"Blush for Me" by Kristen Proby: Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review and Giveaway!

 

From New York Times Bestselling author Kristen Proby, comes a steamy new standalone romance in her bestselling Fusion Series…

BLUSH FOR ME!

 

About BLUSH FOR ME:

New York Times bestselling author Kristen Proby continues to delight the senses with the latest novel in her delectable Fusion series.

As the take-charge wine bar manager of Seduction, Portland's hottest new restaurant, Katrina Meyers is the definition of no-nonsense, and she isn't afraid of anything. Well, almost anything: she hates to fly. When she's forced to travel on a death trap with wings, the turbulence from hell has her reaching for any safe haven—including the incredibly handsome guy sitting next to her.

Ryan "Mac" MacKenzie hasn't been able to get his sexy seatmate out of his head. The way she clung to him stirred something inside him he didn't think existed: tenderness. As the owner of a successful wine touring company, Mac thinks he's got a handle on what life can throw at him and he's not prepared for any surprises, especially in the feelings department. And when he brings a tour into Seduction, he sees the petite spitfire he just can't forget.   Mac is determined to discover what else they have in common besides fine wine and the inability to keep their hands off each other. But what will it take for two stubborn people to realize that what they have is so much more than a hot chemistry between the sheets and to admit to falling in love…?

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Preorder BLUSH FOR ME, fill out this form, and receive an email with the Early Excerpt from Kristen Proby’s EASY MAGIC (Book #5 in her bestselling Boudreaux Series) and an exclusive Seduction restaurant menu after Release Week!

       

And Don’t Miss the First Two Novels in the Fusion Series!

LISTEN TO ME CLOSE TO YOU!

 

Don't miss all the stops on the BLUSH FOR ME Tour!

Kristen Proby’s BLUSH FOR ME – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

February 27^th

Alphas Do It Better Book Blog – Review

BFD Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Books,Dreams,Life – Excerpt

East Coast Book Chicks – Review & Excerpt

Feeding My Addiction Book Reviews – Excerpt

Happily Ever After – Review

I Love Romance – Review & Excerpt

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

The Heathers Blog – Review & Excerpt

February 28^th

All Things Dark & Dirty – Excerpt

Aaly and The Books – Review & Excerpt

Heather's Book Ramblings – Review & Excerpt

JordansBookReviews - Excerpt

Movies, Shows, & Books – Excerpt

Romance Schmomance – Review & Excerpt

Same Book, Different Review – Review & Excerpt

The bookworms obsession blog – Review

What Is That Book About – Excerpt

March 1^st

a crazy vermonters book reviews – Review

Bridget's Book Bungalow – Review & Excerpt

Collector of book boyfriends – Review

Emmbooks – Review

IrishdaisylovesRomance – Review & Excerpt

Jack of All Trades, Master of None – Review & Excerpt

Melissa's Book Obsession – Review

My One True Obsession – Excerpt

Sizzling Pages Romance Reviews _ Review & Excerpt

March 2^nd

Abigail Books Addiction – Review & Excerpt

Book Babes Unite – Review

Friends Till The End Book Blog – Excerpt

Krista's Dust Jacket – Review & Excerpt

Melena`s Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Nerdy Soul – Review & Excerpt

Oh My Growing TBR – Review & Excerpt

Romanticamente Fantasy Sito – Excerpt

T & G Book Boutique – Excerpt

March 3^rd

BFF Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

I Heart Romance &YA – Review & Excerpt

Lili's books – Review & Excerpt

Marieke's Books – Review & Excerpt

Mommys naughty playground – Review

Pervy Ladies Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Shayna Renee's Spicy Reads – Review & Excerpt

The Readdicts – Excerpt

V's Reads – Review & Excerpt

Wickedcoolflight – Review & Excerpt

March 4^th

Bookgasms Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Cocktails and Books – Review & Excerpt

Gi's Spot Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Rebelspinster reads and reviews – Review

Reflections Of A Book Geek – Review & Excerpt

Roxy's Reviews – Review & Excerpt

The Reading Belles – Review

What I'm Reading – Review & Excerpt

With Love for Books – Review & Excerpt

March 5^th

Book Bitches Blog – Review

Jax's Book Magic – Excerpt

My Girlfriend's Couch – Review & Excerpt

Nose Stuck in a Book – Review & Excerpt

Obsessive Reading Disorder – Review & Excerpt

Reese's Reviews – Review & Excerpt

The Butterfly Reads – Review & Excerpt

Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin' – Excerpt

March 6^th

Books and Tequila – Review & Excerpt

Books, Coffee & Passion – Excerpt

Confessions From Romaholics – Review

EskieMama& Dragon Lady Reads – Review & Excerpt

Reviews by Tammy and Kim – Review & Excerpt

Ripe For Reader – Review

Sofia Loves Books – Review & Excerpt

Three Girls and a Book Obsession – Review & Excerpt

Wicked Babes Review – Review & Excerpt

March 7^th

Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt

Bookaholics Reading Haven – Review & Excerpt

Four Chicks Flipping Pages – Review

I'm A Sweet And Sassy Book Whore – Review & Excerpt

Live Read and Breathe – Review & Excerpt

Musings of the Modern Belle – Review & Excerpt

Naughty Girls and Their Books – Review & Excerpt

Shh Moms Reading – Review

The Book Avenue – Review & Excerpt

Two Book Pushers – Review & Excerpt

March 8^th

About That Story – Excerpt

Becca the Bibliophile – Review & Excerpt

Books Need TLC – Review

E-Romance News – Excerpt

Escaping Into Books – Review

Nerdy Dirty & Flirty – Review

Once Upon a Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Renee Entress's Blog – Review & Excerpt

Shannon Loves Books – Review & Excerpt

Under the Covers – Review & Excerpt

March 9^th

Amo& Sarah Book Corner – Excerpt

Blazinbear's Book Blog – Excerpt

Blushing babes are up all night – Review & Excerpt

Nice Ladies, Naughty Books – Review

Queenzany – Review & Excerpt

Red's Romance Review's – Review

She Hearts Books – Review & Excerpt

The Book Maven – Review & Excerpt

Two Unruly Girls With A Romance Book Buzz – Review & Excerpt

Vanilla & Spice Books – Excerpt

March 10^th

Abibliophobia Anonymous Book Reviews – Excerpt

G & T's Indie Café – Excerpt

Love Drug Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Once upon a romance blog – Review & Excerpt

Ramblings From This Chick – Review

Southern Babes Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

The Smut-Brarians – Review & Excerpt

Theory of A Dreamer – Review & Excerpt

We stole your book boyfriend – Review & Excerpt

Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews – Excerpt

 

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          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.            

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BLUSH FOR ME Goodreads ** Kristen Proby Goodreads

Excerpt:

“You look like you’re feeling better.”
 Mac. That’s Mac’s voice in my ear. A shiver runs through me as I turn around and look up, way up, into his green eyes.
 “I am,” I reply and take a sip of my wine. Was he that good looking on the plane? “I didn’t realize you were attending this conference.”
 “You had other things on your mind earlier,” he says smoothly and motions for the bartender. “I’ll have what she’s having, and another for her as well.”
 “What if you don’t like pinot?” I ask and tilt my head to the side.
 “I like it all,” he says with a wink.
 Oh my.
 “Do you know many people here?” he asks, nodding toward Sally who has moved on to chat with another group of people.
 “A few. I’ve not met most of them in person, unless they were up in Washington or Oregon. How about you?”
 “Same,” he says with a grin. “This is my first conference down in Napa Valley. And it’s off to a great start.”
 “Right.” I laugh and shake my head. “Dealing with a crazy chick on the plane is exactly the best way to start your trip.”
 “It is,” he says and looks me dead in the eye. “She wasn’t that crazy. She was scared. There’s a difference.”
 “Well, she’s fine now.”
 “I’m glad.” His lips tip up into a smile and my stomach clenches. He has a dimple in his left cheek. 
 I want to lick it.
 I take a sip of my fresh glass of wine and smirk to myself. Perhaps Mac fits the sexcation bill.
 “What just went through that gorgeous head of yours?”
 “I’m not drunk enough to tell you yet,” I reply honestly. Mac’s eyes widen briefly, and then he simply smiles at me.
 “There’s a lot of wine in this place.”
 “Thank God for that.”
 A few hours later, after chatting with many people, new and those I already know, including Mac, he escorts me up to my room.
 Sexcation.
 But when we reach my door, he leans in and kisses my cheek. Just the cheek. I frown up at him.
 “This is supposed to be a sexcation, not a fucking dating game.” It’s a grumble, but I’m shocked to hear it actually leave my lips, rather than stay in my head where it’s supposed to be. 
 “A what?” Mac asks.
 “Nothing.” I shake my head and pull my key card out of my handbag. “Good night.”
 “Kat?”
 “Yeah.” I look back at him and sigh a little at the sexy dimple in his cheek and the way his shirt pulls against his shoulders as he leans on the doorframe. 
 “I’ll see you in the morning.”
 “It’s already morning,” I remind him.
 “It won’t be too long, then.”

Many thanks to the publisher via InkslingerPR for the free review copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is a fairly new author for me - I have only read one other book by Kristen Proby, and it was the first book in this series. As soon as I finished "Listen to Me", however, I was definitely in for the rest! The idea of five young women going into business together to open a trendy new restaurant was appealing to me. Each girl is unique in her own way, and brings her own talent or specialty to the business, so after watching Addie and Jake fall in love, I was more than ready to see who would capture Kat's attention!

Kat is that sassy, feisty redhead we all wish we had for a best friend. Loyal to the end, she'll tell it like it is and is a bit of a ballbuster! I really enjoyed her attitude and sense of style. She's more than your average bartender, though, being that she has an aptitude for wine and is some sort of certified genius. All part and parcel of what makes her so cool, in my honest opinion.  She hasn't been in a relationship for quite some time, however, so who will be the perfect man for her? Well, why not start with a man she meets at a wine tasting conference?  Actually, Kat first meets Mac seated beside her on a plane to Napa Valley for said conference. He soothes her through a major panic attack, and although they part ways in the airport, through the magic of fiction, they meet again at the wine tasting tour.  Must be kismet!

From here we get to see them start up a fling, for lack of a better word. They are both in Napa Valley for the week, so why not have some no-strings-attached fun? This is mutually agreed upon, as well as the fact that once the week is over, the fling will also be over. They try to keep things light and noncommittal, but come on! The chemistry between them is smokin' hot! This kind of connection, is this really the type of thing you just throw away after a week?

Well, both Kat and Mac try to forget about the other once their time in paradise is up, but eventually, contact is made and a more serious relationship is initiated - yay! I liked that there wasn't a whole lot of angst between these two, except a little bit in the beginning when Kat thought Mac was lying to her about who he really was. Fortunately, Kat was quick to realize she was wrong, and from there, they both fell hard and fast, but in a very believable way.

I also liked that the conflict in this story was due more to external factors, for example, Kat's and Mac's families, rather than a lack of communication between the two of them. So many times in contemporary romance novels, I want to yell at the characters and say, "Just talk to each other, dammit!" For the most part, in "Blush for Me", Kat and Mac had pretty decent communication between each other, so that was great.

There were, however, a few plot elements I didn't love, including one that occurred very near the end. I don't want to reveal too much for fear of spoiling things, but I thought this whole circumstance felt forced and was resolved way too quickly and neatly. There was also a bar scene near the end that I didn't really like. I'm not sure what purpose it served except to show that Kat knows how to throw a punch and is a loyal friend. However, the behaviour displayed by both parties involved in the conflict was a bit extreme and did not really endear me to the owners of Seduction the way it was supposed to.     

I also wanted a bit more background info on both Kat and Mac. For example, why did Mac find himself steered towards the wine business? There was a little bit of explanation, but no real passion behind any of it. Why did Mac like to call the shots in the bedroom? Was it something to do with his past? I have no clue. What was the significance of Kat's tattoos? Mac asked her about them, but she  said something rather dismissive like, "They're personal." Why did Kat dress like a 50's pinup? Did she love the attention, or was she an old soul, believing she'd been born in the wrong decade? People don't dress that way without a reason, and I wanted to learn Kat's reason but never did. 

All in all, this was a great read, with never a dull moment, lots of action, and steam galore. I'm not so patiently waiting to borrow the second book in this series, "Close to You", from my online library, and I will definitely be reading the other two Seduction owners' stories when they come out, too. If you love contemporary romance and you haven't read any of Kristen Proby's titles, you better get on that because she is certainly an author to watch!

My rating:

                   

Release Day Launch and Review: "Bedmates" by Nichole Chase

   

We are thrilled to get to bring to you the Release Day Launch for New York Times Bestselling Author Nichole Chase’s BEDMATES, the first standalone novel in her new American Royalty Series! Be sure to grab your copy of BEDMATES today!

   

From the New York Times bestselling author of Suddenly Royal comes the first in a sparkling new series about America’s favorite royal—the First Daughter.

 

Everyone makes mistakes, especially in college. But when you’re the daughter of the President of the United States, any little slip up is a huge embarrassment. Maddie McGuire’s latest error in judgment lands her in police custody, giving the press a field day. Agreeing to do community service as penance and to restore her tattered reputation, Maddie never dreams incredibly good looking but extremely annoying vice president’s son, Jake Simmon, will be along for the ride.

Recently returning from Afghanistan with a life-altering injury, Jake is wrestling with his own demons. He doesn’t have the time or patience to deal with the likes of Maddie. They’re like oil and water and every time they’re together, it’s combustible. But there’s a thin line between love and hate, and it’s not long before their fiery arguments give way to infinitely sexier encounters.

When Jake receives devastating news about the last remaining member of his unit, the darkness he’s resisted for so long begins to overwhelm him. Scared to let anyone close, he pushes Maddie away. But she isn’t about to give up on Jake that easily. Maddie’s fallen for him, and she’ll do anything to keep him from the edge as they both discover that love is a battlefield and there are some fights you just can’t lose.

Grab BEDMATES in ebook or paperback, releasing today!

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EXCERPT:

               The hand on the back of my neck tilted my head so he could kiss me better and I melted against him. I’d waited for this moment most of my life and I sure as hell wasn’t disappointed.

               The kiss wasn’t rushed, wasn’t abrupt. It was slow, lingering brushes of lips, as our breaths slid over each other. It was an intense, raw moment as we tested unknown waters and what we found only increased our determination. When his tongue swiped across my bottom lip in a request for entrance I opened on a sigh. His free hand caressed my hip before sliding around to the small of my back, tucking me against him.

               The feel of his hard body pressed against me made my head spin. Every delectable inch of him was hard in just the right way. As his mouth danced over mine, fire ran through my veins. Everywhere that he touched me came alive and I wrapped my arms around his neck, hungry to feel more of him pressed to me. This was what I’d been looking for all these years. I felt alive and appreciated with each stroke of his tongue and touch of his hands.

               His arm tightened around my waist and my feet left the ground. I gasped as he sat me on the unfinished kitchen island. Dark brown eyes drilled into mine as his hands slid down to cup my ass before gently spreading my legs so that he could fit between them. He pressed against my center and I couldn’t help but groan as he pulled me tight. Wrapping my legs around his hips I pushed even closer, trying to relieve the building ache.

               He groaned into my mouth and I took the moment to nip his bottom lip. I’d wanted to do that forever; to feel it plump between my teeth. One of his hands squeezed my ass tighter and he grinded his erection into me, causing my head to fall backward on a gasp of pleasure. Each move against me made me gasp louder, and my eyes fell shut. With one hand he pulled my hair free from the rubber band before tangling his fingers in it.

               “God, you taste good.” His voice was raw, harsh, and it sent shivers down my spine. He ran his nose along the column of my throat before nipping gently below my ear. “Should have done this forever ago.”

       

 

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  About Nichole Chase: Nichole Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Suddenly Royal, The Accidental Assassin, Flukes, The Dark Betrayal Trilogy, The American Royalty Series and several short stories. Nichole lives in Georgia with her husband, energetic daughter, two rescue dogs, Sulcata tortoise, and two cats. When not writing, you may find her reading, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.        

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Thank you to the author and publisher (via Edelweiss) for the free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

This is my first book by Nichole Chase, and there was quite a lot about it that I really enjoyed. For one thing, the steam between the two main characters was a lot more intense than I was expecting, and definitely a cut above. The author also doesn't shy away from some very heavy topics, such as PTSD in returning military personnel and animal rights. There were a few things that I wish were done differently, but overall I really liked "Bedmates" and would love to read more by Chase.

 

Jake and Maddie were great characters! These two are people that I can see myself being friends with. They'll both do anything for the people they care about, and they stand up for what they believe in no matter the consequences. Although this latter attribute has the potential to harm their reputation or that of their famous parents, making a difference is extremely important to them both, and that is absolutely something that makes them admirable characters.

 

In case you think this book is all romance and fluff, I'm here to tell you that this is not the case. There are a couple of scenes dealing with Jake's PTSD where I felt like I was right there, seeing him go through the turmoil and agony, and even feeling it right along with him. Not really a comfortable thing to experience, from either Jake's or Maddie's point of view. Still, I appreciate the effort the author made in trying to make this a realistic portrayal of the experiences a returning veteran may have while integrating back into civilian life.

 

All of this makes for a riveting read, although there were a couple of areas where I felt "Bedmates" came up a bit short. For example, I wanted to know more about Jake's amputation. In retrospect, I'm not sure why it was even in there, because it didn't really seem to affect him or contribute to his PTSD. Other than getting sore after a long day working on a construction site or mentioning how he was in such good shape from all the rehab he'd done, it was hardly mentioned. Where were the feelings of inadequacy or self-consciousness when being fully exposed to a woman for the first time? Did he ever deal with phantom pains or difficulty with his prosthesis? What did his prosthesis even look like? What about when Maddie saw his stump for the first time? Was she scared to bump it during sex and hurt him? Or was she curious to see what it looked like? These were all things I wanted to know and for the two main characters to deal with together, and it was just missing.

 

I also felt that Maddie's character was missing some background development. I knew that she was a college student, but what was she studying? Biology to go along with her love of animals? I knew that she was passionate about animal rights, but why? Did she have a special pet as a child? I knew she only had one good friend, but why? Was it hard for her to trust people? Aside from her dad being the president and her mother having died long ago, I felt like I didn't really get a good feel for what made Maddie tick.

 

And then there's the fact that I don't really care for American politics. Or any politics, to be honest. Luckily, "Bedmates" wasn't too obviously some sort of public service announcement, but there were a couple of moments that had me rolling my eyes. However, I'd have to say that the good outweighed the bad here, so if you're looking for a sweet and steamy read with special and unique characters, don't hesitate to pick up "Bedmates".



My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: "The Heiresses" by Sara Shepard

The series follows one of the most prestigious and wealthy families on the Upper East Side who have built their entire fortune on the business of diamonds. Due to a clause the grandfather placed in his will, only his granddaughters are set to inherit his massive fortune…these are the heiresses. After the death of their cousin, the remaining heiresses try to figure out if the family curse is real or not, and if not, who killed their cousin, and more importantly, which one of them is next on the hit list?

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book.

As the synopsis states, this book is about a very wealthy extended family, and the murder of one of the heiresses of said family.  My favourite of the three main protagonists was probably Aster.  I liked seeing how her character developed over time from the superficial, shallow party girl to someone a bit more substantial and reliable.  Rowan and Corrine had their own separate relationship issues to deal with, and that is how I was able to tell those two apart - Corrine's the one getting married, and Rowan's the one who's in love with her best friend, who just happens to be married to her cousin.  Come to think of it, it was difficult to keep all of the characters straight.  One of those family tree thingies would have been handy at the front of the book.  

I didn't really connect with any of the characters.  The mystery was only somewhat interesting to me, and I had an easy time putting this book down.  I was never really cringing with fear or waiting with bated breath to see what would happen next - the suspense didn't draw me in as much as I would have liked.  Still, I might be tempted to pick up the next in the series just because of the cliff-hanger ending.

My rating:

  

Review: "On the Fence" by Kasie West

For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can out-run, out-score, and outwit every boy she knows--including her long-time neighbor, and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chi-chi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and bedazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pick-up game. To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

My thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

One of my top reads of the year!  This was my first Kasie West book and I absolutely loved it!

The characters were fantastic!  I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to like Charlie in the beginning because of how she acted, but I quickly came to adore her.  Braden was the perfect mix of friend and something more - I loved him!  And Charlie's brothers - also awesome!  I hereby vote for Gage to get his own book!

Of course, there was more to this book than just the fabulous characters.  The plot was perfectly paced - I was never bored or wanting to skim.  And I was really surprised at how deep things got at the end.  I definitely wasn't expecting that and maybe shed a tear or two!  It was also so much fun to see Charlie getting in touch with her more feminine side - definitely a few laugh out loud snorts from me!

So I've used 8 exclamation marks in this review so far, which normally I would think is too many, but in this case doesn't feel like nearly enough.  If you haven't got the gist of what I'm trying to say so far, then here it is in a nutshell - awesome book, go buy it and read it now! (!!!)

My rating: 4.5 stars

Review: "The Naughty Girls Book Club" by Sophie Hart

A quaint suburb. A quiet little book club. A very naughty reading list. When Estelle sets up a book group in order to increase custom to her struggling cafe, what follows is more mind-blowing than she could have ever imagined... As the first book club meeting flounders, Estelle suggests a spot of erotica to spice things up. Inspired by their naughty novels, this group of shy suburban readers shake off their inhibitions and soon discover that their own lives can be just as scandalous...

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this novel.

I really enjoyed this book!  I actually think it would be the perfect pick for my old book club!  Light, fun, intelligent, I would recommend it to just about everyone.

The story is told from multiple points of view, and this allows the reader insight from the five members of the book club and occasionally the spouses of these characters.  Sometimes a chapter would end on a real note of suspense with one character, and then switch to another character, and I'd be left thinking, "Nooooo!  I want to know what's going to happen!"  I almost resented switching to another character's story line, until I remembered that I liked this character just as much as the last.  This technique kept the plot moving along smoothly and I never felt like I was having to slog through.  

I could relate on different levels to all the members of the book club.  Sue reminds me a lot of my mom - newly retired, wanting to stay active and explore and experience new things, while married to a spouse who wants entirely different things.  I can remember what it was like to be in Rebecca's stage of life - newly wed and sorting through what that means as far as her role in the relationship.  Although I'm not divorced, I probably related most to Estelle - we're both  mothers, struggling to work, take care of our family, and sometimes losing our self in the process.  I couldn't relate to Gracie as much, but I loved seeing her relationship with Reggie develop.

My rating: