Thursday, November 1, 2018

Review & Excerpt: Tempting Brooke by Kristen Proby



Publication Date: October 23rd 2018 
Pages: 125
Purchase Links: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Amazon AU

About the book:

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Proby comes a new story in her Big Sky series…

Brooke’s Blooms has taken Cunningham Falls by surprise. The beautiful, innovative flower shop is trendy, with not only gorgeous flower arrangements, but also fun gifts for any occasion. This store is Brooke Henderson’s deepest joy, and it means everything to her, which shows in how completely she and her little shop have been embraced by the small community of Cunningham Falls.

So, when her landlord dies and Brody Chabot saunters through her door, announcing that the building has been sold, and will soon be demolished, Brooke knows that she’s in for the fight of her life. But she hasn’t gotten this far by sitting back and quietly doing what she’s told. Hustle is Brooke’s middle name, and she has no intention of losing this fight, no matter how tempting Brody’s smile -- and body -- is.

My Thoughts:
I just love a story of best friends turning into more, especially when the two have quietly longed for more.  Brooke and Brody were best friends in high school until Brody’s homelife made him feel ending his friendship with Brooke was for the best. Brody moved away from Cunningham Falls, but never forgot Brooke just as she’s never forgot him. Now years later, Brody is back in town to sell the business property Brooke is renting for her burgeoning flower shop.  Brooke proposes an offer: stay and see how her business works, the happiness she brings to clients, and if he still wants to sell, then so be it. 

Along the way Brooke and Brody rediscover the friendship they left behind, remember all the feelings buried away and start to fall all over again. 

Being a friends-to-lovers novella, Kristen Proby did an excellent job laying a strong foundation for Brooke and Brody’s romance. They already have a history of unrequited love going in that’s highlighted, so was easy to get invested in their HEA.

3.5 Suns




Excerpt:


  “Let’s go.” He signals for our waitress, pays the tab, and leads me out to the car. I drive us to my house where his car is waiting for him, quiet the whole way.
  What is there to say? We just admitted to loving each other yesterday, and now he’s leaving.
  It sucks. And I don’t know what this means for us.
  When I pull into my driveway, I immediately get out of the car and march inside my house, opening windows and doors to get a cross breeze going.
 This is the first time I can say that I hate my house. I should have installed the fucking air conditioning.
  “Stop,” Brody says softly. He’s standing in the middle of my living room, his hands in his pockets, watching me with tormented eyes.
  “What?”
  “Stop this. You’re running about here like mad, and you just look pissed off. We need to talk about this.”
  I feel my shoulders fall in defeat. “I don’t mean to sound like a bitch here, Brody, but I’m not sure what there is to talk about. You’re leaving, and I’m here. So, thanks? It was fun? Have a nice life?”
  “Are you assuming that I’m never coming back?”
  “No, you have a building here, so I guess you’ll be back now and then.”
  “I’m coming back,” he insists and pulls me to him, lowering his mouth to mine in one of his   Olympic-style kisses. “I can’t give you a timeline, but I am coming back.”
  “Okay.”
  “You don’t believe me.”
  I sigh. “It’s not that I don’t believe you. I think you want to come back. But you have a job, and a life, and so do I. So, I just think it’s going to be hard.”
  “I don’t just have a job, I own the firm.”
  “You do?”
  “Yes. So, I have some things to get in order, but it’s not impossible.”
  “Owning the firm only complicates things,” I argue, shaking my head.
  “It’s not forever,” he promises, then checks his phone. “And I’d better go. I have to pack my things at the hotel and turn in my car before my flight in just over two hours.”
  I stare at him, and I want to beg him to extend his trip one more day. One more week.
  But I can’t do that. He’s already done so much for me by staying this past week.
  “I didn’t realize you were leaving so early in the day.”
  Do not get needy, Brooke. No one likes that.
  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He kisses me once more, and I know this kiss is goodbye.
  Whether it’s goodbye for now, or goodbye for good, only time will tell.
  “Be safe.”
  He smiles and frames my face. “I love you.”
  “I love you, too.”
  One more forehead kiss, and Brody is out the door. I don’t watch as he pulls out of my driveway and away from my house.
  Watching him go just seems like torture.







About Kristen Proby:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kristen Proby is the author of the bestselling With Me In Seattle and Love Under the Big Sky series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong, humorous characters with a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type; fiercely protective and a bit bossy, and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves. Kristen lives in Montana, where she enjoys coffee, chocolate and sunshine. And naps.

Connect with Kristen Proby:
    

4 comments:

  1. I like friends to lovers :) And I do not think I have read her before

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  2. Thank you so much for sharing! ~Jessica, InkSlinger PR

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  3. This does sound like a cutie the way they are friends and then he comes back giving them a chance to work it out.

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  4. Thanks for the excerpt. I agree friends to lovers is one of my favorites.

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