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Birch Crossing #1
Unexpectedly Mine
New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Rowe delivers another winner when small-town matchmakers decide a handsome billionaire is the perfect man for a sassy single mom who is too busy for love.
★★★★★ "This book grabs you and tugs at your heartstrings from beginning to end." ~Marie B (Amazon Review)
When billionaire entrepreneur Griffin Friesé arrives in small-town Birch Crossing to fix a mistake from his past that still haunts him, he quickly discovers that life in the close-knit lake town doesn't move at the speed he's used to. He finds himself stranded in town while he tries to sort out his past…and the only available lodging is far from the five-star luxury he's used to.
Clare Gray is a widowed single mom in need of a renter for her spare room. When the sexy out-of-town bachelor moves in to her home for a few weeks, her tidy world is upended by the interfering, cocky, and endearingly vulnerable big city businessman.
Late night baking sessions involving lots of wayward chocolate, sizzling attraction, and long-held secrets combust into a surprising, intense connection between the two opposites.
They both know he'll be leaving town soon, but what happens when Griffin realizes he wants more from the single mom who has given up on love?
NOTE: Unexpectedly Mine was originally published under the title No Knight Needed as part of the Ever After series.
★★★★★ "This book grabs you and tugs at your heartstrings from beginning to end." ~Marie B (Amazon Review)
When billionaire entrepreneur Griffin Friesé arrives in small-town Birch Crossing to fix a mistake from his past that still haunts him, he quickly discovers that life in the close-knit lake town doesn't move at the speed he's used to. He finds himself stranded in town while he tries to sort out his past…and the only available lodging is far from the five-star luxury he's used to.
Clare Gray is a widowed single mom in need of a renter for her spare room. When the sexy out-of-town bachelor moves in to her home for a few weeks, her tidy world is upended by the interfering, cocky, and endearingly vulnerable big city businessman.
Late night baking sessions involving lots of wayward chocolate, sizzling attraction, and long-held secrets combust into a surprising, intense connection between the two opposites.
They both know he'll be leaving town soon, but what happens when Griffin realizes he wants more from the single mom who has given up on love?
NOTE: Unexpectedly Mine was originally published under the title No Knight Needed as part of the Ever After series.
389 pages, Paperback
First published June 13, 2012
1293 people are currently reading
2208 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Rowe
112 books1,536 followersHailed as a "paranormal star!" by J.R. Ward, Stephanie Rowe is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than forty-five novels. She is the 2018 RITA® winner for Best Paranormal Romance, as well as a five-time nominee for this prestigious award. For more on Stephanie and her books, visit her at www.stephaneierowe.com, or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StephanieRow....
A life-long reader, she began crafting stories at age ten, but didn't realize it was her dream until she was an adult.
Once the light dawned, she immediately left behind "work" as the world defines it and went to "work" as she defines it, which means getting up every morning with a smile in her heart so she can spend the day doing that which makes her spirit sing.
Stephanie believes in learning to listen to your heart in order to figure out what your dreams are, and then opening yourself to the inspiration that will direct you there. She believes we all deserve the right to enjoy life, and for the ride to be as easy as we want it to be, and that we all should accept nothing less than making our dreams come true.
Stephanie lives in New England, and spends every day doing her best to fill it with people, observations and activities that uplift her soul, which include writing, tennis, dancing, friends, and her amazing family.
A life-long reader, she began crafting stories at age ten, but didn't realize it was her dream until she was an adult.
Once the light dawned, she immediately left behind "work" as the world defines it and went to "work" as she defines it, which means getting up every morning with a smile in her heart so she can spend the day doing that which makes her spirit sing.
Stephanie believes in learning to listen to your heart in order to figure out what your dreams are, and then opening yourself to the inspiration that will direct you there. She believes we all deserve the right to enjoy life, and for the ride to be as easy as we want it to be, and that we all should accept nothing less than making our dreams come true.
Stephanie lives in New England, and spends every day doing her best to fill it with people, observations and activities that uplift her soul, which include writing, tennis, dancing, friends, and her amazing family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
November 23, 2012
No Knight Needed By Stephanie Rowe
What’s not to love about a good old fashion fairy tale? How about a wonderful, new contemporary fairy tale. That is what Ms. Stephanie Rowe delivers in No Knight Needed, book one of her newest series, Ever After.
Our Knight in this story comes to us as Big City business mogul Griffin Friese and the damsel in distress is, Clare Gray, Small town lawyer and single mom. The story opens with Griffin rescuing Clair’s daughter from a mountain top, one stormy night. The tension starts from the moment Clair and Griffin lay eyes on each other. Griffen has come to the small town of Birch Wood in search of his estranged daughter, who he is hoping to win over and take back to Boston. Clare became a widow and mom when she was 18, always trying to tough and self-determining. Her only goal is to provide for her daughter.
The characters were so real and believable. I was so drawn into this story, I felt like I was reading about old friends. This book was packed full of emotions, everything from Laughing, to crying your eyes out, because your heart is breaking for your friend, to shaking your head thinking WTH. There were even times I wanted to shout at Griffen and pop him up side his head. Or just reach into the page and give a huge hug, saying everything will be ok.
All in All, this is an amazing story about two strong, independent people, making their own way through life. Can they overcome their past personal experiences, to learn to trust again, learn to love?
If you enjoy a good old fashion love story, this book is for you.
What’s not to love about a good old fashion fairy tale? How about a wonderful, new contemporary fairy tale. That is what Ms. Stephanie Rowe delivers in No Knight Needed, book one of her newest series, Ever After.
Our Knight in this story comes to us as Big City business mogul Griffin Friese and the damsel in distress is, Clare Gray, Small town lawyer and single mom. The story opens with Griffin rescuing Clair’s daughter from a mountain top, one stormy night. The tension starts from the moment Clair and Griffin lay eyes on each other. Griffen has come to the small town of Birch Wood in search of his estranged daughter, who he is hoping to win over and take back to Boston. Clare became a widow and mom when she was 18, always trying to tough and self-determining. Her only goal is to provide for her daughter.
The characters were so real and believable. I was so drawn into this story, I felt like I was reading about old friends. This book was packed full of emotions, everything from Laughing, to crying your eyes out, because your heart is breaking for your friend, to shaking your head thinking WTH. There were even times I wanted to shout at Griffen and pop him up side his head. Or just reach into the page and give a huge hug, saying everything will be ok.
All in All, this is an amazing story about two strong, independent people, making their own way through life. Can they overcome their past personal experiences, to learn to trust again, learn to love?
If you enjoy a good old fashion love story, this book is for you.
December 20, 2015
I really hated this book! It was like a train wreck, I wanted to quit it, but couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what happened with the relationships introduced. It took what seemed like forever to finish it, though it was actually only two days. I wound up finishing another book I had started on the same day long before I finished this one!
My biggest problem was the characters. The secondary characters seemed more concerned about getting the heroine laid than actually being supportive friends! Katie was a complete pill, typical for a teenager, but she said a lot of things that I would have gotten disciplined for that went unremarked upon! Griffin was clueless and focused to the point of having blinders on about reconnecting with his daughter. I appreciated Clare's need for independence, but she took it a bit too far at times.
For me, this just wasn't a good read, and I won't be continuing the series.
My biggest problem was the characters. The secondary characters seemed more concerned about getting the heroine laid than actually being supportive friends! Katie was a complete pill, typical for a teenager, but she said a lot of things that I would have gotten disciplined for that went unremarked upon! Griffin was clueless and focused to the point of having blinders on about reconnecting with his daughter. I appreciated Clare's need for independence, but she took it a bit too far at times.
For me, this just wasn't a good read, and I won't be continuing the series.
May 31, 2012
ARC Review
‘Dawn at Birch Crossing’ is contemporary romance at its best.
Visualise that checklist; you know the imaginary one that we all have whilst reading. The one that you’re metaphorically ticking off to see if it meets your literary standards! The one that, by the end of the novel, you mull over to see whether or not the book that you’ve spent the last few hours, days, or even weeks reading, has been worth your while. Of course you know the list that I’m refering to. Well, throw the list away. You will not need it with ‘Dawn at Birch Crossing’; it does everything it says on the tin and more!
Okay, enough of the clichés, but surely you get the idea!
Immediately, Stephanie Rowe throws her readers into the thick of drama. We are greeted with fairly complex, yet deeply human and therefore ‘normal’ characters. Both of the characters, who are quickly established as the two protagonists, Griffin and Clare, clearly are individuals with ‘history’, and what we’re interested in, considering the genre, is the romantic history and baggage attached to both of them.
Both Griffin and Clare are extremely likeable individuals (you’ll soon be cheering for them and be swooning over Griffin) with deeply embedded morals, values, ambitions and even flaws. It is the development of these characters, the level of depth and detail that is used to tease out their characteristics, that makes this book so very enjoyable and powerful to read. Yes, this is a contemporary romance, but there’s a hell of a lot going on in this novel, by no means is it all fun, laughter and kisses, even though there’s plenty of that too!
The path that both Griffin and Clare find themselves on is unexpected for them both. In many ways, their lives are turned upside down, which inevitably creates amazing tension in the novel. We never fully know how things are going to turn out. I think this is a testament to Stephanie Rowe’s skill and talent, one that deserves applause; her ability to keep the reader second, third and even fourth guessing was pretty phenomenal. I was amazed by her adeptness to successfully fool me, yes frustrated too, but a little in awe of her ability to craft and shape her novel so very successfully.
Stephanie Rowe very effectively paints a realistic world for Griffin and Clare: a world where emotions, desires and ambitions are carefully considered and crafted; they drive the characters along in their journeys. There was not a moment that I wasn’t completely engrossed in the novel, the story, the characters. I very audibly cheered for them and did not shed just one tear, nope, rather bucket fulls. My heart at times broke for them. The narrative and dialogue surrounding these ‘tender’ moments in particular were so beautifully crafted, poetic even; it was this that had me blubbering. And of course on the flip side of the heart-wrenching events, was the amazing, witty humour.
There are numerous, superbly developed and highly likeable secondary characters in this novel, who really helped to raise the humour to the next level. Yes, there were a few quiet giggles, then the huge stomach hugging laughter, one unfortunately, at the most inopportune time, was when I was sipping my tea!
If it’s not obvious by now, then just to be clear, I love this book! I would most definitely and happily reread, which is an absolute first for me in this genre.
http://www.bexnbooks.blogspot.com.au
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‘Dawn at Birch Crossing’ is contemporary romance at its best.
Visualise that checklist; you know the imaginary one that we all have whilst reading. The one that you’re metaphorically ticking off to see if it meets your literary standards! The one that, by the end of the novel, you mull over to see whether or not the book that you’ve spent the last few hours, days, or even weeks reading, has been worth your while. Of course you know the list that I’m refering to. Well, throw the list away. You will not need it with ‘Dawn at Birch Crossing’; it does everything it says on the tin and more!
Okay, enough of the clichés, but surely you get the idea!
Immediately, Stephanie Rowe throws her readers into the thick of drama. We are greeted with fairly complex, yet deeply human and therefore ‘normal’ characters. Both of the characters, who are quickly established as the two protagonists, Griffin and Clare, clearly are individuals with ‘history’, and what we’re interested in, considering the genre, is the romantic history and baggage attached to both of them.
Both Griffin and Clare are extremely likeable individuals (you’ll soon be cheering for them and be swooning over Griffin) with deeply embedded morals, values, ambitions and even flaws. It is the development of these characters, the level of depth and detail that is used to tease out their characteristics, that makes this book so very enjoyable and powerful to read. Yes, this is a contemporary romance, but there’s a hell of a lot going on in this novel, by no means is it all fun, laughter and kisses, even though there’s plenty of that too!
The path that both Griffin and Clare find themselves on is unexpected for them both. In many ways, their lives are turned upside down, which inevitably creates amazing tension in the novel. We never fully know how things are going to turn out. I think this is a testament to Stephanie Rowe’s skill and talent, one that deserves applause; her ability to keep the reader second, third and even fourth guessing was pretty phenomenal. I was amazed by her adeptness to successfully fool me, yes frustrated too, but a little in awe of her ability to craft and shape her novel so very successfully.
Stephanie Rowe very effectively paints a realistic world for Griffin and Clare: a world where emotions, desires and ambitions are carefully considered and crafted; they drive the characters along in their journeys. There was not a moment that I wasn’t completely engrossed in the novel, the story, the characters. I very audibly cheered for them and did not shed just one tear, nope, rather bucket fulls. My heart at times broke for them. The narrative and dialogue surrounding these ‘tender’ moments in particular were so beautifully crafted, poetic even; it was this that had me blubbering. And of course on the flip side of the heart-wrenching events, was the amazing, witty humour.
There are numerous, superbly developed and highly likeable secondary characters in this novel, who really helped to raise the humour to the next level. Yes, there were a few quiet giggles, then the huge stomach hugging laughter, one unfortunately, at the most inopportune time, was when I was sipping my tea!
If it’s not obvious by now, then just to be clear, I love this book! I would most definitely and happily reread, which is an absolute first for me in this genre.
http://www.bexnbooks.blogspot.com.au
http://www.facebook.com/bexnbooks
February 15, 2023
Utterly romantic and beautiful
A very heartwarming story of the strength of love. This is about second chance love.
Clare's husband died fifteen years ago, she has not let a man into her or her daughter Katie's lives, not until Friday comes to town, a multi millionaire empire owner about to take another business under his belt. Clare is instantly attracted to him and the feeling is mutual...
This is a very romantic and heartwarming story with a real good factor feeling. I felt like hugging myself at the end.
So well written and beautiful description throughout
Kerry Kennedy Author
A very heartwarming story of the strength of love. This is about second chance love.
Clare's husband died fifteen years ago, she has not let a man into her or her daughter Katie's lives, not until Friday comes to town, a multi millionaire empire owner about to take another business under his belt. Clare is instantly attracted to him and the feeling is mutual...
This is a very romantic and heartwarming story with a real good factor feeling. I felt like hugging myself at the end.
So well written and beautiful description throughout
Kerry Kennedy Author
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January 30, 2023🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/30/2023)! 🎁
June 14, 2015
I give this a 4.5. I took away .5 due to the amount of times I wanted to hit Griffin over the head like Ophelia did :)
I could totally relate to Clare Gray. She got pregnant at an early age and had to raise her daughter on her own. She put herself through law school to be able to support herself and her daughter and to hopefully be able to give her daughter the things she wanted for her - a good education and college. Clare pushed for her daughter Katie to take the best classes and to go to MIT for the summer. She had all the best intentions for her daughter and did it all out of love but she never stopped to ask Katie if that is what she really wanted. We as parents want our kids to not make the same mistakes we made, we try so hard to protect them and guide them and think we know whats best for them but sometimes that isnt always what our children want and try as hard as we might they still in someways are destined to make our mistakes. Clare had to learn to let go of her ideas for her daughter. She also made other classic mistakes single mothers do, she tried to protect her daughter from the truth about her father. Once Clare came clean with Katie about her father she found out that it didn't devastate her and it made her love her mom even more for finally trusting her with the truth.
Now Griffin Friesé.. Griffin thought all through his marriage that the most important thing was money. So he lived his job and thought by having money to give to his wife and daughter that everything was ok. Never realizing that his never being for them due to all the hours he worked he was alienating his wife. He was truly shocked when he came home one day to find them gone. And had no idea why she left him. In his mind she was the person in the wrong. After two years of not being able to reconnect with his daughter and blaming his ex wife on her not wanting to see him he sets out to the small town of Birch Crossing to try and get her back. But he goes into it all wrong. He thinks is he buys his daughters favorite clothing line and makes her the offer of she can work beside him that she will come back to him. I had a really hard time understand Griffin's thinking. He totally thought material things were what was most important in life and what would get his daughter back. When he finds out she still wants nothing to do with him he still blames the ex. Even though from all appearances the ex has moved on and married and even had twins and looks very happy with her new husband.
Now to the romance. At the start of the book Clare is driving through a storm to get to her daughter is his trapped with friends up in the mountains out in the storm. She runs into Griffin after encountering a tree in the middle of the road she cant get around. He offers to help her by pulling a totally crazy stunt to get around the tree. After saving her daughter and friends Clare feel gratitude towards Griffin and also a stir of something she hasnt felt in 15 years. When she finds out that Griffin needs a place to stay and the town isnt helping as they think he is there to murder is ex wife and daughter she offers him a room at her farmhouse. When Griffin is with Clare he is a totally different person. He realizes this and does let himself be that person while he is with her. He also comes across many wise people in the town that give him good advise but when push comes to shove he always makes the wrong decisions.
I loved all the times between Clare and Griffin. They both had soo much baggage from there past and they each helped the other heal in many ways but some old habits were hard to break. The internal struggle Griffin has toward the end when something sad happens was heartbreaking to read but also a moment when you pumped your hands in the air and said ABOUT TIME GRIFFIN :)
This was a great story about the misconceptions we have about relationships and parenthood.
I could totally relate to Clare Gray. She got pregnant at an early age and had to raise her daughter on her own. She put herself through law school to be able to support herself and her daughter and to hopefully be able to give her daughter the things she wanted for her - a good education and college. Clare pushed for her daughter Katie to take the best classes and to go to MIT for the summer. She had all the best intentions for her daughter and did it all out of love but she never stopped to ask Katie if that is what she really wanted. We as parents want our kids to not make the same mistakes we made, we try so hard to protect them and guide them and think we know whats best for them but sometimes that isnt always what our children want and try as hard as we might they still in someways are destined to make our mistakes. Clare had to learn to let go of her ideas for her daughter. She also made other classic mistakes single mothers do, she tried to protect her daughter from the truth about her father. Once Clare came clean with Katie about her father she found out that it didn't devastate her and it made her love her mom even more for finally trusting her with the truth.
Now Griffin Friesé.. Griffin thought all through his marriage that the most important thing was money. So he lived his job and thought by having money to give to his wife and daughter that everything was ok. Never realizing that his never being for them due to all the hours he worked he was alienating his wife. He was truly shocked when he came home one day to find them gone. And had no idea why she left him. In his mind she was the person in the wrong. After two years of not being able to reconnect with his daughter and blaming his ex wife on her not wanting to see him he sets out to the small town of Birch Crossing to try and get her back. But he goes into it all wrong. He thinks is he buys his daughters favorite clothing line and makes her the offer of she can work beside him that she will come back to him. I had a really hard time understand Griffin's thinking. He totally thought material things were what was most important in life and what would get his daughter back. When he finds out she still wants nothing to do with him he still blames the ex. Even though from all appearances the ex has moved on and married and even had twins and looks very happy with her new husband.
