5 Smooches!

Synopsis

The directive had been clear: Deeply embed himself in the fair town of Paradise, Tennessee, and keep one Melody Song Reardon from forgiving her fornicating ex-fiancé and keep her safe by any means necessary.

Fortunately, Retired First Sergeant Callum Valentine had always been a man that got the job done. Unfortunately, nobody told him that while his ‘job’ might be as pretty as a picture, she could be ornery as a wet cat and had a stubborn streak a mile long. Now, he was battling baristas and dodging would-be assassins in an effort to keep one sultry southern minx safe.

He’d thought the Taliban would be the most dangerous force he ever face. Imagine his surprise when he realized that the radical extremists had nothing on one curvy little woman with a wicked edge to her tongue…. a woman that had somehow tangled herself around his cold heart.

*~*

Melody Song Reardon was done with men. After learning that the man she’d been going to marry was no better than a corporate Casanova in and out of the boardroom and bedroom, she’d decided that love just wasn’t in the cards for her.

Which was fine.

She was young, smart, and capable… and better yet, she had a dream and a plan: Opening her very own book/yarn store – Hooks & Books. She had the brains. She had the building. And now, she had a freaking bodyguard compliments of her interfering older brother?

She didn’t care how mouthwateringly handsome her so-called savior was; she didn’t need another controlling man in her life telling her what to do. At least, she hadn’t needed one…. until those nerve wracking hang-ups and strange notes took an ominous turn. Now, somebody wants her dead and the only thing standing between her and the Grim Reaper is one seriously gorgeous man named Callum Valentine.

Falling in love again in the middle of her own personal apocalypse hadn’t been the plans…then again, the great thing about a plan is that it can change on a dime!

Review

“I was brought up believing that a girl should be able to take care of herself. I forgot that lesson for a little while and almost made a mistake I could never undo with a man I’d rather forget.”

Thirty-year-old Melody Song Reardon is starting over. After walking in on her ex-fiancé, days before their wedding, having sex with her best friend and their maid of honor, she broke the engagement, left him and headed back home to Paradise, TN. She moved into her granny’s house, and she took an enormous, out-of-character risk by sinking her life savings and the proceeds of her inheritance from her granny’s estate into a start up business. A tiny powerhouse of a woman, she is fiercely determined (and slightly panicking) to make her new store a huge success.

“Get ready, Melody …. I’m coming for you, Princess.”

Callum Valentine, a recently retired twenty-year Army veteran, agreed to do a favor for a friend, one of his soldiers and Melody’s older brother, RJ. He moved to Paradise, and right into “RJ’s half” of Melody’s home to be her shadow and to have her back while she was dealing with her annoying ex-fiancé, Brad, who is just not taking no for an answer.  Abandoned as an infant, Cal grew up a ward of the state in various boys’ and foster homes. He’s never had a family, and no woman has ever caught his attention like Melody has. He can see it all with her, he knows that she is meant to be his, and he’s not about to back down from this battle.

“I was put here to be yours, and you were meant to be mine.”

Cal was smitten with Melody the minute RJ showed him her picture. But being in her presence, living with her and getting to know her, those feelings only intensify and further convince him that they’re meant to be, now if he could only get Mel to admit it, too. While he may be confident in his feelings and knows what he wants, Melody is unsure. She’s fresh off a broken engagement to a man that cheated on her repeatedly and flagrantly for the entirety of their five-year relationship. Her self esteem has taken a hit, and she questions her judgement when it comes to men. Not willing to be made the fool again, she’s decided that love isn’t for her, and besides, she needs to focus her energy and attention on opening her store, not a relationship with Cal, or at least that’s what she’s telling herself.

“She’d been keeping secrets from him…”

Brad isn’t going down without a fight, though. He keeps popping up in Melody’s life, and despite her unwavering, crystal clear refusals of his reconciliation attempts, he’s just not getting the message. Meanwhile, Melody is getting hang-up phone calls and someone is leaving creepy notes for her, notes that she’s dismissing as idle threats, and instead of cluing Cal in to these threats, she’s choosing to ignore them. Not exactly a wise decision on her part as it turns out…

“Don’t let my stubbornness and stupidity ruin us now that I’ve finally gotten my head out of my a$$.”

Cal continues his steady and patient pursuit of Melody, he’s just waiting for her to catch up with him and with what he knows she’s also feeling. But stubborn is her middle name, and she’s not giving in that quickly or easily. Before she can measure her words, she hurts Cal, and the kicker is that she totally didn’t mean the garbage she spewed at him. To make matters worse, it’s looking like it isn’t Brad who’s trying to hurt Melody, although he hasn’t given up his attempts to win her back. Is this the straw that breaks the camel’s back? Has Melody’s callous words hurt Cal enough to push him away for good? Will Brad finally give up trying to get her back? And just who, exactly, is behind all these attacks and threats against her?

“For always and ever, babe. That’s just the way it is. It’s the price you pay for tangling your heart with mine.”

I love the ever-talented writing duo, Sarah O’Rourke. The Passion in Paradise series is one of my favorites, and I’ve been Facebook stalking them since I read Cain’s Salvation. This addition to the series, while it doesn’t focus directly on a member of the McKinnon clan, is a great addition. I loved Cal, he was a man who knew what he wanted, set it in his sights and didn’t stop until he savored the victory. Melody is no pushover, though, she’s got back-bone! I loved the back-and-forth banter between these two! This is a steamy, small town romance series with a great dose of southern humor, and I absolutely loved it!

Five hilarious, heated, happily-ever-after smooches for Sarah O’Rourke’s Tangled Hearts from me!

~ Danielle Palumbo

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