“So exquisitely titillating, full of hope and second chances, and so honest, this is Rachel Blaufeld’s best and swooniest romance yet! I LOVED it!”
– Katy Evans, New York Times Bestselling Author
Heart Stronger, an all-new emotional romance from Rachel Blaufeld is available now!
“Sometimes, I feel like I’m watching a movie . . . that it’s not really me, Claire Richards, getting this second chance at life.”
“Open your eyes, it’s you, and I’m damn glad it’s with me.” ~ Aiken
Single mom and college professor Claire Richards only wanted a few hours of me time to soak in her tub, read a book, and drink wine.
But tragedy struck, and Claire found herself with a lot more me time than she bargained for.
Three years later, Claire is still mourning her losses when Aiken Fordham—who looks young enough to be one of her college students—moves in next door.
Forcing Claire to face her fears, Aiken almost forgets his reason for moving to Small Town, Pennsylvania. Falling for the sexy, smart, and strong professor next door was never in the plan.
But now it is . . . until their future intersects with their pasts.
Excerpt
The downpour stopped just as I did, soaked in rain and sweat. Rolling my neck, I took in my house. It was cute. Too cute for a single dude, but it was all fixed up, and I wasn’t in the mood for a renovation project.
I bent over to stretch, touching my toes, and before I could stand up, Smitty was at my feet, tail wagging, tongue lolling, begging to be petted.
“Smitty!” Claire came running out her front door, dark hair tied up in a messy bun, wearing tight black pants and a fitted green blouse. No shoes. She stopped in front of me, and I noticed her pink toes and tanned feet.
“Smitty, bad boy! You can’t leave the house.” She grabbed his collar and tugged him to her side.
“S’okay.” Wetness seeped into my eyes, and I swatted it away, making the burn worse. Squinting and blinking, I remained focused on the woman in front of me, and all woman she was. There wasn’t one girlish thing about my neighbor, and no—before you think it—I didn’t have mommy issues.
I had lean-muscular-legs and pouty-lips issues, both of which Claire had in earnest. Not to mention, I had a separate thing for independence after growing up around all these farming wives, who basically did all the heavy lifting for none of the credit. Then there was my dad, unable to move on, the epitome of lost.
“Don’t say that. He can’t be running out of the house.” Her breath was short at this point; she was almost panting. “He’s all I have.” It was a whisper of a sentence, but I heard it. Fuck it, I felt it. I got pain. Hated anyone else having to experience it.
She was eaten up with pain, but kept her head up—I could tell. I wanted to crack her veneers, let the pain ooze out, and see her smile in earnest.
Deep shit for a young guy, but I’d grown up fast. Like in the last forty-eight hours.
“I put my hand out to feel if it was still raining, and he bolted as soon as he saw you,” she continued to explain.
“Like I said, I’m cool with Smitty, but I get it. He can’t be escaping.”
“Thanks for understanding.” She stood, prim and proper, her gaze heavy on the concrete, clearly avoiding any direct eye contact.
“You okay, Claire? I’m sorry about last night.”
“I’m fine.” She turned back toward her house.
“Claire, listen, we got off to a bad start. Can we start over? Aiken Fordham, nice to meet you.” I held my hand out, flexing my bicep, waiting for her to return the favor.
“Claire Richards.” She took my hand, her smaller, dainty, and way smoother hand slipping into mine.
“Ugh. What do you want, Aiken? Look at you, shirtless, dripping from running in the rain.” Her hand whipped out of mine and began whisking up and down in the air, motioning at my very naked torso. “What could you possibly want from me? If you need an egg or a stick of butter, pop next door. Otherwise, let me be. I need to get out of here and beg Mary to give me a class full of students, probably not much older than you.” She alternated between eyeing me and her disobedient dog.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Claire,” I called, running up behind her. “And I’m a warm-blooded man, who’ll probably never have a need for a stick of butter. I’m a big boy. I know how to find a grocery store. All by myself too.”
She flung open her door and motioned Smitty inside. He stood at the screen door, staring us down with sad doggie eyes.
“Is there something wrong with getting to know my neighbor? I don’t know anyone here. Maybe you could be neighborly? Or are you so closed off you can’t do that? Because if so, that’s a damn shame,” I said through gritted teeth. Admittedly, I was more frustrated than I should have been. I was a man who desperately wanted the broken woman in front of me.
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Anyone who has been following my reviews over the year, knows that I love Rachel and her work. She’s always stood out to me with her unique characters and amazing story lines.
Heart Stronger is an emotional romance about a divorced professor, Claire and her new next door neighbor, Aiken. Many have been calling this a second chance romance and honestly, I personally do not see it as that. For me, a second chance romance is when the main characters are finding a second chance to be together again when it didn’t work out before and that’s not the case here. These two do not know each other til they become neighbors.
Claire not only had to survive through a divorce, but while she was coming to grips on that, she loses her daughter in a horrific incident. Since then, she has buried herself in her work and hasn’t truly lived her life since the day her daughter died. Aiken moves to the are in hopes of finding his mother, who left him and father. He came looking for closure but what he found was hot neighbor that he just couldn’t walk away from.
Rachel has this way with her writing where I find myself so enraptured by them and cheering them on. Aiken won my heart over immediately. I love that nothing Claire did would deter him from continuing to persue her. He saw more than what she showed everyone. Claire is one tough cookie. She is deadest in her ways and just truly believes because she was selfish one night and lost her daughter, that she no longer deserves any sort of love. I love how everything unfolds along with the mystery behind Aiken’s quest to find his mother.
Rachel delivers another fantastic story with great characters that will stay with us. While this book is a standalone, she does end it with a cliffhanger about Claire’s best friend, Mary. So I will be anxiously awaiting for that book next.
About Rachel:
Rachel Blaufeld is a bestselling author of Romantic Suspense, New Adult, Coming-of-Age Romance, and Sports Romance. A recent poll of her readers described her as insightful, generous, articulate, and spunky. Originally a social worker, Rachel creates broken yet redeeming characters. She’s been known to turn up the angst like cranking up the heat in the dead of winter.
A devout coffee drinker and doughnut eater, Rachel spends way too many hours in local coffee shops, downing the aforementioned goodies while she plots her ideas. Her tales may all come with a side of angst and naughtiness, but end as lusciously as her treats.
As a side note, Blaufeld, also a long-time blogger and an advocate of woman-run anything, is fearless about sharing her opinion. She captured the ears of stay-at-home and working moms on her blog, BacknGrooveMom, chronicling her adventures in parenting tweens and running a business, often at the same time. To her, work/life/family balance is an urban legend, but she does her best.
Rachel has also blogged for The Huffington Post and Modern Mom. Most recently, her insights can be found in USA TODAY, where she shares conversations at “In Bed with a Romance Author” and reading recommendations over at “Happy Ever After.”
Rachel lives around the corner from her childhood home in Pennsylvania with her family and two beagles. Her obsessions include running, coffee, basketball, icing-filled doughnuts, antiheroes, and mighty fine epilogues.
When she isn’t writing, she can be found courtside, tweeting about hoops as her son plays, or walking around the house wearing earplugs while her other son, the drummer, bangs away.
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A hot and hilarious new standalone from New York Times bestseller Kendall Ryan.
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She’s a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she’s appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.
THERE ARE NO DOUCHEBAGS IN THIS STORY.
Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte’s, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.
