Candy Cane Christmas by Laura Trentham ~ New Release and Review

A very Cottonbloom Christmas!

Jeremy Whitehurst has tried to leave his bad-boy behavior and tarnished image behind in Alabama for a fresh start in Cottonbloom, Louisiana. Unfortunately, trouble has dogged him across state lines. Stepping up and protecting a young woman from her abusive boyfriend earned him a beat-down and got him fired. Although the thanks in the girl’s dark eyes made it all worth it, he recognizes she’s just a different kind of trouble. A trouble he’s not sure he can stay away from.

One rebellious summer dented Kayla Redmond’s carefree innocence. Now her focus is on completing her associate’s degree for bookkeeping, and no one is going to derail her plans. Unfortunately, her job at Fournette Brothers Designs puts her in the path of the one man who has seen her at her worst, yet his blue eyes don’t judge her. He sees beyond the brokenness inside of her and rouses her wild side once more. But, that’s what got her in trouble in the first place.

Christmas is coming and Kayla’s ready to forgive herself and take a chance. But the holiday has only ever brought heartache to Jeremy. No Christmas miracle kept his mother clean or out of jail. Will one reckless night and some time spent in the back of a cop car be the best present Jeremy’s ever been given?

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Elizabeth's Review

My rating: 4 of 5 stars ~ Would Receommend to a friend

Review Copy provided by Publisher via Net Galley

This was a quick, fun trip back to Cottonbloom.
The holiday novella reintroduces us to two secondary characters, Jeremy (who first appeared in the Falcon Football series) and Kayla (a protege of Monroe's). A sweet story showing two people who have dealt with mistakes and come out the other side and seeing the power of love to melt the hardest of hearts.
Cottonbloom and Falcon favorites make cameo appearances giving fans of Ms. Trentham's a satisfying glimpse into what comes next for the beloved characters. If you have enjoyed the Cottonbloom series, this will be right up your alley.

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Till I Kissed You ~ Laura Trentham ~ New Release

It’s summertime in Cottonbloom, where two lovers find themselves at a crossroads just as things start to heat up. . . 

Regan Lovell grew up on the wealthy Mississippi side of Cottonbloom—and now, as mayor, she’s determined to save it from the fate of so many small towns. Part of her plan to help the local economy is the Labor Day tomato festival. If only she wasn’t being undermined by Sawyer Fournette, who’s planning a crayfish-themed celebration on the Louisiana side of the river on the very same weekend. The pranks and sabotage are getting out of hand, and she’s had it with him—no matter how much she enjoyed those stolen hours in his truck bed, so many years ago…

Sawyer knows that Regan's never forgiven him for breaking her heart—but despite his reputation as a low-class swamp rat, he’d never hurt the woman who still secretly drives him crazy with desire. Someone in Cottonbloom has it out for her, though, and Sawyer intends to watch her back…and the rest of her too, if she can ever let go of her distrust. But will a common enemy be enough to unite them—and finally fulfill the promises they made one passionate night under the stars?

Goodreads ~ Amazon

Elizabeth's Review

3.5 Stars - Worth a Reader's Time 

Review Copy Provided by Publisher via Net Galley

I have to admit that I went into Till I Kissed You with a pretty good idea of how things were going to turn out. What I didn't know is what the road would be like to get there. Ms. Trentham lays out an interesting journey for Regan and Sawyer. They have past hurts and misunderstandings to deal with along with current animosities.

If there were ever two people meant to misunderstand each other it's these two! They are constantly on different pages of the same book! Honestly, the sheer number of miss cues between our main characters is what kept this from being a 4 star read for me - it really seemed like it happened one too many times and they kept taking turns getting their feeling hurt by the other. If you've read the other Cottonbloom novels, you will definitely enjoy the trip back to town.

Till I Kissed You in an excellent conclusion to the story lines we've been following since the first book. The characters are all well written and a lot of fun. There is humor, romance, friendship, brotherhood, and lots of warm and fuzzies through out.

Then He Kissed Me by Laura Trentham ~ New Release and Review

Can two hearts come together in one divided town? 

 As a boy, Nash Hawthorne spent countless afternoons on the Louisiana side of Cottonbloom with Tally Fournette, wading in the river, peeling oranges and catching frogs. When illness stole his mother, Nash yearned to take Tally and run away—for good. Instead, he crossed the state line to live with his aunt. It was a short distance as the crow flies, but it swept him into a whole new world… 

After Nash left, Tally managed to struggle through her own losses without him. But now that she’s crossed paths with him again—at Cottonbloom College, where the grown-up, gorgeous Nash teaches history—she is reminded of their cherished youthful connection…and an attraction that has only gotten stronger with age. Between Tally’s possessive ex and Nash’s snobbish aunt, no one thinks they belong together. In a town torn apart by old resentments and rivalries, can they find their way back to the life they once shared—and turn their long-lost dreams into a real and lasting love?

  GoodReads ~ Amazon

Elizabeth's Review

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

Review Copy provided by Publisher via Net Galley

Coming back to Cottonbloom in Then He Kissed Me is like getting to visit with old friends you haven't seen in a while. This addition to the series picks up right where the first book leaves off, but it still reads very well as a stand alone effort.

In Then He Kissed Me, we are spending time with Tally and Nash. They were childhood best friends separated by their individual tragedies and have reconnected as adults. This is a gentle, well written story. Tally and Nash are both characters that are easy to like and that I would want to be friends with.

This is a second chance story, but not in the sense of a romantic love being rekindled. The friendship of childhood forms the basis for the adult relationship and it is sweet to watch them navigate the unique challenges that comes from getting to know the "new" versions of each other.
We get to watch as both characters deal with the past and how the old insecurities and fears influence their behaviors now. Their struggles not only influence their relationship, but those of people around them too.

This is a stand alone book and can easily be read as such, but there is a story line that also connects the Cottonbloom stories together and we see appearances from recurring characters that continue that story. I thoroughly enjoyed this visit to the Mississippi/Louisiana state line and am looking forward to coming back for the conclusion of the series.

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Kiss Me That Way~ Laura Trentham ~ NEW RELEASE & REVIEW

Enter to Win a $25.00 Amazon or B&N eGift Card

KISS ME THAT WAY

Cottonbloom #1

Laura Trentham

Releasing May 31st, 2016

St. Martin's Paperbacks

A river divides Cottonbloom in two: the upscale enclave on the Mississippi side and the rundown, rough and tumble side in Louisiana. They’re worlds apart—but nothing can build a bridge like love…

Cade Fournette never had it easy Cottonbloom. He stuck around long enough to raise his orphaned siblings and then hightailed it out West—and never looked back. Even though he’s made a success of himself in Seattle, Cade never lost the toughness and the angry edge that helped him survive down South. His only weak spot: the girl he left behind…

Monroe Kirby came from the wealthy side of town, but that didn’t protect her from her mother’s drinking—or her mother’s boyfriend. It was Cade who did that, on a long-ago hot September night, before he disappeared…along with a piece of her heart. Now Monroe is a physical therapist who can fight for herself, and it’s Cade who could use some conditioning when he makes an unexpected return back home. Will he and Monroe pick up where they left off and finally explore their mutual passion—or will the scars and secrets of the past divide them once more?

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Elizabeth's Review



My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

Review Copy Provided by Author

I discovered Ms. Trentham with her Falcon Football series and I loved how she described small town Southern life. In this first installment of her new Cottonbloom series, she continues that excellent and believable touch.

Cade saves 13 year old Monroe and for years they have a secret friendship before she heads to college and he disappears from town. He comes back and appears in Monroe's life as her patient and their friendship rekindles.

Monroe, Cade, and their supporting cast are all well written and characters that you enjoy spending time with. They are all colorful and fit some of the stereotypes who would expect from small town Southern life without being caricatures.

I enjoyed spending time with these two as they figured out who they to each other as adults. There is romance, ego, and history all bound up together is a complicated mix that you leaves you feeling just as much anticipation as the characters involved. One of my favorite elements of Ms. Trentham's books is the other relationships that play a key role in addition to the romantic relationship. We get to see Cade work on his relationship with his siblings and for Monroe its her friends and community.

Everything is woven together in such a way that you get to know everyone in town without pulling the focus away from the characters at the center of the story. I truly enjoyed Kiss Me That Way and am looking forward to seeing what happens next in Cottonbloom.

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Don't miss the next Cottonbloom romance 
coming June 2016

An award-winning author, Laura Trentham was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee. Although, she loved English and reading in high school, she was convinced an English degree equated to starvation. She chose the next most logical major—Chemical Engineering—and worked in a hard hat and steel toed boots for several years.

She writes sexy, small town contemporaries and smoking hot Regency historicals. The first two books of her Falcon Football series were named Top Picks by RT Book Reviews magazine. When not lost in a cozy Southern town or Regency England, she's shuttling kids to soccer, helping with homework, and avoiding the Mt. Everest-sized pile of laundry that is almost as large as the to-be-read pile of books on her nightstand.

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