Unsung by Shannon Richard

***

One Night In Nashville

Harper Laurence has been jilted on her way to the altar. Desperate for some time away from her friends and family, Harper takes off for Nashville—only to meet a hot, scruffy, tattooed stranger. A man she liked a little too much, and who left her the teeniest bit . . . well, pregnant.

Liam James is an up-and-coming country musician, who just found his muse. Ever since their weekend together, Liam hasn't been able to forget the curvy, vivacious woman who left him wanting more, even as she inspired some of the greatest songs he's ever written. He's determined to convince Harper that he's the guy for her . . . and that the best love songs can never be unsung.

Review:

The above summary sets this story up perfectly.  Two people fall instantly fall in love but have to fight to make their relationship work.   They have quite a few obstacles to overcome.  The fact that they still don’t really know each other, an unexpected pregnancy, Liam’s rising fame, and some cruel people that will say or do anything to make their life a living hell.

I’ve always enjoyed Harper’s role in previous books.  She’s strong and super independent.  So to watch her experience a point in her life that is super emotional in a way that she can’t always control made me feel for her.   She’s still recovering from a horrible breakup when she meets Liam.  When she runs away I totally got it.  She might feel a connection but she was hurt so badly and so recently that putting her heart out there again so fast and so soon is too much to even consider.  Add an unplanned pregnancy to the mix and a famous boyfriend that the tabloids love and I just wanted to give the poor girl a hug and take care of her myself.

As for Liam, I could really get behind his “all in” attitude.  There is no doubt in his mind that Harper is THE ONE.  She is it and he is in it for the long haul.  No questions asked.  And he proves that he is committed over and over again.  Kind of hard to not fall for a hero like that. 

But, as much as I enjoyed these characters individually, I was not completely sold on their romance.  I’m a slow burn sort of girl.  It takes a lot to sell love at first sight to me.  A LOT.  So I’ll just put it out there now that that is the reason I didn’t love Unsung as much as I have loved the other books in this series.  Don’t get me wrong.  I enjoyed it.  I couldn’t put it down which attests to Richard’s excellent writing.  But I often felt just a little too unsure about the stability of their relationship to ever get attached to Harper and Liam as a couple.

But, if you are a fan of insta-love or love at first sight in addition to sexy country singing heroes and loveable independent heroines then you will very likely love the latest in what has become one of my favorite contemporary romance series. 

Nat

Undeniable by Shannon Richard

* * * *

"Funny, sassy, and sexy. Reading Shannon Richard is pure pleasure!" -Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author 

THEIR LOVE WAS UNDENIABLE

Grace King knows two things for certain: she loves working at her grandmother's café and she loves the hunky town sheriff. She always has. As she bakes him sweet treats, Grace fantasizes about helping him work up an appetite all night long. But whenever she thinks she's finally getting somewhere, he whips out some excuse to escape. Growing up, he never looked twice at her. Now Grace won't rest until she has Jax's undivided attention.

Jaxson Anderson can't deny that his best friend's kid sister is the sexiest woman in Mirabelle, Florida. Unwilling to burden Grace with his painful past, Jax keeps the sassy blonde at arm's length. Yet one heated kiss crumbles all of his carefully built defenses. But when a town secret surfaces, threatening to destroy everything they believe in, can the man who defended Grace from bullies as a child protect her now?

Review:

Somehow, along the way, I missed the release of the second book in the Country Roads series.  That will teach me to pay better attention.  But the up side to that is I had a new-to-me Shannon Richard book and a cup of coffee to cuddle up with while hiding away from the below zero temps we had in January.   

Grace was 6 year olds when Jax Anderson became the love of her life.  Maybe not in a romantic way.  But he was certainly her hero.  How could he not be when he scared off the bullies and insisted that she was a princess?  But she grew up and 18 year old Grace was fully aware that her feelings for Jax had grown with her.  Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried to get his attention, he always seemed to be oblivious.  Recently Grace has stepped back and has decided there’s no reason she should be waiting around for someone who doesn’t return her affections.  Not that she’ll stop taking care of Jax by making sure he has his morning coffee and plenty to eat.  It’s what she does. 

Jax won’t lie to himself and pretend that he doesn’t want Grace with every fiber in his being.  But he will deny himself pursuing her in any way, shape or form.  Jax grew up with a physically and emotionally abusive father.  One of the more lasting effects of that abuse is Jax’s lack of self-worth.  He’s truly feels that he isn’t good enough for Grace.  But Grace’s quiet persistence over the years is starting to get to Jax.   And he’s finally getting to the point (thanks, in part, to the help of meddling friends) where maybe, just maybe, he can let himself have a little bit of happiness.  Just a little.

