Stay With Me -- More of Me (The Montgomery Brothers) by Samantha Chase

I am enjoying reading each book in the Montgomery series by author Samantha Chase. This is a perfect series to read at the beach or on summer vacation. Each book contains well paced storylines interesting characters and fabulous dialogue. William Montgomery is the central character in all of the Montgomery books. He has a new passion-- finding spouses for his sons, nephews and nieces! His matchmaking skills are tested in Stay With Me and More of Me!

Stay With Me is a very emotional, compelling story of love and forgiveness. It's my personal favorite in the series (so far). I adored the hero workaholic Mackenzie Montgomery and his heroine Gina Micelli. Their story is a twist on the opposites attract trope.

Gina travels to North Carolina to visit with her terminally ill father Arthur Micelli who is William Montgomery's best friend. Gina settles in in the Montgomery guesthouse to be near the hospital.

Before heading out of town, William gives his oldest son Mac an ultimatum. He is to leave the office by 5pm or take an extended leave of absence. William asks Mac to check in on Gina while he is away. Mac shows up at the guesthouse with pizza and beer and forgets all about work when he sees Gina by the pool in her bikini!

Samantha Chase takes a potentially heartbreaking situation and provides the characters with a positive life lesson. Gina is given a huge gift by her father; the opportunity for happiness. During their conversations at the hospital, Arthur encourages Gina to figure out what she wants to do--not what others expect her to do. This part of the book was very emotional and well - written. The honest Father- Daughter discussions brought tears to my eyes. Loved the conversations between Gina and Mac. They took time to listen and appreciate each other and became friends over hamburgers, French fries and shakes. Mac is impacted by this lesson as well. He realizes that he is looking forward to spending time with Gina and his family and learns that there is more to life than Montgomery Industries.

The last few chapters of this full length novel are well-paced and superbly crafted. I was invested in the characters and their story and finished the book in an afternoon. The conflict, characters, dialogue and storyline were spot on. Enjoyed how Mac's parents and brothers and their brides were woven into the story as it added to the continuity of the series, I found the ending rewarding and absolutely loved Mac's grand gesture!! He remembered! (With a little help!)

William Montgomery asks his nephew Ryder Montgomery to meet with wedding planner Casey Peterson in More of Me. I enjoyed this classic second chance at romance. It's a fun story filled with passion and fabulous characters and is a perfect beach read!

Ryder meets former girlfriend Casey while jogging on the beach. He is unaware that his uncle has suggested that Ryder step in due to a family crisis and decide on his cousins wedding venue. Ryder feels guilty because he ended things with Casey badly when they broke up twelve years ago. He's very attracted to Casey and decides to use this opportunity to win back Casey's heart.

Samantha Chase infuses More of Me with a lot of great dialogue and quirky characters. I loved the fact that when Ryder saw Casey with her partner's baby, he mistakenly assumed it was Casey's child. Ryder stressed over this for a few days. And Casey let him stew! My favorite scene in the novel occurred when Casey and Ryder were observing a wedding venue. Two elderly guests, Minnie and Izzy, find Ryder and Casey hiding by the a big potted plant and accuse the couple of hanky panky at their nieces wedding and suggest that they get a room! Ryder explains that there is no hanky panky going on-it's all about business and mentions that Casey is married. The aunts take Casey's side in the situation when she explains her side if the story. The aunts invite the couple to sit at their table at the wedding reception. The conversations between the aunts (there are a total of five), Casey and Ryder are loud out loud funny.

More of Me is an enjoyable, light read told with lots of style and humor. I love a great second chance at love story. Enjoyed how the couple talked through (with the Aunts help!) what happened when Ryder left Casey. I felt it was important that Casey admitted she was hurt and wasn't sure if she could trust Ryder. I appreciated that couple needed to learn to trust each other and that it would take time and effort to succeed. Loved, loved the ending of the novel as it provided a few surprises for Ryder and Casey and it introduces the reader to the Montgomery cousins.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman
Book provided by Samantha Chase
Book, poster and book marks provided by Samantha Chase.

Contest Question:

What is your favorite type of romance novel?? Second chance at love, Opposites attract, Friends to lovers or Instant attraction?

For a chance to win a copy of Stay with Me and More of Me, a poster and bookmarks, please provide both your answer and email address below in the comments section.

The winner will be drawn on Saturday, June 6 , 2015 and contacted by Susan Gorman.

Lady Celeste would like to thank Samantha Chase for providing the gifts for our contest!