Contemporary Romance
Date Published: June 13, 2015
What happens when a single mom’s four-year-old daughter falls in love with Mr. Right and she doesn’t?
Maggie Tyson’s rule: no bad boys. Her incarcerated ex-husband broke her of that attraction. Needing to escape his threats and the scrutiny of the people in her hometown, Maggie relocates to New York City. Determined to not make the same mistakes, she has a mile-long list of dos and don’ts. Unfortunately, her daughter, Cecily, doesn’t like to follow them. When Cecily wanders away from her and right into Rick Stone’s office, Maggie knows he’s the exact type she’s been trying to avoid. Can she resist him or will she succumb to his willful charm?
Rick Stone’s rule: bed them don’t wed them. Running a multi-billion dollar business doesn’t leave him with much time to do anything else, particularly with an overbearing grandfather breathing down his neck. But when a man works hard, he needs to play even harder. Voted America’s most eligible bachelor, Rick doesn’t have any problems getting women into his bed—except one.
Two auburn beauties stumble into his life.
One will break his heart.
The other—heal it.
Will he love or leave them?
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Excerpt
How long had it been since she had sex? Four, five years?
A sudden hot flash hit her, so she unzipped the hoodie, tossing it on the grass. Her assigned task had been to screw in the bolts, not ogle Mr. Stone. As she attempted to concentrate on what needed to get done, she stretched up on her tiptoes to the end of the pole and secured the nut.
“What the hell, Maggie?”
Startled by the yelling, she dropped the wrench a centimeter from hitting her big toe. As she bent over to pick it up, Mr. Stone shouted and made her jump all over again. “What are you doing?” Before she stood all the way up, he shoved his T-shirt into her face. “Put this on.”
Instead of listening to his order, she swiped her hand across her damp brow, setting it on her temple and blocking the sun.
“Christ, cover yourself up.” He grabbed her other hand, clasped it around the material, and held it closed.
Following the direction of his eyes, she glanced down.
“Forget something, Mags.” Kat’s ribbing hadn’t helped the situation.
Well, since she didn’t know she’d be surrounded by men, she hadn’t given it a second thought when she opted out of wearing a bra. Sometimes on the weekends, she lounged around the house without one. On the small side, a thirty-six B, it wasn’t a big deal on those occasions. Now, with his eyes zeroed in on her rock-hard nipples, she determined that choice hadn’t been a wise decision. Yet, instead of doing what he said, she remained rooted in place, resisting his pull as he tugged his shirt, and her hand up, trying to cover her. Her libido kicked up to full blast and desire shoved her toward him—to tease, play a little.
“Dammit, Maggie, take this. Put me out of my misery.” His grumbled plea should have been undecipherable since he’d spoken it so low. The huskiness in his voice licked along her spine, and tingles followed as though his lips brushed along her skin from waist to neck.
She loosened her hold, and his hand rose, brushing a knuckle across her nipple, the exact spot he wanted to shield.
Her legs turned to Jell-O. The mushy mass below her hips wouldn’t hold her up any longer. She swayed into him, grabbing hold of his waistband. Their chests beat against each other—his bare, hers begging to be, causing her nipples to harden even more. The coarse hair on his heated thighs scrubbed against her shaved, smooth ones. Her gaze kept wandering from his eyes to his tongue sliding over his bottom lip, moistening the ridges to a glistening, delectable, nibble-him morsel.
She wanted to touch him. No, she needed to. Unable to stop herself, she swept her thumb over his damp belly button, grit and sweat coating the pad of her finger. Each of their bodies called out suck me, go ahead and taste.
“Step back, Maggie. Get away from me, right now,” he groused, his lips closing in, a breath apart from hers. At least a half foot taller, his height difference didn’t matter. He sucked her in with his beautiful eyes that had so many variations of brown, green, and blue in them, she could’ve been gazing in a kaleidoscope. “Last chance.” The warning came out as a soft growl, his lips slicking against hers as he attempted to scare her away.
My Review
This is one of those books that has me on the fence, which means it's time for a pros and cons review...
Pros:
-The characters-even with their faults, I found them interesting and likable. Maggie's daughter CeCe truly steals the show, as does CeCe's relationship with Rick.
-The plot and storyline-it's solid, and not one of those overdone tropes.
-Every single scene between Rick and CeCe. Every. Single. One.
Cons:
-Those character faults-Maggie's attitude toward Rick and hot/cold inclination, as well as Rick's toward her, along with his seeming inability to really put Julia and his grandfather in their respective places...those things grated on me, especially for as long as they went on in the story.
-How drawn out the story was-it felt like a lot of the first half to two-thirds of the book could have been compressed and still have told the overall story just as well.
-The story didn't focus enough on Rick and Maggie, I felt their interactions were too few so I couldn't really feel them as a couple until the very end.
The epilogue makes up for a lot, and gives a lot more insight into Maggie and Rick's lifetime, which was a nice way to end. Overall, it was a nice read-just a little more drawn out than I would have liked. But everyone should wish for a sweet, precocious child like CeCe, and even more so that whoever they spend their life with should have a relationship with their children like Rick does with CeCe.
Pros:
-The characters-even with their faults, I found them interesting and likable. Maggie's daughter CeCe truly steals the show, as does CeCe's relationship with Rick.
-The plot and storyline-it's solid, and not one of those overdone tropes.
-Every single scene between Rick and CeCe. Every. Single. One.
Cons:
-Those character faults-Maggie's attitude toward Rick and hot/cold inclination, as well as Rick's toward her, along with his seeming inability to really put Julia and his grandfather in their respective places...those things grated on me, especially for as long as they went on in the story.
-How drawn out the story was-it felt like a lot of the first half to two-thirds of the book could have been compressed and still have told the overall story just as well.
-The story didn't focus enough on Rick and Maggie, I felt their interactions were too few so I couldn't really feel them as a couple until the very end.
The epilogue makes up for a lot, and gives a lot more insight into Maggie and Rick's lifetime, which was a nice way to end. Overall, it was a nice read-just a little more drawn out than I would have liked. But everyone should wish for a sweet, precocious child like CeCe, and even more so that whoever they spend their life with should have a relationship with their children like Rick does with CeCe.
About the Author
C.C. Koen writes contemporary romance with a twist. An avid reader who enjoys mystery and suspense, her stories will never be what you expect. Determined to find adventure in her dreams and life, she enjoys skydiving, sailing and any activity that challenges her. Teacher by day, romance writer at night produce an active imagination that comes to life in her writing.
GIVEAWAY
Thank you for signing up for the Unlikely Allies tour and taking time to read and review it. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read. It's on my TBR list. Blessings and Thanks to all.
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