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The Harrisons #1
Once In A Blue Kentucky Moon
Eldest sibling of the Harrison family, Blake Harrison stepped into his late father’s shoes to run Lockwood Farm, the family’s premier thoroughbred stables. But when he finds himself facing the imminent bankruptcy of his father’s proud legacy, no one feels the crushing weight of defeat more. Now, a gorgeous new stable-hand with a truck-load of attitude and troubling secrets of her own, could push Blake to breaking point…
270 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 31, 2016
292 people are currently reading
369 people want to read
About the author
Alexa Bloom
13 books58 followers
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THE HARRISONS PREQUEL: ONCE IN A BIG DREAM
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Author bio:
Alexa Bloom is the first to admit that it took her a long time to figure out what she was supposed to do with her life. Having worked in a multitude of jobs from teacher to voice-over artist and everything in between, it took a change of country (Australia to Canada), a couple of children and several years for writing to find her, so she could finally stop looking.
Her first contemporary romance series The Harrisons, follows the fortunes of seven siblings raised in a charming thoroughbred farm in the heart of Kentucky. While the series begins at Lockwood Farm, each story features a different sibling and takes readers on a new adventure in a different exotic setting.
THE HARRISONS PREQUEL: ONCE IN A BIG DREAM
***ABSOLUTELY FREE!***
Just type bit.ly/hpGetOBDfree
in your web browser and its all yours!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Author bio:
Alexa Bloom is the first to admit that it took her a long time to figure out what she was supposed to do with her life. Having worked in a multitude of jobs from teacher to voice-over artist and everything in between, it took a change of country (Australia to Canada), a couple of children and several years for writing to find her, so she could finally stop looking.
Her first contemporary romance series The Harrisons, follows the fortunes of seven siblings raised in a charming thoroughbred farm in the heart of Kentucky. While the series begins at Lockwood Farm, each story features a different sibling and takes readers on a new adventure in a different exotic setting.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 27, 2017
A quick read featuring two strong characters who each have secrets. The story flowed well and kept my attention, which has been hard to do lately. I enjoyed Tatum and Blake's story and look forward to reading the next book.
December 5, 2016
3.5 stars - Relatively sweet but tense romance between two people trying to make a better future, for very different reasons
Once In A Blue Kentucky Moon was my first time reading Alexa Bloom’s work and overall, I liked the book. The book takes on a relatively sweet but tense romance theme of a two people trying to make a better future for themselves, for very different reasons, when their paths cross through their mutual work with horses. There is a decent plot and is written at a good standard throughout, where I would give another book by this author a read.
Warning / possible spoiler:
One thing I feel needs highlighting, before I go any further, is there is one scene where sexual abuse takes place which is explicitly written. While it fits in with the storyline of the book, I was definitely caught off-guard and for some people it may be a trigger. Don’t want to spoil the plot but want people to be aware before reading just in case it could be harmful to a reader.
Carrying on…
Told from dual perspectives, Tatum and Blake have a good connection and chemistry from the first time they meet, although it takes time to fully show itself in more obvious ways. The relationship development between the couple was good and well paced, given the circumstances of their relationship and the secrets that are revealed over the book. Both characters were fairly likeable and there are a couple of steamy scenes as the book progresses.
Once In A Blue Kentucky Moon is relatively well written, a good steady pace, and a decent plot. At times, with the description, it felt a little slow moving but overall it was ok with Tatum’s life especially. There were a couple of twists that made the overall book not entirely predictable and enjoyable, finishing off with a sweet HEA, allowing for this book to truly be read as a standalone. In terms of the horses and racing elements of the book, I can’t comment on the accuracies of those as I am not into horses or horse racing so it’s completely above my head but as a novice I could follow along. The only negative in-regard to the writing was there were a couple of little typos (e.g. missing speech marks / words etc.) which may have been fixed from the copy I received voluntarily via the author but they weren’t too distracting.