There is a lot going on in this story besides the dancing around (yes, that can be construed as a euphemism for….something) that Grace and Jax are doing.  One of the things I loved most in this story is that Jax and his friends are re-modeling Jax’s future home.   It is apparent to everyone except Jax that he is subconsciously building his house with Grace in mind.  Not that all his buddies didn’t notice.  But they were too nice to say anything.  Until they feel their interference is needed, of course.  Seriously, the Men of Mirabelle are such meddlers.  It’s hilarious.

Then there are plenty of frightening things to get in the way of Jax and Grace’s developing relationship.  An unsolved string of burglaries and thefts have kept Jax constantly busy.  Then there is the continuous harassment Grace is experiencing from some creeps who went to high school with her.  And then throw in a hate crime against one of Grace’s closest friends.  Mirabelle is a hot mess and Jax and Grace are feeling the pressure. On top of all of that there is also that horrid gossip blog run by an angry and bitter woman named Bethelda.  No one is safe from The Grim Truth.  Not even a town Deputy, Jax.  And certainly not, Grace, who for some reason has always been held accountable (by her very existence) for her late mother’s love life.

This romance is sexy and fast paced.  There is plenty of the angst I enjoy so much but it’s perfectly balanced with plenty of humor keeping me entertained at every turn of the page.  If you are a fan of contemporary small town romances, definitely give Undeniable a try.  You won’t be disappointed.

Nat

Undressed by Shannon Richard

****

She knows the rules of the game . . . but she can't resist his moves

Publicist Abby Fields's career is on the rise. And with failed romances in her past, she has no time for men. When a job opportunity opens up with a sports team in Florida, Abby eagerly packs up and heads south. Yet after a work event in Mirabelle, Florida, Abby finds herself in the arms of a hockey player whose heartstopping smile leads her to the steamiest night of her life . . .

Logan James is hot on and off the ice. With his team on an epic winning streak, life couldn't get better . . . until he meets Abby, the fiery redhead assigned to protect his team's image. Now Logan's finding it difficult to concentrate on anything other than getting Abby undressed. But after a secret is leaked to the press, the taste of betrayal opens old wounds. If they can't learn to trust each other, they may risk losing more than their hearts. (50,000 words) 

 Review:

If you’ve read Undone (the first book in the Country Roads series) you might be familiar with Abby Fields.  She is Paige’s best friend and makes appearances throughout the series.  There were hints that she might get her own story and this is it.   Abby was a publicist for politicians in DC.  She recently took a job as a publicist for a NHL team.  The change was huge but she is finding that she loves it even more.  But, just like in DC, she has her problem children.  One of those problem children is the very hot Logan James.  When she says “problem child”, she doesn’t mean that he causes too many problems for her to fix.  It’s more his unwillingness to participate in many of the publicity events hosted by the team.

Logan James finds the team’s new publicist to be unbelievably hot. Too bad her profession is one that he absolutely despises.  He’s not interested in exploiting other people for his or the team’s benefit.  Having suffered a significant loss when he was younger, he realizes that doing good for the sake of doing good is the only thing he’s interested in.  That means he’ll do his own charities and if the team’s publicity team wants to be involved they’ll have to agree to his terms.

After an unexpected snowstorm and a night stuck in Logan’s cabin while waiting for a new flight to a charity “event” in Mirabelle, Abby and Logan take their non-existent relationship to the next level.  The next morning, Abby is already moving on.  Because, in the end, it should have never happened.  She will lose her job if anyone found out she had any sort of relationship with someone on the team. When they get to Mirabelle for the media-free (Logan’s demand for his cooperation) and personal (to Abby) event, Abby observes Logan interact with all of her friends in Mirabelle and realizes that maybe Logan isn’t quite the standoffish jerk she thought he was and that he really is more like the guy she spent the night with.

It’s been a long time since Logan’s been in a relationship but after one night with Abby he’s willing to explore the possibilities.  Unfortunately, she’s already acting like nothing ever happened between them.  On the bright side, Logan isn’t opposed to going after what he wants.  So after telling Abby that he’s still interested (and after Abby has a heart to heart with her BFF, Paige) they decide to continue their relationship privately. Away from the eyes of the team and management.

Of course, hiding a relationship with a NHL player that is likely going to playoffs is difficult.  Even more difficult is hiding their relationship when certain members of the team (both on and off the ice) will stoop to anything to see Abby fail at the job she loves. 

As you all may have noticed, Shannon Richard has quickly become a favorite author.  I’ve adored the Country Roads series and this novella was a great addition.  Abby is a wonderfully strong contemporary romance heroine.  She is a determined and focused professional and her solid belief that she should be able to have her career AND her relationship is both attractive and refreshing.  And wow….I thought the Men of Mirabelle were something.  Obviously Shannon Richard was just preparing me for the force that is Logan James.  

