The Art of Us by Teri Wilson - Review

Synopsis:

Harper Higgins, art history professor and Vincent van Gogh scholar, doesn’t need a man. She needs an artist. Fast. The art show she’s counting on to secure her tenure is in trouble.

So when she collides with a ruggedly handsome man carrying a basket of violets on a rainy night in Boston, she thinks she's found her miracle. Cynical, brooding ex-soldier Tom Stone can paint. And he’s quite good. He just needs Harper’s artistic touch.

But once she talks him into pretending he’s a long-lost descendant of van Gogh, the trouble really begins. As the art opening draws near, their identities—both real and imagined—hang in the balance. The student becomes the master as Tom teaches Harper that passion is its own work of art...


My Review:

Two completely opposite people brought together by their love of art. 

Harper Higgins is up for a promotion.  The success of a scheduled an art show is what she is depending on to help her get the job.  When her artist suddenly ends up in jail, she scrambles to find a replacement.  She soon finds out Tom Stone, a man she recently met, is an artist and she asks him to show his paintings in her show.  Harper fabricates details about Tom's background to make him sound more interesting to impress her boss.  Against his better judgment, Tom decides to go along with it to help Harper. 

Tom, an ex-soldier who lives on a boat in Boston Harbor and walks dogs for extra money, learned to paint while recovering in the hospital from an injury he received in Iraq.  He paints as a hobby to relax and to forget.  He had no intentions of ever showing his work to anyone until Harper came along.  Will Harper and Tom be able to keep up with the story long enough to pull off the art show? 

This is an interesting and informative book.  I admit I didn't know much about art before reading this book.  The premise and book cover intrigued me.  I thoroughly enjoyed Harper and Tom's story.  It was a memorable romance. 

Kitty Smile

Review: Falling Hard (Falling for the Freemans Book 2) by Kate Hewitt

Synopsis:

He didn’t want complications. She was looking for a miracle.

Quinn Freeman has spent his life avoiding the dangers of commitment, but his reluctant return to his home town that’s in tragedy for his family stirs up memories and emotions he’d intended to leave buried. His arrival lights hope in many hearts including one long dormant.

Meghan O’Reilly, the town’s only plumber and solo caretaker of her dependent sister, is weighted down with responsibility. She only sees in Quinn a careless charmer who isn’t used to hard work—but she still can’t keep from imagining his kiss... and longing for his touch.

Surely some things, like a fling between them, can be simple... Or is it possible for a fling to become forever?


My Review:

Creighton Falls was once a happening town.  People loved living there and tourists would stop by to enjoy everything the town had to offer.  After a tragic accident resulting in a death, the Freeman family closed their hotel and left town.  The town's residents have struggled to survive since then.

Quinn Freeman has no memories before his family left Creighton Falls when he was six years old.  It's been over twenty years and his mother has decided it's finally time to sell the hotel.  Quinn has returned to see what it will take to get the hotel ready for the sale.  Little did Quinn realize, returning to his childhood hometown would bring back some long forgotten memories along with a new appreciation for the town and its residents. 

Meghan O’Reilly, Creighton Falls only plumber, has lived there all her life.  She loves her town, but as everyone there knows, the closure of the hotel has taken a toll on the town.  People lost their jobs, businesses closed and tourists stopped visiting.  She is excited about the opportunity to help out at the hotel and hopes it will help bring the town back to what it once was. 

When Meghan and Quinn give into the attraction that is growing between them, they decide it can only be a fling.  Quinn will be leaving Creighton Falls as soon as he finishes the hotel renovations.  And with Meghan raising her special needs sister, she is afraid to get too close to anyone.  Too many people have walked away in her life and she doesn't want to go through that again. 

This is an emotionally charged story to pulls you in from the start.  I enjoyed the growing romance between Meghan and Quinn and how hard Meghan worked to keep Polly safe and happy. The book was written in a way that pulls you into the story and makes you feel as if you are part of it.   

 

Review: The Devil You Know by Mimi Wells

Synopsis:

Domnhall Cameron, the Devil of the Pitch, has come a long way from the gritty streets of Glasgow. Now an international football star, he has a new team to launch, but only one thing stands in his way: Calla Stewart. They shared one explosive night years ago that ended with him in handcuffs and her out the door...

Now that Domnhall is the bad boy darling of European football, he and his millions are stirring up trouble from Scotland to South Beach. But Calla's divorced, down to her last few hundred bucks, and desperate to unload her house before it drags her down for good. So when Dom makes her an offer that is her ticket to a new life, she can’t refuse. Even if it means ten days at his command...

My Review: 

It's been ten years since professional soccer player Domnhall "Dom" Cameron has seen Calla Stewart, but he hasn't forgotten her or the time they spent together.  He is back in Florida for the start of a new expansion team and he has plans for Calla.  He wasn’t happy how things ended between them.

Calla didn’t like the idea of driving cross country for an appointment with a potential buyer for her father's mansion, but she will do what is necessary to make the sale.  She was shocked to find out the buyer was Dom.  He was the last person she expected to see. 

Dom comes up with a plan for Calla.  She must spend ten days with him and then he will buy the house.  But as we all know things aren't always as they appear.  Will Calla be able to play along with Dom without falling in love with him?

Dom and Calla had a spring break romance that ended badly.   My heart went out to Dom when he ended up in jail and Calla didn’t even contact again afterwards and for the threats that her father made to him.  As I read the story, I could feel the attraction they shared for each other, but the incident ten years ago still stood in the way of their happiness.  I enjoyed this book and hope there will be another follow up.  I feel Isabel has a wonderful story waiting to tell. 

 

Kitty Smile

Review: Return to Silver Bay by Lara Van Hulzen

Synopsis:

Maggie Mitchell returns to her hometown of Silver Bay expecting to bury her father, her past, and move on. But when Josh Harden, her high school sweetheart, shows up, her world gets turned around.

Drawn to Josh, but afraid of their history, Maggie’s head tells her she can handle things alone, but her heart says otherwise.

Recognizing a second chance when he sees one, Josh is determined to win Maggie’s heart once more and show her that she can trust love and begin again.

My Review: 

An inspirational story about family secrets and first loves reconnecting.

Returning home to Silver Bay to prepare her family home for sale, Maggie Mitchell fights her emotions and the pull towards her high school boyfriend, Josh Harden.  She thought being back in Silver Bay would tear her down again like her father did. Instead, she was reminded of the girl she used to be.  The girl Josh saw when he looked at her.  The girl she wanted to be again.

Even though Maggie left town shortly after the night her father burst into the school dance and made Maggie leave with him, Josh Never stopped loving her.  There has only been one girl he could ever love and that girl was Maggie.   How far will Josh go to convince Maggie to give him a second chance?

While going through her mother's things, Maggie comes across a stack of letters revealing a secret of her mother’s past.  Maggie was adopted.  She gets the surprise of her life when she finds out her biological mother lives in Silver Bay and is someone she already knows.

I enjoyed all of the facets of this story.  Each character held an important part in the book without getting lost or making the book confusing.  The characters were well defined and the plot moved along nicely.   

Review: The Remingtons: Race of Love (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Melissa McClone

Synopsis:

Harboring secrets has jeopardized Bree Winthrop's spot on the US Ski Team. She's lost her focus and drive to win. Her only hope to remain on the team is Riley "Ry" Guyette—the one man she doesn't trust. Bree must let go of the past if she wants to keep her dreams alive.

Ry knows what it's like to crash and burn after a ski accident sidelined him from competition two years ago. But his coach wants Ry to help a teammate regain her focus and competitive edge. Too bad he hasn't spoken to Bree in six years—six very long years.

Bree and Ry face a mountain of struggles. Will they be able to learn that forgiveness isn't the steepest slope they must conquer?

My Review: 

It’s never too late for love.

Six years ago, Riley “Ry” Guyette of the US Ski Team spent the night with Bree Winthrop but he had been too drunk to remember what happened.  Partying had been Ry's way of rebelling against his father who wanted him to give up skiing take over the family business.  All Ry wanted to do was compete and win more medals.  Ry hadn't thought about Bree over the years, but now his coach wants him to work with her so she can keep her position on the team.

Bree wasn't thrilled to be working with Ry, but she needed a win in the downhill and slalom portions to prove she was worthy of staying on the team.  She had been naive and star struck six years ago when she first saw Ry in the snow drunk and took him to his room.  But he turned out to be a jerk and she didn't want anything to do with him after that.

When Ry starts helping Bree, he learns a lot about her including something very personal that is going on in her life.  This news could be very bad for her racing career if it were to get out.  Is Ry the right guy to help Bree get mentally ready for competing and will he be able to convince her that is really is a changed man?

This is a wonderfully sweet story with likable characters and a well planned plot.  Bree and Ry seemed to be the perfect match.  They just needed a little push to realize it.  The story about Bree's mom and Coach Cunningham was a nice addition too.