Overall, like I said this is a decent romance and I will consider giving future books by this author a chance in the future too as she has good potential to be a great romance writer.
*I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
Once In A Blue Kentucky Moon was my first time reading Alexa Bloom’s work and overall, I liked the book. The book takes on a relatively sweet but tense romance theme of a two people trying to make a better future for themselves, for very different reasons, when their paths cross through their mutual work with horses. There is a decent plot and is written at a good standard throughout, where I would give another book by this author a read.
Warning / possible spoiler:
One thing I feel needs highlighting, before I go any further, is there is one scene where sexual abuse takes place which is explicitly written. While it fits in with the storyline of the book, I was definitely caught off-guard and for some people it may be a trigger. Don’t want to spoil the plot but want people to be aware before reading just in case it could be harmful to a reader.
Carrying on…
Told from dual perspectives, Tatum and Blake have a good connection and chemistry from the first time they meet, although it takes time to fully show itself in more obvious ways. The relationship development between the couple was good and well paced, given the circumstances of their relationship and the secrets that are revealed over the book. Both characters were fairly likeable and there are a couple of steamy scenes as the book progresses.
Once In A Blue Kentucky Moon is relatively well written, a good steady pace, and a decent plot. At times, with the description, it felt a little slow moving but overall it was ok with Tatum’s life especially. There were a couple of twists that made the overall book not entirely predictable and enjoyable, finishing off with a sweet HEA, allowing for this book to truly be read as a standalone. In terms of the horses and racing elements of the book, I can’t comment on the accuracies of those as I am not into horses or horse racing so it’s completely above my head but as a novice I could follow along. The only negative in-regard to the writing was there were a couple of little typos (e.g. missing speech marks / words etc.) which may have been fixed from the copy I received voluntarily via the author but they weren’t too distracting.
Overall, like I said this is a decent romance and I will consider giving future books by this author a chance in the future too as she has good potential to be a great romance writer.
*I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
July 22, 2018
I really don't understand why this book has gotten so many good reviews. I am so grateful I didn't buy it. Later, I'll get into specifics that are spoilers, but for now... Questionable relationship ethics; groan-worthy dialogue, especially at the end; lack of character depth; and an atrocious lack of grammatical usage.
Start spoilers:
Let's start with the grammar. The major issue is that the writer has no understanding of how to use commas. She'll, do stupid things like placing a comma right after the first word in a sentence especially if it's a name and then not use any commas where they are needed (as also done in this sentence). On top of that, she doesn't even bother with comma splices; she simply lets all the sentences run together as one. The point of correct grammar, which includes punctuation, is to make sure one's meaning is clear. That doesn't happen in this book; I often had to reread sentences and phrases to try to understand what was meant. There are also a number of typing/editing errors, such as leaving off one of the quotation marks. In case someone objects that it's fiction, not a term paper, I do understand that there are times, especially in fiction, when breaking the grammar rules is used to great effect. The difference is that it's intentional; it alters the pace, or sounds more like real thought or dialogue, or enhances the emotional impact, and so on. To break the rules effectively, one must first understand them.
The ethical dilemma: Blake first kisses Tatum by cornering her, kissing her repeatedly, and getting handsy and suggestive--the first time! The background: he had just hired her, impulsively, to rescue her from a lech. It was just so off-putting to have him come on so strongly after just making a point about creepy Max. Next, Tatum thinks his sister Lauren is his wife, so she understandably pushes away. "But you'remarried!" He's not, so carry on. Except that she IS. Granted, she hasn't told anyone at this point, but she knows. Granted, there are serious issues in her marriage, but she did protest him being married. Yikes! No one seems to have a problem with boss Blake hitting on the new employee (which was exactly what Max would have done, or worse). Then she tries to seduce him to keep her job, and on it goes. I never knew what to make of her character or his. So many contradictions and inconsistencies.
I've already spent more than enough of my life on this book, so I'll end with this: if the rest of the book had serious problems, the last chapter was one of the most cliched, ridiculous, what-the-hell-is-this-tripe things I've ever skimmed. So while I really liked Lauren (the heroine of the next book), there is no way I'll subject myself to that. There are so many better things to read.
Start spoilers:
Let's start with the grammar. The major issue is that the writer has no understanding of how to use commas. She'll, do stupid things like placing a comma right after the first word in a sentence especially if it's a name and then not use any commas where they are needed (as also done in this sentence). On top of that, she doesn't even bother with comma splices; she simply lets all the sentences run together as one. The point of correct grammar, which includes punctuation, is to make sure one's meaning is clear. That doesn't happen in this book; I often had to reread sentences and phrases to try to understand what was meant. There are also a number of typing/editing errors, such as leaving off one of the quotation marks. In case someone objects that it's fiction, not a term paper, I do understand that there are times, especially in fiction, when breaking the grammar rules is used to great effect. The difference is that it's intentional; it alters the pace, or sounds more like real thought or dialogue, or enhances the emotional impact, and so on. To break the rules effectively, one must first understand them.
The ethical dilemma: Blake first kisses Tatum by cornering her, kissing her repeatedly, and getting handsy and suggestive--the first time! The background: he had just hired her, impulsively, to rescue her from a lech. It was just so off-putting to have him come on so strongly after just making a point about creepy Max. Next, Tatum thinks his sister Lauren is his wife, so she understandably pushes away. "But you'remarried!" He's not, so carry on. Except that she IS. Granted, she hasn't told anyone at this point, but she knows. Granted, there are serious issues in her marriage, but she did protest him being married. Yikes! No one seems to have a problem with boss Blake hitting on the new employee (which was exactly what Max would have done, or worse). Then she tries to seduce him to keep her job, and on it goes. I never knew what to make of her character or his. So many contradictions and inconsistencies.
I've already spent more than enough of my life on this book, so I'll end with this: if the rest of the book had serious problems, the last chapter was one of the most cliched, ridiculous, what-the-hell-is-this-tripe things I've ever skimmed. So while I really liked Lauren (the heroine of the next book), there is no way I'll subject myself to that. There are so many better things to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2017
Here we are with Rose and Joe's first born Blake,he now runs Lockwood Farm which was his fathers Joe's big dream.Blake loves the horses that are staying on the farm,as the farm grows Blake tries to keep it from bankruptcy,not having won many races and the bills keep coming in he needs a winner.His sister Laura come back to help him restore the farm.
Tatum,young girl with troubles of her own, working at a stable with "Stargazer" a young colt,while trying to stay away form her abusive husband Jarrod. Finds her way into Lockwood Farm, when she was younger, she saw many a photos in magazines, and was her childhood dream to work there. The chemistry between her and Blake is strong, trying to hold it a bay .I wont say any more in case I spoil the plot, again this is well written great story line as are the characters.a must read looking forward to the next.
Tatum,young girl with troubles of her own, working at a stable with "Stargazer" a young colt,while trying to stay away form her abusive husband Jarrod. Finds her way into Lockwood Farm, when she was younger, she saw many a photos in magazines, and was her childhood dream to work there. The chemistry between her and Blake is strong, trying to hold it a bay .I wont say any more in case I spoil the plot, again this is well written great story line as are the characters.a must read looking forward to the next.
September 24, 2017
ONCE IN A BLUE KENTUCKY MOON. by Alexa Bloom. A Harrison Family novel. Blake and horses were second nature for him. Horse has a gentle walk then it will run. Tatum, grew up around horses, till marriage and husband said no. Enough, and leaves winding up at Blakes ranch. He trying to keep it from bankruptcy, and falling in love with Tatum. When trouble comes will he be there for her, and let love bloom. A sweet story, with the love of horses, that will delight readers Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.
August 8, 2019
What.?
Mixed reactions to this book. It was my first time reading this author and I didn’t know what to expect. Loved Blake and Tatum. But this story was disjointed-random-and not well told. It was like pieces were missing. One page Tatum was soaring on horseback and the next paragraph she was tending bar. ......
She was an abused married woman who was seducing her boss but she was a childlike victim. Really??
Book is worth reading. It actually has moments of worth. There was simply so much more that could have been told.
Mixed reactions to this book. It was my first time reading this author and I didn’t know what to expect. Loved Blake and Tatum. But this story was disjointed-random-and not well told. It was like pieces were missing. One page Tatum was soaring on horseback and the next paragraph she was tending bar. ......
She was an abused married woman who was seducing her boss but she was a childlike victim. Really??
Book is worth reading. It actually has moments of worth. There was simply so much more that could have been told.
September 24, 2019
Argh! I loved this idea. My favorite place, the most beautiful farms, thoroughbreds... perfection. Literally, my favorite place in the world! Where I grew up riding.
And then it’s all made up and wrong. Work on a farm, work for a bloodstock agent, be an exercise rider, count the number of world-class vet clinics in Lexington alone, attend the September sales, go to Fasig-Tipton, go to Keeneland? .... at least read a Dick Francis novel or something.
I guess I bought the book, so joke’s on me. But this kind of broke my heart.
And then it’s all made up and wrong. Work on a farm, work for a bloodstock agent, be an exercise rider, count the number of world-class vet clinics in Lexington alone, attend the September sales, go to Fasig-Tipton, go to Keeneland? .... at least read a Dick Francis novel or something.
I guess I bought the book, so joke’s on me. But this kind of broke my heart.
August 27, 2017
Alexa Bloom did a great job writing this book so it will keep the readers attention.
Blue Kentucky Moon is a great book.. Its about a person that has left an abusive relationship.
receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Blue Kentucky Moon is a great book.. Its about a person that has left an abusive relationship.
receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
December 2, 2016
A good read! This is the first I have read and I can't wait to read more more of Alexa's books. The story is one that almost everyone can relate too. Some woman can't get away from a controlling husband. Now on to the next book
June 22, 2018
A hel l of a good book
I love horses..I love a good plot..I live for romance..This book has it all!! Just when you think you know where the story is going..wham, some thing changes and you're in for another surprise!! Don't let this one pass by you. I give it 5 stars.
I love horses..I love a good plot..I live for romance..This book has it all!! Just when you think you know where the story is going..wham, some thing changes and you're in for another surprise!! Don't let this one pass by you. I give it 5 stars.
October 7, 2018
Delightful read
One of the best books I’ve read in awhile. Combines my two favorite book genres nicely — horses and romance =)
One of the best books I’ve read in awhile. Combines my two favorite book genres nicely — horses and romance =)
November 21, 2018
Great book for horse lovers
Wonderful story loved the details of the horse s and barn felt like I was there for the birth of the filly.
Wonderful story loved the details of the horse s and barn felt like I was there for the birth of the filly.
June 20, 2019
Blue Ky
I love reading this was a book of which I couldn't wait to be able to.I would highly recommend this book.I can't wait till I can read the next book in the seriez
I love reading this was a book of which I couldn't wait to be able to.I would highly recommend this book.I can't wait till I can read the next book in the seriez
December 28, 2025
Tatum is a woman who is trying to stay hidden after fleeing her abusive husband and finds herself as a stable hand at Lockwood Farm, her dream place to work!
We also have Blake, the owner of Lockwood Farm, who is trying to keep his farm afloat, but Tatum's past isn't only affecting herself, but also the farm's future, leaving Blake to decide if its the farm or Tatum he wants to protect.
We also have Blake, the owner of Lockwood Farm, who is trying to keep his farm afloat, but Tatum's past isn't only affecting herself, but also the farm's future, leaving Blake to decide if its the farm or Tatum he wants to protect.
May 9, 2016
Once In A Blue Kentucky Moon is a great sweet romance. Tatum grew up, spending time with her grandpa and his horses. It was her dream to work with horses when she grew up. But she fell in love and her husband wouldn't allow it. It didn't benefit HIM for her to do what she wanted. So when she finally has enough, she runs and ends up on Blake's Lockwood Farm.
Blake has inherited Lockwood Farm and is trying to bring it back from the brink of bankruptcy. But alas, it seems like every time he turns around, something else goes wrong. Then he meets Tatum and he falls in love, despite his resistance. He feels he has more important things to attend to but he just can't resist Tatum.
Then the past catches up with Tatum and Blake rushes to protect her.
Stand alone with a HEA - heart warmer
Blake has inherited Lockwood Farm and is trying to bring it back from the brink of bankruptcy. But alas, it seems like every time he turns around, something else goes wrong. Then he meets Tatum and he falls in love, despite his resistance. He feels he has more important things to attend to but he just can't resist Tatum.
Then the past catches up with Tatum and Blake rushes to protect her.
Stand alone with a HEA - heart warmer
Read
February 28, 2016Once in a Blue Kentuckey Moon by Alexa Bloom is a romance set against a backdrop of horse racing. Our heroine, Tatum, is keeping some pretty big secrets. she ends up working as a stable hand at Lockwood Farm, and the infuriating owner, Blake, drives her nuts in the best ways.
While the depictions of the farm and racing are spot on, it's the romance between Tatum and Blake that really makes this book shine. All to often characters are thrown together and the romance feels forced. Not so here, since Tatum and Blake's growing attraction is realistic, their chemistry sizzles, and their interactions are completely believable. If only other romance writers could master this! This is a highly recommended, five star read.
While the depictions of the farm and racing are spot on, it's the romance between Tatum and Blake that really makes this book shine. All to often characters are thrown together and the romance feels forced. Not so here, since Tatum and Blake's growing attraction is realistic, their chemistry sizzles, and their interactions are completely believable. If only other romance writers could master this! This is a highly recommended, five star read.
November 15, 2016
More than just romance
Romance books are just fine, but I like it when a book is more than just the romance between the characters. This is my first book that I've read by Bloom and I look forward to reading more of her work. She writes very well, and the chemistry between the characters is intense and remarkable. These characters don't feel forced together or just written together because the writer put them together. The romance between Tatum and Blake is something that is built upon, and Tatum has her own secrets. A shining example of how a romance should be written, and it very good storyline.
Romance books are just fine, but I like it when a book is more than just the romance between the characters. This is my first book that I've read by Bloom and I look forward to reading more of her work. She writes very well, and the chemistry between the characters is intense and remarkable. These characters don't feel forced together or just written together because the writer put them together. The romance between Tatum and Blake is something that is built upon, and Tatum has her own secrets. A shining example of how a romance should be written, and it very good storyline.
November 28, 2016
First off, the cover of this book is great! Just the cover alone would make me want to read it. I wasn't disappointed with what was inside either. This was a great book to start the series. Alexa did a fabulous job of creating believable and down to earth characters. The chemistry between them was great too. I love when characters just flow together. I hate when it feels unnatural or forced. I definitely did not feel that about Tatum and Blake. If this is any indication to what her future books will be like then I will definitely be hooked on this series!
December 4, 2016
I found this story to be a very good read. Reading about Blake and Tatum with their ups and downs and past secrets all the while she is working for him. Thoroughbreds are the name of the game here as they work for a winner to help his ranch and gives her a place to lay her head and a paycheck. I am voluntarily reviewing a book gifted to me by the author with no obligation.
December 1, 2016
Loved it. Can't wait for next one.
July 10, 2016
A very enjoyable read, loved the storyline!
March 22, 2017
I really enjoyed this, I liked the writing and the characters and the whole story and look forward to reading more
Read
July 29, 2017Having a hard time with this one I like my heroines much stronger.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews