Aidan Harrison likes it. Needs it. As CEO of the hugely successful Celtic Goddess franchise, he wields it as skillfully in the boardroom as he does the bedroom. It’s made him millions and put him at the top of his game. He wants for nothing.
Except a woman who is more interested in him than his bottom line.
As a close friend of the Callaghan family, he’s witnessed the croie phenomena seven times over in as many years. Dare he hope that by shedding his public persona, he might find a soul mate of his own? A woman capable of taking his inner beast and leaving his wealth, power, and prestige?
Everything about Mary O’Rourke is average. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height and weight. There is absolutely nothing remarkable about her, except her compassion.
She has spent her entire life taking care of others: her father, her husband, her man-crazy mother. She wishes that just once, someone would take care of her.
When a gorgeous stranger suddenly appears New Year’s Eve, she’s not sure what to think. He’s a walking contradiction. Aidan does things to her no man has ever done, and she likes it.
Abbie Zanders is a USA Today Bestselling Author with more than 55 published romance novels to date. Her stories range from contemporary to paranormal and everything in between. She promises her readers two things: happily ever afters, always, and no cliffhangers, ever.
Born and raised in the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania, where she sets most of her stories, she’s known for small town romance featuring golden-hearted alpha heroes and strong, relatable heroines. Besides being an avid reader and writer, she loves animals (especially big dogs), American muscle cars, and 80's hair bands.
The following ratings are out of 5: Romance: 💙❤️💜💚 Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙 World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌍🌎 Character development: 🙃😊😘🥰 Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙 Narration Type: Solo Narration
The heroine:Mary O’Rourke - she has spent her entire life taking care of other people, including her father, her mother and her husband. She has always carried all the stress and she has dealt with heartache. She sees herself as average, the kind of woman that a wealthy or sexy man would never see, but just once she would like to have someone see her, love her, cherish her and take care of her.
The Hero:Aiden Harrison - he comes from a very wealthy family, and he is the CEO of the wildly successful Celtic Goddess restaurant chain. He is friends with the Callaghan guys and their wives. His sister Rebecca is married to Kane Callaghan. His best friend Lexi, the chef who is his partner at Celtic Goddess is married to Ian Callaghan.
The Story: Aiden has seen all the Callaghan men find their Croie (heart), and he hopes that he can have something like that for himself. He wants a soulmate of his own, someone who would complete him. He wanted someone who would love him in spite of his wealth and success not because of it. He could never know that for certain though since most women see dollar signs instead of seeing him. He thought maybe it was time to stop being billionaire Aiden Harrison and start being Aiden Harrison regular guy.
Aiden meets Mary at a bar on New Year’s Eve. She spent every New Years at that bar to commemorate her husband's life, years after he died of cancer. She usually sat alone, but on that night, Aiden came and asked to sit down next to her, he had been drinking and when it was time to go, she offered him a ride.
I liked this book, I especially liked how dominant Aiden was and how he loved the fact that Mary turned out to be a natural submissive. Mary was so gentle and nice, that it was cool to see she had a bit of a kinky side. She loved the 50 Shades books and was thrilled by surrendering control to a man like Aiden. I also liked how Aiden realized that Mary was someone he would have overlooked in his past, but now he was able to really appreciate everything about her.
This audiobook was done in dual points of view via solo narration. It was narrated by Aiden Snow, one of my all time favorite narrators. He always does a great job and has narrated every book in this series so far. He has done a fantastic job and I still am not sick of his voice.
"Bottom line" is the second to last book of the Callaghan brothers, and the story of a non- Callaghan- Aiden with Mary. On a lonely New Year's Eve, Aiden retrospects on his empty life having seen all the brothers mated, one after the other. He's Rebecca's brother and envious of the men who've found their "croie". The same night, in drunken stupor he meets and propositions Mary, who initially refuses him but later takes care of him because of the kindness of her heart. Mary, is a widow and lives her quiet life- after her husband passed away years ago from cancer. Running a flower shop, and living alone with her dog Max, when she helps Aiden- she does it without any ulterior motive. Always having foot in his mouth- and being misused for his wealth- Aiden is initially cautious and rude to Mary which causes her to push him away- but some sweet groveling leads him back to her. Some hot sex mixed with feelings leads to secrets being revealed, some minor angst, a health scare and HEA. I had put off reading this book for some unknown reason, and also because I didn't want the series to end- but this was lovely. Wasn't a big fan of the overly suspicious and judgmental Aiden, but I did soften to him by the end. I really adored the kind hearted and sweet Mary, who is a strong protagonist and you fall in love with her throughout the book. Safe 4/5
I have really enjoyed reading about the Callaghan brothers, this one no so much. I didn't really connect with the H or h. The BDSM line didn't work either, that felt as if it was just thrown in for shits and giggles. Aidan is NO Dom. Nope, not at all. A Dom doesn't have a hissy fit and walk away when he finds out the h was married. WAS being the operative word. The BDSM was totally pointless and I'm wondering why it was thrown in there.
