Welcome to the Be Mine Blog Tour, with Marquita Valentine! The tour is being hosted by Wordsmith Publicity. To follow the entire tour, stop by the home page. Thanks for stopping by!
Series: Holland Springs #6
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: 7/9/14
Scottish Duke, Liam
Stewart, needs a wife and an heir before he can inherit the money he so
desperately needs to support his family, his staff, and restore his ducal
estates their former glory. Only ever since his ex-fiancée ran off with the gardener,
Liam doesn’t believe in marriage, or miracles, for that matter, until that is,
Isabella Edwards appears at his Edinburg townhome with the answers to his problems. Local preacher’s
daughter and former missionary, Isabella Edwards had the perfect life all
planned out. Marry her perfect fiancé, live near her family in Holland Springs,
open a bookstore, and have a couple of kids. Except her fiancé ran off to Las
Vegas with his widowed ex-stepmother, the bookstore closed before it could
open, and now… now, she’s pregnant after a one-weekend stand with hot Scot,
Liam Stewart. To Isabella’s utter
shock, Liam proposes, but a marriage can’t last on desire alone. The problem?
Isabella and Liam are total opposites. In fact, the only time they’re in agreement is in the bedroom. Desperate
to keep her reputation, she accepts. Her
only hope is that they can put aside their differences and let love bring them
together. ** Be Mine can be read as a stand-alone**
To be such a small town, Holland Springs has been packed full of exciting moments and larger than life romance. We've seen everything from race car drivers to celebrities to British royalty and there has been no shortage of conflict and intrigue. Coming back to Holland Springs is like coming home for me and I couldn't wait to dive into this story. Liam and Bella couldn't be more opposite. He's royalty and she's a preachers daughter. He's liberal, she's conservative. With differing viewpoints and sizzling chemistry, Be Mine takes it's place in the series as another enjoyable experience.
I knew at the end of Not Over You (book 5 in the series) that Bella's life was about to get a whole lot more complicated when she dropped a baby bomb on her brother while heading out the door to tell the baby daddy. What happens in Holland Springs doesn't quite stay there and turns both Liam and Bella's lives upside down. I love the idea that these two character were completely opposite from the other. Bella grew up raised by two devout Christians with her father the preacher of their local church. They weren't wealthy by any means but what they lacked in finances they made up for with love. Because Liam appears to be wealthy now, one would assume his upbringing was flawless. Full of caviar, tennis lessons and rides on his private jet with a trust found the size of the plane. What you'd be surprise to learn is that Liam's life growing up was anything but perfect. Liam probably had it worse off than Bella and still knows what it's like to struggle with this current money woes weighing him down. If he can't find a wife soon and get an heir in her with the quickness he stands to lose everything he's built for not only himself but for the people who count on him for employment. The one thing they have in common is that they've both been scorned by previous lovers and both keep their hearts locked away out of fear of being hurt again.
I'd like to start off talking about Liam because this guy, although gong about things a little sneakily, deserves some accolades. He came from nothing being the son of a disgraced woman with a father who wanted nothing to do with him and didn't even care to help knowing both their plights in life. Growing up feeling like the bastard society labels you as isn't easy to overcome. I love a man of integrity and Liam had it in spades, always fighting and clawing to survive. Liam isn't the worlds most perfect man by any means and he may have stuck his foot in his mouth more times than I could count but the size of his heart far outweighs the size of his wallet. The genuine affection he felt for Bella and the child they made was adorable and heartwarming. Any man who takes responsibility for their actions wins cool points by default. He was patient, nurturing, protective and so sweet. Liam was the kind of guy that when the chips were stacked against him he never gave up. To be raised with a neglectful father and no male role model he turned into a great man. And if you need another reason to love him just remember. Liam is a kilt wearing Scotsman with a sexy accent so... you're welcome!
Bella on the other hand was a little bit of a handful at all times. Stubborn and slightly naive, she did her level best to work my nerves. Getting the story behind her past and the thinly veiled hints about a previous pregnancy with her high school boyfriend Heath finally eased my curiosity. I have been assuming for a while the reason behind the loss but quickly found my assumptions to be incorrect. A reckless moment at a young age had haunted her for years and kept her from getting back into a similar situation. Her decision to track Liam down about the repercussions of their night made me happy that she had obviously learned her lessons in life and put her child's well being ahead of her own. Taking care of herself, getting plenty of sleep, eating right and bonding with Liam were all positive signs of her growth. Until a mission trip gone wrong put her and the child in danger, making me want to scream and shake her. Bella is the kind of woman that needed a man like Liam to keep her ass in line. I normally like a headstrong heroine who does her own thing but this time I was on the guys side. I still loved her and I'm glad she learned a valuable lesson through all the trouble even if she did piss me off sometimes.
