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Rebound
Fate finally opened her eyes...
Groom dumps you at the altar? Fall in love with your hunky best friend.
When Susan is dumped at the altar--via cocktail napkin--it is up to her best friend Kevin to help her recover. After a brief post-wedding-that-wasn't coma, Susan finds herself in paradise, on her honeymoon, but with Kevin, not her groom. After some crying, paragliding, frozen margaritas and bad advice from her other best friend Liz, Susan decides to seduce Kevin and get rid of her pain with a rebound fling.
Kevin has secretly loved Susan for years and finally giving into her cuts him deeper than he could have expected.
He leaves her and severs all contact with her until six months later, when they are both vying for the same account--designing Chicago's new opera house.
Competition takes on a whole new meaning for Susan when Kevin shows up on the arm of her arch nemesis, the cougar Francesca Costa. She now must not only vie for the opera house...but for her best friend's heart as well.
60,000 word novel.
Originally Published as Rebound.
Groom dumps you at the altar? Fall in love with your hunky best friend.
When Susan is dumped at the altar--via cocktail napkin--it is up to her best friend Kevin to help her recover. After a brief post-wedding-that-wasn't coma, Susan finds herself in paradise, on her honeymoon, but with Kevin, not her groom. After some crying, paragliding, frozen margaritas and bad advice from her other best friend Liz, Susan decides to seduce Kevin and get rid of her pain with a rebound fling.
Kevin has secretly loved Susan for years and finally giving into her cuts him deeper than he could have expected.
He leaves her and severs all contact with her until six months later, when they are both vying for the same account--designing Chicago's new opera house.
Competition takes on a whole new meaning for Susan when Kevin shows up on the arm of her arch nemesis, the cougar Francesca Costa. She now must not only vie for the opera house...but for her best friend's heart as well.
60,000 word novel.
Originally Published as Rebound.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 29, 2012
37 people are currently reading
705 people want to read
About the author
Mercy Walker
39 books69 followersI've been reading and writing paranormal romance, urban fantasy, erotica and fantasy for years. This month I finally got tired of the agent rejection forms. So now I'm trying out Kindle's Self Publishing system. I'm thirty-nine--for another few months, and chronically single. I live alone with my jack russel, Jack.
Besides reading steamy books about werewolves and vampires, I love Italian food, Ice cream and long drives...but only when someone else is driving.
Besides reading steamy books about werewolves and vampires, I love Italian food, Ice cream and long drives...but only when someone else is driving.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 5, 2013
Ok, so although being left at the "altar" is not fun or lighthearted, I did find the book to be that kind of read. I can say that Susan drove me absolutely nuts, but have to remind myself that there are so many people that fall into this same trap.
Susan basically planned her life out down to the "T". She found what she thought was the perfect man, had her career and was getting read to walk down the aisle. What she totally overlooked is the "nerdy" best friend who has loved her from the start of their friendship back in college. Easy to do when we only see what someone looks like and not who they are inside. Everyone does that, and it always takes forever before someone sees the shallowness of this, but that is not to say people don't still get caught up in what a person looks like. She did. She loved Kevin, but he was just her friend. Until she sees him 6 years after college and realizes the nerd is now a hunk. What drove me nuts about her isn't the above, it is that she NEVER got that he loved her and that she obviously loved him given she could not stand the idea of him never being in her life in the future or imagining him with someone else. That and the fact that she never said the right things to him until the end, but then the book would be a novella, right?
Now for Kevin. I loved him, but dang, I'm with Liz...he needed to grow a pair. I get that he was turned down in college, but once they got involved, how could he not try to talk to her or woo her into a relationship? Again, I can't argue the reality that the above happens more often than not, but well, it just frustrated me. He frustrated me in that he just came across as such a catch, but without the confidence to see it through with her.
I have to give the author credit that the book probably fit a lot of people, and it was fun to read for the most part ;)
Susan basically planned her life out down to the "T". She found what she thought was the perfect man, had her career and was getting read to walk down the aisle. What she totally overlooked is the "nerdy" best friend who has loved her from the start of their friendship back in college. Easy to do when we only see what someone looks like and not who they are inside. Everyone does that, and it always takes forever before someone sees the shallowness of this, but that is not to say people don't still get caught up in what a person looks like. She did. She loved Kevin, but he was just her friend. Until she sees him 6 years after college and realizes the nerd is now a hunk. What drove me nuts about her isn't the above, it is that she NEVER got that he loved her and that she obviously loved him given she could not stand the idea of him never being in her life in the future or imagining him with someone else. That and the fact that she never said the right things to him until the end, but then the book would be a novella, right?
Now for Kevin. I loved him, but dang, I'm with Liz...he needed to grow a pair. I get that he was turned down in college, but once they got involved, how could he not try to talk to her or woo her into a relationship? Again, I can't argue the reality that the above happens more often than not, but well, it just frustrated me. He frustrated me in that he just came across as such a catch, but without the confidence to see it through with her.
I have to give the author credit that the book probably fit a lot of people, and it was fun to read for the most part ;)
October 5, 2018
Story started out good. Bride jilted at the altar via a message on a cocktail napkin and the best friend comes to her rescue. But, the rest of the story had the same tiring, recurring theme.....he loves her, does she love him?. The heroine acted like a little girl, always crying and not able to cope on her own. This got really old and I got tired of her and her whining. Kevin was too good for her.
May 17, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. Was it predictable? Yes. But did it bother me? No. A nice easy read you can either read in one sitting, or dip in and out of when you have chance.
August 28, 2012
This was very enjoyable. A freebie from Amazon, and you're never sure whether you'll get a peach or a lemon. This was definitely a peach.
Susan was jilted at the altar. Well, according to her, she wasn't actually AT the altar... she was in the vestibule when her groom's best man hands her a cocktail napkin containing a short scrawled break-up note. Not the best timing. Susan is, as well she should be, completely shocked.
Kevin, her best friend from college, is attending the wedding. He thinks if he watches her get married (and be a best friend by attending the ceremony), he'll finally realize he can't have her. And move on. He's been in love with her since he first laid eyes on her, but he was always just a good friend to her. He was a little dorky in college, and after college, he spent his free time in a gym, working off his attraction to what he couldn't have. Which really bulked him up.
After getting the cocktail napkin and spiraling into a psychological coma, her other best friend, Liz, gets her and Kevin out of there and back to her apartment. They find the honeymoon airline tickets and figure that's the best place to hide Susan for a while until things can die down. And she can't be alone, so Kevin goes with her.
After a few days of comatose, Kevin finally snaps Susan out of her stupor. And Susan realizes how much Kevin has changed. Physically. They've always been best friends, but she suddenly feels this sexual undercurrent. Kevin won't act on it, so she finally pushes the issue. And it's great. For both of them. Many times.
But then Liz shows up, and Kevin figures he's fulfilled his "duty", and he leaves. HE LEAVES!! Without even talking to her and telling her he's leaving. Another spiral into the depths of depression for Susan.
So anyway, things happen, time goes by, no real contact, Susan is freaking out, more stuff happens, lots of angst while they're apart (or at least *my* heart was breaking for them)... and ultimately an HEA. A very sweet HEA.
Like I said, you're never sure whether a freebie is going to be good. This was definitely worth the read.
Susan was jilted at the altar. Well, according to her, she wasn't actually AT the altar... she was in the vestibule when her groom's best man hands her a cocktail napkin containing a short scrawled break-up note. Not the best timing. Susan is, as well she should be, completely shocked.
Kevin, her best friend from college, is attending the wedding. He thinks if he watches her get married (and be a best friend by attending the ceremony), he'll finally realize he can't have her. And move on. He's been in love with her since he first laid eyes on her, but he was always just a good friend to her. He was a little dorky in college, and after college, he spent his free time in a gym, working off his attraction to what he couldn't have. Which really bulked him up.
After getting the cocktail napkin and spiraling into a psychological coma, her other best friend, Liz, gets her and Kevin out of there and back to her apartment. They find the honeymoon airline tickets and figure that's the best place to hide Susan for a while until things can die down. And she can't be alone, so Kevin goes with her.
After a few days of comatose, Kevin finally snaps Susan out of her stupor. And Susan realizes how much Kevin has changed. Physically. They've always been best friends, but she suddenly feels this sexual undercurrent. Kevin won't act on it, so she finally pushes the issue. And it's great. For both of them. Many times.
But then Liz shows up, and Kevin figures he's fulfilled his "duty", and he leaves. HE LEAVES!! Without even talking to her and telling her he's leaving. Another spiral into the depths of depression for Susan.
So anyway, things happen, time goes by, no real contact, Susan is freaking out, more stuff happens, lots of angst while they're apart (or at least *my* heart was breaking for them)... and ultimately an HEA. A very sweet HEA.
Like I said, you're never sure whether a freebie is going to be good. This was definitely worth the read.
December 26, 2014
I received a complimentary e-copy of At Last in exchange for an honest review.
Susan has the unthinkable happen to her. At the last minute, her fiance Mark decides that he doesn't want to marry her and he doesn't even have the class to tell her face to face - instead he writes her a message on a napkin and walks out of her life forever.
Thankfully she has the support of her 2 best friends, Liz and Kevin. Liz and Kevin don't get along all that well, but they put their feelings for each other aside while they brainstorm on how to help get Susan through her grief. They find the perfect solution - Susan and Kevin board a plane and head off to the honeymoon destination in Cancun Mexico to get out of town for a few weeks. The only downside in the plan is that Kevin has been in love with Susan since their college days and he's got to put his feelings on hold because he knows now is obviously NOT the time for him to act on them. Luckily it's only for a week as Liz will fly down to Cancun after the first week after a make her or break her art showing at her gallery to relieve Kevin and send him home. But Liz has another idea for Susan. She thinks that what Susan really needs is a no-strings fling to help her over the pain - and Susan starts to see Kevin in a new light and wonders if Liz's idea is a good one. At Last is the tale of 2 friends who cross that line first and then have to come to terms with the shift in their longtime friendship.
I've read a few other books by Ella Stone (who also writes under the name of Alice Bella) so I'm familiar with her style of writing but this one never really clicked for me. I liked the writing and the plot but I just never felt a personal connection with Susan or Kevin. I was happy with the way the story ended but I would have been okay had things gone the other direction. With all that being said, I have read Slash & Burn (part 1) which is Liz's story, and will continue on with the next book in that series, and I'll also be keeping my eye out for future works by the author.
Susan has the unthinkable happen to her. At the last minute, her fiance Mark decides that he doesn't want to marry her and he doesn't even have the class to tell her face to face - instead he writes her a message on a napkin and walks out of her life forever.
Thankfully she has the support of her 2 best friends, Liz and Kevin. Liz and Kevin don't get along all that well, but they put their feelings for each other aside while they brainstorm on how to help get Susan through her grief. They find the perfect solution - Susan and Kevin board a plane and head off to the honeymoon destination in Cancun Mexico to get out of town for a few weeks. The only downside in the plan is that Kevin has been in love with Susan since their college days and he's got to put his feelings on hold because he knows now is obviously NOT the time for him to act on them. Luckily it's only for a week as Liz will fly down to Cancun after the first week after a make her or break her art showing at her gallery to relieve Kevin and send him home. But Liz has another idea for Susan. She thinks that what Susan really needs is a no-strings fling to help her over the pain - and Susan starts to see Kevin in a new light and wonders if Liz's idea is a good one. At Last is the tale of 2 friends who cross that line first and then have to come to terms with the shift in their longtime friendship.
I've read a few other books by Ella Stone (who also writes under the name of Alice Bella) so I'm familiar with her style of writing but this one never really clicked for me. I liked the writing and the plot but I just never felt a personal connection with Susan or Kevin. I was happy with the way the story ended but I would have been okay had things gone the other direction. With all that being said, I have read Slash & Burn (part 1) which is Liz's story, and will continue on with the next book in that series, and I'll also be keeping my eye out for future works by the author.
February 6, 2015
Where is the point of no return? Where is that imaginary and yet very real line that separates friendship from lust and like from love? Can a life-long friendship once sexually consummated be reversed into friendship again or is it destined to either flourish or wither in its new direction? Susan Rhodes was in crisis. Her fiancé didn’t even have the decency to break off their engagement gently or even in person. Mark left her in her wedding gown and at the altar with just a hastily scribbled message on a linen napkin. Not being one to under react in any stressful situation, she immediately entered a comatose state and did her best to withdraw completely from the world that had once held so much promise. Thanks to her friends she was soon on the road to recovery but then it happened. Kevin Jacobs, her long time best friend took her on her honeymoon trip and the perfect white sand beaches on Cancun changed their relationship from best friends to lustful lovers. Was this really meant to be or was it a mistake that was beyond repair? These questions plagued the couple (and the readers) as their lives resumed away from the romantic paradise and back in the “real world”. I really think that both of them over thought their feelings and missed the only relevant point; they were in love and always had been. This is an interesting and easily readable contemporary romance that is sure to entertain the reader without overtaxing their sensibilities or imaginations. Sexually graphic as only a woman could create, this story mixes lust and love but sometimes overlooks logic. Nevertheless this narrative goes to show that you can have friendship and love; like having your cake and eating it too. This is a “feel good” novel that is sure to leave you with a smile and sense of contentment when the last words are read and the tale is filed away in memories.
July 24, 2016
Full Review at: What's Beyond Forks?
At Last by Ella Stone is a quick and fun read. I don't know what it is about stories with best friends who become more, but I can't get enough of them. I liked Kevin immediately and wanted him happy, so I wasn't at all sad about Susan being dumped at the alter. Is that mean? Probably, but I don't care. Kevin is amazing and completely under appreciated by Susan. I really think he could do so much better, and he doesn't know it. He even puts up with crap from Susan's other best friend, who I'm not a big fan of. I tend to think Susan is pretty self absorbed. I know she got dumped at the alter, and that's bound to screw with your head, but how did she not realize what she had with Kevin long before this whole mess? I mean, it took him getting a six pack for her to notice him like that? Shallow Susan, shallow. Kevin made this story though. I was rooting for him from the beginning! I enjoyed the writing style of this author. The story flowed nicely and kept me interested. I would definitely read more books by this author.
June 16, 2014
I found this one free on amazon. Susan is ready to go down the aisle and her husband-to-be's friend leaves her a note written on a napkin. He's not going to marry her. She crumbles. Her friends Liz and Kevin get her home and decide that Kevin will take her to Cancun since the jerk had already payed for the honeymoon. After a few days of being almost catatonic, Kevin forces Susan to go outside and they go hang-gliding. Kevin has been in love with Susan since they were in college but she was not interested. Susan realizes that Kevin has always been there for her. He know things about her that her ex-fiance never knew, like what her favorites things are. One night she gets drunk and tries to seduce Kevin but he says no. But Susan gets her way the next day and for two days that is all they do. Then Liz comes down to Mexico, Kevin leaves. He wants Susan but does not want to be a rebound. Susan doesn't hear from him again for six months. She wants him bad but feels rejected. He wants her but is scared of being hurt. Will they get together?
I liked this book. It was a cute story to get me some time away from a book I was not enjoying.
I liked this book. It was a cute story to get me some time away from a book I was not enjoying.
March 26, 2012
I really enjoyed this novel. It is the second I've read by this author, and though romantic comedies aren't usually my thing, this one had a lot going for it. I thought the main character was a little wimpy, but then she showed some guts later on. I thought the male lead, Kevin was very sexy. And I loved, loved , loved the best friend, Liz. She should have a book of her own!
I'm looking forward to more books my this author.
I'm looking forward to more books my this author.
April 17, 2012
2nd book I've read by Ms. Walker and I loved it. It was a quick fun read and highly enjoyable. Had quite a few laughout loud moments and some equally steamy ones as well. One of the best characters was best friend"Liz, who really needs her own book. She was hysterical. Especially when she startles her best friend "Susan" when she finds her after she'd disappeared for a week and nearly gives her a heart attack. Priceless.
(she really needs her own story!)*hint hint*
(she really needs her own story!)*hint hint*
June 12, 2015
Overall, it was good. there was a ton of miscommunication, and no freakin communication at ALL! which was irritating to say the least. I really did like Susan and Kevin, one they stopped thinking to much, they made an adorably HOT couple. Liz was hilarious, I loved the moonstruck scene, and subsequent hilarity.
September 11, 2014
Was a good story, but felt like something was missing. I would have liked to see the ex, mark, show back up saying he made a mistake or played a little more on Kevin's fake love. A little more drama. I definitely enjoyed the first part of the story better. Once we jump 6 months ahead the story begins feeling rushed and missing pieces.
February 9, 2013
I just finished this book. I didn't love it as a whole but I did enjoy parts of it. I found myself skipping pages because both characters thought too much about their lives and more. However I really enjoyed when they finally got together... wow sparks flew.
March 19, 2013
enjoyed this book what a douchbag to leave a woman by napkin then came the best friend loved there connection and hot sex sciences and really liked Liz the no nonsense best friend who will fly to the end of time 4 her friend would be nice to have a story about Liz
May 7, 2014
Liked the story, but the character didn't set right with me. It felt like three different people shoved into one body. At one point I didn't even want her to get her HEA. I read Slash and Burn Vol 1 first so I was curious about Liz which helped me finish.
Just not a Susan fan I guess.
Just not a Susan fan I guess.
June 20, 2014
I really enjoyed the story of best friends falling in love, but I quickly scanned through quite a lot of pages with hardly any interaction between characters. The writing got much better about 3/4's of the way through, but it was still an enjoyable, quick read.
Want to read
January 11, 2013Amazon Freebie 01/11/2013
Want to read
January 11, 2013Amazon freebie 1/11/13
January 13, 2013
One to read when you're out of monies and can't afford to buy a new book. It was pretty good for a freebie. Somewhere between okay, good, and entertaining.
January 28, 2013
3.5 a quick read enjoyable
March 2, 2013
Loved it so much!!! Could not put the book down and found that I wanted more when it was done :)
April 16, 2013
It was ok... seemed to have some contrived plot devices. Similar to other stories that were better.
April 23, 2013
Very enjoyable !!! What a great outcome ;0))
August 3, 2013
WOW a Great love story. I loved him so much. But I thought there was too much crazy moments. But i loved the way it ended, wish there was an Epilogue.
August 9, 2013
fab book xx
July 17, 2015
Adorable and enjoyable book of lost love.
June 7, 2014
2.5 stars
June 15, 2014
If you've seen the movies my best friends wedding the beginning of sex and the city and the end of Life as we Know it. Then you really don't need to read this book. This story is so played out!!
June 25, 2014
I enjoyed Kevin and Susan's story. There was the great supporting character of Susan's best friend Liz, who I must say is a riot. I recommend this book.
January 18, 2015
This thing doesn't make a goddamn sense. Or I'm just too dumb to get it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews