A Will To Love

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About The Book:

Benton Jessup wants his bed and breakfast to be successful. He will go to no lengths to insure that it does. But when Kitty Beebe, a famous romance author, arrives at The Inn, his desire for success becomes a struggle of wills with love.

Excerpt:

If the Beebe woman liked it, her expression of approval might bring more business to The Inn, and cement his chance at having a four star rating. He scowled. Keeping her off his mind was becoming nearly impossible.

The opportunity to gain more recognition for his business consumed him, regardless if it meant impressing someone to do it. Showing off his talents was his ace. It excited him, kept him focused.

He’d been raised a poor man’s son with never two pennies to rub together. It was through his own resourcefulness that he’d found jobs working in kitchens each one building to a higher position until he landed a job as head cook. He knew how to succeed. He’d done it a step at a time all of his life. He set a goal and worked toward it until it became his.

At the moment, his goal was to make Kitty Beebe tell all her New York friends that The Inn was the best bed and breakfast in South.

It was a reasonable expectation. It would take long hours, and careful planning, but it could be done. Nothing he hadn’t faced before and successfully accomplished. That drive to overcome his meager beginnings was why he hadn’t just closed The Inn and gone back home.

Ambition was his all-consuming need and his ticket to ride on the wheel of life.

But could he get his guest to succumb to his charm, his talent. . . his obsession?

Change. That was what he needed. Change to his approach, his execution. He would make the Beebe woman fall in love with this place, with his very country until she didn’t want to return to Ireland.

If he were to succeed at that, it meant giving up his resolve to stay out of a woman’s way. It meant putting himself directly in her path and he knew what direction her path would be.It was written on every page of her damn book.

My Review:

This novelette was a nice sweet romance about two people who find love again with each other. They help each other realize that they can't dwell in the past but that they have to move forward to find love and happiness.

I liked how Smith portrays the falling in love process. One is afraid to make the first move, but when you do it is not quite what you expect. For example, the scene when Ben makes breakfast for Kitty. He takes it up to here room and when he opens it. She is her writing zone and turns towards him and says Get Out! He leaves, but he is very confused. I loved this scene.

I enjoyed this novelette. The one problem is that we learned why Ben was resistant to love but why was Kitty. If we had Kitty's backstory maybe the ending wouldn't have felt so rushed. Maybe Smith can write another story that tells the reason why Kitty did not want to fall in love.

I hope that Smith will create an ongoing series by which The Inn and the surrounding country side would be the back drop for other romantic stories. But first tell Kitty's story.

I give this novelette 3.5 stars because we are left with the question as why was Kitty so resistant to love.

About the Author:

Kim Smith is the hostess for the popular radio show, Introducing WRITERS! Radio show on Blog Talk Radio. She is also the author of the zany, Shannon Wallace mystery series available now from Red Rose Publishing and also the new romance novel, A Will to Love. You can visit Kim’s website at http://www.mkimsmith.com/.





Happy Reading

Two for one 5

The Trouble with Lacy Brown by Debra Clopton is about hairstylist Lacy Brown and Cattleman Clint Matlock. Lacy arrives in the small town of Mule Hollow after the town placed an ad for wives, in hopes of saving their small town. Lacy feels that God has led her to this small town to open up her own hair salon. Lacy comes to Mule Hollow without the intention of getting married. She wants to devote her life to Christ and be a witness to him. She then meets Clint. She denies that she is falling in love with Clint. Falling in love was not in her plans. Can Lacy realize that she can fall in love and marry and still be a witness for Christ? Can the town be saved by the ad? You have to read this book to find out.

I enjoyed reading this book. I liked that it was a nice romantic comedy. I loved the hilarious interactions between Lacy and Clint. When I finished reading, I thought what a great theme for a continuing series, women coming to a small town to find love and marriage. When I went to Clopton's website I was very excited to see that I was right she has made this into a series. Whooo Hoo!

Four Little Blessings by Merrillee Whren is about Cassie Rankin, who is raising her nieces and nephews. She moves next door to Wade Dalton, who wants peace and quiet. They feel attracted to each other, but do not want to give into it because of an age difference.

The children help bring Cassie and Wade closer together as well as the many trips to the beach.

There were parts in the book that was slow and seemed to drag on. I liked how the children were incorporated into the story. They were an added bonus. Over all this was a nice book to read

Two For One 4

Here is another two reviews for the price of one.



Mothers of the Year


This book has three stories about women who "come to motherhood in her own way."

From the Backcover:
In Mommy for Rent by Lori Handeland, A Rent-a Mommy job for the Mother's Day Picnic turns into the real thing.
In Along Came a Daughter by Rebecca Winters, a daughter goes to work for her dream mom... and them has to wait for her dad to fall in love.
In Baby Steps by Anna DeStefano, it takes a troubled little boy to help a woman take baby steps towarda loving future with her husband.

I read this book because Lori Handeland had an excerpt on her web site. I wanted to know what happened. So I went to my local Borders and bought it. I loved Mommy for Rent. You felt for the little girl in this story.

