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Musings and Ramblings

Of a self professed bookworm and geek girl.

Review: Art of Affection by Ellen Butler

 


Art of Affection

 


Love, California Style, #3

 

Ellen Butler

 


Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Date of Publication: August 24, 2015
Number of pages: 205
Cover Artist: Farbzuaber

 

 

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo     ARe

 

Holly Hartland has spent the last year in Los Angeles finalizing her divorce from an abusive husband and getting her career as an art gallery curator back on track while trying to raise her young daughter. She shares a nanny with LAPD detective Gary Sumner, whose wife ran off to France with another man, abandoning him and his daughter.

With full-time careers to juggle, Gary and Holly end up relying on each other to help keep watch over their girls, who’ve become fast friends. The platonic co-parenting roles they’ve adopted are perfect for two people who’ve sworn off romance, but the burgeoning sexual chemistry they share proves hard to ignore.

When a Christmas wish puts the children in danger, Holly and Gary are forced to set aside their trust issues and work as a real team to keep their families safe. But can they overcome their baggage enough to open up their hearts to love?

This is my third trip back to the Love California Style crew. I was pleased to once again receive a request from the author to review her new book.  Holly is the sister of the heroine in book one, Heart of Design.  We met Holly as well as LAPD detective Gary Sumner in that book, and they have come a long way since their introductions.

Holly and Gary are both single parents, doing without the assistance of the other parent, and each with a young daughter close in age. Since they have become neighbors and close friends, they have taken to co-parenting the girls together. Their girls share a nanny and practically live in each others homes, while Holly and Gary are each others sounding boards and confidante.

This book had the most action of the three, with a threat against Holly, a scare involving the girls, and a bit of a unique chase scene. Another thing different about this book from the other two, was the intensity of the scenes between Holly and Gary. There were a couple of scenes that had me on the edge of my seat, nervous about how things would play out. Plus to give a boost to all the feels happening, the story takes place in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

The couples from the first two books were interwoven in this story, giving us a peek at how they are doing with their Happily Ever Afters, plus a special bodyguard come back to provide some help with the girls. I don't know if this will be the last story in the series, but it definitely wrapped things up nicely and was a wonderful closure to a storyline that begin in book one.  I really liked this book and gave it 4 stars.

Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read and review the book.

Source: http://www.musingsandramblings.net/2015/09/review-art-of-affection-ellen-butler.html