Librarian's note: Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780983475408.
The first time Travis North lays eyes on Liana McDermott, she’s wearing the most hideous bridesmaid dress he’s ever seen. He doesn't immediately recognize the world-famous super model who is attending her cousin Enid's wedding at the country club he owns.
Thanks to Enid's shameless matchmaking, Travis and Liana become acquainted and later embark on a two-week fling intended to be free of emotion and entanglement. As Liana's return to work gets closer, however, Travis wonders how he'll ever let her go when the time comes while Liana considers whether he might be her true north.
Two high-powered careers, two amazing weeks and a love that comes along just once in a lifetime. Is she ready to give up her career for a different kind of life? Does he want the same things she does? After insisting on an emotionless affair, she can't very well ask him. Or can she?
Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and erotic romance. Her series include Gansett Island, Fatal, Treading Water, Butler Vermont and Quantum.
Her books have sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller more than 30 times. She is also a USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, as well as a Speigel bestseller in Germany.
Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.
Join Marie’s mailing list on her website at marieforce.com for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MarieForceAuthor and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/marieforceauthor/. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com.
Another AMAZING book from this terrific writer! True North was a fun and entertaining read. I couldn't put it down.
THE PLOT: In this book we get to read about one of the most famous models in the US and an important business man. Liana McDermott, top beauty every man craves, goes back home to a place far from fame where she can take a rest for her cousin's wedding. There, she decides to get into a fling for 2 weeks with the sexy owner of the place her cousin got married.
THE HEROINE: At the beginning of the story I felt like I didn't care at all for the heroine because I was mad with her for complaining about being beautiful, rich and successful. I thought "I get it, it's hard to be famous but you have so much to be grateful for, so just stop complaining!" Well, after reading this book I realize I didn't get it at all! It was so good to read about this heroine and really understand everything behind fame. You think you get it but you don't, not until you get to read details about their everyday life and realize it really has to be difficult to live like that. So by the middle of the book I was thinking how much I care for her and how sorry I was for thinking she would not be what I wanted. Liana was an amazing heroine and I'm so happy she was able to find Travis!
THE HERO: Now, let's get to the best part -------> TRAVIS, sexy-HAWT-to die for hero. What's not to love about him? He was just perfect. Most of the time I was just thinking: "fine, if she doesn't want you here I am" LOL.
MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR: What I like about Marie's books is that she is able to create amazing heroes and heroines, but not in the way other authors do. Most authors just describe their characters in a way you can't help to love them. They give them ideal personalities and dreamy physical description. They make them say the perfect words and that's it, what's not to love about that? I believe that's the easy way to write romance. But with Marie's books it's different. You get to love them but in a totally different way. Her characters are just real people trying to get through obstacles they need to face. You love them because they get to do the best they can while being just humans.Not magical HEA's, not perfect solutions from nowhere, but hard work to get what they really want. And that's what just makes her books seem so real, like the perfect HEA a friend has just gone through and talked to you about. All this makes me love her books even more.
So all romance fans who have not been introduce to this amazing author, what are you waiting guys? I know I have been giving 5 stars to all Marie's books but only because she totally deserves it. Those who know me and follow my reviews know I would give 1 star to any book who deserves it. I have no problems to say what I think about any book. I totally connected with this author's style and I think you guys will too! Enjoy!
Liana McDermott. Gorgeous supermodel. She’s in town for two weeks to attend her cousin’s wedding as the maid of honor. Which also entails a hideous dress, but that’s not important right now. Travis North. Gorgeous owner of the establishment where the wedding reception is taking place. He sees Liana across the room and sparks fly, despite the fact he doesn’t recognize immediately who he is.
Liana’s cousin, Enid’s wedding coordination contract also has an addendum. Travis has to be the one to take Liana home. But she doesn’t want to go home just yet, so Travis invites her to his apartment to change, but that doesn’t quite go according to plan. Well, it depends on your point of view, really She ends up thinking he’s yet another guy wanting her for her looks. He ends up questioning whether he read the signs right...And they’re at an impasse.
Lucky for all of us, Travis is quite stubborn when he wants something, and he wants Liana. And nothing will stay in his way, not even her mother whom he charms in a matter of minutes, scoring a date with the elusive Liana. Liana, whom her cousin finally convinced she should have a fling. It’s just sex. Well, sweaty sex, so what’s the harm, right? And Travis is just perfect for the job, but first they have to make some rules.
Rule number one: the fling will last for only two weeks, then Liana has to get back to work Rule number two: no one is to know about it, she prefers her stay in town to be a secret Rule number three: no emotions, this is a strictly no-strings-attached sweaty-sex fling, so they won’t fall in love.
The number one isn’t that difficult, she really has to go back to work. Number two and three might prove a little more tricky, though.
Awwwwwwwww. It’s not even a word, it’s a sound, but that’s what comes to mind when thinking about this cute story. Just a plain old awwwwwwwww. Because it was sweet, sexy, romantic, funny, a little bitter-sweet, and a whole lot lovable.
We actually got two love stories packed into one, and though the second one might’ve been just a filler, serving as a catalyst for the one of the two suspense sub-plots (that wasn’t that necessary, mind you), it worked nicely alongside the main romance, and the suspense wasn’t that bad either...And it all ended well.
For the second love-story, that is. The first one, the main one between Liana and Travis was hard work. Because it sure didn’t look good for them in the future. She had her career and contractual obligations, he was firmly rooted in Rhode Island and his fledgling resort. And she sure as heck didn’t know what she really wanted. And here comes the only problem I had with this story. Yes, it’s the heroine (again). The chick had no idea what she really wanted in life. She claimed she didn’t like her supermodel life anymore, all the demands, the media attention, the circus...Yet, she didn’t want to give it all up for Travis and the love she found with him. She claimed she needed to make an informed decision, not based on only two weeks with him. And called him unreasonable, when he just wanted her to choose him...Whatever. And even when she realized she was miserable without him it was him who had to go get her. And still she couldn’t give him a definitive answer. Sheesh. If I don’t like something in women, whether real or fictitious, it’s their indecision. I know, you just can’t decide what you want in life at a moment’s notice, but she’s been in the business for ten years and she knew she didn’t like it. And still she didn’t want to give it up for him.
She should’ve taken her colleague, Jessie, the one living the second romance in this story, as an example. She was younger, yet she didn’t have a problems with giving it all up. And her explanation for dropping all her contracts? “Tell them I’m knocked up.” Doesn’t sound that hard, does it? ;)
Still, despite the heroine’s indecision, this story was one of the best contemporary romance I’ve read in a while. And it was yet more proof that Marie Force should stay on my to-watch list.
For those of you who love contemporary romances with a bit of a “maybe-not-meant-to-be” twist, great characters, filled with romance and humor, this story is for you. Enjoy.
First, I want to make it clear that I didn't finish this book. I got up to 36% and my frustration level hit a boiling point and I just had to stop. I hate having a partially read book in my shelf so maybe someday I'll finish for my own peace of mind but that day is not today.
The characters, the plot, the dialogue are incredibly one dimensional, shallow, predictable, and just so stupid. We can't relate to their "hardship." It's so hard being rich and attractive. The author did try and put in some real problems like Liana losing her privacy or Travis' problems with his mother, and having a special needs brother, but these things are so glazed over that our annoyance of their complaints still make us want to hate them, and I did.
Whine, whine, whine...
- I'm so lonely because everyone is jealous of me and my out of this world beauty, fame, and money. - I've missed out on home cooking because I'm always eating gourmet food from 5 star restaurants all over the world.
I especially hate that the author paints other characters as gorgeous or ugly - like Liana's cousin. As if there's nothing in between the two extremes.
Ugh! This was a free book..and you will get what you pay for. I'm so disappointed because I've liked other books by this author.
3.75 Stars! Marie Force is one of my favorite contemporary romance writers. I just love her stuff but I had a tough time with this book. It was sweet and the Hero was perfect but I don't know...I really couldn't get into reading about Sports Illustrated/Victoria Secret models and their troubles with love. I'm sure for some women being 6' tall and drop dead gorgeous is a real hardship when it comes to finding love but I guess I wasn't in the mood to read about it!