So, yeah.  If you are looking for a steamy romance featuring a hot hockey player and an all around amazing woman, Undressed is probably just what you are looking for.

Nat

Unforgettable Release Week Blitz with Shannon Richard with EXCERPT

We are super excited to be part of the Unforgettable Release Week Blitz!  It only took her first book, Undone, for me to become a big fan of Shannon Richard.  And she keeps getting better and better.  Unforgettable is book #4 in the Country Roads series and Richard doesn't fail to deliver the type of strong heroine we love and a confident sexy hero that we insist on swooning over every chance we get.   

About UNFORGETTABLE

One long, hot summer would never be enough . . .

Attorney Hannah Sterling lives a life she's worked hard for. So when she unexpectedly inherits an inn, Hannah decides to take that long overdue holiday and settle her eccentric grandmother's estate. She knew there would be challenges, but what's hardest about returning to Mirabelle, Florida, is facing the man who gave her the most passionate summer of her life-and then broke her heart. Nathanial Shepherd never forgot the redheaded goddess who lit up his world and got away. Now that she's home, Shep vows to make up for their years apart-and if the fire in her kiss is any indication, they're well on their way. But when a devastating secret from their past threatens their future, Shep must fight to heal Hannah's heart. Because this time, their love will truly be unforgettable . . .

Buy links

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About Shannon Richard

Shannon Richard grew up in the Florida Panhandle as the baby sister of two overly protective but loving brothers. She was raised by a more than somewhat eccentric mother, a self-proclaimed vocabularist who showed her how to get lost in a book and a father who passed on his love for coffee and really loud music. She graduated from Florida State University with a BA in English Literature and still lives in Tallahassee where she battles everyday life with writing, reading, and a rant every once in a while. Okay, so the rants might happen on a regular basis. She's still waiting for her Southern, scruffy, Mr. Darcy, and in the meantime writes love stories to indulge her overactive imagination. Oh, and she's a pretty big fan of the whimsy.
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Excerpt

She looked up at him, her heart in her throat. She couldn’t give him what he wanted. Couldn’t tell him the truth. She wasn’t ready. Telling him the truth, all of the truth, would rip her wide open, and she couldn’t handle that pain yet.

She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to handle that pain.

“Fine. I’ll go first.” He somehow moved closer to her. “Me kissing you is never a mistake. There are a lot of things in my life that I’d take back, but my lips on yours? That’s not one of them. I know that fact without a doubt.”

He reached up and pulled her glasses from her face, setting them on the counter behind her before he lowered his mouth to hers. He nipped at her bottom lip, pulling it gently before his tongue darted out. He didn’t even get it past her bottom lip before her mouth was covering his, her tongue sliding along his.

He let go of her hands, letting them drop to her sides before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her entirely against his body.

He had her backed up against the kitchen counter again, their hot and hungry mouths eating at the others.

Every notion about fighting this thing with him flew out of her head, and she let herself go over to it. To all of it. All of him.

“Does this feel like a mistake, Hannah?” He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers as he looked down into her eyes. “Right now, in this moment. Does it?”

Her voice didn’t want to work, and it took her a second to form a response. “No.” She shook her head. “No, it doesn’t.”

“What about this? My hands on you?” he asked, his eyes not leaving hers as he moved his palms under her shirt, running them up and down her bare back before he moved them to her sides.

“No.” She couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through her body, and his mouth turned up in that predatory grin of his.

“Or this?” This time his eyes did leave hers as he dropped his head and put his mouth on her neck, his tongue flicking against her skin.

Her answer was a long, low moan that went all the way down to her toes.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked right before he ran his tongue along her collarbone.

“No.” Her eyes closed of their own accord as her head fell back. “Please.”

“Please what?” Kisses across her shoulder.

“Please don’t stop.”

“Well, aren’t those lovely words?” His lips were working back up her neck, and then he found her mouth again. He was consuming her with his kisses, inhaling her. And his hands. Holy hell they were still running wildly over her hips and back. And then he brought one between them, his fingers tracing around her belly button before it moved low on her belly.

He flicked the button on her jeans open and then went on to her zipper, pulling it down slowly. Maybe he was giving her another chance to protest.

There wasn’t a chance in hell she was going to stop it this time. 

Unforgettable by Shannon Richard

****

One long, hot summer would never be enough...

Attorney Hannah Sterling lives a life she's worked hard for. So when she unexpectedly inherits an inn, Hannah decides to take that long overdue holiday and settle her eccentric grandmother's estate. She knew there would be challenges, but what's hardest about returning to Mirabelle, Florida, is facing the man who gave her the most passionate summer of her life-and then broke her heart.

Nathanial Shepard never forgot the redheaded goddess who lit up his world and got away. Now that she's home, Shep vows to make up for their years apart-and if the fire in her kiss is any indication, they're well on their way. But when a devastating secret from their past threatens their future, Shep must fight to heal Hannah's heart. Because this time, their love will truly be unforgettable... 

Review:

I don’t think I’m being spoilery at all when I tell you what their devastating secret is.  Simply because it’s in the short prologue and helps the reader to understand Hannah’s hesitation throughout the book.  Long story short, Hannah and Shep meet when they are teenagers while Hannah and her grandmother are visiting Mirabelle, Florida.  Their summer fling (that meant so much more than a fling) ended when Hannah left for college.  But not long into her freshman year Hannah finds that she’s pregnant.  And not long after she confirms the pregnancy but before she can tell Shep she loses the baby.  When she does finally muster up the courage to call him, Shep has apparently moved on.

Fast forward thirteen years.  Hannah’s grandmother had bought the inn they stayed at in Mirabelle all those years ago and has left it to Hannah after her death.  The last thing Hannah wants to do is visit the one place where she might run into the guy that broke her heart.  But to find closure and to sell the property she has no choice but to visit Mirabelle.  And, of course, it doesn’t take long before she runs into the unforgotten, Nathaniel Shepard.  His presence proves to be even more confusing and upsetting than she expected.  Sparks still fly between them but there’s that big 13 year old secret sitting between them and Hannah doesn’t know how to tell Shep the one thing she should have told him years ago.

What Hannah doesn’t understand is that she isn’t the only with a broken heart.  Shep knew before she ever left Mirabelle that Hannah was the only girl for him.  But she had made it clear she wasn’t sticking around and that what they had was just a summer fling.  So he let her go without a fight.  Now that she’s back he’s not going to make the same mistake.  This time Shep is pulling out every weapon in his arsenal to get Hannah to understand that they belong together.  One of those weapons is the unbelievable chemistry between the two of them. 

If you’ve read any of the previous Country Roads series you probably already got the idea that Shep oozes sex and confidence.  And he really does.  He is unbelievably blunt and forward in expressing (and demanding) what he wants.   So much so that after finishing Unforgettable I tweeted, “Holy Sexy Shep! I need a cold shower.  Or Three.” Shannon Richard’s response?

“Hahahaha, he made me blush more than a few times.  But the man knows what he wants.”

Ain’t that the truth? He knows EXACTLY what he wants.  He wants the girl that got away.  And he wants her for the long haul.

And Hannah?  My heart broke for her.  I understand first-hand how that type of loss can hurt and make you feel crippling apprehension about so many things.  But she’s not broken and in the end she has to decide if she can be strong enough to put herself in an emotionally vulnerable situation that has already hurt her once before and could possibly destroy her the second time around.

There was some obvious angst in this story but with such spirited main characters it was never overwhelming.  This was a super sexy and fast paced romance and I absolutely adored it.  Shannon Richard’s just keeps getting better and better.  Her books have quickly become auto-buys for me  and I can’t wait to see what she releases next.

Nat

Waiting on Wednesday (133)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.


By Maureen Johnson
Publication Date:  February 10, 2015

The thrilling third installment to the Edgar-nominated, bestselling series.

Rory and her friends are reeling from a series of sudden and tragic events. While racked with grief, Rory tries to determine if she acted in time to save a member of the squad. If she did, how do you find a ghost? Also, Rory’s classmate Charlotte has been kidnapped by Jane and her nefarious organization. Evidence is uncovered of a forty-year-old cult, ten missing teenagers, and a likely mass murder. Everything indicates that Charlotte’s in danger, and it seems that something much bigger and much more terrible is coming.

Time is running out as Rory fights to find her friends and the ghost squad struggles to stop Jane from unleashing her spectral nightmare on the entire city. In the process, they'll discover the existence of an organization that underpins London itself—and Rory will learn that someone she trusts has been keeping a tremendous secret. 




By Shannon Richard
Publication Date: January 13, 2012

One long, hot summer would never be enough...

Attorney Hannah Sterling lives a life she's worked hard for. So when she unexpectedly inherits an inn, Hannah decides to take that long overdue holiday and settle her eccentric grandmother's estate. She knew there would be challenges, but what's hardest about returning to Mirabelle, Florida, is facing the man who gave her the most passionate summer of her life-and then broke her heart.

Nathanial Shepard never forgot the redheaded goddess who lit up his world and got away. Now that she's home, Shep vows to make up for their years apart-and if the fire in her kiss is any indication, they're well on their way. But when a devastating secret from their past threatens their future, Shep must fight to heal Hannah's heart. Because this time, their love will truly be unforgettable...