When We Touch

Whiskey Creek #0.5

by Brenda Novak

The Whiskey Creek series begins ...

You're invited to a wedding in Whiskey Creek, Heart of the Gold Country!

Unfortunately, it's the wrong wedding ... Olivia Arnold is arranging the festivities ...
It's the hardest thing she's ever done ... Because SHE should be marrying Kyle Houseman ... After all ... until fairly recently ... Kyle and Olivia were together ... for more than a year ... But her jealous sister, Noelle ... stole Kyle away ... and now ... Noelle's pregnant ...

All their friends in Whiskey Creek know as well as Olivia does that Kyle's making a mistake. His stepbrother, Brandon, knows it, too. But Kyle's determined to go through with it, for his child's sake.

Olivia's devastated, but surprisingly Brandon ... the black sheep of the family ... is there to provide comfort and consolation. The intensity between them, both physical and emotional, shows Olivia that maybe Kyle wasn't the right man for her ...

But is Brandon!!!?!

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Fiction, Adult, Chick Lit

102 pages, ebook

First published August 1, 2012

About the author

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career.

“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.”

However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business.

Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer.

“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”

Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she continues to publish two or three novels a year, in a variety of genres.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. Now that they are empty-nesters, she spends her free time babysitting her two grandchildren.

When she’s not with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising money for diabetes research. To date, she's raised almost $2.6 million. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking--she rides an amazing 20 miles every day!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-...

Reviews

[Jonetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia Arnold returns home for the most difficult assignment of her life: serving as the wedding event manager for her sister's wedding to her ex-boyfriend, Kyle. She's doing this at her parents' request as her sister, Noelle, will never win an award for being the sibling of the year. Meanwhile, Kyle's stepbrother, Brandon, steps up to help Olivia make it through this awful week.

I'm not a fan of novellas but this one achieved what most do not, which is to tell a great story and create characters that you can relate to. What Olivia was asked to do was one the most painful things you can imagine. Even though her sister's behavior was abominable, Olivia rightly placed the most blame on Kyle, who deeply regretted getting involved with Noelle. I thought it was going to be sort of cheesy to pair Olivia with Kyle's stepbrother but it was done so skillfully it ended up making perfect sense. It was great to see both triumph out of this mess and the story of Noelle and Kyle is yet to be finished. Their parents left a lot to be desired, showing little empathy beyond their own selfish need to maintain family harmony. The friends of Olivia and Kyle were also introduced, just enough to whet my appetite and hope for more of them in future stories.

This is a fine start to a very promising series, leaving me satisfied but still wanting more. There's not much more you can ask for in a short story.

(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When We Touch  by Brenda Novak is a companion novella to the contemporary romance Whiskey Creek series. Each book in the series has a different lead couple falling in love so they can be read as standalone novels if choosing to do so. The books in the series all feature the small town of Whiskey Creek so there should be updates of the town from book to book.

In this novella Olivia Arnold is trying to be the bigger person than her sister by returning to plan the wedding between her hateful sister, Noelle, and the man Olivia once thought she would be marrying, Kyle Houseman. After arriving and actually seeing her sister with Kyle Olivia blurts out she's in a relationship with Kyle's step brother now and over Kyle, now to only get Brandon to go along with it. 

I've read a few of Brenda Novak's books already so going into this one I knew that I would find some great writing. I was a little hesitant over the feuding sisters but since Olivia wants nothing to do with either it was easy to forget that when she begins her new relationship. It quickly becomes apparent in here that Olivia and Brandon are the more likable characters and even though this is a fast moving relationship it was nice to see them find each other. 

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Carol (StarAngel's Reviews) Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book – When We Touch
Series – Whiskey Creek 0.5
Author – Brenda Novak
Publication Date – August 1, 2012
Genre – Contemporary Romance
Type – Companion Series
Cliffhanger – No
Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars

Complimentary copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts - Story
I really enjoyed this story and absolutely fell in love with Brandon!

Now some things I couldn’t get past and that was Liv’s parents forcing her to plan the wedding of her ex and her sister.

And Kyle?? What a butt head for what he did…he upset me so many times with thinking everyone would feel sorry for him for “doing the right thing” while all along if he kept his yoo-hoo in his pants…he wouldn’t be in that predicament. I kept thinking to myself that he deserved Noelle.

Noelle?? OMG ---- No words can describe her.

Re-Cap
This is the story of Olivia and Brandon – Olivia is a wedding planner who wanted a little break from her fiancé, Kyle, to get her business up and running. Kyle ends up sleeping with Olivia’s sister and whoops…Noelle ends up pregnant and lo and behold, a wedding is in the near future.

Olivia must come home to help plan the wedding of her nasty sister and see her only love again with a broken heart.

Brandon ends up being the support crutch that Olivia so desperately needed and within a short amount of time --- Olivia has other things on her mind and it’s not Kyle!

Reason for Reading – #30DAYCHALLENGE
Story – 4.5 Stars
Steam – 3.5 Stars
Angst – 4 Stars
Writing – 4 Stars
Content Flow – 4 Stars
HEA (Spoiler) – Yes
Would Read More from Author? Yes
Recommend To – Readers who like a light read with humor and angst mixed together.

[Kiki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Occurrence of events may or may not be in order:

strong heroine doing strong heroine staff-hot guy-strong heroine become mush/damsel in distress - cheating ex-bitchy sister-selfish mum-cheating ex marrying bitchy pregnant sister and selfish mum is shocked/surprised WHY heroine is NOT happy to be forced to be planning the wedding which IS her job even though she’s not being paid-bitchy sis call heroine disloyal for smexing with hero cause she called dibs first and totally stalked him and got arrested for it in the past, but same rule doesn’t apply for her and cheating ex’s burdoir bouncing (huh?)-somewhat steamy sex-strong heroine-even bitchier mum in disguise who needs parenting lessons thinks it’s inappropriate to have sex with cheating ex’s step brother because it’ll hurt the bitchy sister but it IS ABSOLUTELY COMPLETELY ACCEPTABLE for bitchy sister to sleep with the cheating ex while he was still with the heroine and now to marry him (someone please slap the cake decoration makeup off her face so the wrinkles are visible and then cancel all her Botox appointments pls)-almost public sex at bitchy sisters wedding (we can call it comeuppance since bitchy sis wanted H, but h got him instead and now she knows 🤦‍♀️) - shit we ran out of page count let’s call time of death, erm, i mean HEA!

WTF was even that?!

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review
'When We Touch' by Brenda Novak is book o.5 in the "Whiskey Creek" series.
This is the story of Olivia Arnold and Brandon.
Olivia is headed back to Whiskey Creek for her sisters wedding which Oliva has been planning. The problem Oliva is having is that her sister stole her boyfriend Kyle. In addition her sister is pregnant with Kyle's baby. Oliva is prett upset and that leads her to say she is sleeping with Kyles's brother Brandon. Brandon And Oliva had went to the prom together and so they have a slight history together. Now that Oliva is free will Brandon make his move or will he think that he will loose his freedom with Oliva. Great emotional story!!

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[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deals with the keep-it-in-the-family memo in a fresher way.

*Major Spoilers*
I wasn’t expecting to be so involved when I picked up this book about a jilted h, Olivia who’s also a wedding planner driving back home to organize her biyotchy sister’s wedding to her own ex/poached bf, Kyle. The H, Brandon is Kyle's estranged stepbrother and the local bad boy. The two men have an uneasy rivalry going on ever since they first met as teenagers.
The h and her ex, a bf of two years, were committed and in love when she decided to take a break as wanted to move to Sacramento to further her career. Kyle strays, as he was annoyed with this unilateral decision and the covetous lil sister easily moved in to lay the pregnancy trap. In the present, the h/H start as pretend lovers to save her pride during the wedding but then the pretend part is soon forgotten!

Now this sounds like a plot for so many contemporaries that you come across nowadays. So what’s different?

The ex-BF for one matter. He cheated and got the sister pregnant, and is now marrying the biyotch. As he himself admits it wasn’t a one off thing but happened several times over a period of weeks perhaps. I should have hated the jerk but he completely fascinated me! (I had a hunch early on and checked to find out that he indeed has a book of his own in the series.) Everyone tries to tell him that he’s making a mistake by marrying the sister but he’s adamant to do the right thing. Although he gets the irony…
“I wish you weren’t so damn noble,” Brandon muttered.
“It wasn’t my nobility that got me into this mess.”

The equation between the stepbrothers was another. It was nice to see how the uneasy relationship develops into something more calm and mature. Kyle hated losing Olivia but losing her to Brandon was even more painful to him. He was tormented and chaffed but finally finds the peace to bring the h/H together.

AND the rare book where the ow/slutty sister is shown her place by everyone! The H, the h, her fiancé, his friends and to a small degree even the parents all make their opinion of her quite clear. She is quite unbalanced and at one time had stalked the H who’d gotten a restraining order against her. I hate when the slutty sisters get to do the triumphant walk down the aisle while the trying-to-be-brave h watches benignly. Oh, she does get married but never gets the satisfaction.

As you can see, I left off the h/H relationship for last. Not without reason. Although I like them as a couple, they are hardly given any time to develop the relationship. If you leave out that one supposedly-never-forgotten prom dance eons ago, their relationship barely had any depth. The hea seems like a work in progress, if not dicey. (But Book #9, six years later have them going strong. But, of course!)

So in all I enjoyed the book which has its share of angst, healed relationships and some really satisfying comeuppance.

[willaful · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a more interesting story than I expected. The basic plot is pretty over the top: Olivia's narcissistic sister Noelle stole her boyfriend Kyle, got pregnant, and is now insisting on a fabulous wedding; bizarrely, rather than supporting Olivia, her parents have asked her to plan the wedding so they can save money. Trying to save face, Olivia agrees, and finds unexpected support from Kyle's stepbrother Brandon, her one-time crush -- which sends both Kyle and Noelle into spasms of jealousy.

It all sounds pretty crazy, but the voice of sanity in the book is Brandon, who tries to talk Kyle out of ruining his life by marrying Noelle -- despite the fact that he himself has always been interested in Olivia. Ironically, "bad boy" Brandon is the only one of all the characters who never behaves dishonorably.

The tension was built up so well I genuinely didn't know how the story would end, and have been scouring the internet for any info about these characters in the future. Unfortunately, though this is the beginning of a series, it seems to be focused on other people than these four.

[Anne OK · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

Novella introduction to Novak's latest "Whiskey Creek" trilogy. Three full-length books in this series will begin with "When Lightning Strikes" on August 28th, followed by "When Snow Falls" on October 30, and then "When Summer Comes" on January 29, 2013.

The novella was short and sweet and an enjoyable afternoon treat. When sibling rivalry goes beyond the norm and one man is at the center of it all, one sister becomes a bridesmaid, while the other sister becomes a bride.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light, easy predictable beach read. I did like the ending and may read more in the series.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ½ stars. Very enjoyable but too short to be a 5 star. The end was happy but not complete enough - it needed more time.

Neat characters and interaction. This wasn’t typical run-of-the-mill-romance. I don’t want or like short stories, but this was good enough to make an exception.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: about 102 pages. Swearing language: mild plus the s-word. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2. Setting: current day small town Whiskey Creek, California. Copyright: 2012. Genre: contemporary romance.

------------------------------------------------
THE SERIES:
This is the introductory book #0.5 in the Whiskey Creek series. Each book can be read as a stand alone, but there is a flow of characters through the books which makes it nice if read in order. Here are my ratings for them.

My Favorites (4 ½ or more stars):
#0.5 When We Touch - 102 page novella
#1 When Lightning Strikes
#5 Take Me Home For Christmas
#8 This Heart of Mine

2nd choice (3 ½ stars):
#9 A Winter Wedding
#2 When Snow Falls - It was hard to feel hope or anticipation. Chey would not allow herself to act on her feelings. She kept her feelings “secret” for most of the book.

3rd choice:
The main plot was one character keeping a “secret” for most of the book. I did not enjoy the lies. In some stories I did not like the reasons for keeping the secret.
2 ½ stars. #3 When Summer Comes
2 stars. #4 Home to Whiskey Creek
2 ½ stars. #6 Come Home to Me - secret baby
3 stars. #7 The Heart of Christmas - Hero is on the run from bad guys. When heroine asked questions he could have answered in generic terms but he was silent. That didn’t feel right to me.

[LPJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olivia is a Mary Sue, somehow browbeaten into planning her sister's wedding three months after her sister steals her boyfriend of two years. That in itself had me shaking my head. What a wimp! And her parents were horrible people to ask her to do such a thing just to save money! Suspending my disbelief to try to see Olivia's perspective was a bit difficult when I had so little respect for her.

Brandon, on the other hand, is a great character who's given excellent motivation for his personality and actions. If anything, he's a little too self-aware, as is Olivia. She must have a degree in psychology or something to be able to see so deeply into his soul.

In such a short period of time the characters are drawn quite vividly, although I wish Noelle had been given greater depth.

I'd gathered from the description that this was Olivia and Brandon's love story, but it's really not so clear-cut and while I wouldn't call it a love triangle, there's some serious geometry going on that, for a while, had me unsure of how this would turn out. I love it when I'm kept on my toes and it's to Novak's credit that Kyle is treated so deftly.

I was waiting for some shoe to drop regarding Noelle's pregnancy - like she'd faked the whole thing or it was really someone else's baby ... I guess we'll learn more in the subsequent books in the series, I still think there's something fishy going on there...

Overall, I enjoyed this. It was well written and engaging and a good start to a new series.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is based on a copy provided the author in exchange for an honest opinion.

My android where I normally read books died on me. It took with it many of the copies of books that I was supposed to be reviewing. THIS author and her PA made sure that I could get another copy to review. They went above and beyond many others. That was all class. I didn't put that in my review to make you feel sorry for me ...MUCH ;) I just wanted to let you know that I am so very glad to have been given the chance to review this because it was AMAZING!!!! From the very beginning I was asking myself "WHY WOULD A PARENT ASK THAT OF A CHILD?" I was also yelling at the heroine that if her "man" could sleep with her sister so easily, then he didn't deserve the role as "her man". That was from the very beginning that I was THAT involved with Ms. Novak's characters. That's how realistic she made things in this adorable story. That showcases her talent right there if she can weave a world so thoroughly for your enjoyment. You know what? Try this for yourselves and see what I'm talkin bout ;)

[Melisa Hamling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd be thanking Kyle if I were Olivia because Brandon is sooo much hotter!

Sometimes those nasty things we come across, like a good relationship soured by sisterly jealousy, end up changing our lives for the better. Such is the case with Olivia and Kyle. Their relationship was perfect, but put on hold, or so Olivia thought.

Noelle wants whatever Olivia has... or should we say, had! Including boyfriends, even though she already took the opportunity to step in while Olivia was away building on her career as a Wedding Planner. If Noelle were my sister, she'd get her spoiled rotten jealous self a good arse kicking! And a wedding from hell! Poor Olivia is too sweet and because she loves her family, she puts herself through more trauma by working her sister's wedding, to her former beau, Kyle. But Olivia's kind heart is about to earn her a gold metal, who's name is Brandon, stepbrother of Kyle.

Revenge might be sweet, though Olivia isn't the revengeful type, but Noelle doesn't see it that way. I won't spoil it, but I will say you'll want to karate chop Noelle ;>, and that's putting it mildy.

What can I say about Brandon? Mmmmm! You'll have to get yourself a lil whiskey of your own 'cause Brandon will make you drunk without even drinking!

[DJ Sakata · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating:
4.5
Favorite Quotes:

“He smelled as good as he looked. But that was no surprise. She recalled dancing with him as a sophomore, pressing her nose into his warm neck in an effort to remember his scent. She’d instinctively known that was the only part of Brandon a girl could safely capture.”

“Brandon was like a meteor. He burned hot and bright as he crashed through a woman’s orbit, but he left a lot of damage in his wake and nothing, no one, slowed him down.”


My Review:

A quick and engrossing read written in third person POV, When We Touch was my introduction to Brenda Novak, I know! I must have been living under a rock not to notice her vast body of work by now. The writing was easy to follow, well paced, and emotive. I could feel Olivia’s dread, humiliation, disappointment, frustration and heartbreak. I was invested and entertained throughout and enjoyed spending my afternoon with these characters.

[Agnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Novak book that grips you and you must finish reading (didnt do the laundry again). This time a romance....Olivia leave Whiskey Creek to become a wedding planner in Sacramento. Only to find her boyfriend has fallen for her sister and plans on marrying her after she becomes pregnant with his child. And on top of that, Olivia is asked by her family to plan to wedding.

She makes the journey back home to please her parents only to find out it is not so easy - especially when there is also an attraction to her ex-boyfriend's stepbrother. Sweet story that makes you wonder where it will all lead.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When We Touch was an excellent read and a great start to the Whiskey Creek series.

Olivia Arnold always dreamed she would be part of Kyle Houseman's wedding, but she thought she would be the bride, not the sister of the bride. Olivia never imagined her sister would swoop in and get pregnant while the pair were on a break while Olivia was out of town getting her wedding planning business up and running. When her parents ask her to plan the wedding, she feels like she can't refuse but she's devastated. But after arriving back in town Olivia runs into Brandon, Kyle's stepbrother and the black sheep of the family, who provides Olivia with the comfort she needs.

Olivia and her sister Noelle have a very rocky relationship with Noelle always wanting what Olivia has. I honestly don't know how Olivia didn't snap at her sister or her parents for the way they treated her. I understand Kyle was as much to blame for the situation as Noelle was, but I don't understand why everyone expected Olivia to just be okay with what happened and to plan Noelle and Kyle's wedding.

Olivia and Brandon have always had feelings for each other lurking in the background since high school, but they both knew that Brandon wasn't the type of guy for Olivia. When they meet up again when Olivia comes to town for the wedding, sparks fly between them. Their chemistry was amazing and the attraction between them was palpable. I loved how at ease the two were together and the fantastic banter they shared. I thought the way their relationship progressed made sense and them having known each other for a long time definitely helped with that.

Overall I enjoyed When We Touch and I thought it was a solid start to the series. I will definitely be picking up more books in the series in the future.

[Arlena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: Brenda Novak
Published By: Mira
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Book Blog For: GMTA
Rating: 4

Review:

"When We Touch" by Brenda Novak was a good contemporary romance that maybe could be considered a chick lit or a short story... novella, but in the end it was all a wonderful well written read that I did enjoyed reading. I think in the end poor Olivia wasn't so poor after all who did she end up with? That sister of Olivia....Noelle....well that's another story. We find that Olivia was coming home to Whiskey Creek for her sister Noelle's wedding, but wait...it's now what you think...for her sister is now pregnant by Olivia's ex-boy friend (Kyle) and guess what? Since Olivia is a wedding planner her parents expect her to prepare the wedding for her sister. I couldn't in my mind understand their parents attitude about this. Have you ever heard of such? Would "you ask your own daughter to plan your other daughter's wedding after she seduced her ex fiancé? Really? And just to save money?" Well if you keep reading "When We Touch" we find out even more about this bizarre family. This is where I say you must pick up the read...to find out what Kyle(the ex) has to say to Olivia and what Miss Noelle is acting and saying when it is found out that Olivia is claiming to be dating Brandon who just happen to be is Kyle's step brother. Now the story will go on and on and we find out that Kyle knows he has messed up and just want to do the right thing and that is to marry Miss Noelle. What a sweet guy (ha ha). We find out that Brandon had taken Olivia to her prom and had always liked her. Now, the question to be asked and answered...Will those two (Oliver & Brandon) be able to come together with all of wedding stuff going on. There really seems to be a strong attraction that is going on between these two. "When We Touch" is definitely one novel of two sister...one sister that was well...I will just stop here and let you read it for yourself and let you be the judge if she is a ? Will their be a revelation about Noelle other than be spoiled? We find out that she had even tried to date....OK, I will stop and let you get the book and read for yourself who had to take a restringing order against her. All in all I thought this was a good read and in the end did Olivia get a good man?

This author brings to us a very interesting read that will keep you turning the pages wanting to see just what was going to happen next in Whiskey Creek. Would I recommend this novella: "When We Touch?" YES it was a good read!

[Kari Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Goodreads.com:

You’re invited to a wedding in Whiskey Creek, Heart of the Gold Country Unfortunately, it’s the wrong wedding. Olivia Arnold is arranging the festivities—and it’s the hardest thing she’s ever done. Because she should be marrying Kyle Houseman. They were together for more than a year…. But her jealous sister, Noelle, stole him away—and now she’s pregnant.

All their friends in Whiskey Creek know as well as Olivia does that Kyle’s making a mistake. His stepbrother, Brandon, knows it, too. But Kyle’s determined to go through with it, for his child’s sake. Olivia’s devastated, but surprisingly Brandon—the black sheep of the family—is there to provide comfort and consolation. The intensity between them, both physical and emotional, shows Olivia that maybe Kyle wasn’t the right man for her… But is Brandon?

This was a super cute read. Can you imagine planning your sister’s wedding (not so bad) to the man you thought you would marry (so bad)? At first I thought Olivia was going to be a character I wasn’t sure if I would like. She’s throwing a fit in her car, I thought I’d be annoyed. But she really surprised me. She was much stronger than I thought she would be. I would definitely not have been able to go through everything she did and not completely lose it.

And of course Brandon is a total hunk and a bit of a tough guy, in a professional skier kind of way. Who doesn’t love a thrill seeker?

This is a novella in the Whiskey Creek series, one of several series Novak has written. She has published 35 books. I’m sure I’ll be picking up a few more when I need a cute, quick, love story read.

I give When We Touch 5 out of 5 bookmarks.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a heartfelt and emotional read. My eyes were all misty by the end. This is a great start to a new series that I cant wait to get my hands on all the future books.

Can you imagine the guy you were with for years but asked to take a break from to start up a wedding planning business in another city is now going to marry your sister and she is pregnant on top of that. And to throw more salt on the wound she is the wedding planner for the nuptials.

Olivia Arnold is trying to hold it together but breaks down before reaching her parents. Said breakdown is observed by her ex's step-brother Brandon, someone who she had a crush on in high school. Brandon never thought he was good enough for Olivia so after attending Prom together he acted like he wanted nothing to do with her when that was the farthest thing from the truth.

I know this was supposed to introduce us to the future characters of the upcoming Whiskey Creek books (which it did) but I fell in love with Olivia and Brandon and pouted a little at the end wanting more of there story. Now don't get me wrong - we are given a as close to a HEA as possible for a novella but I wanted more and more and more :) Yes I am being greedy.

I dont normally give 5 stars for a novella but the way I felt at the end of reading this - the emotion I felt - it deserves its 5 star rating.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another terrible small town from Brenda Novak, with insular, gossipy, hypocritical residents. The book begins on a fantastic (for a romance novella) premise: the h, a wedding planner, is being required to plan her pregnant sister's wedding to the h's ex-boyfriend, who slept with the h's sister shortly after the h left town. Why her parents should ask her to do this and she should accept is never convincingly explained, but that's OK because it makes it easier to expedite the h hooking up with the H, realizing she is in love, and LEAVING TOWN, FOR GOOD. Yes, that's right. SHE ESCAPED THE CHARMING SMALL TOWN. Sayonara, bitches -- this h is done with your nonsense. M. HEA for the h and H.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A new series for me and unfortunately I didn't really enjoy the story of this novella ( heroine's horrible sister getting pregnant by her boyfriend while they were on a break then getting it on with her ex's step brother). Hopefully the series proper will be better.

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet start to BN's new series. I wish that it had been a little longer on the ending. It was good enough that I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Stayed up all night reading it. I don't usually like short books, but this one has it all!

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

Her guy got sis preg
She stays with his stepbrother
Sexy, but no love?

Not new idea
But really deep characters
Quite long novella

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

will Noelle and kyle last??? is it REALLY kyle baby??? does Brandon really give up sking??? yep really need to know definitely going to continue this series!!!

[Cruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author: Brenda Novak
Published: 2012
Length: 1827 kindle locations
Setting: Smalltown contemporary. Whiskey Creek.
Sex: Not frequent. Explicit.
Hero: Extreme skier.
Heroine: Wedding planner.
Includes: Excerpt from When Lightning Strikes by Brenda Novak

A sweet introduction to the Whiskey novels with a story of two past lovers/friends reconnecting. It works as a lead in, but you don't want to expect *more*.

Whiskey Creek series:
Book 0.5 When We Touch - Olivia Arnold and Brandon Lucero
Book 1 When Lightning Strikes - Gail DeMarco and Simon O'Neal
Book 2 When Snow Falls - Cheyenne Christensen and Dylan Amos
Book 3 When Summer Comes - Callie Vanetta and Levi McCloud
Book 4 Home to Whiskey Creek - Adelaide Davies and Noah Rackman
Book 5 Take Me Home for Christmas - Sophia DeBussi and Ted Dixon
Book 6 Come Home to Me - Presley Christensen and Aaron Amos
Book 7 The Heart of Christmas - Eve Harmon and
Book 8 This Heart of Mine - Riley Stinson and Phoenix Fuller
Book 9 A Winter Wedding - Kyle Houseman and Lourdes Bennett

References:
Brenda Novak's website: http://brendanovak.com/books/posts/wh...

(ISBN 9781743648926)

-CR-

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story for the most part. However, it was very cliche, I literally read almost the exact same story when I read Sister of the Bride a couple months ago.

I really liked the main couple... I wish we could have seen more interaction between the two of them and less about the whiny snobby bride out to ruin her sister's life. I assume (since the first book is about the grooms best friend) that the married couple will play a bigger role. But, I sincerely hope not. I can't stand either of them. I would like an actual reason for the feud between Olivia and Noelle. I might not have a sister, but My brother and I have never competed in such a horrible way. In fact I don't think we could.

I'll continue the series because this was a quick little read that I did enjoy. Hopefully, the series will get better when we have full length stories to read. I've read Novak before and found her writing lukewarm, but I really love small town romances so I'm trying to keep an open mind.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this one as it started, but as it went on I found myself rooting for Olivia and Brandon, while at the same time sort of happy that Kyle was in hell. I do think that Olivia's sister was evil and not a good person. The way she acted towards everyone, but especially her sister makes me hope she gets hers at some point and think Kyle deserved what he got. I was glad that Olivia took the chance and went after a good thing. I hope we get to see more of these 2 in future books.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series, and I enjoyed this short book that centered around Olivia and Brandon. Her sister Noelle stole her boyfriend, Kyle but she suddenly doesn't mind as much due to spending some time with Brandon.

[Ewa ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars
I enjoyed this book.