Cooper Krenshaw knows what it’s like to feel the bright lights upon him, the sound of the crowd roaring when he walks on stage; after all, he happens to be one of the biggest names in country music at the moment. And he has knowingly just dropped off the grid. The first decision he has made on his own in quite some time. Cooper only thought he was looking for a challenge when he walked off of that concert stage in Chicago. After finding himself in Devil’s Bend, Texas, he soon realizes that the dream he’s been chasing might not be the one he was after all along.
Now he’s found himself not only starting over in a new town, but he’s pretty sure he’s met the toughest challenge of his life… she just happens to be an angel in blue jeans.
Tessa Donovan hasn’t been the best of friends with Fate for quite some time now. Owning and operating The Rusty Nail, a small bar in her hometown of Devil’s Bend, has been enough to keep her going through the motions of her life. But it’s the only thing she’s got. After losing her husband fifteen short months after they were married, Tessa has spent the last four years chasing dreams in order to maintain her sanity. Only those dreams are soon ripped right out of her grasp by a sexy country music star who claims he descended on her small town by accident.
Coincidence? Or has Fate stepped in once again? Whatever the case, Tessa knows the handsome cowboy might get to overtake her dreams, but she’s bound and determined that he won’t take her heart.
Chasing Dreams by Nicole Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It’s official…I am moving to Texas. I just can’t handle it anymore. I don’t care if they are fictional or not but damn all these hot country guys that are in Nicole’s books. I feel like there must be something in the water down there. There has to be for all these tall, charming, sexy, country boys to be born and bred Texans.
But see, I would be killing two birds with one stone by moving to Texas. One, I would make my bestie (who just happens to be a San Antonian) very happy. And Two, I would get to indulge in all the hot cowboys. I am convinced that there are Cooper Krenshaw’s, Dalton Calhoun’s, Walker brothers, McCoy’s…and oh the list goes on and on.
Moral of the story…Nicole Edwards can write one AMAZING country boy. Not only that, she makes you experience all the feeling and emotions of the characters perfectly in sync with them. I fell in love with Nicole’s writing back when I read the Club Destiny novels and even more with her Alluring Indulgence novels.
Now, those series are considered erotica, and Chasing Dreams is actually a Contemporary Romance novel. But let me state this hear and now. I feel NO differently about this book than I do her others. I love it just as much…hell, maybe even more. You get the angst, the emotion, the whole package….including the super-hot, super-steamy, sex!! So don’t go getting yourself all riled up with that Contemporary Romance description because I promise you, Nicole Edwards will NEVER ever be lacking in the sex scene aspect.
Let’s get down to it, shall we?
Tessa Donovan
Tessa is the middle child, with two brothers-Adam and Jack. (pssst…I already have a major crush on Jack..I’m sorry but he drinks SoCo…we already have one thing in common). Tessa is also the owner, along with Adam, of The Rusty Nail. Around four years ago, Tessa lost her husband, who was a police officer, and Tessa is sort of in that phase where she isn’t really looking to settle down at all.
But, her world is turned upside down when very sexy, very famous Cooper Krenshaw comes to Devil’s Bend.
…The guy was probably used to getting any woman he wanted, so the come hither look he’d perfected probably got him pretty far in life.
Too bad for him, she wasn’t interested.
Damn it.
She was so interested her body was doing crazy things.
Cooper Krenshaw
So, Cooper is a famous country singer that is to the point where he’s kind of tired being in the limelight. He’s ready to settle down, and not necessarily with a woman, but just settle down in general. In a place that he can call home without the annoyance of the media and his major pain in the ass manager.
Stardom had its downside and one of them was the loneliness that came along with it.
So there is obvious attraction between Tessa and Cooper but typical Tessa, she is trying to ignore it. She puts on this façade that all the wants is sex, which is totally untrue, because in all honesty, Tessa is afraid to get too close to someone. She lives with this crazy idea that all things good things are temporary and have an expiration date.
“I’m not looking for one night, Tessa.”
“I’m not looking for forever, cowboy.”
It doesn’t take long for Tessa and Cooper to submit to the attraction that is between them. Let me tell you, this was where I was a happy, happy girl! I love that moment when two characters finally give and come to terms with the fact that the attraction they feel for each other isn’t going anywhere so why deny yourself any longer?
Kissing him was like coming home for the first time in years.
Sparks…there are sparks between these two. I can’t even describe it. It is so different than Nicole’s other books and I just absolutely love it.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he asked when they both came up for air a few minutes later. “What you’ve done to me since the first time I laid eyes on you?”
I mentioned angst, above. There is definitely angst in this book. For the first time EVER, Nicole Edwards made me cry while reading one of her books. Yes, tears! And multiple times, too.
Tessa knew without a doubt, no matter how hard she fought and pleaded with her heart, Cooper was going to be the next man to break her. It was inevitable.
And does he ever. *sigh I won’t give anything away, But, yeah…this was a tough one to get through at times. I LOVED these characters. When they were hurting, I was hurting. I feel like I connected with Cooper and Tessa on an entirely different level than I have with Nicole’s other characters. And that’s saying something because I am hardcore in
love
with Travis Walker.
There were so many things I loved about this book. When I wasn’t crying and being emotional of course. Well hell, even then I loved it. But anyway, one of things I love about this book was how fun it was at times. That’s one thing I really enjoy about Nicole’s books. She makes them fun and sexy all at the same time without making it cheesy.
“What are you doing?” she asked when he closed the back door and locked it.
“Keeping your brother out. I figure if he comes back, this way he won’t interrupt. Lord knows what he’ll do when he hears you screaming.”
Tessa laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. “You plan to make me scream, cowboy?”
“More than once, darlin’. More than once.”
I also said this book was emotional, did I not? The ups and downs of Chasing Dreams was SO worth it. I can’t even begin to break down all the emotions I went through while reading this book. This is such an amazing love story the delves into things like trust, loss, betrayal, sacrifice, and so much more.
Overall, great book. One of my favorite by Nicole so far. I am looking forward to reading more in the Devil’s Bend series.
Like always, I will leave you with some of my favorite quotes.
Cooper’s world shifted on its axis. He loved this woman. Heart and soul.
Tessa, I don’t even know how to say the words. I spend my days playing songs about love, but I can’t figure out how to express what I feel for you. It’s so much more than love.”
“…I was chasing a dream, but little did I know that what I had set out for wasn’t what I thought it was. Building this,” he glanced around and then back to her face, “it’s what got me here. It all comes down to you. You’re my dream, Tessa. You’re everything I’ve wanted, everything I’ve prayed for.”
Nicole lives in Texas with her husband, Colt, three kids and four dogs. It’s quite the household and most of the time you’ll find her locked away in her office… writing. When she’s not, you’ll likely find her reading, swimming, or hanging out in the yard with the dogs, doing her best to keep them in line. (And no, it doesn’t usually work)
Ever want to let that other part of you loose? The part that has secret desires and taboo fantasies? Well, that’s what brought about Nicole Edwards. She’s an alter ego. In truth, she’s a full-fledged part of me. The secret part made up of sinfully hot desires and erotic thoughts. Get to know how Nicole’s naughty mind works by checking out her books!
About me… hmmm…
Ok, I’ve been asked to provide a little bit of “real” information about myself. That’s harder to do than you think it is, especially for someone who has difficulty talking about themselves. 😉 But, here goes…
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a kid, I loved creative writing and as I got older, I got acquainted with those voices in my head and that led to putting my stories on paper. And now, here I am all these years later, spending my days doing what I love most. I decided to give myself over to writing full time in 2012 and I haven’t looked back. I spent nearly 13 years in the corporate world and I have to say, this is a bit of a change (just a little) and I am loving every second of it.
I live in Texas with my husband and three amazing kids and our four beloved dogs. If I’m not writing, I’m usually reading. I devour everything I can get my hands on. I love romance of any type and being an Indie author myself, I’m always looking for new Indies to support. I haven’t always been into reading, but about eleven years ago, I picked up a book – I’m pretty sure it was by Nora Roberts – and from there, I haven’t stopped. Before I began writing full time, and my characters started taking up so much of my time, I was reading about 200 books a year. That has dwindled somewhat, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t read.
An interesting fact… I don’t watch television – aside from the occasional news anyway. I will go see a movie or two rarely, but for the most part, I get all of my entertainment from a book. Some of my favorite authors include J.R. Ward, Suzanne Brockmann, Lora Leigh, Jane Rylon, Lori Foster, and Jaci Burton just to name a few.
Website www.NicEdwardsAuthor.com
twitter username @NicoleEAuthor
Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/Author.Nicole.Edwards
Goodreads Page http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4318269.Nicole_Edwards
