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Showing posts with label Gateway to Love Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gateway to Love Series. Show all posts

Monday, March 21, 2016

SALE BLITZ: Gateway to Love Box Set by Chloe T. Barlow


Title: A Gateway to Love Box Set
Author: Chloe T. Barlow
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense/New Adult
Release Date: Nov 9, 2015


Find on Goodreads





Experience the first three installments of the critically acclaimed Gateway to Love series, which takes you on a twisting and turning roller coaster ride of romance and suspense from Pittsburgh, to New York, and Shanghai, all in one sitting!

Like the succession of rings from a stone hurled into a pond, one cataclysmic moment can send unseen ripples of change throughout many lifetimes -- the effects of which can be both unknown, and seductive. When Althea Taylor became a widow at twenty-four, she could never have predicted how many lives the mysterious death of her husband, Jack Taylor, would eventually change forever.

In her Gateway to Love series, Chloe Barlow tells the sexy and emotional tales of the many lives, and loves, inexorably connected to this tragic, and suspicious loss. Each story is a fully contained standalone, with no cliffhangers. Yet, secrets and thrills imbue each page, continuing into the next story in a way, which has kept readers around the world eager for each upcoming installment.

In Three Rivers we meet Althea and her best friends, Jenna and Aubrey, who encourage her to take a baby step toward a new life beyond grief, if only for one night, with an irresistible stranger. Griffen Tate certainly fit that bill, but he is not who he seems. In fact, he is so much more; as are the many secrets he keeps.

Next, in City of Champions, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jenna Sutherland fights to resist injured NFL quarterback, Wyatt McCoy, a man who's willing to do anything to stay on the field. Can their torrid secret holiday affair make it through to the New Year, and overcome hidden threats at every turn?

And in Shanghai Wind, the most suspenseful installment yet, we meet Feng and Colin. These two fell hard for each other when Colin was an eighteen-year-old bad boy forced to stay with Feng's family in Shanghai. Yet, Colin would go on to break every promise he ever made to her. These high stakes aren't just for their hearts -- it could be for their lives.



On sale for $0.99 for a limited time!




Althea leaned back and forced a smile and laugh as she looked around. Her brazen pretense was tossing kerosene on Griffen's fiery emotions.

With each nervous dart of her eyes, Griffen's heart pounded with more anger. He leaned closer and whispered hotly in her ear, "Is that better? Am I making you uncomfortable? God forbid someone thinks you aren't a perfect widow pining away alone after all these years. That you're still living an adult life," he growled. "Maybe I should ignore your rules and touch you anyway. I know you like it when I do."

"Stop it, please." She breathed slowly, calming herself. "We can touch. Just not here."

"Fine. I get it." Griffen couldn't stop how angry he felt.
The irony wasn't lost on him. Most women he'd been with begged him to be serious with them and tell the world they were together. That had never appealed to him, until now. Yet here was this beautiful, desirable woman that he wanted to express affection to and she couldn't bear to let anyone know they were together. He hadn't even realized how furious it made him until he found his heart was racing and he was feeling hot with anger.

Althea must've sensed it because she leaned over and whispered, "No. You don't get it, and you shouldn't have to. This is my thing. My issue." She looked around to see if anyone was staring at them and looked into his eyes. "I do want to touch you. I want you to touch me." She swallowed and lowered her voice even more. "Very much."

"Fine," he gritted out. When he looked down at her, with her eyes turned up so full of concern while her lips parted and she panted just a little from the desire that coursed through them every time they were near each other, his heart pounded for a different reason. "I need to touch you, too...everywhere."

"Yes, please," she whispered.





Chloe is a contemporary romance novelist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and their sweet dog. This Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Author, has been featured in Heroes and Heartbreakers, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, RT Book Reviews Magazine, Lupus Now, and Mt. Lebanon Magazine. She is a native Washingtonian who graduated Duke University with a degree in English and Chinese. She met her husband at Duke and he brought her to Pittsburgh over a decade ago, which is now her adopted hometown. She also attended the University of Pittsburgh Law School where she continued to be a book-loving nerd.

Chloe cherishes the opportunity to craft her fictional novels and share them with the world. When not writing, Chloe spends her time exploring Pittsburgh. She also enjoys yoga, jogging, and all Pittsburgh sports, as well as her Duke Blue Devils.

She also thoroughly enjoys every opportunity to communicate with her readers. Since the release of her debut novel, Three Rivers, she has enjoyed the honor of meeting and talking with numerous fans, and looks forward to getting to know many more.


Monday, January 11, 2016

RELEASE BLITZ & 5 STAR REVIEW: A Steel Town (Gateway to Love #3) by Chloe Barlow

AST - banner


Title: A STEEL TOWN
Series: A Gateway to Love, #3
Author: Chloe T. Barlow
Genre: New Adult, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: January 11, 2016

add-to-goodreads-button31  

How do you protect the woman you love, when you fear you are the very person who could destroy her? 

Claudia McCoy has been told what she can't do enough for one lifetime. After a near-fatal childhood battle with juvenile diabetes and having to accept that her dreams of serving in the military would never come true, she's thrilled to begin a life on her own terms. Yet, when she finally starts her career in the FBI, Claudia is furious that her condition and overbearing big brother, Wyatt, have both once again interfered with her ability to have the life she truly wants. Now derailed from her high-profile aspirations of a position in the FBI's D.C. headquarters, she is instead planted far away from the real action, and practically right in her brother's Pittsburgh backyard. 

Trey Adler is known for fixing things, but he's broken just as many — leaving him with regrets that never go away. He'd be the first to agree he should stay away from a nice girl like Claudia, but he can't deny his friend Jenna Sutherland's request when she asks him to use his position as a temporary FBI consultant to keep Claudia safe — especially as it's clear this little firecracker needs protecting. Far away from all the action she so craves, Claudia is more determined than ever to prove herself in her first major investigation at whatever cost — and those costs are proving to be dangerously high. 

Their battle of wills turns quickly into a powerful need for one other, making them both rethink everything they ever wanted. 

Will Trey be able to keep her alive long enough to give them an opportunity at something real together — a future that can survive the danger in their present, as well as the darkness of his past?  

ast live

 







My Review

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Finally! I feel like I have been waiting forever for this book. I loved Trey and his tattooed badass, computer hacking ways in the previous books so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. 


Claudia, who we met in City of Champions, has moved to Pittsburgh to work for the FBI. She feels that she hasn't been given a fair shot to show her skills thanks to her over protective brother (Hello there Wyatt!) and his need to watch over her at all times. While I can understand why (she has Type 1 diabetes) he feels this way, I wanted to reach through the book and smack him on the head. Claudia certainly knows how to take care of herself. She is a smart, strong, kick ass woman who knows what she wants. And she wants to be taken seriously. Even if that means going behind her boss' back to follow a lead that he said she shouldn't follow. 


This is where Trey comes in. Knowing that he was doing some work for the Pittsburgh FBI, Jenna asks Trey to keep an eye on Claudia. This results in a very interesting first meeting and the beginning of their love/hate relationship. Luckily for them (and for us readers) the hate part isn't around for too long and they discover that they actually make a great pair in all aspects of their lives. Professionally they work extremely well together and personally they pretty much melted my ereader. You could've cut the sexual tension between Trey and Claudia with a knife. 

I found it interesting that even though Trey kept a lot of people on the outskirts of his life, he let Claudia in pretty easily. She grabbed his attention from the moment they met. He became extremely protective of her and was the first woman he had feelings for in almost 10 years. But Trey was still batting some demons from his past which caused him to make some dumb guy decisions.

I just loved Trey and Claudia so much. They balanced each other out so well. They both always seemed to know what the other needed. And that usually meant some fantastic verbal sparring before they were able to compromise. It was so entertaining to read. Claudia hated being treated with kid gloves and as soon as Trey realized that, all bets were off. That doesn't mean that Trey wasn't ridiculously sweet at times, because he really was. And when he finally completely opened his heart to her, it was beautiful. 


A Steel Town is not to be missed, especially if you have read the previous books in this series.This was the last book I read in 2015...talk about ending on a good note! It was great to see the whole gang again. We got some great group scenes that reminded me why I love this series so much. The author even laid the groundwork for the next book and I will say this: I NEED IT! 





EXCERPT

Shock and heat ran through his chest at the sudden sensation of the tip of her tongue sliding across his chest, between his pecs, and down the length of his stomach. She flicked her tongue over every ripple of his abs, which were clenching with each warm, lapping motion. 

Her hands yanked off his belt, then quickly undid the button of his jeans and slid down the zipper. Trey's hands twisted and tugged at her hair, trying to stem his urge to guide her movements. 


Glancing up at him briefly, Claudia rubbed across Trey's length through his boxer briefs with the heel of her palm. Hesitating for a moment, she sucked at her bottom lip, revealing her two front teeth. He took a sharp intake of breath, growing harder under her excited touch. 


When she finally pulled down the elastic band, Trey's cock sprang free so jubilantly that Claudia smiled and swiped her tongue across her lips in response. The sight of her innocent and beautiful, young face next to his rock-hard erection was enough to force him to access every ounce of self-control not to come right there. 


Stilling his body, Trey let her take her time. At first she tentatively licked around the head and down his shaft, as though she were charting a course of him. He ground his teeth together at the almost painful pleasure it caused. As if emboldened, in one surprising motion, Claudia took him into her mouth. The velvety smoothness of her engulfed all his senses, filling him with pleasure, desire...and hope, all at once. 


"Fuck," Trey muttered with a jagged growl. The word seemed to make her even more impassioned, as she quickened her pace. Her little happy slurping and humming sounds elicited another series of expletives, until Trey couldn't take it anymore. 


The pleasure was too intense, yet Trey didn't want to finish like this. He needed to be truly connected to her — to wipe away every word and painful memory with each stroke of him in her. 



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All titles in the Gateway to Love series are only $0.99 during the A Steel Town release week!

Gateway to Love


Three Rivers (Gateway to Love, #1)

How do you start over when you gave everything to one life, one plan, and lost it all? 

Althea refuses to allow herself to love again. Imprisoned in grief at twenty-four after her husband’s sudden death, she’s convinced her heart died along with him. She spends her days honoring his memory by clinging to the legal career he helped her to build and to the remaining pieces linking them together. 


Griffen’s been running from his past. Despite success as an author and investigative journalist, he’s been traveling through life on autopilot. For a decade, he’s chosen perilous adventures and meaningless sex over the danger of any attachments. When he finally returns home to Pittsburgh, he’s slammed by the awakened memories and regret he’s spent years trying to escape. 


A chance encounter brings them together. Their instant desire for each other – and the bond they discover between them – shocks them both. Despite her best efforts, Althea can’t resist Griffen’s charm or his intriguing proposition – if she agrees to a no-strings affair with him for the two weeks he’s in town, he swears he’ll walk away when their time is up. Assured she can test the waters of a new life while keeping her vow never to betray her husband’s memory by opening her heart to another, Althea throws herself into the escape Griffen provides her. 


Their perfect plans go awry when the intensity of their connection overwhelms them. Will they risk it all on the chance of something great together…or will the power of their secrets and guilt tear them apart?  



City of Champions (Gateway to Love, #2)

How do you find the will to try, when you’ve spent all of your life playing on a field strewn with shattered lives and broken rules? 

Tragedy and betrayal taught Jenna Sutherland early on that her safest bet was to fiercely avoid any risk, whether it is in work, life, or love. Now a respected orthopedic surgical resident on the cusp of finally breaking through in her career, she’s more guarded than ever. 


When injured NFL quarterback Wyatt McCoy bulldozes into her life there’s no denying he’s cocky, selfish, and downright dangerous — everything Jenna’s sworn she doesn’t want.


Suddenly the levelheaded doctor finds herself facing down her greatest fear, and she’s tempted to gamble all she’s fought so hard to build. The two embark on an intense holiday love affair that quickly teeters on obsession, and tempts them both to think they could go all-in on a real future together. Yet Wyatt’s desperation to stay on the field — and out of the operating room — lures him to take dangerous risks with Jenna’s trust.


Will they win at love or lose everything­ —including their fragile chance at happiness?



Shanghai Wind (A Gateway to Love, #2.5)

How far would you be willing to go for your first love? 

Colin has broken every promise he's ever made, but what hurts him the most is the harsh memory of the way in which he abandoned the only girl for which he'd ever truly cared. After a summer romance in Shanghai with his host family's daughter, Feng Huang, he begged her to join him in America, only to fail her when she finally sacrificed everything for their future together. 


