UNTIL THERE WAS US (The Montgomery Brothers #7) by Samantha Chase-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 1, 2018
Megan Montgomery has always been the careful type. Except…one time at her cousin’s wedding when she threw caution to the wind and had the steamiest hook-up of her life. But that was two years ago— why can’t she stop thinking about it? So when Megan accepts a job at her cousin’s company, she does everything she can to avoid Alex—knowing he’ll shake up her carefully crafted world.
Alex Rebat’s been living a good life. He loves his career and friends, but like Megan, hasn’t been able to stop thinking about their passionate encounter. And once Megan moves to town, Alex makes it his personal goal to show her that maybe it’s time to start taking a few more risks.
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REVIEW: UNTIL THERE WAS US is the seventh instalment in Samantha Chase’s contemporary adult THE MONTGOMERY BROTHERS romance series focusing on the Montgomery siblings and cousins. This is IT specialist Megan Montgomery, and physical therapist Alex Rebat’s story line. UNTIL THERE WAS US can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Alex and Megan) UNTIL THERE WAS US follows the second chance romance between IT specialist Megan Montgomery, and physical therapist Alex Rebat. Two years earlier, at her cousin Zach Montgomery’s wedding to Gabriella Martine, Megan met and spent a wild weekend with Zach’s friend and former physical therapist Alex Rebat. In the ensuing months Megan would begin to pull back from a possible long distance relationship only to break Alex’s heart when all was said and done. Fast forward to present day wherein Megan is offered the opportunity to work with her cousin in Portland knowing that the possibility of running into Alex was a guaranteed, sure thing. A weekend of painting for Alex, and a day out with the girls for Megan ends with the rekindling friendship between our story line couple. What ensues is the second chance romance between Megan and Alex, and the potential fall-out when Megan is offered the chance of a life-time, and Alex’s life spins out of control with the loss of someone close.
Megan Montgomery struggles with issues of low self-esteem; a workaholic trying to prove she is good enough or better than anyone expected. Alex Rebat battles the self-imposed guilt of sins from the past-a guilt that begins to fester with an unexpected loss.
The relationship between Megan and Alex is a rekindling friendship; a second chance at a happily ever after. The slow building romance finds Alex biding his time with the woman with whom he has fallen in love. The $ex scenes are mostly implied and fade to black.
There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Zach and Gabrielle (I’ll Be There #6), Ethan and Summer (Meant For You #5), as well as Megan’s meddling parents, aunts and uncles, and her long suffering brother Christian.
UNTIL THERE WAS US is a story of family and friendship; guilt and second chances; falling in love and letting go of the past. The premise is realistic and encouraging; the characters are sassy, spirited and energetic; the romance is tender and affectionate, UNTIL THERE WAS US is a passionate, touching and delightful story.
Copy supplied by Netgalley
Reviewed by Sandy
She was surrounded by family and knew she shouldn’t be feeling anything but happy to be here, but old insecurities still lingered. Okay, maybe they had resurfaced thanks to her ex constantly harping on her about losing weight. Megan wasn’t fat—she knew that—but she was definitely not slim. She envied her cousin Summer. She had the kind of body Megan had always wished she had—slim—and she looked good in everything. Whereas Megan had to worry about how every article of clothing she had would fit or if it would be too clingy.
Another tug at the hem of her dress as she looked around to see where Summer was. They didn’t get to see each other nearly enough and maybe…
“Excuse me?”
Megan turned and saw the most attractive man she had ever seen in her life. He was tall with sandy-brown hair and a smile that seemed almost too perfect. She swallowed hard, convinced he couldn’t possibly want to talk to her.
“Would you like to dance?” he asked, and Megan’s heart beat wildly in her chest.
She looked around and wondered whether someone had put him up to this. But he didn’t look the least bit insincere. If anything, he seemed slightly amused by her confusion.
She cleared her throat and nodded. “Um…yes. Thank you.”
His smile broadened, and it was almost lethal. He had dimples too. She had to stifle a sigh when she noticed them.
“I’m Alex Rebat,” he said, extending his hand to her. “I’m a friend of Zach’s. And you are?”
Blushing because his voice was as magnificent as the rest of him, she replied, “I’m Megan Montgomery. Zach’s cousin.”
She shook his hand, but he didn’t release hers. Instead, he led her onto the dance floor where a slow song was playing. At first, Megan felt a little self-conscious about dancing with a stranger, but as soon as Alex gently wrapped his arm around her waist, all negative thoughts disappeared.
They swayed together to the music as if they’d danced together for years.
They talked as if they’d known each other forever.
And they were both more than ready to move off the dance floor and find someplace quiet to talk after their fourth dance.
Alex kept her hand in his as he led her from the banquet room to the lobby and finally out to the garden. The sun had gone down, and the entire area was lit with hundreds of soft-white twinkly lights. To Megan it looked like something out of a fairy tale while she felt like she was living in the middle of one.
Hand in hand they walked along the paths as Alex told her about his job as a physical therapist, and the more he spoke, the more she wanted to know about him. He had confidence and passion as he spoke about his work and his life, and she found herself hanging on his every word. And when he asked about her—her job, her life—she felt inferior in comparison.
So she’d given him a brief overview of her IT career and her life in Albany before turning the conversation over to him. The smile he gave her told her he knew what she was doing.
“Not big on talking about yourself, huh?” he asked with a knowing smile.
Megan blushed as she shook her head. “There isn’t much to tell. My job is fairly boring compared to yours. What you do really makes a difference in people’s lives—and after seeing all you did for Zach, I’m in total awe of you.”
They stopped walking, and Alex moved so he was standing in front of her. “Don’t,” he said, his voice a little gruff. “Zach did all the hard work. I was merely there to help. Not every case is as successful as his. He had the drive to do it, and he worked hard to make it happen.”
Both his words and his voice were so intense that Megan was overwhelmed with the urge to reach out and touch him—not just hold his hand but…soothe him. Comfort him.
And she did.
Reaching up with her free hand, she gently caressed his face and heard his sharp intake of breath. This wasn’t her—she didn’t do things like this, wasn’t this forward—and yet she couldn’t help herself.
“Megan,” he said softly as his head lowered toward hers.
She wasn’t an overly romantic person and didn’t believe in things like this actually happening, and yet the instant Alex’s lips touched hers, Megan swore she saw fireworks. Normally she was a little more timid, inhibited, but something about Alex changed that. Wrapping her arms around him, she melted against him—reveling in the heat of his body, the feel of his lean frame against hers. The feeling must have been mutual because she heard a low growl come from him as he pulled her even closer.
Never before had she been kissed like this—it was the kind of kiss that started slowly, and they both sank into it until it kept going and neither wanted it to end. Megan’s hands raked up into his hair, and when they were finally forced to break apart for breath, in only a matter of seconds they dove in for another taste.
For a few glorious moments, they had been cocooned in their own little world out in the garden, but it didn’t take long for other wedding guests to start coming out and walking around, and the mood was broken. Alex never stopped touching her though—everywhere they went her hand was in his, and she found she was thankful for the constant connection.
Over the course of the wedding reception, they danced again and talked and laughed, and Megan was nearly bristling with anticipation by the time Gabriella threw the bouquet. At that point, she knew she and Alex could leave. When she noticed other guests getting up to go, she looked over at Alex and said, “So…”
He was sitting beside her, and the expression on his face told her everything she needed to know.
He wanted to leave.
And he wanted to leave with her.
Casually they walked around and said their goodbyes separately. Out in the lobby, Alex took her by the hand—or maybe that time she took his—and they made their way down the massive hallway that connected the banquet hall to the hotel. Several times Megan had looked around to make sure no one saw them—and not because she was embarrassed but because she didn’t want the interruption. If she didn’t get Alex alone soon, she swore she’d spontaneously combust!
The ride in the elevator seemed to take forever, and she swore the walk to her room was a mile long. But once they were inside and the door was closed?
Perfect.
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New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan’s Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40’s to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.
When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in NorthCarolina.
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