I also loved Along Came A Daughter. The dad was jealous of the relationship that was developing between his daughter and her boss. A very cute story.

I felt that Baby Steps should have been a full length novel. I felt that the story was very quick towards it resolution. I would have liked to have a longer story so that relationships between the boy and the woman could have develop slower and incorporate the relationship between her husband and the boy. I think it would have been more meaningful. I just wanted to more out of this story.


The Family Plan:


The Family Plan by Cathy McDavid is about Jolyn Sutherland, her career in show-riding is over because of a fall from a horse and Chase Raintree the local vet. Chase is the father of a eight year old girl, Mandy. Jolyn's brother had an affair with Chase's wife. Jolyn's mother suspects that Chase is not the biological father of Mandy.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was a nice light quick read.

Two for One 3

Turbulence by Jessica Matthews is another book in the Code Red series. This time a team of emergency personnel leave Courage Bay, CA and got to Turning Point, TX to help the town when a Hurricane is about to hit.

This book focuses on firefighter Dana Ivie and Pilot Micky Flynn. They are sent to rescue a group of boy scouts. The find the boys and try to fly them to the hospital. The winds become to strong so they have to land the plane. Will Dana and Micky "have the courage to risk love?"

I did like reading this book. As this is a series there is a back story, but Jessica Matthews fills the reader in nicely if you had not read the previous book that relates to this book.

Hard Rain by Darlene Scalera is another book in the Code Red series. This time it is

about ER doctor Amy Sherwood who is from Courage Bay, CA and sheriff Jesse Boone who lives in Turning Point, TX.

Amy comes to Turning Point with three other colleagues to help the town out as the hurricane approches. She meets Jesse. He has the same name as her teenage love, who disappeared. Could this man be the father of her son?

This one was not one of my favorites. I felt that the ending was to quick. I felt that there should have been more development in the relationship between father and son, before the son accepted the father.

Two for one 2

Crossfire by B. J. Daniels

I loved this book! I have read 6 books in code red series. So far this is my favorite in the series. I loved that Daniels used a timeline to help tell the story. Also Daniels incorporates flashbacks to explain the relationship between the two main characters.

Anna Carson had just returned to Courage Bay after being gone for 5 years. She is coming back to be a SWAT paramedic. Her ex- fiance Flint Mauro will be her commander. He is not happy. He did not want Anna to be in SWAT. One her first day back a hostage-taking occurs at City Hall. Can Anna and Flint save the hostages and repair their relationship?

Spontaneous Combustion by Bobby Hutchinson

This is another book in the code red series. This is about Shannon O'Shea and John Forrester. Shannon is one of two female fire fighters in Courage Bay. John Forrester is a fire fighter from New York. Shannon gets disoriented in a warehouse fire after rescuing a dog. She is rescued my a mystery stranger in Silver, protective gear for fire fighters. Is John her rescuer?

This was a good read. I do enjoy the code red series. This one did not let me down.

Two for one

After Shocks by Nancy Warren

I have not reviewed in awhile. I was trying to finish books that my mom gave me so that I can give them back to her and she can take them to the used book store. So here are two book reviews for the price of one.

Aftershocks is another book in the Code Red series. Aftershocks does not relate to earthquakes it relates to decisions and the consequences that affect the main characters Mayor Patrick O'Shea and his adminstrative assistant Briana Bliss.

I loved this book. It was hard to put down. I was even crying during the revel. When Patrick found out what Briana did. Good quick read.

Investigating 101 by Debra Webb
Serena Blake hires the Colby Agency to find her sister Molly who is missing. Colby Agency puts one of their new recruits on the case. Todd Thompson does not appreciate that he is to babysit Serena while his partner focuses on the main suspect, Molly's husband. See what happens as Serena and Todd work together to find Molly.

Investigating 101 by Debra Webb is a good read. It is part of the Colby Agency series. I liked reading this book. It kept you on the edge of your seat as you read it. It has a surprised ending. I did not see it coming.

Code Red: Next of Kin

This book is part of the Code Red series. It is written by C.J. Carmichael. I enjoy the Code Red series and this book did not disappoint. I am catching up on this series. Trying to find past copies at used book stores.

Jackie Kellison is a ER nurse. Casey Guthrie is a motorcycle cop. They meet when there is a multi car accident. They hear a baby crying. The woman in the car is dead. They take the baby to the hospital. Then they find out that the baby is kidnapped. Jackie and Casey try to find out the truth about the kidnapping. During the investigation they discover a mutal attraction.

Familiar Escape

This book is part of series about a cat detective. This is the first one that I read in the series. It is about Molly whose sister is murdered and her niece has disappeared. Not believing that her niece is dead as the local police state; she hires Familiar to find here niece. Molly goes to the local jail to interview the man who is accused of killing Molly's sister Anna in the hopes that he will help find her niece. He states that he did not kill Anna and that he wants to help find the person who did.

I found that this book started out slow. I kept plugging away. It became better about half way through. If you are patient this is nice light read. I do want to read the other books in this series, so that says something about this book.