Presented by:
Title: Twice in a Lifetime Author: Ruthie Henrick
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Audience: due to mild sexual content, recommended for 17+
Formats: trade paperback and eBook
Publisher: self-published
Cover by: Regina Wamba of Mae I Designs
No of Pages: 349 paperback
ISBN: 978-0-9914164-1-7 (eBook) Sorry, not sure what the 10 and 13 is. These are the numbers assigned.
ISBN: 978-0-9914164-0-0 (paperback)
ASIN: B00HZZZBIE
Date Published: January 24, 2014
~ Synopsis ~
Is it possible to find your one true love…twice?
Blind date. When Allie and Ben are thrown together to help their friends out of a bind, they find the unexpected—and unwanted—spark of attraction difficult to ignore. Surrendering to it, they marry and live their happyish-ever-after—until Ben’s death reveals a betrayal that rocks Allie’s world.
The sidelines. Where Jake has hovered for the past fifteen years, business partners with his best friend, in love with his best friend’s wife. He’s shocked by Ben's duplicity, overcome by the guilt of a deathbed promise. But he’s waited half a lifetime for a chance to love Allie, and it’s time to make his move.
Marriage. Allie might be ready to take the slow slide from friend to lover, but a lifetime is a leap she won’t agree to. She can’t deprive Jake of the family he’s never had, but longs for—the family she can no longer give him. How can she refuse him, though, when he sets out to prove the only family he needs—has ever wanted—is her?
~ Book Links ~
~ Our Review ~
5 Star Review by Jessica
I enjoyed this book so much. With a debut author,
you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get, but Ruthie
Henrick really delivered with this novel! I especially loved that it
brought me back to my college years and followed along to mid-life
(where I may or may not reside at the moment). Each word just felt
authentic and I took the sometimes tumultuous journey to true love
right along with the main characters.
Allie and Ben met on a blind date in college, set up
by their best friends Jake and Reese. Despite their reservations,
each was immediately smitten with the other, setting the stage for a
“once in a lifetime” type of love affair. Unfortunately for
Jake, he also finds himself falling for Allie upon first glance,
setting him up for 15
years of watching the love of his life quietly from the sidelines as
she marries and begins a family with his best friend.
I truly loved all the main characters in this book.
Allie was a strong and spunky woman who was fully devoted to her
family, friends, and kindergarten students. I loved watching her
reluctantly fall for the athletic, commitment-hesitant Ben (and let
me just go on record as saying their first real kiss was one of the
best kissing scenes ever!!).
Ben was a bit of a player who was shocked to find himself suddenly
wanting to completely commit to Allie. Their love felt natural and
real. My heart simultaneously broke for Jake, an easy-going, loyal
friend who was forced to hide his true feelings for Allie, plaster on
a smile, and support his best friend as he married the woman they
both loved.
Life doesn’t always work out as planned however,
and Ben is taken from Allie, their son Trey, and Jake far too soon.
In the midst of their grief, they discovered that Ben was not exactly
who he seemed and they were forced to come to terms with that
realization. Jake found himself in the painful position of wanting
to admit his feelings to Allie while keeping a promise to Ben to take
care of her; would his admission be a betrayal to Ben?
Twice in a Lifetime spans two decades and as a
result, I felt as if I really got to know each of the characters.
Ben in particular had his flaws, but really-don’t we all? Ms.
Henrick managed to present the story in such a way that each
character was relatable and I couldn’t help but feel for them. My
heart especially went out to Jake. He was funny, honest, and loyal
to a fault. He was just the kind of man we should all be so lucky to
have in our lives.
Is it possible to find true love twice in a lifetime?
You’ll just have to read this beautiful story to find out!
~ Excerpt ~
His hands forged a path down her rib cage, her abdomen tightening with a quick intake of breath as his thumbs grazed the sides of lace-covered breasts. The mewl of satisfaction that escaped on her gasp had his erection throbbing. His breaths came in harsh gasps. He dropped to his knees. His work-roughened palms rasped against the satiny skin of her hips as he tugged open the snap of her jeans and lowered the zipper. “Jesus, Allie, did you paint these on? Help me out here.” With a laugh she wriggled until he had the curve-hugging denim down and off.
Lust threatened to consume him as he uncovered her silky limbs and left her standing in nothing but mind-altering scraps of pink silk. She palmed his head, her fingers tickling through his hair and across his scalp as his hands explored the firmness of her toned runner’s thighs, roamed her trim hips and kneaded the lush globes of her ass. Jesus, she was…perfect. Better than anything good and soft he could ever imagine. He dragged open– mouth kisses over the front of her panties and was rewarded when she drew in a ragged shudder. His heart raced in his chest.
More. He needed more and he needed it now. Needed to bury himself –. Ah, fuck! Abruptly, he tightened his arms around her thighs and dropped his forehead to her belly. “Shit.”
Her hands held him close. “Not the reaction I was looking for, Jake.”
~ Dream Cast ~
~ Playlist ~
I write in quiet, but that’s about the only time I don’t have music playing. I don’t have a playlist for the book, but how about a peek at the most recently played songs on my iPod?
~ Giveaway ~
~ Author Bio ~
Hi there! I'm Ruthie Henrick, and I’m an Arizona girl. I write romantic women’s fiction and contemporary romance. I’ve always been an avid reader, even as a child. I’ll read just about anything, but I love anything with romance in it. I am a romance junkie.
I first started writing a couple of years ago. I’ve never been that person who dreamed about being an author or loved telling stories. I used to try making up bedtime stories when my kids were little and I’d draw a blank every time. But an idea had been running through my mind for a while so I decided to start typing and see where it led. Three months later I had a really good first draft. Let me tell you, nobody was more surprised than me!
I love music, especially country music, and that’s generally the soundtrack to whatever I have going on. At work, doing housework, in the car—the music is always on. Except when I write—that I have to do in silence.
We have three sons and they’re all grown and scattered around the country, but the Big Kahuna and I are still ruled by a fifteen-year-old deaf Pekinese with OCD. Life is interesting!
I’m not much of a TV watcher, except for shows like The Voice and American Idol. Gives me lots of time to write, and read. Like many of you, I have a one-click compulsion. The number of unread books on my Kindle is really embarrassing.
I love chatting with other readers, sharing my favorite books and authors, and discovering those new to me. Come by and hang out with me on any of my social media.
~ Social Media Links ~
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