AotM ~ Without a Doubt & An Early Spring by Ann Lister (Reviews + Giveaway)
BLURB
Calista Anderson is a young, Boston-based romance author with three best-selling novels and countless well-received short stories and magazine articles on her resume. For the first time in a decade of writing, Callie is blocked and running late on a deadline for her fourth book. In an effort to break the ties holding Callie's creative mojo hostage, her editor Jane Paget decides to send Callie into exile on the island of Martha's Vineyard, far away from the city distractions of Boston, to work through her block. Reluctantly, Callie accepts her editor's isolation sentence and packs her bags to spend the winter on the Vineyard. Soon after arriving at the tiny, idyllic island community, Callie meets Jackson Brody, her handsome and intriguing new neighbor whose obvious attraction to Callie proves to be her biggest distraction of all. Island living - and Jack, quickly grow on Callie and the winter never felt so hot. Will Jack be the muse Callie needs to break through her writer's block or will he prove to be too much man for her to handle? Spend a Vineyard winter with Callie. Experience the island through her eyes and her budding self-discovery as she explores the possibilities of a future with Jack. Be witness to the author pitfalls and celebrations as she creates her next best-selling novel. You will enjoy her story...without a doubt.
BUY LINKS
Available on KindleUnlimited
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***
Callie is a best-selling romance writer, with a movie deal for her second book and on the cusp of striking a deal for her third one. She has been writing non-stop for 10 years, and that (and a bad experience during college) has left her with little time for love. Writer's block has never been an issue for her, until now, and her editor suggests a change of scenery might do the trick. So Callie moves to Martha's Vineyard for the rest of winter to force herself to write. She didn't count on meeting Jack, her neighbor, on the first day there, or that he'd be so distracting and seemingly attracted to her, as well. They move into an easy relationship and while the deadline for Callie to move back to Boston is approaching fast, it's Jack's past that might prove an insurmountable hurdle for them to get past it.
I liked Callie a lot. She seemed very down-to-earth and mature in some ways, very naive and innocent in others. I'm not sure what I feel about Jack, though. He was really pushy, especially at the start, and it made me uncomfortable how he would almost force himself on Callie until she finally put a stop to that. Still, he was all in at full-speed, whereas she needed a bit more coaxing. They had good chemistry, and the sex scenes were hot, so there's that.
I hated Liz and Alex, and it was awful the way they conspired to ruin Callie and Jack's relationship. I would've liked that either Jack or Callie had more of a confrontation with them and to see them get their comeuppance.
Without wanting to spoil this too much, I have to say I wasn't too fond of Jack's reaction to Callie when she came back, and while Callie's reaction to what made her leave was a bit over the top, with all things considered I might have done the same thing she did.
Overall, this was an enjoyable, different kind of read than what I'm used to by Ann Lister. No less good, just different, well-written and well-paced. Recommendable!
Rating: 4 Stars!
Callie is a best-selling romance writer, with a movie deal for her second book and on the cusp of striking a deal for her third one. She has been writing non-stop for 10 years, and that (and a bad experience during college) has left her with little time for love. Writer's block has never been an issue for her, until now, and her editor suggests a change of scenery might do the trick. So Callie moves to Martha's Vineyard for the rest of winter to force herself to write. She didn't count on meeting Jack, her neighbor, on the first day there, or that he'd be so distracting and seemingly attracted to her, as well. They move into an easy relationship and while the deadline for Callie to move back to Boston is approaching fast, it's Jack's past that might prove an insurmountable hurdle for them to get past it.
I liked Callie a lot. She seemed very down-to-earth and mature in some ways, very naive and innocent in others. I'm not sure what I feel about Jack, though. He was really pushy, especially at the start, and it made me uncomfortable how he would almost force himself on Callie until she finally put a stop to that. Still, he was all in at full-speed, whereas she needed a bit more coaxing. They had good chemistry, and the sex scenes were hot, so there's that.
I hated Liz and Alex, and it was awful the way they conspired to ruin Callie and Jack's relationship. I would've liked that either Jack or Callie had more of a confrontation with them and to see them get their comeuppance.
Without wanting to spoil this too much, I have to say I wasn't too fond of Jack's reaction to Callie when she came back, and while Callie's reaction to what made her leave was a bit over the top, with all things considered I might have done the same thing she did.