This is the 8th book in the Callaghan Brothers series, but isn't about a Callaghan. Rather, it features Aidan Harrison, who is friends with Lexi and the rest of the Callaghan crew. He's seen his friends all find their true loves, and is longing for that himself, but because of his wealth he can't really trust the women he meets. He goes out on New Years Eve, posing as a regular Joe, and meets Mary - a somewhat plain, regular girl. She ends up taking Aidan home to sleep of his drunk rather than letting him drive home. As the two get to know each other, they both have secrets and you know what happens with that - but it turned out not to be how I expected it to play out! There was some light BDSM in this book that kinda missed the mark, but it was still hot and sexy. I've read books 1 & 2, then skipped ahead and I need to go back and read the others, although this book was fine as a stand alone. 3.5 stars.
** I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways**
I was excited to win this book as this is a new author for me. I don't normally just jump into the middle of a series, I like to start at the beginning, but figured since this one was about a friend and not one of the Callaghan brothers that it would be OK. It may have given me a little more insight into Aidan's character had I read the first 7 but really this works fine as a stand alone novel.
The book starts out promising with Aidan wanting to go "undercover" as a normal non millionaire kind of guy. I really didn't see that come into play as all he did was borrow a crappy car once and hide his identity from her. I'm a little confused about how EVERYONE else knew exactly who he was after hearing his name but she was clueless.
Still, the book sucked me in until it hit about the middle. Aidan and Mary suddenly go from 0-60 in the blink of an eye. Seriously one minute they are standing there kind if getting to know each other and the next second . And I'm not sure what the BDSM stuff is about. He's acting all "I have dark needs and go to BDSM clubs blah blah blah". I didn't really see that. It was kind of BDSM-lite. Not sure what that had to do with anything. I still could have rolled with all that but then we get to "The Big Misunderstanding" which has to be one of the stupidest Big Misunderstandings I have ever read. I SO would have kicked his ass to the curb and washed my hands of him. Then there's the whole medical drama. Which wasn't even medically accurate. At all. Regardless it was depressing and unnecessary. I would have much rather seen the conflict be something like what happens when she tries to enter his world? What happens when he takes his Plain Jane to some party with celebrities, socialites, and political stars?! (Half of whom he's probably slept with.) It never says anything about her entering his world. And honestly, at the end of the day, I just saw no connection between the two characters.
So, all in all, a book that started out promising but that fell apart along the way. That being said, this book did get me interested enough in the author to want to check out some of her other books. Particularly the Callaghan Brothers as we got a teasing insight into the brothers lives at the end of this book. Looking forward to trying out the first in that series.
A Soulmate For Aidan? Aidan Harrison has watched each of the Callaghans find their croie and wonders if he dare dream that it could happen to him. Then he meets Mary O’Rourke, a compassionate, selfless woman who he can’t get his mind off of. Could she be the one? Can Mary trust again? These two are from opposite worlds however fate seems to have brought them together. This story is a little different than the rest of the series however no less enjoyable. Aidan and Mary are so perfect together and I love the way the author builds their relationship. Aiden Snow never disappoints with his exceptional narration. I am looking forward to Jack Callaghan’s story next!
I just spent the last two days reading books 1-8 in the series, and I have to say the author's got her formula down pat. What was interesting in the first book had become ho-hum by the eighth. Granted, all the true loves don't have the same problem, but by by number seven, they're all comparing notes, and number eight is so predictable it's almost funny. I recommend not reading them all at once, to give yourself a little time to forget.
Abbie Zanders is a terrific writer as her stories really enthral the reader.
Loved the dynamics of the family and the strong women portrayed here. Dark brooding alpha male who got brought to his knees by the love of his life, always make for an amazing story
Although this book could be read as a stand-alone, I would definitely recommend reading each book in order.
Even though this book was not about a Callaghan, I still found myself loving Aidan. He was certainly one hot and sexy man. Mary was a super sweet and loving young lady.
After the latest Callaghan wedding, Aidan finds himself depressed and wanting to get away from all the happiness of that night, so he heads to the next town over and proceeds to get drunk at a local pub. He decides to sit at the table housing the lonely woman (Mary) and chat her up. She wants nothing to do with his come-ons though and leaves the pub. Aidan decides to leave and head home (I can't believe he tried to get into a car and drive - that was utterly stupid), but after Mary spots him fumbling with his keys, she offers to take him back to her house and let him sleep it off. Now, I wouldn't have been that okay with having a stranger in my house, but Mary could obviously tell that Aidan wasn't a bad guy and wanted to help. Even though Mary finds Aidan attractive, she still doesn't bother contacting him once he leaves her house. That doesn't deter Aidan though, he's set on finding the woman who has him in knots.
Eventually Mary does give Aidan a chance and they develop a great relationship. But then Aidan does something utterly stupid and walks away from her for a very bad reason. He comes to his senses and they move forward and get their HEA.
I didn't get the whole Dom/BDSM aspect of the book. It started out as Aidan belonging to an exclusive BDSM club, but yet he only practiced very light BDSM. So I couldn't quite figure out why the author started him out as some big bad Dom, but then made him into just someone who liked to give a little spanking and orders. That is not someone who I would think would have the need for a private club.
Other than that and some other minor issues, I still found this a great read and felt it fit well with the rest of the books in the series.
I knew this book was not going to be about the Callaghan family. I was looking forward to a book delving more into Aidan's life and personality.
I didn't feel like I got any of that. Aidan seemed to alter his life to match with Mary's. He never seemed to expose he to what life with him would truly be like. I thought it was disingenuous, setting her up for failure.
I also thought his take on the Callaghan's was interesting considering how intertwined their lives seemed to be and that was the place he took Mary.
I was surprised at Aidan's reaction to Mary's non-secret. I didn't feel it was a real secret because they hadn't spent enough time together for her to bare her soul, and he was also keeping something from Mary. This was not behavior I expected from someone who was supposed to be a Dom.
Many women have had the experience of getting that call asking them to come back for further testing. It is terrifying. I just didn't feel it in Mary's case. That whole situation felt like the BDSM aspect, just part of a story that could have been left out.
Also, I didn't understand why Mary let people treat her the way she did. Maybe I missed something and Cam had a lot of family left in that town. Even if he did, it sounded like the marriage almost ended at the honeymoon because Mary immediately became a caregiver. Her neighbors seemed to have too much control over what she did. Kind of weird imo.
This was an ok read. The major difference between them was not mentioned or dealt with until almost the end of the book. Even then, it wasn't really addressed. The other major issue didn't seem to me to have the importance it could have had. Finally, I was not sure of the purpose of the BDSM aspect other than it was referenced in Kane and Rebecca's story.
>I am an independent reviewer. This book is the eighth in the Callaghan Brothers series and ends in an HEA. Aiden is not a Callaghan brother. He is the brother of Kane's wife and the BFF of Ian's wife. Aiden is a multimillionaire tired of women only noticing his money. One night he borrows a 'regular' car and gets drunk at a bar out of town. Mary is a widow and takes care of the drunk Aiden, not having a clue who he is.
>Mary is such a regular person. She is not poor, just not very happy. She wants someone to care for her. Aiden seems perfect for her up until he finds out she was married. The book was confusing as to why he'd have such a strong reaction that lasted weeks. This story deals a lot with health issues and light BDSM. watching Mary and Aiden through all of that was fun. Also fun was Mary's nosey neighbors. Poor Mary had absolutely no privacy and Aiden took great joy in flaunting his relationship to the world.
>This book is appropriate for an adult audience. I am giving this story 4 stars. This story's conflict didn't seem believable.
Aidan has watched all the Callaghan Brothers find their croies which include his sister and his best friend. He's not sure he deserves a croie much less that there is one for him. When he meets Mary he makes a lousy first impression. As he tries to make it up to her, he finds a woman who sees him for him. She has no idea he's uber wealthy. With Aidan, Mary finds a sensual side of herself she never knew she had. Aidan may not be a Callaghan but he's just as talented in the bedroom and also a Dom who finds a natural submissive in Mary. Mary isn't sure there's a future for them. Perhaps not surprisingly Aidan is the one who freaks out and breaks things off but not because he's afraid of commitment but by what he learns about Mary's past relationship. With the help of his best friend and Mary's business partner, he gets his head out of his behind. Aidan has his work cut out for him trying to convince her to take him back but when Mary has a medical issue he steps up. Aidan proves to Mary she's who he wants and needs.
Bottom Line is a phenomenal contemporary romance by Abbie Zanders. Ms. Zanders has once again impressed me with her storytelling abilities. She has delivered a book that is well-written and populated with a stellar cast of characters. Aidan lands in Pine Ridge to be close to his best friend and opens Celtic Goddess. In a New Year's Eve funk he ended up drunk in Birch Falls where he meets Mary. Mary is afraid Aidan won't make it home so she takes him to her house for the night. Mary and Aidan's story is loaded with drama, humor and spice. I loved reading Bottom Line and look forward to my next Abbie Zanders book. Bottom Line is book 8 of the Callaghan Brothers but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliffhanger.
I think Faith might be my favorite female character
I can't imagine what it would be like to be the daughter of a preacher and to be kicked out or your home at fourteen because you are pregnant. Luckily, Faith found a place to go that would help her until she was eighteen and she was able to keep her baby. Now fourteen years later she is skeptical of anyone who offers to help and thinks they are doing it out of charity. Kieran is so patient with her and takes Matt under his wing. I loved the part when they went back to Georgia so Matt could meet his dad and then he wants to see her parents. Her mom drops a bomb on her and she is in such shock that Matt calls Kieran for help. Then she goes to see her father and her final words to him were awesome.
Aidan has all the wealth a person could want, but no one to share it with. He wants a real woman that sees him, not dollar signs. Mary works her flower shop. She is a widow and has her dog Max. She thinks that is all she needs. Aidan and Mary meet at Tommy's where she goes every year on New Years Eve, the anniversary of her husband's death. Aidan had come there feeling melancholy from watching all his friends happy. He is too drunk to drive so Mary takes pity on him and takes him to her place. Aidan has to work hard to prove to Mary he wants her just the way she is. They both have secrets. How will they both act when the truths come out? Will they have a happy ending?
I have really been enjoying this series featuring finding a true soul mate for each family member. Each story is very different but has a similar HEA ending. Aiden's book was a bit more than I bargained for as it touches on BDSM and I'm not a fan of reading about that. However, the actual story line was very romantic and a good read. A part of this story regarding problems Mary was going through with mammograms and an ultrasound bit close to home as I experienced the same thing on the exact day I read about Mary. Thank you Abbie for bringing this issue into the light.
3.75 Stars The millionaire playboy finds his croie in a sweet, humble, widowed florist. On paper, Aiden and Mary seem like a mismatch. This book is not short on steamy scenes with some kink. The story would have been better served with less sex and more conversations between the couple. They omitted key facts about themselves that almost doomed their relationship. The Callaghans play a minor role in this book, but it was nice to catch up with the clan. I look forward to “The Note from Abbie” included at the end of her books. The note is always on a worthy subject, and serves like a public announcement.
So how does a highly successful millionaire CEO know if the woman he is interested in only wants to know him for his money? By meeting someone who doesn't know who he is. Mary is such a caring person that those who know her are very protective of her and so that when Aiden goes back to Birch Falls to try and find her, it isn't the easiest task. It's been a few months since I read the previous Callaghan Brothers book and this brought me back to why I love this series - alpha males and steamy sex. Be forewarned that there is some BDSM in the sex scenes but it isn't over the top.
Seriously loving this series. The Callahan family really is more of a community then just a family. I love the banter and camaraderie. Each story is creative and as unique as the characters themselves. As always I love that she involves and brings back into the storyline all of the family members so you get an update as to where everyone is and what's going on.
I highly recommend reading and starting from the beginning so you don't miss anything.
Oh my! U thought I liked the Callahan Brothers. Aiden Harrison was far more yummy than any of them. He played the perfect book boyfriend. And Mary? What a sweetheart without being fake. And her dog Max? He was so lovable. Aiden Snow was the narrator & having one of my favorite male voices, he read perfect, as always. I had read a few mysteries & needed to lighten up my reading brain. This was perfect for that. It was light, set in a small town, had lovable characters, no cheating and a HEA. What more could you ask for.
Mary is a hard working florist. She has been a widow for a while but is happy with what she has. Until a stranger walks into her life. After nursing her husband until he lost his battle with cancer, Mary has been on her own except for her dog. So when a handsome man walks into her local pub and proceeds to drink to much she takes pity on him and takes him home with her, not realizing it will change both their lives. This book is a beautiful warm read I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have. Happy Reading!
Wow! Another FANTASTIC story by Abbie! This story is about Aidan and Mary! The beginning has us feeling bad for Aidan for his loneliness. That happened on the day of Kieran's and Faith's wedding. He heads to the next town where most people don't know him, so he thinks. He meets Mary and he meets his croie. He doesn't realize it yet. As the time goes by, we learn about this couple and their ups and downs. So happy they are together and finding their happy ending. FANTASTIC job Abbie! I would recommend this book!