When Echo Farren boarded the plane bound for her wedding in her hometown of Lake George, NY she was filled with excitement and joy. That was until she got a text message from her fiancée just as her flight reached cursing altitude that he would not be attending their wedding. To make matters worse, Echo has to find out from a local fireman who used to be her high school sweetheart that her father is up to eyeballs in debt over this wedding.

With only two weeks to go before the big day, Echo does her best to stall, hoping to get her fiancée to either change his mind, or fork over some cash to help her father. Only neither one is going to happen.

Spencer Bryant has been in love with Echo Farren his entire life, but when she made him chose between her and his family, he had to let her go. But now that she was back he was going to do whatever it took to show her that he’s always been the only man for her and that he was the right groom.

Echo is on the flight to her hometown of Lake George when she receives a text from her fiancé. He’s calling off the wedding and says he never loved her. After the initial shock, Echo decides it’s merely cold feet and continues with the plans in place.

Spencer is Echo’s ex-boyfriend, they had been together since they were no more than children. Growing up together, dating all through high school and even college. Unfortunately when Echo decided to be a traveling nurse, Spencer couldn’t and wouldn’t follow her. A fire-fighter can’t jump from job to job across the county on a whim and he has no desire to leave Lake George and his family.

Funny how fate often steps in, Spencer is still in love with Echo and he is always the person she can confide in. It doesn’t help matters that both their parents want them to spend time together.

This is only a part of one of my favorite scenes.

“Look you all grown up and talking about wine,” she said. “You should know I made my father a promise tonight.

” He dropped his head back on the cushion and stared at the sky. “I bet it’s the same one I made mine.”

“And what might that be?”

“To spend a little bit of time with you.”

“Our parents shouldn’t be allowed to speak to one another,” she said.

He brought the glass to his nose and took in a good sniff, enjoying the light aroma. He would still rather have a good hit of Crown Royal, but since he was spending a little time in the past, this would do the trick. “To be frank, I don’t think my folks would have suggested it if your fiancé had shown the other day. Unfortunately, a lot of people are talking about that.”

“You better not be adding fuel to that fire.” She dipped her fingers into the bowl of cheese puffs.

“I wouldn’t do that to you.”

She let out a long breath. “My dad thinks I went to the Mason Jug.”

“Same old crowd of cops and firefighters. But if you had told him you were coming down here, you could have gotten your time in with me and been done with it.”

She laughed. “I don’t think it’s going to work like that. I have a feeling there will be a family dinner involving us.”

“Probably,” he said. “So, why’d you text me and ask if I had some time to spare?”

“I’m sorry to bother you with this, and if you don’t want to talk to me, I understand, but Andy called.”

He shifted in his chair. Her light-brown hair shined under the moonlight. Her blue eyes sparkled like the lake. She was even more beautiful than the last time he’d seen her with her tanned skin and lean, toned muscles. But she’d changed. She wasn’t full of light and hope. Her normal carefree attitude had been replaced with a heaviness that he’d never seen before, and it crushed his heart.

Of course, his mother said the same thing about him.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” Oh, he minded all right, but not because he didn’t want to spend time with her or listen to her sweet voice. He just didn’t want to hear her pine over another man. He knew it was wrong for him to want her to still be hung up on him, but it was a truth he could no longer deny when she sat only a foot away. “What did he have to say?”

“That he doesn’t have cold feet.”

Spencer coughed. “As in he’s coming?”

She took a gulp of wine. “As in he doesn’t love me, never loved me, and never wanted to marry me in the first place.”

He reached out and took her hand, thumbing the thick diamond on her finger. “I think that ring says otherwise.”

“Not only did I pick it out, but he wasn’t even there when I bought it, though I did put it on his credit card, so technically, he paid for it.” She tipped her head back and downed the red liquid as if it were water. She reached for the bottle and poured herself what could only be considered a double.

He was tempted to tell her to slow down but thought better of it. “I’m not following.”

“It’s simple. He joked one night about getting married. I took it seriously and ran with it. He never meant it but didn’t bother to stop the train wreck until I was at cruising altitude. And the worst part is now that I’ve had five minutes to think about it all, I should have seen it coming.”

“Do you love Andy?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“An honest one,” he said.

“Of course I do. I wouldn’t go through the motions of a wedding if I didn’t, but if he’s not coming, what am I supposed to do? I’ve tried pleading with him. Begging him. He’s made it clear he doesn’t want to marry me.”

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s better to find out before you got hitched than after.”

“Yeah, but now I’m stuck holding the bag.” She rolled her head and stared at him with tears lining her soft-blue eyes. “I haven’t told my parents, and I’m not going to just yet.”

“That’s a mistake,” he said.

“Well, it’s not your business.”

“But you made it mine when you showed up here at ten in the evening.”

“You promised you wouldn’t say anything.”

“And I won’t, but you need to think about what this is costing your father.”

She tossed a cheese puff at his face. “What the hell do you know about that? Maybe Andy was paying for it.”

“Is he?”

She slouched in her chair.

“Exactly. And while I’m sure your father worked his magic to get everything you wanted, I’m sure it wasn’t free, and you don’t just cancel country club reception halls.”

“I’ll figure that out, but I need a few days before I say anything.”

“Why?” he asked.

“You’re kidding, right?” She glared at him. “Besides being humiliated, I don’t want to spend ten days with my family and friends giving me pity looks. It’s bad enough they’re already speculating.”

“The longer you let this charade go on, the harder it’s going to be on everyone.” Spencer contemplated on if he should tell her about the extras her father went all in on for his daughter’s special day. It didn’t matter that Stanley Farren didn’t particularly support this marriage; he loved his daughter and would do anything for her, including finding her dream designer dress which cost a small fortune.

She chewed on her thumbnail.
Jen Talty. The Right Groom: The First Responders Series (Kindle Locations 470-515).

Echo does plenty of soul searching and comes up with the right answers just in time for the illusive Andy to show up. Spencer is her rock and so much more as they both realize their parents are right.

Plenty of fun, laughter, tears and some sizzling heat make this a page turning read.

I can’t wait for then next installment in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Jen!

Jen Talty

Welcome to my World! I’m a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.

I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.

I’m currently enjoying the next phase of my life…the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.

Jack Hollister had been at the top of his golf game, not to mention the money list. That is until he makes the wrong decision and marries the wrong woman sending his life into one nasty slice. Five years later, Jack is back and he’s ready to not only take back his career but make amends to his mentor and the young woman whom he crushed all those years ago.

Five years ago, Courtney Wade, in a desperate attempt to keep Jack from making the biggest mistake of his career, threw herself at him. She declared her undying love for a man who wanted power, money and the limelight. Not something Courtney and her father couldn’t give him back then. Hurt by Jack’s decision to marry someone else, Courtney ends up in bed with his archrival, making her own mistake. One she’s still paying for.

Now, living with her father, Courtney is trying to put the pieces of her life back together. The last thing Courtney needs is the man of her dreams to walk into her and her daughter’s life, but that is exactly what happens.

Will she be able to forgive him for the way he left and will he be able to keep the past where it belongs?

Jack Hollister has made many mistakes in his life, some very public. Having lost everything he is working his way back, trying to being a better person. He starts by going to the one person who can possibly help and not only with getting his career going again.

Rudy and his daughter Courtney are the two people who were hurt the most by him. When he married for the prestige and money a stipulation was that he fire Rudy as his coach. Now Jack needs Rudy but isn’t sure that he will be willing to talk to him, let alone work with him.

Courtney is another story all together, she’s made her own mistakes and is still paying for them in some ways. Her only bright spots her daughter Brianna and her dad. She also loves playing golf but never played competitively. She’d been in love with Jack but he thought her too young and his marriage set her on a path she regretted.

Rudy has challenged Jack to win a match against Courtney and then he’ll be his coach. Courtney is not pleased. Jack’s rejection and her own choices all those years ago, left her more than a little angry. Plus her ex-husband had been Jack’s rival. Nothing good could come out of this, at least not in her eyes.

This is a favorite scene.

“You want me to do what!” Courtney Wade stared at her father with wide eyes. She wiggled her finger in her ear. She couldn’t have heard him correctly.

“It’s one round of golf,” her father said.

“With Jack Hollister, a man we both swore if we never saw again it would be too soon. Why the hell would I play golf with him?”

“Um. I’m in the room,” Jack said. She blew out a big puff of air and continued to ignore the man she’d been trying desperately to forget for the last five years. “I’m not speaking to you, nor will I ever.” She shook out her hands. “I won’t do it, Dad.”

“You’ll do it because I asked you to,” her father said with a stern tone as if she were still a teenager.

Well, she was a grown-ass adult, with a kid of her own. Just because she was living with her father while she got her life back on track didn’t mean he got to tell her what to do.

“Are you crazy, Dad! Like hell I’ll play him. Now if you want to smack him over the head with my driver, like he did to my ex-husband, that I might be able to do.” Courtney stared Jack down, daring him to justify his actions. No matter how much he despised her ex-husband, there was no way Jack could come up with a valid reason for knocking a man unconscious.

“My days of clubbing people are over,” Jack said. “And I’m surprised you’re not jumping at the chance to play me again.”

She tossed her head back and laughed. “Are you forgetting I beat you by two strokes?”

“Nope. I’m not.” He inched a little too close for comfort. “But I was also under the influence back then. I haven’t touched cocaine in a year. You’d be playing me completely drug free. Hell, I haven’t even had a drink yet, but if I win, I’ll buy us drinks before dinner.”

“And if you do happen to beat Courtney, you will do things my way, all the way, or no deal,” Rudy said.

She stood between the two men, glaring at both of them. “This is the most insane thing I’ve ever heard.”

Her father gave her a sideways glance. The one he used to get her to do stuff all the time. “Dad. I won’t play him.” She waved her hand at the redhead standing so close she could feel the heat coming off his skin. The last time she’d seen Jack, he’d made her feel like she wasn’t even a whole person. “He’s an arrogant jerk who lies, steals, and cheats, and I don’t want him around us or our golf course. This won’t be good for business. The second the media catches wind of this, they will be all over us like pigs in shit. We don’t need that crap. Not again. Not because of that jerk-off.”

“Hello! I’m in the room,” Jack said with a chuckle. He’d missed Courtney’s fiery personality.

“No one cares,” she said behind a clenched jaw, keeping her eyes on her father. Her insides were shaking like a volcano about to erupt.

“Nice to see you too.” He leaned in front of her and smiled.

Frustrated, she pushed him aside. “Your charm doesn’t work on me.” Then she turned her attention back to her father. “How dare you offer a match for me. And with him.” She turned to see him smiling at her. Jerk! Why the hell did he come back? She’d started to get her life back to where she wanted. The last thing she needed was a sexy, tall, muscular, red-haired wrecking ball crashing in.

“Him has a name.” Jack tipped his new hat.

“You don’t want to know the name we have for you,” she said. “Dad, I can’t believe you would even consider taking this”— if she used the word ‘drunk or drug addict’ she’d be a hypocrite—“ thing back after everything he did to us.”

“Thing?” Jack arched a brow.

“Want me to say what I’m really thinking?” She glared at him. Finally, that smug smile of his disappeared, and his eyes shifted. She’d gotten him right where it counted. Good, he deserved it.

“You should thank him for putting that ex-husband of yours in his place.”

Her mouth opened, and a horrible gasp came from the pit of her stomach. “He wasn’t my ex at the time,” she said under her breath, rubbing her hands against her golf pants. “And he’s still the father of your granddaughter.”

“A fact we’d both like to forget,” her father mumbled. “But Tom doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

“I just want a chance,” Jack said. “I know how badly I’ve fucked up. I haven’t two pennies to rub together, and I don’t even know if I have what it takes to even make the cut.”

She blinked. Not only did his voice send a warm shiver down her spine, but he looked damned good with his freshly shaved face, slender dark-blue golf slacks and white-and-blue shirt tucked neatly into his pants. “You have a lot of nerve to come waltzing in here after all these years. Do you have any idea what you did to my father?”

“I know what I did,” he said. “I also know saying I’m sorry isn’t enough, but it’s a start. I plan on sticking around so I can show both of you just how sorry I really am.”

“I’ve heard enough, and Courtney and I have work to do.”

Her father held Jack’s arm. “Tomorrow morning. Six forty-five. Game on.” Her father gave her a pointed look.
Jen Talty. Tee Time (Kindle Locations 149-190). Kindle Edition.

A game won, as they both seem to get in each other’s head. A new start to training and plenty of snark as Jack slowly moves forward.

For Courtney there is more than just her attraction to Jack, there is dealing with her ex and his threats.

This was an interesting journey with revelations about their pasts. Suspicions about her ex and a love that has survived the years.

5 Contented Purrs for Jen!

Jen Talty

Welcome to my World! I’m a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.

I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.

I’m currently enjoying the next phase of my life…the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.

Jack Daniels Whiskey’s sole responsibility was to make sure the ranch operated at a profit and he was damn good at his job. That’s because he much preferred sitting behind a desk crunching numbers than dealing with people. He left that up to his brothers and sister. So, when he was tasked with helping the newest employee become assimilated to life on Whiskey Ranch, JD wanted nothing to do with the responsibility, much less the woman and her young toddler.

Only when Annette is injured by one of the horses, JD finds himself having to help take care of Tony…

And his mother.

The last thing Annette Hannah wanted to be to anyone again was a burden. She’d done that to her brother time and time again. All she wanted was a fresh start for her, and her son and the Whiskey family had given her that chance. Working as a horse trainer, she wanted to impress her new bosses, but the wild horse had other plans, and Annette ended up in the ER with a broken wrist and a sprained ankle. Once again, she had to rely on someone else. Only this time, it came in the form of the sexy, but reserved and emotionally unavailable, JD Whiskey.

When Annette no longer needs JD, will he be able to walk away, or will people have become more important than numbers, and will Annette allow the cowboy into her and her son’s heart?

Jack Daniels ‘JD’ Whiskey has been tasked with training Annette, the potential new manager of the horse training and riding school. Ordinarily he doesn’t have a lot to say, but suddenly he does.

Annette is Luke’s sister and she is looking forward to working with the horses on the Whiskey Ranch. Unfortunately the current manager Ron and his sidekick Larry aren’t very happy with her being on staff and JD steps in to do her orientation.

A couple of things happen early in this book regarding some new mustangs brought in to be trained. It’s thanks to some of the stunts her late ex-husband pulled that alerts Annette to something not being right, she just can’t figure out what.

After separating two of the horses from the rest, Annette and JD enter the pen. Only someone didn’t listen when JD told him to go home.

This is a favorite scene.

That said, there were a few he enjoyed training but had to let go for various reasons. He got a sinking feeling that Stormy was actually Patch, a horse he’d trained about two years ago and sold to, of all people, Bella Brothers. Would that family ever get their claws out of the Whiskey family?

“Hey there, Patch,” JD whispered. “Is that you, old man?”

Patch kept his gaze locked with JD as he inched closer.

JD didn’t move, leaving his palm flat while Patch took the pieces of apple from his hand.

Meanwhile, Coco nervously paced at the backside of the fence, stopping every once in a while to kick his hind legs against the fence.

“You were right; I know this horse.” Without making sudden movements, JD lifted his other hand and gently scratched Patch’s nose. “What’s going on with you?”

“JD?” Annette’s sweet voice cut through the thick air. “We’ve got company.”

“What do you mean?” JD didn’t want to tear his gaze from Patch in fear of losing his trust.

“Five o’clock. There is someone behind the—”

Suddenly, Coco lowered his head all the way to the ground before raising his front legs high in the air. Patch did a quick three-sixty before taking off in a full gallop toward Coco.

“Jump the fence,” JD said as calmly as he could while he raced toward Annette.

Patch got between Annette and Coco, but Annette still took a good swift kick in the side before crawling under the fence.

JD flipped himself over the top railing, landed on his feet, and helped her to a standing position. “Are you okay?”

“This time I’d say my body is more bruised than my ego.”

A noise behind the barn caught his attention. “You stay put. Got it?”

“Sure thing,” she mumbled.

He took off jogging around the east side of the pen, that way he could come around the top side of the barn. If someone had been back there, and someone managed to spook the horses, JD would be able to see them even if they tried to run in any direction.

Slowing his pace, he creeped around the corner, and his blood boiled.

Ron.

Only question is how did he spook the horses?

Or better yet, why does he have two tamed mustangs in a lot of wild ones?

JD leaned against the barn and watched Ron slink between bushes and trees, letting him get away, though not without snapping a few images on his phone first. He waited until he watched Ron slip into his pickup about a mile away before turning and heading back to the pen where panic gripped his heart.

Annette stood inside the pen, only two feet from Patch.

Quickly, he scanned the immediate area and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Coco locked in the holding stall. With a calmer heartbeat, JD continued down the path until he came to the holding stall. Coco glanced up at him with pain in his big brown eyes.

JD snagged some apple slices and stretched out his arm. Reluctantly, Coco took them from his hands. “You poor thing,” he whispered.

Annette had Patch in a nose hug, which made JD nervous. But it also sent his mind down a dangerous path. “We did have company, and it was Ron.”

“I know he’s been here forever, and I’m a nobody on this ranch, but I don’t trust him.”

“As of this moment, I don’t either, and I’m going to need to have a chat with Georgia Moon and JB tonight. For now, we don’t say anything to anyone else until we know more.”

“I agree.” She continued to rub and scratch Patch as if they were old friends.

“He’s still unpredictable,” JD said.

“I know. But he saved me from getting trampled over by that one. I think he’s reacting to something.”

JD nodded. “Yeah. Fear.”

“Fear wouldn’t necessarily make them act as if they were in pain, and that is exactly how they are behaving.” She slipped from the pen and leaned against the fence, resting her hand on his thigh and staring up at him with pleading blue eyes. “I want to have them examined from head to toe, and I want to be there when the vet does it. Or at the very least, I don’t want Ron to be anywhere near them.”

“I’ll make that happen.” He pulled his cell phone from his back pocket. “I’ll have the horses taken over to my personal barn, and you and I will deal with this in the morning.”

“Thank you.”

He jumped from the fence. “For what?”

“For trusting and believing in me.”
Talty, Jen. Jack Daniel’s (It’s all in the Whiskey Book 3). Jupiter Press. Kindle Locations (566-601). Kindle Edition.

Now JD has noticed something rather startling, he is genuinely interested in her. Not as his usual type one night thing and that scares him. Especially since she has a son and he doesn’t want anything to do with kids.

The attraction is mutual and it’s quite the journey for realization to hit them both.

In spite of being a short book, there is plenty of intrigue, people showing up that shouldn’t, accidents that aren’t and a simmer to sizzle relationship.

I really can’t wait for the next book in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Jen!

Jen Talty

Welcome to my World! I’m a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.

I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.

I’m currently enjoying the next phase of my life…the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.

Georgia Moon Whiskey has been in love with Luke Hannah for as long as she can remember, but he’s never given her a second look. It doesn’t matter anymore. He betrayed her brother and left town with his tail between his legs. Having bought Luke’s property to expand the family business, Georgia Moon turns Luke’s home into a residence for their bull riding students and moves herself into the master bedroom all in the name of therapy to get over the man who never knew he held the power to break her heart.

Luke Hannah has made a mess of his life and has only one person to blame for it: himself. After spending a year in Florida, he comes back to his hometown for the wedding of the man who used to be his best friend the brother of the woman he never had the nerve to ask out on a date. All Luke wants is a second chance, but there is still one secret from his past that looms over his head, threatening to destroy everything.

In the first book of this series we saw JW get betrayed by his best friend Luke, at that point we don’t know the reasoning behind it all but it was a pretty rotten thing for a friend to do. Luke also ends up selling his ranch to JW and then moving to Florida to help his sister and her child.

In this book JW and Kitty are getting married, Robert Preston is on trial, and a serial killer who was responsible for Georgia Moon’s friend death is being executed. What is a surprise is that Luke has a major part in all of these events.

Georgia Moon has been in love with Luke since childhood, and she is at a point in her life where she doesn’t need or want any distractions, not even a romance with Luke.

This is a favorite scene.

There was no good reason for Luke’s actions. Hell, he probably wanted to get caught as well, but he doubted his subconscious wanted to hurt JW. No. It was more punishment for his piss-poor decisions.

But what choice did he have?

He took in a deep breath and rounded the corner. He paused at the doorway and stared at Georgia Moon, who sat behind his old desk. The only thing she’d changed in this room were the pictures on the wall, the trophies in the case, and the person who occupied it.

She raised her hand and twirled her hair with her fingers. He’d been mesmerized many times by this action, and it made his heart skip a beat every time. In what seemed like slow motion, she turned her head, and her lips parted.

“Hey there.” He took a few tentative steps into the room. “You look good.”

“So do you.” She leaned back in her chair. Her long dark hair cascaded over her shoulders. She wore jeans and a white tank top that hugged her body, showing off each glorious curve. “I bet Misty Blue was happy to see you.”

“She nearly threw me off when I mounted her from sheer excitement. Doesn’t anyone ride her?”

Georgia Moon raised her hand. “I ride the crazy monster and so does JW. Misty Blue even likes Kitty, but we haven’t chanced that. Kitty is a quick study, but she’s got a lot to learn about temperamental horses.”

“My sister says I have a lot to learn when it comes to women. She’s here, you know. With her son. He’s really adorable.”

“I’m glad Annette got that asshole out of her life.”

“You and me both.” Luke waved his arm. “Mind if I sit?”

“I’m really busy, Luke. I don’t have time to sit down and shoot the shit.” She folded her arms across her chest and kept her lips drawn into a tight line.

He made himself comfortable in the brown leather chair that he’d spent a small fortune on. “Why are you still so mad at me? I thought we were on good terms when you bought this place.”

