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Embraced by Love
ONE
It was half past eleven when Josie Taylor unlocked the door to her Greenwich Village apartment. She lugged her briefcase into the dimly lit foyer and leaned against the door until she heard it latch. Turning back to the door, she fastened the myriad of bolts and latches and chain locks that were standard equipment on the main entrance to an apartment in this part of New York City.
Her heels made a tapping sound on the marble-tiled floor as she went into the living room.
Light from the television lit the room, making shadows jump across Cooper's sleeping face as he lay stretched out on the couch. The sound had been muted, and she watched her husband for a moment in the stillness.
He'd given up waiting for her. She could tell that by the nearly empty pizza box on the coffee table next to the theatre tickets for the show that had started--she glanced at her watch with a sigh of frustration--more than three and a half hours ago.
Cooper had long since changed out of his expensive suit. He'd pulled his long hair free from the rather severe looking ponytail that he wore when he was dressed up. It fanned out in a golden-brown jumble of curls and waves around his face. The way he was dressed, in his ragged sweat shorts and sleeveless T-shirt, he looked so much like the wild-looking man she had first met nearly six years ago.
Who would've thought she'd end up married to this exotic-looking man-child that she'd first noticed riding his skateboard in Washington Square Park? He'd been wearing purple jams covered with bright green peace signs and a pair of orange Converse high-top sneakers. The spring day had been warm, his T-shirt was off, and his long, honey-colored hair was loose around his broad, bronzed shoulders. Sunlight had glinted off the hard, tanned muscles of his chest.
It was hard not to watch his antics as she sat eating her lunch. He soon realized he had caught her attention, and flashed her his quicksilver grin and winked one of his brilliant blue eyes.
He rolled closer to flirt with her, and she was surprised at his imposing height. He had moved on his skateboard with the agility and speed of a smaller, more compact man. But up close, he towered over her. He was older than she had thought at first, too, closer to thirty than twenty, anyway. She was made nervous by his sheer size, and he backed off as if he sensed her discomfort, introducing himself only as Cooper.
Cooper was there in the park at lunchtime the next day, and the next, and almost every single day after that as spring slowly turned into summer.
Each time Josie saw him, Cooper would move a little closer, until finally he sat next to her on the bench, talking while she ate. It was as if he were a wild animal, and slowly but surely she was taming him. Later on, Josie had to wonder who had tamed whom.
Although they looked like polar opposites, with Josie always dressed in her straitlaced executive skirts and jackets, she and Cooper had an awful lot in common. They both liked movies and plays. They both read murder mysteries. They both liked vacations at the seashore and rainy Sunday mornings. They both liked living in the city, with its excitement and pulsing life.
And it was clear, right from the start, that they both liked each other.
Josie found herself looking forward to lunchtime. It was definitely the high point
It was half past eleven when Josie Taylor unlocked the door to her Greenwich Village apartment. She lugged her briefcase into the dimly lit foyer and leaned against the door until she heard it latch. Turning back to the door, she fastened the myriad of bolts and latches and chain locks that were standard equipment on the main entrance to an apartment in this part of New York City.
Her heels made a tapping sound on the marble-tiled floor as she went into the living room.
Light from the television lit the room, making shadows jump across Cooper's sleeping face as he lay stretched out on the couch. The sound had been muted, and she watched her husband for a moment in the stillness.
He'd given up waiting for her. She could tell that by the nearly empty pizza box on the coffee table next to the theatre tickets for the show that had started--she glanced at her watch with a sigh of frustration--more than three and a half hours ago.
Cooper had long since changed out of his expensive suit. He'd pulled his long hair free from the rather severe looking ponytail that he wore when he was dressed up. It fanned out in a golden-brown jumble of curls and waves around his face. The way he was dressed, in his ragged sweat shorts and sleeveless T-shirt, he looked so much like the wild-looking man she had first met nearly six years ago.
Who would've thought she'd end up married to this exotic-looking man-child that she'd first noticed riding his skateboard in Washington Square Park? He'd been wearing purple jams covered with bright green peace signs and a pair of orange Converse high-top sneakers. The spring day had been warm, his T-shirt was off, and his long, honey-colored hair was loose around his broad, bronzed shoulders. Sunlight had glinted off the hard, tanned muscles of his chest.
It was hard not to watch his antics as she sat eating her lunch. He soon realized he had caught her attention, and flashed her his quicksilver grin and winked one of his brilliant blue eyes.
He rolled closer to flirt with her, and she was surprised at his imposing height. He had moved on his skateboard with the agility and speed of a smaller, more compact man. But up close, he towered over her. He was older than she had thought at first, too, closer to thirty than twenty, anyway. She was made nervous by his sheer size, and he backed off as if he sensed her discomfort, introducing himself only as Cooper.
Cooper was there in the park at lunchtime the next day, and the next, and almost every single day after that as spring slowly turned into summer.
Each time Josie saw him, Cooper would move a little closer, until finally he sat next to her on the bench, talking while she ate. It was as if he were a wild animal, and slowly but surely she was taming him. Later on, Josie had to wonder who had tamed whom.
Although they looked like polar opposites, with Josie always dressed in her straitlaced executive skirts and jackets, she and Cooper had an awful lot in common. They both liked movies and plays. They both read murder mysteries. They both liked vacations at the seashore and rainy Sunday mornings. They both liked living in the city, with its excitement and pulsing life.
And it was clear, right from the start, that they both liked each other.
Josie found herself looking forward to lunchtime. It was definitely the high point
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First published January 1, 1995
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393 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Brockmann
202 books3,592 followersAfter childhood plans to become the captain of a starship didn’t pan out, Suzanne Brockmann took her fascination with military history, her respect for the men and women who serve, her reverence for diversity, and her love of storytelling, and explored brave new worlds as a bestselling romance author.
Over the past thirty years she has written sixty-three novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. Her personal favorite is the one where her most popular character, gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, wins his happily-ever-after and marries the man of his dreams. Called All Through the Night, this mainstream romance novel with a hero and a hero hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. In 2007, Suz donated all of her earnings from this book, in perpetuity, to MassEquality, to help win and preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.
In addition to writing books, Suz writes and produces indie movies and TV including the award-winning romantic comedy The Perfect Wedding. Her recent feature, Out of Body, is streaming on Amazon Prime.
In 2018, Suz was given the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest projects are Blame It on Rio (Tall, Dark & Dangerous # 14), available in print and e-book from Suzanne Brockmann Books, and Marriage of Inconvenience, a six-episode LBGTQ rom-com TV series, streaming on Dekkoo in April 2023.
Over the past thirty years she has written sixty-three novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. Her personal favorite is the one where her most popular character, gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, wins his happily-ever-after and marries the man of his dreams. Called All Through the Night, this mainstream romance novel with a hero and a hero hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. In 2007, Suz donated all of her earnings from this book, in perpetuity, to MassEquality, to help win and preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.
In addition to writing books, Suz writes and produces indie movies and TV including the award-winning romantic comedy The Perfect Wedding. Her recent feature, Out of Body, is streaming on Amazon Prime.
In 2018, Suz was given the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest projects are Blame It on Rio (Tall, Dark & Dangerous # 14), available in print and e-book from Suzanne Brockmann Books, and Marriage of Inconvenience, a six-episode LBGTQ rom-com TV series, streaming on Dekkoo in April 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
November 19, 2020
Josie Taylor and Cooper McBride met and fell in love immediately. They are devoted to each other, and after five years of marriage, are still happy. But a tragic accident leaves Cooper and Josie two young children to care for. Josie has a job that takes a lot of her time. She doesn't want the kids interfering in her career or her marriage. She'd like to find the children a good home with loving parents. After some hesitation, Cooper wants them to adopt the children. He bonds with them immediately and can't see handing them over to strangers to raise. They try to work a compromise about the situation, but this is a big strain on their marriage.
This book didn't feel like a romance. Josie and Cooper are living their Happily Ever After when her brother is killed and things fall apart. I loved the character of Cooper in this story. He takes care of the kids, even though he doesn't know what he is doing. He gives up his home office and cuts back on his work in order to give the kids a stable home. Josie wasn't likeable at all. She grew up poor and feels that she must keep making money or she is a failure. I wanted to shake her. She has a rich husband and doesn't even need to work for a living. She's so driven she has made herself sick. Each time she and Cooper would fight about something, he would be the person who would do the compromising so she could continue working. I wasn't surprised when he had enough of it. Obviously, her husband came second to her job.
This was an interesting story. I wanted to see what would make Josie finally see the light. I was beginning to think it wouldn't happen at all, but eventually it did. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
This book didn't feel like a romance. Josie and Cooper are living their Happily Ever After when her brother is killed and things fall apart. I loved the character of Cooper in this story. He takes care of the kids, even though he doesn't know what he is doing. He gives up his home office and cuts back on his work in order to give the kids a stable home. Josie wasn't likeable at all. She grew up poor and feels that she must keep making money or she is a failure. I wanted to shake her. She has a rich husband and doesn't even need to work for a living. She's so driven she has made herself sick. Each time she and Cooper would fight about something, he would be the person who would do the compromising so she could continue working. I wasn't surprised when he had enough of it. Obviously, her husband came second to her job.
This was an interesting story. I wanted to see what would make Josie finally see the light. I was beginning to think it wouldn't happen at all, but eventually it did. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
August 10, 2012
Grade B
Embraced by Love (awful name that has nothing to do with the book, really) is a surprisingly good story. The premise sounded interesting so I picked it up at a used book store some time back and put it on my shelf. The more I thought about reading it, the more I feared it would be maudlin or melodramatic. Instead, it was a believable and moving story.
Josie and Cooper are a young married couple who have a solid relationship. Some tension develops, however, about the many hours Josie puts into her software company. Just about the time the tension between Cooper and Josie is starting to cause some problems, they find themselves the guardians of her niece (4) and nephew (6 mo). The rest of the book is about how they come to terms with their new responsibilities, and how to balance work and personal time. Josie's near pathological fear of being poor drive a wedge between her and Cooper and threatens to tear the newly-formed little family apart.
Some readers may find Josie's fears unrealistic, but they are quite realistically portrayed. Josie has a true psychological problem. Phobias like this don't go away simply because they aren't logical. Her fears and Cooper's reactions are believable.
I don't generally care of children in books, but Lucy and Ben were very well done and age appropriate. Lucy's struggles to feel safe again after losing her parents was especially poignant.
Embraced by Love (awful name that has nothing to do with the book, really) is a surprisingly good story. The premise sounded interesting so I picked it up at a used book store some time back and put it on my shelf. The more I thought about reading it, the more I feared it would be maudlin or melodramatic. Instead, it was a believable and moving story.
Josie and Cooper are a young married couple who have a solid relationship. Some tension develops, however, about the many hours Josie puts into her software company. Just about the time the tension between Cooper and Josie is starting to cause some problems, they find themselves the guardians of her niece (4) and nephew (6 mo). The rest of the book is about how they come to terms with their new responsibilities, and how to balance work and personal time. Josie's near pathological fear of being poor drive a wedge between her and Cooper and threatens to tear the newly-formed little family apart.
Some readers may find Josie's fears unrealistic, but they are quite realistically portrayed. Josie has a true psychological problem. Phobias like this don't go away simply because they aren't logical. Her fears and Cooper's reactions are believable.
I don't generally care of children in books, but Lucy and Ben were very well done and age appropriate. Lucy's struggles to feel safe again after losing her parents was especially poignant.
October 15, 2014
Words cannot express how much I disliked this book. Some of this is due to my personal preferences. I don't like reading about couple that are already married. I love reading about how people meet and fall in love. I decided to try to get past this, simply because I love this author's books. I was sorry that I had wasted my time.
The majority of the book was Josie and Cooper fighting. She was a total workaholic, working 15-18 hour days. She had psychological issues (fears of being poor) so everything took a back seat to her work. She worked so much at a stressful job that she got bleeding ulcers, which she did not tell Cooper.
They had to take in her niece and nephew when her brother died, and she wasn't willing to make any accommodations for their change in status. I thought she was extremely selfish and self-absorbed.
Cooper, however, I liked, other than the fact that I don't know how he could put up with her.
Because of her self-absorption, I couldn't believe them as a couple. Angst and arguing throughout the whole book, with the whole thing wrapped up in a nice little package on the last few pages.
The majority of the book was Josie and Cooper fighting. She was a total workaholic, working 15-18 hour days. She had psychological issues (fears of being poor) so everything took a back seat to her work. She worked so much at a stressful job that she got bleeding ulcers, which she did not tell Cooper.
They had to take in her niece and nephew when her brother died, and she wasn't willing to make any accommodations for their change in status. I thought she was extremely selfish and self-absorbed.
Cooper, however, I liked, other than the fact that I don't know how he could put up with her.
Because of her self-absorption, I couldn't believe them as a couple. Angst and arguing throughout the whole book, with the whole thing wrapped up in a nice little package on the last few pages.
March 29, 2015
This is not your typical romance. In most romances, boy meets girl, boy pursues girl, boy catches girl and the both live happily ever after. In Embraced by Love we see what happens when is isn't so happily ever after.
Josie grew up dirt poor in rural Tennessee and was smart enough to will a scholarship to college and never looked back. She meets nice with Cooper and it is a love story, normal romance style, almost. Josie is so driven for her company to succeed she looses sight of what is really important in life and that is love. Then tragedy strikes and her whole world is thrown upside down. Her sole focus is her company and saving it to the detriment of Cooper and everyone else in her life. Only Josie can make the decision about what is more important, her company or Cooper.
Josie grew up dirt poor in rural Tennessee and was smart enough to will a scholarship to college and never looked back. She meets nice with Cooper and it is a love story, normal romance style, almost. Josie is so driven for her company to succeed she looses sight of what is really important in life and that is love. Then tragedy strikes and her whole world is thrown upside down. Her sole focus is her company and saving it to the detriment of Cooper and everyone else in her life. Only Josie can make the decision about what is more important, her company or Cooper.
June 20, 2012
No Seal, no action-packed story-line, no alpha-hero - well difficult to believe it was written by Suzanne Brockmann.
There remains a great hero who's the perfect man everyone would have to have (at least me), so loving, funny, understanding, sexy...
The heroine is actually a workaholic, in the truest sense of the term, getting herself physically sick with her job and the stress she constantly creates around it. It sometimes seemed a bit too much and I really wondered what it would take for her to realize she was flushing her life to the toilet.
I really liked the story so very realistic about how a seemingly perfect couple can almost completely destroy a 5-year marriage by having different priorities and not being able to compromise around those.
The ending can seem a bit rushed though.
There remains a great hero who's the perfect man everyone would have to have (at least me), so loving, funny, understanding, sexy...
The heroine is actually a workaholic, in the truest sense of the term, getting herself physically sick with her job and the stress she constantly creates around it. It sometimes seemed a bit too much and I really wondered what it would take for her to realize she was flushing her life to the toilet.
I really liked the story so very realistic about how a seemingly perfect couple can almost completely destroy a 5-year marriage by having different priorities and not being able to compromise around those.
The ending can seem a bit rushed though.
May 28, 2008
I think I would have liked this book more if the main characters hadn't been so over the top. She was sooo work devoted and he was sooo committed to having fun and enjoying life, made me a little crazy. Especially since they knew that about each other from the beginning. Unfortunately plot development is a little slow resulting in the same things getting rehashed over and over. While the story eventually moves forward towards the middle it's a bit too late and you'd rather just smack them for being idiots than finish the book.
January 24, 2024
I really wanna give this book a higher rating but I just can’t. Josie pissed me off so much I’m actually mad this book has a HEA. Cooper deserved better than his sorry excuse of a wife. At the end when he took the kids and walked out on her, he shouldn’t have gotten back together with her. Copper’s got a big heart and he must be protected at all costs.
November 14, 2009
Josie needed to grow up. She was so hard hearted with the kids after her brother's death. Cooper is the MAN!
October 23, 2013
Josie was a cold b*tch and Cooper was ridiculously good. Wanted to smack her & tell him there were plenty of other fish in the sea.
February 25, 2015
Spoiler alert - they were completely incompatible and Cooper shoulda left her ass a long time ago. Also there's no HEA. Cause Josie is a selfish liar.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2020
Re-reading a book from my collection. Workaholic tech executive Josie had a hard scrabble childhood which translates into a fear of losing her company if she is not always there. Her husband, an architect, tries to understand but it leaves him always feeling that there is no place for him in her life. When Josie’s brother and wife are killed in a car accident, they are suddenly responsible for two children. Something has to give....is their love strong enough to make it happen?
October 20, 2017
Annotating is great!
