Author: RJ Scott
writing as Rozenn Scott
Release Date: September
1 2016
Length: 54,000
words
Blurb
Stanford Creek, Book 2
Danny Hudson has finally found a place to stop. With his daughter Hope in his arms, and his place in the music group Hudson Hart gone, he has a future to plan and a family to raise. Staying at his friend Cody’s house is hard enough, but finding a home of his own is impossible. A place to stay over the coffee shop in town is a godsend, but it comes with one proviso—he must work the cost of the room off in redecorating and rebuilding.
Rachel has secrets that she doesn’t even want to admit to herself, let alone her close-knit family. Dating the wrong guys is one way to protect her heart, but meeting Danny could change all that.
Can Rachel ever get past the reasons why she thinks real love isn’t possible and realize that love is the only thing that actually matters?
Excerpt
He was
the very definition of hot, tall, built, and with an impressive line in tips on
which boring team would win which dull tournament.
But there was nothing between his ears, other than sports stats, and there was
certainly not a single spark between them.
Which was
exactly how she liked it. She only dated to look normal to friends and family.
Normal was something critical to her, in her normal life, and her regular town.
So, she’d
give him one kiss, and send him on his way with a pat on the back and a see you later, big guy. Getting serious with Eric—or any man,
come to think of it—was not on the cards. The sound of a baby crying filtered
through the cooling night air and Eric glanced in the direction of the noise,
allowing her to get past him.
“No,
Eric.” She caught her stupidly high heels on a paving stone, and it slowed her
down enough so that Eric held her arm. With remarkable agility which belied his
size, he got in front of her and pasted what he probably thought was a cute
expression on his face.
“One.
Just one.”
Rachel
sighed. Eric was not going to stop. She opened her mouth to discuss rationally
why she wasn’t kissing him, but the words left her in a huff as Eric gripped
her upper arms. He shuffled her back into the darkness against the fence and
pressed her there, and she was squashed between the wall and the heavyset man.
“Eric,
stop,” Rachel said, a lot louder. He grinned down at her like this was a big
game to him.
“C’mon,
baby, one kiss.”
“Eric!”
Rachel attempted to shove him, but she couldn’t get purchase in her heels and
toed them off as best she could.
“No one
can see us,” Eric muttered. “So fucking hot, I want you out of that dress.”
A dozen
scenarios went through her mind, all the Krav Maga techniques she’d learned to
take care of herself. The quick sharp movements that kept her life under
control. The first step of which was stopping action before escalation. She’d
failed that part; thinking she’d had control over the laughing drunk guy who
just wanted to dance. Until, that is, she wanted fresh air, and he seemed to
think what she was really asking for was sex in the gardens. That left talking
and getting him to move back just enough so she could get purchase.
“C’mon,
sweetie, not here,” Rachel said, in her best girly tone.
He didn’t
move, just nuzzling her neck, sucking at her neck. No fucking way was he
marking her skin, and she shuddered at the thought of his teeth on her.
Too
many shadows in my head. Too many memories that won’t leave me alone.
“Let’s go
somewhere else,” she said.
“For more
than kissing,” Eric said with a chuckle as he pressed his erection against her
stomach and she insinuated her hands between them. All she needed was a pivot
point, and she could get him off her, but it would take some time.
“My
family is here,” she said, still smiling up at him, even though panic began to
filter into her thoughts. She desperately attempted to focus on sounds and
smells around her—the baby crying, soft talking, the music filtering outside
from the party, the scents of spring in the air. Anything to find peace.
“We can
go in a minute, I want to fuck you here, right here,” Eric said. “So
beautiful.”
“No.”
“C’mon,
sexy, you could just suck me off.”
“Eric,
get off me,” she said with more force. He still didn’t move.
“You
should let her go,” a voice said from their side.
Eric
looked sideways. “Fuck off, pretty boy,” he snapped. “Not your business.”
She
didn’t recognize the new voice, and couldn’t see who it was, given her head was
smushed up against Eric’s chest and turned the wrong way. It didn’t sound like
her brother, though, or Justin, or Garrett, thank God. All of them would, in
turn, yank Erik off, beat him into a bloody pulp, and then lecture her, and
she’d stand there and take it like she always did, because she had no choice.
Choice
had been taken from her, violently, brutally, and with utter finality a long
time ago.
“Let me
go,” Rachel snapped.
“Step
away,” the man she couldn’t see said again. He was closer, or he was talking
louder. Either way, she recognized that voice and her shame was complete. Danny
Hudson.
“And I
said, Mr. Millionaire, that you should fuck off back to wherever you came
from.” Eric rested back on his heels, and that gap was enough to allow her to
twist her hands, and kick his shin with her foot followed up by a knee to the
groin as he stumbled back. With a shout of pain, Eric fell to his knees,
cursing a storm.
“I said
no,” Rachel said. She didn’t raise her voice, couldn’t even face Danny directly
who was standing right
there with a sleeping
baby in his arms. She could see him move closer in her peripheral vision, hand
outstretched, probably to help her, to reassure her? She didn’t know, but she
didn’t need another man’s hand on her right now.
“Fucking
cock-tease,” Eric cursed, pushing himself to stand, but not getting any nearer.
“You’re
drunk, Eric,” Rachel said patiently.
“I’ve
wasted a whole night on you,” Eric said. “I bought a fucking suit,” he added, a
little more pathetically. He stepped toward Rachel and she tensed, sideways on,
ready to take him down if she needed to, even though he’d passed from horny to
affronted. He must have sensed her intention; either that or he was so drunk
that he wasn’t focusing on what he wanted.
“It’s
okay, Eric, you can go now,” she said, with patience, even though she felt sick
and angry. Calm
the situation, pay attention to the cues. The only cues Eric was giving were
ones that screamed he was pissed.
My thoughts
I recently read Notes
& Roses, the first book in the Stanford Creek series and as soon as
I finished it I knew I needed to read the subsequent titles too. Love
& Hope proved how I right I was. This book is at least as
entertaining and gripping as the first title was. Both books are extremely well
written, have a fabulous cast of characters and story-lines that hook the
reader from the start. And yet, I wouldn’t call these similar stories. Where Notes
& Roses had a suspenseful undercurrent, in Love & Hope it is the
emotional tension that captured me.
Danny’s life
doesn’t resemble what he imagined he would be. Gone are the days of touring
with the boy band he was a member off, gone is the woman who was supposed to
love him, and gone is most of his money. He’s left with his fragile baby
daughter and no clear idea what the future might hold for him.
Rachel appears to
be a fun and confident young woman, but underneath the disguise she wears like armor,
hides a broken woman who doesn’t believe she deserves the sort of happy ever
after her cousin and business partner Megan has found. Not that she’ll tell
anybody about her insecurities, never mind the reasons she has them. No, she
hides behind a happy façade while making sure to only date no hopers.
Danny and Rachel
are attracted to each other from the start. But between Danny’s concerns about
his daughter and Rachel’s determination not to have feelings for any man, a
future for them appears impossible.
This is a very
touching story. To the observant reader it is clear, almost from the start,
what Rachel’s secret has to be even if she only admits to it later on in the
story. And while her issue is serious and heartbreaking, this story is
remarkably angst free. Sure, Danny and Rachel have more than their fair share
of problems to face and overcome, but they do it with a refreshing lack of
belly-aching. Those who know me and my reading preferences won’t be surprised
when I say I greatly appreciated that fact.
I loved that
Rachel, despite the hurt she carries, was portrayed as a strong and
self-reliant young woman almost as much as I appreciated that Danny came across
as a sensible yet sensitive young man. The lack of stereotypes (as in a fragile
girl being ‘rescued’ by the alpha male) was refreshing. And Rozenn Scott’s
writing is flawless and smooth, resulting in a delightful reading experience.
I had one minor
issue with this story. For me Rachel’s transition from closed off and distant
to relaxed and willing to embrace life and love, happened a bit too fast. While
it made sense for her change after she made her breakthrough, the complete
turnaround almost in the blink of an eye felt a bit too good to be true. Having
said that, in what was otherwise a wonderful and intriguing story, this really
was a minor hiccup and even I can’t deny that after everything the girl had
been and put herself through she more than deserved that happiness.
Over all Love
& Hope was a great and hard to put down story. I can’t wait to
spend more time with these characters and am very much looking forward to
others finding their own happily ever afters. Bring on book 3; I’m ready.
Related review: Notes
& Roses
Author Bio:
RJ
Scott is
the bestselling gay romance author of over ninety MM romance books. She
writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire,
princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for
writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just
outside London and spends every waking minute she isn't with family either
reading or writing.
RJ also writes MF romance under the name Rozenn Scott.
The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn't like it one
little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.
mailto:rj@rjscott.co.uk
Thank you for the lovely review xxx
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome. Thank you for consistently giving me wonderful stories to read. xo
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