Can she trust the man who holds the fate of her family’s ranch–and her heart–in his hands?
Astrid Anderssen never planned to manage her family’s ranch. When her father breaks his leg, however, she has no other choice. She has pinched every penny and stretched every dollar, but it’s still not enough. If the new bank owner is anything like the old one, he’ll send them packing when the next loan payment comes due.
Grant Watson left Rattlesnake Ridge under a cloud of shame. Inheriting his late uncle’s bank brings him back to town, but ledgers full of gouging loans do nothing to help his reputation. Even the lovely blonde newcomer he crosses paths with on his first day in the bank seems to share the town’s opinion of him.
When all hope seems lost, Grant offers Astrid a job in the bank. Is it an answer to her family’s prayers? Or will a growing attraction for her new boss add up to a disastrous end?
If you enjoy romances with tortured heroes and damsels in distress, then you’ll love Returning from Rhode Island.
When Grant Wilson returns to Rattlesnake Ridge after an urgent and unexpected request from his uncle, he’s shocked to find that his uncle has died and left him quite an estate – including several local properties and the town’s only bank. He’s also shocked to find out that his uncle did not run a very ethical business. But what is Grant going to do about it? He turns to trusted counsel to figure things out, and along the way meets Astrid.
Astrid was one heck of a good character. She was a strong young woman that had already decided the path of her life was to be a rough one. Taking care of her father and sisters, trying to keep the ranch afloat, and then along comes Grant Wilson. She thinks of him as a hero that does the right thing and helps, but I really felt like she was the hero of the story here. She accomplished things I couldn’t have imagined, and has nerves of steel when her family is on the line.
The book has a lot of women’s rights woven into the pages. At times a little heavy-handed, although I don’t doubt that it was hard for a woman to do certain things in those times, it seemed to be overly emphasized at times. The town was a gem. I loved all the residents, and they seemed mostly to be honest hard-working people that you grow to love.
The villains were a bit obvious. I think they were supposed to be, but it made the big confrontation a little less dramatic. Although the way it was resolved was quite exciting.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Kyle is a swaggering bully; Lenny strives to be invisible. Kyle has been left alone in the world; Lenny is the world’s biggest loner. When Kyle saves Lenny from drowning, their lives will never be the same. After a brutal encounter with school bullies, Lenny swims out into the ocean, determined to let the current whisk him away. Next thing he knows the meanest kid in town is pulling him from the waves, promising to be his Dead Sea, and to never let him sink.
All Kyle wants is to get out of beach cleanup, is that too much to ask? So he goes for a swim, only to come upon the most epic “nobody” in the senior class drowning in a riptide. Lenny’s haunted gaze grips him, and Kyle makes the impulsive decision to save his life or die trying. And through this ordeal, Kyle and Lenny are transformed.
Kyle’s heroic act sets him on the straight and narrow, and he opens his heart to the young man he dragged from the ocean. Lenny changes too but is still unable to reveal the truth of his pain. While drowning in a sea of secrets, the reformed bully and wary victim fall in love. But staying afloat in the Dead Sea is not as simple as it seems.
“I know I told you I wanted to talk about schools and futures, but there’s something else I want even more.” Time to come clean.
Lenny opens his mouth to speak—three times. No sound comes out. Damn, he’s cute.
“I wanna kiss you so bad. Can’t remember wanting nothing so much since I was a kid on Christmas Eve hoping for a Gameboy.”
This time when he opens his mouth, he gasps. And it’s more sexy than cute.
“Would that be okay? You know, if I kissed you?” I suck in a breath too, figuring I’ll hold onto it until he answers. Hope it doesn’t take too long—that could spell problems.
“Listen, Kyle, you don’t know everything about me.”
I push the air out of my lungs in one huge gust. Good news, Grampa: he didn’t say no fuckin’ way will I let your lips near mine.
“There’s plenty you don’t know about me too, Lenny. Like how I pants-ed Chad Giza at the seventh grade Valentine’s Day party in Mrs. Webster’s class because I was so pissed-off I got zero candy-cards from girls and he got a dozen. But I still want to kiss you.”
When Lenny smiles, his lips look as good as the finish line at the end of a marathon. Not that I ever ran a marathon, but I figure this is how I’d see it.
“Then kiss me,” he whispers.
“You don’t have to ask me twice.” I say this even though, technically, I was the one who asked him. I lean in, put my sweaty palms on his shoulders, and pull Lenny toward me. He slides my way without a tug-of-war—and I press my lips onto his.
