Lady Celeste Reads Romance

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Susan's Review of Cindy Kirk's Worth the Wait

She’s not his for keeps…unless his love is forever

After spending the last three years making a comfortable home for handsome widower, Dan Major, Amy Logan finds herself at a crossroads.

With a thirtieth birthday on the horizon, the nanny faces tough choices about her future. Simply being Dan’s employee is no longer enough.

The realization that he might lose Amy has Dan romancing her, then proposing marriage. Amy is stunned and thrilled by the proposal until she realizes he didn’t mention love. Dan is an honorable man and won’t promise more than he can give.

Not until Amy moves out does Dan realize she’s taken his heart with her. Now he has to find a way to show her his love is real…before it’s too late. br/>

Worth the Wait by Cindy Kirk is a heartwarming, feel good novel filled with a cast of captivating characters.

Cindy Kirk is a fantastic storyteller. She creates flawed, relatable characters, adds in a relationship conflict or two and stirs in the right amount of romance to heat up the storyline.

There is chemistry between architect Dan Major and his nanny Amy Logan. Amy feels it but, widower Dan does not plan to marry again. Amy appealed to me-she was at a crossroads personally and professionally and knew she had to make changes in her life. At first, I thought Dan wasn’t honest with Amy-but as the book unfolded I began to understand what motivated him. Loved the characters of Steven and Jake and how their conversations prompted Amy and Dan to think outside the box.

Worth the Wait has all the feels- it’s a romantic, emotional and entertaining read.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC provided by the author

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Susan's Review of Tempted by Love--Melissa Foster-Steeles of Silver Island Book 1

Years ago, bestselling author Jack “Jock” Steele lost his girlfriend and baby in a horrific accident that drove a wedge between Jock and his family, keeping him from sharing a devastating secret. An aging philanthropist saved him from the brink of despair, and for a decade Jock cared for his ailing friend who became his family. Now his friend has passed away and left him a fortune—on the condition that he publishes another book. Jock is floundering, unsure how to rebuild the life he’d walked away from, much less find his muse, have another relationship with a woman, or even think about having a family of his own. But he can’t get his sweet, sexy new friend, single-mother Daphne Zablonski out of his head, and her adorable toddler must know something he doesn’t, because she wraps her tiny fingers around his heart and won’t let go.

Daphne has been through the wringer with her ex-husband and doesn’t believe true love is in the cards for her. Friends she can handle, but letting a man see her mom bod naked? Especially someone as strikingly handsome and unbelievably sexy as Jock? No, thank you. Besides, she has a toddler to chase after and enough fictional boyfriends to fill her lonely nights. If only her book boyfriends could make her body tingle the way one look from her mysterious neighbor does.

As Jock and Daphne’s friendship turns to something too tempting to deny, their lives take an unexpected turn. Can a man who has lost everything find redemption with a woman who has everything to lose? And then there’s that secret…

Melissa Foster pairs single mom Daphne Zablonski and enigmatic author Jock Steele in Tempted by Love.

There is so much to love about Daphne and Jock— their off the charts chemistry, conversations filled with laughter, emotion and honesty and the unconditional love of a small child. I love that Jock “gets” Daphne—he adores her sweet personality and sense of humor, and appreciates her curves. Most of all, he understands that Daphne is devoted to her daughter Hadley. Jock knows they are a package deal and he needs to step up his game to win them over.

Daphne is an intelligent, compassionate woman who is trying her best to focus on her child, career and friends. Daphne’s happily ever after was shattered when her ex-husband decided that children weren’t part of his plan. I loved that Daphne was a strong, centered character who put her event planning career on hold to move home to be with her family after Hadley was born.

Jock and Daphne’s story is heartbreaking at times. They have a lot of challenges and both characters needed each other’s strengths to move forward. Loved that Hadley stole so many scenes and that she loved Jock with her whole heart as this added humor and compassion to the storyline.

Melissa Foster perfectly blends emotion, angst and passion in this engaging novel of second chances.

I highly recommend Tempted by Love and look forward to the next Silver Island novel.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC provided by the author

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance and new adult romance with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented–perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading about wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines.