Showing posts with label Ashley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ashley. Show all posts

Sunday, August 18, 2019

TOUR: Quiet Man by Kristen Ashley

We are celebrating the most recent release from Kristen Ashley by participating in the blog tour! QUIET MAN is part of her Dream Man series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. It just went live! Check out the book trailer from the title below. Click here to grab your copy now


Purchase your copy of QUIET MAN

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon CA  |  Amazon AU


About QUIET MAN 

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Ashley comes a new story in her Dream Man series…

Charlotte “Lottie” McAlister is in the zone. She’s ready to take on the next chapter of her life, and since she doesn’t have a man, she’ll do what she’s done all along. She’ll take care of business on her own. Even if that business means starting a family.

The problem is, Lottie has a stalker. The really bad kind. The kind that means she needs a bodyguard.

Enter Mo Morrison.

Enormous. Scary.

Quiet.

Mo doesn’t say much, and Lottie’s used to getting attention. And she wants Mo’s attention. Badly.

But Mo has a strict rule. If he’s guarding your body, that’s all he’s doing with it.

However, the longer Mo has to keep Lottie safe, the faster he falls for the beautiful blonde who has it so together, she might even be able to tackle the demons he’s got in his head that just won’t die.

But in the end, Lottie and Mo don’t only have to find some way to keep hands off until the threat is over, they have to negotiate the overprotective Hot Bunch, Lottie’s crazy stepdad, Tex, Mo’s crew of frat-boy commandos, not to mention his nutty sisters.

All before Lottie finally gets her Dream Man.

And Mo can lay claim to his Dream Girl.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**


Add QUIET MAN to your Goodreads TBR here

Purchase your copy of QUIET MAN today

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon CA  |  Amazon AU

CHRISTY'S REVIEW

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What do you get when you combine Kristen Ashley’s Dream Man series with her Rock Chick series? This book… and I loved it! Quiet Man is a novella from KA, but it’s as long as most of the books I read (about half the size of a lot of KA’s books).

Charlotte ‘Lottie’ McAlister is the sister of Jet Chavez (Rock Chick) and she’s got a stalker at work. Smithie, her boss and friend, is concerned and hires one of Hawk’s guys to play bodyguard till they can catch the creep. Mo Morrison is a commando and the guy put on Lottie 24/7. He usually has no issues with his jobs, he’s a professional, but being Lottie’s bodyguard is difficult.
 
Charlotte McAlister was a class act. Funny. Smart. Talented. Thoughtful. Together. Professional. And sexy AF. Yeah. This job was totally going to be torture.



These two have it bad for each other, but there in a place where they can’t act on it. Not while Mo is body guarding her and the perp is still out on the loose. But once they catch him… all bets are off.

This book gave me all the feels from the OG Kristen Ashley books. I loved the relationship between Mo and Lottie. It was the perfect dream man/dream woman paring. Lottie is a strong and independent woman and exactly what Mo needs. Mo is the strong and silent type, a huge guy, but has a heart of gold. I loved them together so much. Not only them, but getting to see all of my favorite characters was so great. And not only that, but meeting Mo’s friends and family… I’m gonna need some books about these new commandos!

If you’re looking for a great romance with fantastic characters, this is the book for you. And if you’re like me and have read all the Rock Chick/Dream Man books, you’re in for a real treat!!!


BOOK TRAILER









About KRISTEN ASHLEY

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorize and she hadn’t taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen’s Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.

Nothing’s changed.

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she’s blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.



Connect With Her

Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram |  Goodreads   |  Twitter  |  Bookbub

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Quiet Man by Kristen Ashley is LIVE!



We are beyond excited to be sharing this release from Kristen Ashley with you today! QUIET MAN is part of her Dream Man series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. It just went live today! Check out an excerpt and book trailer from the title below. Click here to grab your copy now



Purchase your copy of QUIET MAN today!


Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon CA  |  Amazon AU



About QUIET MAN: 

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Ashley comes a new story in her Dream Man series…

Charlotte “Lottie” McAlister is in the zone. She’s ready to take on the next chapter of her life, and since she doesn’t have a man, she’ll do what she’s done all along. She’ll take care of business on her own. Even if that business means starting a family.

The problem is, Lottie has a stalker. The really bad kind. The kind that means she needs a bodyguard.

Enter Mo Morrison.

Enormous. Scary.

Quiet.

Mo doesn’t say much, and Lottie’s used to getting attention. And she wants Mo’s attention. Badly.

But Mo has a strict rule. If he’s guarding your body, that’s all he’s doing with it.

