Maple Grove
Book 1
Katana Collins
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Date of Publication: 12/16/14
Word Count: 72,000
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde
Book Description:
After discovering she’s infertile, Lydia Ryder has all but convinced herself that she doesn’t need children or a family to be happy. All she needs is her camera, her passport, and a damn good manicure. And maybe, maybe a sexy male travel companion. But when her job as a magazine photographer lands her in the small town of Maple Grove, NH, a precocious ten year old and her single father barge into Lydia’s life, turning what she thinks she wants onto its head. In this town full of happily ever afters, Lydia finds herself wishing for things she had sworn off long ago…
When Cameron Tripp’s wife passed away from heart disease, he thought he’d never find love again. He certainly never would have expected a woman like Lydia Ryder to waltz into his life and awaken his dormant heart and libido. But despite his better judgment, Cam finds himself drawn to the vivacious and argumentative outsider. He quickly learns that, like him, she knows all about misplaced trust, heartbreak, and how quickly a family can fall apart if you let it.
As impassioned arguments morph into frenzied kisses, the two wonder if one weekend can ever be enough. Despite lacking a maternal side, can Lydia connect with his ten year old daughter? And when Cameron finally learns the true nature of Lydia’s article, the trust he worked so hard to build crumbles once again. With such doubts filling their minds, is there any hope that Lydia and Cameron will be able to start a new life together?
Prequel available for free: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/498057
Giveaway
3 x paperback bundles of The Soul Stripper series (US residents only)
or
2 x digital bundles
My review:
I was anticipating a sweet small town love story, which this certainly is, but Capturing You also delivers a steamy element to the romance that I hadn’t expected.
This novel’s strengths lie in the strong characterization. Collins has created rich characters with a depth that makes the reader care for them, even despite their faults at times. This applies to the supporting characters too. The reader is given a strong sense of family and the community which is so central to the success of this story.
There were a few occasions where I found the plot became frustrating for the reader or it painted Lydia in a bad light. A little more information earlier on, like the fact Lydia had a contract drawn up regarding how her work could be used, would have made Lydia come across less naive for instance.
Overall, Capturing You was a really enjoyable read. Indeed, Collins was so successful in creating interesting, likeable chracters a reader could care about that afterwards you’ll be left keen to read the next in the series.
About the author:
Katana Collins splits her time evenly between photographing boudoir portraits and writing steam-your-glasses romances. Between navigating life as a small business owner, a first-time homeowner, and a newlywed, Kat is in a constant state of “OHMYGODINEEDCOFFEENOW.”
She is the author of the Soul Stripper trilogy, Wicked Exposure, and the graphic novel, Cafe Racer, co-written with Sean Murphy.
She and her comic book artist husband commute back and forth as they please between Brooklyn, NY and Portland, ME with their ever-growing family of rescue animals (up to two dogs and a cat and still counting!). She can usually be found hunched over her laptop in a cafe, guzzling gallons of coffee, and wearing fabulous (albeit sometimes impractical) shoes.
Visit her on the web at http://www.katanacollins.com , on Twitter @katanacollins, or find her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/KatanaCollins
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6577884.Katana_Collins
Belinda Williams 