Read as paperback years ago, but the annotated version was entertaining and informative! Would love to see annotated versions of all Suzanne Brockmann’s novels; such fun to have her explain the characters and development, as well as what in her past influenced the storyline!
Read as paperback years ago, but the annotated version was entertaining and informative! Would love to see annotated versions of all Suzanne Brockmann’s novels; such fun to have her explain the characters and development, as well as what in her past influenced the storyline!
March 21, 2025
Josie and Cooper were one of those couples everyone envied, deeply devoted to each other. When a tragic accident leaves Cooper and Josie with two orphans to care for, their career pressures are compounded by the needs of the children they find themselves drifting apart. An incredible passion still burns in their hearts, but will love be enough to sustain them?
December 3, 2019
Very good! Setting: NYC and small town TN.
The main romantic couple are married throughout the book .. and both work professionally.
A departure from her usual books .. but a winner.
The main romantic couple are married throughout the book .. and both work professionally.
A departure from her usual books .. but a winner.
February 17, 2020
This was such a great book. I laughed and I cried. This is a true love story and the way Suzanne writes it, it shoots right to your heart.
March 2, 2024
I started liking their book and eventually disliking Josie, one of the main characters.
I have heard of this author before and will try another novel.
I have heard of this author before and will try another novel.
February 28, 2026
I’m torn between a 2 or 3 star rating. The story has realistic characters that are okay. The plot drags on a bit. I didn’t really get hooked until about the last ten pages.
October 5, 2010
A young couple on the New York City fast track, Josie Taylor and Cooper McBride seem to have everything going for them, including great jobs and a love that just seems to grow stronger. Then the sudden death of Josie's brother and his wife leave them with responsibility for two small children. There are tough choices to make, and nothing in their lives will ever be the same. The strain on their relationship seems unbearable, and both of them begin to wonder if they will ever find their way back to the way they used to feel.
This was definitely something a bit untraditional for a romance, since it covers the relationship through many more stages and upsets than is typical. I loved it. The characters were real, their love was real,
and so were their problems. I was impressed by the way in which the perhaps less-symapthetic character of the workaholic Josie is treated; it's easy to understand why she is the way she is and love her anyway,while at the same time seeing the looming disaster if something doesn't change.
This was definitely something a bit untraditional for a romance, since it covers the relationship through many more stages and upsets than is typical. I loved it. The characters were real, their love was real,
and so were their problems. I was impressed by the way in which the perhaps less-symapthetic character of the workaholic Josie is treated; it's easy to understand why she is the way she is and love her anyway,while at the same time seeing the looming disaster if something doesn't change.
March 21, 2008
This book might not appeal to many Brockmann fans. It's a different type of book than her Troubleshooters and TDD series. Embraced By Love is more of a traditional romance about two people in love who find their ideals and goals for the future clashing and almost destroying their relationship. If you're a Brockmann fan looking for something suspenseful and similar to her popular books, then you may want to skip this one.
December 31, 2015
This was a reprint of one of Brockmann's earlier work and it shows. While it was more of a "traditional" romance than I would have liked, it was still different enough to be interesting. And Brockmann's clear writing style does stand out. I still prefer her later books that are more action oriented.
June 2, 2013
It is unusual in a book for the characters Jodie and cooper to already to be married to each other. At the start of the book they are a caring loving couple with successful businesses and then along came life.... The happy ever after is not so certain.
December 30, 2007
A little slow in places but overall a very good read. Like all Suzanne Brockman's books, it's well worth your time to read it.
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August 16, 2008Embraced by Love by Suzanne Brockman (1995)
February 16, 2009
While I enjoyed reading this story of a couple who is struggling with their marriage; I found that I enjoy Ms. Brockmann's series books more.
July 13, 2010
Completely loved the H. Totally felt stabby about the h. Overall, typical non-SEALS read from Brockmann.
August 15, 2011
It was a good, light read.
August 24, 2011
I didn't much care for it. The characters were not well done and she didn't know much about working in computer programming.
December 12, 2011
Little out of the ordinary for Brockmann, and a very realistic writing about marriage relationships.
December 17, 2011
The story was great it was kinda back amd forth
alot. It got kinda annoying sometimes, but it was still great.
alot. It got kinda annoying sometimes, but it was still great.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews