Tucker by Emily March – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway
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Description:
Hope springs eternal in this enchanting Texas town.
Meet Gillian Thacker. Her business: Bliss Bridal Salon. Her passion: Weddings. Her own wedding: It’s complicated. Life isn’t turning out like she’d planned. The last thing she wants is for a real-life hero to ride to her rescue but when an unexpected event puts her entire future in Redemption, Texas, at risk. So what’s a broken-hearted bridal expert to do? Maybe a new set of survival skills is exactly what she needs…
Tucker McBride has been proud to call himself a U.S. Army Ranger. But now that his days of service are over, he’s decided to put his expertise to use by founding a wilderness skills training school. He sets up shop in Redemption, next to Bliss Bridal, and so begins life: Part Two. Marriage has been pretty low on his agenda, but as soon as he meets Gillian, Tucker can’t help but contemplate the ultimate challenge: Convincing the reluctant bride to take his hand and leap into the adventure of a lifetime. . .until death do they part.
Review:
Tucker by Emily March is the 2nd book in her Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas series. We meet our heroine, Gillian Thacker, who is Caroline’s (previous book heroine) best friend, and the co-owner of the Bliss Bridal Salon. Gillian is the perfect girly girl, who lives and breathes everything related to weddings. She is in the process with her mother of planning Caroline’s wedding, as well as her own. When we do meet Caroline, she has a fight with her fiancée, Jeremy, and walks away in a huff, only to find herself stranded and lost.
Tucker Mcbride, one of the three cousins who plan on staying and fixing up Eternity Springs, has just completed his service as a US Army Ranger, and is on his way to Eternity Springs, when he comes across the young beautiful lady stranded. Tucker will give her a lift, and to her surprise she learns he is one of the McBrides. Tucker cannot seem to take his eyes off Gillian, but shortly thereafter, Jeremy comes to take Gillian back to Eternity Springs.
Tucker begins to build his life in Eternity Springs, when he buys an empty building that will house a wilderness training school, which is much to Gillian chagrin. She wanted to buy the building to expand the salon to more wedding type of services; she isn’t too happy with Tucker. In a short time, all hell breaks loose, as Jeremy decides to break up with Gillian, and the wedding is off. She is despondent and a mess, though she knew Jeremy had been avoiding discussing the wedding for a long time, and now she accepts her situation and decides no men in her life for the foreseeable future.
Tucker makes it his business to find ways to bring Gillian out of her shell pushing her to go with him on things, knowing she only wants to be friends; but Tucker knows he wants more, as he slowly is falling in love with Gillian. Unfortunately, Gillian would not allow herself to get into a relationship with Tucker, even though she feels the attraction to him.
What follows is a slow burn romance, with Tucker doing everything to win over Gillian, and Gillian’s attempt to ignore the chemistry between them. I loved Tucker, who not only gorgeous, but sweet, caring, patient, sexy and confident. Gillian on the other hand for the most part was too much a mess for at least half of the book; but it was nice when her friends all got together for a short trip to get her out of her depression. I also enjoyed when Tucker trained Gillian and all her friends on wilderness survival, which will help Gillian down the road. It was nice when Gillian finally decided to succumb to Tucker’s advances. Wonderful group of secondary characters.
Tucker was a fun, entertaining, enjoyable adventure, with some surprises along the way. Emily March once again gives us a sweet story, which I suggest you read.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
Chapter TwoTucker was a sixth-generation Texan, small-town born and bred. Certain behaviors were stamped into his DNA. A real man tipped his hat to the ladies, opened doors for females of any age, and never, ever failed to stop and assist a woman in distress.
So, of course, he had to turn around.
That this particular woman in distress was a total smoke show dressed in fire-engine red only made playing the role of Texas gentleman that much sweeter. He wondered how she’d managed to find herself out here in the middle of nowhere, no car in sight, not a house anywhere around, and the closest town a good ten miles away. Unfortunately, hot looks and a bright mind didn’t always go together.
He pulled to a stop beside her and flipped up the visor of his helmet. His assessing stare met a wary gaze shining from big, periwinkle-blue eyes that were swollen and red-rimmed with tears. She had an abrasion on her cheek just above her chin. Had someone hit her? When his quick visual sweep of her body revealed additional redness on both of her arms, he reconsidered. Airbag deployment, most likely. “Do you need some help, ma’am?”
He watched her intently and saw her quietly repeat the word ma’am. After a moment’s hesitation, she licked her lips, swallowed hard, and said, “Well, um, I, um. May I borrow your phone?”
Her voice was smooth as Tennessee whiskey with just enough Texas in her drawl to sound like home to ears too far away for too long. “Yes, ma’am.”
She took a small step backward as he set his kick- stand and climbed off his bike. She’s scared of me.
It was a perfectly natural reaction and showed some sense, but Tucker didn’t like scaring women, so when he pulled off his helmet, he was scowling. Her eyes widened, she took another step back, and he realized he’d made the situation worse. Well, hell.
He reached deep inside him for the charm that had grown rusty with disuse, made a stab at a reassuring smile, and addressed the elephant in the cotton field. “Don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you. I came back to see if I could help. That’s all. I give you my word, and a McBride’s word is his bond.”
“That’s so old-fashioned,” she said.
“Yes, well, that’s how we roll. Now, I’m going to reach into my pocket and pull out my phone.”
Her gaze dropped to his hand, and she gave a nervous little laugh. “No gun?”
“No gun.” That was in a different pocket.
Tucker unzipped his jacket and reached into an inner pouch for his phone while trying his best to look unthreatening. Their fingers brushed as he handed it over. Her fingernail color matched her dress.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome. My name is Tucker.”
“I’m Gillian.” Her teeth tugged on her bottom lip as she stared at the phone. “Do you have Google maps? I need to send a pin of my location to my—”
She broke off abruptly, and her head came up. Those glittering blue eyes—puffy and swollen from tears and framed by long, thick lashes—went round and big. Distracted, he fell into them. “Tucker Mc- Bride? Your name is Tucker McBride?”
He blinked and pulled slightly away. Now it was his turn to be wary. “Yes.”
She gave him a once-over, and some of the stiff- ness melted from her spine. “I know Jackson. Boone too. You’re the third cousin, aren’t you?”
Well, this was unexpected. “Yes, Boone and Jack- son are cousins of mine. Have we met?” He didn’t think so. He’d damned sure remember her.
“No.”
“I’m surprised you’d connect me to them. We’re a long way from Redemption.”
“Are we?” She gave a short, strained laugh. “I wouldn’t know. I’m lost. But you look just like them, and Tucker McBride is an unusual name. Plus, I re- member when the three of you arrived in Redemption the first time. You all rode motorcycles. My friend Maisy laughed that you had your own little McBride gang, so you were perfect for Ruin.”
Tucker grinned. “If you only knew.” He extended his hand toward her for a handshake. “Nice to meet you, Gillian . . . ?”
“Thacker. Gillian Thacker.” Her grip was firm, her smile filled with relief. “I’m a friend of Caroline Carruthers. Are you on your way to visit Redemption?”
Caroline was the woman Jackson was seeing, Tucker knew. He nodded. “Yes, I am. So now that you know I’m not a serial killer, want to tell me what you’re doing standing in a cotton field in a sundress and stilettos? Not exactly apparel for farming.”
She glanced down at her feet. “Technically, I’m not in the field but on the shoulder of a road. A narrow, two-lane, never-ending road. And no, cotton is not my thing. I’m all about satin and lace.”
Satin and lace? A vision of Gillian in lingerie the same shade of red as her dress flashed in Tucker’s mind as she continued, “I sell wedding gowns at a bridal shop in Redemption. Bliss Bridal Salon on Main Street.”
He tore his thoughts from the fantasy and listened when she began babbling about a pig and a pecan and a purse without a phone charger. When she finally wound down, she left Tucker shaking his head at her foolishness. He held up his hand. “Let me get this straight. You weren’t joking about being lost? You literally don’t know where you are?”
“No. Not exactly.” She lifted her chin, and her voice sharpened defensively. “I know I’m still in Central Texas. I’m somewhere between I-35 and I-45. I’m north of Austin. I think.”
He slowly shook his head. “Where is your car?
How far have you walked?”
“That way.” She hooked her thumb over her shoul- der. “Maybe two or three miles. I’ve been walking a while.”
“In those shoes?”
She gave a rueful smile.Copyright © 2020 by Geralyn Dawson Williams.
Emily March is the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels, including the critically acclaimed Eternity Springs series. Publishers Weekly calls March a “master of delightful banter,” and her heartwarming, emotionally charged stories have been named to Best of the Year lists by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Romance Writers of America.
A graduate of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her recipe for jalapeño relish has made her a tailgating legend.
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Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.
