Maggie Blackbird

Today, I’m hosting author Sara Ohlin’s latest release Embracing Love, book four in the Rescue Me series, a contemporary romance.  Be sure to read my review.  And don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

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Title: Embracing Love
Series: Rescue Me, book #4
Author: Sara Ohlin
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: October 25, 2022

When a broken woman risks her heart for the neighborhood hottie, heat rises from the ashes…

Blurb:  Once broken and abused, Sasha Kincaid is slowly rebuilding her life in the quiet town of Corvallis near her brother, his new wife and their group of friends. She’s content to work quietly at the bakery she secretly owns while learning to rebuild her trust in people. But when she starts to have steamy feelings for Connor Duggan, Sasha doesn’t know how to handle her emotions.

Neighborhood hottie and town favorite, general contractor Connor Duggan has only had eyes for Sasha Kincaid ever since she stepped foot in Corvallis a year ago. When she gives him an opening, he jumps at the chance to make her his, no matter how long it takes her to feel comfortable.

Connor’s warmth and patience allow Sasha to fall into a friendship, then an amazing sexual relationship with him—but believing it will be temporary and that’s all she’s worth. As they grow closer, Connor realizes he must win over her heart, not just her body, meaning he must push past his own insecurities of being rejected to battle Sasha’s fears and ghosts.

But the biggest obstacle is Sasha herself. Can she learn to trust again, and believe that she deserves a beautiful life with Connor?

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to an abusive relationship, physical cruelty and violence, as well as mentions of non-nurturing parenting.

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“You’re doing it again…” Her breath caught. “The morning bun look. It’s like…like you don’t care what I’m wearing or how awful my hair is or that I’m wearing glasses. That you don’t give a hoot about my appearance.”

Connor put his spoon down and wiped his mouth. He was sitting close enough to take her hand, so he did. It was shaking a little bit. Or maybe that was his. “Sasha, I think you’re beautiful, and yes, people are often attracted to each other based on looks initially, and I definitely give a hoot about yours, but I don’t think it’s in the way you mean. When I see you, it’s not your clothes I’m seeing, or whether or not your hair is perfectly styled that attracts me.”

“It’s not?”

He shook his head. “It’s how focused you are when you’re making bread, and nothing else around you seems to matter. I’m wondering how it would feel to have that focus on me. It’s these graceful, powerful hands working hard to make special treats every day.” He stroked the bones of her fingers. “I sneak glances at family dinners when you let loose a little with the ladies and, once in a while, I catch a giggle. It’s the pure open joy on your face when you see baby Alex. How gentle and patient you are with your dog. Heck, even with my dog, who’s pretty much a disaster.” He stroked his thumb gently down her jawline. “It’s this curve right here that demands I pay very close attention to it with my lips.”

Sasha closed her eyes and nodded.

“It’s the way your cheeks flush when I give you a compliment or touch you. And for the record, I think your glasses are hot.” Her eyes shot open. “They magnify those gorgeous eyes of yours. And there’s no way in heck that’s a deterrent. Ever. In fact, and you can tell me if I’m making you uncomfortable, but I’d like to see you in nothing but those glasses.”

Sasha turned her hand over and laced their fingers together. “Wow,” she whispered. “You make me feel a lot of things, Connor Duggan. Uncomfortable isn’t one of them, unless…uhm, you mean needy.”

“Yeah.” He brought her hand to his mouth because his body demanded he kiss her while her cheeks were rosy with attraction for him. Even though he was in dirty work clothes and showed up strung out on caffeine with an empty pit of hunger crawling at his stomach. “I think there’s a lot more to attraction that just appearances, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she answered hesitantly. “I just can’t believe I’m…” She gestured to herself. “I’m your type.”

“I don’t have a type.” I mean I do, if you mean you, then I have a very specific sexy type. He took his hand back before he embarrassed himself with his fantasies. And so he could appreciate more of her amazing soup. Cold soup, who knew?

She grinned at him. Connor drank in her expression and marveled at how something so basic, so simple, so tiny could affect him so much. Too bad they weren’t alone in a room with a bed. Heck he’d manage with a chair—she could sit on his lap while he worshiped her. “So you’re an equal-opportunity flirt?”

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Sasha Kincaid has survived a lot—the biggie being an abusive marriage.  Now she’s ready to reconnect with her brother in the third book of the Rescue Me series.  What she doesn’t count on is falling for the town’s ladies’ man.

Connor Duggan, the local town contractor, went a little crazy after his divorce.  He’s been romancing quite a few women, but once Sasha arrives, he thinks he’s found the one.  A chance meeting is all he needs to make his move.

I enjoyed the two leads.  Both are extremely likeable.  The writing is also excellent.  As for the plot, I will say it involves a lot of characters from the previous books, so it does get a bit confusing trying to remember who is who, so it’s best to read the series because this book involves a lot of them.

I will say I’m not a fan of an army of characters from previous novels in a series making too big of appearances.  I don’t mind them checking in now and then, but when I sit down to read, I much prefer the story to focus on the leading couple.

Being in an abusive marriage has left Sasha extremely mistrustful.  She is working on getting beyond her horrible her past, and the new relationship helps her start building trust with others.  So the build-up between Sasha and Connor was perfect, a getting-to-know-you before they became more than friends, which is key for Sasha, I find.  Connor does all he can to be the perfect hero for her.  In fact, he was a bit too perfect for me.  Some of his dialogue made me wonder if a guy would really say that.

Still, their moments together were well written.  I enjoyed watching them move from point a to point b.

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Puget Sound based writer, Sara Ohlin is a mom, wannabe photographer, obsessive reader, ridiculous foodie, and the author of the contemporary romance novels, Handling the Rancher, Salvaging Love, Seducing the Dragonfly and Igniting Love.

She has over fifteen years of creative non-fiction and memoir writing experience, and you can find her essays at Anderbo.com, Feminine Collective, Mothers Always Write, Her View from Home, and in anthologies such as Are We Feeling Better Yet? Women Speak about Healthcare in America, Take Care: Tales, Tips, & Love from Women Caregivers, and Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Although she’s the author of many essays about life, grief, motherhood and the connections we make through delicious food and shared meals, Sara loves creating imaginary worlds with tight-knit communities in her romance novels. She credits her mother, Mary, Nora Roberts and Rosamunde Pilcher for her love of romance.

If she’s not reading or writing, you will most likely find her in the kitchen creating scrumptious meals with her two kids and amazing husband, or perhaps cooking up her next love story.

She once met a person who both “didn’t read books” and wasn’t “that into food” and it nearly broke her heart.

Follow Sara:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads

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