Shanghai-born Feng Huang has spent the last six years trying to get over Colin. Now beloved by the world as a famous pop star, she's moved on with a wealthy Chinese-American entrepreneur. When Colin appears in front of her at her boyfriend's gala celebrating her return to Shanghai, she is overcome by both the pain and love, which still linger inside her at the mere sight of him. 


Yet, nothing is as it seems, and when the sinister elements which have thrust them back into each other's orbit reveal themselves and threaten more than just their precious second opportunity at love. 


Will their stolen night together bring them the future of which they had always dreamed, or will Colin betray her love yet again?  



About Chloe T. Barlow

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Chloe is a contemporary romance novelist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and their sweet puppy. Chloe has always loved writing and cherishes the opportunity to craft her fictional novels and share them with the world. When Chloe isn’t writing, she spends her time exploring Pittsburgh with her husband and friends. She also enjoys yoga, jogging, and all Pittsburgh sports. She is an avid reader and wrote her debut novel Three Rivers in her spare time. She loves to research every last detail relating to her books. For example, in an effort to bring authenticity to Three River’s treatment of grief and loss, she consulted with a psychologist and grief counselor during its preparation.   

Connect with Chloe

 
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Thursday, November 12, 2015

COVER REVEAL & EXCERPT: A Steel Town (Gateway to Love #3) by Chloe Barlow



Title: A STEEL TOWN
Series: A Gateway to Love, #3
Author: Chloe T. Barlow
Genre: New Adult, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Contemporary Romance 
Release Date: January 11, 2016


How do you protect the woman you love, when you fear you are the very person who could destroy her?

Claudia McCoy has been told what she can't do enough for one lifetime. After a near-fatal childhood battle with juvenile diabetes and having to accept that her dreams of serving in the military would never come true, she's thrilled to begin a life on her own terms. Yet, when she finally starts her career in the FBI, Claudia is furious that her condition and overbearing big brother, Wyatt, have both once again interfered with her ability to have the life she truly wants. Now derailed from her high-profile aspirations of a position in the FBI's D.C. headquarters, she is instead planted far away from the real action, and practically right in her brother's Pittsburgh backyard.

Trey Adler is known for fixing things, but he's broken just as many — leaving him with regrets that never go away. He'd be the first to agree he should stay away from a nice girl like Claudia, but he can't deny his friend Jenna Sutherland's request when she asks him to use his position as a temporary FBI consultant to keep Claudia safe — especially as it's clear this little firecracker needs protecting. Far away from all the action she so craves, Claudia is more determined than ever to prove herself in her first major investigation at whatever cost — and those costs are proving to be dangerously high.

Their battle of wills turns quickly into a powerful need for one other, making them both rethink everything they ever wanted.

Will Trey be able to keep her alive long enough to give them an opportunity at something real together — a future that can survive the danger in their present, as well as the darkness of his past?



Preorder for 99¢ on iBooks!

*This title will be available on all ebook platforms, but this preorder provides immediate access to the prologue through chapter two of A Steel Town!* 




EXCERPT

Claudia's mouth didn't seem to work. All she could do was stare at his naked chest, transfixed by so much artwork and his pierced nipples — the way his skin was still shiny with the remnants of his unintentional shower.

After her silence continued for an almost interminable amount of time, he looked down and smirked at her. The twist of his lips yanked her back into reality.

"Did it hurt?" she finally asked, tilting her head up to meet his eyes.

"When I fell from heaven?"

"No. All that stuff on your chest," she said, waving her hand back and forth in the direction of his chest.

"Here," he purred, before taking her hand and placing it gently against one of his pecs. His skin was damp and warm against her palm, and the cool pressure of his metal piercing caused something deep inside her stomach to clench and relax repeatedly. "Does it feel like it hurts, Claudia?"

"It feels…" Her mouth was dry and her throat spasmed in a way she couldn't control. She peered down at her olive-toned hand as it rested against the tanned skin covering his heart. She could feel its beat beneath her quivering hand. Though his face was still, she sensed the pace of his pulse quicken the longer she touched him, and that knowledge made her hand quiver in response.

Then something struck her, and she couldn't hold the thought inside. Looking up into his sharp gray eyes, Claudia licked her lips and asked, "Why don't you have a tattoo here, Trey? You have them all over your chest, but not here where your heart beats."

Trey's face twisted slightly and he backed away from her. The sudden removal of his warm skin from her touch filled her with a chilling sense of loss.

"I told you — just one question," he stated so sternly that it felt like she was being chastised for something.

Trey turned away from her and reached for his shirt off her kitchen counter. Yet, her frustration with his repeated bullshit and her own abysmal inability to manage any moment she shared with him was impossible to deny. Before she knew it, Claudia grabbed him by the waistband of his jeans and spun him back around to face her.

"I never agreed to you being an ass afterward."

Claudia didn't know who she was more aggravated with — Trey for being so stubborn, or herself for always having such a knack at killing a mood. Other girls seemed to know how to get a guy's attention, and hold it without saying something stupid, but Claudia just couldn't help herself. Her mind always had to make itself heard, and in this instance her body was getting the losing end of the stick.

"More conditions, little one?"

"Yes. You're not the only one who gets to lay down ground rules. You always want to boss me around…"

"Oh, so it's your turn now?"

"Maybe it is."

"I happen to like bossing you around. Why do you think I should share all the fun?" he asked, a smirk playing on his face, making him completely unreadable to her. Claudia crossed her arms over her chest and huffed out a hard breath.

"You'd better think about it, because you're pissing me off. I don't know what else to do to reason with you, or make you talk to me, unless you want me to go back to potentially wounding you."

"I don't think that's why you're upset."

"Oh, you don't? Because you know everything there is to know about the world?"

"I didn't say that. And that was another question. You're going to owe me a lot if you keep trying to change all the rules."

"You're in my house, you son of a bitch…"

"Shhh… I'm sorry. How about this…" Trey eased toward her, a sly grin creeping across his face.

Before she could collect herself, Trey grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her onto her kitchen table, so her knees just barely grazed the sides of his denim-covered thighs.

"Fine. I'll answer your question about the bare spot over my heart, but you have to answer one for me. And you better tell the truth."








Now you can experience the first half of the critically acclaimed Gateway to Love series, which takes you on a twisting and turning roller coaster ride of romance and suspense from Pittsburgh, to New York, and Shanghai, all in one sitting!

Like the succession of rings from a stone hurled into a pond, one cataclysmic moment can send unseen ripples of change throughout many lifetimes — the effects of which can be both unknown, and seductive. When Althea Taylor became a widow at twenty-four, she could never have predicted how many lives the mysterious death of her husband, Jack Taylor, would eventually change forever.

In her Gateway to Love series, Chloe Barlow tells the sexy and emotional tales of the many lives, and loves, inexorably connected to this tragic, and suspicious loss. Each story is a fully contained standalone, with no cliffhangers. Yet, secrets and thrills imbue each page, continuing into the next story in a way, which has kept readers around the world eager for each upcoming installment.

In Three Rivers we meet Althea and her best friends, Jenna and Aubrey, who encourage her to take a baby step toward a new life beyond grief, if only for one night, with an irresistible stranger. Griffen Tate certainly fit that bill, but he is not who he seems. In fact, he is so much more; as are the many secrets he keeps.

Next, in City of Champions, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jenna Sutherland fights to resist injured NFL quarterback, Wyatt McCoy, a man who's willing to do anything to stay on the field. Can their torrid secret holiday affair make it through to the New Year, and overcome hidden threats at every turn?

And in Shanghai Wind, the most suspenseful installment yet, we meet Feng and Colin. These two fell hard for each other when Colin was an eighteen-year-old bad boy forced to stay with Feng's family in Shanghai. Yet, Colin would go on to break every promise he ever made to her. These high stakes aren't just for their hearts — it could be for their lives.

*Shameless Book Club Award Winner 
*iBooks Rising Star in Romance 
*Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Author




Chloe is a contemporary romance novelist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and their sweet puppy. Chloe has always loved writing and cherishes the opportunity to craft her fictional novels and share them with the world. When Chloe isn’t writing, she spends her time exploring Pittsburgh with her husband and friends. She also enjoys yoga, jogging, and all Pittsburgh sports. She is an avid reader and wrote her debut novel Three Rivers in her spare time. She loves to research every last detail relating to her books. For example, in an effort to bring authenticity to Three River’s treatment of grief and loss, she consulted with a psychologist and grief counselor during its preparation.










