Title: The Truth About Lilly
Synopsis:
Lilly Talbot never imagined she would be starting her life over again. Losing her good name for something she didn’t do has driven her to move into an old lake house she inherited in Vermont. Upon arrival, she is shocked. Half the roof is about to slide into Lake Champlain. Even more upsetting, the man who can fix it will only agree if she trades him room and board for his labor. What will the good people of Haley think of her sharing a house with the handsome bachelor?
Connor “Mac” McQueen, once one of the infamous Whiz Kids of Wall Street, spent three years in prison for insider trading. Only one thing sustained him during his time inside, the thought of owning Point Cottage, a home he’d fallen in love with years ago. He plans to turn the house into a stunning showcase for his eco-friendly home construction business.
Now someone’s trying to drive Lilly from her home. Is it someone from her past? Mac has secrets of his own-- that could ruin lives if revealed. But if Lilly and Mac are to have a future together they must first delve into the past for answers and accept some difficult truths about each other. Only then, will they know if true love is in their hearts.
"Oh, isn't this nice," the blue haired lady
chirped as she emerged from the red bug. "You two have met."
Author: Christy McKee
Series: The Shores of Lake Champlain #1
Pages: 287
Date Published: February 7th 2015
Publisher: Castlemara Creative
Format: Kindle
Genre: Romance
Source: Goddess Fish Blog Tours
Lilly Talbot never imagined she would be starting her life over again. Losing her good name for something she didn’t do has driven her to move into an old lake house she inherited in Vermont. Upon arrival, she is shocked. Half the roof is about to slide into Lake Champlain. Even more upsetting, the man who can fix it will only agree if she trades him room and board for his labor. What will the good people of Haley think of her sharing a house with the handsome bachelor?
Connor “Mac” McQueen, once one of the infamous Whiz Kids of Wall Street, spent three years in prison for insider trading. Only one thing sustained him during his time inside, the thought of owning Point Cottage, a home he’d fallen in love with years ago. He plans to turn the house into a stunning showcase for his eco-friendly home construction business.
Now someone’s trying to drive Lilly from her home. Is it someone from her past? Mac has secrets of his own-- that could ruin lives if revealed. But if Lilly and Mac are to have a future together they must first delve into the past for answers and accept some difficult truths about each other. Only then, will they know if true love is in their hearts.
~My Thoughts~
When your life is crumbling around your ears, what's a girl to do? Go fix up a dilapidated lake house of course! Yet Lilly encounters some unexpected bungles in the form of a handyman who demands room and board as payment for his labors and ends up fixing much more than Lilly's roof.
Lilly was a great heroine that you could really relate to and get behind in her efforts to better her life. Instead of whining, she took control of her life and made choices that would push her future and her relationships to the next level.
Connor was interesting. I didn't warm to him like I usually do to the hero right off. Instead he was complicated, and had unexpected layers that had me feeling unsure about him even as I was fighting a growing affection (As did Lilly!). I'm not a big fan of criminal type bad guys...and there is something smarmy about White Collar crimes vs. violent ones. (sheesh..is that bad of me??) Eventually though, Mac won me over and made me fall for him too.
I enjoyed Christy's writing style. It had a good sense of sweetness, with some light and spicy heat that made you shiver all over. I especially enjoyed her descriptive prose. Whether it was beveled glass, or a rippling --butt...You can practically feel, taste, and hear the events in The Truth about Lilly as they are happening. The settings were so romantic and classic. I mean, come one...what's more mysterious and sexy than rebuilding a beautiful, huge, old house!? The book itself was solidly written and flowed nicely. It felt like an easy walk instead of maybe a long marathon, and was a pleasure to read. It flew by for me! Just a few quick metro rides from work to home and I had it finished so you should definitely get yourself a copy!
Lilly was a great heroine that you could really relate to and get behind in her efforts to better her life. Instead of whining, she took control of her life and made choices that would push her future and her relationships to the next level.
Connor was interesting. I didn't warm to him like I usually do to the hero right off. Instead he was complicated, and had unexpected layers that had me feeling unsure about him even as I was fighting a growing affection (As did Lilly!). I'm not a big fan of criminal type bad guys...and there is something smarmy about White Collar crimes vs. violent ones. (sheesh..is that bad of me??) Eventually though, Mac won me over and made me fall for him too.
I enjoyed Christy's writing style. It had a good sense of sweetness, with some light and spicy heat that made you shiver all over. I especially enjoyed her descriptive prose. Whether it was beveled glass, or a rippling --butt...You can practically feel, taste, and hear the events in The Truth about Lilly as they are happening. The settings were so romantic and classic. I mean, come one...what's more mysterious and sexy than rebuilding a beautiful, huge, old house!? The book itself was solidly written and flowed nicely. It felt like an easy walk instead of maybe a long marathon, and was a pleasure to read. It flew by for me! Just a few quick metro rides from work to home and I had it finished so you should definitely get yourself a copy!
~Try an Excerpt!~
Sweet Jesus. Someone was in her house. Lilly froze, thinking
if she didn't move perhaps the intruder wouldn't notice her. Each breath she
took came in a short, painful pant, struggling to squeeze past the ice cold
fear lodged in her throat. Beneath her pink knit hat, her scalp tingled with
rising panic. She scanned the wall of French doors opening onto the wide
screened back porch overlooking the glistening lake. The closest exit to the
backyard was through the porch door, a good twenty feet away. Her cell phone
was behind her, in her tote on the floor next to the recliner. Should she bolt
for her car or make a dive for her phone to call the police? She jammed her
hand into her right pocket...no keys. Almost like a ba ttle of good versus
evil, fear and logic warred inside her.
This house was her last stand and nobody had the right to be
here but her. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, drawing on her
dwindling store of courage. Pulse pounding, she silently chanted, "Oh God,
oh God," and forced herself to turn around to confront the intruder. A
giant of a man, brandishing a baseball bat, stood in her kitchen, buck naked,
squinting fiercely. Her gut reaction was to scream, so she did. "Get out
of my house!"
She made a dash for her tote, frantically digging for her
cell. "Stay right where you are, buster. I'm calling the police." Her
heart thudded so loudly she doubted she would be able to hear them when they
answered her call.
With an irritated look that clearly indicated he didn't
consider the police a threat, the man tossed his bat onto the avocado green
Formica island and picked up the red landline. His cool blue eyes flashed. "Sheriff's a
friend of mine."
He put the phone to his ear. "Morning, Lucas. It's Mac.
I've got a lady out here at Point Cottage who seems to be lost." His gaze
swept over her. "She needs a place to stay. Think they've got a spot open
at the woman's shelter?"
What? Did this intruder think she was homeless? She
straightened and pushed her shoulders back in a show of righteous indignation,
but when she tried to fold her arms across her chest, her bulky sweaters, two
UGA sweatshirts, a trench coat and a full length faux mink coat, made it
impossible.
"See you soon." The man returned the phone to the
center of the avocado green island. Lilly thought it looked like a pimento
stuck in the center of a humongous green olive. To make sure this arrogant man
wasn't trying to play her, she grabbed the phone and punched redial.
"Haley police department. May I help you?"
Relief washed through her. "Sorry wrong number."
Lilly turned to confront the man in her kitchen. "Mac, is it? I'd be more
comfortable if you waited outside, until your friend the sheriff arrives."
One dark, arrogantly arched brow clearly indicated he wasn't
going anywhere. "You're dressed for it more than I am." He gave her
the once over. "Why don't you wait outside?"
Like she would leave this guy alone in her house. That’s not
happening. Lilly stalked to the front door. As she stuffed her feet into her
mud caked Nikes she'd left by the door last night, she glanced sideways at the
man and realized he only looked naked. Standing behind the kitchen island, the
lower part of his body had been obscured. Now she could see he wore snug
fitting blue jeans, impudently unbuttoned at the top. Relief pulsed through
her. Half clothed was just like a glass half full.
She noticed a man's leather jacket on the hall tree, grabbed
it and tossed it to him. "After you." She waited for the hulk to
precede her out the door.
He gave her a huff of disdain as he pulled on a pair of work
boots and shrugged into the worn bomber jacket. Lilly followed close behind him
onto the wide front porch.
She went down the steps and groaned when she saw her ancient
station wagon resting in a sea of mud. Last night's storm made it almost
impossible to see anything. She'd missed the driveway altogether and also
succeeded in mutilating a row of shrubs planted alongside the house.
Mac frowned at the damage and shook his head in disgust,
which set her off. "Don't know what you're so bent out of shape about.
They're my damned bushes not yours."
"Excuse me?" He glared down at her, a generous
swath of his naked chest and powerful middle exposed beneath his unzipped
jacket.
She opened her mouth to let him have it with both barrels
only to be drowned out by the toot tooting of an insistent car horn. The
blaring nuisance came from a candy apple red VW bug bouncing along the rutted
circular drive in front of the house. Mac grinned as the car door opened,
revealing an elderly elf wearing a blazing purple beret.
~Meet Christy!~
Christy McKee
began her career in TV news and eventually found her way into advertising and
finally fiction. She believes a good story should be about characters who win
your heart, sometimes move you to tears and occasionally make you laugh. As a
reader, Christy hopes you'll be swept into her characters' lives enjoy getting
to know them, experience the challenges they endure and be with them when they
come out on the other side.
http://christymckee.com
Christy will be awarding a $40 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host. Additionally, Goddess Fish Productions will be awarding a $5 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Andra. Thank you for having me on today. If anyone has any questions about "Lilly" I will be glad to answer!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous review. Also, a great excerpt. This really does sound like a good story.
ReplyDeletei enjoyed the excerpt, thanks for the chance
ReplyDeleteThe romantic cover is my favorite part of the post.
ReplyDeleteI've passed along your compliment to my graphic designer. You made his day.
DeleteAndra,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the positive and thoughtful review of The Truth About Lilly. I am glad you came to understand and eventually like Connor/Mac. It took Lilly awhile, too!
Hello Christy :) I just loved your excerpt ! Sounds so funny !
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the author bio. I also think its important that the reader experience the challenges the characters endure
ReplyDeleteI totally agree re "a good story should be about characters who win your heart, sometimes move you to tears and occasionally make you laugh".
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the author interview.
ReplyDeleteI loved the excerpt and the mini bio which gives us a snippet of who the author is and lends a personal glimpse of who they are
ReplyDeletenice review
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking I could do with a handyman.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honest review. Enjoyed reading the excerpt too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review and excerpt!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading the excerpt, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading the excerpt. It was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteTrix, vitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com
Thanks for the nice review, great to see that someone else enjoyed the story as much as I did.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGreat excerpt! Thanks for your review, I'd love to read this book!
ReplyDelete