If You Were Mine, an all-new sexy and emotional standalone from USA Today Bestselling author Melanie Harlow is now available!
If You Were Mine
by Melanie Harlow
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb
Theo MacLeod wasn’t supposed to be the one.
Tall, dark and handsome suits me just fine, but the cocky grin, know-it-all attitude, and mammoth ego? No thanks. I only hired him so I wouldn’t have to sit at the singles table again. It was just pretend.
He wasn’t supposed to kiss me.
My heart wasn’t supposed to pound.
We weren’t supposed to spend the night together—the hottest night of my life.
One night turns into a snowed-in weekend away, and even the blizzard of the century can’t cool the fire between us. I can’t get enough—of his smile, of his body, of the way he makes me feel.
We’re nothing alike. He’s a daredevil, and I’m a nervous Nellie. He’s a drifter, and I want to put down roots. He’s an opportunist with a checkered past, and I’m a Girl Scout volunteer.
But none of it matters when I’m in his arms.
I know he’s made mistakes. I know his wounds are deep, and he doesn’t trust easily. I know he doesn’t believe he could ever be enough to make me happy, but he could.
All he has to do is stay.
Excerpt
A guy in a black leather jacket set a coffee cup down on the
table and sat opposite me.
I looked over at him, feeling slightly awkward since I’d
have to tell him he couldn’t sit there. He was handsome, with warm brown eyes
and short dark hair, but he wasn’t Fred. “I’m sorry, I’m waiting for someone,”
I said. “But I can move.”
To my surprise, he smiled confidently. “Claire, right? I’m
Fred.”
I screwed up my face. “You can’t be. Fred has blond hair and
blue eyes. I saw his picture.”
He laughed, almost condescendingly. “I don’t use my real
picture, Claire. People are crazy.”
What? This made no sense. “I don’t understand. How can you
advertise yourself with someone else’s photo? Don’t women get mad when you show
up?”
He shrugged, his grin turning a little cocky. “Haven’t had
any complaints so far.”
Actually, he was
more attractive than the photo he’d used online—more rugged and masculine, with
his scruffy jaw, big shoulders, and brawny chest. Meeting the real Fred was
kind of like ordering the chicken piccata and being brought the Porterhouse,
which hadn’t even been on the menu.
But that wasn’t the point.
(And I’d described someone completely different to Elyse.)
“So, what, you use a fake photo to lure potential clients
and then you set up the coffee meeting to check them out first?” I asked
indignantly.
“Wouldn’t you?” He shrugged out of his jacket. “It’s a scary
world out there.”
I crossed my arms, sitting up tall. “No! That’s a scam. I
don’t like scammers.”
“No, it isn’t. I don’t take any money from them. I don’t
even talk to them, I just leave.”
Frowning, I said, “That doesn’t seem right to me. These
people are willing to pay you to hang out with them and probably feel bad
enough about themselves already, and you just walk out without even giving them
a chance?”
He shrugged. “Look, if it makes you feel any better, I’ve
only walked off a job once, and that was because I thought I recognized the
woman. I prefer to keep my personal and professional identities separate.
That’s fair, isn’t it?”
Professional identity? He was a rent-a-date! I shook my head
in disbelief. “Is your name even Fred?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes,” I snapped. “How am I supposed to know what to call
you?”
He grinned as he leaned toward me and lowered his voice.
“Call me anything you want. You’re the boss.”
Was he flirting with me or making fun of me? I cleared my
throat and pressed my knees tighter together. “I’d like to call you by your
actual name, please. Bad enough I have to pay someone to play my fake
boyfriend. I’d like something to be
real, at least.”
He held his eyes steady on mine for a moment. I felt like he
was sizing me up, trying to decide if he could trust me, so I stared right back
without blinking. If anyone at this table was trustworthy, it was me.
“Theo,” he said quietly, his eyes dropping to my lips for
the merest fraction of a second. “My name is Theo.”
There. Was that so
hard? I smiled at him before picking up my latte.“Well, it’s nice to meet
you, Theo.”
“What, you’re just going to believe me? You’re much too
trusting, Claire. I bet people take advantage of you.”
I set the cup back down on the saucer with an angry clank.
“Is your name Theo or not?”
“Shhh, it is, it is,” he said, laughing. Then he glanced
over his shoulder like he was in the fucking CIA. “But I don’t give that out to
just anyone. You should feel special.”
Read Today!
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2kyu7kK
Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/bgtL5b
iTunes: https://goo.gl/vBw5E5
Nook: https://goo.gl/e16nAD
Add to Goodreads: https://goo.gl/zqceTQ
Review
**4.5 Stars**
I love anything Melanie brings us, so I knew I was going to
love Claire and Theo's story. Every time Melanie writes a book, I feel like I
know everything about the characters and it's watching one of my best friends
fall in love with their person. I love it. If You Were Mine was no different.
This can be read as a standalone, but it does mention characters from Man Candy
and After We Fall.
I love everything about Claire and Theo, not only did they
fall in love, but to get there they had to learn lessons along the way. They
had to learn about self-acceptance, forgiveness, and how to love. Both of these
characters had to overcome things in their past, whether it be to learn to love
themselves and accept everything about themselves and to forgive themselves all
things in their past.
Claire is this all loving character who gives her all. But,
she had to learn to love herself and accept all the good things about herself
that Theo loved. Her self-confidence become more prominent because of the love
she had for Theo and the way he treated her.
Theo hasn't had an easy life, but he is a very loving man.
He is broken but he is truly amazing. He treats Claire with all the respect and
love she deserves, but it doesn't come without trial and error. He has to learn
to accept who he is to truly learn how to love. He has to accept that he can be
loved and love someone in return.
I loved everything about this story. Claire and Theo are two
of my favorite characters. I can't wait to see what else Melanie brings us!
About the Author
Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she's not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like VEEP, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Homeland. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.
Melanie is the author of the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
Connect with Melanie
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NPkYKs
Twitter: @MelanieHarlow2
Website: http://www.melanieharlow.com
Sign up for Melanie’s Newsletter: http://www.melanieharlow.com/subscribe/
No comments :
Post a Comment