Tag Archives: Laura Trentham

Till I Kissed You by Laura Trentham – a Review

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Till I Kissed You by Laura Trentham – a Review

 

Till I Kissed YouAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM

Description:
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?

 

Review:

Till I Kissed You by Laura Trentham is the 3rd book in her wonderful sweet romance series, Cottonbloom.   This has been a fun series from the beginning, and we have been waiting impatiently for Regan and Sawyer’s story. In Till I Kissed You we get our wish.  Every book thus far has been fun, but this one is the best one so far.  I suspect this is a trilogy and it ends with this book….. 🙁   This book can be read as a standalone, but there is too much background information about all the main characters that I strongly suggest you read the first two books before you read this one.  And you should read this series. 

A quick refresher:  Cottonbloom has two sides; the poorer Louisiana side and the wealthier Mississippi side. Sawyer lives on the Louisiana side and Regan lives on the Mississippi side.  Regan is the mayor of Mississippi’s Cottonbloom.  Sawyer is now working with his brother, Cade (1st book hero) in a new business.

We have known Sawyer Fournette and Regan Lovell from the start, and have been privileged to be part of watching the animosity and constant fighting between them.  When they were kids, they were in love, only to have family dynamics (they come from different sides), and misinformation break them up.  Each blamed the other, which led to their current hate relationship.

In the last book, Sawyer discovers that someone has been threatening Regan about the upcoming festival that they are competing on.  His true feelings for her may be hidden, but he makes it his business to watch over her.  At first Regan is suspicious why she is seeing Sawyer so much, but soon they begin to work together to try and find the culprit.  Slowly, the old love they had for each other rises again and their hate/mistrust relationship begins to change.  It was fun to watch them rediscover their feelings for each other; a love that was always still there.  It wasn’t easy, as there was always something or someone coming in between.

I loved Sawyer better in this book, as he was so sweet, sexy and caring for Regan.   She was the star of this story, as she was such a great heroine; strong, fun, smart, fearless and totally in love with Sawyer.  What follows is a sweet romance between an awesome couple, wonderful family and friends, and bit of mystery.  Till I Kissed You is a wonderful & fun second chance romance that was well written by Laura Trentham.


Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publsher

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Then He Kissed Me by Laura Trentham – a Review

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Then He Kissed Me by Laura Trentham – a Review

 

Then He Kissed MeAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
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?

 

 

Review:

Then He Kissed Me by Laura Trentham is the 2nd novel in her Cottonbloom series.  We met Tally Fournette, our heroine, in the first book, as she is Cade’s  (1st book hero) sister.  We also met our hero, Nash Hawthorne, who had recently returned to Cottonbloom.  The story starts off when both Nash and Tally were young children and best friends, both being on the poorer Louisiana side of town. Nash was considered a skinny nerd, not having any friends, other than Tally.  Nash’s mother was dying, and he would escape to meet Tally most evenings.  But everything was about to change.  Nash’s mother died, and his snobbish aunt took him to live with her on the rich Mississippi side of Cottonbloom.  Tally and her brothers were heartbroken when their parents were killed in an accident, forcing them to live with their uncle Delbert in poorer conditions.  Tally & Nash’s  friendship went by the wayside, each having to live in different situations.

Now all grown up, Nash has never forgotten his best friend, Tally.  He is no longer a skinny nerd, but a handsome hot professor, who plans to work locally at the Cottonbloom College.   Tally owns her own gym, which has been doing well, and will expand to have special classes for seniors.  What follows is a slow build romance between two people who have never forgotten their close friendship.  Nash wants more than friendship, but Tally is afraid of getting hurt again.  She spent her teenage years as being wild and carefree, which was opposite of Nash, who traveled  to Scotland and became a professor.  Tally feels that she is not worthy of Nash, even if her attraction to him grows.

I loved Nash, and how much he was willing to take it slow with Tally, and we knew how much he loved her.  Tally, whom I really liked in the first book, annoyed me a little bit.  Her refusal to see take a chance at love, even with knwing she was in love with him, and her constantly running away made me want to slap some reasoning into her.  However, besides that, she was a good heroine, and totally loyal to her family and friends.  Will Nash be able to convince Tally that he will always be there for her?

Laura Trentham has created another wonderful sweet romance in a small town.  There were a few surprises from the past for both families that added to the element of the story.  I look forward to the next book, which I hope is Regan and Sawyer’s story.  If you enjoy small town romance, great characters, good story line, than you should be reading this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham – a Review

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Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham – a Review

 

Kiss Me That WayAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
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?

 

 

Review:

Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham is the first book in her new Cottonbloom series.  This is also the first book I have read by Trentham, and after reading this, it will not be my last.

Monroe Kirby is our heroine and you will love her from the start.  We get a glimpse at the beginning of the past of Monroe when she was 13 years old, as her mother’s drunken boyfriend tries to rape her.  She managed to escape into the woods, and ran into Cade Fournette, an older & tough young boy from the other side of the tracks.  Cade protected her, and managed to watch over her from a distance for many years, until he left Cottonbloom. 

Now in the present time,  Cade has returned home to recover from a serious injury.  Monroe is now a physical  therapist, and is surprised to see Cade after all these years.   She never knew why he left town, and can feel her attraction to him still stands after all these years.  Cade looked at Monroe as a kid; someone he wanted to protect, but never had any romantic feelings. But now she is a beautiful young woman all grown up.

What follows is a slow build romance that will find Monroe helping him recover, and Cade slowly beginning to have feelings for her. Cade has a successful business in Seattle and has every intention of returning there when he recovers.  He doesn’t want to act on his newfound feelings for Monroe because he would hurt her.  Cade has had a hard childhood, and doesn’t believe in permanent relationships.  Will Monroe be able to convince Cade to stay, now that they have begun to act on their feelings? 

This was a fun story, with many characters in this small town of Cottonbloom.  I loved Monroe’s best friend Regan;  Cade’s sister Tally.  I also liked Sawyer, who is Cade’s brother, who I suspect will have his own story with Regan in the future.  Monroe and Cade made a wonderful sexy couple, but I did get annoyed at him with his stubborn refusal to accept how much he was falling in love with Monroe.

Laura Trentham not only created a nice fun sweet romance in a small town, with great secondary characters; but she also touched on subjects such as,  physical abuse and self defense for teens, which Monroe teaches in her spare time.  If you are a fan of pure romances, that are also fun,  I suggest you read this book. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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