Release Day Blitz and Reviews: Two of Hearts: Beth Rinyu
Two of Hearts (Three of a Kind #2)Add to Goodreads
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Expected January 18, 2016
Carrie's Story
Carrie Maynard has come a long way from the awkward teenager who sat in front of the most popular boy in calculus class. She’s now a young, independent woman with a great job, a loving boyfriend, and a close knit family. But something still seems to missing.
Jason Wilder is no longer the cute teenage boy that Carrie crushed on from high school. He is now a hardworking, handsome man and one of Carrie’s very best friends. He is the perfect guy just looking for his perfect girl. Uncertain that he’s actually found her in his girlfriend, Ashley, he goes through the motions, hoping she will fill the void Carrie has left in his heart, ever since the day they met back in high school.
When circumstances change and feelings can no longer be ignored, will Carrie continue to sit on the sidelines, watching someone else live out the future with the boy she loved from so long ago, or will she take the next step with the man that’s always owned her heart?
Sometimes taking a risk for love isn’t always easy.
Sometimes even the strongest of friendships are put to the test.
And….
Sometimes it’s easier to walk away when life takes us down a different path than the one our heart intended.
*This is not a stand-alone Book 1 of the series (When The Chips Are Down) must be read first.
*This is not a stand-alone Book 1 of the series (When The Chips Are Down) must be read first.
“I
have memories of you that I’ll use to embarrass you in front of your kids.”
“Hey, just
remember I’ve got some dirt on you too, so watch what secrets you’re giving
away.”
“Yeah, I
know! Do you remember that night?” She let out a slight giggle. “When I threw
myself at you?”
"Yup, I
do. How could I forget? My dad busting in my room the next morning."
We both
began to laugh until tears were rolling down her face.
"Yeah,
too bad I couldn't laugh about it like that back then. I was scared to death
that my mom was gonna kill me!"
"You
never did tell me....how much trouble did you get in for that?"
"Not
much at all. My mom was surprisingly pretty cool about it. My dad, well.... he
eventually got over it."
"That
was a classic."
"Do you
ever regret not taking me up on the offer of being my first?"
"No."
I lied. I regretted it every day. I wanted to be her first, I wanted to be her
last, and I wanted to be everything in between. We were so young back then. It
would have never lasted, and Carrie and I wouldn't have the strong relationship
that we do now if we had taken that step. We both needed time to grow, to
experience new things with different people before we made that type of
commitment. Now, here we were, older, wiser and both committed to someone else.
Carrie and Jason have been friends since High School when the shy nerd began tutoring the hot jock. And then they became step siblings and continued as friends. Years later, Carrie has recently returned home for her new job as a counselor so now they are able to spend more time together. They are best friends that have buried their feelings and they are both attached to others.
I adored Jason, her sweet, caring, protective friend who grew up to be a sexy, charming cop. Carrie was always the good, rule-following, loving girl. She did not always realize her true inner and outer beauty and her life was already at a crossroads. They had their chance in High School and decided to stay friends. They had both moved on with others. So neither really knew where their hearts truly stood. They both had fears and insecurities that held them back. But they still had conflicting feelings of jealousy, confusion, and sometimes deeply buried hope.
There were some challenges to deal with and definite angst and frustrating situations. All along I wanted Carrie and Jason together, even during the times when I was disappointed in them or wanted to shake sense into them. I was glad it was told in dual points of view especially since they were not always forthcoming with their feelings. I enjoyed spending more with the characters we met in the first book: her mom, Melanie and his Dad, Ben, her twin Gia, "Aunt" Jodi and her son Cam. The dynamics between them all both add humor and support. Gia's story was teased a bit in this one. There was another side story line that added more depth and showed the importance of giving back.
I adored Jason, her sweet, caring, protective friend who grew up to be a sexy, charming cop. Carrie was always the good, rule-following, loving girl. She did not always realize her true inner and outer beauty and her life was already at a crossroads. They had their chance in High School and decided to stay friends. They had both moved on with others. So neither really knew where their hearts truly stood. They both had fears and insecurities that held them back. But they still had conflicting feelings of jealousy, confusion, and sometimes deeply buried hope.
There were some challenges to deal with and definite angst and frustrating situations. All along I wanted Carrie and Jason together, even during the times when I was disappointed in them or wanted to shake sense into them. I was glad it was told in dual points of view especially since they were not always forthcoming with their feelings. I enjoyed spending more with the characters we met in the first book: her mom, Melanie and his Dad, Ben, her twin Gia, "Aunt" Jodi and her son Cam. The dynamics between them all both add humor and support. Gia's story was teased a bit in this one. There was another side story line that added more depth and showed the importance of giving back.
This was a sweet, funny and heartfelt story of friendship, second chances, and soul mates. It was Carrie's journey towards finding where she belongs and who she belongs with and all of the challenges they face along the way.
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Carrie Maynard is all grown up and returning home to start her career. She and her longtime boyfriend are at a crossroads though, and she has some decisions to make.
Jason Wilder has loved Carrie since high school, but has stepped aside for her happiness. Now they are best friends and he is glad she is finally back in town again, but his girlfriend is not as excited about Carrie’s return.
Two of Hearts contains a storyline that I typically shy away from. I am not a fan of step-sibling romances, but having met Jason and Carrie before they were step-siblings (and loving them then) I can ignore my feelings because I needed this story.
This also contained more drama than I usually like in a book. Both Jason and Carrie have significant others through a lot of the book. There were times I wished they would own up to the feelings between them and let their SOs go, because it wasn’t fair to anyone.
But I loved these two together: their history and the potential for their future, their friendship and the chemistry they fight to deny. They have a connection that has sparked since high school. Though they didn’t act on their feelings at the time in favor of maintaining their friendship, now that they are adults the feelings haven’t gone away, even as they continue to ignore them.
Teigan was a great new additional character. His drama made up for my occasional frustration with Carrie and Jason, and I loved the connection made at the end both for its circular nature and overall tie-in with Jason and Carrie.
Gia is the only single girl left in the family, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us. We’ve met the man she is dating, but I know the man I’m rooting for, and it sure isn’t Jasper!
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Melanie Hanson's life didn't go quite the way she had planned. Her cheating ex-husband traded her in for a newer model and she’s in over her head dealing with the drama that comes along with raising her twin teenage daughters.
The last thing she is looking for or needs in her life is a man - or is it?
Ben Wilder is the boy that Melanie loved to hate throughout high school, the boy that all the girls loved and the boy that didn't give Melanie the time of day, unless it was to tease her. When she runs into him once again she realizes...he’s not a boy anymore. Older and wiser, she’s determined not to fall for her secret crush from all those years ago. But sometimes our heart has different plans than our head. Will she finally get her happily ever after with the man she least expected to have it with?
Take a humorous journey with Melanie and her daughters as their lives begin to parallel and they discover that although they may be separated by a generation their struggles are still the same.
Straight to the Heart (Three of a Kind #3)
Add to Goodreads
Pre-order/Buy: Amazon/Amazon UK
Expected Publication ~ January 22 ,2016
Gia's Story
Straight to the Heart (Three of a Kind #3)Add to Goodreads
Pre-order/Buy: Amazon/Amazon UK
Expected Publication ~ January 22 ,2016
Gia Maynard always had a wild streak. She doesn’t mind bending the rules, except when it comes to the rules of her heart. She doesn’t do relationships, instead she devotes her time to her true love....dancing. That is until Jasper Campbell comes along. Handsome, rich and powerful, Gia becomes totally enthralled with him until she finds herself slowly turning into someone she no longer knows.
Cam Hamilton has always been like a big brother to Gia. Now one of the hottest baseball players in the Major League, he is known for his moves on and off the field. But no matter how many women he has in his life, Gia will always be his number one.
When Gia’s heart is broken into pieces, Cam is right there to help her put it back together. When they both give in to their feelings for each other, will they be able to pretend that certain lines were never crossed, and certain feelings were never felt? Will Gia follow the rules that she has lived by for her entire life or is Cam the one worth breaking all of them for?
Ever since I
can remember, I have always enjoyed Creative Writing. There was always
something about being able to travel to a different place or become a different
person with just the stroke of a pen - or in today's world a touch of the
keyboard. I am the author of The Exception To The Rule, An Unplanned Lesson, An
Unplanned Life Drowning In Love, A Cry for Hope, A Will To Change, Blind Side
of Love, When The Chips Are Down and Easy Silence.
My life is not as interesting as my books or the characters in them, but then again whose life is? I'm a mom of twin teenage boys, a crazy Border Collie and a cat with an identity crisis! I guess you can say writing is my form of Calgon!
My life is not as interesting as my books or the characters in them, but then again whose life is? I'm a mom of twin teenage boys, a crazy Border Collie and a cat with an identity crisis! I guess you can say writing is my form of Calgon!
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