Flirting with Forever

Island Bliss #1

by Kim Boykin

Forty-year-old Tara Jordan’s first book, The Perfect Marriage in 30 Days, is at the top of the bestseller lists, and her publisher wants her on a book tour ASAP. Tara’s about to live her dream only there’s one problem. Her husband of 15 years has just walked out, leaving Tara on the brink of financial ruin with no choice but to promote a self-help book about marriage when hers is secretly in ruins.

Enter publicist Jake Randall, 30, who’s had it with hand holding newbie authors channeling their inner divas on their first book tours, until he meets Tara. Their instant attraction blossoms quickly into love. Tara thinks she has achieved her dreams and earned her license to thrive until her husband, Jim returns determined to win her back.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Amazon, Ebooks, Novella

142 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 2014

About the author

Kim Boykin was raised in her South Carolina home with two girly sisters and great parents. She had a happy, boring childhood, which sucks if you’re a writer because you have to create your own crazy. PLUS after you’re published and you’re being interviewed, it’s very appealing when the author actually lived in Crazy Town or somewhere in the general vicinity.

Almost everything she learned about writing, she learned from her grandpa, an oral storyteller, who was a master teacher of pacing and sensory detail. He held court under an old mimosa tree on the family farm, and people used to come from all around to hear him tell stories about growing up in rural Georgia and share his unique take on the world.

As a stay-at-home mom, Kim started writing, grabbing snip-its of time in the car rider line or on the bleachers at swim practice. After her kids left the nest, she started submitting her work, sold her first novel at 53, and has been writing like crazy ever since.

Thanks to the lessons she learned under that mimosa tree, her books are well reviewed and, according to RT Book Reviews, feel like they’re being told across a kitchen table. She is the author of A Peach of a Pair (8/4/2015), Palmetto Moon and The Wisdom of Hair and Echoes of Mercy, all women's fiction novels. Contemporary romance novellas include: Caught Up In You, Steal Me, Cowboy,Just in Time for Christmas, Sweet Home Carolina, Flirting with Forever, and She's the One from Tule Publishing.

While her heart is always in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, she now lives in Sedona, Arizona, the creative center of the universe, or her universe.

Reviews

[Debbie Oliphant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick easy, breezy read but with a lot of substance. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next installment in the series

[Coco.V]

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[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was taken with the premise of this one and had never read the author which is an irresistible combo. The eye catching color palette and couple on the cover didn't hurt either. The story managed to go deep quickly and read almost like a women's fiction more so than a contemporary romance, but either way it was a fast, satisfying read.

Forty year old, Tara Jordan has fulfilled her dream of being a successful published author only to have her personal life fall apart as a result. Her bestselling book is a self-help into keeping a marriage alive and vibrant. Her husband never did pay attention to her writing or read her books, but just after he gets around to reading this one, he leaves her high and dry after cleaning out their joint bank accounts with no word of where or if its for good. Tara's life is falling apart at the same time as her publisher needs her on a talk show circuit and book tour.

Jake Randall finally gets his break in the publishing industry, but holding the hand of entitled prima dona celebrities writing books is souring him on it fast. Then he is given yet another charge to hand hold through her moment of fame right when he was planning a much needed vacation. Only, it doesn't take long for him to realize that he had Tara all wrong and not only that, it is now him that struggles with keeping on the right side of the professional line with his behavior. She is a decade older than him and her emotions are in a fragile state, but he wants nothing more than to be with Tara. Will she give their attraction a chance or will she go back to a husband of fifteen years if he shows up?

This story offers tender, heartbreaking scenes, humorous moments, a little passion and romance set against the world of a breakout bestselling author and the publishing industry. It also has some Low Country coastal scenes too. It moved along rather quickly since it had a shorter page count for a novel, but the pacing was fine. The romance came on fast after the initial attraction and I could have liked more from it, but it wasn't a disappointment. Tara and Jake just clicked and it worked for me because they were in one of those situations where they were isolated in a sense since he traveled with her on book tour and to do the TV stuff so it allowed for friendship and romance to develop faster. They were pretty passionate and some of it was a result of Tara's circumstances, but it never felt like she was using Jake. He is his own man and Tara appreciates his finer qualities and how it is so very different being with Jake. I loved the build up to the big moment of will she or won't she when the inevitable happened and her husband reappeared and the little twists that made things even more interesting. I knew it was coming and yet the big moments didn't disappoint. The epilogue was a nice touch.

All in all, it was a good choice for a fast, yet fulfilling read that I happily recommend to lovers of just slightly spicy Contemporary Romance.

My thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this one in exchange for an honest review.

[Eve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah…this one gets a no from me unfortunately. It was somehow simultaneously not giving a lot but also giving too much. Sure, the concept was decent but the writing was not the one to say the least. Tara and Jake had absolutely no reason to fall in love, they knew each other for like a day and they were both not great during that time. The POVs where annoying, there isn’t any indication at all when it changes, you just have to use contact clues. The ending was atrocious. It through a climactic spanner in the works at the end but didn’t show it getting resolved, just jumped to a shitty sort of epilogue that I really couldn’t give one singular damn about. I’m sorry but this was not good.

[Jo-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tara Jordan has written 20 romance novels that were never published but when she writes the non-fiction book The Perfect Marriage in 30 Days it's a best seller and her life changes. Her publicist gets her a huge book tour which includes talk shows, book signings and readings. Her husband has never read any of her books but decides to read this one to find out what all the fuss is about. Once he does, he leaves her without any explanation, cleaning out their bank accounts on his way. Even though Tara feels like a fraud she has no choice but to go on the tour because of the massive debts she was left with.

Just before leaving for the tour, the publicist has an injury and can't go so Jake Randall replaces her. 30 year old Jake thinks this is his chance to finally make it in the industry but isn't looking forward to it for a few reasons. One is that he is just about to leave on vacation when he has to change his plans and go on the book tour with Tara. Another reason is that he expects Tara to be diva like most of the authors he has had to "babysit". Because of this he is quite a jerk when he first meets her. They are both surprised when an attraction forms.

I loved that Jake the jerk was not expecting Tara to be such a natural at speaking and connecting with her fans as well as an all-round nice person. The author did a great job of describing their complicated relationship. Poor Jake doesn't know that Tara's husband left her and thinks she is married so he hides his feelings for her. We also find out that Jake realized that Tara is hiding something that makes it hard for him to do his job so he confronts her about it. She spills the beans about her husband leaving and she is afraid the public will find out, giving her very bad publicity for her book.

Everything is working out well for the couple as they hide their romantic relationship from the public and the publishing company. It's hard to know who to feel sorry for when near the end of the tour Tara's husband shows up and wants her back.

The character development in Flirting With Forever was wonderfully done. I had to admire Tara for moving on with her life when her husband deserted her. While Jake started out being a jerk, he turned into a kind and considerate man who watched out for Tara, helping her keep her secret.

I liked that Tara was 40 and not much younger like most heroines these days. I was surprised that her husband was 55 because I thought that was pretty old for her. And I was also surprised that the fact that he was so much older than her was not mentioned in the book. Then Tara's new love interest was only 30! That was refreshing to read about. It didn't make sense to me that Tara was constantly worried about the age difference with him but never with her husband. Go figure.

I really enjoyed reading this book with the smooth writing style so I recommend it to any romance reader.

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tara is a successful writer. Her book The Perfect Marriage in 30 Days is a bestseller. Her publisher wants her to go on a book tour to promote the book even further. There's only one small problem, after Tara's husband read his wife's inner thoughts he left her and he took all of their money with him. Tara has no choice and has to do the tour to make sure she won't go bankrupt. Will she be able to pull it off, while she's hiding such a big secret from her audience?

Publicist Jake isn't happy with his new assignment. He wasn't supposed to work on Tara's tour and doesn't think much of her. However, when he meets her he changes his opinion. Tara isn't the spoiled woman he expected her to be and this intrigues him. There's plenty of attraction between them, but Tara's husband has just left her and there's a ten-year age gap. Will Tara's husband be back eventually or is Tara free to do what she wants? Will Jake and Tara have a chance together?

Flirting with Forever is a wonderful romantic story. I loved Tara. She's smart, resourceful and talented. I could easily imagine why her audience loves her so much, which made reading about her book extra interesting for me. I loved the way Kim Boykin describes her profession and it was fun to find out more about Tara's book tour. Tara and Jake have a lot in common, but their circumstances aren't ideal. I was curious to find out if they'd be able to give in to their feelings and kept hoping they'd get their happily ever after.

Kim Boykin has a great descriptive writing style that makes her stories come to life incredibly well. I love the way she writes about feelings and could easily picture Tara's dilemma. It's an interesting idea for a story and I liked the execution a lot. I'm a big fan of books about authors and their hopes and dreams and Flirting with Forever is a fabulous one. It's an entertaining romantic story filled with fascinating twists and turns. I enjoyed reading this charming book very much.

[T.H. Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

3-1/2 Stars. Flirting With Forever is a very sweet romance, almost too sweet for an adult contemporary, and yet it works. So much of what I’ve read in the genre lately has steamy sex scenes which Flirting is completely devoid of. Even so, there’s enough heat, but just barely. From an aspiring author’s perspective, I loved the newly-published author angle. It was fun to watch Tara navigate the world of publishing success and to see the inner workings of the publicity machine in action.

Kim Boykin does a good job of differentiating her characters, but her switch to third-person when she’s giving us Jake’s point of view is a little jarring at first. I eventually got used to it, but it always made me feel more distant from him than I did Tara. Perhaps that was the author’s intent. A few things didn’t quite seem to fit for me, including Jim’s tirade when he first shows up after abandoning Tara. But nothing was really too much to keep me from enjoying the story.

Plot
The plot was entertaining, although not particularly groundbreaking. I found some of it predictable, but there were just enough unexpected twists to keep it from being too predictable. The ending wraps up a little too cleanly for me. I almost felt like the resolution was too easy. There was potential for some added conflict, but overall, I came away feeling satisfied with the conclusion.

Characters
Tara was fabulous. I’ll admit, I didn’t care much for her in the beginning. The way she seemed to wallow in her abandonment made me want to smack some sense into her. But that worked out well, because watching her grow was so much more fun. Jake is adorable without being too roguish or too perfect, although I felt his transformation was too quick. Then again, the third-person point of view kept me at arms-length, so I wasn’t as fully inside his head as I was Tara’s. If I’d known him better, his progression may have flowed more naturally. It’s possible the initial personality he displays is what was out of character for him.

Bottom Line
This is a very sweet contemporary romance with likeable characters and an interesting subplot. If you like your romance on the clean side, Flirting with Forever is a winner.

Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Kerry Croucier · Rating 5 out of 5]

After having 26 of her romance novels rejected, Tara Jordan has finally succeeded as an author with her non-fiction title "Thirty Days to the Perfect Marriage." With her book at the top of the charts, her husband of 15 years finally decides to read something she has written and promptly walks out, cleaning out their accounts and leaving her with two huge mortgages and no way to pay them, except to accept the book-tour and special appearances her publisher has set up for her. Falling apart and telling no one, she puts her brave face on and agrees. When a freak accident lands her publicist in the hospital, 30-year old Jake Randall takes over.
Jake, used to celebrity that couldn't write but expected everything and then some, is thrown for a loop by Tara who is not only a writer, but a person, and a very attractive one. His attraction is instant, and soon he learns her secret and fights to protect her and their growing relationship. When Tara's husband shows up near the end of the tour, Tara has to decide if she is going to take her husband back or take a chance with Jake. She also has to decide whether
Tara was such a real person character. At her biggest success her life was falling apart, and her with it. When she finally steps back and takes a look at her life, she works hard to move forward and be happy. Jake was an amazing jerk to her in the beginning, but just being herself she won him over and found her true love. The more I learned of her life with her husband, the more I found myself respecting the way she pulled herself up and moved on. Even to the end, she garners respect from everyone, including her estranged husband, just for being herself. I love Tara, and anyone who has been through anything remotely like this will see how true to life her feelings and actions are.
This is the first book in the Island Bliss series, and I am very curious to see who Kim Boykin will focus on in the next book and whether they will return to the beautiful settings.

[Mary Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tara Jordan is a writer who has finally sold a book, a nonfiction book titled The Perfect Marriage In 30 Days. Many people have read it and claim that it has helped in their marriages. Her husband reads the book and, after reading it, disappears without a word. Talk about ironic, the book that is helping to save hundreds of marriages has caused hers to end. Let with huge mortgages and debts, Tara agrees to go on a book tour to promote her book even more. She is afraid someone will find out about her husbands leaving but she needs the money so she agrees.

When her publicist is injured (from grabbing Tara’s suitcase), Jake Randall steps in to help with the tour. He is not happy about being stuck with another author on a tour, but he agrees to help out. Little does he know how much the book tour will change his life and help him to find what he has been always looking for. But of course there is a conflict when, before the tour ends, Tara’s missing husband returns and wants her back.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The characters are well developed and well rounded and likable. The dialogue is crisp and realistic and there are many funny incidents that happen throughout the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written romance. I have read other books by Kim Boykin and have enjoyed them all. She is an author that knows how to write about romance and life that keeps the reader hooked. This is the first book in the Island Bliss series and it is a great start to a series.

I received a free copy of Flirting With Forever from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Tule Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Laura D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tara has a besting selling book about how to have the perfect marriage, then her husband leaves her. Not only does he leave, he takes all the money and leaves her with the bills. He is jealous and upset over the success of her book. He realizes that they never had the kind of marriage she writes about. She ends up reluctantly going on a book tour to generate some income, even though she feels like a fraud since her husband has left her. When her publicist has an accident Jake takes over. Despite their instant attraction, Jake holds back because she is married. Once she tells him the whole story he protects her from the media and her husband. Sometimes you have to take a step back to see what is missing in your own relationship. By doing this Tara is able to get rid of the old and move on with her life. Sometimes what you think you want needs to make way for the happiness you deserve. It is a story about self discovery, acknowledging what is lacking in your life and being determined to be happy. I really enjoyed this book.

[Shelagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just finished reading Flirting With Forever and I loved every minute of it. This was my second Kim Boykin book and I loved it just as much as the first. It flowed beautifully and I found if hard to put down. The story moved seamlessly from the first person to the third to the point that I hardly noticed the switch. I liked this tool in this book as if helped me to delineate between Tara's story and Jake's. It was nice reading about an older woman for a change, and I found myself relating to Tara's concerns about being too old for Jake. I liked that for Jake this was never an issue. These two clicked from the start! This is a really good book! Recommended!

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. If you are looking for a sweet read with a little bit of humor and conflict this is the one for you. Tara wrote a book about the "perfect" marriage and then as it starts to get national attention her husband up and leaves her. She must go on a book tour and act like everything is perfect in her life without everyone finding out that her husband left and her life is in shambles. Jake is the publicist that gets the job of making sure Tara's tour goes smoothly and he is not happy about it. As they go along he finds out that there is more to Tara than the diva he thought she would be. It is a really sweet story.


I am giving this book 4 out of 5 stars.

[Baca Buku · Rating 2 out of 5]

The synopsis was appealing: 40-year-old woman writes a bestselling nonfiction book on marriage, her 30-year-old male publicist goes on tour with her and they have the hots for each other. Purely physical attraction, it seems. But when I got to reading, I found it uninteresting. The husband disappears after he reads her book but I can't fathom why since the content of the book isn't described. Is there something in it that embarrasses him? Is he made out to be a useless husband?

And then, there are the typos and other linguistic errors. Unacceptable. Plus, in the ebook, the scenes are not separated well and everything just runs on.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Interesting writing in this book--written in both 1st and 3rd person, which I think hurt the depth of the story. (at least for me!) HOWEVER, I loved the relationship these two had, pure sparks which quickly turned to love! The story line was fresh and the characters were fun to get to know. Hoping we see Erin in a future novel!

[Skye Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the cast of characters and the predicament our heroine found herself in. The first meeting with the hero could not have been less likely to end in anything but a book tour from hell, but surprises are great. Then comes Jim, back to claim what's his and everything goes from already bad to worse. Ms. Boykin has written a really fun story you will have a very hard time putting down.

[Jenna Nightwind · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs editor and defined breaks when POV CGANGES

This book is a mess. Missing words, POV changes and time skips with no warning or clarity.

{{spoiler alert}}
She kills off the only character I cared about, Lilly, very early on.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story about finding love after a failed marriage. Fun read!

[Syl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tara Jordan is a prolific romance writer, has been married for fifteen years and then writes a book on how to have the perfect marriage. Just after it gets published her husband leaves her, clears their bank accounts and disappears. She is offered a book tour for the book and decides to do it, even though she’s in pieces about her own marriage and having to hide her impending divorce. The replacement publicist assigned to tour with her is young, gorgeous and likes her; a lot! Jake is about to go on a much needed vacation and hates diva authors so immediately treats Tara as though she’s one. Sparkles fly. It’s not long though, before sparks of a different kind start flying. Tara worries because he’s ten years younger, handsome and so very different from her husband, Jim. What happens when Jim turns up near the end of her tour and tries to get her back? He reveals a secret he’s kept from her for years.

I loved this book and will certainly look out for the next one!

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes and No

Romance novels are usually told with two viewpoints so the reader lives the story through the eyes of both sides of the couple. Sections are usually differentiated by chapter, or at least graphically with a wide space or a small design. In the ebook at least, viewpoints in this tale flip paragraph by scene by paragraph, with no warning. I found this very disconcerting and had to reread many passages because the initial reading had confused me. Also, the ending disturbed me. Tara's handling of a serious betrayal could only have been imagined by a lucky someone who had never experienced that form of torture, and the action set up in the next-to-last chapter begged for more than a mere paragraphs-long, 5-months-later summary. I was disappointed by the book.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My lower rating is mostly because it started out smooth and really pulled me in but then as soon as Jake entered it suddenly got very choppy. From one paragraph or even sentence to the next we would flip POV or jump in time and/or place without any warning! And it happened repeatedly from then till the very end! I got so frustrated trying to keep up with who was talking and where and when we were!
The story was mostly good but it seems like there should’ve been a little more time between the traumatic events in Tara’s life and her falling deeply in love with another man. It all happened so quickly that it’s more believable that she just needed saving which really didn’t fit since their relationship felt real.
A little tweaking and this could’ve easily been a 5 star read.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Likable story

It saddens me when an author goes to great lengths to write, get her book published and she is let down by the editorial staff and proof readers. The number of mistakes are inexcusable and I hope someone takes note and works to correct this. The storyline is good and although it does not flow very easily it is still worth reading. Read the synopsis and then if it floats your boat buy it. 3 Stars from me and I read it from beginning to end.

[Julieb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should have known

I should have known....that this would be a good book. 😊 Every book I have ever read by Tule Publishing has been good. I read A LOT of romance, quite a bit of it is bad, but every author that is published by Tule is fantastic. Congratulations Kim Boykin on being a great writer and having a great publisher.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tara and Finding Forever

Could not put this down once started!! Love Tara!! Okay so add swoon worthy Jake, and fireworks further light up this read!! Won't spoil!! A MUST to read!!

[Anne Turnley]

When is a marriage over?

Year's book on improving your marriage caused her husband to disappear. She is left with 2 expensive homes and finds he has also taken all their money! She is forced to go on a book tour in hopes of making some money. Will this turn her life around?

[Joan E Salisbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

For all of us who might have a great story or five we’d love to tell this is the heroine for you.

[Christina Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great women's book

[Marsha Keeper Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

First reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf

Flirting with Forever hit all of my emotional buttons. I raged at Jim’s arrogance, cruelty and supreme SOB-ness. I laughed at Jake’s attack on a suitcase full of wrinkled clothes and swooned over this knight in shining but dinged a bit armor, I snorted at wine parties at odd times, I cringed at an errant suitcase connecting with a foot, I cried at love’s painful death, I sobbed at the passing of a treasured pet/friend and I rejoiced at the triumph that love can be with the right person.

I “got” this story. It was very real, very painful yet joyful at the same time. When one man can destroy you in a moment, the pain is unbelievable. When one man can help heal you with an embrace and a kept promise, the joy is beyond words.

Tara’s overnight success with her self-help book is the story of many authors, lots of novels until that one takes off – so in reality “overnight” is just a word not reality. She’d never had the support of her husband, he saw what she did as a hobby nothing more but when his friends were talking about his wife’s book he finally picked it up. And walked out the door. His emotional, mental and financial actions devastated Tara to a point of almost madness. The absolute last thing she wanted to do was head out for a book tour, but with their joint accounts cleaned out and mortgage payments due she had little choice.

Jake was heading out for vacation. He did not need to be dragged into taking over Tara’s book tour because of a misdirected suitcase incident. He did not need to babysit one move diva — but here he was, and he wasn’t the least bit happy about it. To say that Jake and Tara got off on the wrong foot would be the understatement of the year. But somehow they managed to pull off that first day’s interview. It was a rocky start, yet slowly Jake realized that Tara was no diva and he was not immune to her charms.

It was a book tour that neither wanted to be on. It would turn into the adventure of their lives and a journey straight into love. They might not have realized it that first day, but that wayward suitcase incident was the best event that had happened to them. The road to a happy ending will be rocky, with a few not so nice characters and problems surrounding them. But in the end love heals, love can last and love makes all the difference.

