Author: professorromance

“A sexy, high-octane thriller.”– Publishers Weekly

Dream Spinner, an all new fast paced and sexy standalone from New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley is now live!

In this steamy and emotional contemporary romance from a New York Times bestselling author, two damaged souls must overcome the pain of their pasts to have the love they’ve always dreamed of.

After years with no one but herself to rely on, Hattie Yates has finally met the man of her dreams. But she was taught from a young age that it was hopeless to dream. There was only success, failure was not an option and it had terrible consequences. Now, the thought of another disappointment petrifies her. But when a suspicious phone call leads to more trouble than she can handle, there’s only one man Hattie trusts to help . . .

Axl Pantera knows Hattie is the only woman for him—and so does Hattie. Yet despite the attraction burning between them, Hattie refuses to let Axl in. The former soldier is determined to woo Hattie into letting down her walls, yet when danger comes calling, he finds himself battling for more than her heart. Axl will do anything to prove to Hattie that they’re meant to be, but first, he’ll need to keep her safe.

Grab your copy today!
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About Kristen Ashley

Kristen Ashley is the New York Times bestselling author of over sixty romance novels including the Rock Chick, Colorado Mountain, Dream Man, Chaos, Unfinished Hero, The ’Burg, Magdalene, Fantasyland, The Three, Ghost and Reincarnation, Moonlight and Motor Oil and Honey series along with several standalone novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold over three million books.
Kristen’s novel, Law Man, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award for best Romantic Suspense. Her independently published title Hold On was nominated for RT Book Reviews best Independent Contemporary Romance and her traditionally published title Breathe was nominated for best Contemporary Romance. Kristen’s titles Motorcycle Man, The Will, Ride Steady (which won the Reader’s Choice award from Romance Reviews) and The Hookup all made the final rounds for Goodreads Choice Awards in the Romance category.

Connect with Kristen

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Friends becoming lovers should be the easiest thing in the world. Right?

Heavy Petting, an all-new sexy and sweet romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Erin Nicholas is available now!

He’s her best friend.
A reformed bad boy turned hot teacher.
And after one spur-of-the-moment Vegas wedding… her husband.

Jordan Benoit and Fletcher Landry have been best friends since they were six. He’s always been The Guy. When she needed picked up, cheered up, or lifted up–like literally, to see the stage at a concert–Fletcher was the guy.

So when her boyfriend dumps her–on national TV–Fletcher immediately gets on a plane and comes to her rescue.

And when she ends up in a Vegas wedding chapel and needs someone to say, “I do”…yep, Fletcher’s the guy. Of course.

But being The Guy 24/7 is a lot. He just wants everyone to give him a freaking minute to get this marriage thing right. Including his sexy, sweet new wife who he’s wanted for three years. Who is exasperatingly, temptingly all-in from minute one.

Jordan knows what she wants. A life in her hometown. A job with alpacas. And Fletcher. Not necessarily in that order.

They’ve said the vows. They’d told the world. They’ve told their grandmas. Forget taking things slow. Forget just heavy petting. Forget any chance of backing out when things get tough. They’re going to have to go all the way, in every way.

After all, friends becoming lovers should be the easiest thing in the world. Right?

Experience all the feels today!
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About Erin Nicholas

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as she’s been reading them. To date, she’s written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as “toe-curling,” “enchanting,” “steamy,” and “fun.” She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.
Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be “shocked” by the sex scenes in her books).

Connect with Erin
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FRIENDZONED BY RACHEL BLAUFELD

Release Date: May 24, 2021

Purchase here:
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Add to Goodreads here: http://bit.ly/3anB3ZJ
Series page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/busy-bean/
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs

Blurb:

When Murphy Landon, the New York socialite, runs off to Vermont with her bruised reputation and stylish wardrobe in the trunk of a used car, it’s the first time in her life she’s dared to turn her back on her high-society parents. 

Used to grabbing a gourmet coffee whenever the urge strikes, Murphy finds herself on the other side of the counter, fumbling strangers’ orders…until a sinfully handsome thirty-three-year-old version of Ben Rooney from high school walks in.

The pair met years ago at a prestigious boarding school and became friends, but only behind closed doors. She’d been a spoiled brat, and he was a football player on scholarship. Ben tried to hide his crush on her, and Murphy set firm boundaries. After a prom night gone wrong, they’d gone their separate ways.

Now their circumstances are reversed. Ben is a successful surgeon. He’s come a long way from his parents’ humble maple syrup business. And Murphy is pouring his coffee? Is this a joke?

His first thought is that she should drive her gorgeous self right back to New York, where she can’t possibly break his heart. His second one is deep concern. His third thought is he wants a do-over of prom night. A very adult one… 

With plenty of secrets between them, copious pure maple syrup, Ben and Murphy are in for a wild and sticky ride.

EXCERPT:

My head felt congested like when spring allergies first come on. A dull ache throbbed in my forehead and ears, the kind of ache that lingered. I wondered why Ben was here in Colebury—at least a half hour from Montpelier—while his blue eyes urgently bore into me, trying to tell me something telepathically. Maybe he simply wanted me to leave him alone.

“Um, my Americano?”

My cheeks burst into flames. “Right. I’m on it.”

Forcing myself to look down at the counter, I made the drink. At least this wasn’t an order I could mess up. My thoughts, typically a jumbled mess of espresso drink recipes, was now swirling with memories of Ben then compared to the reality of Ben now . . . this new version of him.

When I handed him the reusable mug, he tightened the cap and said, “Thanks. You didn’t try to poison me, did you?”

Swallowing my pride, I shook my head. “Of course not. I would never. Plus, Zara wouldn’t be too happy with that. She’s a good one,” I said, the last part a whisper. She’d given me a chance, after all.

“At one time, you did try.” He raised a brow, alluding to the badly spiked punch at Burnett’s after-prom party.

I’d felt compelled to go to that stupid party, determined to show my ex what a good time I was having with Ben. Except, poor Ben got sick and spent the evening puking, and I was at a loss about what to do with him. I’d never been very good at putting anyone else first. After all, I’d never had to.

Ben took a long sip of his coffee, mesmerizing me with the bob of his Adam’s apple. He cleared his throat, drawing my attention away from his corded neck. “Not bad.”

Take that, Little Miss Perfect.

“Wow. Murphy Landon. In the Busy Bean. On the opposite side of the counter than I bet you’re used to being, huh? Tell you the truth, I’d never thought I’d see the day. You doing this,” he waved his hand at the counter, “right here in Vermont.”

He stared at me with equal parts fascination and contempt, probably because I let him get rip-roaring drunk and make a fool of himself way back when.

“It’s an honest job,” I said, “and I happen to need it. Anyway, I thought you were in a hurry, but now you have time to make fun of me?”

I frowned at him, feeling the need to defend myself when I didn’t owe Ben a single thing. After all, I’d come to believe that he hadn’t always been honest with me. Not to mention, Ben was just as guilty about lumping me into stereotypes as I had done with him. Right?

“Oh, I’m sure you need this gig. Like you needed good grades in high school, as if you weren’t going to get into the Ivy League from Pressman. Aw, sorry.”

He ran his free hand through his hair. It happened to be his left, and I made the mistake of noting he wasn’t wearing a wedding band.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” he said. “This is such a shock, seeing you here, and I’m not handling it well. You look good, Murph. Nice to see you. Honestly. I mean it,” he said, holding a hand up as if he were swearing to it.

Is it a mistake? Yes.
Do I regret it? Maybe.

Falling for You, an all-new friends-to-lovers romance that delivers all-the-feels from Stacy Travis is available now!

Read my review HERE.

When brilliant, logical Owen Miller walks into my bakery and witnesses the worst break-up in the history of public, mortifying break-ups, I can only think of one thing to do… so I kiss him.

Is it a mistake? Yes.
Do I regret it? Maybe.

Friends aren’t supposed to kiss—or have red-hot moments next to the bread oven. And respected bakers with designs on a San Francisco bread empire aren’t supposed to manhandle their customers.

It’s a rebound, pure and simple. We both admit it. I don’t have time for anything more, especially when I’m on the cusp of achieving my dream—expanding my business into hand-picked, perfect locations.

But Owen is a savvy hotel owner who knows a thing or two about business. So when location scouting leads to wine tasting, long leisurely drives, and a hands-on meeting in a wine cave, I decide mixing business and pleasure with the smoking-hot charmer might be the best of both worlds.

Until an anonymous competitor seems determined to sink everything I’ve put my heart and soul into. Maybe it’s time to end our friends with benefits arrangement before I lose everything.

But what if losing Owen is losing everything? What if I’m falling for my rebound guy?

Fall in Love Today!
Free in Kindle Unlimited
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Excerpt

“So . . . I’m going to hope the third ask is the charm here. Can I buy you some dinner? Or even a snack? There’s a CVS down the block. How about a Twix bar? Lays chips?”
It was like he was speaking a foreign language. After getting used to Tom’s big fancy dinner invitations to private tastings at Michelin-starred restaurants, I’d forgotten what it felt like when someone suggested grabbing food because it was dinnertime and I might be hungry.
“Yes,” I said, nodding at him, still a bit dazed. “Yes, okay. Except for Lays. I don’t like them. I need a thicker chip, like kettle baked or Ruffles.”
He nodded slowly. “Noted.”
“And I like sour gummy worms, not that you asked.”
I knew I sounded like a loon, but it felt important that he knew I wasn’t going to be satisfied with any old snack.
There were standards.
Plus, he’d thrown me off and I was having trouble recovering.
The one thing I knew for sure was I wanted to get out of the bakery and have dinner with him. It didn’t matter if he wanted to go to KFC or make me a peanut butter sandwich on the hood of his car. I was hungry.
We were standing in the middle of the bakery floor with the only light coming from the Edison bulbs hanging from two industrial chandeliers overhead. The night beyond him outside the door to the shop was dusky and I could hear the occasional voices of people walking past on the sidewalk.
Watching me with his placid blue eyes, he waited for me to work out the questions that were still coursing through my brain. He seemed unhurried and I wasn’t used to people like that in my life. My sisters were all crazy and my best hires tended to sprint around like caffeinated bunnies.
I had so many questions, namely why he, of all people, had chosen to show up here.
“I’m just…” I didn’t know what.
He waited patiently to find out.
My bakers had watched my meltdown after seeing the pictures of Tom and none of them had asked me to dinner. They’d taken off as soon as their shifts were over, mostly without saying goodbye as though they didn’t want to disturb the crazy person who might bite their heads off or cry. For the record, I was planning to do neither.
I’d called my middle sister, Becca, and the next-youngest sister, Cherry, and vented at them for twenty minutes apiece, but they hadn’t shown up to make sure I remained well-fed.
So what’s with this guy?
Maybe it was gratitude mixed with curiosity or maybe it was that I’d just noticed his lips looked particularly pink and plush, but I reached for his face and ran my fingertips over his cheek and over to his lips, which were just as soft as they looked.
His eyes clouded a little when I touched him and he stood frozen, as if waiting to see what else the crazy baker lady planned to do.
What I planned to do was kiss him.

About Stacy Travis

It’s a rough world out there, and we all sometimes need a good, romantic beach read, even if we can’t make it to the beach. I’ve spent many lazy days walking the streets of Paris and other gorgeous European cities, and if I’m doing it right, I’m bringing you a dash of romance and a vacay fantasy.
I can’t sit still, so when I’m not hiking, biking or running, I’m playing a very average game of tennis. Background music for writing undoubtedly features some U2, Lizzo, Billy Joel, Pink, Taylor Swift, and Led Zeppelin. Not necessarily in that order. And if I could only eat one food group, it would be cheese. Or wine. Or bread. Are those food groups? Whatever.

Connect with Stacy
Facebook: https://bit.ly/2UbPlWv
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Website: https://stacytravis.com

Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

“She was bringing him back to the world he’d known before, one that he’d thought was lost forever.”

On entering Claire Hastings’s Cakewalk, a Busy Bean story, I sighed with content. It has been a few months since we were introduced to the first few stories of this new series out of the World of True North universe, and I had missed this essential hub in Colebury. With Audrey, Zara, and Roderick as the anchors for this story, I jumped in. And what I found is a story that tugs at your heart as its hero, Holden, and heroine, Gigi, must overcome the tragic circumstances of their pasts to find a future together. 

In Hastings’s Cakewalk, you are met with Holden whose tragic past has left him simply existing, not living abundantly. A victim to his routine, he spurns regular contact with the world to live in his pain. Concurrently, Gigi is running from her life. A Southern Belle from an affluent family, she’s been a victim to its grasp, and she leaves Georgia to find a new life. Not expecting to land in Colebury, she finds herself stranded there due to car issues. While her car is being fixed, she happens upon the Busy Bean where a strange string of events point to Colebury being the place for her to live. With a new job for which she’s ill-prepared, Gigi’s beginning feels fraught with complications; however, when Holden enters her life and he offers her a place to live, she feels a strange tug to him. As Holden and Gigi engage in each other’s lives, she feels a strong connection that grows deeper as they navigate lives that seem to be changing and expanding. However, will their pasts catch up to them? Are they destined for a future together?

From the first chapter, as Gigi flees her life, I was hooked. I have this habit of prioritizing my reads based on release dates, the more recent release dates requiring the earliest read. As I order my ARCs, I read a page of the stories so they will move within my Kindle app. Every time I entered Cakewalk, I didn’t want to stop reading because Gigi’s flight hints at trauma, and Hastings compels you further into her story. She very early leads us into Holden’s trauma which also hooks you to her story. Hastings’s capacity to develop their chemistry in a way that feels reasonable and believable makes you want more for them. Hastings’s deft pacing also guides the reader forward, falling deeper into Gigi and Holden’s story. 

What you find further into Cakewalk is its insistence on proffering the message that we have to live abundantly in the moment, no matter the past. It’s clear that Holden’s life has been placed on hold, keeping him frozen from living life. Similarly, Gigi’s life has kept her suspended. While they each have different motivations for this, Hastings suggests through their experiences that we must live in the moment, allowing love to guide our lives. As this message is revealed, the adoration between Gigi and Holden transforms the story, and their relationship moves from something that feels strained and contentious to something that will make you want to weep. That transition, in my opinion, is the best part of Cakewalk. 

An added bonus to this story is the ancillary characters that play a part in Holden’s life as wizened guides. I love how Hastings weaves a literary tradition into her romance in a variety of ways especially because this reader teaches English. Even more, I love a good personal evolution story as characters makeover themselves, and Gigi’s journey fulfills that interest in this book. 

For the newest book in the Busy Bean world, Claire Hastings has baked up a delicious treat with Cakewalk. If you haven’t yet jumped into this series, Cakewalk is a perfect guide in. 

In love and romance, 

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

“It was a way to show you cared. To show you were grateful for them. To show up for them. That’s what mattered. More than blood. More than just loving someone. My mother had probably loved us, but she’d still made the choice to leave. 

Loved mattered, but loyalty was just as important.” 

And therein lies the underlying challenge of Melanie Harlow’s Tie Me Down. As its name says, tying one down means to stay and work through whatever comes your way. This is the struggle with Harlow’s captivating couple, Beckett and Maddie, a couple who never really started in high school as life and circumstances dragged them apart. Now, in the present, they have an opportunity to acknowledge and live the truth of their attraction. The question becomes…will they accept that opportunity or let the other get away?

What is there to love about Melanie Harlow’s Tie Me Down?

From its outset, Beckett Weaver is the eponymous small town good guy. There is nothing to dislike about the handsome, hard-working, patient, and long-suffering Beckett except his reticence to be true to his feelings for Maddie. This is a man who has missed all his shots because he never plucked his arrow. Hiding behind a multitude of excuses, Beckett spends much of Tie Me Down not “shooting his shot.” His loyal friends, Griffin, Cole, and Enzo, act as his advisors only to have him push aside their advice. What does this do for the story? It keeps you entranced with it as you wait for Beckett to finally allow his overwhelming interest in Maddie to take over. Don’t worry (and this isn’t spoilery as most readers know they have a happy ending) it eventually works itself out. But Harlow’s choice to have Beckett withhold his feelings makes for a story that holds you a prisoner to its thrall. 

This leads us to Maddie, the heroine who has endured much. Her characterization is so important for Harlow’s Tie Me Down in a few ways. She’s been raised without a father; her relationship with her mother prior to her mother’s death was contentious at best, setting Maddie up for failure with her inflated expectations. Without the correct steering, Maddie has a poor people picker for her romantic entanglements because she uses her mind to choose rather than her heart. As Maddie progresses through the story, she’s enfolded into the Bellamy Creek family, and she finds people who provide the insight and wisdom she needs. This allows Maddie to make better choices, and Harlow uses Maddie’s journey to highlight her message about following your heart and making choices from that place instead of one’s expectations. 

Through Maddie and Beckett’s story, Melanie Harlow does something that I don’t remember reading in her Cloverleigh Farms stories (I have yet to read the stories prior to that series). Harlow intentionally crafts characters to focus on some keen social topics, namely gender biases and sexuality and the issue of Alzheimer’s. Both Maddie and Beckett have challenges at varying levels. As they fall deeply in love, they both must negotiate those challenges, finding acceptance in the end. And I loved this part of Tie Me Down. Harlow’s insistence on creating a character like Maddie’s son, Elliott, steals your heart and challenges your thinking in a way that I had not yet read in a Harlow story. It made me want to applaud this turn. If she has done it in stories before Cloverleigh Farms, then I’ve missed it. To end the Bellamy Creek series with this intention adds gravity that is more about humanity and less about genre and tropes.

And in the end, Tie Me Down brings a beautiful end to the Bellamy Creek series. In the last few books, we’ve been treated to the future of this group of friends, the brotherhood so deftly crafted by Harlow, and each book has given us further hints into their happily-ever-afters. Beautifully wrought, Melanie Harlow’s epilogue and bonus epilogues show her detail, her ability to make connections to her past stories and her present ones. Look, if you want to get lost in a book, Tie Me Down is just the ticket to do it. I know I did. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

Like any cowboy, he’s good with a rope and knows exactly how to tie me up.
But what if I want him to tie me down?

Tie Me Down, an all new smoldering second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow is now live!

Just friends.
That’s all Beckett Weaver and I have ever been.
Sure, he’s a hot cowboy who left Wall Street behind to take over his family’s ranch. Yes, I’ve had a secret crush on him since we were seventeen. And who wouldn’t appreciate those strong hands, that massive chest, and the way he fills out a pair of Levis?
He makes a girl sweat just looking at him . . . and I look. A lot.
But I’m a single mom trying to move on with my life, and he’s running that ranch single-handedly while taking care of his elderly father. We don’t even live in the same state. I only returned to my hometown of Bellamy Creek to sell my late mother’s house, and he just invited me and my son to stay with him because he’s got a big heart.
That’s not the only big thing he’s got–which I discover the night I finally sneak across the hall to his bedroom and shed my inhibitions right alongside my pajamas. And once we give into each other, we can’t stop.
The hayloft. The bed of his truck. The dock by the pond.
Nothing has ever felt so right, but his past has taught him not to believe in happily ever after, and every perfect night I spend in his arms brings us closer to goodbye.
Like any cowboy, he’s good with a rope and knows exactly how to tie me up.
But what if I want him to tie me down?

Grab your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
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About Melanie Harlow

USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like Schitt’s Creek, Homeland, and Fleabag. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.

Melanie is the author of the CLOVERLEIGH FARMS series, the ONE & ONLY series, AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

Connect with Melanie

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CAKEWALK BY CLAIRE HASTINGS

Release Date: May 24, 2021

Purchase Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/CakewalkAmazon
Apple: https://geni.us/CakewalkApple
Kobo: https://geni.us/CakewalkKobo
Nook: https://geni.us/CakewalkNook
Google: https://geni.us/CakewalkGoogle

All the links in one spot: https://shor.by/busy-bean
Add to Goodreads here: https://bit.ly/3mPaQqR
Series page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/busy-bean/
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs

Blurb:

Love isn’t always a cakewalk …

Gigi Hawthorne is starting from scratch. She just didn’t realize until her crappy car broke down that she was going to be doing it in a small town in Vermont. With an eye for design and some serious decorating skills, she’s managed to land a job making delectable treats for the patrons of the Busy Bean. Now she’s up to her elbows in sugar and flour, but her thoughts are never far from her gorgeous, brooding landlord.

Holden St. James swears he isn’t a recluse. He goes to the local coffee shop three times a week, doesn’t he? Yeah, maybe he never actually talks to anyone, but with a backstory of loss, pain, and regret like his, he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be very good company anyway. Yet something about his new tenant makes him wonder if maybe it’s time to let someone open the oven door and release a little heat into his closed-off world. 

But both are hiding secrets as dark as an espresso mocha cupcake and they’re not sure if they can trust each other. Will the truth break their delicate relationship into sad, sweet crumbs–or will it turn out to be the key ingredient in the recipe for a new life? 

Excerpt:

Sneaking another glance at him, she smiled to herself noticing a scone on his plate. He hadn’t taken a bite yet, and her chest filled with nerves as she thought about him trying it for the first time. She wanted everyone to like the goodies she was making for the café, but she really, really wanted Holden to like them. Maybe even like them so much that he’d ask her to make some just for him, at home. An image of the two of them in the kitchen together, covered in ingredients as he pressed her up against the blue cabinets, flitted across her mind, making the nerves in her chest morph into something else entirely. Was that…lust? 

Stop it, Gigi…just because the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach doesn’t mean you need to make an attempt. Especially with that man. 

The sound of coughing pulled her attention back to the counter, where Officer Nelligan was still standing. When he finally swallowed, he took a long swig of his coffee, blinking harshly, like he was trying to forget a taste.  

“Miss Gigi, may I ask what you put in these?” 

“Ummmm, usual scone ingredients?” she floundered. “Flour, salt, cream, baking powder, orange zest, cranberries…” 

“I’m not much of a baker, but I think you might have mixed up your baking powder and your baking soda. A girl did that in my junior high home ec class, and it tasted much like this—kinda metallic,” Officer Nelligan said. 

“What?” Gigi said. All feelings of butterflies and lust were long gone now, replaced by sheer panic. She looked at Officer Nelligan in horror, taking in the scone he’d just bitten into. The apologetic look in his eye told her everything she needed to know—she’d screwed up. Big time. 

“Georgia. I don’t know what possesses you to even try these things. It’s a well-established fact that you just are not capable of cooking. Please stop trying—you’re just making yourself look ridiculous,” Bradley’s voice said. She shook her head, trying to clear his words from her mind, as she turned and ran into the kitchen.  

Sure enough, the canisters labeled “baking powder” and “baking soda” were right next to each other. However, it was the baking soda whose lid was off and sitting in front of it. That was the one she’d used when measuring out her ingredients.  

“Sugar Honey Iced Tea!” she exclaimed, stomping her foot in frustration. She could feel Roderick looking at her, but she didn’t have the heart to turn around and see the expression on his face. 

“Uh oh,” she heard Roderick’s voice say over her shoulder. “That’s a bad day.” 

 Was she ever not going to screw this up? When would she learn that she couldn’t do this? No, what she couldn’t do was let Bradley’s words get to her.  

At least it was just Officer Nelligan. He was used to seeing her at her worst at this point. He and Holden.  

Holden. 

Holden had also ordered a scone. But he hadn’t eaten it yet. Right?  

Racing back up front, she skidded to a stop in front of his table to find him mid-bite into the inedible treat.  

“Nooo!” she cried. “Don’t eat that—it’s…” 

“A bit salty…” he responded, choking it down. 

Gigi could feel the tears starting to prick at her eyes, but she wasn’t going to let anyone here see her cry. It was no big deal. So she got the canisters mixed up. Happens to everyone at some point, right? 

“I’ll get you a muffin,” she told him, turning back to the counter. Looking between Holden and Officer Nelligan, she sighed. “At least it was just you two, right?” 

“And Mr. Hughes,” Kirk said, not looking up from the espresso machine. 

“Who?” 

“That older guy who bought six. Owns Hughes Hardware store up the street.” 

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” she exclaimed before turning and running out the front door. She had to get to him before he let his employees have any of them. 

Deserting the café like this was probably not her best move, but she figured after this disaster, she was going to be lucky to even have a job. 

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

By all accounts, Jewel E. Ann’s For Lucy is a quintessential JEA book. With its reticent hero, a storyline that points to the tip of the iceberg for much of its story without readily unveiling the entire iceberg, and a twist that leaves you emotionally drained and overwhelmed, For Lucy is everything you adore about Jewel E. Ann. 

As is the case with any of her books, the requirement for For Lucy should be a tissue box. In fact, I’m thinking she needs a cross-promotion with Kleenex. An emotionally wrought story that reveals itself incrementally, moving seamlessly between the past and present, this book feels like an emotional juggernaut for her. It will be easy to dislike the heroine of For Lucy because her hero, Emmett, shows a capacity for love beyond imagination. He is the definition of unconditional love in the way that he loves his heroine, Tatum, and his daughter, Lucy. But don’t be fooled, though. As you read this book, you must remember that it’s a singular point of view, more specifically Emmett’s. This automatically makes him an unreliable narrator. Therefore it’s impossible to fully “see” Tatum because we don’t get the fullness of her characterization beyond any kind of light other than the one that Emmett shines over her. There will be moments in For Lucy when you don’t like her. But remind yourself that you can’t know Tatum’s feelings, motivations, and complete thoughts without her point of view, and you won’t get it in this story. 

With that, what is most profound about For Lucy is Jewel E. Ann’s dual message about love and forgiveness. I felt challenged by Ann’s insistence at looking at the scope of love and forgiveness as they are intertwined in this story. Through the vessel of Tatum and Emmett’s journey, you’ll feel the slipperiness of love: how it can be diminished or incapacitated by the actions of others. And, honestly, it feels a bit ugly in your soul when you realize that this is a part of the human condition. This is Jewel E. Ann’s genius in For Lucy. She asks you to consider the depth of your love for another person and its limitations. 

Even more, there is a decided insistence in looking at the love of a parent. Which is a deeper love – the love for a child or the love for a spouse? As wave after wave of past memories add to Emmett’s journey, you see his almost inhuman capacity to love another flawed being, and it cuts at you. It’s in this where you, the reader, struggle to like Tatum. Yet, instead of looking at her with a growing disdain, Jewel E. Ann is asking us to look inward to question ourselves by placing ourselves in Emmett and Tatum’s shoes. In that struggle, you will or should find your own truths about your capacity to love others the face of the failings of humanity. I think what you find at the end of For Lucy is a better understanding of one’s ability to forgive, move on, and love another through it all. 

And in true Jewel E. Ann fashion, she writes an ending that reads as both didactic and entertaining. She brings you the perfect ending for Tatum, Emmett, and Lucy, and she reminds you in her quiet ways that the cut of trauma can find its salve with love and forgiveness.

One suggestion: Be sure to have a box of tissue near you. Besides this being a 5-star read, For Lucy is a four hanky story. Once again, Jewel E. Ann finds a space to inhabit interrogating the human condition, and she leaves you changed.

In love and romance,

Professor A