Release Blitz + Review: "Home with You" by Claudia Burgoa and Grahame Claire

I'm thrilled to join today's release blitz celebrating "Home with You" by Claudia Burgoa and Grahame Claire, book #2 of the Winter Valley series. Characters from the previous book make appearances in this one, but it reads as a complete standalone. (Readers familiar with Burgoa's Baker's Creek Billionaire Brothers series may also notice a few familiar names and places over the course of the story.)

Children's book author Peighton Peterson is used to being able to hide behind the anonymity of her pen name and cartoon author photo, but now that she's embarking on a 6-week promotional tour, everything is about to change. What scares her the most is returning to her home state of Colorado, which not only brings back bad memories of being bullied as a child but also carries the risk, however small, of running into her ex-boyfriend, Morgan Bradford. As if her thoughts conjured him out of thin air, Morgan appears at Peighton's final book signing in Aspen with his young niece, Perry, in tow. Peighton escapes as soon as possible to head for the airport, but an accident on the snowy roads lands her in the hospital with a concussion and broken arm. As she's being discharged, she learns that the local hotels are full because of the storm, but Morgan comes to her rescue and offers her a place to stay. He's determined to make the most of their unexpected second chance and convince Peighton to forgive him for the way he left her years before. 

 

I really liked that Peighton didn't forgive Morgan right away; she made him explain everything that led up to his decision to leave her behind in Boston ten years ago and work for her forgiveness. He never really wanted to leave her, but made the sacrifice he felt was necessary to take care of his parents and siblings. Even with that resolved, there was still the challenge of Peighton's negative feelings towards Winter Valley because of the bullying she experienced growing up as the child of a hotel maid who cleaned houses on the side. Fortunately, spending time there as an adult helped her see the town differently and start to appreciate the positives of small town life instead of remembering only the negatives.

Overall, I enjoyed "Home with You" and would recommend it for all contemporary romance fans. I look forward to more books set in Winter Valley, hopefully featuring the rest of the Bradford siblings. 

 

*Review copy provided by the authors. All opinions expressed are my own. 

 

 

About "Home with You"

An imaginary hedgehog fairy made me famous. A blizzard made me fall in love.

When I was a kid I used to doodle pictures of my best friend. Well, my best imaginary friend: Harley the Hedgehog Fairy. Turns out that making up stories about her catapulted me into children's book stardom.

Now I'm living my dream and working from home. I'd rather spend my time creating stories than face the real world. Except, my agent has other plans. He's booked me on a signing tour across the country. Six weeks outside of my comfort zone.

I thought that was painful - until I saw Morgan Bradford entering a bookstore holding the hand of a little girl. He told me he didn't want commitment. But I guess he didn't want commitment with me.

After five painful minutes, I see him off and hope we never cross paths again. I'm not that lucky.

A blizzard, a car accident and a concussion send me back to Winter Valley... And under Morgan's care.

Maybe I am that lucky.