Looking for a romance that will rocket you on an emotional roller coaster? Then may I suggest you pick up Flirting with Forever. It’s been out for about a year now, and is the starting novel to an enjoyable series. Go find it, sit back with a box of tissues maybe some wine on the side and indulge yourself.

[Chris McFarland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tara Jordan has worked on her writing career just as long as she has worked on her marriage. So when she finally hits a gold mine with a marriage self-help book, her life takes an ironic turn: her husband of fifteen years leaves her, taking all of their money with him. Forced to promote the book in order to pay her mounting mortgage debts, Tara lives in fear that she will be seen as a hypocrite if the world learns of her crumbling marriage, or her growing attraction for her new publicist.

Jake Randall needs a vacation. He is done catering to divas and so-called celebrity authors without an ounce of writing talent in them. When a senior publicist gets her foot crushed by a drunken client she calls Jake to take over for her and handle a month-long book tour with said train-wreck. Little does he know that his first impression of Tara Jordan will be anything but disdainful. Now his problem isn't controlling an unruly client, but keeping a professional distance from a lovely temptation.

While the subject matter of this book is heavy and complicated (abandonment vs. adultery), the tone was not so much. This was a surprisingly easy read with an uplifting message all the way through it. I usually try to stay away from cheating/cruel spouse stories, but this one really played with my perceptions. I have to say I actually reserved judgement on Jim until the very end, then even after that I couldn't really hate him.

Character-wise, this was such a great build-up to a new series. Melissa and Marsha are a riot, and I would love to see Erin get a story of her own. My feelings are mixed on Lou, though. I actually want to challenge Kim Boykin to make me like her. I see potential, but right now, I just don't like her.

Overall, this is a fun and flirty story with an uplifting outlook of some pretty messed up circumstances. It is such an odd combination that it is truly appealing.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

In Flirting With Forever (Island Bliss Book 1) by Kim Boykin, romance writer Tara finally hits it big with her non fiction book about marriage. Her book tops the charts as unexpectedly as her husband suddenly leaving her. Tara is devastated and confused, trying to move on but at the same time wanting answers. When a book tour is offered to her, her dream come true, she can't be happy. Not with everything else going on in her life. But needing the money, Tara puts everything she can aside to go on tour.

Jake is the publicist Tara ends up with when hers is injured. 10 years her junior, Jake is not thrilled with the idea of 'babysitting' an author who is new to everything. As Tara and Jake spend much more time together, getting to know each other, their relationship soon blooms into much more than either of them anticipated. Will it last though? Is Tara ready to move on, even when her husband unexpectedly turns up again?

Flirting With Forever is a quick romantic read about Tara struggling to accept the changes life is throwing at her, and continues to throw at her. At the beginning I felt like I'd jumped into something I had no clue about, and a bit more background or build up might have helped me understand Tara more. I did feel like by the ending of Flirting With Forever I had a bit more of a feeling for Tara. I did enjoy watching Tara's character grow and develop through Flirting With Forever, and feel happy again. I did enjoy Jake's character, how he changed and was more open minded than I thought he would be! I do wish Flirting With Forever could have been a bit longer and deeper, not leaving me feeling so rushed through Tara and Jake's story.

Romance readers looking for a quick romance that will leave some things to the imagination will enjoy Flirting With Forever.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, entertaining read with sympathetic characters. Some of it was a bit too quick--the hero's affections especially bordered a bit on insta-love--and I would have liked to have seen more plot and character development overall. The basic storyline, though, is definite forty-something reader fantasy: finally getting years of work published as an overnight success story *and* attracting the attention of a god-like (as he's described many, many times) man who is ten years your junior. A slight bit of suspension of belief is required, but hey--it's fiction!

First husband? What first husband? ;)

The shift between first (heroine) and third (hero) person point-of-view was a bit jarring at times, as it often switched suddenly and without warning. A few times I was halfway through a paragraph before I knew for sure whose side we were seeing. It was an interesting POV choice, and a challenge to carry off.

If you're looking for a short and sweet read with a hint of southern twang (really, why don't more romance heroes and heroines eat grits? An oversight, surely), Flirting with Forever might just fit the bill. It's a fun bit of escapism perfect for a lazy summer afternoon by the shore.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars / B-

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.