Author: Jessica JayneGenre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Number of pages: 110
Word Count: 42,780
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Design
Book Description:
Gracelyn Riley married a
firefighter. She knew that came with
risks. But she never imagined herself
widowed in her early thirties with two children to care for on her own.
As a fireman, Matt Riley was
at the scene when his brother, Chad, was killed. He suffered greatly from survivor’s guilt and depression after
the accident.
The last year has been
difficult for both Gracelyn and Matt.
They’ve relied on each other to get through the tough times. With the anniversary of Chad’s death upon
them, Gracelyn and Matt once again turn to each other for comfort and
support. They find it in each other’s
arms (and bed). Will their desire for
each other consume them? Can they
overcome the guilt and scrutiny to find love again... together?
Excerpt:
“He wasn’t the
perfect husband,” Gracelyn said. “I
learned about the women. I was so angry
with him. So angry. He risked our marriage and our family for a
few hot fucks. One of the hardest
things I ever did was tell him to leave our home… that I needed to separate
from him so I could sort it out on my own.
And then, a week later he is gone… for good. I felt so guilty. I loved him.
I really did. And he was a great
father. I miss him.” Tears started to flow down her face.
“I miss him too,” Matt said. He gave her hand a squeeze. “Gracey, I know you loved him. He knew you loved him. I know he made mistakes in your
relationship, but he did love you… a lot… even if he didn’t always show it
properly. And he was going to work his
ass off to save your marriage.” Matt
wiped her tears away with the back of his hand.
“This is just so hard, Matty. Raising Jenna and Josh on my own. It’s a big responsibility when both parents
are around, but on my own… I feel like I am screwing everything up,” she cried. “Shit around the house that he would
normally take care of sometimes falls by the way side because I forget about
it… like the trash. And then I see it
sitting there and get mad that he isn’t here to take the trash out or mow the
lawn or help the kids with their math homework. He was always better with math than I was. Not to mention, I feel so damn alone.” She looked up at him. Her blue eyes sparkled through her
tears.
“You know you can always count on me,”
Matt said. He put his arms around her
and cradled her. “I’ll help with Jenna
and Josh as much as I can. And you know
Mom and Pop will always be here to help too.
And when I don’t have Brian on the weekend, I can be here to do whatever
you need…like I have been.”
“I can’t ask you to do more than you
already do,” she said. “You already do
so much… too much. You attend the kids’
events and games. You help take care of
the yard… fix the little things around the house… make sure my car is always up
and running. You need to have a
life. You can’t spend your free time
taking care of your brother’s widow all the time.”
“Gracey, you are more than just Chad’s
widow. You’re family. And you have always been a friend. You’ve been a tremendous support for me. I wouldn’t have made it through this last
year without you. I will do whatever I
can to help you. You know that. We’ve helped each other through this last
year and I’m not abandoning you now.
I’ll always be here for you.”
“I just don’t want to be alone
anymore,” she cried into his shoulder.
Her hands gripped his t-shirt desperately. Matt held her tight.
Tears welled in his own eyes.
The past year had been difficult for everyone, especially Gracelyn. But she’d always stayed strong…whether for
the kids, for everyone else or for herself.
They had shared tears together over the last year, but he had only
witnessed her completely break down twice.
First, when she found out about the accident. Matt wouldn’t let anyone else break the news to her. He had been at the scene when the accident
happened. Several firefighters had to
restrain him to keep him from rushing back into the collapsing building to get
to his brother. The fire chief wanted
to tell Gracelyn about Chad’s death, but Matt refused that as an option. He and Gracelyn were close and he did not
want her to find out from anyone other than him, so he rode with the chief to
her house. She knew the minute she
opened the front door and saw him standing in his turnout pants, t-shirt and
suspenders with his face all smudged black from the smoke and his own
tears. She collapsed in his arms when
he confirmed it. And then when they
buried Chad, Gracelyn broke down for the last time… at least in front of anyone
else. Maybe she sobbed every night in
the shower or lying in bed by herself.
But he had not seen it. The
sight of her in his arms now… it just broke his heart.
Gracelyn lifted her head and looked at
him through her tears. Matt gently
touched her face with the back of his hand, in an attempt to wipe away her
tears and soothe her. Leaning into him,
she pressed her lips to his. At first,
Matt didn’t comprehend what was happening.
Her lips were soft against his, yet she kissed him so confidently. Her fresh strawberry scent enveloped him… so
sweet… so intoxicating. She smelled
like summer despite it being the end of September.
Matt’s mind told him to stop the
kiss. Stop it before it went any
farther. But her tongue slid against
the seam of his lips and his head jumbled with a mix of thoughts—none of which
were coherent.
My Rant:
This story has me full of emotions. In the beginning you experience the loss of Chad. The Author takes you back to the tragic moment in Gracelyn's life. You experience the loss between her and Matty and you heart aches at it. Matt and Gracelyn are left to help each other cope through the loss of Chad and during the coping there is some feeling that begin to stir between the two of them and once the feeling are released there is explosion of romance that between the characters that complete smokes up the pages in this book.I loves stories that have a forbidden love wrapped-in them. It keeps you guessing what the characters are going to do next especially since Matt and Gracelyn are cautious about the way there relationship is turning out because they don't want to hurt the people that are the closed to them but the connection between the characters are so undeniable they have a hard time a staying apart. The love begins to bloom for Matt and Gracelyn and you begin to swoon over that love but your terrified that everyone would find out and shun them for it.
The romance in the book is completely erotic. Boy does the author have a way with words. I had to pad my forehead to wipe away the sweat because I feel like I got a complete erotic workout through the scenes. The Author writes this loves story with such an emotionally captivating style that you connect with the characters, you get emotional over there issues and you are romantically engulfed in their love that you cannot put the book down until its done.
My Recommendation:
FTC Disclaimer: I
received this book for free from the author, editor, publisher, or
Promo Host. This is my honest opinion about this book and I did not
receive any monetary compensation for writing this review nor was I
obligated to write a positive one.
About the Author:
I am a born and raised small
town Ohio girl, who moved to the Sunshine State after graduating from college.
I graduated with a bachelor's degree in English because I could not imagine
doing anything else but reading and writing. It is such a pleasure to be able
to share all the stories in my head!
In the journey of life, I
also became a wife and a mother of three children. So, life is always an
adventure. But the love of writing has never died.
My favorites: I love to read and write... obviously! But I
also enjoy all sports, especially college football and the Ohio State
Buckeyes! Go Steelers! Go Rays! I LOVE to travel... LOVE, LOVE,
LOVE to travel. And I love sharing my love to travel with my children. I love
to drink Teavana teas! I love a good glass of wine, especially if it comes from
a bottle made by the FOOLS wine club… yep, I’m a member of that! J I
love hanging out with my family and my friends! Big fan of music, but love nothing better than putting on my jean
shorts, tank top, cowboy boots and hat and watching Tim McGraw belt it out! I’m a sucker for a cowboy hat! J
Twitter: @JessicaJayne13
Happy Ranting and Raving!!!
I selected this post to be featured on my blog’s page at Blog Nation.
Crystal, Thank you so much for hosting me and my book! I appreciate it! And thanks for giving it 5 out of 5 hearts. I'm so glad you liked it.
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