Nothing has ever come easy for Lila Bailey. She’s fought for every good thing in her life during every day of her thirty-one years. Aside from that one night with an impossible to deny stranger a year ago, Lila is the epitome of responsible. Steadfast. Strong. She’s pulled herself out of the train wreck of her childhood, proud to be a professor at Tulane University and laying down roots in a city she’s grown to love. But when some of her female students are viciously murdered, Lila’s shaken to the core and unsure of whom she can trust in New Orleans. When the police detective assigned to the murder case comes to investigate, she’s even more surprised to find herself staring into the eyes of the man that made her toes curl last year. In an attempt to move on from the tragic loss of his wife, Asher Smith moved his daughter and himself to a new city, ready for a fresh start. A damn fine police lieutenant, but new to the New Orleans force, Asher has a lot to prove to his colleagues and himself. With a murderer terrorizing the Tulane University campus, Asher finds himself toe-to-toe with the one woman that haunts his dreams. His hands, his lips, his body know her as intimately as he’s ever known anyone. As he learns her mind and heart as well, Asher wants nothing more than to keep her safe, in his bed, and in his and his daughter’s lives for the long haul. But when Lila becomes the target, can Asher save her in time, or will he lose another woman he loves?
A Message from Kristen Proby:
Dear readers,
As you know, the With Me In Seattle series came to a close earlier this month with the eighth and final installment, FOREVER WITH ME. I’ve been steadfast in my decision that there would be no further stories from the series, no spin-offs, nothing more. In my mind, it was complete.
And I still feel that the Montgomery/Williams families are complete, and I maintain that I’m happy with their happy-ever-afters.
But, I’ve also heard you when you’ve said that Asher, Matt Montgomery’s partner in TIED WITH ME, deserves to have a happily ever after for himself and his daughter Casey. So, when the lovely ladies from 1001 Dark Nights asked me to participate in their wonderful project, I thought long and hard about whose story it should be about. Seattle is finished, and I’ve moved on to New Orleans for the new Boudreaux Series… And then it occurred to me: why not do both, and offer a companion novella to each of the series?
And so, because you, the reader, has been so insistent that you want to see Asher and Casey find their perfect person, I’m excited to introduce you to EASY WITH YOU. I think you’re going to love Asher and Lila’s love story this spring…
Happy Reading,
Kristen Proby
Please tell me you’ve read the other amazing books in the With Me In Seattle Series? This is one of my favorite series ever! Even better…the first book, Come Away With Me, is FREE! Get hooked on the Montgomery family… 😉
“You have very pretty hair,” Lila tells Casey, who preens from the compliment.
“It’s just like my mom’s,” Casey says innocently, and the stab to my heart is immediate. It’s lessened with time, thankfully, but in these simple moments, it catches me off guard. “It’s really curly. And red.” She wrinkles her nose.
“That explains it,” Lila says, looking at me with surprised eyes. “I was expecting you to have dark hair like your daddy.”
“Nope. I got the red.” Casey sighs. “And the freckles.”
“You know, my best friend has red hair and freckles, and she’s just as gorgeous as you are.”
Casey smiles up at me, then back at Lila. “Cool.”
“So what are our plans for the rest of the day? Surely you don’t intend to try to entertain me all day.” Lila takes a sip of her water, watching me over the rim.
“I do intend to entertain you all day. And don’t call me Shirley.”
Lila laughs, a happy, loud laugh that makes my stomach clench. She tosses her hair over one shoulder and shakes her head at me. “You’re silly.”
“He’s really silly,” Casey agrees and claps her hands as our pancakes and bacon are served. “But he’s handsome. Don’t you think?”
“She’s really subtle,” I inform Lila dryly. She simply pours maple syrup on her pancakes, so much that I wince and then chuckle at her. “Do you want some pancakes with your syrup?”
“Maybe.” She winks at me and turns her attention back to Casey. “Yes, your daddy is handsome.”
“And he’s smart. And he has a good job. And he can fix things.”
“Really?” Lila takes a bite of her bacon and leans in like Casey is about to tell her all of life’s secrets. “What can he fix?”
I watch Casey, also interested to hear what it is, exactly, that I can fix.
Easy with You by Kristen Proby My rating: 4 of 5 stars
*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*
3.5 “sweetheart” “easy” Kisses
I’m a Kristen Proby addict…she writes it and I must read it. I was really excited when I found out about Easy with You since it’s kind of the connector between her With Me in Seattle Series and her new Boudreaux Series (both of which I love immensely)…so I was excited to see how things played out. And I was not disappointed.
Lieutenant Asher Smith…yum…yum…and more yum. Asher is…well, he’s amazing. He’s a cop to his core…a protector, and he’s very good at his job. He’s caring, kind and sweet…under all those sexy muscles and serious exterior, he’s actually a big teddy bear. That has a lot to do with his 10 year old daughter, Casey…he’s an absolutely fabulous father and given he’s been doing it all by himself for the past 4 years, I think that means he deserves a medal. But I think for the first time since he lost his wife, he’s finally seeing that he still has a lot of life yet to live…and I think that’s all thanks to Lila.
‘I can’t resist her. For the first time in years, I don’t want to resist her. I simply want her.’
Delila Bailey…smart, tenacious and one seriously tough cookie. Lila basically wears that ‘I don’t need anybody’ badge, and with pride. I loved her independence…and it’s not that she doesn’t need anybody, she just knows that it’s best to rely only on herself. She has her best friend, Kate, and her job…and that’s good enough for her. She lives a great life (albeit…a boring sex life)…but she’s happy…content. And then she falls into the lap of a sexy cop, has a life altering one night stand and…well, the rest, as they say, is history. I loved seeing the changes in Lila…Asher brought out a different side to her, as did Casey, and it was truly fun seeing her blossom with them.
“The chemistry between us is crazy,” I reply. “I know. He swallows hard and kisses down my jaw to my ear. “You’re so damn beautiful, Delila.” “I hate my name,” I whisper. “Why?” “Because it’s an old lady name.” “I love you’re name.”
This book warmed my heart…it made me smile…it made me swoon, a-whole-freaking-lot…it’s just a very happy, romantic book for me. I L-O-V-E-D how Easy with Me connected the two series – it was perfection! It’s like having the best of both worlds…since I just recently read Easy Love, it was refreshing seeing the events that I already knew happened from a different POV…plus the bed-breaking-sex that occurred was also a joy to read 🙂 Lila and Asher of course had the physical part of their relationship down, easily…and it was hot, don’t get me wrong…but their connection and feelings about each other is what I adored most. Asher wore his heart on his sleeve for that girl and I was quickly and easily drawn in to the Asher-and-Lila bubble. I’ll be honest, their relationship did progress quickly but it was effortless and worked for them and the flow of the story.
“You’re not my pawn, Lila. You’re everything.” “Excuse me?” she whispers, not looking up. “I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, baby, but this isn’t a quick fuck for me. You’re not just a job for me.” “What am I?” I swallow hard and kiss her head. “You mean more to me than any woman has in a very long time. Let me protect you.”
There is something that sucks me in to Kristen Proby’s writing…something I can’t quite put my finger on, but it’s like this magical little drug that I’m addicted to. She hits every note perfectly…all the emotions…the sexiness…the swoony alpha male…the relatable heroine…add in just the right amount of tension and top it off with a blissfully wonderful HEA and it gets me every time. This is why I have a love/hate relationship with novella’s…I always want more and a novella is just enough to give me a good story…but I’m not ready to let go! Don’t get me wrong, it was a great, quick, easy story…had all the elements I need and I can only imagine what Kristen would have done with Asher and Lila if she had turned it into a full length novel, but I appreciate and enjoyed it for what it was.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Kristen Proby is the author of the popular With Me in Seattle series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong characters who love humor and have a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type—fiercely protective and a bit bossy—and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves. Kristen spends her days with her muse in the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, and sunshine. And naps. Visit her at KristenProby.com.
I can’t wait to read this book.