Shirley Wine

Home to Stay by Shirley Wine
A Katherine Bay Romance #7

Family plays a big part in this story. Zach has a superbly supportive family while Lark has lacked a loving cozy family for most of her life. The two should not have anything in common but from their first encounter after not seeing one another for years it is evident these two will find a way to be together before the end of the book.

What I liked:
* Zach: a good, caring, insightful man who knew what he wanted and went all out to get it. He was a great book boyfriend
* Lark: a woman with a plan to move on from her bad past. She had a plan and would stick with it. The plan did not include a man...not at first anyway
* Zach’s family: loving, kind, supporting and there for one another
* Blair: interesting and important to more than one character in the book
* The way family played a part...good family and bad
* The story, plotting, character development and writing style
* Being in New Zealand for the romance
* The mystery of who was creating havoc and why
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* Lark’s ex-husband – a total waste of space
* The bad guy(s) – such amoral hateful people
* Lark’s mother – such a miserable, mean and selfish woman

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars… (mehr)

This book has the 'S' factor - sex, secrets and scandal. What more can a girl ask for from new rural romance voice, Shirley Wine. Darkhaven has great things going for it - a darkly handsome hero, villainous and downright nasty antagonists, surprising twists and a beautiful New Zealand setting. The only other addition it needed was to feature the All Blacks Rugby team doing the Haka and I'd be one ecstatic reader.

Fulfilling the requirements for a 'secret baby' trope and adding elements of 'forced proximity' and 'arranged marriage' made this a fast-paced, energetic read. The hero is very much a strong, dominant force and the heroine is no push-over either. The sparks flew beautifully and the kiss-and-make-up scenes were hot. This was an entertaining read with lovely, well-drawn characters. Bring on book 2, Ms Wine :)… (mehr)

“Can a Coerced Return...Guarantee Happiness?”

Winsome Grainger nervously stands with her four-year-old daughter, Lacey, at her father-in-law’s graveside. Not wanting to be there, she has been compelled to return to the Grainger family estate, known as Totara Park for the reading of his will. With her estranged husband, Jared, she learns that both of them inherit half of this estate. But the terms of the will call for her and her daughter to come back to Totara Park and live with Jared.

At one time, Winsome was madly in love with this handsome heir but some of her deep dark secrets were used by Ruth, Jared’s mother to make her flee the homestead over five years ago. Still very much afraid of Ruth, Winsome is still hesitant to share with Jared her frightening concerns and her haunting past. Can she learn to trust Jared again and become his loving wife in every sense?

Will the two lovers ever get their issues resolved?... and raise their beautiful daughter together on the family holdings. Will Ruth ever leave her son to live his own life? Read this story and enjoy the journey through many trials to find the answers to all these questions.

RETURN TO TOTARA PARK is a fast paced story of intrigue with a touching romance that tugs at your heartstrings. I look forward to the next adventure in writing from Shirley Wine.… (mehr)