Katherine in Gold is the
second installment of the Beachy Bride series. In this
unique romance,
we follow the story of Katherine and Holst. A tale of shaking off the
past,
embracing the future, and finding true love.
**Can be read as a stand alone**
NOW AVAILABLE!
Blurb
*Warning: this is a love story with sexual situations and
copious swearing. It also
deals with an inappropriate relationship between an
underage girl and a much older
man.
When Katherine Symes experiences heartbreak at the age of
twenty, she picks herself
up, dusts herself off, and declares no man will ever
break her again. The
independent, potty-mouthed Katherine makes no apologies
for how she lives her life.
Marriage, babies, and husbands are ideas she’s
never even entertained. There is only
one thing she’s never had the guts to do.
Open her own cafe.
The day of her best friend’s engagement, a stranger
bulldozes his way into her life.
Handsome, tall, and annoying as hell, he
pushes all her buttons. A mutual
acquaintance introduces them, and the stranger,
Holst Rutherford, wastes no time in
presenting Katherine with half ownership in
a coffee shop he wants to open in
Laguna Beach; he just doesn’t want to do it
alone.
Can she put up with Holst to achieve her lifelong dream?
Holst moved to the coastal town of Laguna Beach with clear
intentions: a fresh start,
concentrate on his new business, and enjoy the beach
at his doorstep. After ending a
toxic relationship, he never considered
entering a new one. But there is something
about the ever-combative Katherine
which makes him realize she could be much
more than a business partner. She
just might be the one.
However, she is going to need a little convincing
Katherine in Gold is the second installment in The Beachy
Bride series but can be read as a stand alone.
I loved this book and I think this just may be my favorite JB Hartnett
book. I love the stories that she tells
and the characters that she creates.
This is Katherine’s story, who we first met in Bride in Bloom.
Katherine is a strong, independent and feisty woman. But underneath that exterior is a woman who
is broken. She was hurt so badly 13
years ago by someone that she loved and has never been able to move on from
it. She has never told anyone of her
secret and what really happened to her that has caused her to be so guarded
when it comes to love and relationships.
She has not had a relationship with a man since then, only casual sex
and nothing more. Then she meets the man
who not only make her business dreams come true but will also be the man to
make her believe in love again.
Holst is looking to move on from his own past and wants to
open up a café. Through a mutual friend
he meets Katherine, his future business partner and his future love. Holst is attracted to Katherine from the
beginning. He wants her but he sees the
walls that she has constructed around her heart. He knows that she is fragile when it comes
to love, but he is determined to show her how good they are together. He slowly chips away at the wall that she has
put up and Katherine begins to open herself up to Holst and to love again. But Holst has his own past and his own
secrets as well. And he is afraid that
once he really opens up to Katherine that she will run. And losing Katherine is not an option for
him. Will Katherine run or will she
embrace love again?
I love this book so much and for so many reasons. The first one, of course being Katherine and
Holst. Together they are sexy and the
perfect match. Holst will make you
swoon. He was a bit of an alpha male with
a dominant side but could also be so sweet, gentle, protective and caring when
it comes to Katherine. I loved how he
was able to get her to open up to him in so many ways. He made her love again and while their love
may have seemed quick it didn’t feel like it was insta love at all. What I love about this series, especially
this book is how real these characters are.
There is no unnecessary drama.
The issues that this couple face are real and it makes you feel all of
the emotions right along with them. And
while their story is real there is a little bit fairytale feel to it as
well. It was just the right blend of
both.
I loved the secondary characters. We met most of them in the first book but I
think we were able to really see their relationships more in this one. Katherine and Tori are best friends and their
friendship is one that every woman wants.
They are always there for each other no matter what. They laugh and cry with each other and their
relationship was just the perfect addition to this story. I felt the connection that these two
had. But it wasn’t just Tori that I
loved. Katherine’s other friends Dee Dee
and Ruby were a wonderful addition to this cast and I cannot wait for their
story.
And then there is Frodo who has this really special
relationship with Holst. They somehow
have this connection and bond. And I
just love Frodo. I am not sure what it
is about that man but I love him and cannot wait for his story. But it wasn’t just his bond with Holst, it
was the moments that he shared with Katherine as well that just melted my
heart.
Now let’s talk about Cam for a second, because I loved that
man in Bride in Bloom, which is his and Tori’s tory. But there is one moment in this book that
made me love him even more. I had tears
in my eyes, in a good way. And to be
honest there were a few moments like this throughout the book where I felt my
eyes getting watery. And not because it
was sad or depressing but because sometimes in life there are those moments
that you just cannot help getting choked up over and you just find yourself
crying. And since I felt like I was a
part of these characters lives I felt it all with them. This was an amazing story. I cannot wait for the next ones. And yes I will patiently be waiting for Frodo’s
book. Another amazing and beautiful
story by JB Hartnett.
Excerpt #1
Just another few feet, I faced the green gate with the
awesome brass knocker and flagstone steps of Tori’s house. I knocked on the
front door of the Arts and Crafts home and waited. I was basically furniture at
their place, but they were newlyweds, and I’m no prude, but when you walk in on
your bestie splayed upon the front stairs of the foyer, her husband’s head
between her legs and his naked ass with a peek-a-boo ball sack greeting you….
Dude. You knock.
The door opened to Cam’s smartass grin, which said
everything without saying anything. “Kath,” he greeted.
“Coffee,” I returned, avoiding all conversation with him,
and walked straight to the kitchen.
I plunked down at the worn pine table, opened my phone to
the message from Goya so Tori could read it, and took a sip from the mug Tori
had just handed me.
I’d given several kickass—in my mind—housewarming gifts to
the new couple. One was a ceramic garden gnome key holder I’d had custom made.
Quite similar to the one that lived on my porch…Gozer the Garden Gnome (I loved
Ghostbusters.) Gozer needed a mate, and that mate, of course, was Zuul. Most
female garden gnomes were busty, but this she-gnome had enormous boobs, wild,
red hair, which lifted at the back to hide a spare house key, and a red dress
that left very little to the imagination…I mean, if you were into gnomes, you
couldn’t disagree this little gnome had it going on.
My other favorite gift was three coffee mugs: two of which
read, “My best friend is a whore.” The third read, “I married a whore” and it
was just lucky that Cam had a good sense of humor. Most people think the term
“whore” is either an occupation or an insult, but I used it as a term of
affection. I wasn’t even sure how it began, but I often said it to Tori, and
when I did, it came from a place of love.
Tori took a sip from her coffee and lifted her eyes from
the message. “Dude.”
“Dude,” much like the word “whore” or even “fuck,” also
had many meanings and uses. It was all in the way you said it. And the way Tori
said “dude” meant she was having the same reaction I had to the message.
“I know, right?”
I gave an awkward chuckle and rolled my eyes. I’d avoided
Goya all week, blowing him off with the excuse my new business venture was
taking up all my time. Yeah, I totally lied. And his message that morning was a
reminder, not only about his show, but an offer he made, which filled me with
terror, and a term of endearment that made me want to move to another state.
“He said the L-word,” she pointed out. “And he wants you
to move in with him?” Just hearing her rundown of the text message gave me
anxiety.
I decided not to let that show and deflect the whole thing
with humor. “Yeah. I’m just as confused as you are. I even thought he might
have sent the message to me by mistake.”
“Kath,” she began softly, “you’re not considering moving
in with him…are you?”
I almost choked on my coffee. “Did you snort a big, fat
line of stupid before I got here?”
Her eyes bugged out before she said with relief, “Thank
God. You’ve been…weird lately. I had to ask.”
Cam suddenly appeared with two huge hiking packs.
“You just got hotter, Cam,” I declared and leaned in to my
bestie. “How are you gonna do it?”
“Do what?”
“Hike along those trails and not ass rape him every chance
you get?”
She leaned closer, her fingers tapping on the coffee mug,
and confessed with total sincerity, “Well, we discussed it, and, after much
research, decided that anything I do to his ass will be in the privacy of our
own home.” She picked up her mug again and continued casually, “Besides, ticks are
a real problem. The ass is the last place you want a tick.”
Have you met Cameron & Victoria from Bride in Bloom
(Book One) yet?
One-click your copy at the following retailers:
About the
Author
Julie is a Southern California
native, a fan of a really good story (preferably romance with a happily ever
after), really good pie (preferably pumpkin) and copious amounts of coffee
(preferably Folgers).
She
has always enjoyed writing and at one time thought she could be a singer
songwriter...the 'writer' part is the one that stuck.
Julie
is obsessed with pi...the equation(and the food). She's allergic to cats and
cantaloupe and hates mushrooms...so if you ever want to give her a gift, those
are out for sure.She currently lives with her own romance hero husband and two
boys in Melbourne, Australia.
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