Tour Review - - Fatal Chaos

Fatal Chaos

By Marie Force

Publisher: Harlequin HQN

Release Date: February 27, 2018

Reviewed by Janga

  

Samantha Holland, homicide lieutenant, her husband, Vice-President Nick Cappuano, and their son Scotty may have escaped the pressure cooker of Washington, D.C. for a vacation at the beach with their extended family during the last days of summer, but as soon as they return, the pressure escalates. As rumors circulate about the president’s son’s murderous plan to end Nick’s political career (Fatal Threat) and speculation rises concerning whether Congressional hearings will end in the president’s impeachment or resignation, the media relentlessly pushes Nick and Sam to comment on the possibility of Nick’s ascension to the highest office in the land.  Sam has not yet officially returned to work when she gets a call that a teenager has been killed in a drive-by shooting. His death is the first in a series of apparently random attacks that terrorize the city. Sam and her team work endless hours and follow every lead as they try to find and stop the killer.

Sam and Nick try to avoid thinking about the changes that will occur in their lives if Nick should become president. The detective Sam hired to replace A. J. Arnold, who was killed in the line of duty, joins the crew, and the change is an emotional one for Sam and her colleagues, particularly Gonzo, Arnold’s partner. Sam is still dealing with old enemies. On the lighter side, Scotty is bummed about going back to school. Everyone looks forward to the upcoming wedding of Sam’s partner and his long-time girlfriend, and Sam does a bit of matchmaking between her White House assistant and one of Nick’s oldest friends.

Fatal Chaos is the twelfth book in Force’s popular series that is a mix of politics, police procedural, and romance. I fell in love with this series with Fatal Affair, the first book, back in 2010. From the beginning, I was fascinated with Sam and Nick—their relationship, their families, and their friends. Force’s books typically have a higher sizzle factor than most of my favorites, but I am so invested in these characters that I keep reading this series regardless. 

Although these books are not conventional romances, Sam and Nick’s relationship is their heart, and theirs is a complicated, passionate love story that never gets stale. Sam is a strong, independent woman and a dedicated professional. Nick is an alpha-beta mix who understands that his need to protect Sam has to be balanced with her need for independence, especially in issues related to her job.

Fatal Chaos has all the elements that have made the other books in the series keepers—a central romantic relationship that continues to be dynamic and meaningful, intriguing bits of national politics and power struggles, a mystery that keeps me turning pages, and a complex of secondary characters whose stories, personal and professional, are interwoven with the main plot. If you enjoy contemporary romance with a high sensuality level, if you like romance mixed with action, or if you are a fan of mysteries in which continuing relationships are as important as the plot, I recommend Fatal Chaos. It can be read as a standalone, but readers who are familiar with the series will more fully appreciate all the familial, collegial, and friendship ties that are part of the book’s appeal. I suggest reading at least Fatal Threat, the book that immediately preceded this one, if the political threat interests you. I’m already looking forward to Fatal Invasion, a November 27 release. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, including the indie-published Gansett Island Series and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books. In addition, she is the author of the Butler, Vermont Series, the Green Mountain Series and the erotic romance Quantum Series. In 2019, her new historical Gilded series from Kensington Books will debut with Duchess By Deception. 

All together, her books have sold 6.5 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list many times. She is also a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, a Speigelbestseller in Germany, a frequent speaker and publishing workshop presenter as well as a publisher through her Jack’s House Publishing romance imprint. She is a two-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award for romance fiction. 

Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news. 

Join Marie's mailing list for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter @marieforce and on Instagram. Join one of Marie's many reader groups. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com.

Spotlight Tour - - Marie Force's Fatal Series

On the 26th of July, Harlequin's HQN Books will release Fatal Identity, the tenth book in Marie Force's Fatal series, starring popular couple, Vice President Nick Cappuano and Lieutenant Sam Holland. To celebrate, many of the books in the series are being sold at discounted prices and this tour offers both a Rafflecopter giveaway as well as a special pre-order promotion.

Sample the series by downloading the prequel novella, One Night With You for FREE and the first full-length book in the series, Fatal Affair for only $2.99.