I'm honest enough to say that I didn't even get 10% of the way into this book before I deleted it from my kindle. The main characters were so shallow it was ridiculous, with the female lead despairing over having to constantly turn down men, not once but twice I'm the first 5% of the book. Not to mention how rude both the female and male leads are in regards to the physical appearance of others; including the female lead's best friend.
I could go on but I won't waste my time. Suffice it to say I am glad this was free. It was also my first book by this author, and I'm most certain it will be my last.
I was really bored with this story, and really had to struggle to finish it. I found the characters to be rather shallow and self-absorbed. The story never really seemed to go anywhere either. I know that I enjoy some of the author's other works, so maybe it was just a case of it not fitting me at this time. Perhaps I will try it again in the future.
I thought that Jessie and Beck were actually a far more likeable couple with a much more interesting story than Liana and Travis. Once Jessie and Beck had their HEA, I honestly wasn't that bothered about what was going to happen between the other two. It was obvious where the story between them was going.
What I find difficult with this writer sometime is that she creates truly wonderful to die for heroes, but I often struggle to like her heroines and understand their actions.
Super good read by Marie Force! Review forthcoming after the Christmas packages are wrapped and the cut-out cookies are baked, iced and decorated!! HO HO HO -- it's that busy time of the year!!
Good story but little substance; esp. as it was fairly long. The main couple had no issues; only that she was a supermodel who didn't like to be taken for her looks while he was a rich man who didn't like to be taken for his wealth only. They were rather one dimensional and fixated on physical looks. At the end, both of them come across as somewhat whiny people
This is another Marie Force book that I can honestly say I utterly loved. She has given us a wonderful story encompassing romance, some suspense and steamy content, with characters to love, a descriptively beautiful setting, a storyline that swallows you up and leaves you with a huge smile on your face when you tap that final page.
Liana McDermott, a famous supermodel, has returned home for her cousins wedding. If you are expecting the archetypal model type, you'll not find it here as she is the sweetest, kindest, most unaffected woman you could meet. She has insecurities, but natural ones based on her career and the fact that she is hounded by the paparazzi. Dressed in her vile Maid of Honour dress, she meets the wedding venue's owner, Travis North, a non-local, who is determined to make his country club a success despite increasing vandalism and sabotage. There is absolutely nothing not to love about the man; he's sexy, protective, kind and he has flaws; he's not perfect and for me that is precisely why he was perfect. After sharing a dance and him not running a mile because of her hideous attire, they embark on a two week no-strings fling. Easier said than done....
Their journey stirred every emotion going. With lovely heartwarming moments combined with those that pull on the heartstrings, I laughed, I swooned, I welled up, I got frustrated but more than anything I was willing them to make their relationship work. The unexpected treat for me was that we were treated to a love story within a love story with Travis' best friend and head of security Peter Beck and Jessie, an acquaintance of Liana, also a supermodel, who is being stalked and needs a hideout. They were another loveable couple and their story brought an additional element of suspense and some action.
Would I recommend? YES, without hesitation. It was a wonderful read and is a book I'll certainly read again.
***FREE until 6.11.14 It's worth the read either way, but you may want to jump on this deal!***
TRUE NORTH was amazing. It wasn’t the quickest, steamiest romance, but it certainly made you get all mushy inside.
Travis North has worked hard to get his resort up and off the ground. His upscale weddings have the potential to really make North Point into something beyond his imagination.
When he spots Liana McDermott, famous super model, he feels a shift in his body. When he meets her, he longs to be different from what Liana expects from him. He wants to show her love, acceptance and true friendship.
Set up by her newly married cousin, Liana approaches Travis about having a fling for two weeks before she goes back to work. In that time, Liana learns a lot about herself and her career.
Both are slow to admit that they have feelings beyond the brief fling they’d agreed on. Their biggest problem is meshing their schedules and the fact that Liana would have to give up modeling.
I felt Liana’s indecision was very realistic. Although she knew she loved Travis, she still was afraid to quit the career that launched her world-wide, despite her recent doubts about continuing.
Everything felt realistic with this one and I enjoyed the secondary plot between Travis’s head of security, Peter Beck and up and coming model, Jessie.
I almost liked this book. I started out liking the characters and enjoying it very much in the beginning, but then it kept spinning its wheels (and spinning its wheels) in neutral, getting nowhere. The idea of two commitophobes really loving each other but being afraid to communicate their feelings because each one thinks their love is unrequited seemed to work for a while, but not this long. The constant repetitious ruminations on their insecurities started to grate like an old time record with the needle stuck in the groove or a dripping faucet when the plumber doesn't show. The plot may have worked better in a novella or shorter novel, but as a long novel, the length and repetition just made the supposedly smart main characters seem like idiots totally incapable of the most basic communication and problem-solving skills. This thin plot dragged on far, far too long until it ceased to be enjoyable. One saving grace was the secondary characters who had obstacles to overcome as well, but they talked things over and dealt with misunderstandings like semi-functional individuals do, unfortunately the main protagonists were not so well-developed. You will love this book only if you have a high tolerance for characters who are Too Dumb To Live; I don't.
Hate is a strong word and I try to never use it...This story brought me really close to using that word to describe how much I disliked it. The editing is terrible, the characters more shallow than words can describe and the plot utterly ridiculous. Walking-talking Victim 1-Liana: Nothing between her ears worth getting to know. Walking-talking Victim 2-Jessie: Needy and co-dependent excuse for a woman. Walking-talking Penis 1-Travis: Moron with money. Walking-talking Penis 2-Beck: Complete and utter idiot. Thank God he is a fictional character and will NEVER work with the FBI. I had the hardest time finishing this 200+ pages of dribble. Please, please, pass this one up. I kept thinking it would get better but it just got worse. Shame on me for wasting my intelligence on 1)reading it and 2) finishing it. Don't do as I did, do as I say!!!!!
How this book has an average rating of more than four stars is beyond me. Just because a book gets you all hot and bothered doesn't make it a good book, and it certainly doesn't make it a good story. This was completely absurd. The author wrote a catty, sarcastic book dedication to an editor who told her not to right about a supermodel. Well honey, that editor was right. This book was downright stupid. There were two love stories happening simultaneously, but they were too similar. Ugh. Can I give this book negative stars? No stars? Something.
My first Marie Force...it was okay. Maybe I'm just used to more angst? This had two romances in one but the biggest problem the girls had was that they were so beautiful that they could never find someone who loved them for who they really were as opposed to what they looked like (they were both supermodels). I had a little trouble connecting to the characters. This author has written a lot of books and they seem very popular so maybe it was just this particular story that didn't do it for me. I'll still try another one!
A sweet romance that actually includes three romances in one story. There are the two main characters, but also his best friend falls in love and her mom has a secret romance. The story has a nice pace and had a good blend of romance and suspense. Dash is a genius puppy and I loved her role in the story. Several characters are dealing with baggage that is presented at different times and in interesting settings. There were predictable moments and outcomes, but the journey to them was full of sweet moments that captured my attention.
Zur Hochzeit ihrer Cousine kommt Liana McDermott nach hause, das will sie sich nicht nehmen lassen. Dafür nimmt sie sogar ein ziemlich schreckliches Kleid in Kauf, das sie als Brautjungfer tragen soll. Die Hochzeit wird in dem eleganten Resort von Travis North ausgerichtet. Er hat nicht nur eine tolle Hochzeit vorbereitet, sondern er ist auch ein ausgesprochener Hingucker. Enid, die Braut, macht Liana auf Travis aufmerksam. Und Liana kann ihre Augen kaum mehr von ihm lassen.
So einen herzerfrischenden Liebesroman habe ich schon lange nicht mehr gelesen. Marie Force kann einfach so schreiben, dass man ihr die wunderschönen Geschichten abnimmt. Die große Liebe zwischen Travis und Liana geht einem unter die Haut. Liana, die als Modell ihr Jet-Set Leben über hat, und Travis, der sich aus einfachen Verhältnissen hochgekämpft hat und der wegen eines Studium eine Karriere als Profisportler sausen ließ. Die Beiden scheinen das ideale Paar zu sein, auch wenn Liana nur eine heiße Affäre möchte, eine Auszeit aus ihrem Leben. Doch beide merken, dass sie mehr füreinander empfinden, obwohl sie sich weiter vormachen, dass sie ja nur eine kleine Affäre wollen.
Emotion und Gefühl und heißer Sex verpackt in eine ansprechende Handlung, gerade die richtige Mischung, die zum Träumen einlädt.
Supermodel Liana McDermott is the bridesmaid at her cousins festive wedding in her hometown in Rhode Island. Feeling a little out of place, but very happy for a little break in her hectic schedule, Liana decides to have a fling with the sexy owner of the resort where her cousin is getting married. Travis North can’t believe his luck! The woman of his dreams is interested in having a short-term fling with him. Little does he realize that his feelings might last more than the two weeks they have together.
Meanwhile, young supermodel Jessica Stone is having her own drama in her life–a stalker. Desperate to get out of her NYC apartment, her agent asks Liana for a favor: keep Jessie at the resort while the stalker is captured. Little does security chief Peter Beck realize that his life is about to be turned upside down, too.
Force writes great stories, has great characters, and steamy love scenes that keep you coming back for more. This book had some action, a lot of romance, a little suspense, and a heart-warming ending to make it all worthwhile. If you’re looking for a good book to curl up with and read on a stormy night, give a Marie Force book a try. I have yet to be disappointed with any of her books and often find that I need more!!!
I have mixed feelings about this story and the narrator. Story: while it was sweet and the happily ever after was very satisfying I must say that there were actually too many sex scenes that didn't add anything to the story. It felt like sex was a filler of about half of the story. Also, this story includes two romances and both females are high profile top models (celebrities) that leave everything behind for men. Meanwhile the men don't sacrifice anything at all for them. I don't like that message. Two weeks of romance and love and women just fall at the feet of their men.
Narrator: While the Ms. Holly Fielding has a very nice voice and her male voices were excellent, she did a voice for the Heroine as groggy. It almost put me to sleep. I doubt any top model would have such a tired groggy voice. So every-time the heroine spoke it was flat and sleepy.
This is not Ms. Force's best work so you should try the Gansett Island series first and only get this title if you get it on a very good sale.
This is why I love Marie Force. This. Right Here. True North was the true definition of the perfect contemporary romance book. It was funny. It was dramatic. It had just enough angst to keep you turning the pages. And it was sexy. Marie has a natural ability to write ungodly sexy scenes that practically jump off the pages. This woman can write the phone book and I'd buy it and love it.
Travis North. Hello! Smokin' hot, business man, loves animals, and he worships his woman. What more do you need?
Liana. Sexy, down to earth model who finds her true north.
I loved it! And the secondary characters/storyline was just as great with Beck and Jessie. I know some complain about insta-love. Not me. I love it when it's done right. And here? It's done right. Insta-love is part of the fantasy and the fairytale. Great job, Marie!
This was a free download - and only took a few hours to read - Bit slow to start- but once I got past that, it held my attention most of the time. I would of liked it more if the main storyline and the subplot storyline didn't mirror each other so closely (if it wasn't for this I would have given 4 stars) - basically 2 love stories- both supermodels that fall in love at first sight with 2 dudes that have known each other since college - after a whirl wind fling with a few suspenseful twists (with predictable outcomes) the book ends as the readers will probably hope. Personally I don't think this story needed as many sex scenes - overall the book was good - just not brilliant.
Meh. Just "Meh." I'm actually quite disappointed by this story; there just wasn't anything spectacular about it. I liked that this story tried to show two models as 'ordinary' people with lives, cares and interests. I didn't like that this story just didn't do anything for me. I have no desire to read more about any of the characters, I don't care if I never hear about the town again. That, in and of itself, is highly unusual for me. If you're just looking for something to fill your time, by all means pick it up. It's not horrid, but I just didn't think it was more than "meh." :(
Not a bad read, but... I don't know. I had some issues with characterization, particularly when it came to discussing "the fling" and at the end. And honestly, a heroine who's a super model and "doesn't have to worry about what she eats" is going to push a few hot buttons for a lot of readers. Two heroines who are super models? Might be one too much.
Maybe it's just me, but this felt like another cookie cutter romance. It just didn't have the magic touch for me. The insta-love, the TSTL moments, the whininess (is that a word?) of both the MC's-it all just coalesced (now that is a word!) into a mushy big ball of blah. I finished the book because I hate leaving things unfinished, but that's a few hours I won't get back either. Too bad.