Cruel North (TheVanessa and North Brothers 4) by JB Salsbury-review tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 29, 2022
A teenage girl with my eyes and a familiar glare, strolls into my life and she’s calling me Dad.
Vanessa was my high school girlfriend and the smartest person I knew. She had a plan, a future, and she swore nothing would get in the way. Until she became pregnant. I thought we agreed on our plan. I sent her the money. Then she disappeared.
Her parents told me she was in South America for a year. They told me she needed space. I never heard from her again.
Seventeen years later and she’s back. I’m staring into those green eyes that used to tempt and taunt me. But it’s not just about us anymore. We have a daughter.
Wanting to get to know her, I convince them to move in with me for one month. I’m so angry with Vanessa and she seems to be equally upset. Every insult from her smart mouth invites me to engage. The brutal chemistry between us ignites old embers. I wish I could hate her. Instead, I want her.
But too much time has passed, and I fear some hurts run too deep to heal.
At the end of thirty days, I’ll have to let them go.
Unless I figure out a way to keep them.
••••••
REVIEW: CRUEL NORTH is the fourth instalment in JB Salsbury’s contemporary adult THE NORTH BROTHERS erotic, romance series. This is thirty-five year old attorney Hayes North, and thirty four year old single mother/app developer Vanessa Osbourne’s story line. CRUEL NORTH 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 (Vanessa and Hayes) CRUEL NORTH focuses on the second chance romance and relationship between Vanessa Osbourne and Hayes North. Vanessa Osbourne and Hayes North were high school sweethearts. Hayes wanted to be a professional hockey player, and Vanessa wanted to delve into computer technology but a surprise pregnancy was something neither expected, and Hayes was in no position to become a young father. Fast forward to present day wherein, Hayes is blindsided with the appearance of Haven, a seventeen year old young woman claiming to be his daughter, a daughter he never knew existed. Vanessa Osbourne never told her daughter the truth about her father, but a box full of heart breaking memories becomes the catalyst to push Haven to go in search of the father she knew nothing about, a father who now lives and works in New York City. With her daughter searching for Hayes, Vanessa goes in search of the daughter whose heart she broke. What ensues is the rebuilding romance and relationship between Hayes and Vanessa, and the potential fall out as Vanessa and Haven’s time in New York comes to an end, an end predicated upon perceived betrayal and misunderstanding.
Vanessa Osbourne’s hatred for Hayes North is powerful in the wake of Hayes pushing Vanessa out of his life. As a single mother Vanessa struggled with every aspect of their lives but not only did Hayes walk out of her life but so too did her parents who refuse to acknowledge their granddaughter’s existence. Hayes North had no idea that Vanessa kept the child he never wanted.Having watched his father’s life implode, Hayes refused to follow the same path, as he battled between head and heart in an effort to get to know the daughter he never knew.
The relationship between Vanessa and Hayes is one of second chances; a rekindling romance between two people torn apart by immaturity, misunderstanding, heartbreak and dysfunctional family relationships. Hayes wants a chance to get to know the daughter he never knew but Vanessa struggles to get past the hurt of being abandoned by the man that she loved. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.
Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters. We are reintroduced to Hayes siblings: twin brother Hudson and Lillian, Alexander and Jordan, Kingston and Gabriella, as well as their father August; security specialist James, Hayes and Vanessa’s daughter Maven, Vanessa’s parent Nicholas and Annabella; Vanessa’s best friend Tag, and Hayes’ best friend Ellie.
CRUEL NORTH is a story of misunderstanding and mistakes, family and friendships, betrayal and forgiveness, love and acceptance. The premise is emotional and captivating; the romance is seductive and provocative; the characters are independent, determined and charismatic.
Click HERE for Sandy’s review of TRUE NORTH
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
NOTE: Excerpt intended for mature readers due to strong language and content
“Let’s go.” I open the passenger side door to my car, and when Haven climbs in, I give Hudson a chin lift, thanking him for having my back.
He nods back with a look that says I better be nice.
Fuck me. My own twin acts like I’m the enemy here. Like I’d hurt my own daughter?
I climb behind the wheel and fire up the engine, grateful for the steady hum of the supercharged V8 that cuts through an uncomfortable silence.
“Nice ride,” Haven says and touches all the buttons and knobs. “Is this real leather?” She runs her hands along the seats, and I notice that she has long elegant fingers that are exactly like Vanessa’s.
“Yes.” I force my eyes to the road, feeling oddly uncomfortable with such precious cargo.
“I have a Jeep,” she says. “It’s a piece of shit.”
I’m not great at conversation on a good day, so I grunt like a fucking caveman.
“So what’s it like?”
I see out of my peripheral that she’s facing me. “What’s what like?”
“Being a millionaire.”
I lose the battle with my eyeballs, and they dart toward her before I wrangle them back to the road. Vanessa’s family has a net worth equal to mine. I can’t imagine Haven grew up without.
I clear the discomfort from my throat. “I hear you’re a pretty good athlete.” My tone sounds like I’m accusing her of something, and I don’t know why. Maybe I should’ve just let Hudson take her home. I suck at this.
“I am. I’m good at a lot of things.”
Confident, like her mom. Good.
“Oh yeah?”
“Mm-hm.” She doesn’t elaborate.
I take the bait. “Like what?”
She shrugs and looks casually out the front window. “You want the condensed version of my life so that you don’t have to actually invest?”
“No,” I say dryly and grip the steering wheel tighter.
The uncomfortable silence is back and goes on for so long that I start to sweat. I flip on the AC and aim the vent right at my face.
“Listen, uh… Haven… I…” I sound like an idiot who can’t string two words together. “I’ve been thinking—”
“About how you wanted my mom to abort me?”
Fuckin’ hell. “No.”
“About how you abandoned her and left her to have a baby alone at—”
“Jesus, no.”
“About how you’re a rich selfish asshole who couldn’t even be bothered to look for the woman who carried your unwanted child to see if maybe she needed anything like money for food or clothes or a safe place to live or—”
“Haven, stop.”
“—or money so that kid could play sports and afford equipment so she wouldn’t get made fun of for wearing the wrong shoes or sweatpants to games.”
“What are you talking about? Your mom’s family is wealthy.”
“Yeah, well, thanks to you and your mighty sperm, they disowned her.” She tilts her head, just like her mother does before she delivers a brutal tongue lashing. “Ohh, you didn’t know that, did you?” She makes a tsking sound. “You would’ve if you looked for us. Ever heard of Google, asshole?”
“That’s enough.”
“Hey, you’re the one who wanted me to ride with you—”
“I get it. You want to hurt me. I’d do the same in your shoes.”
She slams her mouth closed without response. She faces forward and crosses her arms at her chest. “Whatever.”
“We need to… get to know each other. The three of us have a lot to talk about.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
I cough out a laugh. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“Are we almost to Uncle Hudson’s house?”
He gets to be Uncle Hudson, and I’m Asshole? My jaw ticks. “Yes.”
I use the rest of the time in the car to breathe in and out and try to calm my temper. Vanessa’s parents disowned her. I shouldn’t be surprised, and yet, I am. She’s their only child, for fuck’s sake.
I have a million questions and worry I won’t get the chance to ask Vanessa if we can’t even be in the same room without fighting. Time feels like it’s slipping away, and I don’t know how to grab onto it. But I know I have to try.
I pull up to Hudson’s building. Haven makes a reach for her seatbelt.
“I have a proposition for you.”
Her hand freezes on the buckle, and her eyes narrow.
My God, it’s like looking in a mirror. “One month in New York. Rent free, all expenses paid, you and your mom.”
She eyes me cautiously. “What’s the catch?”
Here’s where I might lose her. “You live with me.”
“Yeah, right.” She snorts. “Mom will never agree to that. I’m pretty sure she hates you.”
She’s not exactly my favorite person right now either. “Leave the convincing to me.”
Her smile is a little wicked. “You’re either really brave or really stupid.”
“I’m not stupid.”
Her brows pop high on her forehead. “You clearly don’t know my mom.”
I don’t respond because she’s right. But she’s also wrong. I got the fiery Vanessa Osbourne to care for me once. A month in New York shouldn’t be too hard.
J.B. Salsbury is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and two kids.
Her love of good storytelling led her to earn a degree in Media Communications. With her journalistic background, writing has always been at the forefront, and her love of romance propelled her career as an author.
She spends the majority of her day behind the computer where a world of battling alphas, budding romance, and impossible obstacles claws away at her subconscious and begs to be released to the page.
Website: http://www.jbsalsbury.com/
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