True love is hiding where you least expect to find it...
Jewelry designer Tori Henderson’s first year in business was far more expensive than she could have imagined. Faced with closing the doors of Tori’s Treasures, she sinks her last dollar into one final promotion—a widely publicized treasure hunt for a chest of fine, handmade jewelry that could drum up enough business to get her back in the black... or kill her shop once and for all.
The last thing she needs is her mother's announcement that she's preparing to marry Edward Trainor, the father of Tori’s long ago summer crush, Gabe - a man who regularly makes his way into Tori's dreams some ten years later.
Corporate tycoon Jed Trainor has no intention of attending his estranged father’s wedding, and he certainly doesn’t need to see his half-brother Gabe after the other man put the moves on Jed's one-time fiancée. But with business problems looming, Jed needs time to think, and the small town of Moon Lake seems like the perfect place to hide away while he figures out how to save his empire.
The last thing he needs is the distraction of a beautiful woman who thinks she’s in love with his idiot half-brother.
Tori is determined to win Gabe’s heart, but Jed has other plans. When they learn Gabe is bringing a date to the wedding, Jed offers to bring Tori himself, knowing any woman on his arm is sure to be on Gabe’s radar. But his ploy for her attention just may blow up in his face. Can Jed prove to Tori he’s the Trainor brother she really belongs with?
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I can hear my mother's brother giving Tori advice now ... "That is not good business. Far too risky. You can do better than that." But when our livelihood is at stake, many people would not take the safest route. Think of the 'go big or go home' axiom. I sure can sympathize with Tori's stress.
What I have a little harder time with is her waiting around 10 years for Gabe to get out of her dreams and into her arms. I might have made a little more effort to get in touch with him IRL (in real life) at some point, rather than encountering him during her slumber.
The dynamic between Tori and Jed is nice. Jed doesn't want to be in town because he and his father are on the outs. Tori doesn't want Jed, she wants his brother, Gabe. Gabe has brought Jed's ex-fiancee to the wedding as his date. (Jed's sibling rivalry and other family issues keep things hopping in this book.)
Let's talk about the prize for the treasure hunt. It was quite large, more than Tori could really afford to give ... unless, of course, it helped save her business. I really like the way things turned out for the recipient of the prize. That was unexpected and very cool.
Treasure on Moon Lake is a pleasant contemporary romance that fans of the genre will enjoy.
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MEET THE AUTHOR
I have three kids, a husband, a slightly stinky and poorly trained dog, and an ancient calico cat who doesn’t like people.
My house is in a perpetual state of disarray despite my constant attempts to clean it. Old women at grocery stores tell me how lucky I am, that it all goes so fast, and I nod my head and say something pithy like, “It sure does!” while trying to keep the baby from changing the language on the card reader screen or voiding my entire transaction.
I’m that woman.
People ask when I find time to write, and I point to my husband, the sweet frazzled sight of him as he hoses down a screaming child with one hand and unloads the dishwasher with the other. That, my friends, is romance. Well, it’s what the best romances turn into if you’re lucky.
As you read this, I’m probably putting someone into time-out, cleaning something, or explaining to my progeny why I put him/her into time-out or why I shouldn’t have to clean whatever it was I just cleaned. Or maybe, if your timing is just perfectly right, I’m sitting on the purple reclining loveseat in a basement full of toys, writing my next big novel while my husband takes care of the chaos for a while.
For him, and for the kids and the stinky, cranky pets, and for the opportunity to tell you a story, I am grateful. I hope you enjoy my work.
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(Disclosure: I received this book free on Amazon (it is still free as of this moment), and was not required to give a review.)
I've been reading romance like crazy lately, and I have been loving every second of it. So maybe this might be one worthy of adding to my collection very soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great little read, Olivia-Savannah! And I think it is perma-free on Amazon.
ReplyDelete