Forbidden Kisses

Annie Rains returns with the first in a new series, and the angst and drama are perfect for readers who can deal with the ups and downs of a messy family situation. See, Grace was once part of a large blended family, until her mother made several bad choices and broke the family apart. Her divorce not only effected Grace, but removed her from the large and boisterous Sawyer family, and a budding crush on her step-brother Jack. Still in the same town, Jack has been running the family business and he and his brothers, Noah and Sam, have never really recovered or lost the anger they feel when thinking about Grace and her mother. Unfortunately for Grace, she’s never forgotten the Sawyers, or her attraction to Jack. But, the situation is sticky. Like flypaper sticky. And it will only get more complicated when Grace has to find a new job that will allow her to support her now ill, mother. Jack has hit a crossroad in the business, while things were running well, they were really good, but now little things are starting to fall apart, and he needs an office manager. So much so that as he’s interviewing a potential candidate in the local coffee shop, Grace overhears the interview and decides to throw her hat into the ring. Imagine her surprise when she sees that it is Jack, her former step-brother, from the family her mother betrayed, doing the hiring. From here, you can almost guess the plot: hidden / forbidden attraction still strong, revisited anger over events long passed and plenty of tension as Jack and Grace work toward a ‘new normal’ and allow the relationship to grow. And that would be simple if only Grace hadn’t insisted on ‘secrets and lies”. Lies to those she claims to care for, lies to hide their relationship, lies to herself about just how much Jack means to her. It was a TON of lies. And still, Jack is there – a bit too patient, a bit too unwilling to allow her to guide the path of the relationship and not taking charge and just discussing all of the resentment, betrayals, anger and oh so much baggage that comes with years apart. Secondary characters bring plenty of the small-town feel, while adding their own special sauce to the mix of drama and unacknowledged emotions, angers and hurts. Oh there is drama, enough to fill wheelbarrows with old unresolved issues but the thing is – you can actually see it as possible and probable. We’ve all known people who take forever to deal with hurts and snubs, hiding that hurt behind anger, strong statements and brash acts until the actual ‘forgiving’ moments have them so tied in knots that things never proceed smoothly. There are bumps, holes and a few steps backward along the road forward, but the connection between Grace and Jack is so palpable, and they both were more victims in the family rift than actual participants, that the desire for the relationship and a second chance with a new outlook is strong. Different from the first books I’ve read from Annie Rains, the characters bring you to this story and reveal their secrets carefully, first to readers and then to one another as the story progresses. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Sweet second chance romance between ex-step siblings that is not as taboo as it may sound. They were family for a short while when they were teens but have avoided each other for the last 15 years after her mother's action caused ended in divorce. There is no denying the chemistry between the two, but years of resentment from Jack's family takes it toll on their relationship. I understand both sides, but I think Grace could have been more patient and understanding with Jack. Overall an enjoyable read and I fell in love with Jack's family. I have been sucked into the world of Blushing Bay and am looking forward to Sam Sawyer's story. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.

I am a fan of this author and enjoyed her Hero’s Welcome series, so I was excited she is starting the Blushing Bay series. This is going to be a series about the 3 Sawyer brothers, Jack, Noah and Sam. This story is about Jack and Grace. Now I was a little hesitant about the whole stepbrother – stepsister love, but this is such a sweet and sad story about forbidden love, lost chances, second chances and a whole lot of forgiveness. When Grace’s mother married Jack’s father, life was good. Grace had a readymade family with 3 brothers and great father until her mother made a terrible life altering choice that causes the family to break apart. The Sawyer family is bitter and wants nothing to do with Grace and her mother. Fast forward and Grace needs a job. Grace is taking care of her mother, as she now is ill and Grace is the sole provider. She just was fired from a lousy waitressing job at a bar because the boss was looking for more from Grace than just an employee, if you know what I mean. She is having coffee at the local coffee house and overhears a man interviewing for an office secretary/manager. Once he concludes the interview she turns around and tells the gentleman that she has the qualifications that she’s looking for. She couldn’t believe her eyes, it was Jack, the stepbrother that she had a crush on years before. You guessed it Grace got the job and so much more! Now I am not going to give anymore away. There is so much that goes on in this story. The chemistry is palpable! No adult language content or overt sex scenes, but just enough heat to keep you sated, sweet heat. Good character development. I enjoyed the secondary characters and the buildup of the possible characters in the next book in the series. There are secrets, there is some angst between the characters and there are some funny scenes that made me enjoy this story that much more. This is a good start to a new series! I highly recommend this second chance romance and I look forward to more in this series!

This was a great start to The Blushing Bay series. Grace and Jack were once step-siblings but after their parents' marriage imploded, they had no contact with each other and there was bad blood between the families. Fast forward 15 years and Grace is in need of a job and Jack is in need of a new office manager. There was an attraction between them as teenagers but with all that has transpired between their families it seems like any kind of relationship would never work. There were definitely parts of this story that the two main characters were so frustrating but once they got it together, I loved them as a couple. Both Jack and Grace have been through a tremendous amount of grief but they have so many amazing people in their lives and are great together. I really liked all of the characters introduced in this story and am looking forward to where this series goes. *This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*

I really enjoyed this one and I can't wait to read more in this series. This is a good small town romance centered around a fishing family. Jack Sawyer has been working in the office of his family's fishing business even though that's not really what he wants to be doing. Now he needs a new office manager and he can't believe it when Grace Donner applies for the job. Grace and Jack were step siblings for about a minute many years ago. Even then he was attracted to Grace, now even more. The history between the two families isn't good and Jack's not sure if Grace will be accepted by the rest of his family. Grace has always felt bad about the way things ended between her Mom and the Sawyers. Normally she'd never want this job but she's desperate. Will they be able to put the past behind them and move forward? She hopes so and she'll do whatever she can to set things right. An excellent read that I recommend to everyone.

I like to read books from Annie. This one is also one of her good stories. There is lots of action in this story. This sure keeps the characters busy. Grace is out of work, has no money and her mother Tammy, needs meds for her Parkinson's. Jack needs an office manager even with their family detesting when he hires Grace to run the office. They were teen lovers. Major Spoiler! Grace wants to clear their hate. Tammy made the fight. Major Spoiler! Grace wants to win a fishing challenge to bring the families together. Spoiler. She almost drowns with a concussion. Spoiler. Jack and Grace are together and hiding. She finally says they can tell they are dating. Spoiler. Grace sends him away because he still hates Tammy. Major Spoiler! Her mother comes first! He soon realizes he needs to like Tammy to get Grace. This is a heartbreaker most of the book. I liked this book. I would recommend this story to anyone. Enjoy reading this book! You won't regret it! I volunteered to read and review this book.