My Valentine Adventure

by Amber Daulton

Parker Townsend raised his children alone after he lost his wife, but then he’s roped into an unwanted blind date after his two little hellions placed a “Mom Wanted” ad in the local paper.
Claire Lauer answered the want ad with few expectations and met Parker on Valentine’s Day, a day she hated with a passion. As an animal rights activist and a divorcée, she felt more comfortable with a placard in her hand than in the company of a handsome man with emotional baggage.
After a protest takes a turn for the worse, she seeks shelter in her date’s arms and loses time in his bed. Will Parker and Claire find the courage to lay their fragile hearts on the line, or will they forever live in a world of gray?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance

61 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 18, 2019

About the author

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.
Curious about her favorite books? Check out Arresting Mason and Arresting Jeremiah.

Reviews

[Julie - One Book More · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Valentine Adventure by Amber Daulton is a short contemporary romance about starting over. The story focuses on the first memorable date between Claire and Parker, two people that are still healing from past relationships. Neither is looking forward to a romantic Valentine’s Day date, and though they meet under unusual circumstances (his children placed an ad in the paper), their connection is instant.

Claire is a passionate, tender-hearted woman with strong beliefs and conviction. Her passion inspires Parker, who hasn’t felt drawn to a woman since the death of his wife. Parker also ignites feelings that Claire hasn’t felt since her divorce. I also like that Parker steps out of his comfort zone and encourages Claire’s passion for protecting animals rights. Realistic and interesting, Parker and Claire are nicely developed characters with strong morals and family values. They are a well-suited pair, and they have the potential for an epic romance.

Messages about starting over, not living in the past, embracing the future, and protecting those who can’t protect themselves are seamlessly woven into the story. I love that the author highlighted relevant, relatable, and important topics into Parker and Claire’s romance.

I enjoyed this quick and steamy romance and loved that these deserving characters took a risk to find a second chance at love. I also really liked the secondary characters, including Parker’s humorous and caring brother, Claire’s mom and friends, and Claire and Parker’s kids. Readers looking for a quick and steamy contemporary romance will love this one!

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book off of Amazon and mainly because I like the author and her books. This book did not let me down at all.
Here you have Parker who is now a single father of two children, they lost their mother and he lost his wife to leukemia. The two feel that it is time for their father to find them a mother and though he says yes, they see no action. So, they take matters into their own hands and go to their uncle and place an ad in the local paper. Said uncle screens calls as to who he feels along with the two children would be suitable.
Meanwhile, Claire is dealing with a similar situation with her daughter and mother after some time she decides to go on the date and figures at least she can get out of the house and get a meal. Each is surprised at first how the other looks but Parker is not making anything easy until finally, he decides to go with the conversation finding out that they do have some same thoughts about things. The big difference is that she protests and he gives money. So, he goes with her and finds himself even more attracted to her by her passion for what she believes in, even if it is something that he is working on.
I found this to be a very good story of two people finding a second chance at love but with different people and with a different kind of love than what they had the first time. A very good story with wonderful characters.

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 5 out of 5]

For being short, this story had all the elements needed in those 60 pages for a full-on manuscript of a couple hundred pages. There are some books I have read that have pages that number in the hundreds that don’t give off the same feeling good feelings this one does.
It was funny in the way you had two brothers who liked to play jokes on one another as well as one-up each other. Then you have the touching way you have two young children ten and five who are worried about their father Parker Townsend.
You see three years ago Parker and his children, Richie and Tammy lost Cynthia, his beloved wife to leukemia. Since then Parker has been doing his best to get by. The thing is the children have waited long enough.
They have been asking Parker for a new mommy and nothing. So, they decided to take out an ad for a mom wanted. Since their uncle works at the paper in classified he was able to put his phone number to screen the calls. When they narrowed it down, Tammy, Niles wife, and Parker’s children went to scope her out.
Then, Niles acting like his younger brother, Parker, set up the date for that Valentine’s evening. Claire Lauer had agreed a few days before. Niles had made reservations at a very swanky restaurant. It’s all set except for one thing. He has to calls and tells Parker the morning of Valentine or he won’t go.
Parker wants to be angry with his kids but when he sees their sad faces when they know how angry he is at their uncle he can’t be mad at them. But he can at his brother. So, he sugars up the kids before his brother picks them up for the overnighter. Pay back is a bitch.
When he sees Claire, he is speechless. She is nothing that he expects. You see she is a vegetarian, an activist, and a woman looking for love in the want ads. See how these two get n. You won’t want to miss it. I give it 5 stars. Provided author.
Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parker and Claire's Story . . .

This is an adorable story that will touch your heart and stir up your emotions. Parker Townsend and Claire Lauer were not looking for anyone special, even though both were now single parents. Parker is a widower and his sweet children arrange for an ad in the paper advertising “Mom Wanted”. Claire’s young daughter urges her to respond. And since it is just in time for Valentine’s Day, the couple grudgingly agree to the date. To everyone’s surprise, there is a definite attraction there.

