Heartstrings by Sara Walter Ellwood Review & Giveaway
Heartstrings
By:
Sara Walter Ellwood
Blurb:
He’s
determined to set things right, no matter the cost.
The
last person Abby Crawford wants to face down is country music
superstar Seth Kendall. Last time she did, she flat-out lied so he’d
go to Nashville without her. She’s never understood why their
mutual best friend proposed, but she went with it so her baby
wouldn’t be fatherless. Now she’s a divorced mother of a
teenager, and secretly Seth’s biggest fan.
Seth
is home in McAllister, Texas for his father’s funeral…and a
chance to meet the daughter he’s never known. He’s willing to
face the music of his own making and admit he’s known about his
little girl all along. For fifteen years he’s kept his distance
because Abby told him to follow his dreams without her, insisting she
didn’t love him. But now he won’t leave until he knows his
daughter and she knows him, even if it means facing the woman who
broke his heart for good.
Confessing
she’s lied about her daughter’s paternity all these years won’t
be easy for Abby, especially with her ex blackmailing her to keep the
secret. And Seth doesn’t know the hardest truth of all: Every love
song he plays on his guitar still plucks her heartstrings.
CONTENT
WARNING: Spicy sex.
Excerpt:
Seth
leaned in. His lips were close enough to kiss, and his scent of
sandalwood and something exotic enveloped her, taking her back to
that night on the beach. His eyes flashed with the dangerous fire of
his temper. It was similar to the flame of the passion she’d once
seen in the green depths. Abby didn’t expect or want the heat
curling in her belly, and shivered with a sudden and fierce desire.
“I’m
her father, Abigail. I wanted to be her father after she was born. It
was you and Mike who insisted I had no business messing things up.”
“I
never said any such thing. You never tried. You just left.”
He
pounded a fist on the counter top so hard she jumped. “Yes, I left!
I wasn’t welcome at home. Dad ran me off with a shotgun. Mike
wouldn’t even let me see my daughter. He made it quite clear you
and he were happily married, and I had no place in your life. I was
under contract to be in Nashville to start recording my first album.”
What
did he mean, Mike wouldn’t let him see Emily?
Before
she had a chance to voice her question, his eyes darkened as the
pupils dilated, obscuring the stormy green. “But I’m no longer
nineteen and scared shitless. I could make things very rough for you
and this fantasy you’ve got working.”
A
cold lump quickly replaced the tangle of heat in her belly.
“What-what do you mean?”
He
backed off and tapped the countertop. “I’m talking a custody
battle. I could have a judge order a paternity test. I think we both
know the media hoopla the results would cause.”
Her
heart slammed into her chest wall. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“Try
me. Now that I’ve met Emily, I want to get to know her.” He
walked over to look out the kitchen window. The hard line of his jaw
melted, and he swallowed so hard his throat moved up and down. “I
was a fool when I let Mike talk me out of being in her life after she
was born.”
“What
do you mean?”
He
glanced at her. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”
The
strings of guitar music provided a soft counterpoint to the hard
tension in the kitchen. Emily was outside on the patio playing around
with her guitar, waiting for them to finish with the dishes she and
Seth had insisted on doing.
“All
I want is to have some time with my daughter. That’s all I’m
asking for.” When he looked over his shoulder at her, sadness
replaced the anger in his eyes. “I’ll keep your little secret.
I’ll just be her favorite singer. The family friend who made it big
in Nashville. I don’t want to hurt her. As much as it galls the
hell out of me, I see what Mike means to her.”
He
moved toward her and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“Besides, I don’t want to hurt Carolann or Frank any more than
you do.” He glanced outside again, his voice husky as he spoke.
“But I’ll sue you if I have to.”
A
part of her wanted to give in to him, but a larger part wanted to
punish him. Let him take her to court; she’d make sure the world
knew what kind of jerk Seth Kendall really was.
She
gritted her teeth and fisted her hands by her sides. “I’ll let
you have tonight, Seth. But don’t ask for more.”
She
turned away and strode through the French doors.
Bio:
Sara
Walter Ellwood is an award winning author whose novel Gambling
On A Secret
was named by bestselling author Carolyn Brown in the Happy
Ever After Blog on USA Today
as one of her favorite romances of 2012. Although Sara has long ago
left the farm for the glamour of the big town, she draws on her
experiences growing up on a small hobby farm in West Central
Pennsylvania to write her stories. She’s been married to her
college sweetheart for nearly 20 years, and they have two teenagers
and one very spoiled rescue cat named Penny. She longs to visit the
places she writes about and jokes she’s a cowgirl at heart stuck in
Pennsylvania suburbia.
She
also writes paranormal romantic suspense under the pen name of Cera
duBois.
Buy
Links:
Author
Links:
Website:
http://www.sarawalterellwood.com
Review
I have to say that Heartstrings in by no means a new story line. When I started it I wanted to roll my eyes but I soon found myself reading more and more. I couldn't stop. Seth, Abby and Emily pulled me in. I was happy the author jumped on most of the secrets right away. No one wants to read a book that draws everything out. Now saying that doesn't mean the author gave you everything, leaving nothing for the ending, because she didn't. She keeps her story moving from page to page, ending with a bang. This is a very easy, well written story that is well worth your time. Happy reading!
Giveaway:
(Sara is Hosting TWO Giveaways)
***Please
leave valid email address to be eligible***
- I will be giving away two ebook copies of my last release Gambling On A Secret at the end of the Tasty Review Tour, so make sure readers leave a valid email address with comment to enter.
- Tour Grand Prize is a swag pack full of goodies! A signed copy of Carolyn Brown’s Just a Cowboy and His Baby, an ebook copy of my last release Gambling On A Secret, a notebook, a pen, custom jewelry set, $5 Starbuck’s gift card—all tucked into a keepsake box. (Sorry, only US residents are eligible. Comparable International Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card.) *Swag pack(gift card) is for the entire two-month tour. Winner will be announced on June 1, 2013
Make sure to stop by the other stops in the tour for a better chance to win! Tasty Book Tour
Thank you for hosting today!
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DeleteI freaking LOVE country music!! Thanks for the giveaway!! fishinlovingal@yahoo.com
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