Book Review
of Change of Address by Natalie-Nicole Bates
Book
Synopsis:
Title: Change
of Address
Author: Natalie-Nicole Bates
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Natalie-Nicole Bates
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Saved from a traumatic past and successful in her present as a home care
nurse, Josselyn Adler’s dream of home ownership in the idyllic town of Unity
are dashed to pieces when Dr Ben Parnell, a cancer specialist, shows up on her
doorstep claiming to be the rightful owner of the house—and Ben has a will to
prove it! To Josselyn, the house represents
a new start in her life. With a stable home, hopefully a much wanted family
wouldn’t be far behind.
After a near career-ending
allegation is made, Ben has returned home to lick his wounds. But now he must
prove Josselyn’s claim to be a fake, that she used her position as a live-in
nurse to his sick father to ingratiate herself into his good graces. But as he
gets to know her, he can tell by her shy, often standoffish behavior, that Josselyn is a woman who has been deeply hurt in her past.
Although he is attracted to the dark haired beauty that has invaded his life,
he is still suspicious of her true motives and her past involvement with his
father.
Author
Information:
Natalie-Nicole
Bates is a book reviewer and author.
Her
passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian
era photography. Natalie contributes her uncharacteristic love of hockey to
being born in Russia.
She
currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to
her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.
Visit
Natalie-Nicole online at www.natalienicolebates.com
Important
Links:
Buy From Publisher: http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=216
Book Excerpt:
When
she arrived at the foot of the stairs, the front door rattled. Fear, cold and
stark, rose up in her throat and choked her as she heard the lock snap and
watched, rooted to the floor, the creaky old door jiggle in its frame. The
anticipation mingled with fright, produced a potent, sick feeling churning
inside her like the bad horror movie she’d recently viewed on late-night cable
television.
After
what seemed an eternity, the door flung open. The first thought entering her
brain was a ghost had entered her home. A younger, blonder visage of Morgan
stood in the threshold. Before she could utter his name, a second, more
coherent thought followed; a ghost wouldn’t use a key.
The
man in the doorway took one step inside and stopped abruptly, clenched his jaw,
and stared. The familiar stranger invading her new home could only be one
person.
“My
goodness, you’re Ben! You’re Morgan’s son!” she exclaimed.
“Well,
we know who I am. Now who the hell are you, and why are you trespassing in my
house?”
“Your
house?” she asked with disbelief. “This is my home. Morgan gave it to
me!”
“I
don’t know who you are, lady, but I suggest you get a move on it. I’ll give you
five minutes before I call the police.” He pointed to his platinum-cased
wristwatch for emphasis.
“Don’t
bother waiting.” She reached into her handbag and removed her cell phone. With
shaking fingers, she punched in 911.
The
line connected after the second ring. “911, what is your emergency?” asked the
female dispatcher.
“My
name is Josselyn Adler. I’m the new owner of 22 Little Pine Road. A man has let
himself into my home and is now threatening me.” Although she was quaking on
the inside, she strove to keep her voice and demeanor strong and confident.
“I
have an officer on the way, Ms. Adler. Would you like to stay on the line with
me until he arrives?” she offered.
“No,
thank you. I’ll be fine,” she assured her.
As
she disconnected her phone, Ben’s gaze burned into her. She wouldn’t give him
the satisfaction of showing any fear. While growing up, she had dealt with her
share of tormentors. One forty-year-old, blond-haired bully was not going to
intimidate her or drive her from a home that was rightfully hers.
“Very
nice performance,” he said snidely.
“Excuse
me?” She furrowed her brow and made eye contact. Ben Parnell had his father’s
glacial, blue eyes.
“Any
moment one of Unity’s finest will be arriving to play knight in shining armor
and save the poor maiden from the big, bad wolf.”
Before
she could utter a word in reply, a black patrol car came to a screeching halt
on the street. An officer threw open the car door and made long, quick strides
to the house. His uniform and Unity Police Department baseball cap matched the
color of his car.
A
lump formed in her throat. As she was growing up, a police car in front of the
house and an officer at the door meant her father was in some sort of trouble
yet again.
“Good
evening, Miss. I’m Officer Smith.” He looked to Ben. “It’s certainly been a
long time since you’ve been around, Ben.” Not waiting for an answer from him,
he turned his attention back to Josselyn. “What seems to be the problem
tonight?”
He
knew Ben by his first name. They looked to be about the same age, and in this
small town, it was likely they knew each other growing up. Although Officer
Smith seemed friendly enough, would he side with the hometown boy rather than
with the stranger girl?
“This
is my house. Morgan Parnell left it to me in his will. Now he...” She paused
and pointed at Ben. “He thinks it’s his house.”
“I
have a will, too,” Ben loudly interrupted. “And mine is legitimate!”
His
deep voice vibrated through her, causing her head to ache. Flustered, she pulled
an envelope from her handbag. Morgan’s attorney gave to her a copy of the will
a few days earlier. She handed it to Officer Smith. To her dismay, Ben also
produced a document from a briefcase.
This is very
bad.
She
hoped Ben had been bluffing.
Book Review:
Well
after reading the excerpt and synopsis, I expected a typical romance
novel. Guy and girl meet, have problem,
dislike each other, are forced together due to unforeseen circumstances, fall
in love, and live happily ever after. Blah. So I was pleasantly surprised to
see that while the story did follow the romance genera, the story was well
thought out and the hero and heroine both sacrificed something for the other
leading them both to realize that love with the other person’s happiness being
most important is the only true happiness.
Yes,
it’s a romance and they all follow a certain plot plan. That’s what makes them romance novels, and
that’s why we love them. So yeah, I
could have done without the whole “I’m damaged goods and don’t want to tell you
why. But eventually I will and we will
grow closer because of it and come to realize we are meant for each
other.” That was my only major issue
with the book. The overall message was
that we all have issues, but it’s okay and it helps make us the people we are
today.
Well
written, charming. I give is 4 out of 5
clouds.
Mindy~Thank you so much for hosting this stop on my Change of Address tour on your beautiful blog! I appreciate your time in reading and reviewing my book!
ReplyDelete