This Time Around by Tawna Fenske-Review, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway

THIS TIME AROUND by Tawna Fenske-Review , ExclusiveExcerpt & Giveaway

This Time Around

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 4, 2017

Allie Ross is not living the life she once dreamed. Her law career ended before it ever started, her parents landed in jail for running a Ponzi scheme, and she just inherited her grandmother’s B&B—which is nice, even if it is full of extra-toed cats. As for her love life…she’d rather not talk about it.

When Jack Carpenter reaches out to reconnect with Allie, the girl who broke his heart in college, his plan is to impress her with the adult he’s become. Sure, he was a deadbeat then, but life has forced him to grow up. And it’s a relief to find out that things didn’t necessarily go the way Allie expected either.

As Allie and Jack get reacquainted, they rediscover the things they loved—and hated—about each other. But who they are now isn’t who they were then, and secrets—old and new—will test whether they have a future together, or if the past is destined to repeat itself.

••••••••••••

REVIEW: THIS TIME AROUND by Tawna Fenske is a stand alone, adult, contemporary,  romantic story line focusing on the rekindling relationship between Certified Association Executive Allie Ross, and ‘app’ developer Jack Carpenter.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Allie and Jack) Allie Ross and Jack Carpenter were once high school sweethearts and college lovers but sixteen years had passed since the day Allie pushed Jack Carpenter out of her life. Fast forward to present day wherein our heroine struggles with the knowledge that not all is right in her ordered world-law school never came to fruition; her parents are in prison for running a Ponzi scheme that bilked hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients and friends; her beloved grandmother recently passed bequeathing Allie a former B&B that now is home to sixteen polydactyl cats; and the man that Allie once loved has returned to town with a ten year old daughter, potentially looking for a second chance, at a happily ever after. What ensues is the rekindling romance between Allie and Jack, and Allie’s discovery that her grandmother’s attic is a Pandora’s box of secrets and lies.

Allie Ross grew up privileged but the man that Allie loved was never good enough or determined to make something of his life. Allie had plans to attend university then law school but life had a way of interfering pulling Allie in another direction. Jack Carpenter left town and made a name for himself following several years of struggle and the death of the woman he once called lover and wife. With his ten year old daughter in tow Jack returns to the town he once called home, and the woman he is hoping to rekindle the spark.

The relationship between Jack and Allie is one of second chances but Allie is reluctant to reveal everything about her life. Throughout the story Allie begins to shed the protective walls that have encompassed her heart but too many secrets revealed finds our hero walking away without a backwards glance. The $ex scenes are limited, intimate and sensual.

We are introduced to Allie’s ex fiancé and best friend Wade, her parents Priscilla and Nathan Ross, Rosewood B&B custodian Skye, as well as Jack’s ten year old daughter Paige. The world building focuses on the rebuilding relationship between Jack and Allie but also on a lifetime of secrets that slowly begin to eat at Allie’s façade.

THIS TIME AROUND is a spirited and hopeful story line with a little bit of humor, romance, guilt and love. The premise is idealistic and heartwarming; the characters are colorful and realistic; the romance is passionate and emotional. THIS TIME AROUND follows one woman as she battles the realities of life and love.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

excerpt

“Hey, Allie. You planning to show me those dresses?”

“Um, I wasn’t planning on it.” She yanked the first one off the hanger and pulled it on, struggling in the taffeta for a few moments before realizing she had it on backwards. She righted the dress, then reached behind her to do up the zipper.

Crap! She couldn’t reach. Since when had her arms gotten too short to do up a damn zipper? She wriggled and stretched, wishing like hell she’d made a better effort to do Pilates more regularly. She just didn’t have time and—

“Need help with any zippers?”

“Dammit, are you spying on me?”

His laugh bounced through the small dressing room space, and Allie felt her cheeks grow hot. “It’s a solid door, Allie. Floor to ceiling, and no keyhole. No, I’m not spying on you. Paranoid much?”

She tossed her hair, not sure whether to be more flustered with herself or with him.

“Fine,” she said, yanking open the door. “I could use help with the zipper.”

“Funny, I didn’t hear a please in there.”

“Please.” Allie sighed and turned to present her back to him. He was silent a moment, and she glanced in the mirror to see his eyes cast downward toward her ass. Embarrassment bubbled in her gut, but she tried to cover. “Yes, I’m wearing granny panties, okay? Sue me. I haven’t had time to do laundry all week and—”

“I wasn’t judging your underwear, Allie. Just admiring the tattoo.”

“Oh.”

“When did you get it?”

She bit her lip. “A year after college.”

His fingers grazed the small of her back, and for an instant, she thought he was touching the tip of one of the small, orange flames. Then she realized he was reaching for the zipper. He dragged it slowly up her spine, and Allie focused hard on keeping her stomach pulled in, wondering if her muffin top was showing over the top of her awful gray panties.

“It’s very nice. The tattoo, I mean.”

“Thank you.” His hand was still on the zipper, even though she was pretty sure he had it all the way up. The heat of his hand made her shiver.

“What does it mean?”

“The tattoo?” She shrugged, trying to look casual as she smoothed down the front of the dress in the mirror in front of her. She didn’t look up, not wanting to see Jack’s eyes. “It doesn’t mean anything. Just a pretty, fiery design, that’s all.”

“I know you, Allie.” His voice was low in her ear, so close she could feel his breath ruffling her hair. She let her gaze stray up, and she locked eyes with him in the mirror. “You wouldn’t permanently ink something on your body if it didn’t have meaning.”

She stood frozen with her gaze locked on his, not daring to speak. Desperate to break the spell, she turned to face him with an expression she made as blank as possible. “Maybe I would get a meaningless tattoo. You knew the nineteen-year-old version of Allie, not the twenty-three-year-old one I was when I got the ink.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Or the thirty-six-year-old one, apparently.” He studied her for a long while, gaze locked with hers, and Allie found she couldn’t look away.

She nodded. “A lot’s changed.”

“That it has.” He was standing close, too close. He was practically touching her. She wanted him to touch her. Just a tiny step forward and—

“Oh, wow! That’s super pretty!”

Allie blinked and took a step back as Paige peered out from under her father’s arm. She smiled up at Allie and reached out to touch the hem of the dress. “You look nice.”

“Thank you.” It occurred to Allie that she’d barely looked in the mirror yet, so she turned to study herself in the full-length one behind her. Not bad. Not bad at all. A little snug around the chest, but it was probably supposed to be. There was a little armpit fat poking out at the top, but the hemline made her legs look good, and fluttered nicely when she turned back to face Jack and Paige.

“Looks like you got lucky on the first try.”

Allie shifted from one foot to the other, not trusting herself to meet his eyes again. “Looks like it.”

“Who was your first boyfriend that you loved?”

Allie blinked and looked at Paige. “Wow. That’s kind of random.”

Jack laughed and ruffled his daughter’s hair. “Not totally. We were just talking about it at the barbershop. We were also talking about how some things are personal and not appropriate questions to ask, weren’t we?”

Paige gave a solemn nod and looked up at Allie. “That’s true.”

Jack gave Allie his slow, lazy smile, holding her gaze for a few beats too many before turning back to his daughter. “Did you need something, kiddo?”

Allie said a silent prayer of thanks that Jack had a talent for distracting his daughter. The girl nodded and held up an armful of clothing. “I wanted to try these on.”

“Looks like someone’s in the room next door,” Jack said. “You’ll have to wait your turn.”

Allie reached behind her neck, fumbling for the zipper. “Hang on, you can have this one. I don’t need to try on the rest of these. I know what I want.” Her fingers gripped the zipper and her shoulder creaked as she tried to pull down. “Just let me get out of—”

“Allow me.” Jack grabbed her by the waist to hold her still, then tugged the zipper down with a bit less finesse than he’d used to slide it up. He stopped just above the small of her back, and Allie wondered if he was preserving her modesty or trying to keep his daughter from seeing the tattoo.

But the kid clearly had eagle eyes. “Is that fire on your back?”

Allie turned around, holding the back of the dress together with one hand as she stole a look at Jack. Discomfort was etched on his face, but he wasn’t meeting her eye. Allie looked at Paige.

“Yes, but I didn’t get it until I was a grown-up,” she said. “The decision to get a tattoo is a big one, so it’s not something you even want to start thinking about until—”

“It looks just like one my dad has.”

“What?”

Paige nodded and pointed to her father’s ribcage. “Right there. Beside his tummy. He has fire, too, only his has—”

“Why don’t we let Allie finish getting dressed?”

Paige looked up at her dad and shrugged. “Okay.”

***

About The Author

Tawna FenskeTawna Fenske is a USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risqué romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Her offbeat brand of romance has received multiple starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, one of which noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.”
Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband, step-kids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year.

Connect with Tawna:

Author Website: www.tawnafenske.com
Author Blog: http://tawnafenske.blogspot.com/
Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/tawnafenske
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TawnaFenskeBooks/

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