Sweet
As Sin
Moonrise Beach, #2
by Ana Jolene
Release Date: April 17th 2018
Release Date: April 17th 2018
Contemporary Romance
I have not had the opportunity to read book one of this series, but to be straight with it. I did not know that there was a book 2 until I already got engrossed with Maison and Hutch. I was drawn in by the sweet sexy Maison and her dilemma. She really tried to keep things on the up and up with Hutch but he was just too much for her to resist forever. Hutch had not idea of Maison and her desires. He had not intention to get involved with anyone, period. I found so much to love about this story. I found even more that I wanted to know about the Happa-Hewitt family. I wanted to learn more about Moonrise Beach and it on set of characters. I find myself excited to go back and read book one and pick up any new additions to the series. The flow of this one had you laughing, crying, and celebrating. It was more than just a good ole reads. You could take this one to the beach and forget you were there.
Blurb
Maison Lane has finally
found her place working at Gleam Enterprises. But when her boss’s
hotter-than-hell son, Hutch Happa-Hewitt, begins to work at the office, she
realizes that she may be in over her head. Keeping Hutch on a leash will be
hard enough; keeping her feelings for him under wraps will be virtually
impossible.
Life in the Army was
everything Hutch ever wanted, but after losing his lower leg in an ambush,
Hutch must now return to civilian life. War has hardened him to life and Hutch
has no idea of the effect he has on Maison, but he’s starting to see more of
what he likes in the curvy, sweet-as-sin secretary. Has his taste in women
really changed or has his combat skills finally deserted him, leaving his heart
vulnerable to Maison and her sweet ways?
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Excerpt:
Dirty,
bloody battle.
For
most people, it was something to fear. However, Hutch Happa-Hewitt loved it. He loved everything about
being in the Army. He loved the strategy, the training, and the hard work. He
loved the blood, the sweat, and the tears involved. And he loved being out
there, fighting for what he’d always believed in.
However,
he would no longer be living out his dream. Since the attack, his life had
drastically changed. It’d been so quick and unexpected that only brief moments
had stuck with him. He’d been the only one in the Stryker vehicle when the
explosion happened, and as a result, his entire right side had been hit. As
fire ripped through his system, he’d been forced to act quickly.
No
amount of training would’ve prepared Hutch for the kind of pain and agony.
Knowledge meant nothing when you could smell your own flesh burning.
Teeth
gritted against the pain, he’d done his best to hold on, to stay conscious. He
remembered hearing the sounds of gunfire before help came. It’d felt like
eternity ago, and yet, the phantom pain of it still stayed with him.
He
remembered waking up in a hospital, screaming at the top of his lungs. His
whole body was on fire, but it centered in his right leg the most. He’d done
his best to lift up his head, but he was weak and his movements were limited;
his head slammed back hard against the pillow.
When
he woke again, it was to find someone before him. It took him a while to
realize that it was a nurse asking him about his family. She wanted to know if
she could call someone to be here with him so that he wouldn’t be alone and to
help him through his recovery. But as far as he was concerned, he was alone, and
he would always be.
There
was no one he wanted to call, no one that would help him through this mess. If
he wanted to get out of here, he’d have to do it on his own.
His
family wouldn’t help him. They wouldn’t come to see him, and even if they did,
what good would their presence do? He didn’t want them to see him like this
anyway.
Pain.
Pain
was all he felt now. Pain and anger.
“Why
doesn’t he call his family?” he heard one nurse whisper when they’d thought he
was asleep.
“He
doesn’t have any.”
“Yes,
he does. He just chooses not to let them know.”
He
could hear the confusion in the other nurse’s voice. “Why wouldn’t he want
their support?”
“Maybe
they’re not close. Maybe they wouldn’t come.”
Now
confusion was replaced with pity. “How terrible.”
Hutch
was tempted to open his eyes but instead he lay there as still as a corpse with
only one thought running through his mind.
Get better.
Need to return.
But he
didn’t mean returning home. No, he fully intended to go back to the Army where
he belonged.
It
wasn’t until weeks later when he realized that he no longer had half his right
leg that he fully grasped his new situation.
He
couldn’t go back. Not like this.
He
couldn’t even manage sitting up on his own without feeling excruciating pain.
Still, his stubborn attitude hadn’t allowed him to give up. He spent months in
recovery, relearning how to move, how to walk. It’d been the toughest
experience of his life but pain and anger had motivated him and kept him alive.
Too
bad that it still wasn’t enough. When he’d tried to come back, they’d refused
him. He’d lost his speed and stamina and they’d deemed him unfit to serve. All
those months of pushing himself hadn’t been enough to get him back to where he
used to be. Now, he’d be forced to go home. But Hutch would’ve preferred to die
on the battlefield than return to Moonrise Beach.
And
wasn’t that fucked up?
Hadn’t
he had enough already? Hadn’t losing his leg been enough for him to stop and
try to live a peaceful civilian life? Was he so messed up that he still longed
for that adrenaline rush despite the fact that he’d almost died?
He’d
been a damn good soldier though. He’d earned every ounce of what he’d had. No
one could ever say that his father had given him this; he’d climbed the ranks
on his own. People had long ago stopped asking who he was because the simple
answer was that he was a soldier.
Now he
was simply an amputee.
Get a fucking grip, man. He
had to stop feeling sorry for himself. He was acting like such a pussy. People
used to praise him on how tough he was, but the truth was, he didn’t feel tough
at all. He felt raw and vulnerable and he wanted nothing more than to drown
himself in alcohol.
Too
bad that there was no whiskey left. He’d drunk it all yesterday. Now he’d have
to go hunting for something around the house.
It was
already late in the evening, but time held no meaning for him. Since he was out
of a job, he could stay up all night if that was what he wanted. Except staying
awake, staying conscious made the days feel longer. Everything was like one long
torture session that never ended. Right now, Hutch wanted peace. He wanted
oblivion and he knew he would find it once he had another bottle in his hand.
He
searched the kitchen, finding it surprisingly empty. The wine cellar didn’t
have any of the hard stuff that he was craving either so he went to the place
where he knew he’d have some luck.
Luckily,
his father’s office wasn’t locked so Hutch stumbled his way in, cursing his leg
when he got caught on the expensive Aubusson rug. He headed straight for Matthew’s
secret stash, whispering “jackpot” when his cold hands wrapped around the
bottle of whiskey.
Snatching
up a shot glass, Hutch dropped himself on the chaise and poured himself a shot.
The first one was sweet nectar on his tongue so he drank some more, greedy for
the oblivion this drink would give him.
After
shooting back five in a row, he stopped to gaze around the room. It was dark;
he hadn’t bothered with turning on the lights when he’d come in, so the only
source of illumination was the moon.
He
poured himself another shot, luxuriating in the feeling of his body already
heating up.
He’d
put a lifetime of sweat and blood into the Army so having it taken away was a
crushing blow. He was going to have a difficult time living life in Moonrise
Beach without losing who he was.
Hutch stared at the shot glass in the
moonlight. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this. His father would no doubt rip
him a new one if he found him here, but despite the threat, he continued to
drink. He was that desperate for release. He wanted to escape the pain, to
escape the memories, and escape the loss that wouldn’t let him go.
The
more he drank, the faster the world spun around him. Soon the tension in his
body lessened and Hutch took another shot, feeling his chest relax even more.
With
his next shot, his pain was blissfully, gratefully . . .
Gone.
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Author Bio:
Ana Jolene is the author
of the Glory MC series and the Contemporary Romance series, Moonrise Beach.
Growing up as a
rebellious kid didn’t allow for much reading time. It wasn’t until she was in
university that she found her passion for books and has since then devoured
every book placed before her. Ana holds a B.A. in Psychology and has worked in
both IT and Administration. But she’s had the most fun in the bookish world,
working as a reviewer, columnist and assistant to multiple sites and authors.
Ana currently lives in
Toronto with her family and an extremely lazy Shih Tzu whom she adores. To
learn more about Ana and her books, visit www.anajolene.com and subscribe to
the newsletter to be notified of the hottest new releases and giveaways!
Website: http://www.anajolene.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anajoleneauthor
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