Release Blitz: Studfinder: L. B. Dunbar
Studfinder
L.B. Dunbar
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Release Date August 2, 2021
Who does that sexy silver fox think he is, sitting in her spot in the Busy Bean Cafe?
Over forty, with zero filter, Rita Kaplan loves her coffee, her hiking boots, and her law practice. Life hasn’t always been carefree, though, and Rita’s past holds the scars of poor decisions after deep loss. She survived, though, and no smirky silver fox is going to get in the way of her happiness. Even if he knows how to use his drill, screwdriver, and every other tool in his box to tempt her . . .
Former arson investigator Jake Drummond could add ex-con to his resume if he had one. Instead, he’s serving the final year of his sentence on probation. This involves mandatory AA meetings, hosted by a feisty local attorney, and working on a renovation project, supervised by the same annoyingly attractive whirlwind, who also believes she owns the exclusive rights to a comfy couch in his new favorite coffee shop. Soon she’s everywhere, including the few places she shouldn’t be--like in his bed and in his heart.
Can opposites lower their walls and construct something everlasting . . . or will their connected past lead to demolition for two hearts in need of a rebuild?
Rita Kaplan is a lawyer who also has a passion project building houses for those in need in her community. She is spunky, mature, smart, and has had a hard time due to some events in her past. But she keeps herself in tight control now and tries not to let the demons get to her. But that also means she is lonely.
Jake Drummond is back in town after a stint in prison for a crime he says he did not commit. In his past life, he was an arson investigator and firefighter, but now he is doing his probation work at Building Buddies. He is snarky, handsome, charismatic, and likes to push all her buttons.
They keep running into each other...at AA, at work, and even on her favorite couch in the Busy Bean. Sparks fly from the beginning, first in anger and then due to chemistry. They are fire together, but should also be off-limits.
They both have demons and sometimes they do not stay in the past, and theirs could have the ability to ruin it all. This is a feisty, sexy, sweet, angsty, and emotional story about forgiveness, redemption, and second chances. It centers around two people needing desperately to find faith in themselves and another person, but that is tested to their limits and risks their chance of ever being able to move forward.
This brings back Rita's bestie Scarlett that we met in Cowboy. We also meet Jake's brother Nolan and nephew Rory, and a few other locals pop up. I love stories set in this world, and I have enjoyed these two installments by this author. I like that she writes mature and intelligent characters.
They keep running into each other...at AA, at work, and even on her favorite couch in the Busy Bean. Sparks fly from the beginning, first in anger and then due to chemistry. They are fire together, but should also be off-limits.
They both have demons and sometimes they do not stay in the past, and theirs could have the ability to ruin it all. This is a feisty, sexy, sweet, angsty, and emotional story about forgiveness, redemption, and second chances. It centers around two people needing desperately to find faith in themselves and another person, but that is tested to their limits and risks their chance of ever being able to move forward.
This brings back Rita's bestie Scarlett that we met in Cowboy. We also meet Jake's brother Nolan and nephew Rory, and a few other locals pop up. I love stories set in this world, and I have enjoyed these two installments by this author. I like that she writes mature and intelligent characters.
Rita Kaplan is 40 something, single, and bored with her legal career in small town Vermont. She gets some fulfillment from her work with the non-profit her father started, but even that isn’t quite cutting it for keeping her out of a mid-life rut. Though she is direct and set in her ways, she is also still carrying around past scars.
Former arson investigator and current parolee, Jake Drummond, is getting his feet back under him after being released from serving a sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. He is loyal, hardworking, and is ready to start his life again being present for his family for the first time in 7 years.
I loved these two from the moment they faced off in the Busy Bean. And even after that first face off, they can’t keep from running into one another (it is a small town afterall). They are each grappling with their pasts, which is fine since they start off thinking to keep things casual between them. But there is fire building, and though they shouldn’t start anything, it’s hard to stop once the flames take over.
I can’t say I was surprised by all of the twists in the story, but I fully enjoyed reading this story from start to finish. The snappy dialogue, the hilarious situations, and the way they pushed each other to face their pasts kept me fully invested in this couple. This is the second book I’ve read from this author written in the Busy Bean world, and I love how existing characters are woven into the background of the story, adding to the setting without detracting from the main characters.
“You,” I hiss, glaring at the most annoying man I’ve ever met, and I’ve met plenty of annoying men. Of course, not all of them were hunky, smirky, sexy silver foxes, but that was neither here nor there. I am standing here, and he is sitting there. “You are in my spot.”
This is the third time this week he’s encroached on my couch in the Busy Bean Café, and three strikes mean you’re out, handsome.
Taking a moment, the offender blinks before narrowing his bluest-of-blue-eyes and glares back at me. For a second, I wonder if I have something on my face. Maybe chocolate in the corner crease of my lips or lettuce in my teeth from lunch.
What the frick is he staring at?
Then he blinks again and slowly leans forward. His arm-porn-worthy forearms rest on his wide-spread thighs as he glances up at me. Since I think he’s about to stand from the place where he’s perched, I speak.
“Thank you.” My mother taught me manners, even if I sometimes lack the use of them. Especially on this occasion, where a hunky, smirky, sexy silver fox who is the most annoying man I’ve ever met is sitting in my spot on the plush peach couch in my favorite coffee shop.
He stops moving at my gratitude and turns his head slowly left to right. Then he swivels at the waist right to left, exaggerating his motions as if he’s searching for something over his shoulders. Did he forget something? Did he drop his phone? His hand moves to his side and smooths over the velvety cushion, stroking it like the soft texture is a pleasure fabric or a preferred pet. My mouth waters for some reason because his movements might match that of him caressing a woman, taking his time to sculpt along her thighs. Maybe glide over her backside. Stroke the inside of her legs and . . .
“Just what are you doing?” He’s taking too long to move it.
“I’m looking for a sign that says this seat is taken.” Turning that edgy face upward, beaming those blue headlights at me, he crooks the corner of his mouth in the smirkiest of smirks. “But as I don’t see one, nor do I see your name on this couch, I think I’ll stay.”
He falls back against the couch as if he’s dropping onto a mattress, tossing himself down into the fluffiest of pillows to catch his hard body in a cushion of heaven. His arms stretch wide to encompass the length of the couch back. He even sighs. A long, lush, deep groan of pleasure emits from him while his eyes close for a second. Then he inhales. When his lids flip open, he spears me in place. That does not stop my mouth.
“Look, handsome, this is my spot. Everyone knows it’s my spot. Think Norm in Cheers, where everybody knows his name. This is where I sit.” I shouldn’t have called him handsome. He probably already knows he is. In fact, I’m certain he knows he’s good-looking. I don’t know how he even faces himself in the mirror every morning. He’s that good-looking.
“I’m curious if everyone is always glad you came . . .” His eyes narrow at me, and I ignore the emphasis he’s put on a certain term. I will not fall for these kinds of wordplay games, nor will I falter under the curl of his sassy mouth. Even the crinkle of his nose as he annunciated that word was hot.
“Of course, they’re always glad I’m here, occupying my spot.” My voice hardens as my fists clench at my sides. I’ve had a day, and I just want to sit in my happy place and sip some coffee. Is the Busy Bean the most convenient spot for me to haunt? No, it is not, but I’ve been to worse places—been there, done that—and I will not be going back. I live halfway between Colebury and Montpelier, where my law office is located, and coming here is out of my way most days. But today is one of those days when I need my spot and a good cup of dark roast, and I do not need this hunky, smirky, sexy silver fox glaring back at me or his fine backside taking up residency on my couch.
Get a grip, Rita.
Technically, I don’t own the couch or the right to claim this space as mine. The Busy Bean Café is owned and operated by Audrey Shipley and Zara Rossi, both excellent businesswomen. They’ve taken this quaint location on the old gin mill property and made it into something special. With brick-red walls and chalkboard painted beams overhead, the creaking wooden floors and eclectic mixture of furniture begs a person to come in and linger, which is what I do—often. Not to mention, the coffee is divine. The dark roast is a special blend introduced to the place a while back and the addition of delicious cupcakes on the menu from Oh, For Heaven’s Cakes makes this place more than just a coffeehouse. It’s heaven in Vermont.
It’s my heaven, and the devil himself is sitting here.
Jake Drummond is his name, actually, but that’s semantics to me. He’s quickly becoming a huge thorn in my side.
True North World: The Busy Bean
Rita also apears in her friend's book
Cowboy
Rita also apears in her friend's book
Cowboy
(True North World: Busy Bean #2)
L.B. Dunbar
L.B. Dunbar
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Our reviews
Welcome to Vermont. The Busy Bean Cafe is part of Sarina Bowen’s the World of True North series and an imprint of Heart Eyes Press, LLC.
Welcome to Vermont. The Busy Bean Cafe is part of Sarina Bowen’s the World of True North series and an imprint of Heart Eyes Press, LLC.
Pregnant at forty-two? Back the cow up...
Harland Bull Eaton has lost many things—his first wife, his beloved mother, those three women he proposed to . . . Oh, and there was that time he almost lost the family dairy farm due to a scandal. He’s losing faith in just about everything, especially love.
But one night, his friends give him a dare. No commitments. No heartbreak. Just buy that gorgeous redhead a drink. The big-city bombshell he’s set his eyes on swirls him into a tailspin that lands them in bed for a one-night stand he’s pretty sure he’ll never forget. But this time, he swears, he won’t let his heart ride herd on his common sense.
Recently separated and newly unemployed, Scarlett Russell is at a crossroads. With no other plan than visiting a friend in Vermont, the last thing she expects is a hunky, silver fox offering to buy her a drink. Even less expected is when she raises that offer to “take me to bed, cowboy.” She just wants one night to forget everything gone wrong.
Turns out once won’t be nearly enough. Won’t ever be enough, feeling the way she does. But secrets and an unexpected surprise are a lot to handle . . . unless these two can break a trail to an unexpected happily ever after.
L.B. Dunbar has an over-active imagination. To her benefit, such creativity has led to over thirty romance novels, including those offering a second chance at love over 40. Her signature works include the #sexysilverfoxes collection of mature males and feisty vixens ready for romance in their prime years. She also loves to write stories about small-town romance (The Silver Foxes of Blue Ridge) and (Heart Collection). In the early years, she wrote rock star mayhem (The Legendary Rock Stars Series), MMA (Paradise Duet), and a twist on intrigue and redemption (Redemption Island Duet). She's had several alter egos including elda lore, a writer of romantic magical realism through mythological retellings (Modern Descendants). In another life, she wanted to be an anthropologist and journalist. Instead, she was a middle school language arts teacher. The greatest story in her life is with the one and only, and their four grown children. Learn more about L.B. Dunbar by joining her reader group on Facebook (Loving L.B.) or subscribing to her newsletter (Love Notes).
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