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Heartstrings
By: Sara Walter Ellwood
Blurb:
He’s
determined to set things right, no matter the cost.
The last
person Abby Crawford wants to face down is country music superstar Seth
Kendall. Last time she did, she flat-out lied so he’d go to Nashville without
her. She’s never understood why their mutual best friend proposed, but she went
with it so her baby wouldn’t be fatherless. Now she’s a divorced mother of a
teenager, and secretly Seth’s biggest fan.
Seth is
home in McAllister, Texas for his father’s funeral…and a chance to meet the
daughter he’s never known. He’s willing to face the music of his own making and
admit he’s known about his little girl all along. For fifteen years he’s kept
his distance because Abby told him to follow his dreams without her, insisting
she didn’t love him. But now he won’t leave until he knows his daughter and she
knows him, even if it means facing the woman who broke his heart for good.
Confessing
she’s lied about her daughter’s paternity all these years won’t be easy for
Abby, especially with her ex blackmailing her to keep the secret. And Seth
doesn’t know the hardest truth of all: Every love song he plays on his guitar
still plucks her heartstrings.
CONTENT
WARNING: Spicy sex.
Excerpt:
Seth
leaned in. His lips were close enough to kiss, and his scent of sandalwood and
something exotic enveloped her, taking her back to that night on the beach. His
eyes flashed with the dangerous fire of his temper. It was similar to the flame
of the passion she’d once seen in the green depths. Abby didn’t expect or want
the heat curling in her belly, and shivered with a sudden and fierce desire.
“I’m her
father, Abigail. I wanted to be her father after she was born. It was you and
Mike who insisted I had no business messing things up.”
“I never
said any such thing. You never tried. You just left.”
He pounded
a fist on the counter top so hard she jumped. “Yes, I left! I wasn’t welcome at
home. Dad ran me off with a shotgun. Mike wouldn’t even let me see my daughter.
He made it quite clear you and he were happily married, and I had no place in
your life. I was under contract to be in Nashville to start recording my first
album.”
What did
he mean, Mike wouldn’t let him see Emily?
Before she
had a chance to voice her question, his eyes darkened as the pupils dilated,
obscuring the stormy green. “But I’m no longer nineteen and scared shitless. I
could make things very rough for you and this fantasy you’ve got working.”
A cold
lump quickly replaced the tangle of heat in her belly. “What-what do you mean?”
He backed
off and tapped the countertop. “I’m talking a custody battle. I could have a
judge order a paternity test. I think we both know the media hoopla the results
would cause.”
Her heart
slammed into her chest wall. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“Try me.
Now that I’ve met Emily, I want to get to know her.” He walked over to look out
the kitchen window. The hard line of his jaw melted, and he swallowed so hard
his throat moved up and down. “I was a fool when I let Mike talk me out of
being in her life after she was born.”
“What do
you mean?”
He glanced
at her. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”
The
strings of guitar music provided a soft counterpoint to the hard tension in the
kitchen. Emily was outside on the patio playing around with her guitar, waiting
for them to finish with the dishes she and Seth had insisted on doing.
“All I
want is to have some time with my daughter. That’s all I’m asking for.” When he
looked over his shoulder at her, sadness replaced the anger in his eyes. “I’ll
keep your little secret. I’ll just be her favorite singer. The family friend
who made it big in Nashville. I don’t want to hurt her. As much as it galls the
hell out of me, I see what Mike means to her.”
He moved
toward her and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Besides, I
don’t want to hurt Carolann or Frank any more than you do.” He glanced outside
again, his voice husky as he spoke. “But I’ll sue you if I have to.”
A part of
her wanted to give in to him, but a larger part wanted to punish him. Let him
take her to court; she’d make sure the world knew what kind of jerk Seth
Kendall really was.
She
gritted her teeth and fisted her hands by her sides. “I’ll let you have
tonight, Seth. But don’t ask for more.”
She turned
away and strode through the French doors.
Bio:
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Sara Walter Ellwood is
an award winning author whose novel Gambling On A Secret was named by
bestselling author Carolyn Brown in the Happy Ever After Blog on USA Today as one of her favorite romances of 2012.
Although Sara has long ago left the farm for the glamour of the big town, she
draws on her experiences growing up on a small hobby farm in West Central
Pennsylvania to write her stories. She’s been married to her college sweetheart
for nearly 20 years, and they have two teenagers and one very spoiled rescue
cat named Penny. She longs to visit the places she writes about and jokes she’s
a cowgirl at heart stuck in Pennsylvania suburbia.
She also writes
paranormal romantic suspense under the pen name of Cera duBois.
Buy Links:
Author Links:
Giveaway:
(Sara is Hosting TWO Giveaways)
***Please leave valid email address to be eligible***
(1)
I will be giving away two ebook copies of my last release Gambling
On A Secret at the end of the Tasty Review Tour, so make sure readers leave a
valid email address with comment to enter.
(2)
Tour Grand Prize is a swag pack full of goodies! A signed copy of Carolyn
Brown’s Just a Cowboy and His Baby, an ebook copy of my last
release Gambling
On A Secret, a notebook, a pen, custom jewelry set, $5 Starbuck’s gift
card—all tucked into a keepsake box. (Sorry, only US residents are eligible.
Comparable International Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card.) *Swag pack(gift card) is
for the entire two-month tour. Winner will be announced on June 1, 2013
Souce: eARC for honest review
This was a story of miscommunication, loss, hope and love with a holy I didn't see that coming.
When we are younger making grown up decisions we think we are making the right choice but often it was the wrong choice and our pride can get in the way to admit that we were wrong.
This was the case Abby and Seth, pregnant at 17 and the wrong time and place in life. But 14 long years later and lines of communication finally being opened cause a big love to be re-revealed and a chance to heal old open wounds.
I really did like this story and I liked the honesty that Abby and Seth had with Emily and the story line with Mike. I knew something was up but I SO did NOT see that coming. I loved the connection and chemistry between Abby and Seth. When things are meant to be they find a way to work out.
4 thumbs up!
Lauren
Great Review! Thank you for hosting today!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Def. have to read this one!
ReplyDelete-Amber
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