Three Chicks and Their Books: Blog Tour: Love Surfaced by Michelle Lynn

The equations are simple.

Piper Ashby + Brad Ashby = Twin Siblings

Brad Ashby + Tanner McCain = Best Friends

Piper Ashby + Tanner McCain = Off limits

Tanner and I abided by the rules. We stayed on our designated sides of the relationship circle.

Ignoring swarming butterflies.

Brushing off skipped heartbeats.

Settling on lingering stares.

Here’s the secret … a hand extended over that invisible line once, exponentially changing the equation. I was convinced we could make our relationship work until Tanner broke the trust he embedded in me from the age of seven.

One deceit of mega proportions and the relationship we built for that short month vanished. I swore never to speak to him again and it’s worked. Until now—two years later, when my brother’s wedding places me face-to-face with the best man—Tanner McCain.

Leaving one equation to be solved. Can love surface twice?

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24809322-love-surfaced?from_search=true

4 Star Review by Jen Skewes

I was so excited to read this book. I love Michelle Lynn’s writing and as soon as I red the blurb I knew that I had to read it. I am a sucker for a second chance, friends to lovers story. But in this case the friend also happens to be her twin brothers best friend, which is even better. The forbidden romance between a sibling’s best friend always gets me.

Piper has been in love with Tanner for as long as she can remember. But being that he is best friends with her twin brother Brad he is also off limits. Brad has already made his feelings clear on he subject. Tanner has secretly wanted Piper for quite some time as well, but has never expressed his feelings or acted on them until now. He is tired of hiding what he feels. A slight touch here, a brush of the skin there eventually turns into the two of them giving in to their feelings. They have now crossed that line, the one that they weren’t supposed to cross. They aren’t ready to tell Brad just yet and continue to sneak around, taking whatever time they can get together. But just when they decide it is time to tell Brad, Piper finds out that Tanner is not the person that she thought he was, destroying any chance of a future they had and leaving Piper with a broken heart.

Fast forward two years later. Brad is getting married and Tanner is in town for the wedding. He never let go of his feelings for Piper and just needs a few minutes to explain what happened two years ago. Piper still loves Tanner, and not even two years of separation could stop her feelings for him. But she soon realizes that maybe not everything is as it seems. And she has to decide if she is willing to give Tanner and love a second chance? Can these two find their way back to each other?

I loved this book. Tanner was sweet and sexy and you could see how much he loved Piper. He was a very loyal and trustworthy guy. But he also loved Brad and sometimes being loyal to one person means breaking the other. Piper loved Tanner for so long and when they were finally together it seemed like a dream come true, until that dream ended with is betrayal. What I loved about this book was the suspense that Ms. Lynn created. When their relationship ended, we as the reader were left in the dark for a bit, wondering what he did to betray that trust. I tried reading as fast as I could to find out what he did, how did he break her heart and would she ever be able to forgive him? When the truth did come out it was not what I had expected and it was a bit easier on my heart than I had anticipated. But knowing how much Piper loved Tanner and how much she looked up to and admired him I completely understand her hurt and disappointment. Tanner still loved her and had every intention of making her see that. He was determined to fix things between the two of them. She was it for him and he would give it all up for her.

The first half of this story is told in the past. We see the build up to their relationship and how they come to finally cross that line. For me personally I think this part of their story was all about the passion and the physical connection that they had, which I loved. You see and feel the passion between them. But two years later when Tanner is fighting for the woman he loves you see the emotional side of their relationship. You see the love that they have for each other. We see that Tanner has always loved her and these two years apart hurt the both of them. Piper has her own insecurities that she deals with but Tanner never makes her feel like she isn’t enough. Because she is everything he wants and needs. Michelle Lynn has written another beautiful love story. This is about forgiveness and second chances. Tanner and Piper were so cute and sexy thogther. And the epilogue was just perfect. I am really looking forward to Brad’s story because he deserves his second chance too.

Amazon

“Piper.” He hesitates before joining me on the cement stoop.

I question why he even searched me out even though it’s been his MO lately, popping up wherever I am.

He places his arm across my shoulders and pulls me into him, which only brings a ripple of warmth to the pit of my stomach. “Come here.”

My head burrows into his strong chest, and his hand soothingly roams up and down my back. I sink into him. With the comfort of his arm, the tension in my shoulders from placing fifth in my swim meet slowly releases.

Refusing to let him make my mind race with his confusing affection, I sit up. Swiping the tears from my eyes, I honestly confess, “Tanner, it was my last shot.”

He begins to shake his head, but I stop him, “No, I have to realize it. My dream of swimming in the Olympics is over.” I rise to my feet, and the heaviness in my chest sinks back into place now that I’m out of his embrace.

He follows me over to the oak tree. Coming up behind me, his hot breath tickles my neck. My pulse races into overdrive, reminding me of how badly I want him.

Why does he keep leading me on?

He continues to toe the line between friendship and more, but he never actually steps over it. Each time his hand brushes mine or his eyes search me out, my heart stops beating for a moment as I hope this is it—until he crushes the fluttering butterflies and steps away.

I close my eyes from the view of Michigan University’s football stadium because I need to calm my insides. “Why are you here?”

He should be with my twin brother, preparing for their own meet.

“You should be in warm-ups.”

His hands land on my shoulders, and he leans down. At our connection, a tingle spreads through my body.

“I saw you leaving the pool house.” His voice cracks.

I hear his deep intake of breath.

“That’s not what I’m asking, Tanner.”

When I turn around, I almost collapse when I come face-to-face with this gorgeous guy. He’s absolutely one hundred percent the perfect male.

My perfect male.

His brown hair is tucked away in his MU hat that’s flipped backward. His lips and cheeks are rosy from the early spring chill in the air. With only a sweatshirt and track pants on, he’s the epitome of a college student. His good looks remind me of the unbearable yearning that pulls me toward him.

His eyes are so transparent that I can see the torment of his inner turmoil from our situation, meaning nothing has changed for him. He’s as conflicted as ever because I’m his best friend’s sister.

“I don’t know.” His voice is soft, caressed with the sweetness he’s shown me the last few months.

My stomach drops at his words. I want to grab his face with my hands and beg him to admit that the small seed of attraction has grown over the years and we can no longer dodge around it.

Instead, I stand there, with my hands at my sides, silently pining for the day he acknowledges our desire for one another.

“Then, that’s a problem.” My heart thumps as I sidestep him and weave through the sporadic clumps of snow that have yet to melt from the harsh winter.

Michelle moved around the Midwest most of her life, transferring from school to school before settling down in the outskirts of Chicago ten years ago, where she now resides with her husband and two kids. She developed a love of reading at a young age, which helped lay the foundation for her passion to write. With the encouragement of her family, she finally sat down and wrote one of the many stories that have been floating around in her head. When she isn’t reading or writing, she can be found playing with her kids, talking to her mom on the phone, or hanging out with her family and friends. But after chasing around twin preschoolers all day, she always cherishes her relaxation time after putting the kids to bed.