Claire divorced her cheating lawyer husband and has done fine on her own raising her 10-year-old daughter, Kaylie. Claire is an animal rights activist and can be outspoken when her passions run away with her. Despite the difference in their personalities, will Claire and Parker decide to take a chance on each other?

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella was such a treat! I love holiday themed romances, one of my favorite genres! The premise of this one was a lot of fun. Parker has been raising his two kids alone after the death of his wife, and they recently put an ad for “mom wanted” in the local paper. Claire, a divorced mother, thinks she’s been chatting with Parker, but really, it’s been his brother (who was a hoot), who manages to get the two of them into the same restaurant. I loved the connection between these two, and loved intense Claire, who immediately drags Parker to an animal rights protest. This was the perfect length for readers who want a short romance read that has spice and characters rebuilding their lives after some bumps in the road. Enjoyed it! 5/5 stars.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from the author for review purposes.

[Raecharmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire and Parker are both single parents. Parker's kids place an ad for a mom and when Claire's daughter urges her to answer she agrees to. When Parker and Claire meet sparks fly between them. Each is wary of trying again. Will something more come from their first date? Can they move on together?

This is a great story that will hook you in the first chapter. This is a well written and very entertaining story. I would recommend this book to any book lover.

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

[Elizabeth Greenfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want an easy read with a small bit of spice then this is a book to read. The story is face paced so the story hooks you in quickly with well written main characters. The back story about the main characters is established in the first few chapters making the plot easy to follow along while being well written and researched. The book contains stuff surrounding animal rights and this was sympathetic written and well researched meaning it was way to understand the characters passion around this subject. Overall I felt this was an enjoyable read

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parker has been a widower for three years and not ready to move on when his two children place a "Wife Wanted" ad. He ends up on a blind date with divorced Claire who is a animal rights activist and a vegetarian. They did not expect this date to go as well as it did but they are both attracted to each other and know they have met their special one.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tracy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Valentine Adventure
by
Amber Daulton

Parker's two kids put out an ad for him a date. His brother answers the ad and sets a date for Valentine's day. Claire answers the ad just to make her daughter happy.. This is a good story and one I recommend you read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Esme Greiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parker and Claire agree to a blind date at their children's urging. Neither feels ready for a relationship but give it a try. They do have a good connection and hit it off. Will they find love a together giving love a second chance?.

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

[Amanda Kay Storts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story. I couldn't put it down ,it is a great read and I enjoyed it very much . I loved the storyline .Valentine's stories are so fun to read .
.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[SEng · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Claire and Parker’s story. I really enjoyed this fun sweet romance and how these two get together for their first date. This is so entertaining; I want to read more. I received an arc of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun holiday read! It is fairly quick and short story about Parker and Claire. It is a second chance for two people who have been hurt by love and are trying to heal. This is an entertaining and steamy read with wonderful and likable characters.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, steamy romance. Second chance romance with deserving characters.

[Colleen C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta Love Family...
What a fun quick read! You have likable characters, instant attraction, and a story that is entertaining while it moves fast. I enjoyed it!

[Kathy Heare Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

ANSWERING THE MOM WANTED AD

What a sweet, sexy, fun story of second chances and new beginnings. Take two people who both have had heartache, each raising child/children, and both typically avoiding the dating scene. Take children that want more for their parent, throw in Cupid for Valentine’s Day, dinner, a protest and a night of passion, what more could you want.

Parker Townsend lost his wife Cynthia to cancer, and he is raising their two children, Richie, age 10 and Tammy, age 5. He has had the blind dates, but nothing has every worked, and he is skeptical. What happens when his kids place a ‘Mom Wanted’ ad and his brother, Niles, post the ad in the newspaper?

Claire Lauer is divorced after her lawyer husband cheated on her and then decided he wanted to move on. She is a vegetarian, animal rights activist, very outspoken, beautiful, curvy woman. She has a daughter, Kaylie, who is ten years old and she is the one who encouraged her mother to answer the ad.

Two people, neither one honestly looking hard for that special someone in their life, agreeing to a Valentine date, mostly to appease the children. What neither one expected was to find chemistry and act upon it. Together, they see that his yin to her yang, similar interest, and passionate nature, that this relationship is worth taking a chance on. “You’re laid back and understanding. I’m opinionated, high strung and a little bossy.”

Disclosure: I was provided an e-copy and volunteered to provide a review. All thoughts, opinions, and ratings are my own.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Valentine Adventure is a short, fun read. The premise was cute; I liked that Parker's kids put in the ad for him and his older brother's clandestine involvement. The characters are nicely developed for a novella, though the action is definitely truncated--most of the novella is their Valentine's Day date and the morning after, then we briefly jump forward in time to when they've been in a relationship for a while, and then the story's over. I'd have loved to have seen more in between--how their respective kids got along, for one thing, and some more of their early relationship.

It was and enjoyable story, though it definitely could be fleshed out into a longer story. Some things were briefly brought up a few times but then ended up being a nonissue (the fact that the company Parker worked for supplied the power for the circus, for example--he was worried about Claire finding this fact out initially, but then it wasn't mentioned later), which seemed odd. There were a few odd phrasings here and there, but overall the writing flowed rather smoothly.

This was a new-to-me author; I'd give her books another look in the future. This one was a pleasant way to spend a cozy weekend morning reading in bed.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars / B-

I received complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kara Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always hesitant of reading / reviewing novellas because it takes a certain finesse to get the pacing right without it feeling like a case of insta-love strapped to a runaway freight train. I'm thrilled to say Ms. Daulton has mastered this skill! I was very pleasantly surprised with how well rounded both the characters were and how, despite being shorter in length, the story and their love developed at a reasonable and believable pace.

As a big animal lover myself, I absolutely LOVED the aspect of the animal rights activists, and whoa! Talk about a crazy first date. It was fun and unique and it seriously made me want to hunt down more books with this angle.

There were a few word choices and phrases that made me cringe during the one sex scene. But, I'm pretty sure this is nothing more than a personal preference and probably won't bother others, but it was enough to briefly pull me out of the story.

I'm typically left wanting more after reading novellas, but not this time. This was the perfect story at the perfect length. Everything was nicely resolved by the end, and I reached the last page with a big smile on my face. If you're looking for a quick, sweet read, then this is definitely the story for you! Pick it up, you won't regret it :)

[Sarah Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** Reviewed for Amo’s and Sarah’s Book Corner ***

This really was a little treat. I love me a bit of insta-love in all honesty.

After Parkers children decide that he’s lonely after losing his wife/their mommy to cancer. Parker’s son Richie enlists his uncle in placing an ad in the classified section of the local newspaper under ‘MOM WANTED’ without Parker knowing.

Claire a divorcee of one and a human rights activist gets sent on a date by her 10 year old daughter Kaylie because she wants her to be happy, after answering the ad and talking Claire in to ringing and confirming she would attend, she meets Parker a Italian restaurant and they hit it off almost straight away, and then their date really does turn into an adventure!

This is a short novella told in third person and like I said I love me a bit of insta-love. This is quirky and fun with no angst whatsoever and just what I needed after the heavy emotional books I’ve been reading lately. This is my first Amber Daulton book and I must say she impressed me with her writing style and I’ll definitely be reading more of her books.

Well done Amber. I loved Parker and Claire!

Reviewed by Sarah!

[Badass Bloggettes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a new author to my reading portfolio and someone who I would look up in future. I love when an author does a novella; I always feel it is a further insight to characters.

This novella was lovely; it really tugged at my heart strings with the fact that initially it was the children and their uncle who were the instigators of the whole newspaper ad. Priceless!!!!

The way the characters start out in the novella was lovely to read, the way their Valentine’s Day date and the next morning was good to read about, however, when we then jump ahead to their lives now I was a bit “Oh is that it” as after that the story concludes.

As much as I really enjoyed the writing, I really would have liked to see these characters develop over the time gap and how everyone got along, I do know that doing that would not make it a novella but it still would have been nice to have more in there than the time jump.

I did enjoy this book though, don’t get me wrong, I think it if was longer into a novel it would have been more enjoyable for me.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY VALENTINE ADVENTURE IS A CUTE ROMANCE WHICH MAKES YOU WANT TO LAUGH AND CRY. CLAIRE AND PARKER'S CHILDREN PUT AN AD IN THE NEWSPAPER PLAYING MATCHMAKER FOR BOTH OF THEIR PARENTS. NEITHER PARKER OR CLAIRE WANT TO TO GO ON THIS BLIND DATE. WHEN THEY MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME, THERE IS INSTANT CHEMISTRY. PARKER AND CLAIRE REALIZE THEY HAVE ALOT IN COMMON AND ARE SO COMFORTABLE WITH ONE ANOTHER. WILL PARKER AND CLAIRE BE ABLE TO MOVE ON FROM THEIR PAST?

I REALLY ENJOYED PARKER AND CLAIRE'S LOVE STORY. THEY WERE DEFINITELY MEANT TO BE TOGETHER. THERE WAS SO MUCH CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THEM. I LOVED THE ANIMAL PROTESTS AND HOW CLAIRE WAS SO BIG IN PROTECTING ANIMALS. IT MADE THE STORY SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING. AMBER HAS DONE ANOTHER GREAT JOB WITH THIS STORY. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SWEET ROMANTIC LOVE STORY, I RECOMMEND MY VALENTINE ADVENTURE. IT IS A REALLY ENJOYABLE READ.

[Tammy Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful tale of two people finding love after tragedy. Parker lost his wife to an illness while Claire's marriage ended in divorce. Neither of the two take kindly to blind dates. Parker's kids get his brother to post an ad. Claire responds to it after some prodding from her ten year old daughter. Parker's brother, filters the incoming calls and chooses from what he thinks are the most promising before telling his brother what he and his children have done. After having several blind dates that have ended in disaster, this date will change Parker and Claire's lives forever. This story will leave your heart smiling...

[Judy Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Valentine's romance has a very cute premise. A widower's children place a want ad to get him a date. He's unwilling, but when his date surpasses expections, he is quick to realize he is ready to date again. But when he finds out she's a staunch activist, will he change his mind? Enjoyable read.