Learning To Love Again

by Anna L. Henry

Kaylee: When I took over as director of the local animal shelter I knew they had a charity auction with a silent auction but lo and behold, some of the supporters decided to shake things up and have a bachelor auction. Being director it was up to me to set it up, I am not a people person but plowed through it. Then on the night of the charity dinner, one of the firefighters got sick so he had to be replaced. Of all people, it was their captain. When I locked eyes with Dylan it felt like an entire box of fireworks went off inside of me. No man had ever made me feel that way. The way he filled out his tux belied his age. The tux fit him like a glove. Oh my!!! I had no plans to bid but I had to bid on Dylan. He was going to be my dinner date come hell or high water. Dylan: Why did I let my men talk me into taking part in this damn charity auction? Yeah, Jim had to bow out but someone else could have volunteered. I am not anti-women but once burnt, twice shy. And most women at these events were like my ex, money and power hungry. After being married to one for ten years I have no desire to take one to dinner and chance them trying to get their claws into me. Then I saw HER. Down to earth, pretty in a plain way, and curvaceous, not all skin and bones. I could get so lucky to have her bid and win. I just knew that no matter which way the chips fell, I was going to get to know this wonderful creature. This is a story shows that opposites attract and that their story can have a happy ending. Along their journey there will tantalizing, memorable, hot sex scenes. This is a read for those that want of dose of steamy romantic pleasure with a happy ending.

77 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 21, 2020

About the author

Anna L. Henry writes steamy, sexy and short romances with an over-the-top alpha who dedicated to protect and love their women. She always loves to hear from her readers and interact with them.

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnaLHenry1
Follow her on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-...
Follow her on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/annalhenry
Follow her on Inkitt: https://www.inkitt.com/authoranna1henry

Reviews

[Nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am voluntarily reviewing a reader copy of this book.


Kaylee is living a life that she never planned, by now she was expecting to be married to the love of her life, but that dream was smashed the weekend of her hen party when she lost her brother Adam and Eric to a fire. She vowed to herself from that day that on she would never be involved with a firefighter again. She is now the director of a local animal shelter and it is their annual charity bachelor auction that in the past has been silent bids but this year things are changing, and the auction is turning into a loud and very successful night. The last thing she ever expected to be doing though was bidding on any man least of all the Captain of the local fire house, but she just can’t stop herself. Is Kaylee ready to fall in love again and is Dylan the man to heal her heart?

Dylan had no intention of attending the charity event for the local animal shelter and even less intention of being auctioned off at the bachelor but when one of his men is too sick to attend, he has little choice but to be his replacement. He is dreading what type of woman will be bidding on him, after his ex-wife of ten years turned out to be everything, he abhorred he has stepped back from dating not wanting to be caught in the same trap that he escaped from. Things change the moment he meets the organizer Kaylee she is everything that he didn’t know he needed but now that he has her in his sights, he will do whatever it takes to show her what they can be. Will he be able to convince Kaylee that what they have found is a real love or will she run from what they could have because of the past?

Well, this book was a surprise and a great one at that. I really loved watching these characters find love together after such heartbreak and sadness. It was sweet and very steamy, and I would recommend this book highly. 4.5* read.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ready for a new love?
This book is about Kaylee and Dylan. She has helped plan and organise this year’s auction/charity event for the no-kill animal shelter she loves working at. This year’s auction is different to previous years, and she doesn’t like the direction it went in, but she had minimal say with a new board member making that decision. Dylan is the local fire captain who is taking the place of another firefighter that was meant to take part in the auction.
Her ex Eric (along with her brother Adam), tragically died years ago in a fire, and it still hurts her to think or talk about him. So when the new board member encourages her to bid on Dylan, she sticks to her decision not to. But when it comes down to his turn to be auctioned, he teases her and she bids, the winning bid! She’s shocked she did that, considering how she vowed to never love another man after Eric. After all the hurt they’ve both endured, maybe she’ll be willing to give Dylan a real chance. Even with their strong attraction and sizzling-hot chemistry, she will undoubtedly tread carefully.
This story is an emotional roller-coaster. There were both heart-warming and heart-breaking moments that had me crying, smiling and smirking! I loved the memories she’d think about and the connection she still felt with Eric and the encouraging messages of hope and love that they brought with them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Several Off-Putting Elements

There were several things wrong with this book. First, it seriously needed a copyeditor or proofreader. In the first paragraph or two, I caught several tense errors. The author engaged in serious head-hopping—sometimes from one paragraph to the next—which makes it very difficult to follow at times; the author wasn’t always clear about who was speaking, which further complicated matters. I have seen some authors pull off head-hopping successfully, but this was not true in this book’s case. The insta-lust shown by the hero when first meeting the heroine seems more creepy than sensual. As often happens in novellas, this one started with a prodigious information dump, which I never liked to see. I believe authors should weave in necessary information as needed throughout the story rather than just dump it all at the beginning. The book is short, so there's not much space for a plot or characterization of any substance. All in all, I found this to be a disappointing read.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com

[Ronel Olver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short but very sweet love short between Kaylee, a shy and innocent charity organizer and Dylan a 35 year old divorced fire captain. When Dylan stands in for one of his firefighters that got sick at the charity bachelor auction, Kaylee bids on him and wins, getting herself a date. Some heartbreak in Kaylee's past that she can't seem to move past, has one wondering if she would ever take another chance on love.

Even though its a quick read the author still manages to portray the characters feelings and emotions making the characters very realistic and lovable. I did find that sometimes it was a bit confusing as to who was talking as the switch was so quick, however overall I enjoyed this book can't wait to read more by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Donise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quick read is about Kaylee and Dylan. Dylan is the captain of the local fire department and has to fill in for one of his men at a charity auction that Kaylee is helping with. Kaylee is somewhat attracted to Dylan until she finds out what he does for a living and then she backs away, but soon finds herself winning the bid for a date with Dylan. Will Kaylee be able to overcome her tragic past with firemen to make a relationship with Dylan work? I did have a couple of problems in reading this book in that I could tell that the author's first language is not English because of the use of both past and present tense and switching between first and third person in the same sentences/paragraphs.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned To Love Again is a sweet and charming story. It has beautifully sweet characters that you just smile because they are who they are. The only thing I didn’t like was the transition from one character to the next as you were not sure who was talking or thinking the thoughts right off the top. One you read into a sentence or so you realize who is speaking. This only causes a bit of confusion but quickly clears up. Otherwise, it is well written and is definitely worth reading. The flow of the story is very good and I love how sweet the characters really are.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author thru Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving my review. This was a sweet and short story that was full of a lot of steam at times. She is running the charity bachelor auction. He is filling in for an unavailable firemen that was in the auction. The attraction between them was instant and quickly overruns their ideas to remain single. I enjoyed this story, the characters especially.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Judy Gittleson Hendrickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally love the story and characters, but the POV changes (sometimes within the same paragraph) were very distracting. Having to reread a paragraph over and over to figure out who said or did what, can kind of take the steam out of the story. The backstories were terrific and brought a nice depth to the feelings they incurred. Definitely worth a read once some changes are made. The locale and auction made the story unique and comfortable.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet story with likeable characters and a storyline that tugs at your heart, is a little bit different and held my interest. For me it was hard to follow the story at times as I would suddenly go from Dylan's perspective straight into Kaylee's, this made things confusing at times and disrupted the flow of the story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mzlegz · Rating 4 out of 5]

If possible, O would rank this one. 3.5. The concept behind the story was good, but the grammar was all bad. From jumping to first and third person to changing from present tense to past...that was aggravating trying to figure out wether it was Dylan or Kaylee speaking. Their love story was romantic and steamy at times, but I just wish it flowed a lot smoother...
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[PW · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Right Match

Dylan and Kalee are reluctant to start over with someone due to hurt and loss. This sweet short shows how being in the right place at the right time while being open to possibilities works wonders. They are both lovable characters who need to heal and find joy and love together. Very good read!! Enjoy 😍!

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book; it was the perfect blend of sweet and steamy. I also liked the dual point of view, but I had a difficult time with how often the narrative switched between the main characters without warning. There was also a lot of switching between 1st and 3rd person. Overall, a very good story.

[Krystal Worthington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

Cute short story about learning to love again after a loss, hence the title. My only complaints would be the grammar mistakes and the back and forth between the POVs. I found myself rereading to understand who's POV was being reflected.

[Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dylan is a hot alpha firefighter who takes one look at kaylee the director of the shelter that is holding the auction and decides she’s it for him. The characters are engaging and the storyline entertaining.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amy Reierson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and steamy quick read about letting go and moving forward after tragedy.

Kaylee is young and already very jaded about life. Dylan several years older luckily could be as jaded given circumstances but he definitely is a bit more go with the flow.

Throw in some cute animals, a fund raiser Involving bidding on a hot guy and a date. And really what's not to love.