I start with a soft dry kiss, so as not to freak him out. It doesn’t last for even a whole second. Then I pull off Lenny’s lips. I need to check out his face to make sure he’s not losing his marbles. His eyes are closed and long dark eyelashes rest on his cheeks. His forehead is smooth of wrinkles, and his lips are loose and ready for more. And his light brown curls are tousled just right from the wind. Lenny looks like an angel. Seriously, Gramps, the dude belongs on the top of Mom’s keep-your-hands-off Christmas tree. Nope. Lenny’s my angel, and it’s time for another kiss. I swoop in again, and this time, after I cover his lips with mine, I stay. I kiss him once, in the dry sweet way. And when I poke open his mouth with my tongue, he lets me in.
Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children–all named after saints–and five nonpedigreed cats–all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.
My themes I always write about:
Sweetness. Unconventional love, tortured/damaged heroes- only love can save them.
Mia Kerick focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men within the boundaries of blossoming, supportive relationships. She believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. And Mia’s stories are centered around a certain theme: even heroes can be sweet. Sweet, but not completely innocent.
A duke’s daughter must be prepared for whatever life—and love—throws her way…
Lady Cassandra Fallon is finally ready to take control of her life and join her late mother’s investigative society. She’s more than confident she can do the job—even when her first case involves a potentially deadly scandal. What she’s not quite prepared for is her brother’s attractive (and increasingly distracting) friend acting as her self-appointed bodyguard…
When Lord Luke promised his best friend he’d keep an eye on Cassie, he meant it. But the brazen and entirely too alluring woman she’s become is a far cry from the mischievous, freckled girl she used to be. Luke knows a lowly viscount has no business longing for (or touching) a duke’s daughter. But against all reason…he does…
She craves independence. He only craves her. An epic battle of the sexes is at hand. But will love be enough to get them to happily ever after? Cassie and Luke will soon find out…
He ground his teeth together as he recalled how she’d felt against him and how damned close he’d been to feeling a lot more. He could not claim to be the most self-controlled man in the world but with Cassie, he’d always maintained it with those three words.
She’s Anton’s sister.
The words failed him now. He could only see her as Cassie—the woman he’d touched, the woman he’d kissed. The woman he wanted more of.
“Do they know anything of what you are doing?” he asked when their hands touched, and they twisted around one another. He needed to maintain his focus on the important matter of keeping her safe.
“In some respects.”
He lifted his brows. Cassie and her sisters were close. Her relationship with Eleanor was especially intimate and Cassie had always felt protective of her half-sister.
“What is it?”
“I am merely surprised you have not involved them in your investigating.”
Her gaze dropped briefly to the floor before meeting his. “They know what I am doing but I have no desire for them to get further involved.” She gave a light laugh that sounded strange to his ears. “After all, it is hardly the work of a lady to go about investigating such matters.”
“They shall not be impressed that I know of the danger to you and did not tell them.”
“I can manage my sisters.” She wrinkled her nose. “Besides, I am not as helpless as everyone assumes me to be. I can manage this on my own.”
“With my help,” he added.
“Yes,” she conceded, “with your help.”
“So what next?”
She bit down on her bottom lip. “You will not like it.”
“I do not like any of this, Cassie. If it were up to me, I would lock you away until Anton returned but knowing you, you would escape like Rapunzel.”
“I think Rapunzel didn’t escape. The prince came to her if you recall.”
“Well, I know you well enough to know you would not tolerate such a thing.”
Her chin lifted. “Of course not.”
“I shall do the next best thing and be stuck to your side and hope that Anton or your sisters do not decide to make a eunuch of me.”
“Luke!”
“What?”
“You should not speak of such…matters.”
He fixed her with a look, lacing his fingers with hers to draw her around him. “The potential loss of my manhood?”
Her cheeks blazed pink. A rather appealing look. “Yes,” she hissed.
Oh, this was interesting. Cassie might be willing to sneak into bedrooms and commit crimes in the name of this investigation, but it seemed she could not tolerate such bold talk.
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Samantha Holt is known for fun, witty, and usually steamy historical romances. She’s been a full-time writer for longer than she ever thought possible having originally trained as a nurse and an archaeologist. She’s a champion napper, owner of too many animals, mum to twins, and lives in a small village near the very middle of England.
She’s usually writing (or napping) but when she’s not, Samantha is plotting (books of course!) with her husband, drinking coffee, climbing hills that are far too high for her fitness levels or visiting stately homes and pretending she’s posh.