Washington, D.C., Metro Police Detective Sergeant Sam Holland needs a big win to salvage her career--and her confidence--after a disastrous investigation. The perfect opportunity arises when Senator John O'Connor is found brutally murdered in his bed, and Sam is assigned to the case. Matters get complicated when Sam has to team up with Nick Cappuano, O'Connor's friend and chief of staff...and the man Sam had a memorable one-night stand with years earlier. Their sexual chemistry still sizzles, and Sam has to fight to stay focused on the case. Sleeping with a material witness is another mistake she can't afford--especially when the bodies keep piling up.








Register your pre-order of Fatal Identity for a chance to win one of two terrific prize packages. 

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win the entire set of Fatal books. (books 1-9)



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Fatal Identity
Fatal Series - Book 10
By Marie Force
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: July 26, 2016

As the first anniversary of her marriage to Vice President Nick Cappuano approaches, Lieutenant Sam Holland is dreaming of Bora Bora—sun, sand and a desperately needed break from the DC grind. But real life has a way of intervening, and Sam soon finds herself taking on one of the most perplexing cases of her career.  

Government worker Josh Hamilton begs Sam to investigate his shocking claim that his parents stole him from another family thirty years ago. More complicated still, his "father" is none other than the FBI director. When a member of Josh's family is brutally murdered, Sam begins to question how deep this cover-up goes. Is it possible the revered director was part of a baby-napping ring and that others involved are also targets? 

With a killer intent on deadly revenge and her team still reeling from a devastating loss, Sam's plate is full—and when Nick and their son, Scotty, take ill, is her dream of a tropical anniversary celebration in peril too?

Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of 50 contemporary romances, including the Gansett Island Series, which has sold more than 2.3 million books, and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books, which has sold more than 1.2 million books. In addition, she is the author of the Green Mountain Series as well as the erotic romance Quantum Series, written under the slightly modified name of M.S. Force.  All together, her books have sold more than 5 million copies worldwide!

Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news. 

Join Marie’s mailing list on her website at marieforce.com for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MarieForceAuthor, on Twitter @marieforce and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/marieforceauthor/. Contact Marieat marie@marieforce.com.

Connect with Marie

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Janga's Most Anticipated Contemporary Romances: July - December 2015

Looking at the wealth of amazing contemporary romance titles available between July 1 and December 31, you would never guess that a “Save the Contemporary” campaign was being waged a few years ago. My 2015 book calendar is so full of contemporary titles that I will likely be reading them into 2016, and every title on that calendar is a book I really want to read. However, even among the stars, some shine more brightly. The following are all books that will move to the front of my TBR queue the minute I download them. Please be advised that the list is heavy on small-town romances (I was a fan before the current trend started) and series titles (I’m an admitted series addict, but in my defense, a substantial majority of 2015 romances are part of a series.)

        Some Like It Scottish (Kilts and Quilts #3), Patience Griffin—July 7

(Also, The Accidental Scots (Kilts and Quilts #4) —December 1*)

Griffin has a knack for creating characters that I find engaging from the opening page. I love the kilts and the quilts. :) And how great to have a contemporary set in Scotland !  I loved Griffin’s first two novels, and I fully expect to enjoy the next two just as much.  I even love the covers. I will probably have read Some Like It Scottish by the time you read this, but right now it is on my download list for next Tuesday. And I’m already anticipating The Accidental Scots.





       Brown-Eyed Girl (Travis Family #4), Lisa Kleypas—August 11

This is my #1 most anticipated contemporary romance. I’ve been waiting six years for Joe’s story. Not only have I preordered it, but I have also cleared my calendar so I can reread Sugar Daddy, Blue-Eyed Devil, and Smooth Talking Stranger and be poised to start Brown-Eyed Girl the second it downloads. I love the Travis family, and I am beyond eager to revisit them. With sentences like the following one from an excerpt, I’m already falling in love: “It seemed the air had turned into champagne, every breath filled with effervescent, free-floating giddiness.

       Fatal Frenzy (Fatal #9), Marie Force—September 15

I started reading Force’s Fatal series back in 2010 and was captivated by the lead characters Washington, D.C. Metro Police Detective Sergeant Sam Holland and Nick Cappuano, friend and chief of staff of Senator John O’Connor. The developing relationship between Sam and Nick is at least as essential to each book as the particular case, and the cast of recurring secondary characters is superb. But it is that relationship that put Force’s series on my auto-buy list. Sam is now Lieutenant Sam Holland and Nick is vice-president of the United States, and they are married. But their relationship continues to be as intriguing as the dead bodies that keep turning up. I can’t wait to see what’s next.       

1    The Comfort of Favorite Things (Hope Springs #5), Alison Kent—September 15

I love the titles of this series so much that I’d probably buy the books for that alone, but I am also hooked on the characters. In the first book (The Second Chance Café), readers meet Tennessee Keller who has lost touch with his brother Dakota and his sister Indiana after a teenage trauma alters all three lives. Ten finds his HEA with Kaylie Flynn and reconnects with Indiana in Book 1, and Indiana gets her HEA with Oliver Gatlin and summons Dakota to Hope Springs in The Sweetness of Honey (Book 3). Finally, in the fifth book, Kent gives us Dakota’s story—and it is a reunion romance! I cannot tell you how eager I am to see Dakota get his HEA.

       Some Kind of Wonderful (Puffin Island #2), Sarah Morgan—September 25

(Christmas Ever After—Puffin Island #3--October 27*)

I didn’t read my first Sarah Morgan book until Sleigh Bells in the Snow (2013), but I knew when I read that first O’Neil Brothers book that all the Morgan raves I had read were deserved. I loved the O’Neils, and First Time in Forever convinced me that the Puffin Island series would be just as great. I’ve been counting the days since then to the release of Some Kind of Wonderful, a reunion story (my favorite) with a sexy bad-boy hero. The following month, the third book in the series will be released. Christmas Ever After pairs a heroine and hero who loathed one another at first sight. What fun it will be to see them fall in love!

       A Winter Wedding (Whiskey Creek #9), Brenda Novak—October 27

The whiskey Creek series started three years ago with When We Touch, a novella in which Kyle Houseman married the wrong sister. The right sister, Olivia Arnold, finds her HEA with Brandon Lucero, Kyle’s stepbrother. Now after eight novels in which Kyle watched his closest friends find their perfect matches, Kyle will get his story. One of the things I’ve loved about this series is that Novak has done some really different things: a hero and heroine from the wrong side of the tracks, a hero dealing with the discovery that his long-time best friend is gay and in love with him, a heroine with what could be a fatal illness, and a heroine just out of prison. This time it’s turning the guy who betrayed the heroine of the first story into the hero. I am really eager to see what Novak does with this one.

       Along the Infinite Sea (Schuyler Sisters #3), Beatriz Williams—November 3

I may be cheating a bit by including this one on this list. It is more women’s fiction than contemporary romance, and since it is set in the 1960s with threads from the World War II era, it is not contemporary in the strictest sense. And the protagonist is pregnant with the child of her married lover. But whatever label fits—or doesn’t—and whatever romance taboos are violated, I am looking forward to this book with the highest expectations. The Secret Life of Violet Grant and Tiny Little Thing, the other books about Schuyler sisters, were winners for me. I love Williams’s treatment of character, her use of the past impinging on the present, and her wonderful prose. I fully expect to love this book too.

       Our Now and Forever (Ardent Springs #2), Terri Osburn—November 10

Terri Osburn has written some of my favorite small-town romances, and I laughed and sighed my way through His First and Last, her first Ardent Springs book. This second one has a runaway bride, a husband seeking reunion, and a marriage trial by celibacy. Now does that not sound irresistible? I don’t even intend to try to resist. I’ve read the teaser, and I have already booked my return ticket to Ardent Springs, Tennessee.

In the interest of full disclosure, Terri Osburn is a friend from the same Eloisa James bulletin board group as Manda Collins and PJ, but rest assured friendship is not my reason for including her book on this list.

       My Kind of Wonderful (Cedar Ridge 2), Jill Shalvis—December 22

I wasn’t sure Jill Shalvis could produce another series that could rival Lucky Harbor in my estimation, but Second Chance Summer left me fathoms deep in love with the Kincaid Brothers and eager for more books in the series. This second book is Hudson’s story, and his heroine is not the lingering kind. Count me in. (And just in case you are like me and enjoy anticipating well ahead of publication, Jacob’s book, Nobody But You, will be released March 29, 2016.)

      Anything for You (Blue Heron #5). Kristan Higgins—December 29

If Kristan Higgins puts her name on the cover, you can be sure I am going to read the book. But even among all my Higgins keepers, her Blue Heron books rank an extra star. I love this series. These are books that I’m ready to reread as soon as I finish them. And this one is Connor O’Rourke’s book—and Jessica Dunn is saying no to his proposal! It sounds like Higgins is giving me a perfect way to end my 2015 reading year.

*These books added to the ten make the full dozen.

Review - - And I Love Her

And I Love Her

By Marie Force

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: March 3, 2015

Megan Kane was a senior in high school when her parents were killed in an automobile accident. Her older sister Nina left college to return to tiny Butler, Vermont to be there for Megan. When Nina married a Brett, a teacher, they used part of the elder Kanes’ insurance money to buy a diner. With Nina as manager, Megan as waitress, and the irascible Butch as cook, they soon formed a family of sorts along with their regulars, especially those who showed up at the diner on holidays because they had no family with whom to celebrate. After ten years of this life, Megan feels as if she has lost her moorings when Nina and Brett announce that they are selling the diner and moving to France where Brett has accepted a teaching position. Even though Nina and Brett both encourage Megan to accompany them, Megan is convinced that she needs to create a life of her own; she just doesn’t know where to begin.

Hunter Abbott, the eldest of the ten Abbott siblings and chief financial officer for the Green Mountain Country Store and other Abbott enterprises, is the family fixer who sees that all the family is taken care of, their wounds bandaged, their stories heard, and their problems solved. When he finds a teary Megan hiding behind the family store, he feels the same compulsion to take care of her that he feels for his sisters, except there is nothing fraternal in his feelings for Megan. Hunter has been casting longing looks at Megan as long as Megan has had an unrequited interest in Hunter’s brother Will—about a decade. Now that Will and Cameron are in a committed relationship and Megan has indicated she has accepted Will’s choice, it seems the perfect time for Hunter to make a move, especially since Megan is talking about leaving Butler once the diner is sold.

Megan has never really noticed Hunter, but his kindness makes her take a closer look. She likes what she sees, and she can’t forget Will’s comment that she has been focusing on the wrong brother. But Hunter deserves someone who can give him the kind of promises he is willing to make, and Megan is determined to protect her heart and never give anyone else the chance to leave her as her parents did.

And I Love Her is the fourth book in Marie Force’s Green Mountain series, a series I fell in love with when I read the first book, All You Need Is Love.  But this most recent installment was a disappointment, an ok book rather than one that had me clearing space on a keeper shelf. I have read some excellent books recently with seriously flawed heroines who eventually earned my understanding and sympathy. This was not the case with Megan Kane. Readers are told repeatedly that she has repented of her bitchy behavior in earlier books, but I had trouble forgetting her rudeness and immaturity that bordered on the unbalanced. It’s not as if Will ever reciprocated her feelings. And while her parents’ deaths were certainly a tragedy and losing both parents at once a double devastation and seventeen a particularly vulnerable age, Megan had her sister for love and support, a town that cared about her, and no financial concerns. I guess my mother’s count-your-blessings philosophy is too deeply ingrained for me to ignore it even in a fictional world.

And while Hunter is endearing, I did want to see his apparently inexhaustible patience wear thin. Even when he is injured and his mother and his twin are angry that Megan can’t forget herself and be there when Hunter needs her, Hunter understands and defends her. The Abbott women forgive more easily than I do. I accept that Hunter wants only Megan, but I never understand why and I never feel that she deserves him.

On the other hand, I do love the Abbotts, and the best parts of the book for me were the family scenes. I adore Grandfather Elmer Stillman and smile at the matchmaking antics he and his son-in-law conceive. Molly’s observation about her father and husband made me laugh: “You can’t argue with their results though. A wedding, an engagement, and a shack-up all in one year. Not bad.”

I thought Will’s proposal scene was perfect for him and Cameron. And I am eager to see their wedding, to find out what happens with Ella Abbott and Gavin Guthrie, still grieving his brother’s death (It’s Only Love, November 3, 2015), and to learn the denouement of the story of baby brother Max and his pregnant girlfriend. I’m invested in the series, and I highly recommend it. But I’m less enthusiastic about this particular book. Fans of the series will want to read it to keep up-to-date with the Abbotts, and some readers will be pleased that this one has a higher sizzle factor. I still consider Force a power hitter, but even the best can’t hit a homer every time. (I hear the groans that I resorted to a sports metaphor, but it’s March and spring practice has begun.)

~Janga

Marie Force "Second Chance" Winner

The Marie Force giveaway package was not claimed so random.org has chosen

 a second chance winner. Congratulations to:

traveler

Please send your full name and mailing address to us at

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Deadline for claiming the prize is November 13, 2014. 

Winner: Marie Force Giveaway Package

The randomly chosen winner of the prize package from our review of

I Saw Her Standing There by Marie Force is:

lisagkendall

Congratulations!

To claim your prize, send your full name and mailing address (U.S. addresses only) 

to us no later than Midnight, Monday, November 10th.

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Review & Giveaway: I Saw Her Standing There

I Saw Her Standing There

By Marie Force

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: November 4, 2014

Colton Abbott has a secret, one he has been protecting for a couple of months—not an easy task for a man whose family consists of a dozen loving but nosy close relatives (six brothers, three sisters, two parents, and one grandfather), all of whom live in near proximity to one another in Butler, Vermont. For nine years, Colton has lived alone on the mountain property his grandparents bought early in their marriage. He was happy running the Abbott family maple sugaring facility and living in near isolation in the original one-room cabin without running water, electricity, or telephone, but meeting Lucy Mulvaney,best friend and business partner of Cameron Murphy, significant other of his brother Will (All You Need Is Love), has given Colton a new appreciation of cell phones and Internet connections and a greater anticipation for weekends when the six hundred miles that separates him and Lucy temporarily disappears. For the first time since they began spending their weekends together, Lucy is meeting him in Vermont. Colton has the keys to the Abbot family lake house and he and Lucy have four days alone—or so he thinks. He is sublimely unaware that his father’s machinations have ensured that Colton’s secret life is rapidly approaching its expiration date.

Lucy is a city girl, born and bred. She likes New York, her job at the web design company she and Cameron founded, and being near her family—her dad, her younger sister, Emma, and her niece, Simone. Lucy cannot deny the spark that ignited between her and Colton from their first meeting. The fact that she, the queen of first dates that go nowhere, has gone to considerable effort to spend six weekends with Colton speaks for itself. But she has been honest from the beginning that she will never follow Cameron’s move from New York to Vermont. When Cameron and Will arrive at the cabin for a romantic weekend of their own and the big secret is revealed in embarrassing detail, Lucy’s insistence that what she and Colton have is only a fling grows more adamant.

In spite of her reservations, Lucy agrees to retreat to Colton’s cabin for the remainder of their weekend. She may not be delighted with Fred, the moose, or with Colton’s so-solicitous groupies, but she is charmed by his caring, boisterous family and awed by the beauty of the mountain setting. She discovers she can even survive without phone service and indoor bathrooms. Lucy’s groupie solution and the brotherly banter that results are chuckle-inducing. When Colton visits New York for a week, he finds the city has its own appeal, and the perks of the “pleasure aids and sensual devices” trade show his father arranged for him to attend are definitely meant to be shared.  Colton also enjoys Lucy’s family, particularly eight-year-old Simone, but he can’t imagine living in the city. Still, Colton insists that he and Lucy can make things work; however, Lucy can see only heartbreak ahead.

I Saw Her Standing There is the third novel in Force’s Green Mountain series, and Colton is another of her sweet, seductive beta heroes with heart-melting nurturing skills and an off-the-chart H. Q. (Hotness Quotient).  Lucy is a shy city dweller with ADD and more than her share of insecurities. With apparently nothing in common, these two fall head-over-heels for one another, but their antithetical lifestyles and the geographical barrier make a happy resolution to their differences seem unlikely. Force avoids the conventional idyllic small town-evil big city opposition and instead gives readers a balanced look at the advantages each choice offers.  I also found it refreshing that compromise, which often is absent in romance, played a role in turning this story toward its happily ever after.

Force ratchets the sensuality level up a few notches on this one, but she does so without losing any of the appeal of the family relationships and distinctive setting that readers loved in the first two books. Fans of the series will be pleased that Will and Cameron have significant roles in the third book and that the full Abbott family and assorted friends gather for the wedding of  Hannah Abbot Guthrie and Nolan Roberts (I Want to Hold Your Hand). Book 3 includes some sigh-worthy scenes for both couples from the earlier books. Despite these strong connections to the first two novels, I Saw Her Standing There can be read as a standalone.

Whether your preference is sizzling love scenes, tender romance, close ties of family and friendship, poignant moments, or rib-tickling humor, I Saw Her Standing There offers something to make you fall in love with these characters and their story. A bonus novella, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, adds to the humor. I highly recommend this book—and, indeed, the full series, which has quickly become one of my favorites.

Book 4, And I Love Her, the story of Hunter, the eldest of the Abbott siblings, and Megan Kane, a woman who has had a huge crush on Will, is set for release on March 3, 2015. It’s on my wish list, and I’m looking forward even more eagerly to seeing more of Ella Abbot and Gavin Guthrie. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that their story will be book #5.

~Janga


Readers, are you city or country?

Could you survive without phone service or indoor bathrooms?

Do alpha heroes melt your bones or, like Janga, do you have a soft spot for "sweet, seductive beta heroes with heart-melting nurturing skills and an off-the-chart H. Q.?"

Are you reading Marie Force's Green Mountain series? Do you have a favorite couple so far? Whose story are you most looking forward to?


One randomly chosen person who leaves a comment on this post will receive a terrific prize package from Penguin Random House including a stuffed Fred the Moose, a signed copy of I Saw Her Standing There, a sample of Vermont Maple Syrup, a $25 gift card to BN, Amazon or iBooks and more! (U.S. addresses only)

Deadline to be included in giveaway is 11:59 pm EST, Thursday, November 6th.

Moonlight and Magnolias Winner

The winner of a signed copy of 

All You Need is Love by Marie Force

from PJ's Moonlight and Magnolias blog is:

Donna Ariola

Congratulations, Donna!

Please send your full name and mailing address to us at

theromancedish (at) gmail(dot) com

Review - - I Want to Hold Your Hand

I Want to Hold Your Hand

By Marie Force

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: June 3, 2014

Hannah Abbott Guthrie has been a widow for seven years, but for most of that time, she has still felt married. Caleb Guthrie was a part of her life long before they married. He was one of her brothers’ friends who often hung around the lively Abbott house, maybe the most irritating one of all. Then one day, everything changed: Hannah and Caleb fell in love. Life with Caleb was wonderful because Caleb, the center of a group of staunch friends he christened the Sultans, lived every minute fully. In a real sense, Hannah’s life stopped when she received the news that Caleb had been killed in Afghanistan. The love of her family, Caleb’s family, their friends, and perhaps most of all, Caleb’s dog Homer sustained her and allowed her to get through the days, one by one, but Hannah is not ready to let go of her life with Caleb and move on without him.

Nolan Roberts is one of Caleb’s Sultans, and his grief over his friend’s death is deep and genuine. Seven years later, he still misses his buddy, and he sometimes wonders what Caleb would think if he knew Nolan had fallen in love with Hannah. Nolan is not exactly sure when it happened. He just realized at the Sultan’s annual Labor Day celebration that he not only admired Hannah’s courage and grace in living life without Caleb, but he loves her—enough to wait and see what might happen when Hannah is ready to move forward with her life. A few months before I Want to Hold Your Hand opens Nolan’s patience looks as if it’s going to be rewarded. Hannah dances with him at a local gathering and responds to a kiss (All You Need Is Love, Book 1), but Hannah quickly retreats. She can’t quite forget that kiss, however, and when another loss shows Hannah how much she relies on Nolan, she begins to realize that letting go is possible and that life and love still hold wonders for her.

I loved the first book in Force’s Green Mountain series, and I expected to love this one too. But I wasn’t prepared to be sobbing twenty pages into the book. And that was just the first time my tears soaked the pages of this book. Despite its lachrymose quality, I Want to Hold Your Hand is not a depressing book. It is filled with tenderness, warmth, and love of many kinds. Force does a beautiful job of capturing the essence of Caleb Guthrie and the place he still holds in the hearts of his family and friends with the rightness of Hannah and Nolan’s relationship.  

Hannah is an endearing heroine, and it is easy for the reader to share Nolan’s admiration of her. Her conflict between clinging to an old love and embracing a new one is wrenching and real. It is tough to let go of the love of your life and maybe even tougher to give yourself permission to love again, knowing all that the heart risks when it is open to love. Hannah’s struggle is made more poignant because Caleb seems real to the reader, not just a shadowy memory.

This seems to be the year of the beta hero, and Nolan is a wonderful one. His commitment to Hannah endures through years of her seeing him only as a friend, and his patience with her need to move slowly is heart-winning. I was particularly pleased that his love for Hannah began after Caleb’s death. The I’ve-loved-you-but-he-won trope can be effective, but it has been overdone IMO. If I hadn’t already been in love with Nolan, I would have fallen when he said, “Spend some time with me. We can do anything you want. No pressure, no kissing, no nothing unless you want it. I’d be completely happy if I got to hold your hand, Hannah.”

Force is adept at capturing the strength and complexity of family ties, and her ability to do so adds richness to this book. The multi-generational Abbott clan has quickly become one of my favorite fictional families, and Hannah’s in-laws add another layer of ideal family ties. Nolan’s far from perfect family kept it from being too good to be true. Readers who like the first book will be delighted to see that Cameron and Will have roles to play in this one as well. If you are a fan of small-town romance, if you like your romances rich in contexts of family and friends, or if you like romances that evoke both tears and smiles, I think you will love this book.

For readers who missed the first book, I Want to Hold Your Hand can be read as a standalone, although I do recommend you also read the excellent All You Need Is Love. The third book in the series, I Saw Her Standing There, is the story of Colton Abbott and Lucy Mulvaney (Cameron’s friend from Book 1). A November 4 release, it promises to be as good as the first two.  In the meantime, I’m listening to Beatles music trying to predict what titles Force will use for the remaining Abbott tales. What do you think of “All My Loving” or maybe “From Me to You”?

~Janga

Marie Force Bonus Winners

Marie Force has graciously added two bonus prizes to her giveaways from her recent visit to The Romance Dish.  The two winners of an e-book of their choice from Marie's available titles are:

Mary Preston

and

GirlygirlHoosier52

Please send your email address, book title and choice of format (Kindle or Nook) to us at

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Marie Force Winners

The three winners from Marie Force's visit are:

Pam  Westfall

(All You Need is Love)

Librarypat

(Fatal Affair)

Samantha

(Fatal Justice)

Please send your full name and mailing address to us at:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Marie Force Winners

The three winners from Marie Force's visit are:

Pam  Westfall

(All You Need is Love)

Librarypat

(Fatal Affair)

Samantha

(Fatal Justice)

Please send your full name and mailing address to us at:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Today's Special - - Marie Force

With more than 2.5 million books sold, Marie Force is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 contemporary romances. Her New York Times bestselling self-published McCarthys of Gansett Island Series has sold more than 1 million e-books since Maid for Love was released in 2011. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Fatal Series from Harlequin’s Carina Press, as well as the Treading Water Series and numerous stand-alone books. All You Need is Love, book 1 in her new Green Mountain Series from Berkley Sensation, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller in February. The second book, I Want to Hold Your Hand, will be out in June, and the third book, I Saw Her Standing There, is coming in November. In 2014, Marie will have eight mass-market print releases—the first five Fatal Series books from Harlequin and the first three Green Mountain Series books from Berkley. While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. She is the mother of two teenagers and two feisty dogs, Brandy and Louie. Join Marie's mailing list at http://marieforce.com/ for news about new books and other possible appearances in your area. Follow her on Twitter@marieforce and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarieForceAuthor/. Join one of Marie's many reader groups by viewing the complete listing at http://marieforce.com/connect/. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com.

Read Janga's review of All You Need is Love here.

Marie recently took time from her busy writing schedule to answer some questions for us. Please give her a warm welcome!  

Welcome back, Marie!  It’s a pleasure to have you visit with us here at The Romance Dish.  You recently released All You Need is Love, the first book in a new series.  Please tell us about the series and what readers can expect from this first book.

Thanks for having me! I always love to visit with your community. The new Green Mountain Series is about a family in Vermont that runs the Green Mountain Country Store in the fictional town of Butler. Lincoln and Molly Abbott have ten children, five of whom help their father run the business while the other five contribute items to the store, including maple syrup, beaded jewelry, wood working and Christmas trees.

It sounds so appealing.  How does the tone of this series differ from your McCarthy’s of Gansett Island books?  Will they appeal to the same readers?

In the Green Mountain Series, the Abbotts are very committed to their lives in the mountains whereas the McCarthys are all about beaches and boats and island living. The Abbott family dynamic is similar to the McCarthys in that the siblings are close and in each other’s business the way the McCarthy siblings are. I do believe the Green Mountain Series will appeal to readers who enjoy the McCarthy Series.

At first glance, Cameron and Will, the heroine and hero of All You Need is Love seem an unlikely pairing.  What is it about these two that convinced you they belong together? 

I enjoyed the fact that their differences made them attractive and intriguing to each other. She sleeps with her cell phone in her hand. He doesn’t own one. She grew up watching family sit-coms on TV and yearning for siblings and families like her fictional favorites. He grew up in a family of ten kids and hardly watched TV. The one thing they have in common from the beginning is an overwhelming attraction to each other that only grows stronger with every hour they spend together. I really enjoyed writing these two characters from different worlds who discover they have all the most important things in common.

Our reviewer, Janga has fallen in love with the Abbot family and is hoping that each of the siblings will have his/her own story.  What are your plans for this family?  Will they each have their own book?  Do you have a timeline in mind for the release of those stories? 

I hope to do a book for each of the Abbott siblings. So far I’ve written Will’s story in All You Need Is Love, Hannah’s story in I Want to Hold Your Hand (June 3), and Colton’s story in I Saw Her Standing There (November 4). Next up in book four is oldest brother Hunter’s story in And I Love Her (March 3, 2015).

It’s been four years since you visited us here at TRD.  How has your life changed in that time?

Oh wow! It would be easier to say how my life hasn’t changed. J My books have really taken off in the last few years. I left my 16-year day job at the end of 2011. I moved into a lovely new home with my family in 2012. I hired a full-time assistant in 2013, and this year I also have a full-time accountant working with me, among other part-time helpers. Our days are busy and full of exciting challenges. The best thing, by far, are the readers who have discovered my books and become faithful fans and friends.

What would readers be surprised to discover about you?

I spend a lot of time chatting with my readers on Facebook and Twitter, so they know a lot about me already, but one thing I love to tell them is that writing is the only talent I was blessed with. I can’t do much of anything else, and my “failings” in other areas are a source of great entertainment to my family and friends. I like to joke that I’m still trying to complete my first cartwheel at age forty-seven. J

The last time you were here it was to launch Fatal Affair, the first book in your popular romantic suspense Fatal series.   On March 24^th, the seventh book in that series, Fatal Jeopardy will be released.  Fans of Sam and Nick would like to see this series continue for a long time to come.  What are your plans for the Fatal books? 

It’s been a wild four years for the Fatal Series, and I hope to write those characters for a long time to come. . Fatal Affair is out now everywhere print books are sold with Fatal Justice coming in print on March 25. Three others are coming this year with more to come next year. I’m really excited to get the Fatal Series out to print readers. Fatal Jeopardy, Book 7 in the series, contains some really big developments for both Sam and Nick. The mystery surrounds Sam’s troublesome niece Brooke, so it’s a very personal case for her. I hope readers enjoy this latest installment!  I really enjoy Sam and Nick and their dynamic as well as their cast of supporting characters. Your readers may like to know that the Fatal Series is now coming in print, too

There are a lot of print readers who I'm sure will be very happy to hear that!  

What else are you working on?

With three series going at full speed, I’m really busy! I just finished I Saw Her Standing There, Book 3 in the Green Mountain Series, and will write one more Green Mountain book this year as well as Fatal Scandal, Book 8 in the Fatal Series. I’m currently writing Gansett After Dark, Book 11 in the McCarthys of Gansett Island Series, and hope to get Book 12 out this year, too. In my “spare” time, I’m working on a new project that I’m really excited about. So lots going on and much more to come from all my series.

Will you be attending any conferences or book signings this year where readers will have an opportunity to meet you?

I will be at the RT Book Lover’s Convention for the day on Saturday, May 17, and will be attending the Berkley Publishing Lemonade Social and getting together with some of my readers in New Orleans while I’m there. We’re hosting my first Reader Weekend in Newport, Rhode Island on Memorial Day Weekend. I’m holding a launch party for the Green Mountain Series at the Vermont Country Store in Weston, Vermont, on June 28 that everyone is welcome to attend. I’ll be at the RWA conference in San Antonio on July 23-26 and heading to Australia and New Zealand for the romance conferences in Sydney and Auckland the weekend of August 8-10 in Sydney and August 15-17 in Auckland. Readers can find out more about all of these events, including registration information, on my website at www.marieforce.com.

Wow!  That's a busy schedule!  

It’s always a pleasure to chat with you, Marie.  Thank you for visiting with us today.  Would you like to ask our readers a question?

Thanks so much for having me! I’d love to ask your readers what it is about series that keep them coming back for more. I’m happy to give away a signed copy of All You Need Is Love, Fatal Affair and Fatal Justice to three respondents. Look forward to chatting with you!

Okay, Readers,  leave your comments for a chance to win one of the above signed books. Deadline for leaving comments is Midnight (EST), March 21st.