Three Simple Words
Kingston Ale House #3
AJ Pine
Publication Date: October 17, 2016
Genres: Adult, Entangled: Select, Contemporary Romance
She’s holding out for a happy ever after.
Annie
I know where to find my happily ever after—between the pages of a romance novel. It’s why I sell books, why I blog about them, and why I’ll never get disappointed by love.
So what if my brother’s best friend from high school is now a bestselling author? Or that he just blew back into town on a Harley, filling out a pair of jeans like he never did before? Or that he’s agreed to do a signing at my bookstore on such short notice? Because despite all his adoring female fans, I kind of hated his book.
Wes
The last time I saw Annie Denning, she was a senior in high school, three years older than me and way out of my league.
Now I’m her last-minute date to a wedding, and what started as a night of pure fun has turned into something more real than either of us anticipated.
Annie is my muse. When I’m with her, my writer’s block fades away, and the words finally flow.
The only problem? She wants the fairy tale—her very own happily ever after—and anyone who’s read my book knows the truth. I just don’t believe they exist.
She took a step closer, and he inhaled
the warm scent of vanilla and, maybe, a hint of cinnamon? He’d been too caught
up in the moment to notice before. But now he began to feel drunk, wondering if
one glass of wine could knock him on his ass. But he knew it couldn’t have. It
was this woman.
He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly
dry.
“Jesus you smell good, Annie.”
She leaned closer. Because apparently she
was trying to kill him.
“What would the line be—if you wrote it
in your book? How would you describe my scent?”
Uh, he could describe the agony of the
erection straining against his pants, but somehow he thought she wouldn’t
appreciate that.
Christ. Words. She wanted words, now?
After he told her he was blocked? But he had to prove his plan would work, that
they could use this evening—and each other—to their advantage and neither of
them be worse for the wear.
Fine. Words. The girl wanted words, so he
would deliver. “He grew drunk,” Wes said. “Drunk on the nearness of her, on the
warm, sweet scent of home. Because that’s what she was to him. She was home.
And until he kissed her, he hadn’t known what that meant. Home wasn’t a
place. It was
a state of mind. It was her, the
intoxicating scent of her skin, and his lips pressed against it.”
He hadn’t realized until he spoke the
last of it that his eyes were closed. Maybe hers were, too, because she wasn’t
saying anything. All he heard was her sharp, shallow breaths. All he felt was
his forehead pressed to hers.
How the hell did they get here?
“I think your writer’s block might be
cured,” she whispered. “That was way more romantic than an ice
sculpture.”
Wes laughed softly. “I don’t write
romance,” he said.
“Whatever,” she countered, but she was
still smiling.
“How about your ex situation? That cured
yet, or do we want to give them more of a show?”
She cleared her throat. “I think the
jury’s still out.”
Okay. They were on the same page—so to
speak. He wanted this night, whatever ended up happening, and Annie seemed on
the verge of jumping off this cliff with him.
He straightened and took a step back so
his eyes could find hers. She chewed her bottom lip.
“One night, Annie. Whatever you want out
of this evening, I’m your guy. And when we go home tonight—”
“Tomorrow,” she said, and Wes’s brows
drew together. “When we go home—tomorrow…”
I loved that this is a romance about a bookstore owner/blogger and a writer. Annie lives and breathes romance novels and is convinced her hero and happily ever after is out there somewhere. Wes did not set out to write a romance book, and while Annie does not consider his book to be a romance, the book community sees it as one. Just as his character in the book does not believe in happy endings, Wes is serial dater that refuses to believe he has more to offer than his time in bed. This sets the tone for the beginning of their relationship, but pretty soon they are both learning things about themselves that they had never considered. Three simple words have the power to change their lives, but they must each have the courage to go for their happy...beginning. Overall a sweet and sexy read that can be read as a standalone.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
Don't miss the other books in the Kingston Ale House series!
AJ Pine writes stories to break readers’ hearts, but don’t worry—she’ll mend them with a happily ever after. As an English teacher and a librarian, AJ has always surrounded herself with books. All her favorites have one big commonality–romance. Naturally, her books have the same. When she’s not writing, she’s of course reading. Then there’s online shopping (everything from groceries to shoes) and, of course, a tiny bit of TV where she nourishes her undying love of vampires and superheroes. And in the midst of all of this, you’ll also find her hanging with her family in the Chicago burbs.
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