However, the longer Mo has to keep Lottie safe, the faster he falls for the beautiful blonde who has it so together, she might even be able to tackle the demons he’s got in his head that just won’t die.

But in the end, Lottie and Mo don’t only have to find some way to keep hands off until the threat is over, they have to negotiate the overprotective Hot Bunch, Lottie’s crazy stepdad, Tex, Mo’s crew of frat-boy commandos, not to mention his nutty sisters.

All before Lottie finally gets her Dream Man.

And Mo can lay claim to his Dream Girl.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**



Add QUIET MAN to your Goodreads TBR here!


Purchase your copy of QUIET MAN today!


Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon CA  |  Amazon AU




Excerpt: 


He picked up the paper, turned it over and read it again.

It stated, plainly, he was fucked.

More alarmingly, it stated, chillingly, Mac was in danger.

This was a problem more than it was already a colossal motherfucking problem.

Any other one of his girls, he’d pick up the phone to Lee Nightingale, the man behind Nightingale Investigations, the commander of the baddest badass motherfuckers in Denver. He’d hand over this letter and he’d get this problem solved.

But Mac was Charlotte McAlister, Jet McAlister Chavez’s little sister. Jet was married to Eddie Chavez. Eddie was Lee’s best friend. And Jet worked for Indy, Lee’s wife, the Queen of the Rock Chicks, and thus Jet Chavez was a bona fide Rock Chick.

Mac might not be a card-carrying member of the Rock Chicks, mostly because she had a job where she worked nights, the time those crazy bitches instigated the most fucked-up of their varying antics. Though they weren’t averse to mornings and afternoons. It was just that the stun-gunnings, kidnappings and the like mostly took place at night, and Mac was busy then.

She was still a Rock Chick, or at least she was by association.

Considering the Rock Chick link and the blood ties to Jet, if Lee knew Mac was in danger, he’d tear the town apart to put a stop to it.

And Eddie…

Now Eddie, Smithie didn’t even want to think about it. The man was a cop. The shit Lee and his boys did with flair and a flagrant disregard to just about anything, Eddie could not do.

But Eddie wouldn’t blink at doing whatever he had to do to make his sister-in-law safe.

And the man had mouths to feed.

So yeah.

This was a problem even more than it already was a colossal motherfucking problem because Smithie couldn’t call Lee.

Which meant Smithie had to find a different set of badasses to deal with it.

His first call would normally be the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Mac wasn’t one of theirs, neither was Smithie, but they had ties to Lee, they could keep a secret, and they didn’t dick around when it came to women and their safety.

But they’d just come out of a war, and like any war, that had been some serious fucked-up shit.

They needed a breather.

Lee, and Chaos, also had ties to…

“Well, hell,” Smithie muttered, the words on the letter blurring, the sick feeling in the back of his throat easing.

He dropped the letter and picked up his cell.

If you couldn’t call a badass…

Then it was far from second best to call a commando.


BOOK TRAILER



"OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! I FREAKING LOVED IT!!!!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!!! This was pure Old School Vintage KA GOLD!!!"


"[Kristen] Ashley captivates."

"There is something about them [Ashley's books] that I find crackalicious."
~DearAuthor.com, Kati Brown











About KRISTEN ASHLEY:

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorize and she hadn’t taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen’s Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.

Nothing’s changed.

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she’s blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.



Connect With Her: 

Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram |  Goodreads   |  Twitter  |  Bookbub


Thursday, May 2, 2019

AUDIO REVIEW: The Slow Burn by Kristen Ashley

The Slow Burn

Tobias Gamble knew from a young age precisely the kind of woman he was going to make his. She was not going to be like his mother. She was going to be like the mother he claimed.

In other words, she was going to be just right.

And when Toby returns to his hometown of Matlock, Kentucky, and claps eyes on Adeline Forrester, he knows she’s the one.

The problem is, his brother Johnny has a new girlfriend. And Addie is her sister. Last, Toby would do nothing to hurt Johnny’s chance at happiness.

Toby hangs around town to get to know the woman Johnny fell in love with. He also hangs around to get to know Addie.

But he’s fallen hard, and he knows the best thing for him - and Addie - is for him to leave.

Addie Forrester is thrilled her sister Eliza found a good, solid man. Johnny Gamble is the salt of the earth. The best guy in the world.

The best except for his brother, Toby.

Toby doesn’t know it, but Addie’s fallen hard too. He’s perfect, except for the fact that he’s hands off and it’s torture, being friends with Toby when she wants so much more.

Addie also has a lot on her mind. She’s got bills to pay, her young son needs food, Christmas is coming, and her job at the grocery store just isn’t cutting it.

