Touching story about two people so hurt and flawed who find love and inner peace with one another.

Olivia and Luke are both damaged and unwilling to really believe in the feelings they feel for one another. He has his scars inside and outside. Nothing like survivor's guilt to send a strong man into the deep tunnel of depression. Olivia gets the shock of her life, her biological mother has left her property and no explanations. Oh, and she has a younger sister, a sister that her mother kept and raised, why was Diana wanted and not Olivia,. Is she that unlovable?

I know there are folks who are going to say Luke is an ass because he flip flops on Olivia so much that it borders on cruel. If you have ever dealt with anyone suffering from survivor's guilt or even PTSD you'll know it's not like they want to act out like that, it's a compulsion that just comes out of the blue. The fear, the memories....it's a hard thing to deal with and watch.

I like the fact that although she's got issues Olivia finds her therapy by using dogs to assist the elderly. She knows that an animal gives peace, companionship, and unconditional love to those they take to. I love the fact that she is trying to make sense of her life in a positive way..looking for answers and admitting, maybe this wasn't such a good idea and I'm not sure I want to know the answer after all. We all think the same thing but either ignore it or avoid it. She does it in baby steps but at least she tries to keep moving forward. Even when she got her answers and decided to throw in the towel over everything else she was running and knew it, think she was hoping someone would stop her....sigh....

Oh, let's get to Grandma Greta and her band of conspirators...they are hilarious! Well meaning, butting their nose in everything little old ladies. I mean Greta has a cup of Maker's Mark every morning and has been suspected of spiking punch bowls and coffee urns. The prim and proper "I would rather be quilting" Esther. Pauline who decides they need to take over as the advice columnist for the local paper. These three bring just enough comic relief that the tragedy doesn't totally weigh you down.

Nice enjoyable read. Will I continue on and finish the series...yea...I read the blurb about the next book...Mike and Diana's story, this is going to be good. So off I go to see what Greta and the girls are going to do to get these two together. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This was a heartbreaking story about love, loss, and the ability to move on. It is filled with charming characters, steamy romance, and a beautiful message.

Opening Sentence: Olivia Linscott made the most insane decision of her life in less time than it took to microwave a burrito.

The Review:

Olivia Linscott has just done the most sporadic thing in her whole life. After a failed marriage and a bunch of dead end jobs Olivia decides that it is time to start over. Her birth mother, whom she has never met, gives her the perfect opportunity by leaving Olivia her property in Rescue Bay, Florida. Olivia has always wondered about her birth mother and now she might finally be able to get some answers. Heartbreak has followed Olivia around for most of her life so she has decided that love just isn’t for her. Then she meets her devastatingly gorgeous neighbor, Luke Winslow.

Luke is a former coastguard pilot that recently got injured in a terrible accident. The injuries he suffered have left him partially blind which ended his flying career for good. Now all Luke wants is to be left alone, but his meddling grandmother has other plans for him. He can’t help but notice how attractive his new neighbor is, but Luke knows he is not the relationship type. But staying away from Olivia is extremely more difficult than he could ever imagine.

The story is told from multiple POV’s but mainly you switch between Olivia and Luke. Olivia is a really sweet girl that has been a little naïve in her life. She has had her heart broken too many times to count and she feels like a failure. But she is determined to start over and do things right this time. She went back to school and works as an animal therapist. She is very passionate about her job and is actually really happy in her new home. I enjoyed Olivia’s character she was fun and easy to connect with.

Luke is bitter and lost, but man is he easy on the eyes. Reading Luke’s story was really heartbreaking and made me very appreciative of the people that risk their lives to help others. Everything he ever cared about was taken from him in the blink of an eye, and to be honest if that happened to me I would be bitter too. As he starts to heal on the outside he realizes that he has to let people in if he ever expects to heal on the inside. Even though he could be really frustrating at times I still loved Luke and thought he was a wonderful character.

The Sweetheart Bargain is an adorable book that I really enjoyed. The cast of characters are charming and easy to love. I loved the grandma’s, they were probably my favorite characters. There is just something about meddling old women that I find endearing. I think it’s that I see myself becoming one someday. I’m already a hopeless romantic and I think sweet old ladies are just adorable. The romance was steamy and full of emotion. There were a few times that the pacing dragged a little bit. I think the reason it didn’t flow perfectly was because there were too many POV’s. It made it feel like too much was going on outside of the main plotline. I believe the author did it to set up the stage for the sequel, but it just didn’t quite work for me. With that being said, I still really enjoyed this book and I am really looking forward to reading the next installment. I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for a cute romance novel.

Notable Scene:

She straightened—and almost collided with a six? foot? tall wall of a man.

“What the hell are you doing?” he said.

Her mouth opened, closed. Not a single word came out. Her gaze roamed over him, and she had to remind herself to breathe. Damn. Hot, handsome, sexy. She swallowed hard and tried not to stare.

Too much.

Blue jeans hugged his thighs, and a black T?shirt sporting a Harley? Davidson logo outlined a defined, hard chest, muscled biceps. The man had short cropped deep brown hair, a chiseled jaw shadowed with rough stubble. Dark sun?glasses hid his eyes, despite the setting sun behind him. On one side of his face, a jagged scar peeked out from under the sunglasses, which only added to the air of mystery. He looked—

Dangerous.

Not in the hack? you? into? tiny? pieces? and? bury? you?in?a?landfill kind of way, but in a mysterious, sensual way that said tangling with him would be unforgettable. That he was the kind of guy who could kiss her and leave her . . . reeling. Breathless. The kind her friends called a Mindless Man because one night with him would make a girl lose her mind— in a very, very good way

FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of The Sweetheart Bargain. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Very good book. Olivia has come to Rescue Bay to start a new life. She is recovering from her divorce and has inherited a house from the mother she never knew. She's determined to fix it up and reopen the dog shelter her mom ran. Next door is Luke, who is mourning the loss of his best friend and the end of his own dreams. Neither one is interested in a relationship but the attraction between them is hard to resist. Add in a meddling, matchmaking grandmother and a dog in need of love and who knows what will happen.

Olivia had a happy childhood with her adoptive parents but she always felt that there was something missing. She wondered about her birth mother and why she gave Olivia up. After her divorce from her cheating ex-husband her life in Boston was difficult. When she was left a house in Florida by her birth mother she decided to pack everything up and move to Rescue Bay. The house wasn't what she expected, being in dire need of fixing up, but she was going to give it a shot. She got a job at the local retirement home as an animal assisted therapist where she and her little dog quickly made friends with the residents. An injured dog led her to her next door neighbor, injured pilot Luke, who was gorgeous and grumpy. She wasn't interested in getting involved with him, preferring to protect her heart from further pain, but the attraction was very intense. Getting the dog treated also led her to the half sister she didn't know she had and the opportunity to learn more about her mother. I loved the way that Olivia tried to keep a positive attitude about things. Her house was a mess but she was determined to get it fixed up. She loved her work as a therapist and was great with the people she treated. Her empathy as a therapist shows her that Luke is hurting but she doesn't know if she can help him or even if she should try. She keeps reaching out to him with the help of the injured dog. Sometimes things go well and she feels like they're getting closer and then he will pull back and say hurtful things. She also wants to get to know her sister but even that has its problems. Diana had known nothing about Olivia either and is dealing with her own unresolved mother issues making it difficult for her to open up to Olivia. I really loved the way that Olivia really tried so hard to keep herself optimistic. It was so hard to see her start to lose hope and nearly give it all up. Loved the emotional scene at the cemetery with her sister and the difference it made to their relationship.

Luke was a mess. The accident that had killed his best friend also caused an injury to his eyes that ended his career as a helicopter pilot. All he had ever wanted to do was fly and he is drifting now with no idea what to do. Add in that his eyes are still recovering and he has trouble seeing and he is impossible to be around. He also blames himself for his friend's death and the guilt is eating him up. Olivia's appearance in his life as she tries to find the injured dog is not something he wants. He's attracted to her but feels that he is not worthy of being happy. No matter what he does he can't seem to keep Olivia away. The injured dog is found and treated, and takes a liking to Luke. Chance is constantly finding his way over to Luke's house where he shows his own kind of love and healing. I loved the way the nice guy that is still inside Luke keeps coming out. In spite of his moods he is always nice to his grandmother no matter how much of a pain she is to him with her interference and matchmaking. He is also great with Chance and finds himself enjoying the dog's company especially when he is feeling down. He also can't seem to stay away from Olivia. He enjoys her company and the attraction is intense. Things will be going great between them and something will set off his guilt and he pulls away and chases her off. He sees what he is doing but can't seem to stop it. I loved the way that it was the dog who helped Luke finally make the push to move on.

The secondary characters were great additions to the story. Luke's grandmother and her two friends were fun to watch as they set their hands to getting Luke and Olivia together. The main culprit is Luke's grandmother. She is so sure that she is right that she goes all out to get them together. She isn't subtle about it though she likes to think she is. All she wants if for Luke to be happy again and she is sure she has the solution. I also liked getting to know Olivia's sister Diana and her son. Diana's reactions to the will and the sister she didn't know about seemed very real and logical to me. Their developing friendship was realistic. I also liked seeing the issues that Diana was having with her son. Her struggles with him are hard for her. I liked her obvious love and frustration with the situation and her relief when Olivia helps her with a solution. Luke's friend Mike shows up in time to give Luke some of the hard truths he needs to face. But he is also the kind of support that Luke needs around to get him out of his depression. I loved his interest in Diana and I'm looking forward to their story. ( )

:) ( )