This review is done in conjunction with a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Melissa will be awarding one of three copies of HAVE NO SHAME as Kindle files to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
"Steamy love scenes, emotionally-charged drama, and a family-driven story, make this the perfect story for any romance reader; especially those who have read Book One, Sisters in Love."
-- Diane Donovan, Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Kaylie Snow has always been the fun, flirty, pretty sister. Now, her burgeoning baby bump, hormone infused emotions, and faltering singing career are sending her into an unexpected identity crisis. Watching her older sister Danica glide through a major career change and a new relationship with the grace of a ballerina, Kaylie’s insecurities rise to the forefront—and her relationship, with fiancé Chaz Crew, is caught in the crossfire.
Chaz Crew has everything he’s ever wanted: a lovely fiancé, a baby on the way, and soon, the film festival he owns will host its biggest event ever. When he’s called away to woo the festival’s largest sponsor—and the lover he’s never admitted to having—secrets from his past turn his new life upside down.
With her baby shower around the corner, and her fiancé’s big event looming, the pressure is on for Kaylie to pull herself together—and for Chaz to right his wrongs. In a few short weeks, the couple who had it all figured out will learn things about life and love that may change their minds—and their hearts.
SISTERS IN BLOOM is a testament to the bond of sisters, the strength of women, and the pains and delights that accompany motherhood. A book for every mother, sister, and daughter, SISTERS IN BLOOM will resonate with readers who love to explore family dramas.
Read the review:
This is the second book of the series and can easily be read on its own--however, I enjoyed the characters so much, I've already downloaded book 1 to my Nook (HINT: Book 1, Sisters in Love, is currently free for Nook and Kindle).
The story centers around Kaylie and her fiance Chaz--but life to the altar is not all rose petals and champagne. For one thing... she's pregnant, having problems with her career, and feeling all the emotions that go along with being very pregnant. Add to that mix, she's got a lot of baggage to go through from her parents' divorce--not to mention a scheming woman from Chaz's past, and you have a powder keg ready to go off.
Chaz is amazingly patient with her and her mood swings... but goes too far in wanting to protect her. To the extent that he keeps things from her he really should have told her. And, that's always a recipe for trouble.
The supporting characters (especially Danika, Blake, and Max) are all as likeable as Kaylie and Chaz--I really want to know more about how Danika and Blake got together--I think I will find that out in Book 1--and Max intrigues me. I hope there will be a Book 3.. I have my suspicions about her. Melissa, any hints here?
This book is full of excitement and caring and loving and Melissa Foster did a #1 job of making me fall in love!! Thanks!
Enjoy this excerpt:
Kaylie Snow didn’t
just have to tinkle, she had to pee. If she wasn’t out of bed in two minutes,
she’d very likely not make it to the bathroom, and then she’d have to explain
to her fiancé why the carpet was wet. She pulled the sheet over her naked,
burgeoning belly, and sat up, watching Chaz’s chest rise and fall with each
peaceful breath. She stifled the urge to lean over and kiss his barely parted
lips. He’d been working so hard; he really did deserve to sleep in. The morning
light streamed through the curtains reminding her of the morning after they’d
first met. Surely, her bladder could wait one small minute while she savored
those memories. She’d had far too many margaritas celebrating her best friend
Camille’s impending wedding, and Chaz had been only mildly tipsy when they left
Bar None together and headed to his place. She remembered thinking that she
wanted to run her hands through his wavy blond hair, which set off his
ocean-blue eyes like jewels. And she’d desperately wanted to kiss him, just as
she did now.
She’d waited a long
time for that first kiss. They talked until five in the morning, when—tucked
perfectly into the curve of his arm, her head against his muscular chest—they’d
fallen asleep on the couch in his living room. When she awoke, the sun was warming the room, and his
unkissed lips slightly parted as he slept. She could feel their connection as if
it was another person in the room, and she’d known in her heart that she’d
found the man she’d one day marry. She reached over now and ran her finger over
the prickles of whiskers that lined the chiseled edge of his jaw.
He rolled onto his
side, snuggling deeper into the pillow, and shifted just enough to jiggle her
bladder. She winced, pressing the heel of her hand on the mattress to push
herself to her feet—not an easy task at thirty-five weeks pregnant. As she
raised herself off the bed, she felt Chaz’s hand fold into her own.
“Come back,” he
whispered.
Kaylie turned,
holding the sheet across her heavy breasts. “I have to pee,” she whispered.
“Then come back.”
He squeezed her hand gently, and then let her go.
After Kaylie went
to the bathroom, she washed her hands and inspected herself in the mirror. Naked Buddha. She turned sideways. Beached whale. She turned to the rear
and looked over her shoulder. Oh, God,
that’s even worse. What had she been thinking last night, believing each of
Chaz’s compliments about how gorgeous she looked? The evening before came
tumbling back to her. The phone call from
the Denver nightclub, the one she’d sung in for the last two years. Just
another in a long line of lost singing gigs that she’d hoped to secure, for after
the baby was born. She was a good singer! Audiences loved her and she’d never
missed a single gig. She’d always dreamt of being offered a record deal; now,
it seemed as if her pregnancy changed everything, like she had a tattoo on her
forehead that read, Don’t hire me. I’ll
have a baby soon and it’ll make me unreliable. She’d cried for twenty
minutes, blaming herself, the baby, and even Chaz. Later, she realized she
hadn’t really meant a word of it, she’d just been overwhelmed. Chaz had stuck
right beside her, calm and empathetic, and she’d fallen for every one of his
lines about how sexy and beautiful she looked, and how wonderful of a mother
she’d be. He’d reeled her right into his loving, secure arms, and whisked those
worries away.
Look at me. That’s it! No more sleeping naked. She ran her hands along the pockets of flesh that
had somehow gathered above her waist. Jesus,
I have love handles? She’d been a size five since she was a teenager. How
could she have love handles? Babies grew in the uterus, not above the hipbones.
What the hell is this all about? She
patted her blond hair into submission—sort of—brushed her teeth, and then
grabbed one of Chaz’s T-shirts from his dresser drawer before returning to bed.
Kaylie lay on her
back, her legs bent at the knees. She restrained herself from feeling the love
handles that now seemed to silently taunt her. Just knowing they were there was
making her cranky. She felt her chest tighten, and clenched her fingers around
the edges of Chaz’s shirt.
Chaz curled into
her, his knees tucked under hers, and his arm across her narrow hips, below her
enormous belly. He rested his head on her shoulder, and she listened to his
breathing, each breath calming her nerves a little bit more. She felt so safe
when she was with Chaz. No wonder she hadn’t put on clothes last night. She
believed anything that came out of his mouth.
“Wanna think about
names?” he whispered.
“We agreed not to.”
When Kaylie first learned she was pregnant, they’d decided not to find out the
gender of the baby. There were so few real surprises in life that they wanted
the birth of their baby to be one of those moments that really grabbed them by
their hearts in a way that nothing else ever could. For that reason, and with
her doctor’s permission, she’d only had one sonogram. She wasn’t a high-risk
pregnancy, and she was so young that her doctor saw no reason to have more;
Kaylie had been relieved. The idea of lying on the table with her baby on that
screen—close enough to reach out and touch—would have been too hard to turn
away from.
Kaylie was also
adamant about not trying out names before it was born. She’d never understood
how a child could have a name before the parents had met it. What if a Charles
was really a Michael? It would be hard to change the name to fit the
personality or looks of a baby if they’d been calling it Charles for nine
months.
She and Chaz were so much alike. They agreed
on almost everything, and Kaylie had dated enough men to know just how lucky
she was. She closed her eyes, thinking about the things she had to do today.
She was meeting her older sister, Danica, and her mother, who she hadn’t seen
in—gosh—a year? Had it really been that long? Guilt settled in around her. Her
mother was once such a big part of her life, but ever since she found out that
her mother had stayed with her father after learning of his affair, she no
longer saw her mother in the same light. The strong woman she thought she knew
seemed weak and almost pathetic. Now that Kaylie was going to be a mother, she
found herself thinking of her mother more often, but she had no idea how to
handle the anger and disappointment she felt toward her. Once again, she tucked
away these uncomfortable thoughts about her mother. They were too difficult to
deal with right then. She had other pressing issues that she could not ignore.
Her nerves tightened against the incessant nag
in the back of her mind, the one that reminded her that it had been months
since her last singing gig. The one that reminded her that her sister Danica
would never let her career just fade away, unless that’s what she wanted.
Kaylie felt powerless to change the path of her failing career, and determined,
fearless Kaylie had never felt powerless in her entire life.
Chaz moved his hand
slowly across her pelvis, then traced gentle circles on the underside of her
belly. “Gracie?”
“We’re not doing
this,” she said, smiling despite her desire to chew on her worry for just
another minute or two. She brushed his bangs from his forehead.
“Felix?”
“Chaz.”
About the Author:Melissa Foster is an award-winning, International bestselling author. Her books have been recommended by USA Today's book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, the World Literary Café. When she's not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa is also a community builder for the Alliance for Independent Authors. She has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.
Website: www.MelissaFoster.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaFosterAuthor
Twitter: @Melissa_Foster
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Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3023973.Melissa_Foster
The Women’s Nest (My social network for women): http://www.TheWomensNest.com
World Literary Café, Where readers and author unite! http://www.worldlitcafe.com
Fostering Success – www.fostering-success.com
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm so glad you downloaded book 1 too! Thanks for the awesome review and I hope you have a great New Years!! XOXO
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
Happy New Year!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com