Series: Gateway to Love, #1
Author: Chloe T. Barlow
Release Date: March 10, 2014
How do you
start over when you gave everything to one life, one plan, and lost it all?
Althea
refuses to allow herself to love again.
Imprisoned in grief at twenty-four after her husband’s sudden death, she’s
convinced her heart died along with him. She spends her days honoring his
memory by clinging to the legal career he helped her to build and to the
remaining pieces linking them together.
Griffen’s
been running from his past.
Despite success as an author and investigative journalist, he’s been traveling
through life on autopilot. For a decade, he’s chosen perilous adventures and
meaningless sex over the danger of any attachments. When he finally returns
home to Pittsburgh, he’s slammed by the awakened memories and regret he’s spent
years trying to escape.
A chance
encounter brings them together. Their instant desire for each other – and the
bond they discover between them – shocks them both. Despite her best efforts, Althea can’t resist Griffen’s
charm or his intriguing proposition – if she agrees to a no-strings affair with
him for the two weeks he’s in town, he swears he’ll walk away when their time
is up. Assured she can test the waters of a new life while keeping her vow
never to betray her husband’s memory by opening her heart to another, Althea
throws herself into the escape Griffen provides her.
Their
perfect plans go awry when the intensity of their connection overwhelms them. Will they risk it all on the chance of something great
together…or will the power of their secrets and guilt tear them apart?
BUY LINKS
Well, well, well…….Wasn't that a pleasant surprise??? Don't let the cover or blurb fool you. Chloe Barlow has tucked some steeeeamy stuff between these pages! I really enjoyed this one! This book had a little bit of everything – romance, laughs, steaminess, and a bit of it-was-Colonel Mustard-with-the-candle-stick-in-the-dining-room.
Aleatha is unexpectedly a widow at 24, and five years later she’s still mourning the loss of Jack, her husband. She throws herself into her work and doesn’t allow herself anything outside work and home. Running from his past, Griffen hasn’t been back to the city where he grew up for nearly 10 years. A chance meeting brings Aleatha and Griffen together. The attraction is almost instant. With Griffen’s time in the city limited and neither one in want of a relationship, they agree to a no strings, just fun relationship. No strings, just fun, no real relationship??? Yah right. Who are you kidding? Griffen and Aleatha soon find out that no strings isn’t as easy as it sounds……….
I found myself laughing during this one which is surprising only because I didn’t picture this book to hold so many laughs. Tea and her friends are laugh your ass off funny. Griffen is charmingly hilarious. And, the moms are absolutely fantastic! (Well, not Jack's mom. I kind of wanted to flatten her.) Those moms deserved hi-fives for meddling.
Griffen is cocky, sexy, hot, and so full of himself. That bar scene………. Wow!!! Holy butterflies in the stomach. If that were me, I definitely would have been falling all over that man’s feet. And, I never could I have imagined how the pair actually meet. The refreshing part about this book is that the story is different and isn't played out. Griffen's profession is a nice change of pace, too. And, I love the fact that Tea’s friends play a huge part in the story.
Chloe Barlow does a great job pulling you into the story. I needed to know what happens next and had a very hard time putting it down. For a freshmen offering, Chloe Barlow has done a wonderful job writing an exciting, heartwarming, and romantic story. It’s full of heartache, surprises, heart melting dialogue, straight talking friends, and one super irresistible smooth talking sexy male.
Having grown up in Pittsburgh before moving to Boston, I was excited to see a story set there. Because how many books do you see set in the Steel City???? I got quite sentimental reading about the place where I grew up. It was easy to picture the setting. I found myself saying "hey, I know that place, I’ve been there". Every “I know that place” brought back great memories of growing up in a “big” city that’s still relatively small. The Pittsburgh “accent” and Pittsburgh-ese were the cherry on top that put a huge smile on my face.
I cannot wait for the next book. Maybe Jenna’s book will feature sandwiches with french fries and coleslaw on them or smiley face cookies???????
4.25 STARS!!!
EXCERPT
"This is one helluva view." She turned and smiled at him shyly and she could see him swallow in response.
Damn, even his Adam's apple is sexy.
He stalked toward her, his blue eyes
trained on her hazel ones, and she actually shivered. He just stood there in
front of her and she could barely breathe. Underneath all his playfulness there
was the hint of someone intense and only barely contained, and the combination
was driving her deliciously crazy.
Finally, he placed his hands on her
shoulders and she released a little gasp. He gently slid them down the bare
skin of her arms and she leaned her head back revealing her neck more fully to
him as her hair fell away from her. Griffen nuzzled his face in her neck so
that his masculine scent surrounded her, while his strong, warm hands rubbed
purposely up and down her arms causing her insides to ignite like a wildfire.
He gently kissed her neck, then teasingly bit her shoulder, and it was as
though an electric shock shot straight to her core and she could feel herself
becoming wet already.
"Althea, you're incredible, you
know that?" he asked as he moved his hands to her waist and pushed more
fully against her, until his legs were snugly between her thighs and the cheeks
of her ass were pressed against the cold glass. It was a stark contrast to the
heat of his body and the intense warmth and wetness in her center. She imagined
that if she pulled away there would be a steamy imprint of her back and ass
against the glass and it made her feel beyond sexy.
They were already breathing heavily
when he whispered, "Looking at you against this glass, the city behind you
— now that is one helluva view," he groaned against her ear, licking and
nibbling her earlobe until she had to lean her dizzy head back against the cool
glass for some relief.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Chloe is a contemporary romance novelist and practicing attorney
living in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and their sweet puppy. She is a
native Washingtonian that graduated Duke University with a degree in English
and Chinese language. She met her husband at Duke and he brought her to
Pittsburgh over a decade ago, which she has loved ever since and made her
adopted hometown. She also attended University of Pittsburgh Law School where
she continued to be a book-loving nerd.
Chloe has always loved
writing and although she does do it professionally as a lawyer, she cherishes
the opportunity to craft her contemporary romances and share them with the
world.
She is an avid romance
fan and wrote her debut novel Three Rivers in her spare time. She continues her
tireless legal style of research in her fiction work as well. For example, in
an effort to bring authenticity to Three River’s treatment of grief and loss,
she consulted with a psychologist and grief counselor during its preparation.
CONNECT WITH CHLOE
CHLOE ANSWERS RANDOM QUESTIONS
What
has been your worst haircut/style?
I
have crazy thick hair and lots of it (I mean, we’re talking
use-a-quart-of-conditioner-without-blinking amount of hair). It really only
works as a super short or really long. In high school I chopped it off in this
cute edgy pixie I loved! Then I spent a semester of my senior year in high
school in China and couldn’t get it cut right. It grew out like some sort of
bizarre mullet version of the three stooges hair. I have pretty exclusively
just done long hair ever since.
In
O’s and X’s which do you normally pick?
X’s
all the way
Bottle
beer or draft?
Draft
If
you could learn any language fluently what would it be?
French.
Studying Chinese and living there twice was great, but I love France and wish I
could speak more than just the basics I know.
What
is your favorite board game?
I
love Clue! I so want to do a grown up Clue dinner party where people have to
dress up like the characters. I want to dress up as Miss Scarlet. She has the
best outfit and what woman doesn’t want to be a femme fatale for a night?
What
is your favorite movie?
Lady
and the Tramp. I named our springer spaniel Lady, now I just need to rescue
Tramp! Second place is The Thin Man.
Which
song do you hate the most?
Tied
between Celebration and YMCA. For our wedding I put those on the DO NOT PLAY
list. I think some guests wanted to rebel against my tyrannical refual to abide
by wedding music protocol, but, damn, those are awful!
Who
is your celebrity crush?
I
have been in love with Ewan McGregor since I was 15. I swear my husband looks
like him. He tells me he doesn’t see it. Good thing, mine is the opinion that
matters on that issue.
Can
you do 10 revolutions of a hula hoop?
Oh
dear Lord, no. I can barely do one, and its not a sight anyone wants to see. I
am beyond uncoordinated. My friends, family and husband lovingly refer to me as
“The Spaz.”
What’s the worst pick up line ever used on you?
I was a waitress at the main hangout restaurant my senior year
at Duke. We had “big beer night” on Thursdays. It was great for tips but
terrible for pick up lines. One guy said to me 4 times: “I’ll have a beer . . .
and your number.” He would have asked more times I think, but he couldn’t
handle any more big beers after that.
TOUR
WIDE GIVEAWAY
$5 Amazon Gift Card
$5 Amazon Gift Card
ebook copy of Three Rivers
Three Rivers Swag Pack (US Only)
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