 I knew by its title that Lyrical Embrace was going to be melodious and full of yummy connections. Amber Daulton does a fabulous job of recreating the town and inn—Deerbourne Inn—in this series that is a collaboration by authors and set in the small fictional town of Willow Springs, Vermont. The setting is a bonus, giving it a vacation vibe even as real-life drama is going on. This undertaking is a challenge in itself, one that Amber met with brilliance, in my opinion.
Right away, Amber’s writing pulls me into the car with her character, Erica Timberly. I’m hooked as she sprinkles tidbits about the past Erica is escaping. The vivid imagery has me standing next to Erica in the dark, broken down on the side of the road. And I shiver as I read, “The taillights lit up the tall, broadshouldered figure like a demon coming out of the storm.” Luckily, the tall figure is Dylan Haynes, sexy former drummer of Erica’s favorite indie rock band. “Raindrops dripped slowly, almost sensually down the defined muscles of his forearms.” But is he a good guy? Are there still good guys left? Erica is a full-blown character who jumps off the page, strong-willed and sassy. She can handle herself. Even though she ends up in trouble and needs rescuing in the moment, she only allows it in an independent, badass woman sort of way. Dylan is trustworthy—a music teacher by day, who moonlights as a volunteer firefighter. He is also droolworthy, because not only is he hot, he sees straight through Erica’s BS to the point that their connection makes me get goose bumps. This is one of my favorite quotes from Lyrical Embrace: “As she chuckled, he flashed her an arrogant, knee-weakening grin. ‘I should warn you, Erica. I’m going to kiss you again tonight.’” Erica didn’t swoon as I might have expected, instead, she came right back with a comeback of her own. You’ll have to read to find out what it was 😊 Dylan is overwhelmed by what he’s feeling, and sees Erica in a way all of us romantics long for. “The moon shone from behind her, darkening her front half, but lit strands of her blonde hair to a silvery-gold.” He thinks she’s beautiful, no matter what. Erica and Dylan’s story portrays the doubts that rise up in a new relationship after experiencing an abusive one—the angst of leaving, the painful steps of healing. Healthy love still has conflict, which sparks real conversations between the characters, adding just enough tension in all the right places. “A part of me thinks we’re moving too fast, but another part says to jump in with both feet.” The buildup of suspense sparks some deep soul healing, all as the story twines perfectly into the setting of Deerbourne Inn. The author paints a picture of the inn and town using all five senses, so well that I’m transported there. Add the lush Vermont landscape to the depth of the characters, with their past heartaches and future dreams, and you have a five-star read. I highly recommend this sexy, suspenseful book that will transport you straight to Vermont and the sleepy town of Willow Springs. And thanks to Amber Daulton, I really do believe that gentlemen do still exist. 5 Stars About the Author Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats. Amber lives in North Carolina with her husband and four demanding cats. Feel free to visit her at: http://www.amberdaultonauthor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/amber.daulton.author https://twitter.com/AmberDaulton1 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43225610-lyrical-embrace Purchase Lyrical Embrace here: Amazon – https://amzn.to/2ChIhNT Barnes and Noble – https://bit.ly/2ChIhgR iTunes – https://apple.co/2M3T9mW Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lyrical-embrace Google Play – https://bit.ly/2DqXlsV The Wild Rose Press store – https://bit.ly/2URDgYr Books2Read – http://books2read.com/u/m0MYaV
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