Claiming Valentine

Claiming #7

by Violet Rae

Link
I visit Valentine’s Kitchen every day, trying to work up the courage to ask Natasha Valentine on a date. Delicious as her bakery’s treats are, they don’t compare to her sweet curves, ebony hair, and deep-brown eyes. I’m hooked from the first day.

When our first date ends disastrously, I’m left wondering where I went wrong. Walking away from her isn’t an option because Tasha is unlike any woman I’ve ever known. I’m drawn to her in ways that go deeper than physical attraction.

Tasha thinks her Asperger’s is a problem to keep us apart. I see it as a gift, an opportunity to connect, communicate, and understand each other better than many couples have the chance to do. I’ll do whatever it takes to be the man she deserves, and earn my place at her side for the rest of our lives.

Claiming Valentine is a short story with no cheating, no other woman/man drama, and the guaranteed HEA you've come to expect from Violet Rae.

Author's
Claiming Valentine features a main character with Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s Syndrome is a form of Autism Spectrum Syndrome, a neurobiological disorder where people have difficulty relating to others socially. Their behavior and thinking patterns can be rigid and repetitive.

Raising awareness of autism is a cause close to my heart as my son is on the autistic spectrum. Each person experiences autism differently, but it’s important to know that it’s not a “disease,” and it’s not something that needs to be “cured,” but rather needs to be understood and embraced.

Claiming Valentine is a work of fiction and aims to highlight some of the struggles faced by people on the spectrum through Tasha and Link’s love story.

To you, my wonderful readers, I truly hope you enjoy this story. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support you have shown me over the last year. Much love, Violet.

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Friends To Lovers, Novella

96 pages, Paperback

Published February 12, 2022

About the author

Mom. Author. Chocoholic.

I am the author of steamy contemporary and paranormal romances.

Thank you for checking out my Author page. You can find me on most social media platforms.

Reviews

[QuinnReads]

Communication Is King

Tasha is unlike the traditional heroine. She has Asperger's Syndrome. I like the twists this puts on things with Link, before and after his awareness. It makes the steamy scenes sizzle even more and gives perspective to their overall communication strategies.

'I've never met anyone like Tasha. There are no games or agenda with her. She's not trying to impress anyone and what you see is what you get.'
-- Link Thompson

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Mulan Book Princess]

I rate this book 4.5 stars.

I loved this romance! I thought Link is such a sweetheart and so willing to look beyond to see the real Tasha and accept her for who she is. Tasha is amazing as well and the two of them make for an adorable couple,. Of course, there were bumps along the road to their HEA, but loved how the journey went.

I received a free advanced review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a fair and honest review.

[Hanna Barker]

This is book number 7 in The Claiming Series and focuses on Link and Tasha. Tasha runs a bakery named Valentine’s Kitchen and genuinely enjoys running her business and baking. She has high functioning Asperger’s and struggles to read people and communicate with people. She thrives on structure and routine but has a hard time when it comes to connecting with people since they usually see her as different. Link has been head over heels for Tasha since she moved into town and when he finally makes a move and gets a date with Tasha, things definitely don’t go as expected. I loved how Link worked to understand Tasha and make things work with her. He is everything she didn’t know she needed. Link was so patient and understanding with her and made her feel like her Asperger’s wasn’t a burden, but a part of her that made her uniquely special. I absolutely loved this story and how great Link and Tasha were together. Excellent addition to the series!

I received a free copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Syd Springer]

This was a wonderful read. I really enjoy reading books where one or both (or more) of the MCs are "different." Tasha is really sweet and is easy to love to just try. Tasha has ASD and I love how is has embarrassed her life. Link knows that there is something different about Tasha but he just can't put is finger on it is. I loved that Link is willing to learn more about ASD and how the best was to make Tasha comfortable with him. I really enjoyed the connection and chemistry between these two even if it took them a little bit longer. I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it and Ms. Violet as a wonderful author.

I received a free e-book copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[lf]

They have the perfect recipe for love/b>

Claiming Valentine is the seventh book in The Claiming Series. This story hits you right in the heart with the sweetness, loving, understanding and patience that is wrapped into the story-line. Natasha "Tasha" Valentine is in her mid to late twenties and she owns Valentine's Kitchen, a bakery in Garland. Tasha is regimented and lives her life with structure and on a schedule. She has high functioning Asperger's so she does not pick up on subtleties and social cues from other people. it makes her the special person that she is, even if she does not make the connection with other people that most would. But she loves to bake and so she went to Molly Black's culinary school in Medicine Bow and then came back to Garland and reopened the bakery that had closed. Tasha loves to bake as she can tell from peoples reaction whether they like it or not. Link Thompson is thirty years old and moved from Maryland to Garland after his parents died. His best friend Jim had a garage and offered Link to buy in as a partner. It was the best decision that Link made as he loves the small town and his younger sister also relocated a while ago, and has found the love of her life already. When Link first walked into Valentine's Kitchen for the daily coffee and snack run for the garage he was struck by the beautiful owner, Tasha. Since then he has had a crush on her but he cannot tell if she likes him or not. When he finally takes a chance and asks her to dinner these two are about to embark on an night that will flip both of them upside down.....and join them forever.

I loved this well written story. Link and Tasha are beautiful together as they try to figure out what each other wants. Tasha is a literal person, so if you have to tell her directly what you are thinking, feeling or want. Link is sweet and caring with her as he does not see her Asperger's as a hindrance or burden, but as something he just needs to learn how to communicate in a different way. This understanding comes from the fact that his sister, Kat, became deaf after an illness and the family then learned to sign with her. For me this is the best book of the series so far.

[Lizzie]

I really loved this story!

I very much loved this story! There are a few things c that made me have to give it 5 stars unlike the usual 4 stars I'd normally reserve for a book this length that I enjoyed very much in this genre. Without expanding on my star rating system to much, ill just leave it at 4 is for Books in this genre/ subgenre that I like very much, even great sometimes . I normally only give 5 to my favourite books that " tickled " me in a great way that left me loving the story for wherever particular reason.
Without leaving an even longer winded review that will end up just being confusing, ill just leave it at, this story had that 'something extra' , that made this story one that I loved, and consider this book as a definite favorite that I recommend to any reader who is a fan of this genre and specific sub genre .
I think if your a fan of the genre in general you're going to like this story very much, even if not for the same specific reasons that made me love it, it have a unique quality that allows a kinda of versatility in how it will appeal to us as its audience!
Side note, this is somewhat of a new author to me, not the first book I've read, but after reading this one, im going to go and binge read her library, cause with this read, I can trust that any time and effort I put into reading her books will pay off, which leaves me wanting to read even the the story's in this genre that are longer in length and not the usual quick fix 50-90 pages I usually only read.😁

[Liesel]

Tasha and Link
Did I believe in their love? sure
I definitely believed Link loved her, but I felt Tasha's love needed to be more developed. It was only 90 pages but still. I liked the ASD rep, but in my experience of friends/family who are on the spectrum, some things didn't ring true to me but I do not feel I am knowledgeable enough to comment on them. For being a short read, I was annoyed that there were overly specific references to other works in the series. When I read a series I do not mind when a character from another book shows up or is mentioned but I barely tolerate when their story is summarized in their introduction ie "we stop for coffee at Jane Smith's shop. She just moved here after her boyfriend of 7 years died in an accident. Good thing she met the love of her life in her next door neighbor here." If I am reading the series as a whole, I am like, "I know! let's move on". If I haven't read the series, I don't care about the character to get a snapshot of their life. In a novella where every sentence counts, this has no place at all. I felt like this happened so many times and none of it was pertinent to the story. I don't think we met any of those characters. They were just mentioned as people they knew. I kept rolling my eyes and it kept taking me out of the story I was trying to read.
Read on KU

[A-reader]

My reviews always contain spoilers, I write them so I can remember the story.

4.5/5 stars
Link has been wanting to ask Tasha out for a while, she owns the local bakery in town and he owns the local garage. He finally asks her out and she accepts, things start out a bit rocky on their date, she doesn’t want to eat at the nice restaurant he has a reservation at. She picks a local place, not very romantic but he just wants to spend time with her. Back at her place she asks him if he wants to kiss her, he does and things start to heat up, but Tasha doesn’t react like a woman enjoying the foreplay so he stops and apologizes for rushing her and leaves. She’s upset and a few days go by until his friend forces him to talk to her. He catches her at the bakery where she explains she has Asperger’s and doesn’t react the same as other people do. I loved how Link wanted to know everything about her and her needs. He was 100% committed to her. They try the date again and this time she’s better prepared for his love making and their first time together is so sweet. Epilogue one year later with them getting engaged and Tasha telling him they are pregnant.
Sweet story.

[BooksBooksandmoreBooks69]

I’ve read most of this series. They sort of interconnect, but you can read them out of order.
They are short. They are cute. And they are a favourite of mine to reread.

Link Thompson is fascinated and slightly obsessed with the baker in town. She’s gorgeous, she’s shy, and she bakes the most delicious cakes. He wants to know her better, but he’s not sure how to “win” the her attention. But he’s positive they are meant to be together.

Natasha “Tasha” Valentine likes order, structure and instructions. Anything else just makes her anxious. But she’s definitely aware of the handsome man that comes in every day for coffee and some sort of cake.

A disastrous evening leaves our potential couple unsure of each other’s feelings. Natasha is sure it was her fault, as does Link.
It takes a friend to persuade Link to try again….
Natasha explains that she has Asperger’s. Expecting to be shunned, she’s surprised that Link still wants to get to know her better.

And the epilogue …. That was just so sweet.

I liked how the characters so much.
Do I wish they were longer? Definitely.

🦋

[Berta Greenleaf Richardson]

This is Tasha and Links romantic love story. Tasha has high-functioning Asperger's. She struggles to understand people's unspoken communication. She feels different and boring. Link was attracted to her from the moment he first saw her and has wanted to go out with her but is shy. They finally go out on a date and both feel that they ruined it. They finally talk about the date and she tells him about her Asperger's. Link is patient with her and explains that he learned a new way of communicating using ASL with his sister Kat when she lost her hearing, so he is willing to take time and learn to communicate differently with Tasha. Tasha and Link find they are not so different from every one else who falls in love. They need patience, understanding and acceptance. This was a very enjoyable story with wonderful characters.
I received a free copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dee]

This is book seven of The Claiming series each reads as a standalone but they all interconnect, yet each has its own story this one is about Natasha and Link. Natasha is so sweet, is a baker with Asperger’s everything has a place around her, and she gets really irritated when they are moved or aren’t put back in their proper place. Link sexy as all get out wanting to ask her out because he sees only her beauty, her uniqueness and oh it doesn’t help her sweets are tasty . The attraction is instant but she has an issues accepting a normal man would want to date her especially with her condition but that is part of what drew his attention to her to begin with but will he be able to convince her that regardless of her condition he will love her, will she accept that a man as sexy as Link would want to be with a women who has a disorder, and can they find balance along with happiness on this path?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shannon Williams]

A Special Love Story for a Special Character
I’m not sure if I can do justice to the newest in Violet Rae’s Claiming series, “Claiming Valentine,” but I’m certainly going to try. I recently read one of her other stories and was introduced to a side character named Natasha Valentine, a high-functioning bakery owner with Asperger's, and I couldn’t help but hope that she would make a great heroine in a story of her own. When she meets Link, a sweet, handsome, and completely loveable mechanic, I felt so much from the very beginning. From their first sweet interactions all the way through to their HEA, I was in tears. Chemistry sizzled, but there was so much more to this amazing story. The only word I can think of is “special.” Tasha’s situation is special. Link and the way he interacts with her is special. As I said, tears the entire time. Rae treats this tale with such absolute respect, and it’s as beautiful as it is hot and sexy. So many stars here!!!

[Lisa Parker]

If you read all of Violet’s books like I do, you briefly met Link in his sister’s book (Dad Bod Mountain Man) where she was in an accident and was rescued by Kurt. Link has had a thing for the baker, Tasha for some time, he thinks she feels the same but then she seems to shut him out. He finally gets her to go on a date and it does not end well. Tasha freezes him out, and he eventually realizes he will have to confront her. She tells him she has Asperger’s and explains what the means that she may not react like most people.

I loved this story, Link went to get lengths to understand his lady, being different should never be a deal breaker.

I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily leaving a review.

[Antoinette Jones]

Violet Rae you got me crying!! 😭

Omg I loved this book so much!! I love it when an author writes romances with characters that are very special, beautiful and amazing. Link and Tasha grabbed my heart in this book. I'm not going to say much so I don't ruin the book for future readers. Just know that Violet Rae got this reader tearing up because this book was that great. Reading the journey that Link and Tasha took to get to their HEA was so heartfelt and rewarding. The epilogue was beyond my expectations! I just wish the book could've been longer. If you love instalove books that have substance, steamy scenes, passion with slight drama, then you'll love this book. I guarantee it will make you smile and possibly shed a tear or two. But it's all worth it.

[Stacey Foss]

Link and Tasha are so sweet together. Link has the patience and understanding to a fault. He knows that not everyone can be communicated to the same way due to his sister loosing her hearing. Tasha has Asperger's and doesn't take the cue a regular person might take but wants to try. The two of them are so good together he makes you swoon at how he is with her. This is a super quick read but makes your heart melt. Link is just the sweetest and tries so hard to be what she needs and helps her get past some of the issues she has. Absolutely a wonderful read.
I was given this book as an ARC for my honest review.

[Noreen Hussain]

A sweet short romantic read🥰loved Link and Tasha's story.Tasha has Asperger's and likes everything done in a certain way,any changes make her anxious.Link fell in love with Tasha as soon as she came to town and finally asks her out.Their date does not go well,when Link finds out the reason,he tries to reassure Tasha he will be there for her and make it work.Their love story is beautiful,made my heart melt.
Violet rae is a new author to me,but the couple of books i have read,i have really enjoyed😊I was given an arc of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sabrina Flachsmann]

Very impactful and emotional. I loved having the dual POV for each character. Having met Tasha in a previous story, I was curious about her story. It was nice to see how someone with Asperger’s was portrayed - showing that there is nothing wrong with having a disorder, that their love story just might look a bit different than any of the other instalove stories we might read. I loved getting to know both of these people and admired their devotion to each other. It helped push them to continue to work things out by talking and communicating which can be just as sexy.

[Tesh]

l loved this. Bringing out about diversity and how it affects lives. So good!
Tash runs a bakery And Link is her everyday customer till he asks her in a date.
I really enjoyed how Aspergers affects daily lives of both the sufferers and the ones who loved them and this was shown in a sensitive and interesting way.
I also liked the way Tash was wanting the intimacy but didn't know how to show she was enjoying it. Physical and emotional queues. Shown in a thought provoking way.
Such a great story!!!
This was an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Sarah Nielsen]

This was a very different type of romance from what I’ve read before. I really liked it and that it brought focus to the fact that we are not all the same and some of us experience the world differently. I have very little experience with people on the spectrum so I don’t know if it was correctly portrayed but I really liked it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Trixie]

I now have a better understanding of a person with Asperger Syndrome. The author has presented it from two points of view, giving us a glimpse on how they think and the reaction most of us make when we encounter some things like that. Our MMC made an impression on me, he took the effort to show her that she is loved.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Bing]

This was a fab heartwarming story and I loved getting both POVs to fully understand where they were coming from. Tasha was on the Spectrum and Link did have to take extra steps to better understand how to fully connect with her but it was wonderful to follow them along and see them achieve their HEA. It's a well written story that showcased how love can find a way, even if it has to take a different path. Well done!

[Gladys Mills]

Claiming Valentine. This book was so interesting to me. I realized how important it is to make my words clearer. Tasha is living with a disorder that makes it hard to understand people socially. Link is interested in Tasha, but not sure she likes him. He finally gets the nerve to ask her out,but something goes wrong and now they avoid one another. What happened to change their feelings? Read the book and find out. Great read?

[Jennifer]

A sweet story with a sweet couple

I liked how the H tried to understand, after some bumps, how to relate to her. What I didn't like was that he has so much love/respect for her, but he pushes for them to sleep together on the first date. He stops the second he thinks she isn't into it; she was but didn't know how to show it. But if he really respected her, he wouldn't have tried to move them along so quick.

[Shannon]

I really enjoyed this story. Sweet and steamy, Link meets Tasha through her bakery and is immediately interested in getting to know her. However Tasha has Asperger's Syndrome and doesn't relate to people in a way that they are used so when Link flirts with her she doesn't realize it. As Link get to know Tasha he knows he will do anything to get to know and understand her more. Well-written story, sweet storyline and really wonderful characters.

[Linda Elliott]

A simple book And a very short book But But it moves the soul

A baker and a auto mechanic That's what the story is about or who the story is about. She has autism asperger's disease And he doesn't know it so this is about their relationship and getting to know each other and having feelings. The ending is sweet And both of us are And both of us are personality author writes about is very endearing.

[Alayna]

Book 7 of the Claiming series and one of my favorite series by this author.

This one focused on Tasha and Link and how they navigated through and overcome some hurdles in the beginning of their relationship. I definitely recommend this book and the series as a whole for anyone looking for some seriously amazing love stories. Great job overall!

[Krissy C]

Rating 4.5 stars
Received as an ARC and leaving my honest review. This was a sweet romance that shed light on Asperger's syndrome as the female lead Tasha has autism but is high functioning. Reading about her struggles was emotion tugging and seeing how open, sweet and supportive Link is, is just so heart-warming. You can't help but smile when they find their HEA.

[Wendy Christine Gregory]

Great Story!

I loved this story in the claiming series. Tasha and Link are both amazing. This story is a must read, even if you have not read any of the other claiming series. However, the claiming series is really awesome, sweet, funny, and with characters that make your heart melt.

[Victoria Wyatt]

Link has been infatuated with Natasha since he first laid eyes on her. Natasha aka Tasha owns a bakery and she is different. Link is unsure if she likes him and things go a little wrong on their date. It is really a sweet story, the way he was with her was touching.

I received this copy from the author and my honest review is voluntary

[Ashley Crimmins]

Sweet

I just love how great Violet Rae is about intertwining characters throughout her stories. We’ve met both Natasha and Link in two separate stories. It was time for them to fall in love! I loved gaining insight into Asperger’s Syndrome as well. Link was so patient and understanding once he figured out why she sent him home on their date.