Katherine in Gold (Beachy Brides #2) by J.D. Hartnett

For my friends: 

Bitch, just go read this book before I have to hurt you. 

Seriously Dude, just do it.

For everyone else: 

Katherine in Gold is the second in the Beachy Brides series – that focuses on a group of friends living in the laid-back beach town of Laguna, California. Katherine is a tough-talking, independent woman who isn’t afraid to live her life by her own terms. She’s written off marriage, kids, the whole shebang. There’s only one thing she wants more than anything…Katherine has had a long time dream of opening her own cafe. 

She tells this to her friend Tori (from Book 1), who tells another friend, who tells another friend…and in walks Holst. The man she both wants to kill because he annoys the crap out of her, and the man that can make her dream a reality. Holst is described as “Clint Eastwood. He’s all calm and cool. Eastwood-Zen, that what he is…and he’s hot.” He also reminds her of a man from her past – one that took her heart and never really gave it back. 

Now here’s where I HAVE to give the warning: the man from per past is a 100% dick. There isn’t anything graphic, but her past, one that she must confront so she can move forward, deals with a much older man getting involved with, and taking advantage of, a young teenage girl. For years. Like I said: Dick. 

Anyhoo – back to the good parts. Katherine and Holst decide to go for it – start their business. It doesn’t take long for that business partnership to move into something much more. Holst doesn’t put up with her crap. She snarky, has attitude, is cranky, and talks trash to him…and that’s what he loves about her. 

“I will treasure that back-handed compliment until I take my dying breath, Katherine.”

“Keep calling me Katherine and that dying breath might come quicker than you think,” I rallied, thankful the coffee was bringing me back to my good ole self again.

“There she is.” He smiled wide, and fuck him for having perfectly straight, white teeth. 

After the two see each other naked by mistake (his naked is physical, hers – emotional), the two find they are under each others skin and don’t want out. But…how make it work? That’s where the story gets fun.  

“There was much more to Katherine, and each and every time I was in her presence, I felt a pull to learn exactly what it was.”

While it’s not necessary to read the first book to understand this one, it does provide background on all the friends. Tori and Cam, Dee and Frodo, Ruby, Drew, and others all make appearances (some more than others). 

Hartnett wins again with this one – it’s sweet, frustrating, just a tad bit angsty, funny, hot, and swoon-worthy. My favorite characters are those that I can either see bits of myself (hello, I am Katherine), or my gal-pals (yes, they’re all there as well), and makes me want to hang out with these fictional people. She does a perfect job of capturing the Laguna lifestyle, the language of friends in Southern California (throwing insults at your besties!), and pop-culture references for those that grew up in the 80’s. Living in SoCal, I can tell you…Dude is a noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, expletive, and can be used singularly or as a phrase. Dude. I loved this book (and frankly all her others as well) and can’t wait for the next one. 

If Julie were here, I’d sit that bitch down and buy her a margarita! Cheers for another fabulous novel!

Amazon

About the Author

Julie is a Southern California native, a fan of a really good story (preferably romance with a happily ever after), really good pie (preferably pumpkin) and copious amounts of coffee (preferably Folgers). 

She has always enjoyed writing and at one time thought she could be a singer songwriter...the 'writer' part is the one that stuck. 

Julie is obsessed with pi...the equation (and the food). She's allergic to cats and cantaloupe and hates mushrooms...so if you ever want to give her a gift, those are out for sure. She currently lives with her own romance hero husband and two boys in Melbourne, Australia.

Stalk Her: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

Burned by Tara Sivec is a smokin' hot read!

Seventeen years old when he broke my heart.
Seventeen days later when another picked up the pieces.
Seventeen years together.
Seventeen thousand problems.
Seventeen days of reliving my past and finding a new future.
Seventeen minutes until it all went up in flames.
Seventeen breaths until I took my last.
This is my story…and it’s going to burn. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finnley Morgan and Collin McDaniels were high school sweethearts. Until he breaks her heart, dumping her via a note passed through a friend. Two weeks later, Jordan Castillo enters and one look at him and she doesn’t look back. Jordan and Finnley married, and 17 years later, Finn is fed up. She’s tired of his lies, tired of his addictions, tired of his broken promises. 

“His words cut like a knife and he thinks that an apology can staunch the bleeding. He has no idea that these words have piled up until the scars on my heart are so jagged there is no sewing them back together.” 

Needing it all to end, she sends him packing. Jordan doesn’t believe this is permanent, as she’s threatened to leave him before. This time, she really does it. She files for a legal separation and Jordan is served his walking papers.  

Just after kicking JC to the curb, she’s with her friend Seraphina at their old college hang-out. Collin McDaniels is there as well with his friend D.J. Taylor, and Finn and Collin are like magnets to each other - just confirming that they’ve never really gotten over each other. 

“…when you realize that a part of your heart and soul always remained in the hands of another.”

Collin calls her Lee, his old nickname for her, and she melts. The smoldering attraction between them boils over into a raging inferno. They are hot for each other. 

“You’re playing with fire, Lee”
“Lucky for me, you’re a fireman and you can put out the fire”

Unleashed passion from years of longing. When these two finally do get together, they combust. SMOKIN' HOT! 

“Open your eyes and watch” he demands softly… 

Finn is in her happy bubble and Collin is ready to let her stay there. Except, here comes Jordo. He invades their space and causes a scene. While Finn and Collin are finding their way back to each other, Jordon refuses to let Finn go easily. He follows her, threatens her, and eventually, tries to take her away from Collin for good. 

This isn’t just a romantic suspense or erotic book. It’s much more than that. I’ve mentioned before that I love when books make me feel, and let me tell you, I felt a ton in this book! I laughed. I was angered. I was hopeful. I was heartbroken. I cried. At one point, I felt the oxygen leave my lungs, I gasped and was afraid to turn the page. At the same time, couldn’t wait to get to the next word, the next sentence, the next paragraph, the next page. I was consumed. I was so engrossed in this book I lost sleep. I didn’t care. 

While there were some hot and sexy times between Finn and Collin, there was also a great story of a woman seeking and finding herself, her own independence, her own identity, and her own strength. 

“I’m not this woman any more, this woman who sits in silence and lets life happen all around her.”

It was a story about lost love, and love found. It was about passion - for others, for art, and for life. It was about knowing when to say when, when to fold your cards, take your chips, and walk away. It’s about savoring every moment of life you are given, and living that life well. 

I’m a big fan of Tara’s work, and after this, I truly believe that everything she writes is gold. She’s one of the few authors that has made me laugh so hard I snorted and had people sending strange glances my way, and feel the angst all the way down to the pit of my stomach making me want to hurl. When I get the feels, I know it’s good.  While I’m waiting for the third book in the Fool Me Once series to be released (then a review of all three will be posted), I’m also secretly waiting for her to write a sequel to this novel with D.J. and Phina. There’s a story there to tell, and if Tara writes it, you can bet I’ll read it! 

Go get your own copy now! Amazon http://tinyurl.com/p3a3vrf Barnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/nvsuyt4

Visit her at www.tarasivec.com, follow her on Twitter, and on Facebook. Her blog is pretty awesomesauce as well - just hilarious!