What do you think?
Rate this book
Vicarage Bench #3
We're One
Crystal was a celebrated Vegas star with a strong affinity to the animal world—except for the human male animal, that is. When she uses her trusty baseball bat to change the odds for easygoing Ashley Parks, who is getting beaten in an alley below her apartment window, the two end up having to run for their lives from a killer who wants revenge.
Ashley’s first kiss arouses her and all she wants is for him to do it again and more - but no strings. All he wants is strings - and to keep her safe.
His bizarre solution is to put Crystal’s body into a coma and hide her in a hospital ward while her spirit is transported to exist inside him. Her reaction to his chilvalry..."You bungling idiot!!!?" Everything's changed. It's you he’s want to kill now.
Ashley’s first kiss arouses her and all she wants is for him to do it again and more - but no strings. All he wants is strings - and to keep her safe.
His bizarre solution is to put Crystal’s body into a coma and hide her in a hospital ward while her spirit is transported to exist inside him. Her reaction to his chilvalry..."You bungling idiot!!!?" Everything's changed. It's you he’s want to kill now.
102 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2008
11 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Mimi Barbour
241 books700 followersMimi is an incredibly busy NYT and USA Today award-winning, best-selling author who has nine series to her credit, as well as over 45 books and numerous multi-author box collections.
Mimi lives on the East coast of Vancouver Island with her pup, Charli, and writes her various romances with tongue in cheek and a mad glint in her eye.
She’s been known to say: “If I can steal a booklover’s attention away from their every-day grind, absorb them into a fantasy love story, and make them care about the ending, then I’ve done my job.”
**1st place prize of the 2015 - Chanticleer Reviews - Clue Awards. Special Agent Francesca
**A TOUCH OF PASSION, has just become the 2016 WINNER of The Romance Reviews Readers' Choice Awards.
Mimi lives on the East coast of Vancouver Island with her pup, Charli, and writes her various romances with tongue in cheek and a mad glint in her eye.
She’s been known to say: “If I can steal a booklover’s attention away from their every-day grind, absorb them into a fantasy love story, and make them care about the ending, then I’ve done my job.”
**1st place prize of the 2015 - Chanticleer Reviews - Clue Awards. Special Agent Francesca
**A TOUCH OF PASSION, has just become the 2016 WINNER of The Romance Reviews Readers' Choice Awards.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 21, 2012
This book takes place in 1969.
A cute little light read supernatural love story between Ashley (a man) & Crystal.
Ash was getting beat up in an alley under Crystals window by some people who she worked for. One was Ash'd friend too; playing a part so he didn't get fired. Crystal disguises herself in a hat an flannel shirt, runs out with a baseball bat & saves Ash.
Their fast paced love story mixed with bungling bad guys... or so they seemed. I pictured Joe Peshi as Joey... The animals, her chaotic mess...It was definitely an entertaining & different read with the magical rose bush & bench. It was a very original read as well. I can't get too specific because it was a fast read, I don't want to leave spoilers.
It was good & I did like it, but I have read so many great books lately, this one rates in the middle.
A cute little light read supernatural love story between Ashley (a man) & Crystal.
Ash was getting beat up in an alley under Crystals window by some people who she worked for. One was Ash'd friend too; playing a part so he didn't get fired. Crystal disguises herself in a hat an flannel shirt, runs out with a baseball bat & saves Ash.
Their fast paced love story mixed with bungling bad guys... or so they seemed. I pictured Joe Peshi as Joey... The animals, her chaotic mess...It was definitely an entertaining & different read with the magical rose bush & bench. It was a very original read as well. I can't get too specific because it was a fast read, I don't want to leave spoilers.
It was good & I did like it, but I have read so many great books lately, this one rates in the middle.
July 23, 2012
This is the third book in the series. It has a slightly different feel than the first two. It began with an adventurous situation that keeps you gripped to the story but with less humor. There is a return of characters from book two with a new undesirable villian who adds a lot of adrenaline. Overall enjoyable and a must read for those who have read either of the first two in the series.
July 7, 2012
We're One is a lovely story that starts out with a bang, and keeps you reading at a quick pace. Love the main character. The plot is well developed, and the story beyond enjoyable to read.
