Will they
both allow resentments and misunderstanding spoil
their chance of discovering
what was meant to be?
Meant to Be
Southern Heat #2
Jenna Harte
Releasing Sept 27th, 2016
Penner Publishing
Charming
and sexy, detective Mitch McKenna lets women into his bed—not into his heart.
When his first love left him in a lurch, crushing his soul, Mitch swore off
relationships and love. After all, any woman who chooses what her parents want
over what she wants is not worth fighting for.
Or is she?
Successful
New York doctor, Sydney Preston left the only man she ever loved to follow the
path that her parents paved for her. When a tragic incident at the hospital
threatens her life, Sydney moves to Virginia to rekindle the spark with her
ex-fiancé.
But Mitch
isn’t interested in reigniting the flame that fizzled out long ago. Will they
both allow resentments and misunderstanding spoil their chance of discovering
what was meant to be?
“You need to get laid.”
Mitch McKenna cast a suspicious
glance at his partner and best friend, Kevin Taggard. “You get laid too much.”
Kevin grinned. “I’m married. It goes
with the territory. Besides, is that even possible?”
Mitch laughed. “God, I hope not.” He
pulled the unmarked police car into a parking space outside Charlotte Tavern
General Hospital. “But it’s a little sappy that every day we have to stop by
and see the missus.”
“I know it and I don’t care. Someday
you’ll be in love, and you’ll see.”
God, I hope not. Mitch
shuddered.
“Besides, there are plenty of hot
nurses who would love to find out if the Mitch McKenna reputation for stamina
and prowess is true.”
Mitch stepped out of the car,
grinning at his friend. “Oh, it’s true.”
His smile faded, as he realized Kevin might be right—maybe he did need
to get laid. It had been a while. If he’d cared at all about his playboy
reputation, he would have remedied the situation. Except he didn’t care. In
fact, it bothered him. It suggested that he engaged in one-night stands with
women he didn’t know or was cavalier with their feelings. Granted, he kept his
relationships with women short, but he was always upfront with them about his
position and most accepted it. A couple cried when they hadn’t been able to
change his mind. One had keyed “Bastard” into the side of truck.
“Hey Mitch.”
Mitch’s gaze swung to the feminine
coo of Becky Lancer. She might be willing to help him with his sexual
dry-spell. He smiled and waved but kept moving. He’d once gone out with her
sister, and he knew better than to date siblings.
He and Kevin walked into the
hospital and took the elevator to the maternity department on the fourth floor.
“I guess it won’t be long until
Jenny is a client here instead of a nurse.” Mitch patted Kevin on the back. He
enjoyed razzing his friend about his wife, but deep down he was happy for him.
“A year maybe. Right now we’re just
practicing.” Kevin waggled his brows.
Mitch rolled his eyes as the doors
opened, and they stepped out into the hall.
“There’s my gal now.” Kevin snuck up
behind a dark-haired woman in pink scrubs with rainbows on the shirt and
wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the floor. She let out a squeal.
When he set her on her feet, she laughed.
“Great day, baby cakes. You scared
the life out of me.”
He gave her a kiss. All in all, it
was sappy. It was the same type of stuff he had to endure when he visited his
sister, Lexie. Even after nearly two years of marriage, she and her husband,
Drake, were sappier than Kevin and Jenny, which was saying something. It was a
wonder they didn’t already have a whole brood of kids.
“I’m nearly ready for my break.” She
turned her smile toward Mitch. “If you’re tired of feeling like a third wheel,
I can snag you a date. There’s a new doctor I’ve been meaning to introduce you
to. You can see if the McKenna charm will work on her.”
“I like being a third wheel.”
“No, you don’t, but you’re nice to
put up with Kevin and me. She’s really, really nice. She’s been giving me
articles and tips and encouraging me to get my midwife certification.”
“You’d be good at that.” Mitch meant
it too. She was one of the sweetest, most generous hearts he’d ever met.
There’d been only one other person he’d known who he’d thought was as good. He
shook his head to rid his thoughts of another sweet, generous woman, who, in
the end, turned out to be neither.
“Thank you. I wonder how much longer
before Lexie and Drake will need a midwife.” She raised her eyebrows, hoping
for gossip.
“I imagine once they start, they’ll
need one fairly often.” His sister wanted a whole passel of kids, and Drake
would give her whatever she wanted. Mitch thought he’d be a good father, but
since having a family was out, he’d settle for being the coolest uncle ever.
All of a sudden, the air around
Mitch changed, causing the hair on his arms to stand. It wasn’t the type of
sensation that triggered danger, but it was definitely a warning.
“Oh, look, there’s Doctor Preston.
She’s the one I want you to meet, Mitch.”
“I don’t
need you to set me up—”
“I know that. The whole county knows
how easy it is for Mitch to get a lady.” Jenny laughed. “But I still want you
to meet her. Doctor Preston?” Jenny looked behind him and waved.
The warning grew more intense until
Mitch couldn’t help but turn around and stare right into the beautiful hazel
eyes of Sydney Preston.
His heart stuttered in his chest as
a wave of conflicting emotions; anger, love, bitterness, joy crashed through
him. His first instinct was to leave, which only pissed him off. He’d stared
down insurgents in the Middle East. He could survive seeing Sydney Preston.
Another, equally strong, part of him wanted to touch her, to hold her close and
see if she felt as soft, smelled just as sweet as he remembered. But he
wouldn’t succumb to her charm again. Like a steel gate, everything inside Mitch
closed.
Great second chance romance with dash of suspense. Mitch and Sydney had undeniable chemistry and even though they tried to block it out, they also had a strong emotional connection. They've spent the last ten years apart due to some parent manipulation as well overreaction on both of their parts. As they talk about the past and discover truths they weren't aware of, their relationship begins to change and feelings are reawakened. I felt bad for the time they lost, but they seemed to be making up for it in spades. I loved the last chapter even though it made me cry, and I loved the twist to mystery surrounding Sydney's attacker. Looking forward to the next book with a marriage of convenience plot.
I received an ARC for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Jenna
1) Writing always
terrified me, so I’m baffled to how I got here.
2) My favorite fiction
involves mystery and romance, but I prefer a mystery with romance as opposed to
a romance with mystery, if that makes any sense. In either case, there should
be at least one hot love scene!
3) My favorite authors are
J.D. Robb, Janet Evanovich, Sandra Brown and Carl Hiaasen. I also love Jane
Austen, but tend to stay away from literature unless I know it will end well.
4) Like my character Tess,
I love good chocolate and old R&B tunes. I’m still working on getting
Carine Gilson lingerie to see if I’d love them as much as Tess does. A set can
cost several hundred dollars, so I have to wait until more books sell.
5) I long for the day when
Apple or Microsoft invents a doodad that I can plug into my head, preferably
when I’m sleeping, that will download my stories to my computer. My stories
come to me when I sleep (and when I drive), but I can’t remember the details
when I sit down to write.
Lovely review. Thank you for hosting MEANT TO BE today!
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