Overall, this was an enjoyable, different kind of read than what I'm used to by Ann Lister. No less good, just different, well-written and well-paced. Recommendable!
Rating: 4 Stars!
BLURB
With a blizzard bearing down on Colorado's Sun Ridge Ski Resort, Nick Gaffney went to work with the Search and Rescue Team. What should have been a standard rescue for Nick evacuating the mountainside cabins turns into something much more life defining when he finds the breathtaking beauty, Colby Hansen, injured and sitting up against a tree off the side of a ski trail.
Colby is a city girl, hating the cold and snowy elements any mountain offers – until she stumbles upon Nick. His rugged good looks and charm warm her on sight, making her feel safe for the first time in years.
Stuck for days without power inside a mountainside cabin as the blizzard rages outside, Nick and Colby find the best source of heat comes while wrapped in each others arms and together they burn hot enough to melt a Polar Icecap.
Does the sunshine gleaming on the fourth day mean a happily-ever-after ending for Nick and Colby or will the parting storm clouds do nothing more than reveal bigger life challenges for them to overcome? After the 'damsel in distress' meets her Mountain Man rescuer, her neat and tidy world will never be the same...and the hope for An Early Spring never held such promise.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
Nick has been working with the Search and Rescue team in a ski resort in Colorado for years, having traded an office job, for the great outdoors. The last thing he expected when he was sent for a standard rescue, was to find a woman that will captivate him at first glance.
Colby is a city girl through and through, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't enjoy outdoor activities, it just means that as a California girl she's not all that keen on the cold and snow and being dragged to a ski resort by her boss and coworkers is not her idea of fun. Not that being with them all is fun for her, either. After a heated argument with her boss, she leaves the cabin and gets her ankle injured, only to be rescued by Nick afterward.
While she's not too happy about the perspective of spending days secluded in a cabin with Nick, until the blizzard stops and they can be evacuated, it's not long until they both give in to their attraction. And while four days might be too fast to fall in love, that's exactly what happens.
Circumstances make them lose contact, but what will happen when Colby returns to the resort to work?
Colby was very likable, even if she started off by being so prickly. There were a couple of instances in which I'd have liked to shake her (like for example, on the last twist with Sarah, in which I was so team Nick), but all in all, she behaved maturely (for the most part) and the chemistry with Nick was hot, hot, hot! I also liked that she was so caring with Nick when he needed her and so nice with his mother, even when the woman didn't deserve it at first. Nick was amazing, sweet, patient, supporting, and yes, there were also a few times in which he needed a good slap, but for the most part, he did all he could to make them work and to stay away when Colby asked him to.
I think this was pretty much my favorite of the books in this series. Ann Lister did a great job with the descriptions, with the depth of emotions between Colby and Nick, with the writing and the pacing, and if it hadn't been for that last twist, as I mentioned, this would've been a solid 4.5 read for me. Very recommendable!
Rating: 4 Stars!!!
ABOUT AUTHOR
Ann Lister is a native New Englander currently living on the island of Martha's Vineyard with her husband. She has pulled details from her years living in the New England area and uses many local settings and landmarks in her novels.
After graduating art school, marrying, and raising two daughters, she established her own video production company. Her nearly two decades working in video production included work within the music industry and won her a coveted Telly Award. Her 'behind-the-scenes' exposure to the music world and her love of rock music is the inspiration for her erotic rock star romances.
The Rock Gods series gave her Bestselling Author status on Amazon. Beyond The Music, Book 7 in the series, reached #1 in Gay Erotica in the Pre-Order and held that spot for several weeks. The last book in the series launches the spin-off series, Guarding The Gods, which is releasing in early summer 2016.
Fall For Me, Book One in the series was a Finalist in the 2013 Rainbow Award. Each book in this series brings her two favorite elements together: musicians and the love between two men. These stories focus on what it truly means to love; love unconditionally, love without restrictions or labels, love without fear or judgment – to just simply love.
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My favorite romance trope is friends to lovers.
ReplyDeleteFriend to lovers especially childhood friends to lovers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post. I'm not sure I have a fav romantic trope, b/c I like anything that's written well and goes beyond the trope. But the trope helps set it up, and I like ones that highlight the tension and the relationship needs to develop, like opposites attract or enemies to lovers. - Purple Reader,
ReplyDeleteTheWrote [at] aol [dot] com