Mama Said

by Wendy Byrne

Down on her luck blues singer, Gabriella Santos, escapes her over- protective family, along with a series of bad relationships, for a gig in Chicago. She is determined to prove she can stand on her own two stiletto-clad feet and make a fresh start. But when she tangles with the sexy but aloof bar owner, Shane O'Neil, she begins to believe she might have bitten off more than she can chew. When she gets mugged, shot at, witnesses a hit and run and sees somebody murdered, she knows she's in way over her head.

Ex-special forces guy turned detective and reluctant bar owner, Shane O'Neil, has a laundry list of things he doesn't like, starting with cops—especially his stepfather and stepbrother, who top the list. He also doesn't like a too-beautiful-for-her-own-good blues singer trying to tell him how to run his bar. She's pushy, chatty, high-maintenance and does everything she can do to get under his skin—from her flawless latte-colored skin, to her long sexy legs, to her incredible voice, he can hardly think of anything else. Which is a really bad thing since Shane thrives on being in control. But when he ends up beaten to a pulp in a Chicago alley, he has no choice but to rely on Gabriella for help.

Despite the sizzling chemistry between them, finding the balance between trust and commitment is a formidable task.

410 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Wendy has a Masters in Social Work and worked in the child welfare field for twelve years before she decided to pursue her dream of writing.

Between teaching college classes, trying to get her morbidly obese cat to slim down, and tempering the will of her five-year-old granddaughter, who's determined to become a witch when she turns six so she can fly on her broom to see the Eiffel Tower and put hexes on people—not necessarily in that order—somehow Wendy still manages to fit in writing. She spends the remainder of her days inflicting mayhem on her hero and heroine until they beg for mercy.

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great read, first time reading this author's work. I felt the storyline was unpredictable and Ms. Byrne took her time developing the characters. I enjoyed the interaction between Gabriella & Shane, they had this kind of love/hate relationship, which eventually changed once they were on the run. This book is more suspense than romance, but still an engaging read.

[SassyMama · Rating 4 out of 5]

An INTRIGUING bit of suspense...a cute & FUNNY budding romance between Shane & Gabriela...PLENTY of action and adventure that kept me turning the pages to uncover the mystery surrounding the Blues Stop bar...a ENGAGING second read from Wendy Byrne.

[Jessica Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books is deliciously addicting! This is a super fast fun read with amazingly complex characters that grab your attention and keep it until the very end. But I must warn do not start this book thinking “I’m gonna read a few chapters before bed” because you will be like myself and look up and it’s 4 am and your halfway through with the book, thinking about if I can read a few more pages and still get a few hours sleep before I have to go to work the next morning...

5 out of 5! But I did wish that Shane and Gabriella’s night together had a bit more detail.... it was a bit of a tease since there is soooo much build up to that moment for it to be glanced over... end of one chapter they are heads that way strip bare and all then next chapter it’s the next morning.... I want a step by step description of what happened between those two events please!

[Deloris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off good I loved Shane and Gabby but as the story continued on it really started to make me mad. Gabby has two brothers one is a cop and one is a FBI agent and her sister is a United States Attorney, so why is she running from corrupt cops and not calling them? This is where the story got really stupid and where I began to ignore the chemistry between the characters and did not care when the couple finally had their love scene. This story could have been good but the author forgot one thing smart people read books and we don't like it when you dumb down your plot.

[Trickiegyrl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabriella was the underachiever in a family of overachievers. Deciding to move far from her Florida roots, she takes a singing gig at a rundown club in Chi-town. Shane, the reluctant club owner, is not pleased to meet her at all. Fate forces Gabriella to realize her inner strengths and Shane to learn to trust again. It was an enjoyable read with flawed, but believable characters. Two thumbs up!

[Terrie Bassham]

I found Gabriella very immature for a 32 year old women which made it hard to get into. Shane was a great character. The plot line was good and I really enjoyed the story line.