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He was twenty-eight, she was eighteen.
Everyone around them opposed their love.
But their love was much greater than the sum of their ages.
Clara’s family took Jackson in when, at the age of seventeen, he’d lost his parents. The St. Martins were the only family he had. When his connection with Clara developed into something stronger, he couldn’t feel remorseful. What he did feel was warmth, hope, and love. Ten years later it was time to tell the family—he wouldn’t let their love be a lie any longer.
When he came to live with them, Clara knew one day she’d marry him. She just didn’t know her family wouldn’t be on board with the plans. Sure, Jackson was much older than her and yeah, they’d jumped the gun on intimacy, but she’d needed Jackson’s touch that day and he’d needed hers. They planned to marry once he finished medical school, but when Clara’s brother found out about their two-year relationship he beat the good doctor’s face until he was unrecognizable.
Jackson couldn’t see a way they could be together and she wouldn’t have to make a choice between him and her family. He knew what it was to go through life without the support of family and he wouldn’t let her choose him over the St. Martins.
Will Clara and Jackson be able to have a future together, or will her family tear them apart?
Everyone around them opposed their love.
But their love was much greater than the sum of their ages.
Clara’s family took Jackson in when, at the age of seventeen, he’d lost his parents. The St. Martins were the only family he had. When his connection with Clara developed into something stronger, he couldn’t feel remorseful. What he did feel was warmth, hope, and love. Ten years later it was time to tell the family—he wouldn’t let their love be a lie any longer.
When he came to live with them, Clara knew one day she’d marry him. She just didn’t know her family wouldn’t be on board with the plans. Sure, Jackson was much older than her and yeah, they’d jumped the gun on intimacy, but she’d needed Jackson’s touch that day and he’d needed hers. They planned to marry once he finished medical school, but when Clara’s brother found out about their two-year relationship he beat the good doctor’s face until he was unrecognizable.
Jackson couldn’t see a way they could be together and she wouldn’t have to make a choice between him and her family. He knew what it was to go through life without the support of family and he wouldn’t let her choose him over the St. Martins.
Will Clara and Jackson be able to have a future together, or will her family tear them apart?
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 4, 2014
5 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Gina Watson
17 books122 followersI lead a double life. By day I’m training young women to become speech therapists. At night I sip red wine, dial down all distractions, and sink into the fictional worlds I create. Good tunes on my iPod are a must. I get so caught up in my characters that I truly wish the male hero would materialize in the flesh; especially when I see the cover image…I swoon.
I have spent the past several years working as a university instructor. My students are young adult females so I’m constantly running plot lines and book covers by them. They make a great beta team! I love my job at the university but there is something I love even more. . . romance novels. I'll read any genre as long as there are steamy sex scenes and the standard issue HEA ending. Initially I was drawn in by the escape and sweeping emotion of it all, so much so, I began to create my own fictional world.
Since I worked during the day my nights were consumed with writing. I was powerless to stop the stories that wanted to be freed from my mind. I actually started to get mixed up. I would think something I wrote at night was something I had said during the working day and vice versa. My friends were worried for my sanity but I assured them I had not gone mad, I was just writing. Once I started I wrote upwards of 3,000 words per day.
It was in the early millennium when I became brave enough to share my stories with others. I began to post my stories on fiction websites and then something marvelous happened—I was followed by hundreds of eager readers. I loved my followers and their kind words helped motivate me.
These days I am writing books and I’ve learned some things about myself during the process. I like to write series novels because I have trouble letting go. I like a little plot with my romance, erotica, contemporary. Call it what you will, but I have to have a good story in which to sink my teeth. If I start writing a story I have to finish it, even if it’s terrible.
My dog is my muse and when he tilts his forehead at me and blinks his large black eyes questioningly at me, I think he is worried I've been sucked into the wormhole of the very fiction that I write. I appreciate his concern but I have yet to fall down the rabbit hole. Here's to everyone else in my boat, may our voyage become a permanent destination.
I have spent the past several years working as a university instructor. My students are young adult females so I’m constantly running plot lines and book covers by them. They make a great beta team! I love my job at the university but there is something I love even more. . . romance novels. I'll read any genre as long as there are steamy sex scenes and the standard issue HEA ending. Initially I was drawn in by the escape and sweeping emotion of it all, so much so, I began to create my own fictional world.
Since I worked during the day my nights were consumed with writing. I was powerless to stop the stories that wanted to be freed from my mind. I actually started to get mixed up. I would think something I wrote at night was something I had said during the working day and vice versa. My friends were worried for my sanity but I assured them I had not gone mad, I was just writing. Once I started I wrote upwards of 3,000 words per day.
It was in the early millennium when I became brave enough to share my stories with others. I began to post my stories on fiction websites and then something marvelous happened—I was followed by hundreds of eager readers. I loved my followers and their kind words helped motivate me.
These days I am writing books and I’ve learned some things about myself during the process. I like to write series novels because I have trouble letting go. I like a little plot with my romance, erotica, contemporary. Call it what you will, but I have to have a good story in which to sink my teeth. If I start writing a story I have to finish it, even if it’s terrible.
My dog is my muse and when he tilts his forehead at me and blinks his large black eyes questioningly at me, I think he is worried I've been sucked into the wormhole of the very fiction that I write. I appreciate his concern but I have yet to fall down the rabbit hole. Here's to everyone else in my boat, may our voyage become a permanent destination.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 13, 2021
4.5 CRACKER JACK STARS!!!
Jackson has lived with the St. Martin clan ever since his parents' untimely death. He loves them all. But now, he is torn between his loyalty to the family who means the world to him and his love for the woman he shouldn't have love. His Clara; the youngest and only girl in the family. But he needed her. He needed and loved her with everything he had.
Clara might be young at 18 years old, but she is wise beyond her years. And she knew even before that she and Jackson were meant for each other. Their connection ran deep. She couldn't exist without him, and she knew he felt the same about her. But for two years, their relationship was surrounded by lies and deceits because they hadn't told her family yet. What would happen, they wonder, if her family found out? Would they accept their love for each other? Or will they tear them apart? What happens while trying to figure out make for a roller coaster ride of emotions.
I loved this book! And I think it was because I loved the characters. The reader was taken on a very emotional journey with them. It was as raw and real as it gets at times. I was enthralled with them the whole time I was reading this book.
Jackson. I've got my eyes in you, Cracker Jack! You aren't getting away from me. *sigh* from the moment I met him in the first book of the series, he captured a piece of my heart, and now he owned it. He's incredibly sexy and swoony. He is the type of guy you want to bring home to your parents, marry, have cute kids and a house with a white fence, and grow old with. He's gorgeous, sexy, thoughtful, hard-working, protective, determined, endearing, lovable. What else? He's just the sweetest! And he is madly, passionately, and irrevocably in love with Clara. You can feel it, the things that he says and does for her. He wanted to be the one to make her dreams come true. Just wow! His love for her is so profound that you can't help but be envious.
I adored Clara. She's such a strong heroine. She's fun, sweet, caring, and lovable. She may be the youngest of the clan, but that does not stop her from going after what she wants—her Cracker Jack. But my heart broke for her when Jackson broke up with her. My gosh! That break-up scene? It was soooo heartbreaking! I swear it's one of the saddest, gut-wrenching, and tear-inducing "break-up" sets that I've ever read.
At that moment, I was torn between loving and hating Jackson for what he did—loving him because the love he had for Clara was so profound and so real. He had selflessly sacrificed his need for her then allowed her to choose between him and her family. He'd loved her too much for that. She hated him for hurting Clara when he promised not to. For breaking not only her heart but his promise as well, that it would be him and her against the world.
I found myself crying many times throughout the book. That's how emotionally invested I was in them. And although it wasn't as hot and kinky as the first two books, the sexual chemistry between Jackson and Clara was still off the charts. Jackson even had mad bedroom skills. I loved those sweet, tender, and loving moments between them. And it's told from both Clara and Jackson's point of view. Thank god, because that's what I want the most.
And I couldn't ask for a better ending. It was beautiful. I loved how the family accepted and supported their relationship. It showed us that your family will still help and love you no matter what happens. That's what families are for.
Overall, Surge is a pretty wonderful read. The story itself was romantic, passionate, heartbreaking, and most of all swoon-worthy. I loved this book, and even though the plot has been used too many times before, I fell in love with it nonetheless. I am fast becoming a huge fan of Ms. Gina Watson. I am so looking forward to reading her other works, especially the stories of Clara's brothers.
"You and Me. Together Forever. Against the world."Surge is the third and final installment in the Emergency Responders Saga. And it's Jackson and Clara's story! And this time, we get to see the baby, and the only girl gets her man. Oh my... I loved Sizzle and Seize but Surge completely captured my heart from page one. I couldn't put the book down, so I read it in just one sitting. I will try my best not to give too much away cause I don't want to spoil the book for those who haven't read it yet.
Jackson has lived with the St. Martin clan ever since his parents' untimely death. He loves them all. But now, he is torn between his loyalty to the family who means the world to him and his love for the woman he shouldn't have love. His Clara; the youngest and only girl in the family. But he needed her. He needed and loved her with everything he had.
Clara might be young at 18 years old, but she is wise beyond her years. And she knew even before that she and Jackson were meant for each other. Their connection ran deep. She couldn't exist without him, and she knew he felt the same about her. But for two years, their relationship was surrounded by lies and deceits because they hadn't told her family yet. What would happen, they wonder, if her family found out? Would they accept their love for each other? Or will they tear them apart? What happens while trying to figure out make for a roller coaster ride of emotions.
I loved this book! And I think it was because I loved the characters. The reader was taken on a very emotional journey with them. It was as raw and real as it gets at times. I was enthralled with them the whole time I was reading this book.
Jackson. I've got my eyes in you, Cracker Jack! You aren't getting away from me. *sigh* from the moment I met him in the first book of the series, he captured a piece of my heart, and now he owned it. He's incredibly sexy and swoony. He is the type of guy you want to bring home to your parents, marry, have cute kids and a house with a white fence, and grow old with. He's gorgeous, sexy, thoughtful, hard-working, protective, determined, endearing, lovable. What else? He's just the sweetest! And he is madly, passionately, and irrevocably in love with Clara. You can feel it, the things that he says and does for her. He wanted to be the one to make her dreams come true. Just wow! His love for her is so profound that you can't help but be envious.
I adored Clara. She's such a strong heroine. She's fun, sweet, caring, and lovable. She may be the youngest of the clan, but that does not stop her from going after what she wants—her Cracker Jack. But my heart broke for her when Jackson broke up with her. My gosh! That break-up scene? It was soooo heartbreaking! I swear it's one of the saddest, gut-wrenching, and tear-inducing "break-up" sets that I've ever read.
At that moment, I was torn between loving and hating Jackson for what he did—loving him because the love he had for Clara was so profound and so real. He had selflessly sacrificed his need for her then allowed her to choose between him and her family. He'd loved her too much for that. She hated him for hurting Clara when he promised not to. For breaking not only her heart but his promise as well, that it would be him and her against the world.
I found myself crying many times throughout the book. That's how emotionally invested I was in them. And although it wasn't as hot and kinky as the first two books, the sexual chemistry between Jackson and Clara was still off the charts. Jackson even had mad bedroom skills. I loved those sweet, tender, and loving moments between them. And it's told from both Clara and Jackson's point of view. Thank god, because that's what I want the most.
And I couldn't ask for a better ending. It was beautiful. I loved how the family accepted and supported their relationship. It showed us that your family will still help and love you no matter what happens. That's what families are for.
Overall, Surge is a pretty wonderful read. The story itself was romantic, passionate, heartbreaking, and most of all swoon-worthy. I loved this book, and even though the plot has been used too many times before, I fell in love with it nonetheless. I am fast becoming a huge fan of Ms. Gina Watson. I am so looking forward to reading her other works, especially the stories of Clara's brothers.