“We’re not on bad terms,” she said.

That gave him a little bit of hope.

“That said, I struggle with the idea that you were paid to ruin my family. I didn’t know that when we bought your ranch. I’m not sure I would have talked my brother into taking your call had that juicy piece of information had been at my fingertips.”

“I was protecting my sister, and frankly, I’d do it again if it meant making sure my nephew wasn’t raised by his biological father.” He pumped his fingers, keeping his anger in check. No one knew the hell he’d lived the first ten years of his life, or the lasting effect it had on him, except his sister. “I know you and your brothers would do anything to safeguard each other.”

She dropped her hands to her lap and sighed. “I won’t deny that I would do anything for family, but you should have told us when you came to me for help. I thought you just wanted to make sure Robert didn’t grow his business. I didn’t know he paid you to be Bella’s whore.”

He let out a sarcastic laugh. “I felt like shit the entire time. Thanks for reminding me what a lowlife I am.” He stood and held his head up high. “I am profoundly sorry for what I did, and I’ve paid a huge price for my mistakes. All I want is for us to be friends again. I’m here until the trial is over, except for maybe one short trip to deal with some old business with my sister, who, by the way, is dying to meet you.”

Georgia Moon nodded. “You said you’d do it all over again, does that mean—”

He raised his hand. “No. I meant I’d do what I needed to do to help my sister, but I would have thought about double-crossing Robert. You have to remember, he held the cards. He had the power to destroy my sister’s life because of her husband, and he used that to make sure he got what he wanted. However, when I came up empty-handed, he and Bella went rogue.”

“And that’s the rub. You slept with her anyway.” Georgia Moon stood shaking her head. “But what is done is done.” She sashayed across the room and held out her hand.

He took it and rose. Staring into her dark-chocolate eyes, he smiled. “Does this mean we’re good?”

“Just don’t lie to me again, okay?” Taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he prepared to lie. “I won’t.”

“Good. Now give me a proper hug.”
Talty, Jen . Georgia Moon (It’s All in the Whiskey Book 2). Jupiter Press. Kindle Locations (271-306). Kindle Edition.

Essentially even as he says he won’t lie to her again, he is lying, but not by choice. It’s a necessity but it is one that could destroy everything with Georgia Moon.

Georgia Moon has to overcome a lot of things in this book, she comes to some not so pleasant realizations and some very emotional ones as well.

I love the way this book plays out, there’s suspense, lots of emotion, romance and some sizzle too.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Jen!

Jen Talty

Welcome to my World! I’m a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.

I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.

I’m currently enjoying the next phase of my life…the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.

Kitty O’Doole used to have it all. A big house in the suburbs, a sports car, and money in the bank, all provided by a loving husband. It had been a Cinderella story of all times until the FBI came knocking on her door with a warrant for her husband’s arrest. Now, three years later, working at McCurdy’s Bar and Restaurant, and taking night classes toward a degree in Education, her life is heading in a positive direction. The last thing she needs is a gambling, whiskey-drinking, sexy cowboy, but when JW Whiskey sits down and orders a Johnnie Walker, Kitty finds herself falling for the wrong man. Again.

Or is he?

Johnnie Walker Whiskey, better known as JW, is one of the best bull riders in the business. But a recent scandal involving his last girlfriend tainted his career and marred his reputation. Needing a change of scenery, he tosses a dart at a map of the United States and wherever it lands, is where he’ll go for a week to clear his head. Of all places, he ends up in Baltimore. Who goes to Baltimore to lick their wounds? His first night in town, he wanders into McCurdy’s looking for a burger and a drink, not a sassy conversation with the sexiest, and smartest woman, he’s ever met.

Only he can’t stay away from the bar…
or Kitty.

Over the course of the next few days, JW knows he’s falling hard for Kitty and for the first time in the last year, he feels like things might be looking up.

That is until her past and his scandal collide, throwing him into the spotlight…the very thing he’d been running from to begin with.

Johnnie Walker Whiskey aka JW, has had a couple of really rough months. Starting with breaking it off with his fiancé after catching her with his best friend Luke. At the insistence of his sister and brothers, he tossed a dart at a map and he’s now in Baltimore for a break.

Kitty the bartender is a pleasant surprise, and he finds he wants to get to know her better. Unfortunately her ex-husband keeps pestering her and actually approaches her at the Pub.

This is a favorite scene.

“Are you friendly with your ex?”

“We haven’t spoken in over a year, but he’s been trying to get a hold of me.”

Typically, she didn’t discuss her personal life with strangers, or customers, but something about the tall, sexy man sitting in front of her made her feel safe. Comfortable.

Probably a bad idea since she’d been so wrong about Preston.

“Looks like he’s coming this way,” JW said, popping a French fry in his mouth. “Give me a code word if you need help.”

“It’s going to be him who needs assistance.” She watched as Preston waved to three men before gliding between the tables, heading right in her direction.

“You work here?” Preston wedged himself next to JW, who didn’t look thrilled to be nudged with an elbow and no apology.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a job,” she said, biting her tongue.

“But a bartender? At a pub? You can do better than that. I thought you always wanted to be a teacher. What happened to that dream?” he asked with a slight smirk that she wished she could smack right off his face.

“I’m in school working toward that.” She didn’t owe Preston an explanation, but she wasn’t about to stand there and let him belittle her any longer. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to get back to work,” she said, planting her hands firmly on her hips.

“What time do you get off?” He had the nerve to smile at her as if their crossing paths was a regular everyday occurrence. “We need to talk.”

“My silence toward your phone calls and texts should tell you I don’t feel the same way.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sexy cowboy look her ex up and down. Part of her had enjoyed the light banter JW had provided, and he’d be the perfect kind of man to toss in Preston’s face.

“I think I deserve five minutes of your time, considering we were once married.”

“Say your piece,” she muttered.

Preston could be persistent, and the last thing she wanted was for him to bother her or her family.

“I don’t want to do it here. Have coffee with me.”

“She’s busy,” JW said casually as he wiped his hands on his napkin, tossing it on the plate.

Preston craned his neck. “Excuse me? Who the hell are you?”

“A friend,” Kitty interjected, not wanting a pounding of the chest situation. “Look, Preston, we have nothing left to say to each other.”

“A lot has changed.” Preston leaned over the counter.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Preston told her she was a rat leaving a sinking ship when she’d asked for a divorce. He’d go between that and begging her to stay, telling her it would all work itself out, that all she had to do was trust him. “Now that I’m back on my feet, I was thinking—”

“Nothing good comes out of you thinking.”

“You still have a razor-sharp tongue,” he said, shaking his head with a stupid smile. “I see that your brother is here. I’d like to talk with him too about—”

“You need to stay away from my family and me.”

“I can make things easier on you financially.” He curled his slimy, dirty fingers around her wrist.

JW cleared his throat. “I don’t think the lady wants your hands on her.”

“I don’t care what you think,” Preston said with a clipped tone, glaring.

She took the opportunity to yank her hand free.

Swiveling the barstool, JW folded his arms across his chest. His massive muscles flexed. “Touch her again, and you’ll care, alright.”

“Who the hell does this guy think he is?” Preston asked.

“Her date for the evening.” JW arched a brow.

Narrowing her eyes, she glared at JW. The last thing she needed was for Preston to go off halfcocked and end up in a brawl.

Then again, she might enjoy watching JW pound the shit out of Preston.

“You’re going out with this—”

She interrupted Preston. “We’re friends,” she said behind gritted teeth.

“Well, tell your friend, this is none of his business.” Preston turned his back to JW. “When we divorced, you refused any settlement. Let me give you one now.” When she’d first met Preston, he’d given her family money and opportunity, but throughout their marriage, he used that simple fact to control her.

“I don’t need your money, nor do I want it or the strings that come with it.”

“Why do you have to be so pigheaded? I’m just trying to be a stand-up guy and do the right thing by my ex-wife.” Preston shook his head. “My start-up is looking for good, smart people right now. I want to hire your brother. That wouldn’t be a handout, now would it?” Preston stiffened his spine, shoving his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels like a proud peacock ruffling its feathers.

“He’s got a job.” She smiled as wickedly as she could. “With Emerson Industries.”

Preston’s mouth dropped open at the news her brother was working for the man who turned Preston into the federal government.

She bit down on the inside of her mouth. That was way too much fun.
Talty, Jen. Johnnie Walker (It’s All In The Whiskey Book 1) . Jupiter Press. Kindle Locations (380-422). Kindle Edition.

Now Kitty doesn’t date customers, but there’s something about JW that she just can’t resist.

This is a fun tale where I’m not sure who has the worst ex. Every interaction is fun for the reader but not so much for the characters.

Lots of Fun, Laughter, Sniffles, a Touch of Drama and Some Sizzle.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

5 Contented Purrs for Jen!

Jen Talty

Welcome to my World! I’m a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.

I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.

I’m currently enjoying the next phase of my life…the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.

Ryan O’Conner has the world at her fingertips. She’s strong, feisty and has everything she’s ever wanted, except the right man. Jared Blake represents everything Ryan doesn’t want. He’s controlling, overbearing and now he’s moving. Having had a crush on him for years, Ryan decides to seduce Jared. A goodbye thing. However, her plans change when someone starts stalking her. With her life on the line, she turns to Jared for protection and finds the not so perfect man is the perfect man for her.

Restless and bored, NY State Trooper Jared Blake accepts a transfer from his position in Lake George, NY. Jared craves the rush of adrenaline and his current post is too tame. As soon as he moves, his career will take off, but his plans are put on hold when a friend is threatened by a stalker. Jared has exactly two weeks to find out who is behind these treats.

And in two weeks, Jared will lose his heart forever…

I couldn’t resist getting this book. I have lived in New York State and have known a few troopers. They are very awesome people.

In this book Ryan O’Conner has a stalker who is escalating. She lives in the carriage house on Jared Blake’s property. Jared is a State Trooper and also Ryan’s brother Pat’s best friend.

Now Jared has quite a few personal issues, and part of his solution for them is to accept a new position away from Lake George where he has lived his whole life. He’s thinking that distancing himself will solve them.

Ryan on the other hand has had a crush on Jared since she was a teenager. He rescued her from a very sticky situation and he blames himself for not being there quicker. Now that he is leaving in two weeks, she is determined to at least have one night with him.

This is a favorite scene.

Whoever this was knew they had the wrong number, so why did they keep trying? “Buzz off.” She tossed the phone back in her purse.

“Who?” Her brother sat down at the table with a concerned look on his face. Considering everything she and Pat had gone through, she knew that he meant well. But his overprotective ways were almost as annoying as Jared’s.

“No one.” She grabbed a handful of popcorn from the basket. “You hear from Jared?”

Pat’s face scrunched even more. “Why?”

“Because he said he’d be here.” Mindlessly, she raised a single buttered kernel to her lips. Over the past few months Jared had been sending her mixed signals. She’d finally had the courage last night to call him on it.

“Then he’ll be here. Did he put the house on the market yet?”

She shrugged. Finding a new place to live did concern her. Jared charged her next to nothing for rent and she loved the area, even though it took forever to get to work in the snow. “He didn’t say.”

Pat leaned closer. “I know Jared’s move has upset you. But it’s about time you got him off that pedestal you’ve had him on for the last few years.”

“I don’t have him on a pedestal.” She grabbed a napkin, wiped the grease from her fingers, and tried to ignore her brother.

“Come on. I see how you look at him.” He tried to bat her nose with his finger, but she swatted it away.

“Oh shut up, will you? I’m not twelve, if you hadn’t noticed.” She gave him the evil eye.

“Could’ve fooled me,” he grumbled, crossing his arms. “You can’t possibly have real feelings for the man. He’s my age.”

She tossed the napkin on the table. “Of course I have feelings for him. He’s been a dear friend to both of us, or do I need to remind you of everything he’s done.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. You have to let him go.”

“Get off it. I’m just worried about moving. I’ve lived in that carriage house since I was seventeen.” She waved to a couple of girls she had gone to high school with.

“Didn’t Jared say the realtor was listing the property with a money-making tenant?”

“Jared has no control over what the new owners would charge, or do with me. I’m better off renting an apartment near the hotel in Bolton, anyway.”

Pat took both her hands in his. “You could always come live with Marcie and me.”

“Not.” At twenty-three, Ryan had been living on her own since her brother had married five years ago.

Pat leaned back in his chair and scanned the room. “So, how’d your date go last night?”

“How did you know I went on a date?” She glared at her brother. It seemed she couldn’t do anything without dear old brother and Jared knowing about it. Or having a say in it.

“Jared told me.”

“Figures. He was hanging out on the back patio when Tom brought me home. I have to say the date wasn’t anything to write home about, but thanks to Jared, well, let’s just say I won’t be going on a second one with that guy, ever.” Jared had made telling Tom to take a hike a little easier, but it drove her nuts that he acted more like an older brother than a friend. He had this horrible habit of scaring off her dates before they even began.

“Jared said the guy looked like a moron.”

“He thinks everyone I date is a moron.” She rolled her eyes. “Where is he? He should’ve been here by now.”

“I’m sure he offered to stay late or something,” Pat suggested.

He better not have. She glanced at her watch.

“This week will be hard on him,” Pat said. A sudden sadness washed over his face. “I told him. Too much change around this time of year wouldn’t be good for him, but he’ll never listen.”

“He listens to you, and he’s getting better every year,” she said softly.

Pat rested his hand on her shoulder. “Now that I’m about to be a father, I can have a little empathy for what he must go through.”

“It’s not his fault his son died,” she whispered.

“That’s not what he believes.” Pat rose and pushed the chair in. “Look, I’ve got to get back to the kitchen.” He nodded toward the door. “Jared’s here.”

Ryan rose and stood next to her brother as Jared approached. His broad frame stood well over six feet, and his emerald colored eyes sparkled with mischief. She took in a deep breath, trying to simply smile without letting her eyes roam over his perfect body.

An electric pulse shot up her spine when Jared touched the small of her back. Staring into his jewel like eyes, she swallowed. His full lips brushed her temple the same way they always did when he said hello. It was just his way, but it always sent her ability to speak on a temporary vacation.

He chuckled as if he knew the effect he had on her, then ran his hand across his freshly buzzed head. “Sorry I missed the big surprise.”

“She wasn’t surprised, but she faked it nice,” Pat said. “I’m short-handed tonight, so I’ve got to get going. Don’t you go running off to the western part of this state without letting me get you good and drunk for old times’ sake.”

“You’re on.” Jared smiled wide.

“Come on, Ryan, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

She swallowed, then chomped down on her tongue, making sure she didn’t sound like a schoolgirl when she spoke.

“Jared, you didn’t need to get me anything.”

“Don’t spoil my fun,” he drawled, slipping his arm around her waist.
Jen Talty. In Two Weeks (Kindle Locations 72-117). Cool Gus Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Jared’s surprise for her birthday is stunning, but the party doesn’t end on a high note.

This book takes us through Ryan and Jared’s relationship, as it goes from simmer to sizzle and it is also very descriptive crime scenes as Ryan’s stalker escalates.

Plenty of suspects as tensions rise, and Jared’s date to leave town approaches.

I couldn’t put this book down, I had to know everything. This is definitely a series I will be continuing.

5 Contented Purrs for Jenn!

Jen Talty

Welcome to my World! I’m a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.

I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.

I’m currently enjoying the next phase of my life…the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.

SEX, LIES, AND WEDDING BETRAYALS—

Annabel Wilder returns home to Jupiter, Florida seeking a fresh start after a brutal heartbreak. As a treasure hunter, she bids on a mysterious storage unit. Inside the unit, Annabel finds real treasure–wedding dresses, bridesmaid gowns, and jewelry.

But somebody else wants the unit and Annabel is in the way. Landing smack in the middle of the mess, Annabel is soon swept up in a dangerous investigation headed by the handsome Sheriff Ethan Ferris, and a strange black cat that seems determined to protect her. Now her heart and her life are both at risk.

Ethan Ferris hasn’t been able to get Annabel out of his mind. But a rocky romance has hardened his heart to love—and to Annabel. When his criminal investigation embroils them both in danger, Ethan is forced to face his past or lose the future.

Trouble, with detective skills second only to Sherlock Holmes, arrives in the nick of time. Can he help Ethan solve a rash of wedding burglaries before the culprit harms Annabel? Can the savvy black cat push the would-be lovers past their jaded hearts and into love?

These books are so much fun!

In this one Tammy Lynn leaves Trouble in Jupiter while she cruises off to an island to verify some possible first editions.

Her friend Annabel is more than happy to take Trouble and even buys him a bed. Although Trouble prefers anything else to lie down on. He even helps her bid on a storage unit. As a treasure hunter this is a real plus for her since he was able to slink in and check it out first.

The unit is filled with wedding stuff. Lots of it and there are even some rings.

The last time Annabel saw Ethan was the night of her friend’s wedding. The same night she broke off her engagement and Ethan did a belly shot of tequila off her. That same night he found his fiancé in the arms of another man.

Now Ethan is with the Jupiter police, and they meet up for the first time since she moved back right after she starts going through the unit. But then again later after a break in at her apartment complex.

This is a favorite scene.

Annabel tucked her phone in her back pocket and bit back a smile when her eyes locked on Ethan. His broad shoulders filled the doorway of Holly’s apartment as he talked with one of the other policemen, Trouble at his feet.

“Oh, look.” Edna grabbed Annabel’s arm. “It’s that handsome cop. Poor guy. I know his mother, and she told me all about his ex-fiancé cheating on him. What is it with young people these days? Oh, wait. I know. I should introduce you. You’re single, right?”

“Officer Ethan Ferris, the most eligible bachelor in town,” Heather said with a wide smile. “I heard that you knew him in high school.” She looked directly at Annabel with an all-knowing smile.

“Oh, really,” Edna said with an arched brow and a twinkle in her eye.

Jupiter couldn’t be considered small town USA, but everyone certainly knew everyone else’s business, that was for damn sure.

“I did,” Annabel said. In the few weeks she’d lived in this community, her neighbors had all tried to set her up with any unattached man they could find. “He’s my best friend’s older brother.”

“He’s heading this way—what’s your cat doing?” Edna asked, her face scrunched in disapproval.

Trouble pawed at Ethan’s pant leg, then ran toward the side of the condo. He did this three times before Ethan paid any attention and knelt to greet the cat with a scratch on the head, but Trouble didn’t want the petting and continued running back and forth between Ethan and the side yard.

“What is it, Trouble?” Ethan asked.

“I think he wants to show you something.” Annabel crossed the parking lot, happy to put some space between her and her neighbors. Not that she didn’t enjoy their company, she did, but she knew where the conversation was headed, and she didn’t want to have to confess she’d be meeting the sexy officer later. If she did, they’d all wait up on the catwalk, waiting to see if she kissed her date goodnight.

“He saw something in the backyard,” Annabel said.

“How do you know?” Ethan looped his thumbs in his belt. His emerald eyes glistened like the sun’s reflection on the ocean waves. He had a few wrinkles around his eyes and she noticed a dash of gray at his temples, but otherwise, he looked exactly like he had his senior year in high school. She’d always thought him mature for his age back then. He had been levelheaded, barely ever getting in trouble. He’d been the clean-cut All-American boy next door who would give a stranger the shirt off his back.

“He was doing something like that before the alarm went off.”

Ethan rested his hand on the small of Annabel’s back.

“Lead the way, Trouble.”

“I’m surprised you’re following a cat around a crime scene.”

“He obviously wants to show me something,” Ethan said, his hand still pressed against her spine. “We have a K-9 patrol, and I think they’re incredibly smart. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of a cat crime solver, but hey, cats are pretty smart creatures, too.”

She glanced over her shoulder only to see Edna nose to nose with a couple of ladies from Building F, including Nedra Hilfax, her mother’s best friend, who waved frantically with an even bigger grin than normal.

Wonderful. Annabel figured Nedra had already texted her mother and suspected she’d have a text…

Her phone vibrated in her back pocket.

Right on cue.

The Florida grass crunched under her flip-flops. The tall branches from an American Sycamore tree waved its lush green leaves in the humid breeze. A crowd of people from Building B gathered around the pond at the main entrance to Ocean Way.

“I was thinking about tonight,” Ethan said.

“If you need to cancel, I understand.”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t need to, nor do I want to, but I thought we could go out on a boat ride and stop at the Waterford for dinner.”

“Please tell me you’re not referring to Stink Pot.”

Growing up, Ethan had always had a love for fishing and spent many weekends on the ocean, casting over a couple of lines. He hadn’t named his boat Stink Pot, but that’s what his sister had always called it because it always smelled like fish.

He laughed. “I have a new fishing boat that doesn’t stink, though I did name it Top Knits which is Stink Pot spelled backward.”

“You’re a crafty fella.”

“I have my moments. So, what do you say?”

He fanned his thumb across her back in an intimate gesture. In the beginning of her relationship with Devin, he’d done similar simple acts that showed more affection than the words themselves, but that had been short-lived. She missed the idea of someone to share her life with, but she sure as hell didn’t miss Devin.

Not anymore.

Time to really start her life over.

“Sounds like fun.
Jen Talty. Trouble’s Wedding Caper (Kindle Locations 702-741). KaliOka Press. Kindle Edition.

All of the clues revolve around cancelled weddings, and Annabel finally tells Ethan about the content of her storage unit.

Lots of twists and turns, I love the interactions with Trouble, Ethan and Annabel. I certainly didn’t see solution coming.

Jen has totally embraced Trouble and his antics making this another great read.

5 Contented Purrs for Jen!

Jen Talty

Welcome to my World! I’m a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.

I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.

I’m currently enjoying the next phase of my life…the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.