April 2, 2022
A lighthearted romance with a twist…
A jaded man and a woman who has sworn off men in general come together despite all the obstacles life puts in their way.
Magic rose bushes and nasty thugs and the natural affinity for hurt animals all combine to make an interesting story.
A jaded man and a woman who has sworn off men in general come together despite all the obstacles life puts in their way.
Magic rose bushes and nasty thugs and the natural affinity for hurt animals all combine to make an interesting story.
December 7, 2014
As this third entry in the Vicarage Bench series opens, we find Ashley Parks being assaulted by three thugs in an alleyway. Ashley is the brother of Rhett Parks, the Las Vegas casino owner who was the male protagonist in the previous novella, “He’s Her.” Now, Ashley, the manager of his brother’s casino and a secondary character previously, gets his own story and it does not start out nicely for Ashley.
The three thugs have been sent by a rival casino owner to “persuade” Ashley not to hire any of their employees, especially the females, who come looking for a new job. These guys are apparently unaware of Ashley’s personal training program and he is not nearly as hurt as he pretends to be. He is just about to take out his main attacker when a whirling dervish wielding a baseball bat comes out of the darkness and decimates the cretin.
As the brute goes down, Ashley seizes his chance, the bat and the slender lad, making a run for it. When he feels that they have gotten far enough away, he sets the lad down, only to find that it’s not a lad at all. Ashley’s rescuer is a lithe, beautiful woman with her long golden hair tucked firmly up in a ball cap.
Ashley is immediately smitten and then is devastated when she sends him packing after patching up his cuts. All he knows is her name and that she works in another casino. But those emotions are nothing compared to what he feels when he learns that Crystal Davis is the Ice Princess, the headliner for the casino owned by the man who ordered his beating.
Ashley has learned that Arnie, the thug Crystal bashed, has vowed to use any means possible to identify his attacker. Arnie has also vowed to kill said attacker. So Ashley snatches Crystal up and flees with her straight to Dr. Andrews, the vicarage bench and the rose bush. But it is only after Crystal’s spirit is ensconced in Ashley’s body and her comatose body safely hidden away from Arnie, that Ashley learns that the rival casino’s manager has forbidden Arnie to kill his headliner. He will just have to settle for killing Ashley instead!
Mimi Barbour expands the magical properties of the rose bush significantly in this entry. We learn the answer to the question that was subliminally presented in the previous work – what happens to the spirit if the comatose body dies while the body and spirit are separated? And while we have, on several occasions, seen the results of the rose bush interacting with the unwitting, in this story we get a glimpse of what happens when it interacts with the unwilling and with the inhuman.
This series may be focused on time and space differentials with a touch of magic worked in; however, there is no alternate reality or science fiction involved. Therefore, magic just cannot cover a mistake Barbour makes in this story with regards to technology. Watch for the rival casino’s manager to use a cell phone – in 1969!
However, as in the previous story of the series, the final page is the best. It is both horrific and hilarious at the same time. And what a promise it bears of things to come.
The three thugs have been sent by a rival casino owner to “persuade” Ashley not to hire any of their employees, especially the females, who come looking for a new job. These guys are apparently unaware of Ashley’s personal training program and he is not nearly as hurt as he pretends to be. He is just about to take out his main attacker when a whirling dervish wielding a baseball bat comes out of the darkness and decimates the cretin.
As the brute goes down, Ashley seizes his chance, the bat and the slender lad, making a run for it. When he feels that they have gotten far enough away, he sets the lad down, only to find that it’s not a lad at all. Ashley’s rescuer is a lithe, beautiful woman with her long golden hair tucked firmly up in a ball cap.
Ashley is immediately smitten and then is devastated when she sends him packing after patching up his cuts. All he knows is her name and that she works in another casino. But those emotions are nothing compared to what he feels when he learns that Crystal Davis is the Ice Princess, the headliner for the casino owned by the man who ordered his beating.
Ashley has learned that Arnie, the thug Crystal bashed, has vowed to use any means possible to identify his attacker. Arnie has also vowed to kill said attacker. So Ashley snatches Crystal up and flees with her straight to Dr. Andrews, the vicarage bench and the rose bush. But it is only after Crystal’s spirit is ensconced in Ashley’s body and her comatose body safely hidden away from Arnie, that Ashley learns that the rival casino’s manager has forbidden Arnie to kill his headliner. He will just have to settle for killing Ashley instead!
Mimi Barbour expands the magical properties of the rose bush significantly in this entry. We learn the answer to the question that was subliminally presented in the previous work – what happens to the spirit if the comatose body dies while the body and spirit are separated? And while we have, on several occasions, seen the results of the rose bush interacting with the unwitting, in this story we get a glimpse of what happens when it interacts with the unwilling and with the inhuman.
This series may be focused on time and space differentials with a touch of magic worked in; however, there is no alternate reality or science fiction involved. Therefore, magic just cannot cover a mistake Barbour makes in this story with regards to technology. Watch for the rival casino’s manager to use a cell phone – in 1969!
However, as in the previous story of the series, the final page is the best. It is both horrific and hilarious at the same time. And what a promise it bears of things to come.
September 5, 2016
There are some days when life knocks you down and you should just take the advice and stay down. Unfortunately Ashley Parks (or Ash as his friends call him) doesn't seem to know when to quit. Worse, Crystal Davis, his 'rescuer' doesn't seem to understand the meaning of quit either. The two of them are a right fun pair to read about. Whenever one has a solution, the other manages to bungle it and make it worse. It’s a comedy of errors almost.
I liked Crystal, I thought she had a lot of spirit and certainly loved the fact she rescued stray animals. They seemed to attach to her (a pregnant cat, her four kittens, turtle and two budgie birds were her current stable) and even though she says she will kick them to the curb, the amendment always is 'Soon'. Her heart is just too soft for it.
Ash at first seemed little better then a big kid who couldn't play with his toys. Crystal turned him down for a dinner so he got sulky. His manner improved however, and I applauded him for it. He was a little too autocratic for my tastes, but once he found out Crystal's story, he softened and became a little less bossy.
As for the conflict, it was pretty straightforward stuff. There wasn't any real twists or shocks along the way. It ended cleanly and happily. Not much more you can ask for from a romance right?
I liked Crystal, I thought she had a lot of spirit and certainly loved the fact she rescued stray animals. They seemed to attach to her (a pregnant cat, her four kittens, turtle and two budgie birds were her current stable) and even though she says she will kick them to the curb, the amendment always is 'Soon'. Her heart is just too soft for it.
Ash at first seemed little better then a big kid who couldn't play with his toys. Crystal turned him down for a dinner so he got sulky. His manner improved however, and I applauded him for it. He was a little too autocratic for my tastes, but once he found out Crystal's story, he softened and became a little less bossy.
As for the conflict, it was pretty straightforward stuff. There wasn't any real twists or shocks along the way. It ended cleanly and happily. Not much more you can ask for from a romance right?
July 27, 2012
Book: We're One
Author: Mimi Barbour
Series: The Vicarage Bench Series Book 3
Genre: Romance, Paranormal (Spirit/Soul Travel)
Length: Approximately 97 pages
A sweet love story with a little magic thrown in.
Ashley Parks, the beautiful and much better behaved younger brother of Rhett Parks, is being attacked by three thugs in a dark alley. WE'RE ONE by MIMI BARBOUR introduces us to Chrystal, a performer at a rival casino. I really enjoyed the character of Chrystal because she is fearless and is a protector of man or animal, whomever needs her at the moment. She surprises the three thugs, as well as Ashley, when she steps in with her beloved baseball bat to save his life. She's made some powerful enemies, though. Ashley and Chrystal find themselves running to England for protection with the bad guys right on their heels.
WE'RE ONE by MIMI BARBOUR is a sweet romance full of action, magic and compassion for animals. I found myself smiling as I read this book. I'm not going to spoil it for you and tell you how the magic rose bush comes into play, but I must say, I didn't see the end result coming at all. LOL I enjoyed this book very much.
Author: Mimi Barbour
Series: The Vicarage Bench Series Book 3
Genre: Romance, Paranormal (Spirit/Soul Travel)
Length: Approximately 97 pages
A sweet love story with a little magic thrown in.
Ashley Parks, the beautiful and much better behaved younger brother of Rhett Parks, is being attacked by three thugs in a dark alley. WE'RE ONE by MIMI BARBOUR introduces us to Chrystal, a performer at a rival casino. I really enjoyed the character of Chrystal because she is fearless and is a protector of man or animal, whomever needs her at the moment. She surprises the three thugs, as well as Ashley, when she steps in with her beloved baseball bat to save his life. She's made some powerful enemies, though. Ashley and Chrystal find themselves running to England for protection with the bad guys right on their heels.
WE'RE ONE by MIMI BARBOUR is a sweet romance full of action, magic and compassion for animals. I found myself smiling as I read this book. I'm not going to spoil it for you and tell you how the magic rose bush comes into play, but I must say, I didn't see the end result coming at all. LOL I enjoyed this book very much.
July 22, 2012
This story is about Ashley Parker, a co-owner of the Park Casino in Las Vegas. His brother is Rhett Parker who was introduced in "He's Her".
Ashley and his brother run a legitimate Casino that is doing well financially and one of the other owners decides to take his frustrations out on Ashley. While Ashley is being roughed up, a young boy comes in to help him using a bat; and swinging it very hard at the bad guys. When Ashley gets loose he grabs the boy and runs to safety. It is at this point that he realizes his rescuer is a beautiful young woman named Crystal! When the bad guy who was attacked finds out who his attacker is, he goes on a mission of revenge.
The rest of the story is filled with adventure, escape, romance and laughter. It also has a couple of good twists towards the end! I enjoyed the book quite a bit; a very easy read I would recommend it to anyone!
Ashley and his brother run a legitimate Casino that is doing well financially and one of the other owners decides to take his frustrations out on Ashley. While Ashley is being roughed up, a young boy comes in to help him using a bat; and swinging it very hard at the bad guys. When Ashley gets loose he grabs the boy and runs to safety. It is at this point that he realizes his rescuer is a beautiful young woman named Crystal! When the bad guy who was attacked finds out who his attacker is, he goes on a mission of revenge.
The rest of the story is filled with adventure, escape, romance and laughter. It also has a couple of good twists towards the end! I enjoyed the book quite a bit; a very easy read I would recommend it to anyone!
February 17, 2014
2.5 stars
This third book in The Vicarage Bench series had some issues, but was still short and kinda fun to read despite that...so 2.5 stars. The love story was rushed and the soul switch was on purpose and didn't lend much to the characters' development. Much of the dialogue was unrealistic to me, and one of the characters even used a "mobile phone." This takes place in the late sixties. Huh? The resolution in the end really rubbed me the wrong way, as well. Poor dog.
This third book in The Vicarage Bench series had some issues, but was still short and kinda fun to read despite that...so 2.5 stars. The love story was rushed and the soul switch was on purpose and didn't lend much to the characters' development. Much of the dialogue was unrealistic to me, and one of the characters even used a "mobile phone." This takes place in the late sixties. Huh? The resolution in the end really rubbed me the wrong way, as well. Poor dog.
July 9, 2013
Again, a good trilogy for relationship building and repair. Self awareness and repair. Skills to use in our evey day lives. Some tools are very useful and some things are just not for me. Same as with any self help type of program or books. Take from it what you can use and use the rest as a guide or just information.
October 3, 2012
After reading the first two novels in this series, I hoped this third novel would keep pace with the others. I can say I was pleasantly surprised! The additional characters that visited the vicarage bench and the rose bush turned a bit of comedy that was unexpected. On to the next one.
July 31, 2012
I think this one was the best of the three books! It was different as I had hoped and I enjoyed the twist and turns of this one.
July 27, 2012
A romantic feel good story with a cute happy ending.
September 30, 2012
A fast fun read. Perfect for sunny spot to lounge.
April 6, 2016
Spirit swapping
A fast read that is entertaining and humorous. Quirky characters and interesting problems. I recommend this series. I am looking forward to the other stories.
A fast read that is entertaining and humorous. Quirky characters and interesting problems. I recommend this series. I am looking forward to the other stories.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews