EMBERby EMMA RENSHAW
Ten years ago, I left Hawk Valley.
I never planned to return. Not to the regrets. The bitter memories. The guilt.
My baseball career gave me both the excuse and the money I needed to start over. Then my mom called, and I found myself headed back to the one place I swore I wouldn’t step foot again.
Meeting Delilah wasn’t part of the plan. Falling in love with her adorable son was even less so. And yet, what’s brewing between us is too intense to be denied. The unexpected passion is almost enough to distract us from the crumbling of both our worlds.
But even as the sparks fly, someone is waiting in the shadows to burn it all down.
"One day a kiss would change everything."
Ever since reading the synopsis for Ember - I knew this had to go on my TBR. A synopsis from his POV is always enticing, but the actual story itself was very good in the dual POV she offered. For my first full read of Emma Renshaw's, I can confirm that I've been missing out on her easy flow and her lighthearted love stories. With an evident flair for writing a man with strength in his love and conviction in his belief, I need to check out her other stories. I did start the first book in her Vow Series, but I was mid-tours right after my surgeries from last year, so I didn't get to finish it. I will go back with renewed interest.
Like I said, the writing was nice and easy. Not a lot of depth, but super easy to get into and it allowed me to fall in love with the characters without issue. I easily connected with both Gunner and Delilah, as well as the secondary characters. It slowed down once it got into a groove, the characters grew, the love matured, and the family and friends were incorporated into the storyline - it was seriously the easiest read ever. The love grew quickly, but I actually kept pace with it rather well. I did have a few issues with the transition from scenes and time passage, but it ironed itself out the farther into the chapter we got.
Some of the scenes Renshaw delivered to set a moment were so intimate. The way he crowded her against the counter, breathed against her back and caged her in - *bites knuckle* - that was so sexy. So fun to imagine. I loved the picture she painted for me, because not only did she give me a side of Gunner that I wanted to see, but she also allowed me to feel the side of him that Delilah got to fall in love with and it made me just a little giddy. I do not know how anyone cannot fall head over heels in love with him. He was literal perfection!
It was just a splinter of excitement, but my love grew as Gunner allowed himself to joke around and tease Delilah. Seeing him break out and away from being so quiet and reserved gave him a more human side to him - not just this workaholic, straight-laced, forlorn and withdrawn man. I loved the way he was level headed and very protective of her and it wasn't crazy, over the top. Awww man, he really made me smile. He wasn't only easy on the eyes, but he was easy on the heart and I loved reading about him.
"I'm not sure we ever know the moment we fall in love. It's little things that add into big things that become all-consuming until it's impossible to deny it."
The only thing that pulled me out of the groove I was in was the OTT drama at the very end. I was flying high. This book was absolutely amazing. The love and the relationship, Tuck - all of it was amazing. Sadly, it was a crazy, completely out of left field twist that knocked it down a peg or two for me. I was so bummed. So very bummed. All the feel good vibes you could ask for in this sweet, small town, big love romance - and I almost felt defeated. I walked away for a minute because I didn't appreciate that craziness, but that epilogue was the ultimate icing on the cake and was the soothing balm I needed. All was right in the world again....
Emma Renshaw literally gave me the most amazing man in Gunner. Not only was he down to earth, quite humbled, a little troubled, and a momma's boy - but he was a good man with a solid heart of gold. All man. I mean, writing this review is making me smile when I think about him. So Renshaw nailed the perfection that is Gunner. Giving him Delilah's heart and soul was a gift beyond imagination. They were the perfect couple and they meshed so well. It really was the background strength to the whole story. I loved them and Tuck so SO much.
Make no mistake, I will be following this series and am excited to see where IGNITE takes me. She paved the way for all of these characters to have their own story, so I am really looking forward to checking out Ridge's story next.
"One kiss that was equal parts Earth shattering, panty melting, and life changing. But still, one kiss."
~BEE
Read below if you'd like an excerpt from Ember
Releasing July 21st
~EXCERPT~
Delilah rested her free hand on my chest and rubbed her thumb back and forth. I felt the coolness of her hands through my shirt, but even as cold as they were, it warmed my skin.
“Well, it depends if you ask Makenna or me. If you ask me, Makenna tricked me into drinking so much. It wasn’t my fault that the fire department had to be called because she was stuck in a tree, and it was definitely her fault that I made brownies and then tried to get them out without an oven mitt. That’s what the scar is from.”
A loud, surprised laugh rumbled in my chest. “Makenna was stuck in a tree?”
“Yes. I have a picture of Mak up there. It’s great. But again, it wasn’t my fault.”
She pointed at me and made her eyes really round, and my laugh continued to grow.
“Would she say that it was your fault?”
“You know what I want?” Delilah leaned forward, trying to distract me with the pretty and mischievous smile on her face.
“What?”
“To dance.”
I rose from the barstool with her hand still in mine and led her to the dance floor. An upbeat, fast-paced country song was playing. Mom had taught me how to dance at a young age. It was something I’d never told anyone about until I got older and knew it would impress the girls.
I took her to the edge of the dance floor, and we watched the couples two-step past us until I found a break in the floor and spun her out and then back in. She landed against my chest with a thud and wide, surprised eyes.
“You can dance,” she said as I swept us across the floor.
I held her a little tighter with every song change, and every laugh that bubbled from her lips brought my mouth closer to hers. She was pressed against my body so tightly, there wasn’t a chance even a piece of paper could be wedged between us. I never looked anywhere but at her eyes. Her hand around my neck coasted up and down my skin.
When the song slowed down, I moved us to the edge of the floor and swayed with her in my arms. Then I slowly lowered my head to meet hers. Her fingers tightened in my hair as our lips met. My hand fisted in the back of her shirt as I licked the seam of her lips asking for entry. She opened her mouth and our tongues clashed together.
It was loud with the music and other patrons, but I could hear her soft moan as if it were on blast in my ears. The kiss sped everything up at the same time as it slowed everything down. It was entirely too much, setting my need for her on fire, and not nearly enough, as I wanted so much more.
I’d mostly chalked up my mom’s romantic stories about my dad to her missing him, and I’d rolled my eyes when she told me one day a kiss would change everything.
Fuck. She was right. I wasn’t ready to admit it to myself, but some deep, dark part of me knew Delilah had changed everything.
~MEET EMMA RENSHAW~
Emma loves to write, just don't ask her to write about herself. If she isn't writing, you can find her lost in a book or trying to get her doggo to take a selfie with her. He usually refuses. At the end of the day, you can find Emma at the closest Mexican restaurant eating queso and sipping on a margarita. She lives in Texas with her husband and dog.
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COPY PURCHASED FOR GIVEAWAY
