Catch and Release

By Ella Fox

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Love endures all things.

Darby McKenzie’s heart started beating funny the day that she met Trace Chamberlain. She was four, he was five, and that meeting altered the course of both their lives forever.

Trace was born into a nightmare. Before meeting Darby and her family, the only love he ever knew was that of his twin brother. The two of them endured years of abuse that left scars. The permanent kind.

For Trace, meeting Darby was like catching a rainbow. She exploded into his life in a pop of Technicolor that awakened his senses. She wasn’t just his best friend—she was his life. His touchstone, his safety, his heart—she was everything.

Darby had been through it all with Trace and her love for him never wavered for a second. But no amount of love could make Trace believe that he was worthy of her. Knowing that she deserved better, Trace pushed her away, when what he really wanted was to pull her closer. Emotionally destroyed and bitter from the back and forth, Darby finally let go and decided to move on.

Sometimes hitting rock bottom is the only way to understand that you need to change. Realizing that losing Darby means losing everything, Trace sets out to fight for the love of his life.

Is it too late for Darby and Trace to have a happily ever after?

*****4.5 Fantastic Stars*****

Catch and Release was a beautifully emotionally book that took me on a truly phenomenal journey with these extremely authentic characters. It not only gave me Darby and Trace’s heart squeezing story, it gave me every single thoughtfully crafted emotion and feeling they had. Every one of their doubts and heartbreaks they had along the way. All of their vulnerabilities. All of their ups and downs. All of the moments that defined their relationship. Every single magnificent piece of their journey together.

I got it all in Catch and Release, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with that.

I have been waiting for this story since I read Catch My Fall. That was actually the first book I ever read by this author, and it’s was solidified her as one of my favorites. While falling in love with Mia and Tristan’s story in that book, I got to fall in love with Darby and Trace too. I knew those two had one helluva past, and I was ecstatic to get to experience that in this book.

This book and their past and story gave me so much more than I expected, and I enjoyed every single fantastic word that this book gave me.

What was absolutely fantastic about Catch and Release:

• Darby is strong as all get out. Darby is probably one of the strongest female characters that I have ever read. She is fiery and sassy, and is as vibrant as can be. That is her through and through, and I relished in getting to read the strong female character that she was. Darby has so much fight in her and that just defines her character in the best way. I loved getting to know her over the course of this book and seeing that strength come out in so many different and magnificent ways. My heart just went to that girl because no matter what she was strong and determined and gave it all she had, and that just made her golden to me.
• Trace’s heartbreaking past. Having read Catch My Fall, I knew that Trace and his brother Tristan had a horrendous childhood. Catch and Release lets you see Trace’s childhood first hand, and let me tell you, that will just break your heart for him. It’ll also have your heart instantly going to him and his brother for what they endured. As much as it pulled at my heart to read about Trace’s past, I thought it was phenomenal to see how that past in turn affected him as he continued on and with his relationship with Darby. Seeing and really experiencing his character’s past gave me a new and utterly exceptional understanding of his character, which connected me so much into him and his story.
• The depth of feeling. You really feel over and over again in Catch and Release how deeply Trace and Darby feel for one another. This book gives you the extraordinary opportunity to see Darby and Trace’s relationship right from the beginning and through so many stages. Getting to experience that allows you to fully feel and know how deeply these two feel for one another. When you feel that reading this book it’ll make you hope with all of your heart that these two can figure out a way to make it work because you know how truly and deeply they love each other.
• Understanding the past. One of my very favorite aspects of this book was getting to understand the past of both of these characters. This book starts at the beginning of Darby and Trace. You get chance to see them grow and develop as individuals. You also get to see how their relationship evolves over the course of the book too. I loved how Ella Fox gave me these characters’ pasts because it allowed me such a magnificent understanding of them both. It also made me fall in love with both of their characters, as well as what they were fighting for. Getting the pasts of these characters is just one of the many aspects that pulled me in so deeply to what I was reading in this fantastic story.
• The heartbreaking moments. Catch and Release has a lot of heartbreaking moments. Whether your heart is breaking for Trace and all that he has to go through and experience. Whether it’s for Darby and experiencing what it’s like for her to watch Trace go through those things, or when she’s losing parts of herself because of what is and isn’t happening in their relationship. Whether it’s for Darby and Trace as the push and pull in their relationship slowly starts to take its toll. Whatever it is, this book will give you so many heartbreaking moments. You might think it’s strange that I enjoyed reading that, but that heartbreak emotionally connected me to these two from the instant I met them. It allowed me to fight for them, care for them, and just love them wholly. Those heartbreaking moments gave me Darby and Trace at their most vulnerable moments, and made my heart go to them again and again.
• The level of fight that defines this book and characters. I loved the level of fight that was in Catch and Release. In this story you get many different types of fight from all of the characters. Trace is fighting against what he’s feeling for Darby. Darby is fighting for Trace to realize he is good and whole and so immensely worth it. They’re both fighting with the feelings they share for one another. I have to say it was also just refreshing to read a story where the female character is the one with the fight, the one who tries to help and heal. I love these kinds of stories and that’s just one of the many reasons I loved this book. The fight goes on and on, and the way that fight thoughtfully weaves itself into this story is nothing short of wonderful.

