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After reading my review, head on over to Sherry’s blog at fundinmental. Check out her review and leave a comment to enter her giveaway for another chance to win!!
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Girl Of Mine
by Taylor Dean
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Review
Taylor has written another sweet romance to leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Not being much of a romance reader myself, it never ceases to me amaze me when I read one of her books and lose track of time. I never can stop until I reach the end.
Lucas Graham is desparate. One stupid act may have lost him the girl of his dreams. His soulmate. Now he’ll have to do whatever it takes to win her back. And he only has four days to do it. That’s all the leave he has before he’s shipped off to Iraq.
But the four days aren’t his biggest challenge. The biggest one will be getting Jill to stand still long enough to make his case. He did dump her practically at the altar. And now she’s engaged to someone else. He can’t expect her to welcome him back with open arms. It will call for drastic measures.
If it takes drastic measures to win her back, so be it. With Luke being a police officer and soldier, I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions on how he pulls that off.
Let the fun begin.
This situation and the characters are very believable. And while it may sound familiar, like something you’ve read before or seen in a movie, Taylor’s writing makes it all new and fun. You can’t help but feel sad and mad for those that are wronged. Angry at the ones that take advantage. And fearful that there won’t be a happy ending.
Taylor Dean’s romance stories always give your heart strings little tugs and take you back to that moment. The moment you realized you were in love.
In the end, she leaves you with a goofy grin, misty eyes, and a pile of tissues. Might want to have a box handy before you start this one.
4 Stars
A quote I loved.
“I have to fight my love for you, when all I really want to do is give in to it.”
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Synopsis
HE CAME HOME
The year is 2003 and Captain Lucas Graham is at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, about to be deployed to Iraq. A few weeks ago, he broke his engagement with Jillian Barrett, leaving her stunned and heartbroken.
Knowing he can’t leave for war without putting his affairs in order, Luke obtains a four day pass with only one goal in mind: explain his life story to his former fiancée.
The problem: Jill is now engaged to another man.
But Luke isn’t giving up. He only has four days to gain an audience with Jill, even if he has to resort to drastic measures to do so.
And he will . . .
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And now, something from Taylor Dean!
A TRUE SCARY STORY IN GIRL OF MINE
A few years ago, on a business trip with my hubby, we were traveling home and made a pit stop for the night. My hubby had made reservations in a very nice hotel. This made the trip into a bit of a vacation rather than a drudgery-filled business trip.
Wonderful, right?
Wrong.
Instead, my overactive imagination took over.
The hotel was beautiful, but practically deserted. It was downright creepy. I turned into Stephen King for the night and imagined all kinds of scenarios.
The next morning, when we made it out of the hotel alive, I told my husband what had been in my thoughts the entire night. He was shocked by my dark thoughts. I feel like I could easily write horror novels. My mind goes there–and it’s a frightening place. I seriously don’t know how Stephen King sleeps at night.
At any rate, I’m not going to write horror novels, because I’d scare myself to death.
Image courtesy of [Stuart Miles] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
But I couldn’t help adding my imaginary experience into GIRL OF MINE.
Obviously it didn’t really happen and, of course, no one died. But the story tells what my mind conjured up while staying at a creepy hotel.
And when we left the hotel, I felt sooooooo relieved. . . . and so grateful my husband could come with me . . .
A writer’s mind can be a scary place.
Needless to say, I will NEVER stay in that hotel again.
Seriously, if it was the only place available and there was a huge snow storm outside . . . I’d sleep in the car.
Curious? Read on.
Keep in mind, this is actually a romance novel, and not a scary book at all.
Here’s the excerpt:
(Background: Troy, having been through a traumatic experience as a child, writes horror novels as an adult. He’s sharing a short story he wrote with his friends, Luke and Jill.)
“There’s this middle-aged couple, deeply in love with each other. They decide to treat themselves to a night at a fancy hotel for their anniversary. They arrive and the wife sees that the hotel is this huge high rise in a somewhat rundown area of downtown. She doesn’t really know why, but she feels uncomfortable. The hotel is beautiful, with lots of charm. It’s an older building that has recently been renovated and refurbished. But the area feels weird and kinda eerie. There are lots of cars in the parking lot, so she figures it’s a popular place and she’s just being silly.