You wouldn't think two people with such different personalities and clashing opinions could have so many amazing and tender moments but Bella and Liam had my cup running over. I'm not sure if it was the baby thrown into the mix or just the overall sweetness of seeing a grown man at the mercy of a fetus but the love captured in Be Mine was perfectly done. I enjoyed watching these two get to know each other, support each other and genuinely fall in love along the way. Holland Springs is a place I never want to say goodbye to because it's been such an amazing series it's hard to let go of characters you love. At least I'll always have memories to tide me over and highlights I can go back through if I started to feel nostalgic right? For lovers of beautiful romance, saucy sexy goodness and drama that hardly feels that way you can't go wrong with any of the books in this wonderful series.
Quotes:
Liam's mouth twisted a little, while Bella sighed. She would remember that, she swore to herself. because without the dark times, how would they ever cherish the light? eARC 45%
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Excerpt:
She turned excitedly to Liam as he returned from the bathroom and entered their private room, practically bouncing in her seat. "Is this festival for the whole town?" she asked, and then her jaw dropped. Liam wore a purple, green, blue and red kilt, with a wide belt, a pouch made of fur and leather in the middle, and a white button down shirt. His boots were polished and his socks matched the material of the tartan.
"You're wearing a kilt," she said, stating the very obvious.
"I'm wearing the Chief's tartan. I'm the head of my clan." He tilted his head at a cocky angle. "Most of the men attending today will be wearing something like this."
"So, you're finally wearing a kilt for me," she said with a little clap.
"Aye."
She wondered if he wore anything underneath it at all.
He leaned forward and dipped his head. "I ken what you're thinking, lass. And it's true."
"What's true?"
The sexiest smile she'd ever seen curved his lips. "I'm not wearing a bloody damn thing."
Oh. My. Gosh. He was joking. He had to be joking. "What if the wind blows your kilt up?" She licked her lips as she ran her gaze over him once more. She had a feeling she would be doing that all day.
He shrugged and then straightened. Then he did something that never in a million years she thought she'd find sexy. Or maybe because she'd never thought she'd ever see a man doing it. Hitching up one side of his kilt, he turned around and cast a glance over his shoulder. "How do my legs look, lass?"
His legs? She could barely tear her gaze away from his tight, muscular bare butt. "You weren't kidding," she breathed.
"If I wore anything under it, then it would be a skirt."
"We can't have that, can we?" She had to look away. Only she didn't want to look away. She didn't have to look away. Liam and his bare behind were hers. If she wanted to bite or smack one of his cheeks, she could and he, the lusty man, would probably order her to do it again.
He let the material fall, and her lips drew up into a pout.
"I wasn't done looking," she complained as he held out his hand. She took it and stood on her feet.
"I assumed you wanted to go to the festival today," he said, and she didn't miss the gleam in his dark eyes.
"I do."
"Then you were done looking."
She turned excitedly to Liam as he returned from the bathroom and entered their private room, practically bouncing in her seat. "Is this festival for the whole town?" she asked, and then her jaw dropped. Liam wore a purple, green, blue and red kilt, with a wide belt, a pouch made of fur and leather in the middle, and a white button down shirt. His boots were polished and his socks matched the material of the tartan.
"You're wearing a kilt," she said, stating the very obvious.
"I'm wearing the Chief's tartan. I'm the head of my clan." He tilted his head at a cocky angle. "Most of the men attending today will be wearing something like this."
"So, you're finally wearing a kilt for me," she said with a little clap.
"Aye."
She wondered if he wore anything underneath it at all.
He leaned forward and dipped his head. "I ken what you're thinking, lass. And it's true."
"What's true?"
The sexiest smile she'd ever seen curved his lips. "I'm not wearing a bloody damn thing."
Oh. My. Gosh. He was joking. He had to be joking. "What if the wind blows your kilt up?" She licked her lips as she ran her gaze over him once more. She had a feeling she would be doing that all day.
He shrugged and then straightened. Then he did something that never in a million years she thought she'd find sexy. Or maybe because she'd never thought she'd ever see a man doing it. Hitching up one side of his kilt, he turned around and cast a glance over his shoulder. "How do my legs look, lass?"
His legs? She could barely tear her gaze away from his tight, muscular bare butt. "You weren't kidding," she breathed.
"If I wore anything under it, then it would be a skirt."
"We can't have that, can we?" She had to look away. Only she didn't want to look away. She didn't have to look away. Liam and his bare behind were hers. If she wanted to bite or smack one of his cheeks, she could and he, the lusty man, would probably order her to do it again.
He let the material fall, and her lips drew up into a pout.
"I wasn't done looking," she complained as he held out his hand. She took it and stood on her feet.
"I assumed you wanted to go to the festival today," he said, and she didn't miss the gleam in his dark eyes.
"I do."
"Then you were done looking."
Coach purse, mirror, and money holder (value of $500)
Open to contiguous US only.
About Marquita Valentine:
New York Times Bestselling Author, Marquita Valentine, writes sexy heroes that make you swoon and sassy heroines that make you laugh. She’s the author of the bestselling contemporary romance series, Holland Springs, and the new adult romance series, Boys of the South.Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man—and if that doesn't work, they can console themselves with cheesy tatertots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children.
That was such a great review! I was on Liam'side, too, with the mission issue.
ReplyDeleteI'm really going to miss this series!