Good House Publishing | August 10, 2015 | Contemporary Romance
Suspicious Hearts, book 1
★★★★1/2
SOURCE: INDIESAGE PR
He held her through her darkest moments, caught her tears on capable shoulders, but one thing kept them apart.
At twenty-six, Katie McGregor is starting over and returning to the man she’s loved her whole life. Jake Johnson. The man whose smile made her pulse race, whose touch made her knees weak, and whose words broke her heart.
With three years separation, Jake welcomes her into his life with open arms and that same sexy smile. But is he the same man who doesn’t do relationship? The one who thought of her as a little sister?
A thousand memories between them; one hurt to jeopardize it all.
She knew returning home wouldn’t be easy, she just didn’t know it would be this hard.
{ about taylor sullivan } .
Taylor is a contemporary romance author who specializes in stories about normal people. Ones with hopes, dreams, fears, insecurities, and flaws. She loves to read as much as she loves to write, and is thrilled to share her first novel with you. When Taylor isn’t writing, she can often be found with her nose in a book, her face behind a camera, or spending time with her husband and three young children.
{ excerpt } .
“Shh.” Jake’s deep voice filled my ear, and he pulled me to his solid chest. “I’m here. Shh.”I opened my eyes, thankful it was only another nightmare, and pressed my hot cheek to his bare skin.
“It was just a dream.” He ran a hand down my back. “Shh…”
His blue eyes locked with mine, and the backs of his fingers caressed the side of my face. “Don’t cry,” he pleaded, his calloused thumb brushing away a single tear.
His voice calmed me. The soft light of dawn allowing me to see how much he cared about me. My dreams affected him more than they did me.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, knowing this wasn’t the first time I’d woken him this way.
“Don’t be sorry.” His voice was deep and groggy and he began to smooth my hair away from my face.
I could smell the familiar scent of his skin and my heart began to pound again.
“I haven’t had one in a while.” I looked up at him. His eyes were closed, and I thought he might want to go back to sleep.
“Yeah.”
My eyes shifted to the dimple of his chin, then slowly up to his full lips. He hadn’t shaved since the morning before and already had a scruff of beard. I ached to be able to run my hand along his jaw. To touch him the way I’d always wanted to.
When I looked up again, his eyes were open, and he was watching me. My chest tightened with embarrassment, and I tried to pull away, but his hand caught me behind the neck, holding me firm.
My breath grew heavy under his gaze, and his hooded eyes moved to my lips. I was frozen, unsure of what was happening, and then his mouth came down to mine. Softly at first, like I could blow him away with an exhale, but then the kiss became firmer, sweeter, and he sucked softly on my bottom lip until I whimpered.
{ review } .
For a debut book... it was really good! I wasn't blown away like I was with Claudia Connor's WORTH THE FALL (gosh, that was over a year ago already!), but I was still impressed. The dialogue, the characterization... everything fell together well. There were points were the drama was too grand, or the suspense too predictable, but the overall story was a good one. I enjoyed Katie and Jake's friendship, both present and past. I loved the fine line of sibling-flirting they walked, and I loved the comfort they received from one another. Katie lets her fears take hold of her, though, to the point where she almost severs that delicate friendship she has with Jake.
This was a story that was told with flashbacks -- most of the flashbacks were done during obvious moments of remembrance, such as when Katie was driving to L.A. You do a lot of thinking while driving, so it made sense that she'd reminisce and remember her brother and his best friend, the boy she'd been in love with, while driving toward Jake. Typically, I'm not a big fan of flashbacks -- I'd much rather have a story told in pre-timeline, and current timeline, but for the most part, it worked in this story.
While I understand why the story was only in Katie's POV, I would have liked to see Jake's, as well.
This was a story that was told with flashbacks -- most of the flashbacks were done during obvious moments of remembrance, such as when Katie was driving to L.A. You do a lot of thinking while driving, so it made sense that she'd reminisce and remember her brother and his best friend, the boy she'd been in love with, while driving toward Jake. Typically, I'm not a big fan of flashbacks -- I'd much rather have a story told in pre-timeline, and current timeline, but for the most part, it worked in this story.
While I understand why the story was only in Katie's POV, I would have liked to see Jake's, as well.
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