Say Yes

by Elle Christensen

Sweet bakery owner, Lindsay Balewa, is content to brighten the lives of others with her confections and volunteering. With her business booming, she moves into a duplex nearby. Supposedly, the owner lives next door, but the mysterious man keeps odd hours and is often away, leaving her no opportunity to get to know him.

Pilot, Colton Black, is trying to accept his life outside of the Air Force after an injury forced him into retirement. Despite keeping himself in the air by running a private charter company, he feels lost. Until the night he spies Lindsay in a black dress, carrying a tray of cupcakes. Suddenly, he has a very clear purpose, sex and sweets.

Lindsay is uncomfortable starting a relationship with her landlord, but Colton is more than determined to convince her to take a chance on him. Unfortunately, someone else is laying claim to her, someone in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to tear Colton and Lindsay apart.

Genres: Military Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Novella, Contemporary, Short Stories, Erotica

74 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

I’m a lover of all things books, a hopeless romantic, and have always had a passion for writing. Between being a sappy romantic, my love of an HEA, my crazy imagination, and ok, let’s be real, my dirty mind, I fell easily into writing romance.
I’m a huge baseball fan and yet, a complete girly, girl. I’m an obsessive reader and have a slight (hahaha! Slight? Yeah, right) addiction to signed books.
I’m married to my very own book boyfriend, an alpha male with a sexy, sweet side. He is the best inspiration, my biggest supporter and the love of my life. He is also incredibly patient and understanding about the fact that he has to fight the voices in my head for my attention.
I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Reviews

[♡Tonya♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ stars

If you get the opportunity to read this....Say Yes lol (see what I did there)

This was such a good story.

Colton was sexy, sweet, alpha - damn near perfect. He wasn't a manwhore, and he was devoted to Lindsey from the moment he first saw her.

Lindsey was smart, funny and independent. She ran a successful business and was doing pretty well with her life. The attraction to Colton was instant and it freaked her out a bit. Not only because it had been a long while since she had been in a relationship, but because he was her neighbor/landlord.

When the two got together, there were sparks and Colton was so sweet and patient with Lindsey. I also liked there was a dash of suspense to the story.

-absolutely zero cheating
-ow drama - none
-om drama - Lindsey lost her husband while he was on a mission in Afghanistan. I never felt like Colton was second best AT ALL. It was mentioned they were apart more that they actually got to be together and she had so much respect for her first husband -

I knew he was filling a part I didn’t realize was hollow. A part that Paul had never filled. I had loved my husband with all of myself at the time, I just didn’t know there was more until Colton came along and started shedding light into unrecognized darkness

I must say, a dead spouse is really iffy for me and I felt this author did it well and respectfully.
-Lindsey pushes Colton away for about a month - they are together but just getting to know each other
-steamy sex scenes (even the ones that Colton imagined!)
-good epilogue about 3 years out. It was sweet but I would have liked even further (yes, I'm a greedy epilogue whore, no, I have no shame)

[Chantal ❤️]

GOING TO SKIP THIS ONE.
Firstly, the hero has my son's name (Colton) but mostly because she was married and in love before.
"I am proud to have been his wife, no matter for how short a time. I still miss him every day, and the sharp pain of loss is always there. But, it’s dulled over the years, the razor’s edge not digging quite so deep. I shake my head to dispel the fog of memories..."
These types of second love stories very rarely work out for me, in fact it's only happened 3 or 4 times.
I may go back one day to read it but for right now I'd rather skip it.
After all so many books, so little time.
For those who enjoy second love stories, go ahead and enjoy.
Still love this author and will read other books from her.

[Barbara➰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved how Colton wouldn't give up and was immediately drawn to Lindsay. Dead exes aren't usually my thing but this was nicely done. However, there were a lot of typos...it was annoying.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[*CJ* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really sweet Insta love story between widow Lindsey and ex military pilot Colton.
Add into that a surprise villain, hot sex and breeding.. you get this story!
Wanted to see more between the couple!
Good read
Safe
3.5/5

[Talltree · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

[Raine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Air Force Pilot alpha hottie!

I love this book and the nod of the parts to our heroes that protect us and serve our country. The book mentioned that Lindsey doesn't have anyone from the armed forces pay for their meal at her bakery. It reminded me of when I was a teen and working at my first job in McDonald's that the manager there always made sure that military and first responders (police, firefighters, EMTs) didn't pay for their meals. I always thought what he did was so cool, especially since other McDonald's never really did that (I sometimes helped out at other locations).

I loved this book with the insta-attraction and the alpha male thing going on with Colton, though there were some editing issues that could be cleared up with better proofreading. This book is a standalone story so there isn't more to read, but I can't wait to read other books by Elle Christensen or her pen name (shared with co-author Rochelle Paige) Fiona Davenport.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steamy and sweet Insta love story between widow Lindsey and ex military pilot Colton.

[SB*needs low angst books* · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lindsay is a bakery owner and a widow. Colton is a ex military man who owns and lives next to the duplex Lindsay lives in. They don't actually met til a party where Colton wants her but Lindsay is very hesitant. Colton pursues and wears down her defenses but someone else wants her too and Colton is determined to not let anything happen to the woman he wants to start a family with.

Well this was one I was really looking forward too. I love a sweet heroine, a heroine that can cook or bake, and a alpha type hero. Sounds great. Unfortunately, I could tell from the beginning that this wasn't going to go well. I didn't connect to the heroine and as it progressed she became annoying to me. The hero was better but even he fell very flat. I didn't buy their love story. It didn't feel that real or that deep to me. Many of GRs friends know I am not a fan of book advertised as humorous or rom com. This wasn't advertised like that but it had that humor that I hate in it anyway. It felt forced and the jokes or lightness I was supposed to get fell very flat. The suspense part really wasn't up to par and was something that to me would have been better left out of the book. Especially the climax of finding out who and why and even how they handled it. she throws away knife(hello evidence) and they put the villain outside unconscious until the police come

So while I thought this would be a great sweet read it just didn't live up to the blurb for me.

[Carmen Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short hot insta love with a little bit of suspense and drama. Perfect KU before bed reading.

[**Elle**Bee**Double U** · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually liked reading this short story. I'm pretty picky when books mention being considered a "military romance", but I wouldn't really consider this one since one military man died, and the other was honorable discharged.

That being said, even though I liked the book, I have to ask where the heck was the editor for this one? I've read other Elle Christensen books before and have never seen so many glaring mistakes on a page! There were randomly misspelled words, words added in the sentences that didn't belong. It was just a mess!

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/23/2019)! 🎁

[April Symes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindsay is an awesome baker who is as deliciously sweet as her treats. She has a huge heart , and had no plans to look for love again ,especially after losing her love a while ago. She holds a soft spot for men and women of the military. Colton Black is an retired pilot who is trying to accept his life now that he is out of the Air Force after an injury forced him out and into retirement. He is the mysterious new neighbor/owner of the other half of the duplex Lindsay is living in. They meet at a charity event and the attraction is fast and instant. Things start going great but Lindsey quickly puts a stop to the budding relationship , due to things in her past and the pain that still lingers. Only Colton isn’t so quick to give up and just when things look to go smooth, there is danger, intrigue and mystery that is all around Lindsey. Will their smoldering romance quickly go by the wayside or will Colton’s alpha ways take control and take over to protect what he soon comes to realize as his? Oh the twists and turns in this story will have you giving a Heck Yes! The MC are so well suited for one another and the plot twist had me literally hooked to my kindle until the very end. I loved the heat and the passions in the novella type story so much, that I was sad Colton and Lindsay’s story was over. I cant wait to see what next this author has planned, for I will be eagerly purchasing.

My Rating: 4.9 stars *****
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

[Jami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colton and Lindsey meet at an charity event that she’s catering the dessert and he’s attending. It’s instant attraction and all good feelings until she realizes he is her new landlord. Not wanting to mess anything up, she gently pushes him away buts he’s not accepting that. He continues to pursue her until she finally gives in to go on a date with him. After that everything moves very quickly in their relationship. What Colton doesn’t know is that there is someone looking in the background wanting her for himself. Can he protect her or will the stalker get what he wants?

-safe with exception
-no cheating
-both celibate for a while
-h has dead spouse (3 years ago)
-no ow drama
-om drama (stalker wants her but she never gives him the idea for more)
-safe from sexual abuse

[Sharon Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sexy, insta-love with a few surprises!!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Christina Pannell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot alpha beautiful strong woman. Hot hot hot. Loved this books.
My first book by this author and will definitely be reading more

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

She's protecting her heart..

...he's out to claim her heart, her cupcakes, her sweet treats and her future.
And he's very possessive so he wants them all for himself!
Lindsay survived her husband's death but she isn't really living, she bakes and she exists but she doesn't live or love. Colton changes that, we see her rattled by her reaction to him and her feelings, but once the lust escapes you cannot rein it back in.
A sweet and sassy read on Kindle Unlimited.

[Megan ~The Never Ending Book Basket · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable, steamy, and wonderful read by Elle Christensen. It was well written, it definitely hit the ground running, and it definitely had the spark that lit off the page like crazy between these characters. Overall this was a story that kept me interested and had me blushing through every page, and I loved that so much!

[Mg ♥ The Bookishmedialite · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Elle Christensen solo book. The other books I have read from her have been co-written with Rochelle Paige under the pen name Fiona Davenport and I have enjoyed every single one of them!

Steamy hot, short and with a bit of suspense, Say Yes it's the perfect book if you want to spend a short period of time getting lost in the magic of books.

[Book Snob Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

These 2 were just sweet. I really liked everything about this book, the characters, the storyline. I liked that they were both basically getting a "fresh" start on life. They were getting the fresh start and embracing it, which I loved. Just a truly sweet & sexy read.

[maaajo · Rating 4 out of 5]

* I received this book as a gift by Fionna Davenporte-mails*
I was soooo cute :3

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

[Jennifer McGurk Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

To follow

[T Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different cover from Amazon (as of June 2023)
HEA
Standalone, interconnected characters with other books by the same author, and part of series by different authors about military and/or first responders
*over 18 readers only *

4th wall breaks

Trigger warnings
Husband KIA
Secret admirer turned Stalker

Lindsey is a bakery owner. Colton owns the duplex she lives in, but she's yet to meet him. Then, one night, she meets him at a charity event. She knows he's her landlord, but he doesn't know she is his tenant. He flirts hard, then she informs him who she is. That doesn't deter him. He spends the next month trying to get her to go out with him. By 44%, there are two suspects for the secret admirer, but nothing really actionable. The confrontation between Colton and the dead husband's best friend was mild. But that scene in the bedroom where he pours out his heart *swoon *. Things kick off from there...
Couple of typos, or confusing statements like words were left out. The story and plot were on point. The bad guy was caught and turned out to be who I thought.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, but I love all of Elle's work. I do have a weak spot for Military Romance though. Lindsay and Colton were amazing. Sweet and innocent Lindsay meets brooding alpha Colton and the fireworks are there immediately but Lindsay doesn't see it. Colton pursues her and it is sweet. There is an intriguing twist and I did not see it playing out exactly as it did and it was written amazingly well. This book was a great insta-love military romance with a beautiful HEA.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Loved Lindsay and Colton. A sassy baker and a alpha air man. A sweet, sassy and steamy story. Lindsay owns a bakery. A 3 year widow, her husband killed in action. Colton was a former Air Force pilot, discharged for medical reasons. He meets Lindsay at a benefit for veterans and is instantly smitten. Surprised to learn that he is her landlord. Colton knows he wants Lindsay and sets out to win her.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best

This lacked any heat or substance. It felt more of an outline. No intimate connection between them or sexual or otherwise. I became confused when i saw 'duplex' at first when it's an entire house that has a connected driveway to the other. That may have been a typo since it would still be considered her landlord.

Though this one didn't work out for me, I would continue with further purchases.

[Sonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story, but...

The story was good, but moved along a little too fast for my liking. However, the editing was bad. Some of the missed words made the entire sentence hard to understand. There were no typos just incorrect words used. Past editing work I've done made this too hard to overlook the mistakes and enjoy the story like I usually do with Elle's books.

[Fiona Fog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for me

An okay read I found myself putting it down and then picking it back up.

I couldn’t see the chemistry between the characters it seemed forced. It may just be me others could love it but I know I won’t re-read this story.