Enter to win a digital bundle of THE BRIDE WORE DENIM and THE BRIDE WORE RED BOOTS, books 1 & 2 in the Seven Brides for Seven Cowboys series.
The Bride Wore Starlight
Seven Brides for Seven Cowboys #3
Lizbeth Selvig
Releasing on February 9. 2016
Avon Impulse
Once comfortable on stage in front of thousands, Joely Crockett is now mortified at the thought of walking—or rolling—down the aisle at her sisters’ wedding. Scarred and wheelchair-bound, the former beauty queen has lost more than the ability to walk—she’s lost her fire. But when one handsome, arrogant guest accuses her of milking her injuries and ignites her ire, Joely finally starts to feel truly alive again, and soon it’s impossible for her to resist her heart’s desire.
Alec Morrissey knows a little something about loss. A famous rodeo cowboy before he was injured in Iraq, he’s managed to create something of a normal life, even if it’s not the one he always imagined. Encountering stunning but damaged Joely, he sees a kindred spirit who can learn from his mistakes.
As these two healing souls begin to fall in love under the Wyoming stars, they must discover if they are willing to give in to the tragedies of life or fight for a future together.
The contact with
Alec’s strong, long-fingered hand didn’t do anything to quell the annoyance
dancing in her stomach. Or was it attraction? Or just a very long time since a
man had taken her hand?
He tugged gently and
braced his feet so she could stand and get her solid leg beneath her.
Her eyes came level
with his tie. That put him at roughly six feet, she thought inanely, although,
in truth, no thoughts but inane ones
filled her head. Up close his eyes shone a dark, rich amber, and his full,
upturned lips made him appear prone to smiling. His hat looked so natural on
him he might well have been born with it on.
He held out his
right elbow. “Just think of me as a human hiking stick.”
He hadn’t said “cane.”
He hadn’t said “crutch.” She offered a tentative, grateful smile, took a deep
breath, and nodded.
What could have been
horribly awkward turned out to be an easy partnership. Alec seemed to know
instinctively how to step where she needed him for support, and his arm offered
a perfect grip that she could lean into as firmly as she wanted. It took a
dozen or so strides to get the coordination right, but slowly she figured out
how to step firmly with her right leg and use Alec’s weight to help swing and
step quickly with her left. She’d walked like this with crutches, but this felt
so quasi normal—she almost enjoyed it.
Almost.
They came to the
stairs, and she froze. A flat path was easy. Going up stairs was awkward but
doable. But going down threw her weight forward, and she didn’t have the
strength or balance to keep from pitching headfirst down the flight.
“We’re doing great,”
he said. “There are only six.”
“We’re doing fine,” he’d said. She didn’t
know this man from any random person, and yet he knew how to speak as if they’d
been doing this forever.
“I really should
have a body on the other side, too,” she admitted reluctantly. “I suck at
stairs.”
“Here’s the deal.”
He removed her hand from his elbow and held it, then wrapped his right arm
loosely around her waist. “It’s your balance that’s got you spooked. You
haven’t practiced with it, but your left leg is strong enough. Trust yourself. You know the drill: bad leg—”
“First,” she
finished. “Yes. But it doesn’t hold my weight.”
“Eventually it will,
but for now we’ll step together, and you lean into me when you’re using that
leg.”
How did he know so
effortlessly what to do? He’d probably had plenty of bangs and bruises when
he’d been on the rodeo circuit—maybe this was second nature for him.
They navigated the
stairs like they’d been doing it for years. She’d never have made it on her
own, and such an exercise had been clunky at best with a physical therapist.
When she stood at the bottom without aid of a crutch or two side walkers, her
satisfaction had to rival that of any successful mountain climber’s.
“Wow,” she said,
unable to keep the pleasure from her voice.
“Why are you surprised?
You’re a ranch girl; you’re tough.”
Joely's accident crushed her leg and left her scarred both inside and out. She is stuck in a rut and not really moving forward the way she should. Alec knows what it's like to be in her position and makes it his mission to help her heal. However, Alec has his own demons to deal with but doesn't let it show. Alec helped Joely overcome a lot of her physical limitations, but I loved the way they both helped each other heal on the inside. As the heal, you can see their friendship develop into attraction and love.This was not your typical romance, but I loved the story and found it to be heartfelt and inspirational.
I received an ARC via Edelweiss for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
Lizbeth Selvig lives in Minnesota with her best friend (aka her husband), and a gray Arabian gelding. After working as a newspaper journalist and magazine editor, and raising an equine veterinarian daughter and a talented musician son, she won RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart® Contest in 2010 with her contemporary romance The Rancher and the Rock Star. In her spare time, she loves to hike, quilt, read, horseback ride, and spend time with her new granddaughter. She also has four-legged grandchildren—more than twenty—including a wallaby, two alpacas, a donkey, a pig, a sugar glider, and many dogs, cats, and horses (pics of all appear on her website www.lizbethselvig.com). She loves connecting with readers—contact her any time!
Thank you so much for featuring THE BRIDE WORE STARLIGHT!
ReplyDeleteSorry to be a day late in leaving my thanks, but I wanted you to know how much I appreciated you hosting my book here, Jen. Thans, too, for the very nice review--I'm glad you enjoyed the story! All the best!
ReplyDeleteLiz Selvig