Need You For Keeps by Marina Adair….ARC Review & Giveaway

Need You For Keeps releases tomorrow, March 3!

Synopsis:

When it comes to caring for the furry residents of St. Helena, California, groomer and pet rescuer Shay Michaels can handle anything. Humans are another story, though especially Deputy Jonah Baudouin. He’s the town’s resident superhero: upright, uptight, and jaw-droppingly gorgeous, even when he’s investigating complaints about Shay’s beloved foster animals. And that spells danger for Shay, a free spirit who can’t risk trusting the wrong person again.

Jonah and Shay have been circling each other ever since she came to town, and he’s running out of reasons to “not” kiss her senseless. But this deputy is a straight shooter with his eye on the sheriff’s badge. He can’t afford to get involved with Shay, a chaos magnet with luscious curves who’s liable to turn his career and his life upside down. He enforces laws. She breaks them repeatedly. Keeping her out of trouble is becoming a full-time job and it’s one he hopes is never going to end.

My review:

Need You For Keeps is the sixth book in author Marina Adair’s St. Helena’s Vineyard Series, as well as the first in her new Heroes of St Helena Series.  I have enjoyed the St. Helena gang since the very first book and it’s a series I grow to love with each new installment. This was no exception. I adored Jonah and Shay’s story and all of the humor, emotion, and heat that was written into the pages.

Hero to all homeless pets big and small, groomer and pet rescuer extraordinaire Shay Michaels is bound and determined to make sure any pet she saves finds a forever home. Like she had when she came to St. Helena. She had a rough go of things early on in life but the one constant for her was the pure and true love she gave and received from her furry friends. It’s what led her on her current path and to dreams of opening up a shelter in order to legitimately be able to foster them. She’s had her share of trouble with the wy she was running things now, mainly that she could never turn an animal away and having one too many is apparently frowned upon by St. Helena law. It wasn’t all bad getting into trouble however, when the man doling out the warnings was town deputy Jonah Baudouin. Sexy and confident, he always made her tummy flip-flop and boy, could she daydream about his handcuffs. But no way would they ever be a good match so she needed to wash those dreams right down the drain with the latest doggy shampoo…

Deputy Jonah Boudouin didn’t mind going on a call when it meant he got to see Shay. Yes, he hated having to tell her she was once again causing trouble, but he loved hearing her excuses and seeing what she would be attempting to do to get herself out of the latest issue. He knew she had a heart of gold and knew she never meant to break laws but the sexy spitfire just couldn’t help herself. He had to give her credit, she really goes for what she wants…even when it comes to raising funds for her rescues courtesy of a sexy photo shoot with local uniformed hotties. No, he declined her request for him to pose, because a man running for sheriff probably should keep his clothes on, but he really did hope she was able to realize her dreams. Speaking of dreams, she’s been the star of more than a few daydreams of his own but surely they would never be able to work. She was opposite him in every way possible…but some say that’s a good thing, right?

Two people who couldn’t be more opposite have one very important thing in common…their attraction for each other. Would they be able to take that old saying “opposites attract” and make it reality?

There is just something in the way that Marina writes that immediately takes the reader into her world. I have been reading this series since the beginning and I feel like I’m returning to a town I’ve lived in when I sit down to read a St. Helena book. The characters are charming and well-developed. The setting is described so perfectly that I can practically walk down Main Street and wave to the townspeople. I adore that in a book. Jonah had me hooked from the very first time he appears in the story. He’s controlled, loyal, sexy as all hell, and has a soft side he keeps hidden and made me swoon when he showed it. Shay is one of the best heroines I’ve read. She’s sassy, smart, and never afraid to go after what’s right for her furry family, even if it does mean bending the occasional law. I loved her tenacity when it came to her dreams of owning a pet rescue. Together, Shay and Jonah are delicious. They have a slow burn that got hotter and hotter with each interaction and I ate it up! Of course, I also got to see more of my favorite grandmother crew and as always, those ladies had me laughing my arse off one minute and tearing up at a beautiful gesture the next. I adore those women.
It bears repeating that Marina has such a special way of delivering a story and I will continue to look forward to reading more from the St. Helena gang!

Five Loves

Book links:

 Amazon  |  B&N

Giveaway:

I am so grateful to have the chance to give one lucky winner their choice of paperback, ebook, or audiobook of Need You For Keeps!  Comment on this post to be entered to win (US entries only, please)  

About the author:

Marina Adair is a #1 National best-selling author of romance novels. Along with the St. Helena Vineyard series, she is also the author of the upcoming Sugar, Georgia series and Tucker’s Crossing, part of the Sweet Plains series. She currently lives with her husband, daughter, and two neurotic cats in Northern California.

As a writer, Marina is devoted to giving her readers contemporary romance where the towns are small, the personalities large, and the romance explosive. She also loves to interact with readers and you can catch her on Twitter or visit her on Facebook.