Catch and Release tells the emotional journey of two characters that I just loved to pieces. This story gave me so much of them, and I guarantee that you will fall heart first in love with both Trace and Darby as they try to figure out what could happen if they really gave it a shot.

I really cannot recommend this book to you more. It is beautiful, emotional and just downright phenomenal. Trace and Darby and their heart pulling story will just pull you in, and you won’t want it to let you go.

This story will give you so many emotionally intense moments that will have your heart going to these characters over and over again. You will feel for them. You will love with them. You will break with them. You will try to heal with them. You will fight for it all right along with them.

You will do it all with them, and that is just part of what makes this book an exceptional read.

Catch My Fall (Book One)

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Blurb

Mia Reeves faith, trust and sense of security were all taken away in the blink of an eye. In need of a fresh start, she settles into a new town and begins to make a new life.

Tristan Chamberlain has always kept girls at arm’s length and he has no intention of changing. He’s caring, smart, handsome, but he’s also dealing with a lifetime of guilt that’s slowly but surely destroying him.

Sometimes what you run from is the one thing that will save you.

Separately, they’re both free-falling. Together, they’re about to find that love can create the strongest safety net of all.

About the Author:

Ella Fox writes like a woman possessed whenever she gets the chance! She is the author of The Hart Family Series, The Renegade Saints Series and The Catch Series.

When she’s not writing, Ella indulges the gypsy in her blood and travels the country. Ella loves reading, movies, music, buying make-up, reading Tmz, Twitter and pedicures… not necessarily in that order. She has a wild sense of humor and loves to laugh. Her favorite thing in the world is hanging out with her family and watching comedy movies.

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Title: Kissing Madeline (Dearest, #3)

Author: Lex Martin

Release Date: April 27, 2015

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Cover Design by: Krista Ritchie

What’s the worst thing about wanting a sexy NFL football player? Everyone else wants him, too.

After catching my boyfriend getting deep-throated by a skanky cage girl, I’ve learned my lesson – never date a professional athlete. Never. Besides, I have more important things to worry about, like not blowing my shot to make it as a broadcast reporter. I won’t let anything get in my way, not even the new “it boy” of the NFL and my hot-as-hell neighbor.

What’s the worst thing about getting death glares from his new neighbor? It doesn’t make him want her any less.

I’ve worked my ass off to make it to the pros. The last thing I need is the complication of a relationship, especially since my last one was a total train wreck. But I can’t stop thinking about the feisty girl next door with the smart mouth. And I’d love nothing more than to show her what to do with that mouth.

Friends with benefits might be the best idea he’s ever had. Or the worst.

Kissing Madeline is a companion novel to DEAREST CLEMENTINE and FINDING DANDELION. Each book is a stand-alone.

*****5 EXTRAORDINARY STARS*****

The first thing I want to say about Kissing Madeline by Lex Martin, besides the fact that it is utterly fabulous and by far one of my favorite books of the year, is that I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so happy while reading a book.

I read this entire book with a huge as heck smile on my face because that’s how much I LOVED it. That’s how much I loved me some Maddie and Daren something fierce with every part of my heart. That’s how much I was captivated by their vibrant and passionate and superb story. That’s how much I relished in every single wondrous feeling and thought and emotion I got to experience while reading Kissing Madeline.

My cheeks literally hurt after reading this book because I was smiling so much. That my friends is just one of the many tells Kissing Madeline gives you to let you know you are reading an extraordinary book.

I felt every ounce of this book. It was so lively and it just enraptured me from the moment I began reading. It had an effervescent spark to it that just leapt off of the pages, and that just invigorated and pulled me in more as I experienced this book. That spark embodied Kissing Madeline, and created a literary magic that seamlessly weaved its way throughout every magnificent corner of this book.

Lex Martin clearly knows how to create and develop characters that are real, and charming, and passionate. I love, love, love Daren and Maddie, and all of the fantastically distinctive characters that came with them in this book.

I especially loved how the characters were all about owning up to their mistakes and their pasts and their choices, seeing where they could go from there, and how they could be better. Kissing Madeline explores what happens when both Daren and Maddie try their best at working through all that makes up their pasts and presents, while they try to figure out what in the world their future could hold, and that was nothing short of wonderful to read.

Daren was a heart melting, football throwing, charming as all get out male character. He was also just a good guy that practically had me swooning at every turn. He charmed my pants off with his charisma and dynamic personality that illuminated so much about him. Ever since meeting his character in Dearest Clementine, I’ve been looking forward to getting into his head, and boy was that a pretty darn fantastic place to be. Through his perspective you see a new side to him, and the more time I spent with him the more I just fell in love with his character. You see and feel the goodness that emanates from him, but also this honesty and authenticity that allows you to see the real Daren.

Madeline is fierce with a capital F. She truly is a power unto herself, she is so headstrong, and she has such a big heart. The instant I met her I was just drawn to her because of the tenacity and heart and care that just flows out of her in the best possible ways. Maddie was such a beautiful character to get to know both inside and out, and she’s someone I wish I could call a friend because her character is just so amazing. I loved that Maddie was so determined, and that she was fighting with all her might for what she wanted. I respected and admired her immensely because of that. Lex Martin created her in such a way that made her so real to me, and relating to her and feeling that strong of a connection to Maddie was just one of the many aspects that made this book exceptional to me.

Now this book explores the firework level connection that Daren and Maddie share. That connection requires some heavy duty fanning at points, and it’s definitely heart melting and will certainly cause the urge to pant. Daren and Maddie are HOT together. But underneath all that heat, chemistry, and passion that Lex Martin so fantastically gives you, is a whole heck of a lot of feeling that pulls both Daren and Maddie deeper than they ever expected. You get to feel and experience that powerful connection and the serious draw they have to one another. Experiencing that just amplifies every single thing happening between Daren and Maddie, and shows you just how right these two could be for one another if they’d just give it a shot and take the risk.

One of my very favorite aspects of Kissing Madeline, was that Lex Martin creates two very strong characters where it’s real easy to see what pulls them together because of the qualities they both possess, but she also gives those strong characters moments to be vulnerable.

It’s those moments of vulnerability that will still your heart when you experience them because of what they give you. Those moments of vulnerability just captivate you too, and they allow you to give your heart fully to Daren and Maddie because you see all that they’ve gone through and are presently going through. While they are both strong, tenacious, and charismatic, they are real and have moments of need too. Moments where they’re not so strong, moments when they truly let their guard down and pull those walls away, and really getting to know and feel that left me in awe because of what it allowed me to feel and experience with them.

That’s also one of the many aspects that pulls you emotionally into this book. Throughout reading you will feel and think and experience and wonder and question the same exact things these characters do because of how superbly this author writes this book.

What is so great about a book by Lex Martin, is that along with all that wonderful emotion and feeling and passion you experience with Daren and Maddie, you’re going to get the most amazing banter and fun too. I laughed my butt off reading this book at times because of what these characters were saying and doing. The lightness and humor that comes from that banter and sarcasm and just plain fun adds another fantastic layer to what you’re reading, and just makes you love it all more.

Kissing Madeline also has the perfect balance of sweet and sexy to go along with the realness and seriousness you get too. It truly gives you just the right amount of everything that you could possibly want from this story and its characters.

Not only do you get that fun and vibrancy from Daren and Maddie, but you also get it from the wonderful supporting characters that round out this book and series. I have an immense desire to be friends with each and every one of them in real life. Like, I need to make that happen somehow! They all feel real, crack you up, and just make the world of this book and series a place you don’t ever want to leave. They’re silly, and sarcastic, and witty, and dirty mouthed and minded, and that’s just a fraction of what makes them all distinctively spectacular. Clementine, Gavin, Dani, Jax, Quentin, and all the rest just help glue the amazing pieces of this book together, and I promise you that you will love them all to pieces.

Lex Martin’s writing is fresh and seamless, and puts you right into the exceptional and unforgettably lively world of these characters. You really do feel like you’re there with them living through this book. How she magnificently develops these characters, pushes them to find themselves, and conveys every single emotion they have in a way that allows you to experience and understand and feel it all, is simply brilliant and so thoughtfully accomplished.

All of that makes Daren and Maddie and their story remarkable, relatable, and highly enjoyable. It gives you a book that you thoroughly enjoy, and truly don’t want to let go of. I cannot say enough how much I have loved this series, especially this book. These characters are some of my all-time favorites, and this last book and Daren and Maddie’s incredible story just reiterates why this series and why this author are downright amazing.

Kissing Madeline is a story about taking a risk and giving it your all, even when that scares the bejesus out of you. It’s about throwing caution to the wind and exploring that what if because that what if and that risk could be worth it all if you let it be. Kissing Madeline gives you Daren and Maddie and their charismatic, charming, and oh so strong selves, and it allows you to fall in love with them over the course of their beautifully vibrant and breathtaking story.

This book is a truly exceptional read, and I could continue to go on and on about how much I loved it and how much it made me smile and laugh and tear up and swoon. How it made my heart race, melt, and squeeze at times, and how truly happy I was to read and experience every outstanding thing it gave me.

But all you really need to know is that Kissing Madeline is perfection, it is a book that will give you everything, and when you read the magnificently fierce thing that it is, you won’t ever truly forget it and what it so genuinely gave you.

Be sure to grab up Kissing Madeline today!! 

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DEAREST CLEMENTINE (Dearest, #1 – Clementine & Gavin)

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Twenty-year-old Clementine Avery doesn’t mind being called bitchy and closed off. It’s safe, and after being burned by her high school sweetheart and stalked by a professor her freshman year of college, safe sounds pretty damn good.

Her number one rule for survival? No dating. That is until she accidentally signs up for a romance writing class and needs material for her latest assignment. Sexy RA Gavin Murphy is more than happy to play the part of book boyfriend to help Clem find some inspiration, even if that means making out…in the name of research, of course.

As Gavin and Clem grow closer, they get entangled in the mystery surrounding a missing Boston University student, and Clem unwittingly becomes a possible target. Gavin tries to show Clem she can handle falling in love again, but she knows she has to be careful because her heart’s at stake…and maybe even her life.

FINDING DANDELION (#2 – Jax and Dani)

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When soccer all-star Jax Avery collides with Dani Hart on his twenty-first birthday, their connection is instantaneous and explosive. For the first time in years, Jax isn’t interested in his usual hit-it and quit-it approach.

But Dani knows better. Allowing herself a night to be carefree and feel the intensity of their attraction won’t change anything when it comes to dealing with a player. So when Jax doesn’t recognize Dani the next time he sees her, it shouldn’t be a total shock. The fact that he’s her new roommate’s brother? That’s a shock.

Dani doesn’t regret that night with Jax, just the need to lie about it. Since her roommate has made it clear what she thinks about her brother’s “type” of girl, the last thing Dani wants is to admit what happened.

Jax knows he’s walking a fine line on the soccer team. One more misstep and he’s off the roster, his plans to go pro be damned. Except he can’t seem to care. About anything… except for the one girl who keeps invading his dreams.

Despite Jax’s fuzzy memory of his hot hookup with his sister’s friend, he can’t stay away from her, even if that means breaking his own rules. But there are bigger forces at work–realities that can end Dani’s college career and lies that can tear them apart. Jax realizes what he’s losing if Dani walks away, but will he sacrifice his future to be with her? And will she let him if he does?

Lex Martin writes new adult novels, the sexy kind with lotsa angst, a whole lotta kissing, and the hot happily ever afters. When she’s not writing, she lives a parallel life as an English teacher. She loves printing black and white photos, listening to music on vinyl, and getting lost in a great book. Bitten by wanderlust, she’s lived all over the country but currently resides in the City of Angels with her husband and twin daughters.

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Sail is the second book in the continuing Wake Series. For more information on the first book in the series see the link for Bait below.

 *****5 PHENOMENAL STARS*****

To say I loved this book and everything it gave me, is the understatement of the century.

I don’t even think love is a strong enough verb for what I felt reading Sail by M. Mabie. It’s definitely not a strong enough verb to describe the immense amount of feeling and adoration I had for Blake and Casey’s unique, authentic, and enamoring characters. It’s also nowhere near a strong enough verb to tell you how utterly phenomenal and exceptionally crafted this chapter of their story was.

This book owned me. Blake and Casey and all that came with them, owned me. Everything Sail and its story gave me, owned me.

And you know what? I’ve never been more ecstatic to be owned by fictional characters in my life.

After first meeting Blake and Casey in their magnificently angst filled story in Bait, I was more than ready to dive back into the next chapter of their story. Bait set the bar very high, and M. Mabie just blew me away with how she created and pushed these characters to their limits in that book, so I was very curious to see where this part of the story would take Blake and Casey.

Sail not only took Blake and Casey to some pretty darn extraordinary places, it also left me in awe of what I got to experience right along with them. I can’t say enough how much this part of their story just made sense for their relationship. It was the perfect next step for them after all they’d been through, as they continued their fight to be with one another. The way M. Mabie exceptionally develops this book and Blake and Casey’s characters is superb, and she pushes them just the right amount in this book.

One of the aspects I loved most about reading Sail was reading and experiencing how much Casey and Blake’s characters evolved over the course of the story. M. Mabie gives you the phenomenal chance to see and feel and experience their evolution fully. You get to see Blake and Casey try to be better. You get inside both of their dynamic and exceptional heads, and get to feel and hear and see and think what they do, as they grow and develop as characters. You get to experience all of the fight those two go through in order to make themselves better, in order to be better together, and that is nothing short of extraordinary to experience.

Blake is a character that I just love whole heartedly. That girl is flawed and has made some less than wonderful choices, especially when it came to Casey, and even though I love her fiercely, even I shook my head sometimes at what she chose to do in Bait. But Sail gives you a new side to Blake, a grown up side to her that will heal the many cracks in your heart that the old Blake might’ve helped create. The Blake in this book is still flawed and authentic as all get out and she is so very real to me, but what I loved most about the Blake in this book was how much she tried and pushed and fought to be better, to make better choices, and to be the woman that both she and Casey deserved. The Blake in this book grows up a lot, and her owning up to her mistakes and trying to fix it all just solidified how fantastic her character is.

Blake is hands down, one of my favorite female characters I’ve ever read, and that is just a testament to M. Mabie’s truly exceptional creation, development, and writing of her character.

Now I am under the distinct notion that Casey Moore will own a solid chunk of my heart for the rest of time. Seriously. His character, his charm, and the essence of that man just stole my heart, squeezed it tight, all before melting it again because of all that he was in Sail. Casey is a huge part of what makes this book and series AMAZING. In Sail, along with Blake, Casey must change a bit in order to have a shot at what he and Blake are fighting for. The new and improved Casey in this book is just as charming and hot and witty as the Casey in Bait, except this Casey realizes what went wrong, takes some much needed culpability in it, and pushes with all his might to make himself and it all better. I know I loved Casey before, but seeing what he does and goes through in order to be better for Blake and for himself, just made it infinitely impossible not to fall more and more in headfirst, red pant wearing love with him.

Suffice to say, Casey is a male character to die for who is guaranteed to steal some piece of you forever. The amount of moments he literally had me swooning and panting and melting into a puddle of emotion in this book, just solidified how utterly outstanding his character is.

The same electric pull that pulled Blake and Casey together in Bait, is ever present and more intensified in Sail. That connection draws them together like two magnets unable to resist the pull towards one another, and you will be pulled into it all too, making all that they feel and experience seem so very real. Blake and Casey’s connection and relationship is defined by the shear passion they have, how visceral it is at times, and just the fire that ignites them both when they are together, but also by the depth of feeling and care they have for one another that weaves its way beautifully into this book.

I promise you that you will not doubt the feelings that Blake and Casey share throughout Sail, and their connection is sure to bring a certain kind of heat to your cheeks and the most wonderful warmth to your heart. The banter, the charm, and the fun between Blake and Casey is perfect, and the meaning behind their words and their actions and their love in this book is even more perfect, and it just exemplifies what it is that they’re fighting for, and why it is so worth it.

I’ve also never been jealous of a hammock before, so props to M. Mabie for making that thought come into my head!

Because of how M. Mabie so wonderfully crafted and wrote this book, when you read Sail you’ll be living through it all with these characters. You’ll feel every ounce of emotion and feeling and vulnerability that they characters bravely put out there. You’ll feel every bit of fight that permeates this book in the best possible way. You’ll feel the love, the hate, the pain, the healing, and everything in between as Blake and Casey try to fix what they have in order to be together.

While this book makes the most superb kind of sense for Blake and Casey and their relationship, it is also filled with more WTF and OMG moments than you can shake a stick at. Those moments just throw you into the story more, and each new event that comes Blake and Casey’s way will have you more and more enthralled because of how those two handle it. Some of those moments brought tears to my eyes for many reasons, others made my heart start racing like crazy, and often my breath was taken away by what I was reading. Experiencing that is just part of what makes this book so outstanding.

Not to be outdone by the fantasticness of Blake and Casey, the supporting characters that glue all the wondrous pieces of this book together are back, and better than ever. Sail allows these characters to become part of Blake and Casey’s story in such an amazing way because now everyone knows what’s going on, and reading how all these distinctive and engaging characters interact with Blake and Casey is just brilliant. I cannot wait to get my grubby little paws on more of them, cough Reggie cough, because they are all unique and fun and enamoring, and I’ve got no doubt that they each have one fabulous story to tell.

Like I said, Sail owned me. It owned every part of me while I was reading. It owned my thoughts, my feelings, and most assuredly my heart.

This book and all that it gave me was exactly what I needed and more than I even knew I needed from Blake and Casey. I loved this book immensely. Blake and Casey’s story in Sail is beautiful and breathtaking and the perfect amount of everything. Its defined by so many phenomenal aspects that make it such an exceptional story to experience, and all of that is possible because of M. Mabie’s remarkable and extraordinary writing. She creates a world and a set of characters that will enrapture you the instant you meet them, and you’re never going to want to let them go. Ever.

Sail was a beyond extraordinary addition to this series, and this author just made me love Blake and Casey land so fiercely once again. This book was everything, and it gave me everything, and as much as I never want them to end, I for one cannot wait for the conclusion to Blake and Casey’s story in Anchor.

Sail tells the next chapter in Blake and Casey’s story. It will push them to places they never thought they’d be, and it’ll push you as the reader while you’re along for the phenomenal ride, and in the end you’ll just be thrilled that you had the chance to experience the utter magnificence that is Blake and Casey’s story in Sail.

 

See where it all started in Bait!!

Bait

Book One in The Wake Series

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Meet Natalie and Liam in Consolation! 

 

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Liam wasn’t supposed to be my happily ever after.

He wasn’t even on my radar.

He was my husband’s best friend—forbidden.

But my husband is dead and I’m alone. I ache for him and I reach for Liam.

One night with Liam changed everything. Now I have to decide if I truly love him or if he’s just the consolation prize.

 

 

Copyright © 2015 Corinne Michaels

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.

 

Prologue

Natalie

 

“Oh, Chloe, if you’d like to come out, please wait until your Daddy gets back,” I insist, holding my belly as another Braxton Hicks contraction hits. I grip the dresser and try to breathe through it. It seems like they’re coming more frequently.

Once it passes, I try to finish what I came in here for. Aaron is away, but I want the nursery done so we can enjoy the next few weeks once he returns. I walk around what will be her room, putting a few more of the pretty pink dresses in the drawers. Aaron and I have fought about the vast array of pink things that are now strewn around the house—he hates it, I love it.

He insisted we paint her room in camouflage. Brown, green, and black camouflage for a girl? No. I almost sent myself into labor with that argument. I got home and he and Mark were drawing it out on the walls. I launched various household items at Mark while throwing him out of the house. My husband found out shortly after how much he could suffer by my hands. I may not be a SEAL, but you don’t mess with me either. In the end, I won with purple walls and the sheer netting around her white crib.

“Daddy’s going to love this room, Chloe. I can’t wait to see his face when he sees the pretty butterflies.” Needing to take another break, I sit in the rocking chair and rub my stomach. It soothes me knowing she’s in there. I can protect her—it’s my job. I love being pregnant and it’s a miracle we were able to conceive her. I’ve already told Aaron I want to try for another one as soon as she’s born. I close my eyes and sink, allowing the world to fade away.

I imagine holding her in my arms, sitting here in this chair, soothing and kissing her. I picture Aaron with her asleep on his chest as she gets to hear his heartbeat. She’ll own his world and have him wrapped around her finger.

Knock, knock, knock.

I hear the door, but it takes me a few seconds to get out of the chair.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

They bang louder this time.

“Coming!” I yell at the door. Jeez, give me a second.

Waddling to the door takes me a minute since I’m the size of a whale.

I open the door and see Mark Dixon, Aaron’s boss and close friend. He works at Cole Security Forces with Aaron and served with him for years. His head is hanging low and when he looks up, his eyes are full of sorrow.

“What’s wrong?”

“Lee,” he chokes on the one syllable of my name. The one Aaron uses. Something is definitely not right.

“What happened?” I ask again as I begin to shake.

Tears fill his eyes and I know. I know my life is never going to be the same. I know everything I’ve ever feared is about to come true because Mark doesn’t cry. Mark wouldn’t be at my door if something weren’t really, really wrong. “It’s Aaron.”

My heart stops beating and the world I live in ceases to exist. “Don’t,” I beg with tears blurring my vision and my breath accelerating.

This can’t be happening.

“Please, don’t, Mark. Please,” I beg him again, because once he says it…but I know it’s futile. It doesn’t matter because he can’t stop it. It’s already happened.

“Natalie, I’m so sorry.”

The dreaded words that every military wife fears. Only I wasn’t supposed to have to worry about this anymore. We were done. We got out. I wasn’t supposed to ever fear this again.

Please, God, don’t take him from me. Please!

“But, I’m p-pregnant. I’m having a baby,” I stammer as if that will somehow make none of this real. “He said he’d be back. He said he…” I trail off as it becomes difficult to breathe. My hand flies to my mouth to stifle the scream about to escape. Everything goes colorless.

“It was an IED. I’m sorry,” Mark says as his eyes glimmer with unshed tears.

I fall.

But he’s there, cradling me in his arms. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

“No. No. No.” Mark holds me as I sob clutching my stomach. “You’re lying,” I hiss, tearing myself out of his embrace.

“I wish I were,” he says as I struggle to get up.

“It was a mistake. He’s having a baby. He said it was a simple in and out!” I scream and throw my hands against his chest. “You’re lying!” I scream, even knowing it’s not a lie.

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry!” My sorrow turns to hatred. I hate him. I hate everyone in this moment. I hate Aaron and everyone who was there. I hate this house and everything in it. I hate the air that he no longer breathes. Hate consumes me. Hate smothers me. “Get out!” I yell and push against his chest. “Get the fuck out of my house! Aaron will be back in a few days and then we’re going to get ready for our daughter to be born.”

“Please,” Mark beseeches and I refuse to look at him.

This isn’t happening because Aaron’s alive.

He’s not dead. How dare Mark lie to me.

“He’ll be back. He wouldn’t leave me. He promised.” Aaron wouldn’t lie to me. He never does. When he left for missions, he would always say goodbye like it could be our last. But this time he kissed the tip of my nose and said, “Now don’t have that baby until I get back.”

“Can I call someone? Your mom?”

“No, you can’t call anyone because he’s not dead! Go get him, Mark! Go get my husband and bring him home.” I step back pointing my finger at him. “You all promised. He promised.” I clutch my stomach as a sharp pain radiates, but it’s nothing compared to the agony sitting on my chest. Tears flow relentlessly as I struggle against his hold. “He promised.”

“I know he did,” Mark says as he holds my head against his chest.

“He lied.”

My life is gone.

My heart is dead.

I’m a widow at twenty-seven.

*****5 HEARTFELT STARS*****

As I sit here writing this review, I must admit that I am still fully under the charming, effervescent, and simply fantastic spell of Consolation. It’s only March, but I already know that this book will be one of my favorites of this year.

It was that good. It was that enthralling. It was that amount of everything that makes a book something truly wonderful.

Consolation is the first book in The Consolation Duet, and it is the third book I’ve read by Corinne Michaels. I absolutely loved her other two books to pieces, and Jackson Cole practically melted me, so clearly it wasn’t a stretch that I was going to love this one, although I have to say that I think I loved me some Natalie and Liam just a smidge bit more. (But don’t tell Jackson Cole that, because then things could get awkward, and that’s just unnecessary.)

Consolation tells the story of Natalie and Liam, two people who never thought they’d end up where they are. She’s a young widow with a baby, and he’s her deceased husband’s best friend. They’ve got one serious connection going on, and Consolation follows their remarkable characters as they try to make sense of all that’s happening. Consolation was definitely an emotional read with so many ups and downs, but that’s just part of what made me love it so much.

What I absolutely loved about Consolation:

• The immense level of emotion. The first thing that struck me when reading this book was the level of emotion that I felt almost instantly. Corinne Michaels throws you right into the thick of all of that emotion and feeling, and that is exactly what needed to happen for Natalie and Liam’s story. Experiencing that level of emotion just helps you get it all. It also allows you the extraordinary chance to really experience what Natalie and Liam are, making all that they go through that more real, that more intense, and that more emotionally powerful. This book will blow you away with how much feeling it has on every page, and it’ll give you every varied and thoughtfully crafted emotion under the sun, which you will love getting to experience.
• Natalie’s magnificent journey. Natalie is put through the wringer with what she experiences in Consolation, and the instant you meet her your heart will go to her. You will love her, feel for her, and simultaneously want to hug her. Natalie’s story is filled with heartbreak and some serious pain, and your heart will break for her, but one thing about Natalie is that she has more strength than even she realizes. You will feel that strength as you get to know her, and it will bring out the most outstanding things in her. Even in those moments when she is vulnerable as all get out and has her doubts and questions about how she’s going to get through it all that strength emanates from her in the most breathtaking way. You will just be in awe of where Natalie starts to where she ends up through her amazing journey in Consolation.
• Liam’s heart melting self. I think Liam just about melted my heart over the course of Consolation. He was honest and raw and he had a heart of gold that just made me fall more and more head over heels in love with his character. I was pleasantly surprised that I got a chance to read his perspective in Consolation, and that honestly made this book for me because it allowed me the chance to understand exactly where he was coming from. Liam is in such a tough position because he’s falling for his best friend’s widow, but I promise you will never doubt the heartfelt feelings coming from him. Liam just stole my heart with what he thinks and feels for Natalie. You will not doubt an ounce of what he has for her, and the level of vulnerability that man exuberates repeatedly will just melt you.
• Banter galore! While this book has a lot of heavy, it also has a heavy dose of some utterly fantastic banter. Liam and Natalie can really go at it, and I was cracking up at the charming and hysterical banter those two had. That banter will make you smile and laugh, and it brings such a level of fun and humor to this emotionally charged story. It really is just the best, and it helps showcase the wonderfully dynamic and strong willed personalities of Liam and Natalie.
• The way Natalie & Liam come to be. Natalie and Liam definitely have a unique story. They’ve known each other for ages, but have only recently come to feel the way they do because of circumstances beyond both of their control. Reading and experiencing how Natalie and Liam’s relationship develops over the course of this book is simply amazing. It’s superbly developed and written, and it just makes sense. All the hesitancies, the questions, the back and forth, the doubts, and everything in between that Natalie and Liam share seem exactly as they should. The connection and just pull that Natalie and Liam have towards one another is a force unto itself, and it just heightens everything that’s happening between them.
• The huge OMG moments. This book has some serious OMG moments. I freaking yelled at my Kindle when I was reading this book. A few times. I also think I gasped more than once, because there were MANY moments that I did not see coming. Moments that shocked me. Moments that had me reeling and thinking and wondering what in the world would happen next. And holy all get out, THAT ENDING, but that just makes me all the more ready for the conclusion to this beautiful duet filled with all those huge moments.
• The best friends you could ask for. What I’ve loved about all of the books by Corinne Michaels is the supporting and authentic friendships she creates with her characters. The love and connections they all share will just make you happy to read. In Consolation, I loved getting the chance to spend time with the characters I’ve come to love from her other books, while getting to know new characters more. Reanell in particular was a gem, and I loved her little spunky self something fierce! This author develops and brings these distinctive characters to life in such a fabulous way that makes you want to spend as much time as humanly possible with them all because they are all just that fun, and that endearing, and that important.
• A man with a baby. I repeat: A MAN WITH A BABY. One of my favorite aspects of this book was getting to see one Liam Dempsey navigate the new waters of possibly starting a relationship with someone who had a child. Reading that man as he interacted and got to know Aarabelle, Natalie’s daughter, just about stole my heart. Literally. Nothing sells me more than a man who loves a child, especially when that child isn’t actually his. The love and care and just heart that Liam has for that little girl had me practically swooning all the time, and coupled with many moments of man with a baby humor, I was just more and more in love with Liam and Consolation.
• The level of realness. I can’t say enough how real this book felt as I read it. I didn’t feel like I was reading it, I felt like I was living it. I’m not married to someone in the military, but this book showed me a glimpse of what that’s like. I’m not a mother yet, but this book made me feel like a part of me was already. I’ve never lost my husband, but this book allowed me the chance to see and experience what a life changing event like that is, and all of the repercussions an event like that holds. That is a true testament to Corinne Michaels and her writing because she created all of that. All of the emotion. All of the vulnerability and feeling. All of the ups and downs and realness and flaws that goes along with this story. She created it all, and she did it in such a beautifully breathtaking way that allowed me the exceptional chance to get all of that and more.

Consolation by Corinne Michaels was an enthralling read that gave me Liam and Natalie’s passionate, emotionally laced, and heart pulling story. I immediately connected with them both, and reading these two try to make sense of what they were feeling and thinking was just terrific. When you read their story in Consolation you will fall in love with their characters and all that they go through together, and you’ll be more than ready to see where the road is going to take them.

Corinne Michaels has written and created another story that I could get lost in, and I am just thrilled with what I got to experience in this book with Liam and Natalie. I got to see and understand those characters to their core, and my heart just went to both of them. This book and its events pushed them and in turn pushed me as the reader in the best ways, and that push exemplifies all that is outstanding about Consolation.

Consolation is a book that will give you so much. It’ll give you a story that will pull you in from the first word to the very last. It’ll give you two dynamic characters who’ll enamor you with their many authentic and remarkable qualities. It’ll give you events that will leave you feeling everything under the sun, and it’ll give you a reading experience you will just want to relish in again and again because it’s just that good.

 

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Corinne Michaels is an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness. 

Both her maternal and paternal grandmothers were librarians, which only intensified her love of reading. After years of writing short stories, she couldn’t ignore the call to finish her debut novel, Beloved. Her alpha Navy SEALs are broken, beautiful, and will steal your heart.

 

Contact Corinne

Website: http://www.corinnemichaels.com

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