Recently
divorced Carissa Blackwell returns to her hometown and reconnects with her
first love Jasper Dumont, while the ubiquitous Bayside Blogger reports their
every move for the town newspaper in this delightful & playful novel by
award-winning romance author Kerri Carpenter.
Bidding on the Bachelor
Saved by the Blog #2
Kerri Carpenter
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Release
Date: October 1, 2017
Publisher: Harlequin
Special Edition
Big news, fair readers! Bayside High's favorite It Girl is back.
Would you have bet Clarissa Blackwell would ever return? Ten years ago, she
crushed Jasper Dumont's heart under her Jimmy Choos and left town for a bigger,
better life. Her return raises one question: What is she running from (or is it
to) now?
Perhaps Jasper knows? One look at Carissa and he fell in the
bay! (Rich, single and devastatingly handsome, Jasper's our catch of the day.)
That icy plunge should have brought him to his senses, yet "Casper"
has been spotted together all over town. Does this mean Bayside's legendary
couple may reunite? The stakes are high, but the Bayside Blogger's money is
riding on love!
“I’m back in town.”
“For how long?” he asked quickly, too quickly. In fact, if she
wasn’t mistaken, anger laced his question. She must have reacted to it because
his features softened. “Sorry, it’s none of my business. And I do remember that
today is your birthday. So, happy birthday, Carissa.”
“Thanks,” she said, and meant it. She decided to offer an olive
branch because the truth was that she’d dumped him and she hadn’t been kind
about it. This icy reception she was receiving was well deserved. While she
knew the reasons behind her decision, she’d never let Jasper in on it. She’d
been a bratty, selfish teenager, not capable of understanding her emotions.
Unwilling to admit that Jasper had always reminded her of her father and that
summer her dad had dropped a bombshell on her.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be in town. I’m sort of in a
transition period right now.” He waited patiently. After another long drink of
beer, she finished. “I just got divorced.” Saying the words out loud left an
awful taste in her mouth. An acidic aftertaste of yuckiness.
First, shock flashed on his face. Then, true concern shone in his
eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said.
And that might have been her undoing. Because he had every reason
to be stiff and awkward with her. Instead, any kind of compassion from him loosened
her lips.
“Today is my twenty-ninth birthday. I’m having a beer next to my
ex-boyfriend, who hates my guts, in a dive bar in the town I swore I would
never step foot in again. An ex-boyfriend I should really apologize to because
I was an evil witch to him.” The words were flying now. She gripped her hand
tightly around her glass. “I’m not even thirty and already I’ve been married
and divorced. And I got divorced because he freaking cheated on me.”
She couldn’t miss the way Jasper’s eyes narrowed, his hands curled
into fists, and there was a definite tic in his clenched jaw. “He cheated on
you?”
“Yep. Apparently, the fact that I was homecoming queen, prom queen
and head cheerleader did nothing to impress him. Or keep his pants zipped up
when anyone wearing a skirt in the Central Time Zone walked by. That probably
makes your whole day, doesn’t it?”
He slammed his hand on the bar and she jumped. But she just as
quickly composed herself. “What? You have every right to revel in my misery
after the way I broke up with you. I got divorced. You win.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to win at that game. And I
certainly don’t want to hear that some idiot cheated on you. I’m sorry you’re
getting divorced.”
“That makes one of us.”
Copyright © 2017 Bidding on the Bachelor by Kerri
Carpenter
Short, cute & sexy second chance romance! It can be read as a standalone even though it is the second book of the series, although I would love to go back and read about Cam (Jasper's brother) and Elle. Jasper and Carissa's relationship felt real and her friendship with Elle and Riley did too. I loved the hint about who the Bayside Blogger is at the end - can't wait for the next book!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
Award-winning romance author Kerri Carpenter writes contemporary romances that are sweet, sexy,
and sparkly. When she’s not writing, Kerri enjoys reading, cooking, watching
movies, taking Zumba classes, rooting for Pittsburgh sports teams, and anything
sparkly. Kerri lives in Northern Virginia with her adorable (and mischievous)
rescued poodle mix, Harry. Visit Kerri at her website, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or subscribe to her newsletter.
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