at age thirty they haven’t settled down with anyone else, they get together and get married. They tell their friend James

“The two of you in a marriage? World’s pickiest woman with the world’s biggest manwhore? Yeah, have fun with that.”

 

Stephanie thinks Linden is “funny, kind, smart, handsome, and ambitious. He’s also egotistical, cocky, arrogant and a player.” She also gets butterflies inside whenever he looks at her. She figures he’s joking, so she takes on his deal and they seal it with a pinkie-swear.  

The next few chapters continue with alternating points of view from both Stephanie and Linden. You learn that while Stephanie has always thought that Linden was attractive and sexy, you find the he has always wanted her. Since she went out with his friend James, she was regulated to “friend” status. For him, his less than friendly thoughts about her, and his feelings, never changed. 

As he reaches his thirtieth birthday, Linden is involved in a relationship with a woman that he does not love. Stephanie is with a younger model that she knows deep down inside, is not her life partner.  Linden reminds her of their pact and says the offer is still on the table. When she reminds him he has a girlfriend, he replies 

“I’d give her up for you…I’d give up everything for you.”

Swoon!

Again, she thinks he’s joking. He’s not. 

One night, on a dare, they have to kiss each other and everything explodes. His woman freaks, Stephanie freaks, their friend James freaks. Linden on the other hand, finally knows he’s not going to let anything get in the way of him and Stephanie. Stephanie is still in denial, saying they can’t want each other because they’re best friends. 

“Isn’t that the best person to want? The person that knows you inside and out. The person who has seen you at your ugliest and most beautiful and still wants to be with you. The person who believes in you and has your back, no matter what?”

Of course, the road to their togetherness is not an easy one. People are hurt, relationships are damaged. Sacrifices are made. 

Karina Halle stated once on her Facebook page that this book wasn’t on her agenda to be written. It was a thought that she had while on a plane for a vacation. She spent that vacation writing this book. While that’s not how I spend my vacations, I’m glad that she did as this was a good read. While not exactly at the level of her prior work Love, In English, it was still something I enjoyed. 

Want more? Of course you do!!  Visit Karina Halle at  http://authorkarinahalle.com/ 

Twitter: @MetalBlonde 

Facebook:  Click Here for FB Page

Also check out her Experiment in Terror, Artist's Trilogy, and the Devil's Metal / Devil's Reprise books. You won't be disappointed! 

 About the Author

With her USA Today Bestselling The Artists Trilogy published by Grand Central Publishing, numerous foreign publication deals, and self-publishing success with her Experiment in Terror series, Vancouver-born Karina Halle is a true example of the term “Hybrid Author.” Though her books showcase her love of all things dark, sexy and edgy, she’s a closet romantic at heart and strives to give her characters a HEA…whenever possible.

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she’s preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her husband and rescue pup.

Clay Hearts series - Betting the Farm / Stratting the Fence, by Annie Evans

A  few months ago, I entered one of those internet contests hosted by another blog via Rafflecopter…and I actually won! The author was generous to not only send me the book that I won, but the second book in the series as well. Me, being a dork, said thanks thinking it was the bloggers that sent it to me. *hangs head in shame!* When I realized it was the author, I was mortified! Seriously, an author sends you two books and you thank the wrong person?  GO ME! 

In my defense, it was peak traffic time in my office – the trifecta of college application deadlines, enrollment for the next semester, and upcoming final exams. Anxious students, multitasking on my part, dealing with more student crisis than should be allowed all meant I wasn’t paying close attention to my personal emails and you know, little details like who is sending me cool stuff. Period. Sorry. 

So, winter break, I finally get to sit down with these two novels and I LOVED THEM!

Betting the Farm

Betting The Farm focuses on Fritz Carter – the local farm-boy who was left behind by Kai when she went off to college. In Kai’s absence, Fritz and his two brothers have made their family farm successful and profitable. One night Fritz walks into their local bar to see none other than the woman who left him, and his hometown without looking back. Kai, back in town and staying with her parents after recently dumping her fiancé, is trying to find herself. 

The two reconnect, but it’s not that easy going back. They have to confront their past before they can move forward. Of course, Kai’s mom is not happy. She has aspirations of Kai latching onto someone else’s big star. The Carter family, on the otherhand, couldn’t be more thrilled. With the help of Ruby, Fritz’s mom, Kai finds her place not only in Serenity, but back in Fritz’s life. The Carter family not only supports Kai and her goals, but is there emotionally where her own family is not. 

While I absolutely loved Kai’s spitfire personality and Fritz’s sweet demeanor, the one thing I didn’t get in this story was the “sharing”. I’ll say no more. 

The first book, while focusing on Fritz, also introduces you to the Carter family and the Fritz’s brothers, Eli and Sage.  

 Straddling the Fence

 In the second book in this series, Straddling the Fence, the eldest brother Eli is at a Rodeo one night when he spots a woman he finds attractive. He later sees her stomping over to the local liquor store. Bellamy was ready to drown her sorrows in a bottle of tequila and forget that she didn’t get the dream Veterinarian  job that she wanted, and instead, inherited her grandmother’s debilitated home and is taking over her uncle’s practice in the town of Serenity.  Eli approaches her, they start talking and after spending some time with this hot guy, she has a one night stand and forgets about her messed up life for the night. 

While back in Serenity, the Carter farm is doing well. Eli is venturing out into the cattle business when one night one of his cows is in labor and distress, he calls the local Vet for some assistance. MmmHmm. 

You guessed it – Bellamy! 

While she tries to avoid him and chalk up their one night as a fluke, he’s not willing to let her go. Eli realizes he has real feelings for Bell and sets out to not only discover what was making her upset the night they met, but how to keep her in his life. Ruby is no fool – she knows Eli is smitten and does what she can to make Bellamy a permanent member of the Carter clan! Bellamy is alone in Serenity - her parents are off traveling and she has no siblings. The Carter family again comes to the rescue bringing Bellamy into the fold and making her one of their own.

The two novels were really well written, and the second novel carried over some of the characters and story line from the first. While it’s not necessary to read them in order, it will help you understand the dynamics of this family.

Of course, there is one more Carter brother, and while I don’t see an update on the author’s website or Goodreads page, I’m hoping that the follow up with Sage is in the works. There’s definitely a story there. Kai's friend Grace has already admitted she's carrying a torch for Sage, and when he discovers she's hooked up with someone else for a night, Sage is broody. The drama and tension between Sage and Kai’s BFF Grace - you know something is up with him!

 Come on Annie – end my misery and get this story out soon!!  

Annie Evans is a new author and if her first two books are any indication, she has me as a fan for life! 

Want to read them for yourself:

Find them on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other retailers. 

Visit her website at http://annieevans.net/

About the Annie Evans: 

A simple country girl who adores living in the South, I enjoy spending time in the great outdoors, biking and working out with my hubby, reading, and, of course, writing. I believe the most important thing you can do for a child, outside of loving them unconditionally, is to put a book in their hands. My favorite authors include Flannery O’Conner, Harper Lee, Gillian Flynn, Megan Hart, Cara McKenna, and Anne Calhoun, just to name a few. You won’t find me on social media much because I think that’s time better spent writing, but I’d love to hear what you thought of my books, so shoot me a line.