Toby is steering clear of Addie. Addie is steering clear of Toby. But everyone around them knows this is the slow burn.

Because just like Eliza and Johnny, Addie and Toby were made for each other.


SLOW BURN ON AUDIBLE

Check out a sample of the audio here:

Christy's Review:

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The Slow Burn is the second book in Kristen Ashley's 'Moonlight and Motor Oil' series and I loved it even more than the first. The reason I enjoy these books so much is they give me that old school KA vibe. From the writing, the setting, and the characters, there is just something about these books. And I am totally here for it!

Addie Forrester is a single mom and the younger sister of Eliza. Tobias Gamble is the free spirited  younger brother of Johnny. There is something about this Gamble boy/Forrester girl pairing that just works. It was apparent from the moment Addie and Toby first met that there was a spark between them. But because Toby loves his brother and doesn't want to mess with what he has going on with Eliza and their happiness, he stays away. He stays away until he cannot stay away a second longer. Then, all bets are off. Because when a Gamble man falls, he falls hard.

Addie is one of the most hard working women out there. She will do anything she has to do to support her son and make it on her own merit. It's how she was raised. She's stubborn and doesn't want help from anyone. Toby struggles with breaking down those stubborn walls she has up, but if anyone can do it he can.

Toby is protective, sweet, and loves Addie and Brooklyn with everything he has. What more could you want from a hero? He and Addie are both a little too stubborn for their own good, but they still make it work. I love their relationship and I adored the relationship Toby had with Brooklyn. Nothing could make me swoon harder than this man loving this little boy like he was his own. It was so genuine and precious.

I listened to the audio book of The Slow Burn and it was narrated by Lance Greenfield and Stella Bloom. Both narrators did a fantastic job of voicing Toby and Addie and really brought their characters to life. This audio book was a little on the lengthy side, but I found myself listening to it in just 2 days because I didn't want to push pause. If you're an audio listener, I highly recommend you pick it up in that format.

I'm not sure who's book will be next in this series, but regardless, I'm excited to read it. The Slow Burn is a beautiful romance with a focus friendship, family, and so many heartwarming moments. There were plenty of scenes that brought me to tears, but by the end I had a huge smile on my face. I loved this one so much!

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

The Hook Up by Kristen Ashley is LIVE!!!




✮✮✮ From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley, comes the first standalone title in the exciting, new Moonlight and Motor Oil series, THE HOOKUP! A rich, emotional love story, THE HOOKUP is available now!✮✮✮


Jump into THE HOOKUP and grab your copy today!



About THE HOOKUP (Moonlight and Motor Oil Series #1):


When the new girl in town, Eliza “Izzy” Forrester decides to hit the local drinking hole, she’s not ready to meet the town’s good, solid guy. She’s definitely not prepared to engage in her very first hookup with him.


Then Izzy wakes up the next morning in Johnny Gamble’s bed and good girl Izzy finds she likes being bad for Johnny.


Even so, Izzy feels Johnny holding her at arm’s length. But Johnny makes it clear he wants more and Izzy already knows she wants as much of hot-in-bed, sweet-out-of-it Johnny Gamble.


Floating on air thinking this is going somewhere, Izzy quickly learns why Johnny holds distant.


He’s in love with someone else. Someone who left him and did it leaving him broken. Whoever was up next would be runner up, second best. Knowing the stakes, Izzy will take what she can get from the gentleman that’s Johnny Gamble. And even knowing his heart might never mend, Johnny can’t seem to stay away from Izzy.


Until out of nowhere, his lost love comes back to town. He’s not going back, but Johnny still knows the right thing to do is let Izzy go.


And Izzy knew the stakes, so she makes it easy and slips though his fingers.


But that’s before Johnny realizes Eliza moved to town to escape danger that’s been swirling around her.


And that’s why Johnny decides to wade in.


That and the fact Eliza Forrester makes breakfast with a canary singing on her shoulder and fills out tight dresses in a way Johnny Gamble cannot get out of his head.


Pick up your copy of THE HOOKUP today!




