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AND THEN FOREVER
Fortune's Island #1
Shirley Jump
Releasing July 28th, 2015
TKA Distribution
Welcome
to Fortune’s Island, where the only rule is to follow your heart.
Love is an extravagance Darcy
Williams can’t afford. She prefers the simple life, which includes waitressing
at The Love Shack and avoiding temptation. But when a forbidden part of her
past steps off the ferry, her safe, guarded existence is turned upside down.
Kincaid Foster has never gotten over
his first love. When he sees the wild, beautiful blonde again, dancing her way
around The Love Shack, the memories of Darcy’s soft skin, gentle touch, and
heated kisses come rushing back. As the privileged son of a wealthy family,
Kincaid was too young to stand up to his overbearing father when he and Darcy
were together. Now, he’s back on the island—free of the family shackles—and the
chiseled, big-time lawyer wants a second chance.
But, Darcy made a promise to keep a
secret from Kincaid—a secret that is now a six-year-old girl who looks just
like her daddy. If Kincaid finds out about their daughter, Darcy could lose
everything. But, she can’t resist the man who stole her heart all those years
ago. And it doesn’t take long before both of them realize that anything can
happen on a hot summer night.
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MY TWO CENTS~
ARC PROVIDED FOR MY HONEST REVIEW
Don't let this cover fool you.
There is a pretty serious side to this well written romance. I've been a fan of Ms. Jump's since her debut even though it's been awhile since I've a book by her.
And Then Forever is a second chance small town romance that also deals with family and abuse issues. Although it has a few of my biggest pet peeves in romance ("secret baby"), I still really liked this book.
Our main characters Darcy and Kincaid are very well developed. Many times in books I read I feel short changed in getting to know the main characters equally, but that wasn't the case here.
Darcy and Kincaid meet as young adults and share a magical Summer together on the Island that leaves Darcy pregnant. Summer ends and Kincaid is long gone. Darcy, who is bullied by Kincaid's father, keeps the child(Emma) a secret for six years.
Of course Kincaid returns to the Island (with his sister) and a rescue dog. He eventually learns Emma is his daughter. What bothers me a bit is that Darcy kept Emma a secret knowing that Kincaid and his father pretty much had a non existent relationship. I know his father bullied her and I concede she did what she thought was best for Emma but...
Darcy is strong and what I love is that she rescues herself and doesn't rely on anyone else to do it. She's a great mom to Emma too.
Kincaid is a loving man all round even if he did seem to have almost everything going for him. His feelings for Darcy shine through loud and clear and don't feel fake.
I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
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New York Times and USA Today
bestselling author Shirley Jump spends her days writing
romance so she can avoid the towering stack of dirty dishes, eat copious
amounts of chocolate and reward herself with trips to the mall. Look for her
all-new novella in the anthology ASK ME WHY (with Marie Force, Virginia Kantra
and Jodi Thomas), as well as the Sweet and Savory Romance series, including the
USA Today bestselling book, THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE, on Amazon, and her
Sweetheart Sisters series, starting with THE SWEETHEART BARGAIN.
Visit her website at www.ShirleyJump.com for author news and a booklist, and follow her on
Facebook at www.Facebook.com/shirleyjump.author for giveaways
and deep discussions about important things like chocolate and shoes.
She knew she should stay away from him. Knew she should
protect her heart. Knew that falling for him could have far-reaching
consequences. But knowing all that and sticking to it when he was touching her
were two entirely different things. “Why don’t you come by after I get home
tonight?” she said, before she could think twice. “I’ll bring home some
dessert, and we can share.”
Abby arched a brow and smiled at her brother. Kincaid’s
gaze stayed on Darcy’s, those eyes a girl could lose herself in, as Darcy had,
a hundred times before. “It’s a date.”
She nodded, as if this was no big deal, but as she
turned away, a smile curved across her face and her heart stuttered, and her
steps became lighter. She went through the rest of her shift with this giddy
undertone to her every thought, like a song that carried on her breath.
Kincaid and Abby ate their desserts, then paid their
bill and headed for the door. At the last second, Kincaid turned back, flashed
Darcy one of his amazing smiles, and then mouthed see you soon. She blushed like a schoolgirl, and nearly dropped the
drink order on her tray.
By the time the last song was sung at The Love Shack
and the lights were turned off, Darcy was moving at a record pace. It was as if
she couldn’t clean the tables or set the chairs up fast enough. Jillian and
Grace just gave her a knowing smile, and shoved her out the door a little
early.
Darcy walked home in the dark, quiet night, but this
time her steps were quick, and her mind on her destination. She carried a bag
with two pieces of cake, and wondered vaguely if she had enough time to shower
before Kincaid arrived.
She rounded the corner to her house, saw the waiting
light and Nona sitting in a chair inside. Darcy hurried up the stairs, rushed
Nona out of there in a blip, then hopped in the shower and scrubbed off the
worst of the work day. Five minutes later, she had changed into a sundress, brushed
her stubborn curls into loose waves, and pulled a bottle of white wine out of
the fridge.
There was a soft knock at her door, and her pulse
skittered. Kincaid, her mind sang. Kincaid is here.
It was how she had felt every single day that summer,
as if the world had suddenly turned right side up, just because he was near.
She crossed the room, gave one last nervous pat to her hair, then pulled open
the door. “Hi.”
His gaze roved over her. “Wow. You look…incredible.”
“Thanks.” She felt her cheeks heat again, and wondered
who this new Darcy was. Before this, she never blushed, never got embarrassed.
She had her shit together—until Kincaid came back in her life. Then she was
eighteen again, and hopelessly in love. “Want to sit on the porch? It’s a small
house and I don’t want to wake Emma.”
Truth be told, she was afraid that if she invited him
in, she’d be all too aware of how few steps it was to her bedroom. How she
could just take his hand and lead him in there, let the whole night stretch
before them. So instead she grabbed the dessert, the bottle of wine and two
glasses, and headed out to the two Adirondack chairs on her porch. She set a
small table between them, then handed Kincaid a slice of cake and a fork. “It’s
peanut butter chocolate. One of my favorites from that bakery.”
He took a bite and rolled his eyes. “Oh my God. That is
good. Have you had this before?”
She nodded. “It’s one of my favorites.”
“Here, have a bite.” He forked off a morsel, then held
it out to her.
Darcy leaned forward, her eyes on Kincaid’s, his on
hers, thinking that sharing food was one of the sexiest things a couple could
do. Her lips closed over the fork, and hunger flickered in Kincaid’s features.
She chewed, swallowed, and moaned. “I think they put pheromones in those cakes.
It’s almost…orgasmic.”
“Orgasmic, huh?” His gaze met hers, those hazel eyes
dark and mysterious in the dim light on the porch. Heat unfurled in the small
space between them. “Maybe we should compare the two. Purely for research.”
“Purely.”
“It could lead to the next scientific discovery.”
She swallowed hard, the dessert, the wine, forgotten.
“So, it would be a contribution to science?”
“Might even win us a Nobel Prize.”
“Hmmm…that would be good on my resume.” She smiled at
him, then decided there was no point in pretending she gave a damn about the
cake or the wine, and got to her feet. “Suddenly I’m in a very scientific
mood.”
“Me, too.” He took her hand, and they abandoned
everything on the porch, and headed inside, across the front room and into her
bedroom. She flicked on the bedside lamp, then stood beside her queen-sized bed
and thought it looked both way too big and way too small.
Then
Kincaid laid his hands on her waist and leaned down to kiss her, and she
stopped caring about anything other than the taste of him in her mouth, and the
way he touched her, and how very, very much she wanted him.
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