Now he’s found himself not only starting over in a new town, but he’s pretty sure he’s met the toughest challenge of his life... she just happens to be an angel in blue jeans.
Tessa Donovan hasn’t been the best of friends with Fate for quite some time now. Owning and operating The Rusty Nail, a small bar in her hometown of Devil’s Bend, has been enough to keep her going through the motions of her life. But it’s the only thing she’s got. After losing her husband fifteen short months after they were married, Tessa has spent the last four years chasing dreams in order to maintain her sanity. Only those dreams are soon ripped right out of her grasp by a sexy country music star who claims he descended on her small town by accident.
Coincidence? Or has Fate stepped in once again? Whatever the case, Tessa knows the handsome cowboy might get to overtake her dreams, but she’s bound and determined that he won’t take her heart.
One
thing I don’t normally like is when authors switch genres. You know what I’m talking about, where they
have written in one genre and you just LOVE their books, but they switch to
something completely different. And then
you have the mixed feelings about their new books, are you going to like them
because they are so different from the past books? Or will it be even better than the other
books?
In the
case of Nicole Edwards, when I first started reading this book, I was unsure if
I was going to like it because she has primarily been an erotica author and
here she is releasing a Contemporary Romance?
Talk about strange! (At least
from my view of things.) But I do have
to say this, I honestly think that I enjoyed this book much more than the other
books she has written. Don’t get me
wrong I still love them, but there was something about this one that I enjoyed.
With
the characters in the book, we have Cooper and Tessa. I have to say that I am completely glad that
even though Cooper is a huge country music star, he doesn’t have the cocky
attitude that you see in most of the celebrity books. He was very calm and laid back, until he went
after what he wanted, Tessa. Then we
have Tessa, who has been heartbroken in her past and is trying to resist the
feelings she has for Cooper. All of the
characters in this book have strong personalities and play off of each other
very well.
While
the story itself was very well written, and yes for all you Nicole fans, there
was quite a few smutty scenes for you! But I enjoyed how “real” those scenes where,
there wasn’t a bunch of stuff added, it was just two people being
together. It was great to read just a
regular romance.
Overall,
I think that this is a great start to another series by Nicole and I can’t wait
to read more and find out more from the couples we were introduced to in this
book.
A short while later, Tessa was standing behind the bar once again,
making change when Izzy’s statement from earlier resounded in her mind.
“Just think of it this way.
The night can only get better from here.”
She hoped like hell Izzy was
right. There for a few minutes, when she had been dancing with Cooper, she
thought her friend might be on to something. Being in Cooper’s arms for even
that short period of time had been just what she needed to calm her nerves. The
safety and security she found in his arms was such a welcome change from the
chaos that had erupted not long before that. It was difficult to admit, but
Tessa was actually getting used to him being there and the comfort that his
nearness afforded her.
At least until he went and said
something idiotic like he did outside.
“Stay away from him.”
It was almost as though he
believed she had started the incident with Chad. She had seen the doubt in his
eyes, known that he wasn’t absolutely sure of her because of what happened, but
for the life of her, she hadn’t wanted to argue with him. Especially not about
Chad. She had no intention of talking about him. Ever.
“Can I get a Crown and coke
over here?”
Tessa’s spine straightened as
the voice registered and she turned slowly to see Marcus Evergreen once again
gracing her bar with his presence.
Oh, hell. Apparently, Izzy spoke too soon. Tessa got the feeling
things were about to go from bad to worse.
Tonight Marcus looked not much
different than the night before, only this time his suit wasn’t gray, it was
either navy or black, she couldn’t tell in the dim light.
Nodding her head when he
continued to pin her with his beady eyes, Tessa took her time getting the Crown
from the shelf. There was no way she could warn Cooper this time. There were
too many people there, too much going on and quite frankly, she didn’t want him
to have to endure this guy just yet. For the first time since Tessa had met
him, Cooper seemed perfectly at ease, like he was doing what he loved to do –
the altercation with Chad notwithstanding.
Once she had the drink poured,
she gave him the total as she pushed it toward him. And just like last time, he
told her to put it on Cooper’s tab.
“Sorry, no can do. Cooper
doesn’t have a tab here anymore.”
Marcus’ chocolate brown eyes
narrowed. Tessa felt as though he were examining her, trying to determine
exactly what he needed to say. Or perhaps how he needed to say it. As she
waited, refusing to walk away until he paid for the drink, the guy continued to
make her uncomfortable.
“Fine,” he said with a huff,
standing from the stool and pulling his wallet from his back pocket. Slapping a
ten on the bar, he told her to keep the change, and she offered a small smile
in return.
“You mind going up there to let
Cooper know it’s time to go,” Marcus said, grabbing her arm just as she was
turning to walk away.