EXCERPT:

“Izzy?” she answered.
“Hey, I’m home,” I told her.
“Okay, well…how are you?”
How was I?
Johnny’s behavior explained by the sad fact it was the anniversary of his father’s death, but still explained, and he was coming over for dinner the next night, not to mention, after not being affectionate (at all, unless you counted sitting me on the countertop, which I kind of did) after the last time we’d had sex, he made out with me at the door of my car for a good, long, happy while—I was great.
“I’m great,” I told her, opening Serengeti’s stall and moving in, lifting a hand to pat her jaw while she moved her nose to snuffle my neck and blow at my hair.
“Damn,” Deanna muttered.
My hand arrested on Serengeti and I focused on Deanna.
“What?” I asked.
“Damn,” she repeated.
“Damn what?” I asked.
“Well, just to say Johnny Gamble is Johnny Gamble.”
A specific area in my chest squeezed at the way she imparted that obvious but still confusing information.
“What’s that mean?” I asked.
“He’s Johnny Gamble of Gamble Garages. Did he tell you that?”
No he didn’t tell me that.
And suddenly I was embarrassed about something that I hadn’t liked all along.
But it was worse since Deanna knew more about a man I’d slept with than I did.
Serengeti was getting fidgety, so I used my hand on her to lead her out of her stall, and once in the corridor, she trotted out the open bay at the back, directly into her pasture.
I moved to Amaretto as I shared with Deanna, “No, he didn’t tell me that. I mean, we talked but we were also doing other things.” I let that lie. It did, weighty between us on the phone, before I went on, “I don’t know what that means.”
Even though it seemed like I did. Something seemed familiar about that.
“You haven’t lived here long enough,” she murmured while I opened Amaretto’s stall and moved in for some quick pats before I let him loose. Louder, Deanna said, “You know the gas station in town?”
Oh yes.
That was where I’d seen it.
“He owns that?”
“That and seven more of them across three counties. None in the city, just in the counties. Some of them are like mini-mart stores. All of them sell gas and do work on cars.”
Wow.
That was impressive.






About Kristen Ashley:

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorize and she hadn't taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen's Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.

Nothing's changed.

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she's blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.



Tuesday, August 29, 2017

5 stars to Kristen Ashley's The Time In Between!

"She was the one then and nothing changed in the time in between." 
A story of past decisions gone awry, secrets that change directions, and emotional second chances, this gripping love story is what happens when two paths again collide. The final standalone title in New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley’s Magdalene Series, THE TIME IN BETWEEN is a rich, heartfelt love story available now!

Explore THE TIME IN BETWEEN and grab your copy today!


About THE TIME IN BETWEEN (Magdalene Series #3):


After a painful loss, Cady Moreland is coming to Magdalene to start the next chapter of her life. A chapter that began eighteen years ago but had a heartbreaking ending. The time in between was full of family and friendship, but Cady could never get the man she fell in love with all those years ago out of her heart.


Coert Yeager has learned to live without the girl who entered his life right when she shouldn’t and exited delivering a crippling blow he never would have suspected. The time in between was full of failing to find what he was missing…and life-altering betrayal.


But when that girl shows up in Magdalene and buys the town’s beloved lighthouse, even if Coert wants to avoid her, he can’t. A fire in town sparks a different kind of flame that won’t be ignored.


As Cady and Coert question the actions of the two young adults they once were thrown into earth-shattering circumstances, can they learn from what came in between and find each other again?




Grab your copy of THE TIME IN BETWEEN today!




5% of the proceeds from the first week of sales of THE TIME IN BETWEEN release will be given to HALO Animal Rescue in Phoenix, a no-kill shelter. HALO stands for “helping animals live on” and is a shelter started by a mother/daughter team of committed animal advocates who have done a huge duty for animals in this area, and continue to do so with unwavering love, support and energy.For more information on HALO or to donate to the work they do, go to www.halorescue.org.



CHRISTY'S 5 STAR REVIEW:
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This is one of the best Kristen Ashley books I’ve read in a while. It had that same enchanting quality as some of her older reads that I love so much. The Time in Between is a stunning second chance romance that pulled right on my heartstrings.
    
Maybe this could be a new chapter.

Cady Moreland makes the decision to move to Magdaline. She does that because she needs a fresh start. She also does that, because the love of her life is there. Coert Yeager is the sheriff of Magdaline. He and Cady haven’t seen each other in eighteen long years. Eighteen years ago, a lot happened between these two. They were so in love, planning a future, and it all got torn from them. The circumstances were not pretty, but even after all this time, it’s still there. What was between them.

I would love to say that Cady and Coert’s reunion was full of love and understanding, but it just was not that way. Coert is sheriff, single dad, and all around good guy, but he’s not happy having Cady in his space again. There are scenes between them that are heartbreaking. But eventually, with a little help, they start to figure it out.

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One of my favorite things about this book was Cady and her ‘family’. I love that this showcased that sometimes, family is not who we are related to, but the family we make. Cady grew up with a family who didn’t appreciate her or care about her, but she found a family and it melted my heart to see that and all those people who cared about her.

Coert and Cady’s journey is long and not always easy, but it’s filled with so much beauty. It really was a gorgeous second chance at a first love for these two. This couple went through so much over the years, but the fact that they were able to find their way back to each other made everything worth it.
 
“This is life. And in all that’s happened in mine, the one thing I’ve learned is, as ugly as it gets, as bad as you mess up, if you keep going, it’ll get good again.”


Kristen Ashely is one of those authors that truly has a magic touch. She’s the only author that I can read over and over again and never grow tired of (to the magnitude of reading over 50 of her books, and re-reading so many of them so many times I can’t even count). The Time in Between will be one of those books I will re-read. It’s a story that touched my heart and one that will stay with me. There is nothing I didn’t love about this one, and I give it a full 5 stars.

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EXCERPT:

Present day…

I took in the mess of the large, circular room we were in and at first saw nothing but the mess—decaying furniture, a soot-covered stone fireplace, a kitchen that might have been put in in the forties but had not only not been touched the last nine years, it perhaps had not been touched the last nineteen (or more).

Then I saw more.

The extraordinarily carved railing to the sweeping wood staircase that ran the curved side of the house. The red brick walls. The plank wood floors.

“Once upon a time, long ago,” the realtor was suddenly talking wistfully, “someone loved this place. Put that love into building it. Put that love into keeping it. Nine years and more when no one really gave a whit, and still you can see it once had a lot of love.”

Oh yes.

You could see that.

“It’s got a basement, more like a big crawl space,” the agent declared, surprising me with his quick change in tone back to businesslike and informative. “The furnace is down there. You can get down there through a door in the floor. The furnace was put in a while back, and full disclosure, though an inspection will catch it, it probably needs to be replaced.”

Through his words I stared at the fireplace, which scoured would be magnificent, and I noticed it didn’t have a chimney as such, but the smoke probably went out a vent in the wall.

“This floor has a powder room under the stairs,” the realtor kept on. “You can look at it if you want, but if you wanna save yourself that, I’ll just tell you straight, it needs to be gutted.”

I decided to take his word for it and told him that.

He looked relieved when I did before he stated, “Place has a garage, two car. Not in good condition, but think you saw that. Still, it’s close to the house and there’s a covered walkway to that door over there.” He pointed at a door that was across from the door we’d walked in. “Means you might feel a chill but you won’t get wet, unless it’s raining sideways, which happens.”

With a breeze that plastered my jacket to me on a sunny, early spring day, I did not doubt that.

“Garage has a loft space above it, which could be renovated as a studio rental if you’ve a mind to do that sort of thing. As for the property itself, it also has a building where the generators are stowed,” the realtor carried on. “Hook up for a washer and dryer and good space in there. Lots of it for storage. Which is good because there’s not a lot of storage in here for tools and Christmas decorations and whatnot.”

I glanced around seeing he was right. There wasn’t even enough cabinetry to house the things a decent cook would need in her kitchen. Though there was room for them. In fact, if you fought back the gloom, there was quite a bit of room.

“And there’s a place outside, could call it a studio, could call it a mother-in-law house,” he shared. “Whatever, it’s got goodly space, two bedrooms, big kitchen. Could be renovated to be a guest house. Or like I said, a studio if you’re artsy. Or you could rent it out like a B and B. I’ll show you all of that after we have a look at the lighthouse.”

“Thanks,” I replied.

“Now, since I mentioned full disclosure, you have to know it all,” the realtor continued.

Slowly, my eyes went to him.

When they did, he launched in. “Like I said, it’s automated. And like I said, you won’t really have to concern yourself with the functionality of that unless the electricity goes out, but then the generators automatically kick in. There are two. But you’ll need to keep fuel on hand to keep them going in case a blackout lasts awhile. And just to say, this is coastal Maine. We get weather. Blackouts can last awhile.”

When I nodded to share I took that in, he kept going.

“And if you’re, say, away on vacation, you need to make sure someone is playing backup in such a case.”

“Okay,” I replied when he stopped talking, thinking this probably wasn’t a good thing since I knew no one in Maine (or not anyone who wanted to know me) and thus couldn’t call on anyone to do something like that.

I also didn’t hold high hopes I’d make friends and win people. I hadn’t had a lot of success in that in my life.

And last, although Patrick believed it completely, I held no hope that the reason I was out there was going to come to fruition.

That being me having a happy ending.

That being what Patrick thought would be my happy ending.

Which might mean I’d have someone, a certain someone, or actually two (at least), even though I knew I never would.







About Kristen Ashley:

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorize and she hadn't taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen's Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.

Nothing's changed.

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she's blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.



BBU - Coming Soon