Three of my very favorite authors have new releases out now that share something surprising in common--no, not the suberb writing, that was a given, as were the hot heroes, hot sex and heated exchanges. Nope, this is something else entirely. All three books featured less than exemplary fathers. Let's explore this phenomenon...
Stacy Gail's new release, Where There's a Will has not one but two nasty dads, and oh, the issues they have caused for the hero and heroine! All the lovely, lovely angst! If you like a bad-boy hero to die for and characters who come with a heaping helping of baggage, this is the book for you!
This is installment number four in the Bitterthorn, Texas series, and it just might be the angstiest one yet--no mean feat when you consider that the series kicked off with last year's Starting from Scratch, and OMG, I knew that one was going to be a three-hankie read from the moment Stacy first told me the story line! Yummy...and I don't just mean the cookies. Both books are also reunion stories--and that is probably my all time favorite trope. Come to think of it, book two in the series, Ugly Ducklings Finish First was also a reunion story. No wonder I love this series so much!
Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo
Next up is Kelly Jamieson's new menage Three of Hearts, which is set in Nashville, TN. I was privileged to have spent time with Kelly in Nashville last year while she researched locations and wrote the song that is at the heart of this story. Yes. She wrote a whole, entire, frickin' country song. In like...half an hour. The woman's ridiculously talented. This book has only the one disappointing dad--he belongs to the heroine, who is also saddled with a cheating, hockey player boyfriend, by the way (because even Kelly's throwaway characters are delish). But before you get to feeling too sorry for our poor heroine, you should know the girl gets two smokin' hot heroes in exchange for those losers. And they're both swoon-worthy musicians, don't you know. Yeah, I'm thinking that's sooooo much better and sooooo worth it.
Three of Hearts is set at Christmas time. Is there anything better than a Christmas menage? No, I didn't think so. This is a sparkly Christmas present of a book. Sadly, it's not part of a series--yet. I do have hopes of changing that, however. Oh, Kelly, we need to talk...
Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo
Last, but certainly not least, is Jenny Schwartz's Kiss it Better. Don't you just love that title? This is a tale of two dads. Okay, not really. It's a delightful steamy romance set in my new favorite Australian coastal town, Jardin Bay. The hero of Kiss it Better is a doctor and a CEO with a taste for motorcycles and classic cars. Mmmm. I'd call that a triple threat! There are two dads, however--along with an assortment of other relatives, both good and bad. One dad I loved. He's totally deserving of his own HEA. Are you listening, Jenny? The other dad, I wanted to strangle! Grrr. It's called parenting, people! Let's get it right!
So there you have it. Bad news fathers and, sadly, all of them seemed pretty true to life. But are they part of a trend? A new trope? A sign of things to come? Or is it all no more than coincidence? Why not pick them all three books up and decide for yourself? Any way you look at it, these books make for some great reading.