Friday, April 3, 2015

SALE ALERT: Gateway to Love Series by Chloe T. Barlow


In honor of the book Three Rivers turning one, Chloe T. Barlow is having a sale on the Gateway to Love series. I have highlighted Chloe and the series a few times on this blog. Click on the links below to check out what I had to say!








Keep reading for a synopsis of each book and buy links.




Three Rivers Synopsis

How do you start over when you gave everything to one life, one plan, and lost it all? 

Althea refuses to allow herself to love again. Imprisoned in grief at twenty-four after her husband’s sudden death, she’s convinced her heart died along with him. She spends her days honoring his memory by clinging to the legal career he helped her to build and to the remaining pieces linking them together. 

Griffen’s been running from his past. Despite success as an author and investigative journalist, he’s been traveling through life on autopilot. For a decade, he’s chosen perilous adventures and meaningless sex over the danger of any attachments. When he finally returns home to Pittsburgh, he’s slammed by the awakened memories and regret he’s spent years trying to escape. 

A chance encounter brings them together. Their instant desire for each other – and the bond they discover between them – shocks them both. Despite her best efforts, Althea can’t resist Griffen’s charm or his intriguing proposition – if she agrees to a no-strings affair with him for the two weeks he’s in town, he swears he’ll walk away when their time is up. Assured she can test the waters of a new life while keeping her vow never to betray her husband’s memory by opening her heart to another, Althea throws herself into the escape Griffen provides her. 

Their perfect plans go awry when the intensity of their connection overwhelms them. Will they risk it all on the chance of something great together…or will the power of their secrets and guilt tear them apart?

Amazon  B&N  Kobo  iTunes





City of Champions Synopsis


How do you find the will to try, when you’ve spent all of your life playing on a field strewn with shattered lives and broken rules?

Tragedy and betrayal taught Jenna Sutherland early on that her safest bet was to fiercely avoid any risk, whether it is in work, life, or love. Now a respected orthopedic surgical resident on the cusp of finally breaking through in her career, she’s more guarded than ever.

When injured NFL quarterback Wyatt McCoy bulldozes into her life there’s no denying he’s cocky, selfish, and downright dangerous — everything Jenna’s sworn she doesn’t want.

Suddenly the levelheaded doctor finds herself facing down her greatest fear, and she’s tempted to gamble all she’s fought so hard to build. The two embark on an intense holiday love affair that quickly teeters on obsession, and tempts them both to think they could go all-in on a real future together. Yet Wyatt’s desperation to stay on the field — and out of the operating room — lures him to take dangerous risks with Jenna’s trust.

Will they win at love or lose everything­ —including their fragile chance at happiness?


Amazon  B&N  Kobo  iTunes

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Review: City of Champions by Chloe T. Barlow (Gateway to Love #2)


Synopsis
How do you find the will to try, when you've spent all your life playing on a field strewn with shattered lives and broken rules?

Tragedy and betrayal taught Jenna Sutherland early on that her safest bet was to fiercely avoid any risk, whether it is in work, life, or love. Now a respected orthopedic surgical resident on the cusp of finally breaking through in her career, she’s more guarded than ever.

When injured NFL quarterback Wyatt McCoy bulldozes into her life there’s no denying he’s cocky, selfish, and downright dangerous — everything Jenna’s sworn she doesn’t want. 

Suddenly the levelheaded doctor finds herself facing down her greatest fear, and she’s tempted to gamble all she’s fought so hard to build. The two embark on an intense holiday love affair that quickly teeters on obsession, and tempts them both to think they could go all-in on a real future together. Yet Wyatt's desperation to stay on the field — and out of the operating room — lures him to take dangerous risks with Jenna's trust. 

Will they win at love or lose everything — including their fragile chance at happiness?


My Review
I won a contest and received an ARC of this book. I loved the first book in the series, so I was excited to read this one. The book starts on a sad note. I mean, I can’t remember if I have ever read a book that had me ugly crying in the Prologue. Yes, the prologue. So I knew that this was going to be a good read and it did not disappoint. 

We first met Jenna in the series’ first book, Three Rivers. Her path in life has been shaped by the events in the prologue and she has become a successful orthopedic surgical resident. She has avoided taking any kind of risk in all aspects of her life, especially when it comes to love. 