“They go inside and there’s a wedding reception going on in the hotel’s party room. People are arriving in their finest clothing, bearing brightly wrapped gift bags. The atmosphere is happy and festive. The wife feels a little more comfortable. They take the elevator up to their tenth floor room. The floor is deserted and the wife feels a chill up and down her spine. For the sake of her husband, she squelches her fear, feeling silly. Their room is immaculate and superbly decorated. They relax for awhile and flip through the TV channels. They get amorous with each other, but we’ll leave that part out for now.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Luke says under his breath, making Jill grin.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Graham.”
“Too late.” Luke winked at her and Jill felt herself blush.
Troy ignored him. “They dress and decide to head down to the hotel’s restaurant for dinner. They find everything is closed downstairs: the main restaurant, the snack kiosk, the salon, and the gift shop. Every single thing is closed for the evening, even though the posted hours say they should be open. Other than the party room, the place is deserted. There is a distinct lack of hotel patrons and employees, which the wife finds odd. The lone man at the front desk informs them that the hotel is catering their usual fare for the wedding reception and a limited menu for room service is available. The wife is feeling creeped out and really wants to pack up and leave, but she stays for her husband’s sake. This was her anniversary gift and she doesn’t want to ruin it.
“They go back to their room and decide to order room service. The husband makes a quick run to the ice machine and when he returns, he places a bottle of sparkling cider on ice to chill. The wife is touched by his thoughtfulness. They eat dinner in bed, watching a movie they chose on pay-per-view. Overall they have a romantic evening, filled with tender moments. In rare form, her husband constantly professes his love and how happy he is with her. He’s doting and speaks of some of their most treasured memories, things she hasn’t thought about for years. She’s thrilled, pleased with the state of her marriage, but the eerie feeling never leaves the wife and she has a hard time relaxing.
“She sleeps clinging to her husband and has several nightmares during the course of the evening. She awakens a few times to find her husband awake and simply staring at her. He tells her he loves her and to go back to sleep. She does, knowing she is safe. The husband works long hours and had been looking forward to sleeping in, but they both arise early and are eager to get on the road at first light. By unspoken agreement, a leisurely morning is nixed.
“The wife wonders if he is as creeped out by the hotel as she is, but doesn’t broach the subject. It’s almost as if speaking of the eerie feeling will make it real and bring it to life. They pack up and leave the room and the wife breathes a sigh of relief. She can’t get out of the hotel fast enough. As they walk down the hall toward the elevator, they pass the alcove where the ice machine is located. The wife glances inside and nearly trips on her own feet. The husband wraps his arm around her shoulder and whispers in her ear, ‘Just keep walking. Keep your eyes forward.’ The wife gulps in air, her breathing labored, but she does as he says, even though tears are now pouring down her face.”
“Wait. What did she see in the alcove?” Jill asked, absorbed in the story.
“Her husband’s dead body, lying in a pool of blood.”
Jill let out a shaky breath. “So . . . he’s . . .”
“A ghost,” Troy confirmed. “He walks her to the elevator in silence. Several people are in the elevator already. Her husband whispers in her ear, ‘Look no one in the eye.’ She does as he says, her hands shaking and her knees wobbling. When the elevator opens, the lobby is filled with nameless, expressionless people, staring blankly and wandering around aimlessly. ‘Just walk forward,’ her husband says and she obeys. He walks her to the glass door at the front of the hotel and pushes the door open. ‘Go,’ he says. ‘Don’t ever come back. Don’t even look back.’ The glass door closes, but the husband stays inside the hotel. Panicked, the wife turns back and tries to open the door. It’s locked. The husband stands there, his hand on the glass, a last farewell. ‘No!’ the wife screams. ‘Come with me.’ He shakes his head in the negative and mouths the words, ‘I love you.’ Suddenly the expressionless people come forward and the husband is engulfed by the masses, disappearing in the crowd. The wife turns and runs to her car.”
Troy didn’t say anything more as he looked between them with a sly grin.
“And?” Luke asked.
“And that’s the end,” Troy finished with a satisfied air.
At one point in the novel, Luke says this about Troy’s childhood experience:
And that’s why Troy writes horror novels. He makes for an interesting and complex character.
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Author Taylor Dean
Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense—you’ll find all sub-genres of clean romance in her line-up.
To find out what Taylor Dean is up to, follow the links below:
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This is a Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry at fundinmental.
Now hop on over and check out Sherry’s review and leave a comment for another giveaway HERE.
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Books by Taylor Dean
Click on the covers to see on Amazon.
And click on the links below to see my reviews.
5 Stars for Lancaster House and The Middle Aisle
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