Tessa’s outrage at being
manhandled nearly broke loose, but she managed to stare down at her arm, then
back up at Marcus. “You’re gonna take your hand off of me now.” Her voice was
low and calm, but she hoped he understood how deadly her statement was. She
might not have the ability to kick this guy’s ass, then again, she might. He
was kind of puny in her opinion. But there was a bar full of her cousins, not
to mention her brother Jack was somewhere close, who’d do the deed for her if
she just said the word.
Marcus’
fingers slowly uncurled from around her arm, and Tessa pulled far enough back
that he couldn’t reach her. “And I’m not your messenger, so you’ll have to go
talk to him yourself.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Marcus
said, acting as though he just recognized her. “You’re the gal he’s hooked up
with this time.”
Tessa tried not to let the
“this time” in his statement bother her. She failed. It’d been an emotional
day, she was curious. “What do you mean ‘this time’?”
Marcus glanced away, his eyes
searching the room before landing on hers once more. Tessa kept her mouth shut,
waiting for him to answer when she wanted to grab him by the shirt collar and
insist he tell her everything.
“It’s just time Cooper go back
home. He’s done this before, but this is the longest I’ve seen him stay away.”
A sour taste filled Tessa’s
mouth and her stomach felt as though it might revolt. She gripped the edge of
the bar, trying to convince herself that this guy was a liar, and she shouldn’t
listen to anything he had to say.
Marcus sipped his drink, and
after setting it back on the bar, he looked at her with a serious expression on
his face. “Oh, sorry, sweetheart, I guess he hasn’t informed you that this is a
phase he goes through every now and again. Takes him some time to cool off, but
he always comes back where he belongs. Sometimes I just need to give him a
little push.”
“What do you
mean a phase?” Tessa asked, just for the hell of it. She’d already heard more
than she needed to. A smart woman would’ve told this guy to fuck off, but
something had Tessa rooted in place. A need to know more? To get someone else’s
opinion, maybe? Heaven knew she’d already gotten herself in over her head with
Cooper.
Nicole lives
in Texas with her husband, Colt, three kids and four dogs. It's quite the
household and most of the time you'll find her locked away in her office...
writing. When she's not, you'll likely find her reading, swimming, or hanging
out in the yard with the dogs, doing her best to keep them in line. (And no, it
doesn't usually work)
Ever want to
let that other part of you loose? The part that has secret desires and taboo
fantasies? Well, that's what brought about Nicole Edwards. She's an alter
ego. In truth, she's a full-fledged part of me. The secret part made up of
sinfully hot desires and erotic thoughts. Get to know how Nicole's naughty mind
works by checking out her books!
About me...
hmmm...
Ok, I've
been asked to provide a little bit of "real" information about
myself. That's harder to do than you think it is, especially for someone who
has difficulty talking about themselves. ;) But, here goes...
I've been writing for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a kid, I loved creative writing and as I got older, I got acquainted with those voices in my head and that led to putting my stories on paper. And now, here I am all these years later, spending my days doing what I love most. I decided to give myself over to writing full time in 2012 and I haven't looked back. I spent nearly 13 years in the corporate world and I have to say, this is a bit of a change (just a little) and I am loving every second of it.
I live in Texas with my husband and three amazing kids and our four beloved dogs. If I'm not writing, I'm usually reading. I devour everything I can get my hands on. I love romance of any type and being an Indie author myself, I'm always looking for new Indies to support. I haven't always been into reading, but about eleven years ago, I picked up a book - I'm pretty sure it was by Nora Roberts - and from there, I haven't stopped. Before I began writing full time, and my characters started taking up so much of my time, I was reading about 200 books a year. That has dwindled somewhat, but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't read.
An interesting fact... I don't watch television - aside from the occasional news anyway. I will go see a movie or two rarely, but for the most part, I get all of my entertainment from a book. Some of my favorite authors include J.R. Ward, Suzanne Brockmann, Lora Leigh, Jane Rylon, Lori Foster, and Jaci Burton just to name a few.
I've been writing for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a kid, I loved creative writing and as I got older, I got acquainted with those voices in my head and that led to putting my stories on paper. And now, here I am all these years later, spending my days doing what I love most. I decided to give myself over to writing full time in 2012 and I haven't looked back. I spent nearly 13 years in the corporate world and I have to say, this is a bit of a change (just a little) and I am loving every second of it.
I live in Texas with my husband and three amazing kids and our four beloved dogs. If I'm not writing, I'm usually reading. I devour everything I can get my hands on. I love romance of any type and being an Indie author myself, I'm always looking for new Indies to support. I haven't always been into reading, but about eleven years ago, I picked up a book - I'm pretty sure it was by Nora Roberts - and from there, I haven't stopped. Before I began writing full time, and my characters started taking up so much of my time, I was reading about 200 books a year. That has dwindled somewhat, but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't read.
An interesting fact... I don't watch television - aside from the occasional news anyway. I will go see a movie or two rarely, but for the most part, I get all of my entertainment from a book. Some of my favorite authors include J.R. Ward, Suzanne Brockmann, Lora Leigh, Jane Rylon, Lori Foster, and Jaci Burton just to name a few.
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