Then she meets Wyatt McCoy. He’s a cocky, sexy football player who thinks that he will be able to make Jenna see things his way. She gives him a diagnosis that he does not want to hear and sets out to change her mind. Despite his ulterior motive, he quickly falls for Jenna. And despite her life of not taking risks, Jenna throw caution to the wind and quickly realizes that she is falling for Wyatt. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned and Wyatt and Jenna’s relationship is put to the test. 

I loved Wyatt. Even when I was extremely disappointed in him I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. The author wrote his character in way that made you want to cheer for him and hope that everything would work out in the end. I could list all the sexy, sigh worthy parts that I highlighted but then this review would be VERY long. I will just say that it will take a lot for any of the other men in this series to dethrone Wyatt as the swooniest one of all. 

One thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the changing dynamic between Althea, Aubrey and Jenna. Their lives taking very different paths and the author was able to portray those feelings in a very realistic way. I related to Aubrey and the feelings she was having because I have gone through/am going through the same type of situations. It’s not very common for a book to tackle this subject and I’m happy that this book did. 

Another thing that I liked best about this book was that we got know a little but more about Trey. He becomes a great friend to Jenna and is there for her when she shuts out everyone else. This book just made me even more curious about him and thank god his book is next! We get a sneak peek let’s just say that Trey will have his hands full. 


Amazon buy link: http://amzn.com/B00P8H9EB6


Review: Three Rivers by Chloe T. Barlow (Gateway to Love #1)



Synopsis
How do you start over when you gave everything to one life, one plan, and lost it all?

Althea refuses to allow herself to love again. Imprisoned in grief at twenty-four after her husband’s sudden death, she’s convinced her heart died along with him. She spends her days honoring his memory by clinging to the legal career he helped her to build and to the remaining pieces linking her to their life together.

Griffen’s been running from his past. Despite success as an author and investigative journalist, he’s been traveling through life on autopilot. For a decade, he’s chosen perilous adventures and meaningless sex over the danger of any attachments. When he finally returns home to Pittsburgh, he’s slammed by the awakened memories and regret he’s spent years trying to escape.

A chance encounter brings them together. Their instant desire for each other –and the bond they discover between them – shocks them both. Despite her best efforts, Althea can’t resist Griffen’s charm or his intriguing proposition– if she agrees to a no-strings affair with him for the two weeks he’s in town, he swears he’ll walk away when their time is up. Assured she can test the waters of a new life while keeping her vow never to betray her husband’s memory by opening her heart to another, Althea throws herself into the escape Griffen provides her.

Their perfect plans go awry when the intensity of their connection overwhelms them. Will they risk it all on the chance of something great together…or will the power of their secrets and guilt tear them apart?


My Review
Three Rivers is the first book in a new series by Chloe T. Barlow. I picked it up after reading about it on a blog and I am so glad that I did. 

Five years after losing her husband, Althea is trying to move on with her life. Althea’s friends Jenna and Aubrey convince her that she needs a night out on the town. The three of them go out and Althea meets Griffen. Althea’s first impression is “Holy hell, this guy is what sexier than is even fair.” And she couldn’t be more right. They spend one amazing, sex filled night together, but before morning comes, Althea sneaks out. Griffen tries his best to find her and has no luck. Just when he thinks that they will never see other again, fate intervenes and the two realize that they are connected in ways they couldn’t ever imagine. 

There are so many reasons why I loved this book. The first being the actually story. It wasn’t your run of the mill girl meets boy, they fall in love and live happily ever after. The author throws in some plot twists that makes the story much more interesting. Althea and Griffen faced many obstacles throughout the book and had to work really hard to get their happy ending. The second thing I loved about the book was the friendship between Althea, Jenna and Aubrey. After her husband’s death, Althea needed help and Jenna and Aubrey were there to support here in any way they could. Anyone who has close girlfriends can relate to the three of them and how they support each other through the good times and the bad. 

The book is a series so I look forward to learning more about Jenna’s friends as well as the mysterious Trey, Griffen’s go to information guy. He’s smart, has piercings and tattoos. I’m in! 


Amazon buy link: http://amzn.com/B00IX5RKJS