September 21, 2014
This is the last installment in the St. Martin Family Saga: Emergency Responders series and let me say – Damn you Gina!! I have read all the St. Martin series and this was unlike any of the other stories that I have read. This one dripped emotion so thick off the pages that I felt my eyes moisten up. Gina’s writing is so detailed you will feel your own heart break, you will feel your soul filled with a black void of where your heart use to be because Gina will hold your heart in her hand. Her writing will take you away from where you are and transplant you in Whiskey Cove with the St. Martin’s. This story…. Well, let’s just get down to the review so I can tell…
Clara is the baby sister of all the St. Martin boys. She is the youngest and the only girl in the family, so of course they all look after her with such a fierce protection that no one dares mess with her. Clara might be young at 18 years old, but she is wise beyond her years. She has a sense about things that no one would be able to comprehend. And she knows that the one person in the world that is meant to be hers is the one person that has saved her time and time again. Without a doubt, she knows like her next breath she has to take to survive, she would not survive without his love. But her relationship is surrounded by lies and deceit and has crippled her soul and being surrounded by couples infatuated with each other is making her want to come clean with her family… but what would they say when they found it was Jackson… Could Clara live without the man that is her oxygen in life? What if she had to choose her family or her soul mate?
Jackson is a man made of pure determination and loyalty. He would do anything in the world for his extended family – the St. Martin’s. Not of blood relations but a bond so strong that nothing would come between them. After his parent’s death, Mrs. St. Martin took him into her home and made him one of her own. Everyone accepted him but the only daughter accepted him and loved him more than life itself. He needed his Clara like a man needed to his next breath to survive. He knew that even when she was still too young, that she was meant to be his and his alone. But was he ready to share his secret with those that have come to love him no matter what… would they accept the love he had for their sister/daughter? What happened if they disapproved of him as the man for her? He would rather die than be without Clara… Death would be a welcome gift if he could not have her…
Damn you Gina, you made me cry with this one. Actual tears fell from my eyes to the iPad screen as I read this one. This story is crafted so well, that for the first few chapters I was wondering if the reading was easy breezy. I was actually wondering where the turmoil would come from with Jackson and Clara’s story because their love is so apparent, you will see it come alive in the pages you read. You know they are meant for each other as they quite reverently speak of it all the time. Their story was actually getting to me and I was like okay… they love each other A Lot…. Then boom… you see their true character come out, they do not like lying to the family, and they do not like hiding… And then comes the real story… Don’t get me wrong, the true story is Jackson and Clara’s undying love for each other… but with a family like the St. Martin’s, everything is done as a family… But what happens when the family turns on you… Then what… And when the family turns on you and the love of your life turns on you too… … What do you have left… nothing… But tears and memories… This story is about fighting for what you believe in and I could not be more proud of how Clara handled herself and fought for what she believed in… Cracker Jack and Bug… Awesomely done Ms. Gina!
Clara is the baby sister of all the St. Martin boys. She is the youngest and the only girl in the family, so of course they all look after her with such a fierce protection that no one dares mess with her. Clara might be young at 18 years old, but she is wise beyond her years. She has a sense about things that no one would be able to comprehend. And she knows that the one person in the world that is meant to be hers is the one person that has saved her time and time again. Without a doubt, she knows like her next breath she has to take to survive, she would not survive without his love. But her relationship is surrounded by lies and deceit and has crippled her soul and being surrounded by couples infatuated with each other is making her want to come clean with her family… but what would they say when they found it was Jackson… Could Clara live without the man that is her oxygen in life? What if she had to choose her family or her soul mate?
Jackson is a man made of pure determination and loyalty. He would do anything in the world for his extended family – the St. Martin’s. Not of blood relations but a bond so strong that nothing would come between them. After his parent’s death, Mrs. St. Martin took him into her home and made him one of her own. Everyone accepted him but the only daughter accepted him and loved him more than life itself. He needed his Clara like a man needed to his next breath to survive. He knew that even when she was still too young, that she was meant to be his and his alone. But was he ready to share his secret with those that have come to love him no matter what… would they accept the love he had for their sister/daughter? What happened if they disapproved of him as the man for her? He would rather die than be without Clara… Death would be a welcome gift if he could not have her…
Damn you Gina, you made me cry with this one. Actual tears fell from my eyes to the iPad screen as I read this one. This story is crafted so well, that for the first few chapters I was wondering if the reading was easy breezy. I was actually wondering where the turmoil would come from with Jackson and Clara’s story because their love is so apparent, you will see it come alive in the pages you read. You know they are meant for each other as they quite reverently speak of it all the time. Their story was actually getting to me and I was like okay… they love each other A Lot…. Then boom… you see their true character come out, they do not like lying to the family, and they do not like hiding… And then comes the real story… Don’t get me wrong, the true story is Jackson and Clara’s undying love for each other… but with a family like the St. Martin’s, everything is done as a family… But what happens when the family turns on you… Then what… And when the family turns on you and the love of your life turns on you too… … What do you have left… nothing… But tears and memories… This story is about fighting for what you believe in and I could not be more proud of how Clara handled herself and fought for what she believed in… Cracker Jack and Bug… Awesomely done Ms. Gina!
October 25, 2014
I liked it but felt a little flat at the end. 3.5 stars!
March 30, 2015
I wasn't sure about this one when I started it, but really got into it by the end of the first chapter. Instead of the usual May/Dec romance where the hero and heroine don't get together at first because of trepidation about the age difference, this starts with them already at year 2 of their relationship. The kicker is that it is a secret from her family. This was a little hard to believe that they could have kept it secret so long, but i let that slide because I was enjoying the story and characters. Clara really was young and that's the crux of the story; how to break it to the family without him and possibly her as well, being ostracized. Because keeping it secret from everyone is starting to get seriously awkward! There's also some flashbacks to how their relationship started as a slow reveal throughout the book. The author does an excellent job of showing why her being so young at the start of their sexual relationship was understandable. The story gets a wee bit sappy sometimes, and I did get a bit weepy. I wanted to smack her brother Clay with a frying pan. In fact I don't know if I want to read his story, I'm that mad at him. Anyways, totally enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more by this author!
September 1, 2014
Great story! I always love friends-to-lovers stories. Jackson came to live with the St. Martins when he was 17 and Clara was 7. Clara declared she will marry him in the future. Then they fall in love when she was 16 and Jackson was 26 after Clara's accident.
Although I want to smack Clara's brother,Clay, more than once due to his interference in Jackson and Clara's relationship, I still understand his point. Jackson's feeling toward Clara is true love that they would rather sacrifice everything for each other, but on the other hand, they become intimate when Clara was only 16. From Clay's point of view, Jackson definitely took advantage of his baby sister. He believes Jackson, but never will he imagine they are together for two years. All in all, people fall in love without reason!
Although I want to smack Clara's brother,Clay, more than once due to his interference in Jackson and Clara's relationship, I still understand his point. Jackson's feeling toward Clara is true love that they would rather sacrifice everything for each other, but on the other hand, they become intimate when Clara was only 16. From Clay's point of view, Jackson definitely took advantage of his baby sister. He believes Jackson, but never will he imagine they are together for two years. All in all, people fall in love without reason!
May 1, 2015
WOW!!! This book is very intense!!! I think Gina out did self with this one, it is so intended!!!! Jackson is 28, Clara is 18 and they are keeping it a secret from her family that they are living together. They have been seeing each other since she was 16 after she had an accident that scared her back and shoulder. He was there and saved her life. She had told him that they were going to get married when she was 7 and he was 17. Between dealing with work, the internship in the emergency room and not telling her family about them Jackson is worn down. They agree to tell the family starting with Clay but things don't go well. After that Jackson breaks up with Clara because he wants her to have her family and he doesn't think she can have both. The trouble with that is Clara won't give up on him.
This is a great love story!!! Everyone should read it!!!
This is a great love story!!! Everyone should read it!!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews