Title: The Vine
(A Bindarra Creek Romance)
(A Bindarra Creek Romance)
Author: Lauren K. McKellar
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 7, 2016
Blurb
Work hard. Family first. Protect your heart.
They’re the three rules Eva Storey has lived by, ever since that one terrible night in her past. That one terrible night when Eva lost everyone she loved.
And it was all. Her. Fault.
Now, Eva spends her days working hard on the Storey Family vineyard, and on keeping her secret from everyone in town. She doesn’t have time for Bindarra Creek’s sexy new firefighter or his rigorous back-burning. And she definitely doesn’t have time to fall in love.
When sparks fly between the strong-willed couple, Eva’s deadly secret comes tumbling out. Will their fiery passion be enough to overcome her charred past?
It’s fire season, baby, and Eva’s going to get burned.
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Excerpt
I charged back up the aisle to the counter, rounding it at the front and—
Smack.
Ran straight into a very hard, very familiar chest.
Literally.
“Sorry.” I gasped. My eyes remained fixed on the green tiled floor. My breath remained somewhere stuck in my throat.
“It’s okay.” Warm hands cupped my shoulders, and every muscle in my body tensed. He stole all the air in the store. Stifling heat trapped me, and when his gentle fingers came to rest under my chin, pushing my head up to look him in the eye, I didn't look. I couldn’t look.
“Eva …” He asked permission when he said my name. So kind. So gentle.
Zac McGuire had always been kind and gentle.
Except for that one time.
“Y … you’re s’posed to be at the house.” My voice shook its way over the words.
“Ran out of petrol for the ride-on, and I thought I’d grab a new spark plug while I was here.” He inhaled, and when he breathed out, the air was sweet. Like sun-kissed tomatoes. Like a sugary drink on a long, hot afternoon. Like holding hands and running under the sprinkler.
Like summers long gone that would never be good again.
His hand nudged my chin again, and I looked up. A startling blue looked back at me.
It was too much.
“I can’t.”
The box with the light bulb thudded as it hit the floor. My hands pushed at his chest and I ran past him, past a stunned Callie-May, then rushed out the doors and slammed into my car. I jerked the door open, and my shaky hands fumbled, turning the key.
“Please, please,” I begged, desperate for the car to start, desperate to get away.
“Eva!” Zac called from the door of the store. He took one, two, three steps toward me, and the car finally roared to life. My foot hit the accelerator and I barrelled down Mount Ingalls Road toward the vineyard. Glancing in the rear-view mirror, I was fairly sure the soldier in the centre of the roundabout watched me as I made my escape, those hard eyes full of judgment.
I might not have been good at making friends.
But one thing I was good at was running.
I’d been doing it the last three years of my life.
~My Review~
4 Stars
I Was Provided A ARC By The Author
(Possible Spoilers)
Eva Storey has nightmares, nightmares of the horrible night that changed her and her family's life forever. She can't sleep, from all the grief and guilt that she carries. She spends her days running her family's vineyard, and her nights running, running to help her sleep, and running from the pain of that night. Eva never expected the sexy firefighter Connor Jacobs to be the one to help her, help her open up, and for the nightmares to slowly fade. But she is wary from the moment she meets him, she's scared to get to close. Eva can only fight the attraction she feels towards him for so long, she just hopes in the end she wont get burned.
Firefighter, Connor Jacobs, has come to Bindarra Creek to volunteer with the fire crew, but to also distant himself from a ex who wont go away and a father who would never understand that Connor wants more in his life than to fight fires. Connor never expected to spend the early hours of the mornings, running along side and trying to get Eva Storey to bare the burden of her sadness to him. He sees something in this broken, stubborn women, and he'll try his hardest to show her its OK to live and to move on from her painful past. All while juggling the worry of his father disowning him for his career choices.
The Vine is the first thing I have read by this author, and I can't wait to read more. It was a great story full of love, pain, tears, fears, romance, and over coming tragedy. The Vine is a story to read. Connor & Eva were a couple that grab your attention from the beginning, mix in the small town vibe, the secondary characters like Eva's sister, Grace, and their grandmother. The suspense, the twist and turns and the action. And you get one compelling book.
Author Bio
Lauren K. McKellar is the author of contemporary reads that make you feel. With a passion for all books Young and New Adult, she is currently the author of five self-published books, all of which have held top 50 charting places digitally within Australia. Lauren loves to write about real-life issues, and is a passionate researcher when it comes to her work. She’s a big believer in creating works that make people feel.
Lauren lives by the beach in Australia with her husband and their two dogs. Most of the time, all three of them are well behaved.
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Giveaway
Thank you so much for your lovely review <3 Lauren
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