Review: Laugh (Burnside #2) by Mary Ann Rivers

Series: Burnside #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: 5/6/14
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5 stars

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Mary Ann Rivers continues her Burnside family series—perfect for readers of Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, and Ruthie Knox—as two people try to share their hearts without losing their cool.

Dr. Sam Burnside is convinced that volunteering at an urban green-space farm in Lakefield, Ohio, is a waste of time—especially with his new health clinic about to open. He only goes to mollify his partner, suspecting she wants him to lighten up. Then Sam catches sight of Nina Paz, a woman who gives off more heat than a scorcher in July. Her easy smile and flirty, sizzling wit has him forgetting his infamous need for control.

Widowed when her husband was killed in Afghanistan, Nina has learned that life exists to take chances. As the daughter of migrant workers turned organic farmers, she’s built an exciting and successful business by valuing new opportunities and working hard to take care of her own. But when Sam pushes for a relationship that goes beyond their hotter-than-fire escapades, Nina ignores her own hard-won wisdom. She isn’t ready for a man who needs saving—even if her heart compels her to take the greatest risk of all: love.

I'm just going to preemptively put out this warning: my review for Laugh may be a bit of a hot mess. The story is just so deep and so real and my brain wants to cover every single angle. I know that's not possible, nor should I do that. Just know that no matter how hard I try to give the story the respect it deserves, I know I won't do Laugh justice.

Sam Burnside is an angry man. At least, he seems to be. In Live, he came across as overbearing and arrogant. Much pressure has been laid on his shoulders throughout his life, and it's a burden he bears heavily. I was surprised by Sam in Laugh. Surprised to realize what it is that makes him angry. He has spent a lifetime managing, some times more successfully than other, ADHD. His mother helped him cope and manage, but after her death, his father couldn't deal with Sam in the same manner. That easy understanding was gone, leaving Sam to feel alone. When Sam can't cope, or things change, it makes him feel overwhelmed and anxious, which in turn makes him frustrated and causes him to lash out. Sam has big emotions and at times struggles to manage them in a way that doesn't push people away. Sam loves hard, but rather than bring people closer, his earnestness pushes them away. He just wants to be happy. To make others happy by simply being, like his sister Des, but he struggles with just being. Sam is so afraid of losing something that he hold on to everything.

Ten years ago, Nina Paz lost her husband, and in a manner, her life. Unable to grieve in the way the families needed her to, she left that life behind and started again on her own. She built a farm and a business, a family of close friends and coworkers. She built a life that she could look on and see the results. Nina has a sort of cautiously optimistic outlook on life. She knows all too well it can go wrong in a moment's time, but she also knows a life have-lived is no life at all. In the time following her husband's death, Nina took quick and easy comfort from the bodies of men. She had nothing else to give. She's not ashamed of that time in her life, but she is done with it. It would be easy to seek that comfort with Sam, to give it to him. But it's time to slow down, and see what the present brings. What she finds with same isn't empty satisfaction that got her through the dark times. It's a fullness. But that fullness scares her, because she knows too well the pain of losing it.

Sam and Nina together were endearing. Nina knew the exact way to love Sam, soothing and understanding him. She's the first person since his mother's death who really gets him and the language of his love. Sam is seeking, and Nina soothes the piece of him that's always hoping to be and do enough. To not do too much, which is his way. But it's such a struggle for him. Nina needs slow, and Sam tends to rush with his brain and heart crashing ahead. Sam is almost...manic with his love and the need to claim Nina now. And I love that he's all "I'm kind of an asshole." and yet he's completely lovable because he is open and earnest. But Sam brings so much to Nina. He loves her so well and so passionately. He understands why she's so passionate about her work and her people, he acknowledges her husband's forever place in her heart. These two were so sexy, too! I love that they talked so much, worked to understand each other. But they also let their bodies speak and love each other when they had no voice.

The rest of the Burnsides play a part in the story, especially PJ. The very tense relationship between Sam and PJ is examines and ohmyword! I hope that boy gets his own book. His life-long love for Lacey, the refusal to ever give up on her, it is what epic love stories are made of. Sam and Sarah's tremendously strained relationship is dealt with as well. Sarah is so hard to pin down. Like Sam in Live, I don't think I like her that much, but I hope to be proved wrong if she gets a story too.

I can't leave this review without discussing my beloved Des and Hefin. I'm so happy that we get glimpses into their new life. I will love that gruff and charming woodcarver/engineer forever.

Mary Ann Rivers is an author I trust implicitly. She unfailingly delivers stories with such realism, about the people around us. She delivers the romance that is best experienced in the quiet moments between two people falling in love, or who are already there. It's gritty and tough and messy. It's beautiful.

Favorite Quotes
  She'd take his hours and see if she could make days out of them. One by one. Steady. No waiting, but no racing either.
   An hour at a time.


  "Nina," he whispered, and she could hear the hope in it, the hope that he was going to do the right thing, and make this happen, and give himself to her and she would take him, she could hear in how he said her name that she wanted her to take him. Him. Just him.

  Sam Burnside had the clearest, sweetest heart of anyone she had known. Even as he fought himself and struggled to understand the people he loved, fought them, he never withheld his love.
  Everyone Sam loved knew it.
  It's why, she thought, watching him sleep, the people Sam loved weren't as gentle with him as they should be. They were safe with him, his love made them perfectly safe. Safe to behave badly or to test how much love could bear.
  His love made their love better. When they tested it, they found love to be strong beyond measure, able to bear incalculable losses.

The Burnside Series

 

(covers lead to GoodReads page)

About the author  

Mary Ann Rivers has been wearing a groove in her library card since she was old enough for story time. She’s been writing almost as long—her first publication credit was in Highlights magazine. She started writing and reading romance in the fifth grade once she stumbled on the rainbow of romance novel book spines in the library’s fiction stacks.

She was an English and music major and went on to earn her MFA in creative writing, publishing poetry in journals, and leading creative writing workshops for at-risk youth. While training for her day job as a Nurse Practitioner, she rediscovered romance on the bedside tables of her favorite patients.

Mary Ann lives in the Midwest with her handsome professor husband and their imaginative school-aged son. She writes smart and emotional contemporary romance, imagining stories featuring the heroes and heroines just ahead of her in the coffee line.

Website  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads

NOVELLA REVIEWS: SNOW-KISSED, THE STORY GUY, THE BRIDGE

Three novellas have been on my to-read list for months: Snow-Kissed, The Story Guy, and The Bridge. Two of the authors were already at the top of my must-read list, the other just earned a spot. These were all very intense, very unique and beautiful stories. I really have no hope of doing any of them true justice, but I had to share my love.

Series: Stand alone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 9/1/13
Format: Kindle
Pages: 130
Source: Purchase
Rating: 5 stars

Florand takes us to a snow-kissed Christmas cabin for this heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, forgiveness—and hope. After the utter destruction of her marriage and her happiness, Kai knew it was better to shut herself away from the world than to hurt and be hurt. Holed up in her mountain cabin, she planned to spend her Christmas alone. Until her not-quite-ex-husband shows up as the first flakes start to fall. Now should she send him back out into the cold? Or can she be brave enough to let this winter snow bind them back together?

 

If anyone should ask me why Laura Florand is one of my very, very favorite authors, I won't need to say a word. I will let Snow-Kissed speak for me.  It is undoubtedly one of the very best, most moving stories I've had the privilege to read.

 

Snow-Kissed is a marriage-in crisis story, except... this is a marriage not so much in crisis ans it is shattered. Kai and Kurt were so, so happy, before they experienced the profound loss of a dream. The aftermath of the losses is unbearable for Kai and in a turmoil of grief, rage and shame, she leaves her husband. More than a year later, Kai is beginning to thaw. She still tolerates her grief moment-by-moment, but is slowly learning to breathe through the pain. She is also beginning to realize she virtually destroyed the love she and Kurt shared. Kai knows they must both move on alone. The future they can move to separately cannot possibly be worse than what they'd face if they look back...can it? And besides, how could Kurt possibly forgive her for the angry words, the leaving? 

 

Snow-Kissed is a very delicate story, covering past joy and grief of a happy marriage, the pain and hesitation of facing all that's been lost, and the fragile moments of fear and the tentative hope of a future. Through Florand's narrative, giving us both Kai and Kurt's heartbreaking points-of-view, this story gripped my heart. Many passages made had my heart aching. In the moments in which Kai and Kurt shared memories of happy times, I smiled. Believe it or not (given everything I've said) Snow-Kissed had passionate moments that left me a bit breathless. I was so completely in every moment.  

 

With its premise, Snow-Kissed is a very difficult story to read. and in many cases that would serve for a difficult read. With Florand's prose, though, it is easy...because it is so beautiful. This is one hundred, twenty pages of story that is packed with more emotion than many novels three times its length. Snow-Kissed intrigued me, broke me wide-open, and in the end, left me with a smile and the memory of a difficult yet gorgeous journey. 

 

 

Favorite Quotes

  Their eyes held. His were so gorgeous, their beauty all for her... and yet she had always known, right from the first moment he stood looking down at her in his mother's gardens and she looked back up into those hazel eyes, and her heart caught.

  Her heart had been so smart. Suicidal in its bright optimism, clueless as to what would come, but still--so smart, to so immediately respond to him.

 

  "You're the most beautiful thing that ever happened in my life," Kai whispered suddenly, clutching at him as if he might melt out of her arms. His arm tightened under her bottom, driving himself deep, deep. "I don't know what I did to deserve you."

Purchase Links

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Series: Stand alone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: 7/8/14
Format: Kindle
Pages: 120
Source: Purchase
Rating: 5 stars

I will meet you on Wednesdays at noon in Celebration Park. Kissing only. Carrie West is happy with her life... isn’t she? But when she sees this provocative online ad, the thirtysomething librarian can’t help but be tempted. After all, the photo of the anonymous poster is far too attractive to ignore. And when Wednesday finally arrives, it brings a first kiss that’s hotter than any she’s ever imagined.

Brian Newburgh is an attorney, but there’s more to his life... that he won't share with Carrie. Determined to have more than just Wednesdays, Carrie embarks on a quest to learn Brian’s story, certain that he will be worth the cost. But is she ready to gamble her heart on a man who just might be The One... even though she has no idea how their love story will end?

"Story guys are like life highlighters. Your life is all these big blocks of gray text, and them a story guy comes in with a big ol' paragraph of neon pink so that when you flip back through your life, you can stop and remember all the important and interesting places."

Of all the synopses I've come across, The Story Guy's hold a place as the most intriguing. I knew I had to read this story, to find out why this man wants a small window of time consisting only of kisses, and what exactly is a "story guy".

I'm so happy to have finally read The Story Guy. I already knew that Mary Ann River's writing is the very specific type that makes me heart immeasurably happy. Her novel Live blew me away, and everything I loved about it is what I love about this novella.  The story is quietly profound, Rivers has a beautiful way of capturing the beauty and rawness of even the most simple of moments.

So besides the writing, what I loved about The Story Guy is that I had no idea what I was getting into. I had faith, though, that I would get a beautiful, thoughtful story. That is exactly what Rivers delivers. Part of the pull of The Story Guy is the not knowing, so I won't say too much. Brian and Carrie's was everything that I look for in a love story. And when I learned Brian's story... my heart broke, along with Carrie's. To be a witness to Carrie's unwavering love and support was a gift.

If you are a fan of Cara McKenna or Laura Florand, Mary Ann Rivers is a must-read author.

Favorite Quote

  “That first Wednesday, in the park, I saw you before I noticed you were holding the umbrella, and I had one thought, just one.” 
   My heart stutters. “What was that?” 
  "Please."

Purchase Links

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Series: Stand alone
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Promised Land Books
Publication Date: 9/16/13
Format: Kindle
Pages: 79
Source: Purchase
Rating: 5 stars

Henry meets Christa on the west tower of the Brooklyn Bridge, just as they’re both about to jump off and kill themselves. Despite his paralyzing depression—and her panic over a second bout of cancer—they can’t go through with their plans knowing that the other is going to die. So they make a pact—they’ll stay alive for 24 hours, and try to convince each other to live.

From the Staten Island Ferry to Chinatown to the Museum of Modern Art—Henry and Christa embark on a New York City odyssey that exposes the darkest moments of their lives. Is it too late for them? Or will love give them the courage to face the terrifying possibility of hope?

If someone tried to convince me that this story of two people who intend to commit suicide-a story that not only discusses suicide but also examines the debilitating effect of severe depression-was not only not depressing, but was actually...uplifting? I would not have believed. The Bridge is a unique and thoughtful look at a day-the last day-for Christa and Henry, both intent on ending their lives at the Brooklyn Bridge. Henry has a long history of severe depression and suicidal thoughts, even has a failed attempt in his past. Christa is facing the recurrence of breast cancer. He can't face another day bearing the pain of the cruelty he sees in the world. She doesn't want to again face treatments, the debilitating illness that comes with them, alone. Why put off the inevitable when the cancer will only kill her in the end?

But Christa and Henry both believe the other has a reason to live. In Henry, Christa sees a man who has opportunities, a family who will mourn him despite what he believes. Henry sees Christa and doesn't see a terminal diagnosis, but another challenge she can endure if she has the courage. Despite their best efforts, in an effort to save the other, Christa and Henry actually have the opportunity to save each other. The two take an entire day to convince the other to make a different choice. They experience quiet, beautiful moments in a garden, witnessing kindness on a city bus, eating ice cream, looking at art. Along the way, the two become invested in each other's outcome. Can they find the will to face a future? Could they possibly do it together?

The Bridge is a story that I could see myself running away from. Depression has had a second-hand effect on my life. To see someone struggle when you can't fully understand the despair, when you want to shout "Snap out of it!" is a truly powerless feeling. And cancer, the cruelest word I know. So many people I've cared for has been lost to it, and very recently I've had to face it with my dad, again. But despite my fears, The Bridge didn't actually crush me. It is a story about finding the beautiful moments, finding the will to keep moving forward. That is life affirming.

The Bridge is an intense story, very thought-provoking, and surprisingly romantic. I'm sure it is a story that will stay in my mind and in my heart.

Favorite Quotes

   And Henry. Lying beside me with his eyes closed, breathing. Would it be bad if I climbed into the crook of his arm to sleep?
  I try it, and he doesn't push me away. Instead he turns his face toward me, and presses his mouth against my hair. I feel the intake of his breath, the soft exhalation. His arm around me is warm and sure, and his heart beats strong, strong. I don't want to feel the stirring in my body in the places his body touches mine. I don't want to feel the heat of him beside me, or to crave that heat. To want to burrow inside it and look for sustenance there. 
  I try not to think about tomorrow. About where he'll be. Where I'll be.
  I was so certain this morning. So completely sure. And now?
  I don't know. I don't know.  

Purchase Links

Amazon  |  B&N  |  iBooks

 

About the authors

Laura Florand is the international bestselling author of the Amour et Chocolat series (The Chocolate Thief, The Chocolate Kiss, etc.), where sexy French chocolatiers woo the women they love with what they love best--romance you can taste. Her books have been translated into seven languages, received the RT Seal of Excellence and starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, and been recommended by USA Today, NPR, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. She was born in Georgia, but the travel bug bit her early. After a Fulbright year in Tahiti, a semester in Spain, and backpacking everywhere from New Zealand to Greece, she ended up living in Paris, where she met and married her own handsome Frenchman, a story told in her first book Blame It on Paris. Now a lecturer at Duke University, she is very dedicated to her research into French chocolate. For some behind the scenes glimpses of that research, please visit her at www.lauraflorand.com.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads

Mary Ann Rivers has been wearing a groove in her library card since she was old enough for story time. She’s been writing almost as long—her first publication credit was in Highlights magazine. She started writing and reading romance in the fifth grade once she stumbled on the rainbow of romance novel book spines in the library’s fiction stacks.

She was an English and music major and went on to earn her MFA in creative writing, publishing poetry in journals, and leading creative writing workshops for at-risk youth. While training for her day job as a Nurse Practitioner, she rediscovered romance on the bedside tables of her favorite patients.

Mary Ann lives in the Midwest with her handsome professor husband and their imaginative school-aged son. She writes smart and emotional contemporary romance, imagining stories featuring the heroes and heroines just ahead of her in the coffee line.

Website  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads

 

Rebecca Rogers Maher writes bold contemporary romance novels with strong, flawed heroines. She’s a Vassar graduate, a former community organizer and Brooklyn public school teacher, and a mother to two insanely sweet boys. She believes messed-up ladies deserve happy endings too, as well as lots of hot sex with genuinely kind men. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her hot, kind husband and their children.

RT Book Reviews describes Rebecca’s writing as “beautiful, heart-wrenching, and heart-warming,” Library Journal calls it “dark, electrically charged…gut-wrenching…” and Dear Author says it “resonate(s) with depth.” In a ridiculously embarrassing article, New York Daily News called her novels “steamy.”

 

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads


 

REVIEW: LIVE (BURNSIDE #1) by MARY ANN RIVERS

Series: Burnside #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: 1/21/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5 stars

Mary Ann Rivers kicks off a new contemporary romance series—sure to please readers of Ruthie Knox, Kristan Higgins, and Jill Shalvis—where love can be found unexpectedly.

If there’s an upside to unemployment, Destiny Burnside may have found it. Job searching at her local library in Lakefield, Ohio, gives her plenty of time to ogle the hottest man she has ever laid eyes on: the sexy wood-carver who’s restoring the building. But as the rejection letters pile up, Destiny finds an unexpected shoulder to cry on. With his rich Welsh accent, Hefin Thomas stirs Destiny so completely that, even though he’s leaving soon, she lets herself believe the memory of his scorching kisses will be enough.

Hefin can’t help but notice the slender, confident woman with ginger hair who returns each day, so hopeful and determined. So when the tears start to fall, his silence—penance for a failed marriage—finally cracks. Once he’s touched her, what Hefin wants is to take her back to Wales and hold her forever. But Destiny’s roots run too deep. What they both need is each other—to learn how to live and love again.

Let me start by saying that Live is a book I feel ridiculously unqualified to review. Well, maybe not unqualified, but this book deserves the best of me, when what I really want to say is: "Wahhhhh I loved this book so much and I'm so happy I read it and I think you should read it too!"

So. Let me attempt to explain why Live was such an amazing read for me. I want to talk about Destiny and Hefin first, but to understand why they had such an impact on me, I must talk about Mary Ann Rivers's writing. And to talk about River's writing, I need to discuss a couple of other authors. Presently, two of my very favorite authors are Cara McKenna and Laura Florand. There are elements to their styles that work for me on every level. The stories are so good, but it is the attention to the small, intricate details of a character or a moment that blows me away. It could be the small sigh that comes from a touch, or the flush of their skin in a moment of excitement, or the emotion that passes through the eyes in a powerful moment. You just cannot take these authors' words for granted, because if you miss even one sentence you might miss so much. The story may seem a bit subdued or quiet, but is incredibly powerful. These authors are my catnip. The reason I am telling you this is that with Live, Rivers has placed herself on my list. Her story was so gorgeous it made my heart ache.

Live is a story of "hellos" and "goodbyes". About forgiveness and having the courage to reach for what you truly want. Destiny Burnside spends every day at the library, job searching. Her father recently died, her sister was in a debilitating accident, she lost her job, she and her siblings are drifting apart. Every day, she watches Hefin Thomas, a woodcarver doing a restoration project at the library. One day the stress becomes too much, and while Destiny is quietly crying, Hefin approaches her. Apparently he's quietly noticed her as well. Hefin consoles Destiny, helps her in the search, and the two strike up a friendship of sorts. I say of sorts because it is very quickly apparent that the two are wildly attracted to each other. Their bodies and souls seem to literally be drawn to one another.

Hefin, though, is set on returning to his home country, Wales. (Yes, he's a Welsh woodcarver who is sensitive and sexy. His forearms are a sight to behold And he blushes. A lot. Control yourself if you can.) A quick and failed marriage that lead to unhappiness and resentment has made Hefin weary. He misses his old occupation, his family, and his home. His mind is set on leaving, and he tells Destiny that he will not ask her to come with him. Seems harsh, I know, but Hefin does not want Destiny to be driven to the same resentment that he experienced at giving up his life for love. Destiny is very pragmatic about all of this, understands his point, and doesn't even think she would go to Wales if he asked anyway. So the two spend their short time together saying "hello", but also preparing to say "goodbye".

Along the way, Destiny gives Hefin insights into love and blame, to forgive himself for his part in his failed marriage. Hefin pays immense attention to Destiny, sees her in a way no one ever has. He wants her to truly live a life of her own. He realizes that Destiny knows herself far better than he did in the same situation. He wants her with him, exploring the world, living a life of love. The question of whether she accepts is not answered until the very end of the book. These two were ridiculously unselfish, in no way try to manipulate, control, or bully each other. I feel smarter simply having read such great characters.

I honestly don't believe everyone will love this story. It's not exciting and shocking. The tone might be considered quiet, but the emotional intensity and the beauty of the prose had my heart clenching the entire time. Live is already one of my favorite books of 2014. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Laugh, and whatever Mary Ann Rivers writes.

Favorite Quotes:

  They kissed nice and slow, their breath back in their chests and not so expansive. The kissing was only difficult when she couldn't stop smiling. And then he just kissed over her smiles. When he lost his rhythm, grinning, she kissed over his grin. It went on that way for a while. Smiles against kisses. Kisses against grins.


  Destiny reached for his hand and pulled him back over her. It felt so good to feel her skin against his. So he just put his arms around her and she, thankfully, put her arms around him. Then he reached around to put his hand around her nape and hold her even closer. He could feel his heart beating in his chest, slow and glad. "I want you to know that you're wonderful, Hefin Thomas." He held her tighter.


 She closed her eyes. He was just too much with his domes and flowers for her sister and smooth cheeks and hot outfit. She was starting to feel like he had gravity, and being around him was feeling kind of inevitable. It was more surprising than knowing she was falling for him, could love him.

The Burnside Series

 

(covers lead to GoodReads page)

 

Purchase Links

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  iBooks

About the author

 Mary Ann Rivers has been wearing a groove in her library card since she was old enough for story time. She’s been writing almost as long—her first publication credit was in Highlights magazine. She started writing and reading romance in the fifth grade once she stumbled on the rainbow of romance novel book spines in the library’s fiction stacks.

She was an English and music major and went on to earn her MFA in creative writing, publishing poetry in journals, and leading creative writing workshops for at-risk youth. While training for her day job as a Nurse Practitioner, she rediscovered romance on the bedside tables of her favorite patients.

Mary Ann lives in the Midwest with her handsome professor husband and their imaginative school-aged son. She writes smart and emotional contemporary romance, imagining stories featuring the heroes and heroines just ahead of her in the coffee line.

Website  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads