Review – Burned, Bold and Brazen (Whispering Cove 4,5 & 6) by Nikki Duncan, MacKenzie McKade and Cathryn Fox

Burned: Behind every stubborn man’s downfall (into love) is a determined woman.

Whispering Cove, Book 4
Vic Hayes is content with life in Whispering Cove. She owns a successful salon, has great friends and her perfectly manicured nail is on the pulse of the town’s gossip. For real happiness, she’s only missing one thing—a man. Settling for less than the perfect man, though, isn’t in her nature. He just has to see her as more than his best friend.

Widower Hauk Michaelsen always dreamed of escaping Whispering Cove, until single fatherhood, too young, made it impossible. He enjoys his life as owner of the small town pub. Friends, gossip, and his young daughter keep things jumping. He would do anything for his little girl, but he can’t give her the one thing she desires most—a mother.

When Vic and Hauk are teamed up for a Fall Festival project, sparks ignite suppressed flames. Testing boundaries they’ve never crossed, they find themselves eager to risk more—if Vic can convince Hauk that history won’t be repeated if he takes another chance on love.

Bold: She’s more spice than sugar…and he has a taste for heat.

Whispering Cove, Book 5
Tabatha Taylor has mooned over her brother’s best friend since childhood. For years she’s been chipping away at his cool façade, using the generous, all-grown-up assets God gave her to her advantage.

Finally she has a chance to work close to him on a project for the Fall Festival. Going nose to nose with him will prove her ideas have merit, even if she doesn’t have a degree. But she learns the cost to her heart could be bigger than she anticipated.

Tabby’s dark beauty definitely sets architect Reece McGrath’s pulse racing, but she’s an itch better left unscratched. The attraction that flares between them is hot and undeniable, but getting close means risking a friendship he values and a lifestyle he cherishes. Crossing that boundary isn’t worth the price he’d have to pay.

With one of the grandfathers of Whispering Cove pinpointing them in another matchmaking scheme, though, they find themselves inching closer to that line. And closer…

 

Brazen: A woman on fire with desire. A man with the right equipment to fan the flames.

Whispering Cove, Book 6
Josie Wells’s libido is in an uproar. Her psychic promised she’d meet Mr. Right—two months ago. Her good-girl image is wearing thin, and when she gets the chance to have a little fun with town bad boy Adam Collins, she decides to go for it. The notorious playboy will be perfect for some no-strings play time until the real thing comes along.

Knowing he goes for the brazen type, Josie pours on the heat to seduce him at the town’s Festival. The kiss they share touches off an explosion of passion she never saw coming.

Adam’s always been crazy about Josie, but he’s never been willing to expose such a nice girl to the Collins Curse. She deserves the big house with the white picket fence—with a man who doesn’t have failed relationships written all over his family tree.

As their brief affair starts to become something more—and the town psychic predicts that Josie is destined to be his—Adam dares to hope there’s a chance. But then he learns a secret that makes him question what’s real…and what isn’t.

ARC Review

BURNED

Burned by Nikki Duncan is book 4 in the Whispering Cove anthology and it is a great friends to lovers story. I really enjoy these types of stories but this one is even more special because of how these two wind up together.

Victoria (Vic) Hayes is a successful business owner, loving daughter, great friend, and hometown girl. She’s content in her life but she wants to marry a man who can fulfill all her dreams. The problem is her perfect man is her best friend and that’s all he sees her as. With a little prodding Vic decides it’s time to make a move.

Hauk Michaelsen is a widower, single dad, pub owner, and volunteer. Raising his daughter and running his pub take up a lot of his time and because of his past; he’s resigned himself to being alone.

Vic and Hauk have been friends forever. They’ve seen each other through ups and downs including deaths, lost loves, and everything in between. Yet, they’ve never crossed the boundary of friendship because it’s meant so much to them. Spurred by a request that the two of them work together to find replacement entertainment for the town’s fall festival and a heartfelt report by Hauk’s daughter, Sophie, Vic decides it’s time to make a move.

So begins the fun “wooing” of Hauk by Vic. She manages to entice him in all sorts of ways and it’s interesting and sexy to watch. Hauk is resistant, because of his past, but Vic just doesn’t let up and it’s delightfully entertaining.

I very much enjoyed Burned by Nikki Duncan. Both Vic and Hauk were great leading characters and the cast of supporting characters were interesting and amusing. While the story line is a familiar one in romance novels, the pursuit was different, engaging, and down right fun! From this one book, I am already invested in Whispering Cove and am truly looking forward to the next two books.

BURNED – 4 Stars

BOLD

Bold is an entertaining story of unrequited love between a man and his best friend’s sister. I always enjoy these stories because there is always one person who’s always carried a torch and one who is usually somewhat clueless until they are hit over the head with it. This book is no different and the result is deliciously sexy and amusing.

Reece McGrath is a talented architect and builder. He runs a successful business and is content or he thinks he is until his best friend and co-worker’s little sister returns to town.

Tabatha Taylor (Tabby) has had a crush on her brother’s best friend most of her life. She’s come to realize that he’s started seeing her as a woman but won’t act on it out of some sense of loyalty. Bound and determined, she’s decided it’s time to make her move and the city’s Fall Festival gives her just the opportunity she needs.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book in the Whispering Cove series. Reece and Tabby have a history but for Reece it’s hard to go from family friend to more. Tabby has wanted more since she was a teen and when things don’t work out quite like she wants she’s hurt. It becomes obvious these two have something special but getting there isn’t easy. Add in a suspicious big brother, meddling “grandpas”, and helpful friends and this story becomes even more interesting and entertaining.

Bold is a great addition to this series; this town, the people, and their stories are captivating. These books for an enjoyable, sexy, and fun summer read. I can’t wait to see what happens in book six!

BOLD – 4 Stars

BRAZEN

I’m sad that this is the last book in this series (so far) because I have really enjoyed visiting Whispering Cove. Brazen by Cathryn Fox is an enjoyable, audacious, and sexy romp between a seemingly mild mannered school teacher and the town’s bad boy firefighter.

Josie Wells (okay I have to admit that I snickered when I read our heroine’s name) is a kindergarten teacher looking for her Mr. Right. She was told months ago by a psychic that she’d be meeting him soon and was even given his initials. But, so far she’s had no luck. She’s challenged by her friends Vic and Tabby (from books 4&5) to have a little fun with Mr. Right Now while waiting for Mr. Right to come along.

Adam Collins is a playboy firefighter who is convinced that the men in his family are cursed, that they are unable to commit to just one woman. Adam’s been attracted to Josie for a long time but because of her job and his reputation, he’s never acted on it. When Josie confronts him at the kissing booth during the town’s fall festival, he realizes that he might have misjudged her.

These two are a delicious couple, they seemed so mismatched but in reality they are perfectly matched. Adam immediately understands Josie’s sexual wants and needs. Josie makes Adam understand he’s more than his reputation. Together they are spontaneous, combustible, and fascinating.

I absolutely loved Josie and Adam’s story. Cathryn did a fantastic job of telling their story and showing us all sides of their personalities. I personally love that even though Josie is a teacher, she’s portrayed as a woman with fantasies and needs like anyone else. Throughout these books, the “grandpa matchmakers” have been featured prominently and I thoroughly enjoyed these three characters. I really liked that Adam gave Errol a taste of his own medicine in this book. Brazen is the perfect ending to this set of novellas in the Whispering Cove series. All three authors did a terrific job and I’m seriously hoping there will be another round of books in this series.

BRAZEN – 4 Stars