MEANT FOR YOU

MEANT FOR YOU                                          SAMANTHA CHASE
Posted:  May 5, 2015

Meant for You (The Montgomery Brothers, #5)She dares to dream...

Summer Montgomery wants to be taken seriously almost as much as she wants her brother's best friend, Ethan. But with a long resume of seemingly random career choices and a protective brother on watch, those things are nothing more than pipe dreams...

Does he dare to try?

Ethan Reed would like nothing more than to live by his own rules. Not wanting to disappoint his best friend Zach, or any of the Montgomerys, Ethan's had to push his long-denied feelings for Summer aside. But it only takes one night away from watchful eyes to make impossible dreams come true...

MY REVIEW:
     I love this family, The Montgomery’s.  Hard to warm up to Robert, William to me is much easier and so funny.  In the end Robert grows on you because you see he only wants what’s best for his children.  Somewhere along the way he forgot how to communicate and show love without hurting hearts verbally.  William his brother being the gentle fatherly one is slowly guiding him in the right direction.
     Don’t get me wrong these two together are a whirlwind coming through, all in the name of love.  You see William’s on a mission to help Robert get all his children married off like he did playing covert matchmaker.  Being the keen observer that he is he has set his sights on Summer for she is easier to read than his nephew Zach.  He does like to boast that he was the one that got James and Ryder together with their wives.  Although, the boys would deny that to their dying days.
     Over the years though William had noticed that both Summer and Ethan Reed, V.P. at Montgomery, Portland office, were always checking each other out when no one was looking or so they thought.  Yet, acting like they didn’t know each other when really Ethan grew up like an added son/brother to her and her brother’s.  He figured they needed test his theory.  Robert and he send Summer to work at the Portland office.  Robert was uneasy because in his eyes Summer was a flake.  Always moving and changing jobs.  William thought differently.
     Zach his oldest son who is the president of the Portland office was not happy at all.  He was feeling like he was being made to babysit his irresponsible little sister.  He felt like he was being spied on also.  The whole time she is working there at the office he is mean, rude, and yelling all the time at her.  Ethan found himself playing the go-between.  Zach and Ethan were getting ready to go on an expedition of mountain climbing in Alaska.  That no one really wanted them to go on, especially Zach. 
     You see the year before he injured his foot in an airplane fall.  He was not giving his body enough time to heal.  On top of that Zach was just mad.  He was mad at all the normal things, but he was mad at Summer for everything.  She was now harping on him not going on this trip.  She is a licensed Yoga instructor and knows a little about the body and she can tell he should be resting it more.  She on top of everything else just had a major bad feeling about him going.
     The day before the trip Zach can't get in touch with Summer by phone and she is not at work.  He is fit to be tied.  Ethan says that he had been telling her how he didn’t want her around and she is a pain in the neck.  Well maybe she went home to North Carolina until he left.  Now he was mad because she’s a flake and she hasn’t let someone know she was going anywhere.  Now he was going to have to worry about her and find her when he should be worrying about the climb.
     Ethan knew he was the leader of this climb and needed his head on straight for safety reasons.  He volunteered to find her but asked him did you ask your secretary if she knows where she is?  He does Gabriella and she says not getting involved with family business.  Mainly because she is mad at Zach for yelling all the time at Summer and everyone else lately.  He blows his top and says I know you made reservations somewhere.  She said she did for her and a “guest” and she will only give them the name of the town and that it is a teepee rooms.  And then tells them she is going to lunch.
     The guys didn’t hear guest they heard “guy”/”man”/”boy toy.”  You pick.  Holy Cow!  Did they lose it!  Ethan went home took care of some stuff packed an overnight bag and then to the company jet at the last minute to take him out of town.  He finds her and voice are raised.  Their lives are changed and so are everyone else’s. 
     When they finally make some kind of move they are not sure if it is for the good or not.  They have to weigh and measure their options and that of their family.  This is one of those books you don’t want to put down or see end.  They all become a part of you as you read.  You can almost see them in your mind’s eye.  I give this 5 ++++ stars
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LICENSE TO DATE

LICENSE TO DATE                                        SUSAN HATLER
Posted:  May 9, 2015

(Better Date than Never series, Book #6) 

After discovering her fiancĂ© cheated on her, Kaitlin is focused on two things: remodeling her new home and avoiding men at all costs. But her friends insist she get back in the driver’s seat and date again. They strike a hard bargain and agree to paint her house if she goes on five dates.

Anxious to get the paint job started, Kaitlin schedules five dates in five days, but her plan falls to pieces when a sexy bartender at her venue-of-choice makes her swoon. Even though he observes each of the dates from afar, she can’t help but want him to come a little closer.

The last person she should fall for is a mysterious bartender with a sinful smile, but Paul makes her want to take risks again. Will the charming man with electric blue eyes break her heart or will he prove to her that a license to date is what makes life worth the drive?
 

MY REVIEW:
     Absolutely, love this book.  Not only was it cute but it had meat on the bones too.  It had everything women fear being cheated on.  This one was even worse Kaitlin Murray got cheated on by and with her step-sister.  To her sister Melanie’s defense she had no idea that he was also dating her sister at the time.  Her only mistake is when she found out it was at her sister's bachelorette party.  At least it was before the wedding that she was able to worn her sister.
     The funny thing was Paul kept calling asking for forgiveness for a few weeks.  Going as far as saying, he admitted to the cheating but that it had been early on in their relationship.  That if he would have known Mel was her sister he wouldn’t have dated her.  As if that made it any better or win her back or her trust back.  She overestimated his I.Q.
     She didn’t let it get her down or show on the outside.  Behind her closed doors she cried for two months straight.  Now she was past that and had bought herself a nice ranch style home on the Sacramento River.  It’s an ‘80’s throwback so it needs TLC.  Her friends Kristen and Ginger are over working in her kitchen stripping wall paper when they come up with this crazy idea that Kaitlin just hates.  While they are there they decide it’s time to push her dating buttons back to “on.”  Of which Kaitlin’s not ready so it’s pissing her off.
     They put it in the form of a challenge.  They know she couldn’t refuse.  Five days, five dates, and the both of them would help paint her whole house.  All 2000 sq. ft. of it.  She is obsesses with decorating it.  It keeps her mind off of what has transpired over the last several months.  It’s a good way to save her heart from being hurt again so this painting thing is a big deal.  In her mind go on five one hour mindless dates.  You know the mindless ones, zero interest with the other person, Monday through Friday, and the girls could be here Saturday to paint.  Since this whole discussion started because her realtor asked her out she would call him as date number one.  Date number two could be this guy Brian her mom wanted her to date.  Then, date number three her friend from work wanted to fix her up with a friend of her husband’s.  She knew she could do this so she agreed.
     Then something she didn’t expect while waiting for her late first date, Chase, she chatted up “New Paul” the bartender.  His eyes were a killer blue you could just dive into.  When he spoke forget about it.  His touch had caused tingles and electricity to zig-zag through her.  She could talk so easily to him.  It was as if she was the only person there.  He really listened as if he cared.
     For all of her dates they met at the hotel Geoffries.  She gave all these excuses why but deep down she knew she just had to see him.  He was all she could think of “New Paul.”  She knew her mother would never approve.  She didn’t care she really enjoyed his company.  So, when she asked him to be date #4 he turned her down.  She didn’t let him see but it hurt her a lot.
     Can these two birds from different backgrounds make it more that just friendship or is it just what it is a friendship?  You will have to read and find out.  A lot of very funny moments.  I give this:  5 stars.  Provided by Net Galley.
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FINDING THE ONE #5

FINDING THE ONE #5                                  ROCHELLE FRENCH
Posted:  May 9, 2015

Finding the One by Rochelle FrenchArt photographer Mac Johns moved to the small town of Meadowview to reinvigorate his artistic career. And he’s finally found his muse—the gorgeous and amazingly sexy woman with whom he just had a one-night-stand. Trudy Prendergast is a former model whose career in high fashion tanked after nude photographs of her were publically insulted. In a really bad case of mistaken identity, Trudy signs a contract with Mac, thinking she’d be modeling for his sculptor father. Whoops!
When passion heats up between them again, Mac lets Trudy out of the contract, unwilling to risk her career even though his photographs of her could put him back on the map as one of the world’s best art photographers.
Finding someone who could see Trudy for her true self once seemed impossible. But Mac seems to see her—to see her beauty, inside and out. And when Trudy discovers what Mac has given up to protect her, she’s suddenly torn between two options: lose the lucrative contract she’s been working so hard to win…or lose Mac.
MY REVIEW:
     This is a story of two people looking to start over.  Yet, carrying a great deal of fear for what that could look like and what it might bring into their lives.  Although their lives and stories are so different fate you could say brought them to this “Do Over.”
     It opens with a gallery showing for Gregor Johansson’s work a well-known sculptor from Meadowview.  The showing itself is two hours away in Sacramento, California.  Yet, it didn’t keep a lot of hometown supporters from coming out for the show.  Including Gregor’s son’s best friend Remy Toussaint, the sheriff, in Meadowview.  Supporting Gregor that night are his daughter 18 years old and single mother, Doe, and her baby Aaron.  Also, his son art photographer Mac Johns.
     You see Gregor’s children are talented Doe single handedly handles her dad and brothers careers.  She also put on the gallery showing with press, publicity, and was all a big success.  As for Mac he is a fantastic artist yet when his muse who was his mother passed away from cancer several years back he lost all his drive for his art photography.  Now just doing commercial photography.  He has stuck his toe in the water though he has been kicking around an idea for a series of photos for Warrior Woman.  So, he went as far as calling a modeling agency that he will meet in the morning across the street from the gallery, at the hotel.  He is still so unsure his mom dying too all his drive.
     Now you get to meet Trudy Prendergast.  She is a model who was at the top covers, runways, and all the other stuff but 4 years ago her world took a great big turn.  She found out she needed to have all her girly parts that reproduced removed.  If that wasn’t bad enough the whole event caused her to put on weight which she could handle.  It was when a photographer who had taken nudes of her, which she knew about but had not given consent to use, but it put up a modeling pic with the nude and called her names like Tubee Trudy.  She was proud of the nudes it wasn’t that it was the fact that she had just lost her identity as a woman and then was being called names about her weight that earned her a living.  Not only was it hurtful to her heart and feelings but to her career.  Work dried up.  A year later the dust has settled but all she can get is print work nothing with a contract for any length.
     Trudy was desperate now.  She was about to lose everything.  Here condo, everything!  So, when her agent called and said Gregor Johansson was looking for a model she jumped at her chance.  Her agent thought she needed to be at the gallery to try and meet Gregor but a mishap with a grape and a baby changed her course.  So meeting him was a no go.  It wasn’t a total loss, she met three very nice people she could see as friends and one is sexier than hell, Mac Johns.
     She found out Doe works for Gregor and could get them a meet and a meet with his son too.  You see Mac hasn’t told her who he is and Remy and Doe don’t want to blow his cover because they know he likes them to get to know him for him first before they know he’s Gregor’s son.  Plus he was debating with himself you see she looks like his drawing of the Warrior Woman and actually carries the personal traits he sees in his vision of the character but he knows he would like her in his.  Now what?...
     Once they got to the point where S-E-X was on the table her mind started to raise.  The first time with a partner ever since 4 years ago she did in the dark.  She was still self-conscious about the scars on her stomach and extra flab that made her jiggly parts extra jiggly.  The same flab that earned her the title Tubee Trudy.  So, let’s see she had the hysterectomy, lost her modeling contracts, any hopes of maybe marriage and babies, and she had lived with sister as a foster child ward of the state.  Yeah!  No hang ups there.  She is perfectly F-I-N-E.
     Now she had to live with blowing a wonderful night of great talk, sensual looks, and rock your world sex with an ‘Oops!” Walking out on Mac without a good-bye.  Now she had to tell her sister Milla who she loves more than anyone but who with her husband, Jarrod, keep cranking out babies.  She’s pregnant now she had baby Gabby still carried in her car seat, the twins Laura and Lana, and Betsy that she can’t have kids.  Apart of her envied her for she could never have a baby.  Yet, Mac was under the impression that her uttering the “Oops!” was due to him giving the bad sex.  He had been ready to do better was telling her so.  She thought he was saying she had given him the worst sex.  A comedy of errors and dialogue caused this misunderstanding.
     Follow this couple as they find their fear was through past heartache.  Even present fear of wanting and a future filled with doubt for a carefree happy future.  You will find much to smile over for their thoughts make you laugh but their actions are even funnier.  Mac’s and Trudy’s sisters add a whole lot of life to this saga for sure. I give this book 5 stars.
Provided by Net Galley. 
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