Self-Published | June 13, 2015 | Contemporary Romance
★★★★1/2
ORIGINAL ARC SOURCE: XPRESSO BOOK TOURS
TOUR HOST: INDIESAGE PR
What happens when a single mom’s four-year-old daughter falls in love with Mr. Right and she doesn’t?
Maggie Tyson’s rule: no bad boys. Her incarcerated ex-husband broke her of that attraction. Needing to escape his threats and the scrutiny of the people in her hometown, Maggie relocates to New York City. Determined to not make the same mistakes, she has a mile-long list of dos and don’ts. Unfortunately, her daughter, Cecily, doesn’t like to follow them. When Cecily wanders away from her and right into Rick Stone’s office, Maggie knows he’s the exact type she’s been trying to avoid. Can she resist him or will she succumb to his willful charm?
Rick Stone’s rule: bed them don’t wed them. Running a multi-billion dollar business doesn’t leave him with much time to do anything else, particularly with an overbearing grandfather breathing down his neck. But when a man works hard, he needs to play even harder. Voted America’s most eligible bachelor, Rick doesn’t have any problems getting women into his bed—except one.
Two auburn beauties stumble into his life.
One will break his heart.
The other—heal it.
Will he love or leave them?
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{ about c.c. koen } .
C.C. Koen writes contemporary romance with a twist. An avid reader who enjoys mystery and suspense, her stories will never be what you expect. Determined to find adventure in her dreams and life, she enjoys skydiving, sailing and any activity that challenges her. Teacher by day, romance writer at night produce an active imagination that comes to life in her writing.
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originally posted July 13, 2015
( sometimes I accidentally sign up for tours from more than one tour host...)
If I were to be 100% honest...
...I wasn't sure how I'd like this book.
Sure, the synopsis drew me in like no other. But you see, I have "history" with this author, and by "history", I mean I didn't truly care for another book I'd read. I enjoyed INTENSITY's synopsis, but the writing just didn't quite get me there.
But I really, really wanted to like this book. So I put everything aside and picked up the book.
So first... my issues with writing...? Yeah, they were still there. I felt at times that the writing, the dialogue, the story just skimmed the surface. The story never truly pulled me under to a place where I was completely unaware of what was going on around me. The entire time, I was fully aware of my surroundings -- and when that happens, my mind tends to wander and I realize I've 'read' six chapters but I couldn't tell you a damn thing about what happened.
But I fought hard to pay attention to this story. So while it never pulled me down, I fought with it and found myself enjoying this cute story.
Rick is a workaholic. One day, he looks up and finds a white mouse on his computer -- not a computer mouse, but a mouse mouse -- and shortly after, meets a redheaded cutie with pigtails looking for her pet mouse. Immediately, Rick falls for this little cutie pie but her mother, who works at the security firm a few doors down, isn't easy to convince.
Maggie thought she had everything but when she told Jake she was pregnant, he further pulled himself away. Now it's just her and her baby girl. With the help of Maggie's sister, Kat, they are all surviving. The last thing Maggie needs is a man.
I loved watching Rick fight to tear down Maggie's walls. He falls hard and easily for the little pixie, but getting her mother to return the sentiment proves to be difficult -- but a mission that he fights to overcome.
While I loved Maggie and Rick's relationship, it was Rick's relationship with CeCe that truly made my heart happy. For a man who never wanted children, he falls into the role easily where CeCe is concerned. I loved, loved, loved watching these two and their interactions. Even when Maggie pushes Rick away, he fights to watch CeCe blossom -- with the help of Kat, of course, because Kat wants Maggie to give the man a chance.
The epilogue of this one... Oh my. I love this type of epilogue, and part of my hopes, wishes, that the reason it was set up this way was so that we can see CeCe have her own story. Goodness knows Carter would give her a run for her money.
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Thank you for promoting Unlikely Allies again. I appreciate your support.
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