Good morning and Happy Thursday, everyone! Today I'm happy to be hosting a stop on the Goddess Fish book tour of RETURN TO AUDUBON SPRINGS by RoseAnn DeFranco. I really enjoyed this story (which I've reviewed below). Don't forget to scroll all the way down to take part in the author's giveaway! RoseAnn will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
BLURB:
When Emma Grant
returns to her family's Audubon Springs beach house to fulfill the stipulations
of her father's will, she has every intention of forcing her former lover out
of the house for good. She's never fit into her wealthy family and would prefer
avoiding her past, but with her brother threatening to reveal her young
daughter, she has no choice.
Rafe Iuliano has other
plans. The wealthy Grants tried to bribe him out of Emma's life years ago, but
he's determined to prove once and for all that a master carpenter is worthy of
Emma and the house.
Their ridiculous and
steamy battle for the house reignites the love and passion that bloomed between
them years ago. But when Rafe discovers she's kept their daughter a secret for
two years, can he overcome anger and pride to claim his family and the love of
his life, or will the deception drive a final wedge between them?
“It’s good to see you too, Emma.” Rafe
smiled. A flash of dimples tugged on her memory and heart. “Is falling into
men’s flower beds a habit or should I feel special?”
“As it happens, I don’t see this as your
flower bed, but rather my own.” Covered in dirt, Emma feasted her eyes on Rafe.
She didn’t try to stand. Instead she pushed her hands further into the sticky
mulch, needing something to hold on to, momentarily thankful to be on solid
ground. She licked her lips. He looked good.
“Finally here to claim what’s yours?”
“Are you going to help me up or not?”
Rafe took a deep breath, and reached out
a hand. When they touched, the same powerful jolt of electricity that used to
exist between them ran up her arm and straight to her heart. He pulled harder
than necessary and Emma slammed into his chest. She took a quick step back, needing
space, and almost landed in the garden again. Rafe held on and steadied her.
“Whoa, easy. I don’t think the shrubs can
take anymore.”
Her stomach twitched at the sound of his
voice, so close it resonated in her ear and vibrated down her spine. His scent,
masculine and fresh from-a-shower-clean, mesmerized her. He surrounded her even
though he only stood in front of her, balancing her.
“Let go of me,” she whispered.
He complied by raising his hands, palms
out, in the air as if they’d been burned. His heat lingered on her skin, and
she ached with the loss of his touch.
Emma went to work brushing the gritty mulch from her shaking hands.
“You always were a bit clumsy, huh, Ems?”
***Nona’s Review of Return
to Audubon Springs by RoseAnn DeFranco***
This romance has a lot of humor as well as touching and heart-wrenching moments.
It employs the well-worn secret baby trope, which is always a lot of fun. It’s
also a tale of lovers reunited, but because of past hurts they’re fighting the
attraction that never died.
Emma Grant and Rafe Iuliano were once very much in love, but
their break-up was bitter. Three years later, they’re forced to meet again at
the Jersey Shore to settle the details of her father’s will. When Emma’s father
died, he left the Summer house in Audubon Springs to Emma and Rafe equally.
This is not a cozy cabin or a bungalow. It’s a home worth millions.
Emma finds her attraction to Rafe hasn’t faded, though she
tries her hardest to push the feelings aside. He’s grown even more handsome and
dynamic during their separation. Still, she’s determined to drive him crazy and
force him to surrender his half of the home. First she poses as a snooty
macrobiotic queen who throws away all of Rafe’s food to “cleanse” the kitchen. Rafe
retaliates by hosting a loud, rowdy, guys-only football watching party complete
with beer and smelly cigars. Plenty of comic scenes ensue as the two butt heads
and try to out-do each other with obnoxious tricks.
But aside from the comedy, there are serious themes. Emma has
several secrets. Her three year old daughter Elana is also Rafe’s child, but he
knows nothing of her. Emma’s also being
blackmailed by her brother Daniel. If she doesn’t get Rafe to sign over his
half of the house, Daniel will reveal Elana’s existence to him. As she spends
time with Rafe, Emma realizes she never stopped loving him. She wants to tell
him the truth about their daughter, but will he ever forgive her for her
deception?
The book had me chuckling a number of times and also had me
feeling sympathy for the struggles of Emma and Rafe. I was on the edge of my
seat several times saying “Tell him, tell him already!” when Emma’s about to
tell Rafe the truth about their daughter.
Emma grows during the story and finally stands up to her controlling
family. She’s a wonderful mother and her daughter is the center of her life. As
much as I liked Emma, I loved Rafe. He’s sexy, funny and smart. He writes
poetry! And his big boisterous, loving Italian-American family added to the
fun.
Return to Audubon
Springs was a very satisfying romantic read. If you enjoy a story with
humor, romance, family and a sexy hero, you’re sure to love this one.
Purchase Return to Audubon Springs here:
Purchase Return to Audubon Springs here:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1gUBz1o
B&Nt: http://bit.ly/1g4yyrx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1cpweux
Publisher: http://bit.ly/1dAU45r
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
RoseAnn DeFranco
grew up in upstate NY with her nose in a book and a song in her heart.
Following the pursuit of a musical theatre career in NYC, she turned her
creative energy to writing romance. RoseAnn blogs about her writing experiences
with her critique partners at www.the violetfemmes.com. A NJ shore transplant,
she enjoys time spent at the
beach with her family. She would love to one day live in a quaint shore town
like the fictional town Audubon Springs from her BROTHERS OF AUDUBON SPRINGS
series. More information about these
Contemporary Romantic Comedies can be found at www.radefranco.com.
Web links: www.radefranco
@radefranco
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Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Nona Raines
What an awesome review. Makes me want to run right out and get this book.
ReplyDeleteLove the excerpt, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for featuring Return to Audubon Springs and for the lovely review. You really captured the essence of Emma and Rafe’s relationship and struggles. They were a fun couple to write.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed floowing this tour and reading athe excerpts and the comments readers leave. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThank YOU for sharing in the fun, Elise-Maria
ReplyDeleteBook sounds interesting, thanks.Deb P
ReplyDeleteWould love to win
ReplyDeleteOoh, a secret daughter and other hidden issues! Sounds interesting, and I like that the serious matters are balanced with a good dose of humor.
ReplyDelete