***ecopy
provided by author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.
Blurb for BABY STETSON:
In small Texas towns, strangers come and go...
Left in a Stetson
hat, on the steps of the local bed and breakfast, Avery Callimer came into the
world on a wing and a prayer. Raised by loving adoptive parents, she's never
lacked for love...only the knowledge of her past.
By day, she works the Inn, but by night...Avery comes alive as lead singer in a band. Life was good...stable, until new guests blew into town.
By day, she works the Inn, but by night...Avery comes alive as lead singer in a band. Life was good...stable, until new guests blew into town.
Some strangers come with secrets and lies.
Lucas
Bennett is one such stranger. Drifting from one mess to another has left him
jaded. Doesn't matter the dramas are never his doing. Giving it one last shot
to make a fresh start lands him Harmony's Echo, Texas and smack dab in front of
the tantalizing Avery.
Despite his
best efforts to ignore the burn Avery's ignited within, he's intent to keep his
distance. Secrets have followed him. Secrets he doesn't want Avery to know. Each time they're near the other things heat up like a brushfire
on a dry Texas prairie. But maybe, after the dust
settles and the smoke clears, love can bloom with a fresh start.
At only
days old, Avery Callimer was left on the doorstep of the Callimers' bed and
breakfast in a Stetson hat, but she never lacked for love from her adoptive parents.
She grew up with questions in the back of her mind, but never wished to hurt
her loving parents by asking those questions or pursuing her birth parents. One
day, the question of searching for her parents came directly to her front door
in the form of a letter – a letter from the father that claims he never knew
about her until now. Avery’s life has always revolved around her family, their
business, and her love of music. Just when she’s questioning everything in her
life – the possibility of a singing career somewhere other than Harmony’s Echo,
Texas, breaking things off with her boyfriend who is also her best friend and
part of her band, and those nagging thoughts of her birth mother and father –
her birth father wants to meet her.
Lucas
Bennett has come to this small Texas town on a mission. He carries secrets with
him. Secrets that he keeps close, because he owes a debt to the person who sent him to Harmony’s
Echo. The woman he seeks has a voice like an angel, and tempts him like a devil,
with her pretty face and sexy figure. He knows he should keep his distance but finds it difficult. He
knows that the secret he holds will shatter any opportunity he might have with
Avery Callimer, yet he’s unable to stay away from her.
When
the truth comes out, it opens the door to more secrets, betrayal, and a
danger that may cost Avery more than a broken heart.
EXCERPT:
Cool,
crisp air greeted them as Avery and Lucas exited the inn. Not too bad of a night weather wise. Nearby, a twig snapped. Avery jumped.
“What was that?”
“Probably
an animal,” Lucas guessed. “A little
jumpy tonight?”
Avery’s
mind went back to that text from earlier.
“Maybe a little bit.” She wasn’t
fully sure why. A combination of stress
and lack of sleep, maybe.
“I’ll
protect you from the big bad wolf,” Lucas teased.
“Oh? So what if you’re the big bad wolf? Who’ll protect me from you?”
Lucas
halted. “You think I’m the wolf, eh?”
“Well,
you haven’t proved that you aren’t yet,” Avery shot back. God how he riled her. She hated how much she enjoyed it sometimes.
“I’m
guessing you like the wolves then, because you liked this before.” Lucas reached for her, and his lips met
hers. Avery’s heart melted. She wrapped herself into Lucas, leaning into
his kisses. He tasted sensational. Each kiss drove her further over the edge.
“Lucas.” Avery groaned. She went in for another kiss, but a strange
sound startled her, and she pulled away from him. “Do you hear that? If it’s an animal, it’s nearby.”
Lucas
whipped his head to stare in the direction.
“I don’t know. Maybe we’d better
go, get away from whatever it is.” Lucas
put his arm around Avery and pulled her close.
They strolled to the house, his arm around her the entire time.
Once they
got in front of the house, Avery wasn’t ready to let him go. “Do you want to come in for awhile?” It wasn’t just that she longed for
Lucas. The strange sensation that
someone was near, watching, the fact that her parents weren’t home ... she just
didn’t want to be alone.
“Is
that such a good idea?” Lucas asked.
“I
don’t want to be alone, Lucas,” Avery pleaded.
“Okay
then.” He squeezed her hand. That must have been all the convincing he
needed.
Avery
fumbled with the keys and got the door unlocked. Once inside, she felt a little safer. She closed the door behind Lucas and flicked
on the light.
“You’re
so jumpy. What’s going on, Avery?” Lucas
asked gently, brushing back loose stands of her hair that had fallen over her
left eye.
She
swallowed. “I just- I got a strange text
earlier. I keep feeling like I’m being
watched. Mom and Dad aren’t here. I may be overreacting, but I’m afraid.”
Lucas
frowned. “A text?”
Avery
pulled her phone from her purse, searched for the text and handed it to Lucas.
“What’s
that supposed to mean?” he scowled, handing her the phone back.
“I wish
I knew. It came out of nowhere. It may even be a wrong number, but for some
reason, it’s got me a bit freaked out.”
“I can
understand that. You’ve got a few new
people in your life lately.”
“That
includes you.”
“Do you
trust me, Avery?” Lucas challenged.
“I
think I do. Sure, you have your secrets,
but something about you makes me feel safer than I have in a long time. I don’t know how to explain it. Maybe the question I should be asking you is
can I trust you, Lucas?”
He
hesitated. “You can trust me.”
BABY
STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett is a good story. It’s sweet, and it will snare you
into wanting to know more. It will keep you reading on to discover the answers to the
many questions that form in your imagination as you delve further into the
mystery that surrounds the birth of Avery Callimer, and who Lucas Bennett
actually is and why he’s in Harmony’s Echo. I had a little trouble getting into
this story at first, not because it didn’t capture my attention but because I
found the writing in much need of work, editing, and a more relaxed voice. Nikki has
great potential. She’s a natural storyteller, but at times, the characters speak
too formally, and too unnaturally, which detracts from the story. The first chapter threw me because I had no idea who 'he' was even though I quickly surmised it was Lucas. I found
myself skimming more times than I would’ve liked, to get past filler that I
found unnecessary, in order to get to the guts of the story. Keeping the person who sent Lucas a secret, worked well until he started having phone conversations with her. Had this been written in first person, the name could have remained secret, but to continue to
refer to Avery’s birth mother as such long after she should’ve, just didn't work for me. Having known
the woman’s name would not have pulled anything from the mystery that kept us
entangled in the story. Knowing her name would have been merely an essential
that kept the story intriguing, flowing, and something to which we could
relate.
The mystery was good, the resolution complete, and the ending came together well after some tense moments. I liked that.
The mystery was good, the resolution complete, and the ending came together well after some tense moments. I liked that.
From a
writer’s point of view, I have a hard time recommending BABY STETSON by Nikki
Lynn Barrett simply because it was clumsy at times and caused me to backtrack
to reread so that I knew who was doing what in relation to the story. From
a reader’s point of view, I can heartily recommend BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn
Barrett because it is an intriguing story with a mystery that keeps you
entangled in the life of Avery Callimer and the need to see a
happily-ever-after for her and Lucas.
Happy
Reading Everyone!
About
the Author:
Nikki
Lynn Barrett lives in Arizona with her husband and son. She's an avid reader, a
dreamer, and loves everything about books. She runs a book blog, an online used
bookstore, and writes various genres of romance. Nikki can also be found
outside with her camera when a storm is near, snapping photo after photo. Her
dreams of becoming a writer started when she was young, when she started
writing books in one-subject notebooks by the fifth grade. The Secret Santa
Wishing Well is her debut book. You can visit Nikki's website for more information. She is working on her
next book. Nikki would love to hear from readers. Email her at nikkilynnbarrett@yahoo.com
Feel
free to follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
GIVEAWAY:
In
addition to the Rafflecopter Giveaway being sponsored through Tasty Book Tours,
Unwrapping Romance will be giving away ONE DIGITAL COPY of BABY STETSON, a Love
and Music in Texas novel by Nikki Lynn Barrett to one lucky commenter. So if
you’d like to enter both giveaways, please do.
GIVEAWAY
RULES:
To
enter for a chance at a digital copy of BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett,
please leave a comment about anything you read in this blog post. Any comment
will do. : )
In
order for your comment to be eligible for entry, you must leave a VALID EMAIL
ADDRESS as well. This Giveaway is OPEN TO EVERYONE. (void where prohibited)
Remember
the MAGIC FORMULA for valid entry.
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Thank you for playing.
This
GIVEAWAY will run until 11:30PM EDT on Friday, May 24, 2013 at which time one
lucky entry will be chosen by randomizer to receive a digital copy from their
choice of vendor. The winner will be notified by email and announced in a
special post on Saturday. Good Luck!
As
for the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes &
Noble Gift Card – your comment left for one will make you eligible for the
other by using the Rafflecopter. Feel free to enter both if you’d like.
BABY STETSON, a Love and Music in Texas novel by Nikki Lynn
Barrett, self-published, available in ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.
16 comments:
I'm loving it! Tweeting to my followers :)
~Laurie Kozlowski
Ahh....forgot the magic formula ;) livelaughloveromance@gmail.com
~ Laurie Kozlowski
Thanks Laurie! Got your entry. : )
Here's my comment.
cburkhart.1980@gmail.com
Great Review! Thank you for hosting today! XOXO
county boy!
Good Ole' Boy Country Superstar :)
Congrats to Nikki on the new release! This sounds like a lot of fun :) Thanks for sharing!
efender1(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you for being part of my tour and for your review!
I love a good ole country boy. Love them in their sexy cowboy hat, boots, and sexy jeans. I do love a sexy rocker though. Love their tattoos and sexy ripped jeans. Okay I choose both. LOL.
Cute title
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Good Ole' Boy Country Superstar
Thanks for the review & excerpt!
sharlenewegner at hotmail dot com
Love cowboy stories! Shari
sbart79@gmail.com
I'm not a huge country fan, but I'd take a Good ole' country boy superstar over a rock star any day!
ehaney578 at aol dot com
Thanks for the great excerpt. Adding to my TBR.
tsommervold at hotmail dot com
This book sounds so much fun and I can't wait to read it. Thank you for the giveaway.
annfesATyahooDOTcom
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