LOVERS AT HEART (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, #1)
By Melissa Foster
New Adult/Adult Contemporary Romance
Published December 27, 2013
Published by World Literary Press
**CONTENT WARNING: Due to mature content, recommended for readers aged 18+**
Buy and Information Links:
Synopsis
Lovers at Heart is a steamy contemporary romance with alpha male heroes and sexy, empowered women. They’re flawed, funny, passionate, and very relatable for readers who enjoy adult romance, contemporary romance, and women’s fiction.
Handsome, wealthy resort owner Treat Braden is used to getting what he wants. When Max Armstrong walked into his life six months earlier, he saw right through the efficient and capable façade she wore like a shield, to the sweet, sensual woman who lay beneath. She sparked an unfamiliar desire in him for more than a one-night stand, leaving his heart reeling and his blood boiling. But one mistake caused her to turn away, and now, after six months of longing for the one woman he cannot have, he’s going home to try to forget her all together.
Max Armstrong has a successful career, a comfortable lifestyle, and she’s never needed a man to help her find her way–until Treat Braden caught her attention at a wedding in Nassau, causing a surge of emotions too reminiscent of the painful past she’d spent years trying to forget. Max will do anything to avoid reliving that pain–including forgoing her toe-curling, heart-pounding desire for Treat.
When a chance encounter turns into a night of intense passion, Treat realizes that the mistake he made six months earlier may cause him to lose Max completely. He will do everything within his power to win her heart forever–and Max is forced to face her hurtful past head on for the man she cannot help but love.
“Steamy sex scenes and heartfelt confessions…a satisfying addition to the ‘Love in Bloom’ series.” – Midwest Book Review
Fans of Melissa Foster’s Snow Sisters series may be interested in The Bradens.
.
Danica Snow has always been the smart, practical, and appropriate sister. As a therapist, she prides herself on making reasonable, conservative choices, even if a bit boring, and as part of the Big Sister Program, she has little time for anything more in her life. Blake Carter is a player. He never gets bored of conquering women, and with his sexy good looks and successful lifestyle, he has no trouble finding willing participants. When his friend and business partner dies in a tragic accident, he suddenly, desperately, wants to change his ways. The problem is, he doesn’t know how to stop doing what he does best. When Blake walks into Danica’s office, the attraction between them is white hot, but Danica isn’t the type to give into the heat and risk her career. Danica’s desire sets her on a path of self-discovery, where she begins to question every decision she’s ever made. Just this once, Danica wants to indulge in the pleasures of life she’s been so willingly ignoring, but with her Little Sister in turmoil and her biological sister’s promiscuousness weighing heavily on her heart, she isn’t sure it’s the right time to set her desires free.
Lovers at Heart (Treat & Max) Destined for Love (Rex & Jade) Friendship on Fire (Josh & Riley) Sea of Love (Dane & Lacy) Bursting with Love (Savannah & Jack) Hearts at Play (Hugh & Bree)
Series: The Remingtons
THE REMINGTONS are the newest addition to the LOVE IN BLOOM series by New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster. This 5-book steamy contemporary romance series features alpha male heroes and sexy, empowered women. They’re flawed, funny, passionate, and relatable to readers who enjoy new adult romance, contemporary romance, and women’s fiction. While each book may be read as a standalone, you might enjoy reading the entire Love in Bloom series (The Snow Sisters, The Bradens, & The Remingtons)
About the Author
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. 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, and 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 has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.
Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.
Author Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
REMEMBER: Love in Bloom, Sisters in Love and Lovers at Heart (The Bradens)
Is Currently (at time of posting)
FREE in E Book Format
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
For a Limited Time
Tour Brought to You by:
How do Indie Movies, a Billionaire, a Nassau Resort, A Colorado Ranch, a tiller, and New England Oysters go together… Well reader, that is what you will discover while reading this romance.
This is my first Melissa Foster Novel. All in all I would have to say that I like it. I would recommend reading the series from the very start. Which would be, Love in Bloom-Sisters in Love (which at time of posting is free in e-book form on Amazon and Barnes & Noble). Love at Heart is Book 4 of the entire series, but Book 1 in, The Bradens. Even though I am not familiar with all the characters or have prior knowledge of all the happenings in the prior novels, the author does a good job of filling in the blanks. Several times Max and Treat think back to their stormy boat voyage. I believe this action takes place in book 3, Love in Bloom-Sisters in White. Lovers at Heart picks up six months later in October. (Lovers at Heart is also available FREE in e-book format from Amazon, Barnes & Noble).
Love in Bloom-Love at Heart (The Bradens) takes the reader into an introductory look at the whole Braden family. Treat Braydens brothers, sister, and father are integrated into the novels storyline.
At the beginning of the novel, and if you read book 3 in the series, then you know that Max and Treat met in Nassau at a friend/relatives double wedding. Now six months have passed and both still think hard and sadly about interactions taken place at that time and in that place.
Treat Brayden owner of the Nassau and many other resorts needs a break from said resort. So he flies from Nassau to Colorado to be with his family. Oh, but he forgot that the Indie Film Festival was that same time frame. And who do you think he should see in the crowd? Max of course!
Though it seems these two have ‘ships passing in the night syndrome’.
Fate seems to put them together, but somehow actions and words tend to get misunderstood.
Then the next thing the reader knows is that their next meeting of fate or destiny is in New England. Where another festival, this time the oyster festival is taking place. There are people, people, and more people. Max feels pulled to the area, but why? Then she sees something she wished she hadn’t. However instead of moping about she decides to join in the happenings of the town. Will fate put Max and Treat together again? Both characters have a past that were painful where the idea of Love was concerned. In their own ways they have to work these feelings, emotions and memories out with themselves and with each other.
This novel is full of ups, downs, highs, lows, and a collection of emotions from the first page to the last page.
Love is a strong sensation as you read this novel. Not only does the reader experience a couple working on a relationship based on love. One in which the hero and heroine are trying to move past their own experiences with love up until now, but also the love of a close family. A husband that still feels his wife’s presence around him, that still loves her.
Will Max and Treat ever be able to connect at the same port or forever sail past one another?
Will either ever have their phone on at the same time? Will the hero and heroine ever communicate? Will their be a Happy Ending?
Is their love and draw to one another strong enough to survive trusting each other, trusting in LOVE, and where ever life or work may take them?
Well then reader, you will just have to read this novel for yourself.
After reading this particular novel out of sink with the rest of the series, I would like to go back and add the previous novels on my To Be Read list, as well as keep up with future releases. For the heroes are HOT, the sex is STEAMY. Overall I am glad that I was introduced to this author via the blog tour.
Ratings:
4.0 Rosebuds of Writing Raves
The writing was written in such a way that even reading this novel as a stand alone verses in series, the reader has a sense of the characters back-stories from the previous novels in the series. The novel keeps the reader guessing. Wondering if Love will prevail, will the hero and heroine ever get together and stay together?
3.5 Teardrops
I have told you before I am an emotional reader. An all the ups and downs in this book had me tearing up through a good portion of the novel. Definitely need tissues handy, or at least I did. I know everyone is not an emotional reader and the novel may not effect you the same way that it did me. But I just wanted to tell Max to turn her phone on… to talk it out with Treat…
Then there is the special bond among the Braden family members. So when the novel takes a turn, I turn emotional…
4.0 Romance Rave
My oh my…when Max and Treat do connect, they sizzle…
Reading Writing and Book Reviews 
Feb 13, 2014 @ 23:24:32
I’m so glad you joined the tour as well! Thank you for your awesome review and I’m so happy you’re going to check out more from the Bradens! XOXO
LikeLike
Feb 13, 2014 @ 23:38:55
Looking forward to reading more of your writing, Melissa Foster!
LikeLike