- Blog Tour: Heartstrings by Sara Walter Ellwood
- Release Day Blitz: Let Love In by Melissa Collins
Today we welcome Sara Walter Ellwood to our blog. She is the author of the amazing book, Heartstrings!!
CONTENT WARNING: Spicy sex. *** Insert Eyebrow Waggle Here***
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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.
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.
My Review:
What a great, quick read Heartstrings is!! I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. We have read our share of bad boy rockers, but how many stories have a super sexy country superstar as the town bad boy? Heartstrings does exactly what its title suggests... it pulls on your heart strings and makes you feel for the characters and understand why they make the decisions that they make.
Abby, Seth, and Mike were lifelong friends. Abby had a very difficult youth with an Indian prostitute as a mother and a former man of God as a dad that turns into the town drunk. She finds solice in Mike and Seth and finds her "home" with their friendship and support. Seth is the product of a mother that could have been a successful singer but was held down when she became pregnant with him. His father didn't want his mother to follow her dreams in music, convinced her to stay in Texas, and she blamed Seth. She ultimately got addicted to drugs and alcohol and committed suicide.
As 17 and 18 year old kids, Seth and Abby share a night of passion which leads to them becoming parents. Seth is on his way to stardom in country music and Abby doesn't want to hold him back with a baby. She convinces him their love isn't real and it was a mistake. He heads off to Nashville to participate in a talent show that will hopefully boost him a career. Seth wins the show and becomes a superstar in country music. While Seth is chasing his musical career, Abby and Mike decide to get married and tell everyone that the baby is his and they raise Emily as their own child. Seth comes to town after Emily is born to see her and is told by Mike that he and Abby are happily married and he isn't wanted. Mike also tells Seth that he will end up doing to Emily what his mother did to him. Out of fear, Seth gives up his fight, but never forgets the two girls in Texas that will forever hold his heart.
Life goes on for Mike and Abby. They end getting a divorce, but share custody of a now 14 year old Emily and are moving on. Their little bubbles totally implode when Seth comes back to his hometown after his father's death. He insists on getting to know his daughter and finding out if his love for Abby is still mutual. His return digs up not only emotions, but some secrets that have been buried deep between these three former best friends.
Heartstrings is an incredible story about first love, making dreams come true, and healing. I give this story 4 stars on the knock my socks off scale! I loved Seth from the get go and was hoping like crazy that him and Abby would reunite and make a family with their daughter.
What a great, quick read Heartstrings is!! I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. We have read our share of bad boy rockers, but how many stories have a super sexy country superstar as the town bad boy? Heartstrings does exactly what its title suggests... it pulls on your heart strings and makes you feel for the characters and understand why they make the decisions that they make.
Abby, Seth, and Mike were lifelong friends. Abby had a very difficult youth with an Indian prostitute as a mother and a former man of God as a dad that turns into the town drunk. She finds solice in Mike and Seth and finds her "home" with their friendship and support. Seth is the product of a mother that could have been a successful singer but was held down when she became pregnant with him. His father didn't want his mother to follow her dreams in music, convinced her to stay in Texas, and she blamed Seth. She ultimately got addicted to drugs and alcohol and committed suicide.
As 17 and 18 year old kids, Seth and Abby share a night of passion which leads to them becoming parents. Seth is on his way to stardom in country music and Abby doesn't want to hold him back with a baby. She convinces him their love isn't real and it was a mistake. He heads off to Nashville to participate in a talent show that will hopefully boost him a career. Seth wins the show and becomes a superstar in country music. While Seth is chasing his musical career, Abby and Mike decide to get married and tell everyone that the baby is his and they raise Emily as their own child. Seth comes to town after Emily is born to see her and is told by Mike that he and Abby are happily married and he isn't wanted. Mike also tells Seth that he will end up doing to Emily what his mother did to him. Out of fear, Seth gives up his fight, but never forgets the two girls in Texas that will forever hold his heart.
Life goes on for Mike and Abby. They end getting a divorce, but share custody of a now 14 year old Emily and are moving on. Their little bubbles totally implode when Seth comes back to his hometown after his father's death. He insists on getting to know his daughter and finding out if his love for Abby is still mutual. His return digs up not only emotions, but some secrets that have been buried deep between these three former best friends.
Heartstrings is an incredible story about first love, making dreams come true, and healing. I give this story 4 stars on the knock my socks off scale! I loved Seth from the get go and was hoping like crazy that him and Abby would reunite and make a family with their daughter.
Author Bio:
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.
Author Links:
Giveaway: ***Please leave valid email address to be eligible***
(1)
Two ebook copies of Gambling On A Secret at the end of the Tasty Review Tour
(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 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
ReLeAsE DaY celebration for Let Love In by Melissa Collins!!!
Blurb:
What would happen if you lost everything? If the people who were supposed to love you unconditionally were no longer there for you, how would your world change?
That’s exactly what happened to Madeleine Becker when her parents died when she was ten years old. Ripped from her home and everything that she has ever loved, she is forced to start all over again. The only way for her to move on is to build walls around her heart and keep everyone at a safe distance. Her logic: she can't get hurt if she doesn't fall in love.
That theory is blown to pieces when she meets Reid Connely during her freshman year at college. He is gorgeous and darkly mysterious. He understands Maddy's pain all too well, but sharing his pain would mean breaking down the walls he put up around his own heart. Conflicted between loving Maddy and hiding his dark past, Reid starts to reevaluate his world. Maddy's inner strength, snarky personality and breath taking beauty help Reid to make peace with his past.
Together they find out what happens when they let love in.
Author Bio:I’ve always been an avid reader. Majoring in English Literature was a no brainer. Becoming a teacher and instilling my love for reading into my students was also a no brainer. I’ve spent the last ten years teaching and I’ve loved (mostly) every minute of it. When I was home on maternity leave for my third son, I discovered a new genre that sparked my creativity. My passion for writing sprang from my love of reading and once I knew I had a story to tell, I couldn’t wait to get it out there. I only hope that my readers enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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