Ask Me (Cherry Blossom Lake 4) by Tawna Fenske-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 6, 2024

Ask anyone in town for the best guy to rev your engine and they’ll point to me.
Ask anyone who’s read a book or watched TV, or hell…
Any human with a pulse knows Brooke Braham is America’s top advice guru.
I don’t need a PhD to see I shouldn’t fall for the famous shrink.
It’s not like an auto shop owner can’t run with the rich and beautiful, but guess what?
Turns out the good doc and I share more than scorching chemistry.
She lost her sister in the worst way, and I—
Well, let’s just say it messes with a guy to learn his dead addict mom isn’t.
Dead, I mean. Who knew?
Not my big pack of rowdy brothers.
My sister might’ve sensed it, but I had a different take.
One I’ve never told anyone.
There’s stuff I should take to the grave, but Brooke’s got me all up in my feelings.
Turns out they aren’t just below the belt.
She’s funny and smart and loves my big, doofy dog.
But we can’t get involved.
It says so right there in her book.
Love’s not for folks facing major life messes, which is us in a nutshell.
So much for sexy sand sledding lessons that can’t lead to more.
Ditto for using my childhood tire swing in ways that would make a mechanic blush.
I can’t fall for Brooke, no matter what my busted-up heart believes.
I’m a guy with a rep for fixing anything.
Almost anything. Let’s not dwell.
The last thing Brooke needs is me rescuing her like she’s some damsel in distress.
But what if we’re meant to save each other?

•••••

REVIEW:ASK ME is the fourth instalment in Tawna Fenske’s contemporary adult CHERRY BLOSSOM LAKE erotic, romance series. This is mechanic Kaleb Spencer-King, and author/influencer / media psychologist Brooke Braham’s story line. ASK ME can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Kaleb and Brooke) ASK ME follows Brooke Braham’s visit to Cherry Blossom Lake, the site of a tremendous loss but meeting Kaleb Spencer-King felt like meeting a kindred spirit, a man who knows loss first hand. As their relationship begins to develop, Brooke is pulled into the dysfunctional Spencer-King family, a family where she feels at home but Brooke’s time in Cherry Blossom Lake comes with an expiry date, and our couple are refusing to acknowledge the proverbial elephant in the room.

The world building focuses on love and loss, grief and guilt. The Spencer-King family has struggled with lies, loss, betrayal and guilt .Unable to get past the betrayal of someone close, Kaleb battles between head and heart, struggling with issues of trust but Kaleb’s mistrust is equaled by Brooke’s inability to let go for the grief and guilt of her own loss.

The relationship between Brooke and Kaleb is one of immediate attraction and commiseration over similar yet different losses. Kaleb continues to struggle with a former betrayal, and Brooke abides by her own rules regarding grief and loss. The $ex scenes are intimate and provocative without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Kaleb’s siblings, as well as their struggling mother; Brooke’s assistant Maxine.

ASK ME is a story of secrets and lies, loss and grief, family and relationships, forgiveness and love. The premise is riveting and enthralling; the characters are broken and struggling; the romance is seductive and passionate.

Reading Order and Previous reviews
Try Me
Charm Me
Hold Me

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy