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Blurb

Music is his passion. It’s in his blood. Yet, Quinn James isn’t sure if stardom is right for him. His family wants him to join a band, and follow in his father’s footsteps but fear holds him back. He can’t explain it, and when he tries, no one understands what he’s afraid of or why he’s content playing coffee shop gigs where no one knows him.

Eleanora Boone wants to live her life, not the one her very southern parents planned for her, which is why she chose a college thousands of miles away. Now she’s faced with returning home or doing something that would defy her family. When an opportunity to visit Los Angeles falls in her lap, she uses it to become someone different.

California is everything Eleanora thought it would be, and even more so when she meets Quinn, the shy, reserved and brooding musician who’s the complete opposite of the guys she’s used to back home.

For the first time, Quinn’s smitten. The new, mysterious waitress has him wrapped around her finger, and he finds that he is finally able to open up and trust someone outside of his family circle.

But living a different life comes with its risks, and for Eleanora, that risk is a secret that has the power to destroy both of them.

 

 

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Review

3.5 stars

I love the set up for this series – giving us the stories of the children from the Beaumont series – and this time it’s Quinn’s turn.

Quinn is the son of Harrison, and adopted son of Katelyn from My Unexpected Forever. We meet him as an eight year old when his parents met and fell in love, and he has grown up in the midst of the Beaumont family, with parents that he loves and is super close to, twin step-sisters that he loves like his own and a best friend in Noah, son of Liam and Josie, and hero of Holding Onto Forever. He has music in his blood and is a talented musician, but unlike a lot of romance heroes, Quinn is shy, quiet, sensitive and emotional, and I loved the different feel that his beautiful nature brings to the story.

I sit back and observe my parents, they have the kind of love I want. There isn’t a person on the outside who can’t see how in love they are with each other. I believe someone out there is meant for me, but finding them is the hard part. I’ve never put myself out there and until I do, I’m not going to find my forever.

He is happy writing songs and singing and playing his guitar in a coffee shop once a week, but his family want more for him. Pressured by his feisty sister to join a band that she is putting together, Quinn is struggling to balance the expectations of his loved ones and his own personal wants and needs. He has very valid fears that he needs to deal with as he finds his way forward.

Eleanora has just graduated from college and is also struggling with the expectations of her family. She fought hard to attend an out-of-state school, but now that she is done they want her back home so that she can marry her high school sweetheart and live the southern society life that her mother has. But her ‘fiance’ is a cheating a-hole, and Eleanora is only just starting to discover who she is and doesn’t want to get stuck in the life that has been planned out for her. So she makes up a story about taking a road trip on her way home, and instead travels to LA with a girlfriend, establishing herself as ‘Nola’, and enjoying the freedom that her secret life has to offer – even if it’s only temporary.

Quinn and Nola meet when she takes a job in the coffee shop where Quinn plays, and they share an immediate attraction. It doesn’t happen for them right away, but when they finally get on the same page, their romance is sweet, swoony and full of emotion, and watching Quinn fall was beautifully heartwarming.

“There’s something about you, Nola. I can’t put my finger on it, but you drive me crazy with desire and I have this need to show you off, to stake a claim and call you my girlfriend. Can I do that? Can I call you my girlfriend?”

But just when it looks like Quinn has finally found what he’s been looking for, his world is upended, with Nola dragged in to the middle of the unfolding drama, and he is forced to face the demons he has been dreading his whole life.

There is so much more to this book than just the romance. In fact, it feels more like a story about two individual characters dealing with their issues, with the love story secondary to that. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, and it’s done really well, just don’t be expecting a deeply intense, slow burning love story, because that’s not what this book is about. I actually really loved it. Quinn’s story in particular touched my heart as we got to know the vulnerable and sensitive man that he has become, and a real highlight of the book for me was seeing his relationships with the people in his life, which were beautifully written and which gave the book SO much heart!

Eleanora’s story didn’t speak to me so much and I found her mildly annoying. She also has a lot of growing up and figuring out to do, but for me, this story belonged to Quinn. And while I could appreciate that the love story wasn’t the focus, I would have liked to have seen some more of them together – an epilogue perhaps?

We get to catch up with the couples from the earlier books in the series, and we’re also introduced to a whole new bunch of characters in what looks to be a setup for more books – either in this series or a spin off, and I’m definitely intrigued by all of the potential storylines there.

I enjoyed this book. It didn’t suck me in as much as other books from this series and its predecessor series have, but still definitely an enjoyable read with a fantastic hero and wonderful character dynamics.

3.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Beaumont Series – Next Generation

 

This series is a spin-off to the Beaumont series

 

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of My Unexpected Love, the author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway

 

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Author Bio

Heidi McLaughlin is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of The Beaumont Series, The Boys of Summer, and The Archers.

Originally, from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell, Buttercup and a Highland West/Mini Schnauzer, JiLL and her brother, Racicot.

When she’s isn’t writing one of the many stories planned for release, you’ll find her sitting court-side during either daughter’s basketball games.

Heidi’s first novel, Forever My Girl, has been adapted into a motion picture with LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Roth, in theaters January 19, 2018.

 

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