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Solene Marchand, the 39-year-old owner of an art gallery in Los Angeles, is reluctant to take her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band. But since her divorce, she's more eager than ever to be close to Isabelle. The last thing Solene expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of 20 years old further complicates things. What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate and genuine relationship.
Fake engaged to the hottest quarterback in the country? Score. They say nothing compares to your first kiss, but our first kiss was orchestrated for an audience. Our second kiss...that one was real. He cradled my face like he was terrified he'd f--k it up. He stared into my eyes until the air buzzed. Soft and slow, full of sighs and little laughs, he inhaled me like I was the finest Belgian chocolate, and he'd never get another piece.
Cooper Ryan is living the dream. Between the parties with rock royalty, booze, groupies and performing to crowds of thousands with his band Taint, life seems pretty sweet. There's just one thing missing: the feisty little red-head that took his baby and ran off with his heart. Throwing himself into music is the only thing keeping him sane.
Thirty days ago, my boss, Mr. Wolf of Wall Street, came to me with an offer I couldn't refuse: Sign my name on the dotted line and pretend to be his fiancée for one month. If I agreed, he would let me out of my employment contract with a "very generous" severance package. The rules were pretty simple: No intimate kissing, no actual sex. Just pretend to love each other for the press, even though I've secretly wanted to knock that sexy smirk off his face since the first day we met.
I was a woman on the edge, shaken and shattered after a breakup that felt like it tore my entire world apart. My best friend, sick of watching me drown in misery and melancholy, harassed me until I agreed to go with her on a weeklong wilderness retreat. Nowhere in the glossy brochure did it say anything about the fact I was going to have to battle the insufferable but deliciously rugged trail guide instead of the elements. The brochure also forgot to mention that when you left civilization behind, there was no place to pack your inhibitions and fears.
In fifth grade my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed. It didn't take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever. For the next seven years, it was us. She's the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.
Solene Marchand, the 39-year-old owner of an art gallery in Los Angeles, is reluctant to take her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band. But since her divorce, she's more eager than ever to be close to Isabelle. The last thing Solene expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of 20 years old further complicates things. What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate and genuine relationship.
Fake engaged to the hottest quarterback in the country? Score. They say nothing compares to your first kiss, but our first kiss was orchestrated for an audience. Our second kiss...that one was real. He cradled my face like he was terrified he'd f--k it up. He stared into my eyes until the air buzzed. Soft and slow, full of sighs and little laughs, he inhaled me like I was the finest Belgian chocolate, and he'd never get another piece.
Cooper Ryan is living the dream. Between the parties with rock royalty, booze, groupies and performing to crowds of thousands with his band Taint, life seems pretty sweet. There's just one thing missing: the feisty little red-head that took his baby and ran off with his heart. Throwing himself into music is the only thing keeping him sane.
Thirty days ago, my boss, Mr. Wolf of Wall Street, came to me with an offer I couldn't refuse: Sign my name on the dotted line and pretend to be his fiancée for one month. If I agreed, he would let me out of my employment contract with a "very generous" severance package. The rules were pretty simple: No intimate kissing, no actual sex. Just pretend to love each other for the press, even though I've secretly wanted to knock that sexy smirk off his face since the first day we met.
I was a woman on the edge, shaken and shattered after a breakup that felt like it tore my entire world apart. My best friend, sick of watching me drown in misery and melancholy, harassed me until I agreed to go with her on a weeklong wilderness retreat. Nowhere in the glossy brochure did it say anything about the fact I was going to have to battle the insufferable but deliciously rugged trail guide instead of the elements. The brochure also forgot to mention that when you left civilization behind, there was no place to pack your inhibitions and fears.
In fifth grade my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed. It didn't take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever. For the next seven years, it was us. She's the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.
New year. New place. New me. Right? Wrong. And all because of Shay Coleman. Football captain and quarterback, he was the big guy on campus. The cocky guy in my political science class with a smirk. I hated him on sight...and he was about to break all my rules.
Garrett Daniels has this whole life thing figured out. The cocky, charismatic former high school star quarterback is an idolized football coach and "cool" teacher in the hometown where he's not just a golden boy - he's platinum. He has good friends, a great house on the lake, and the best damn sidekick a man could ask for: Snoopy, the albino beagle. Then...Callie Carpenter comes home.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.... I wasn't supposed to be boyfriendless, homeless, and jobless at 28. And I most definitely wasn't supposed to hit Hollywood's resident bad boy Gabriel Evans with my car and break his foot. Now I'm stuck in his apartment, taking care of him while he's incapacitated. Living with the hottest guy in Hollywood, who I've had a crush on forever, doesn't sound like a chore, right? Wrong. Gabriel Evans is rude and crude and drinks way too much, and as soon as his foot is healed I'm out of here. So why do I keep forgetting to check the classifieds?
"You've done better." With one uncharacteristically sassy tweet to her longtime celebrity crush, Zoe Miller's life turns upside down. Ultrahot A-lister Chase Covington doesn't just respond to Zoe's tweet, he does the unthinkable: he messages Zoe directly. Now she must decide between walking away or meeting her crush in person.
My name is Melody Greene, and I have a confession to make. I slept with my student, a senior in high school. Multiple times. I had multiple orgasms. In multiple positions. I slept with my student and I enjoyed it. I slept with my student and I'd do it all over again if I could turn back time. My name is Melody Greene, and I got kicked out of my position as a teacher and did my walk of shame a la Cersei Lannister from the principal's office, minutes after said principal threatened to call the cops on me.
Hosting her brother's wedding for an MVP guest list is the challenge of Jess Canning's life. Already the family screw-up, she can't afford to fail. And nobody (nobody!) can learn of the colossal mistake she made with the best man during a weak moment last spring. It was wrong, and there will not be a repeat. Absolutely not. Even if he is the sexiest thing on two legs.
Laura Stone was the hottest author of erotic fiction in the country but also the most elusive. Known only by her pen name, there wasn't a person alive who wasn't dying to discover her true identity. And I, Killian Turner, knew exactly where to find her. Her real name was Kate O'Malley, and I fully intended on learning every dirty secret she had to exploit for my own gain. After all, isn't that what journalists do? But I underestimated my prey. I didn't anticipate how her lips could seduce me or the touch of her body against mine would eventually become my ultimate undoing.
You know how people say you can never believe what you read on the interwebs? That a hot guy online is probably a creeper with a beer gut and a shoe fetish, not the sexy beast he pretends to be? So I had no clue that the anonymous blogger who contacted my law firm about his naughty website would be droolworthy in real life. Not that I'm interested in him in that way. Attorneys can't go around sleeping with their clients. Not even if he is the most beautiful man I've ever met and so ridiculously smart he makes my nerdy-girl heart sigh.
Kale Bryant. Arrogant. Gorgeous. Commanding. This ER doctor is married to his job. His only vice is one-night stands and short-lived flings. He learned a long time ago loving someone isn't worth the risk. Harley Hope Masterson. Beautiful. Brave. Sweet. The owner of a small coffee shop knows what it's like to struggle. Embroiled in a bitter divorce, she's threatened with losing everything. When Kale accepts a new position down the street from Hope's shop, he begins to question every wall he's built around his heart.
Growing up, the three of us were friends. He was the nerd. I was the playboy. She was the beauty. Deep down, I only ever wanted her. I kept it inside because Rory and I made a pact that our friend, Amber, was off-limits. He lied. I went off to college, and he got the girl. Amber never knew how I felt. They were together for years - before he broke her heart. Through it all and across the miles, she and I casually stayed in touch. When my job sent me to Boston for a three-month contract position, Amber let me stay in her spare room.
Emerson just made her dream come true as a professional cheerleader for her favorite pro football team. But even though the plus-size athlete is breaking down boundaries, she still has to contend with the massive rulebook. Carbs? Nope. Chocolate? Definitely not. Still, Emerson loves her curves, and she'll rock the hell out of this job even if it kills her. Except for one mandate that is easier read than done... No fraternizing with the players.
Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania (population 3,000 outside of tourist season). And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed date, Catherine saves a man's life. It isn't until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has rescued: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.
Ever since she was a little girl, 30-year-old Rose dreamed of the day Harley would carry her across the threshold on their honeymoon. So what if this isn't her actual wedding day, and that she's only here because Harley was left at the altar just a few hours earlier?
Trading San Francisco for paradise and swapping her bridesmaid's bouquet for a Blue Hawaii, Rose hopes she can finally escape the friend zone.
Once upon a time they had been more than friends, but life got in the way. She's spent every day since wishing Harley would get a clue.
She's always been his best friend.
He's always been hers.
She's in love with him.
He's...not in love with her.
He's...marrying someone else.
He's...hiding something.
He's...well - it's complicated.
What did you love best about Harley & Rose?
Harley and Rose is one of my favourite tear jerkers ever and hearing it in audio didn't change that. Despite being dual narration , Paula Hoffman did an incredible job as both Harley and Rose (and Aaron Abano was great as well) and at no time was I taken out of the story even though a female was doing most of the audio.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Harley & Rose?
This is too hard to answer without spoiling the story. There's so many parts that I love ... you'll just have to listen for yourself to find yours!!
Have you listened to any of Aaron Abano and Paula Hoffman ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Is this a trick question?!?! It's HARLEY AND ROSE!!! The entire book moved me but the last few chapters of the book (last hour and half in audio) had me openly sobbing. But again - no spoilers!!
Any additional comments?
I wasn't sure how I would go listening to Harley and Rose after I fell in love with the book. But I can safely say that I loved the audio just as much as the book. It had the same feeling, brought about all the same emotions and was a great way to revisit this story and this couple - even if I shed way more tears yet again!!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
i hate not being able to fully get into a story. harley & rose was one of them. the narration wasn't any help either but it just... it was weak and every other chapter is a flashback which i skipped through most of because it was more irritating than interesting. very angst driven from start to finish.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
I have a confession to make.
I am the very lucky partner of the author.
We both lead extraordinarily busy lives, and as such I have been a very sucky non-husband. This is the first of Carmen's published works I have had the pleasure of reading.
And it was great.
There are so many of our personal lives interwoven with the wonderful characters of Harley & Rose, from Peter Pan to my "spot" where I warm my hands.
This is a beautiful story that will take you on a ride through the lives of two souls, destined to be together forever. Like we are.
Thank you Carmen, for writing the fun stuff, but most of all, thank you for the research you do and for delving into the hard things feet first. Your readers, and now I am one of them, thank you.
A word to the wise, you are gonna need tissues and vodka, in that order.
I loved this story, and I am desperately in love with you. x