Now to the romance. At the start of the book Clare is driving through a storm to get to her daughter is his trapped with friends up in the mountains out in the storm. She runs into Griffin after encountering a tree in the middle of the road she cant get around. He offers to help her by pulling a totally crazy stunt to get around the tree. After saving her daughter and friends Clare feel gratitude towards Griffin and also a stir of something she hasnt felt in 15 years. When she finds out that Griffin needs a place to stay and the town isnt helping as they think he is there to murder is ex wife and daughter she offers him a room at her farmhouse. When Griffin is with Clare he is a totally different person. He realizes this and does let himself be that person while he is with her. He also comes across many wise people in the town that give him good advise but when push comes to shove he always makes the wrong decisions.
I loved all the times between Clare and Griffin. They both had soo much baggage from there past and they each helped the other heal in many ways but some old habits were hard to break. The internal struggle Griffin has toward the end when something sad happens was heartbreaking to read but also a moment when you pumped your hands in the air and said ABOUT TIME GRIFFIN :)
This was a great story about the misconceptions we have about relationships and parenthood.
November 23, 2012
No Knight Needed is contemporary romance at its best.
Visualise that checklist; you know the imaginary one that we all have whilst reading. The one that you’re metaphorically ticking off to see if it meets your literary standards! The one that, by the end of the novel, you mull over to see whether or not the book that you’ve spent the last few hours, days, or even weeks reading, has been worth your while. Of course you know the list that I’m refering to. Well, throw the list away. You will not need it with No Knight Needed; it does everything it says on the tin and more!
Okay, enough of the clichés, but surely you get the idea!
Immediately, Stephanie Rowe throws her readers into the thick of drama. We are greeted with fairly complex, yet deeply human and therefore ‘normal’ characters. Both of the characters, who are quickly established as the two protagonists, Griffin and Clare, clearly are individuals with ‘history’, and what we’re interested in, considering the genre, is the romantic history and baggage attached to both of them.
Both Griffin and Clare are extremely likeable individuals (you’ll soon be cheering for them and be swooning over Griffin) with deeply embedded morals, values, ambitions and even flaws. It is the development of these characters, the level of depth and detail that is used to tease out their characteristics, that makes this book so very enjoyable and powerful to read. Yes, this is a contemporary romance, but there’s a hell of a lot going on in this novel, by no means is it all fun, laughter and kisses, even though there’s plenty of that too!
The path that both Griffin and Clare find themselves on is unexpected for them both. In many ways, their lives are turned upside down, which inevitably creates amazing tension in the novel. We never fully know how things are going to turn out. I think this is a testament to Stephanie Rowe’s skill and talent, one that deserves applause; her ability to keep the reader second, third and even fourth guessing was pretty phenomenal. I was amazed by her adeptness to successfully fool me, yes frustrated too, but a little in awe of her ability to craft and shape her novel so very successfully.
Stephanie Rowe very effectively paints a realistic world for Griffin and Clare: a world where emotions, desires and ambitions are carefully considered and crafted; they drive the characters along in their journeys. There was not a moment that I wasn’t completely engrossed in the novel, the story, the characters. I very audibly cheered for them and did not shed just one tear, nope, rather bucket fulls. My heart at times broke for them. The narrative and dialogue surrounding these ‘tender’ moments in particular were so beautifully crafted, poetic even; it was this that had me blubbering. And of course on the flip side of the heart-wrenching events, was the amazing, witty humour.
There are numerous, superbly developed and highly likeable secondary characters in this novel, who really helped to raise the humour to the next level. Yes, there were a few quiet giggles, then the huge stomach hugging laughter, one unfortunately, at the most inopportune time, was when I was sipping my tea!
If it’s not obvious by now, then just to be clear, I love this book! I would most definitely and happily reread.
Visualise that checklist; you know the imaginary one that we all have whilst reading. The one that you’re metaphorically ticking off to see if it meets your literary standards! The one that, by the end of the novel, you mull over to see whether or not the book that you’ve spent the last few hours, days, or even weeks reading, has been worth your while. Of course you know the list that I’m refering to. Well, throw the list away. You will not need it with No Knight Needed; it does everything it says on the tin and more!
Okay, enough of the clichés, but surely you get the idea!
Immediately, Stephanie Rowe throws her readers into the thick of drama. We are greeted with fairly complex, yet deeply human and therefore ‘normal’ characters. Both of the characters, who are quickly established as the two protagonists, Griffin and Clare, clearly are individuals with ‘history’, and what we’re interested in, considering the genre, is the romantic history and baggage attached to both of them.
Both Griffin and Clare are extremely likeable individuals (you’ll soon be cheering for them and be swooning over Griffin) with deeply embedded morals, values, ambitions and even flaws. It is the development of these characters, the level of depth and detail that is used to tease out their characteristics, that makes this book so very enjoyable and powerful to read. Yes, this is a contemporary romance, but there’s a hell of a lot going on in this novel, by no means is it all fun, laughter and kisses, even though there’s plenty of that too!
The path that both Griffin and Clare find themselves on is unexpected for them both. In many ways, their lives are turned upside down, which inevitably creates amazing tension in the novel. We never fully know how things are going to turn out. I think this is a testament to Stephanie Rowe’s skill and talent, one that deserves applause; her ability to keep the reader second, third and even fourth guessing was pretty phenomenal. I was amazed by her adeptness to successfully fool me, yes frustrated too, but a little in awe of her ability to craft and shape her novel so very successfully.
Stephanie Rowe very effectively paints a realistic world for Griffin and Clare: a world where emotions, desires and ambitions are carefully considered and crafted; they drive the characters along in their journeys. There was not a moment that I wasn’t completely engrossed in the novel, the story, the characters. I very audibly cheered for them and did not shed just one tear, nope, rather bucket fulls. My heart at times broke for them. The narrative and dialogue surrounding these ‘tender’ moments in particular were so beautifully crafted, poetic even; it was this that had me blubbering. And of course on the flip side of the heart-wrenching events, was the amazing, witty humour.
There are numerous, superbly developed and highly likeable secondary characters in this novel, who really helped to raise the humour to the next level. Yes, there were a few quiet giggles, then the huge stomach hugging laughter, one unfortunately, at the most inopportune time, was when I was sipping my tea!
If it’s not obvious by now, then just to be clear, I love this book! I would most definitely and happily reread.
January 21, 2016
It started off really good and I enjoyed the way the two characters met. Then it went downhill. The Hero (Griffin) risks his life to save the Heroine's (Clare) daughter and asks for nothing in return. Then the next day in town when the townspeople are spreading malicious rumors about him (which didn't make a lot of sense - and there was no real reason why) Clare doesn't even stand up for him. She thinks well I have to live in this town so no need to make my life harder. (Let's not forget that Griffin could have done the same and left her stranded on the side of the road and not gone out of his way to rescue her daughter). I really didn't like Clare after this. She was spineless and selfish. I also didn't quite get why she had never even been on a date in the last 15 years since her husband died. The author never really gave me a reason for this. Clare decided to never date/be in a relationship because her husband was leaving her when he died. It also read like she wasn't that in love with her husband but married him because she was pregnant. So why the huge heartache and NEVER getting involved. Griffin had his issues as well. He blamed his ex-wife for everything even though he was obviously not a good husband or father. His ideas about parenting were absurd and he believed he could buy his daughter's love and got upset when he couldn't.
The writing was actually good (except the glaring error where she said she met her best friend 3 years ago and then best friend talked about when she told her she'd just met her husband which was 15 years ago). The teens were realistic and added to the story. The town was entertaining although not terribly believable. The HEA was just okay - I didn't really buy the decision the hero made at the end because it was a complete turn around that happened way to fast. Clare of course didn't have to bother to compromise at all.
The writing was actually good (except the glaring error where she said she met her best friend 3 years ago and then best friend talked about when she told her she'd just met her husband which was 15 years ago). The teens were realistic and added to the story. The town was entertaining although not terribly believable. The HEA was just okay - I didn't really buy the decision the hero made at the end because it was a complete turn around that happened way to fast. Clare of course didn't have to bother to compromise at all.
February 6, 2013
No Knight Needed - Book 1 in her Ever After Series
by Stephanie Rowe
This is an amazing story of a woman who has been widowed for 15 years.
Clare Gray has been comfortable in her life since her husband died when her daughter was just a infant. Until fate intervened. In the name of Griffin Friese'. Griffin was the Slipper King and had his own daemons he was chasing. While Clare was making ends meat by being an Estate Lawyer who make cupcakes in her spare time to relax.
Griffin helped Clare rescue her daughter and a few of her friends who went out camping. When a storm hit. Trees were down, water raising, and phone service was not the best. All Clare could see was her daughter dying like her husband did. She did not have time to be attracted to a complete stranger.
Griffin was in town attempting to make contact with his teenage daughter whom he thought his ex-wife poised against him. Griffin is a hard working CEO and businessman who wanted his daughter back with him.
You will love how Stephanie brought these two people together. And the town folks that help. You will laugh and you will cry. If you love Stephanie Rowe you will enjoy this new series of hers.
by Stephanie Rowe
This is an amazing story of a woman who has been widowed for 15 years.
Clare Gray has been comfortable in her life since her husband died when her daughter was just a infant. Until fate intervened. In the name of Griffin Friese'. Griffin was the Slipper King and had his own daemons he was chasing. While Clare was making ends meat by being an Estate Lawyer who make cupcakes in her spare time to relax.
Griffin helped Clare rescue her daughter and a few of her friends who went out camping. When a storm hit. Trees were down, water raising, and phone service was not the best. All Clare could see was her daughter dying like her husband did. She did not have time to be attracted to a complete stranger.
Griffin was in town attempting to make contact with his teenage daughter whom he thought his ex-wife poised against him. Griffin is a hard working CEO and businessman who wanted his daughter back with him.
You will love how Stephanie brought these two people together. And the town folks that help. You will laugh and you will cry. If you love Stephanie Rowe you will enjoy this new series of hers.
February 3, 2023
Where to start? I did not come anywhere near finishing the book. Rowe is hit and miss with me. I was initially excited about the story until the day after the rescue. I didn't understand the hostility from the town. I really didn't like Clare allowing them to bad mouth the hero after he saved everyone's lives the night before. Everyone including Clare seemed so ungrateful. Also did not buy the 15 year drought. I didn't understand why she waited so long after her husbands death. In one conversation in her head, it sounded as though he left her. Anyway. Too much whining for me. I couldn't read anymore. I know I have questions, but was no longer interested in finding the answers. It would not be fair to recommend or not recommend because I did not complete book. Most of the characters seemed too immature. This probably would have read better if they were all teens. It had some good parts, but not enough to hold my interest. It was really overwritten for me, but if this is not for you, try something else by this author.
November 22, 2012
Another amazing story by Stephanie Rowe!! No Knight Needed is a very touching heart felt story about two people who believe their lives are where they are suppose to be, that is, until they meet each other. There were many heart-wrenching moments that I literally wanted to reach in and give the character a hug and tell them it would be okay. Then there were just as many moments that had me smiling or laughing out loud. Simply put, Stephanie has done an amazing job with making this story so realistic that you feel you are witnessing every single one of the characters' moments in real life. An absolute must read!!!
November 16, 2016
Awful, just awful.
Ridiculous execution of what initially sounded like an interesting plot. The heroine meets the hero in the midst of a bad storm while she is attempting to rescue her daughter and is overcome by lust. Hah! To make matters worse, the next day the gossip in town is that the hero has come to town to murder his ex-wife and daughter with no reason to make that assumption,the heroine apparently believes the gossip and wonders if she should become involved with a murderer. Really? In the la la land of far fetched writing plots, this story takes the cake. It goes downhill from there. Don't waste your time.
Ridiculous execution of what initially sounded like an interesting plot. The heroine meets the hero in the midst of a bad storm while she is attempting to rescue her daughter and is overcome by lust. Hah! To make matters worse, the next day the gossip in town is that the hero has come to town to murder his ex-wife and daughter with no reason to make that assumption,the heroine apparently believes the gossip and wonders if she should become involved with a murderer. Really? In the la la land of far fetched writing plots, this story takes the cake. It goes downhill from there. Don't waste your time.
December 6, 2017
Bizarre
I am only at 25% in this book I said bizarre because I feel it was written by you 17-year-old for teenagers a man comes to town and in less than 20 hours they both think they're in love . the town think he's a killer it is wow I hope the rest of the books are better I shouldn't have bought the whole bundle. I will get back to this later so if I am totally disappointed I'm an adult and I'm reading a book that sounds like a bunch of kids wrote it. In real life people don't act like this I've read this author before and I thought she was good but this is like I'm in a different century or something
I am only at 25% in this book I said bizarre because I feel it was written by you 17-year-old for teenagers a man comes to town and in less than 20 hours they both think they're in love . the town think he's a killer it is wow I hope the rest of the books are better I shouldn't have bought the whole bundle. I will get back to this later so if I am totally disappointed I'm an adult and I'm reading a book that sounds like a bunch of kids wrote it. In real life people don't act like this I've read this author before and I thought she was good but this is like I'm in a different century or something
August 13, 2016
Its been forever since I have read a contemporary Romance and thanks to this book I feel in love again!!! Stephanie really knows how to get you completely engrossed in the story. Whether it be with her amazing characters like Griff and Clare or how she came make you relate to a situation.
If you are looking for a heartwarming love story with quit a bit of twists and turns, this the book for you :)
If you are looking for a heartwarming love story with quit a bit of twists and turns, this the book for you :)
Read
July 14, 2015Lulu uv
I loved this book from beginning to end. The last book I read was too busy with too many characters. This was just a sweet loving book about healing and finding your way through it. Told very well. Will read more of her books.
I loved this book from beginning to end. The last book I read was too busy with too many characters. This was just a sweet loving book about healing and finding your way through it. Told very well. Will read more of her books.
August 24, 2024
I was looking forward to reading it but ended up disappointed. The heroine just annoyed me so much, there was a lot of whining for no reason. It could have been a good summer read but ended up being just meh.
May 11, 2023
DO NOT RECOMMEND!
This book was free for a reason and that’s because it’s the worst. DNF @ 3%. The main characters meet on a road during a terrible storm. A tree is across the road, the male lead almost hits female lead’s car, he spins out of control but doesn’t crash, we know she is frantically trying to get to her daughter who is camping with friends because they need help. When the two meet he has grabbed her off the tree and all the while he’s having internal dialogue that is a lust filled assessment of her. What the absolute misogynistic crap is this? Grown people don’t do this. Grown people don’t find books like this romantic or sexy. No thank you. Good bye.
This book was free for a reason and that’s because it’s the worst. DNF @ 3%. The main characters meet on a road during a terrible storm. A tree is across the road, the male lead almost hits female lead’s car, he spins out of control but doesn’t crash, we know she is frantically trying to get to her daughter who is camping with friends because they need help. When the two meet he has grabbed her off the tree and all the while he’s having internal dialogue that is a lust filled assessment of her. What the absolute misogynistic crap is this? Grown people don’t do this. Grown people don’t find books like this romantic or sexy. No thank you. Good bye.
February 13, 2023
This book was fantastic. Love the small town feel. SR writes the most amazing contemporary romance books. This is her true calling. I can’t wait to dive into the next book.
The love and romance with just enough tears to make me a very happy reader.
The love and romance with just enough tears to make me a very happy reader.
November 23, 2012
I give this a 4.5. I took away .5 due to the amount of times I wanted to hit Griffin over the head like Ophelia did :)
I could totally relate to Clare Gray. She got pregnant at an early age and had to raise her daughter on her own. She put herself through law school to be able to support herself and her daughter and to hopefully be able to give her daughter the things she wanted for her - a good education and college. Clare pushed for her daughter Katie to take the best classes and to go to MIT for the summer. She had all the best intentions for her daughter and did it all out of love but she never stopped to ask Katie if that is what she really wanted. We as parents want our kids to not make the same mistakes we made, we try so hard to protect them and guide them and think we know whats best for them but sometimes that isnt always what our children want and try as hard as we might they still in someways are destined to make our mistakes. Clare had to learn to let go of her ideas for her daughter. She also made other classic mistakes single mothers do, she tried to protect her daughter from the truth about her father. Once Clare came clean with Katie about her father she found out that it didn't devastate her and it made her love her mom even more for finally trusting her with the truth.
Now Griffin Friesé.. Griffin thought all through his marriage that the most important thing was money. So he lived his job and thought by having money to give to his wife and daughter that everything was ok. Never realizing that his never being for them due to all the hours he worked he was alienating his wife. He was truly shocked when he came home one day to find them gone. And had no idea why she left him. In his mind she was the person in the wrong. After two years of not being able to reconnect with his daughter and blaming his ex wife on her not wanting to see him he sets out to the small town of Birch Crossing to try and get her back. But he goes into it all wrong. He thinks is he buys his daughters favorite clothing line and makes her the offer of she can work beside him that she will come back to him. I had a really hard time understand Griffin's thinking. He totally thought material things were what was most important in life and what would get his daughter back. When he finds out she still wants nothing to do with him he still blames the ex. Even though from all appearances the ex has moved on and married and even had twins and looks very happy with her new husband.
Now to the romance. At the start of the book Clare is driving through a storm to get to her daughter is his trapped with friends up in the mountains out in the storm. She runs into Griffin after encountering a tree in the middle of the road she cant get around. He offers to help her by pulling a totally crazy stunt to get around the tree. After saving her daughter and friends Clare feel gratitude towards Griffin and also a stir of something she hasnt felt in 15 years. When she finds out that Griffin needs a place to stay and the town isnt helping as they think he is there to murder is ex wife and daughter she offers him a room at her farmhouse. When Griffin is with Clare he is a totally different person. He realizes this and does let himself be that person while he is with her. He also comes across many wise people in the town that give him good advise but when push comes to shove he always makes the wrong decisions.
I loved all the times between Clare and Griffin. They both had soo much baggage from there past and they each helped the other heal in many ways but some old habits were hard to break. The internal struggle Griffin has toward the end when something sad happens was heartbreaking to read but also a moment when you pumped your hands in the air and said ABOUT TIME GRIFFIN :)
This was a great story about the misconceptions we have about relationships and parenthood.
I could totally relate to Clare Gray. She got pregnant at an early age and had to raise her daughter on her own. She put herself through law school to be able to support herself and her daughter and to hopefully be able to give her daughter the things she wanted for her - a good education and college. Clare pushed for her daughter Katie to take the best classes and to go to MIT for the summer. She had all the best intentions for her daughter and did it all out of love but she never stopped to ask Katie if that is what she really wanted. We as parents want our kids to not make the same mistakes we made, we try so hard to protect them and guide them and think we know whats best for them but sometimes that isnt always what our children want and try as hard as we might they still in someways are destined to make our mistakes. Clare had to learn to let go of her ideas for her daughter. She also made other classic mistakes single mothers do, she tried to protect her daughter from the truth about her father. Once Clare came clean with Katie about her father she found out that it didn't devastate her and it made her love her mom even more for finally trusting her with the truth.
Now Griffin Friesé.. Griffin thought all through his marriage that the most important thing was money. So he lived his job and thought by having money to give to his wife and daughter that everything was ok. Never realizing that his never being for them due to all the hours he worked he was alienating his wife. He was truly shocked when he came home one day to find them gone. And had no idea why she left him. In his mind she was the person in the wrong. After two years of not being able to reconnect with his daughter and blaming his ex wife on her not wanting to see him he sets out to the small town of Birch Crossing to try and get her back. But he goes into it all wrong. He thinks is he buys his daughters favorite clothing line and makes her the offer of she can work beside him that she will come back to him. I had a really hard time understand Griffin's thinking. He totally thought material things were what was most important in life and what would get his daughter back. When he finds out she still wants nothing to do with him he still blames the ex. Even though from all appearances the ex has moved on and married and even had twins and looks very happy with her new husband.
Now to the romance. At the start of the book Clare is driving through a storm to get to her daughter is his trapped with friends up in the mountains out in the storm. She runs into Griffin after encountering a tree in the middle of the road she cant get around. He offers to help her by pulling a totally crazy stunt to get around the tree. After saving her daughter and friends Clare feel gratitude towards Griffin and also a stir of something she hasnt felt in 15 years. When she finds out that Griffin needs a place to stay and the town isnt helping as they think he is there to murder is ex wife and daughter she offers him a room at her farmhouse. When Griffin is with Clare he is a totally different person. He realizes this and does let himself be that person while he is with her. He also comes across many wise people in the town that give him good advise but when push comes to shove he always makes the wrong decisions.
I loved all the times between Clare and Griffin. They both had soo much baggage from there past and they each helped the other heal in many ways but some old habits were hard to break. The internal struggle Griffin has toward the end when something sad happens was heartbreaking to read but also a moment when you pumped your hands in the air and said ABOUT TIME GRIFFIN :)
This was a great story about the misconceptions we have about relationships and parenthood.
May 4, 2018
As my criticisms are many, let's start this review with the good points.
This romance does a bang-up job at keeping the obstacles coming, and snatching victory (ie, a happy ending) from the jaws of defeat. The leads only get their HEA after a great deal of change. And while I don't care for either teenage daughter character--they're both nothing but whiney, with no personalities to speak of--both leads do visibly struggle with what it means to be a good parent.
Also, Clare actually debates with herself whether getting involved with Griffin was a good idea and/or worth the heartache that seemed the obvious ending to their fling. Not for just a few heartbeats, like so many heroines I see, who are so overcome with lust that they make stupid decisions. Clare ends up making the choice she considered "bad" at the time, but she did it with her eyes open, knowing she'd get hurt in the end and deciding to have her fun anyway. It's not often I see any character own their (potential) mistakes so clearly.
On to the bad parts.
1. Griffin. He's not a consistent character. We're introduced to him in a heroic light, then we find out he's a millionaire businessman, but we rarely see him act as one because he's fallen head over heels for Clare and acts accordingly. While these actions might be out of character for pre-book Griffin, we only really see him being the "good man" Clare repeatedly asserts him to be, so his character arc is pretty flat.
2. Griffin again. While we're given extensive detail on Clare's romantic history, I can't recall any real detail about Griffin's failed marriage. I don't even know how long ago his wife and daughter left him, aside from the fact that his ex-wife has remarried and had twins by her new husband--so lowball, at least two years, unless they were super-rushing the wedding, but high estimate could be just about any length of time. Why was Griffin so set on getting his daughter back now, this instant, when she'd been gone so long? The narrative does mention that he hadn't actually seen Brooke in person for over a year, but what was it that made him need her so badly then when he didn't seem to before?
3. Repetitive dialogue, internal monologue, and description. Both leads have POVs, and both tend to ramble in their heads multiple times with endless questions, nearly whole pages of talking to themselves about their problems. Griffin and Clare are both described repeatedly, with only slight variations of word choice--no, thank you, I haven't forgotten what they look like. A lot of page space is taken up talking about Clare's friend Astrid's appearance, with great emphasis on how quirky and free-spirited she is and how wild her hair is. I didn't actually confirm this, but from the get-go it was obvious to me that she's the female lead in the next novel in the series, because boy, does she take up too much room in this one.
4. Too many characters, too quickly. In the second major setting of the book, the town's general store, Clare (and the reader) is bombarded with names and faces. I don't even know how many new characters were introduced in a few short pages--both of her best friends, the couple who owns the store, a friend of her mother's, and at least a few more besides. Some of them are important--some of them I don't remember ever seeing again. I get that it's supposed to be a bustling hub of activity, but that doesn't mean we have to meet everyone in town at once.
5. Griffin for the third time, because the ending sucks. The reason Griffin eventually stays in town sucks. Him realizing his daughter is happier and better off with her new family is a good thing, and him not buying a business just to impress her is better, but then his alternative is handed to him on a platter in the hokiest manner possible. It's too big a jump to believe.
This romance does a bang-up job at keeping the obstacles coming, and snatching victory (ie, a happy ending) from the jaws of defeat. The leads only get their HEA after a great deal of change. And while I don't care for either teenage daughter character--they're both nothing but whiney, with no personalities to speak of--both leads do visibly struggle with what it means to be a good parent.
Also, Clare actually debates with herself whether getting involved with Griffin was a good idea and/or worth the heartache that seemed the obvious ending to their fling. Not for just a few heartbeats, like so many heroines I see, who are so overcome with lust that they make stupid decisions. Clare ends up making the choice she considered "bad" at the time, but she did it with her eyes open, knowing she'd get hurt in the end and deciding to have her fun anyway. It's not often I see any character own their (potential) mistakes so clearly.
On to the bad parts.
1. Griffin. He's not a consistent character. We're introduced to him in a heroic light, then we find out he's a millionaire businessman, but we rarely see him act as one because he's fallen head over heels for Clare and acts accordingly. While these actions might be out of character for pre-book Griffin, we only really see him being the "good man" Clare repeatedly asserts him to be, so his character arc is pretty flat.
2. Griffin again. While we're given extensive detail on Clare's romantic history, I can't recall any real detail about Griffin's failed marriage. I don't even know how long ago his wife and daughter left him, aside from the fact that his ex-wife has remarried and had twins by her new husband--so lowball, at least two years, unless they were super-rushing the wedding, but high estimate could be just about any length of time. Why was Griffin so set on getting his daughter back now, this instant, when she'd been gone so long? The narrative does mention that he hadn't actually seen Brooke in person for over a year, but what was it that made him need her so badly then when he didn't seem to before?
3. Repetitive dialogue, internal monologue, and description. Both leads have POVs, and both tend to ramble in their heads multiple times with endless questions, nearly whole pages of talking to themselves about their problems. Griffin and Clare are both described repeatedly, with only slight variations of word choice--no, thank you, I haven't forgotten what they look like. A lot of page space is taken up talking about Clare's friend Astrid's appearance, with great emphasis on how quirky and free-spirited she is and how wild her hair is. I didn't actually confirm this, but from the get-go it was obvious to me that she's the female lead in the next novel in the series, because boy, does she take up too much room in this one.
4. Too many characters, too quickly. In the second major setting of the book, the town's general store, Clare (and the reader) is bombarded with names and faces. I don't even know how many new characters were introduced in a few short pages--both of her best friends, the couple who owns the store, a friend of her mother's, and at least a few more besides. Some of them are important--some of them I don't remember ever seeing again. I get that it's supposed to be a bustling hub of activity, but that doesn't mean we have to meet everyone in town at once.
5. Griffin for the third time, because the ending sucks. The reason Griffin eventually stays in town sucks. Him realizing his daughter is happier and better off with her new family is a good thing, and him not buying a business just to impress her is better, but then his alternative is handed to him on a platter in the hokiest manner possible. It's too big a jump to believe.
June 5, 2012
The moment his ex-wife took his daughter and walked out, Griffin Friesé lost everything that mattered to him. After two years of agonizing failure to reconnect with his daughter, he's heading to Birch Crossing to find her. Unfortunately for Griffin, he arrives to find the town has rallied against him to protect their own. His only ally is a single mom whose warmth and determination just might break through the scars on his heart.
Since the day she became an eighteen-year-old widow with an infant, Clare Griffin's only goal has been to provide for her daughter. She has worked so hard to be strong, and the last thing she can afford is to open her heart to an outsider who will soon be leaving town. But when Griffin helps save her daughter's life in a storm, an unbreakable connection is formed between Clare and the tormented business mogul.
For these two single parents, love is the last thing they are looking for, but in Birch Crossing, love always seems to find a way.
This review may contain spoilers Sorry
So I am going to try not to give too much away as I was given this ARC by the author, Thankyou Stephanie, I loved it, I thought when I started that it was gonna be too long, but to be honest, you can't take anything out of it, it needs every single page, I love a good romance and this book had it all, the twists and turns that Griffin had to go through to get the girl, alot of it his own doing, by the way. I laughed, I cried I love that in a book.
We start with a drama, that would make most parents squirm in fear, thinking they were going to lose a child is enough to panic any parent and Clare is no exception, Clare is the female lead in this book, she was a complex character who had lost so much in her life, I like to think that I would be just like Clare if I had been what she had been through, her only thought being that of her daughter, Katie.
Then along comes our hero Griffin, he has problems of his own, which helps build his relationship with Clare, he has his own daughter which gives him a whole other set of problems, her name is Brooke and she has problems of her own which help bring Griffin and Clare closer together, Griffin is your typical hero, Tall dark and handsome, you know the sort, but I think he was perfect in this book, it would not have been the same to have him any differently.
I loved some of the other characters in the book, for instance Ophelia and Norm, there was a relationship that I would love to have, soul mates on every level, as well as business partners, Astrid and Emma, Clares very good friends, they provided me with so many laughs, they were brilliant, the perfect girls to put some laughter into the book.
I loved the scene between mother and daughter discussing sex, I could imagine every parent being the same, I know I will when I have to go through it, lol, Stephanie wrote this book really well, the twists and turns she put in the book were brilliant, I would highly recommend this book.
Anyway I hope I have not given too much away, and ladies who love romance, well I believe you will love this one from Stephanie, saying that I reckon some men would love it too.
Since the day she became an eighteen-year-old widow with an infant, Clare Griffin's only goal has been to provide for her daughter. She has worked so hard to be strong, and the last thing she can afford is to open her heart to an outsider who will soon be leaving town. But when Griffin helps save her daughter's life in a storm, an unbreakable connection is formed between Clare and the tormented business mogul.
For these two single parents, love is the last thing they are looking for, but in Birch Crossing, love always seems to find a way.
This review may contain spoilers Sorry
So I am going to try not to give too much away as I was given this ARC by the author, Thankyou Stephanie, I loved it, I thought when I started that it was gonna be too long, but to be honest, you can't take anything out of it, it needs every single page, I love a good romance and this book had it all, the twists and turns that Griffin had to go through to get the girl, alot of it his own doing, by the way. I laughed, I cried I love that in a book.
We start with a drama, that would make most parents squirm in fear, thinking they were going to lose a child is enough to panic any parent and Clare is no exception, Clare is the female lead in this book, she was a complex character who had lost so much in her life, I like to think that I would be just like Clare if I had been what she had been through, her only thought being that of her daughter, Katie.
Then along comes our hero Griffin, he has problems of his own, which helps build his relationship with Clare, he has his own daughter which gives him a whole other set of problems, her name is Brooke and she has problems of her own which help bring Griffin and Clare closer together, Griffin is your typical hero, Tall dark and handsome, you know the sort, but I think he was perfect in this book, it would not have been the same to have him any differently.
I loved some of the other characters in the book, for instance Ophelia and Norm, there was a relationship that I would love to have, soul mates on every level, as well as business partners, Astrid and Emma, Clares very good friends, they provided me with so many laughs, they were brilliant, the perfect girls to put some laughter into the book.
I loved the scene between mother and daughter discussing sex, I could imagine every parent being the same, I know I will when I have to go through it, lol, Stephanie wrote this book really well, the twists and turns she put in the book were brilliant, I would highly recommend this book.
Anyway I hope I have not given too much away, and ladies who love romance, well I believe you will love this one from Stephanie, saying that I reckon some men would love it too.
August 18, 2013
Oh my gosh! This book sucked my emotions from me! I couldn't believe the gamut of emotions I felt. It happened quickly and often!!!
Clare Gray is her own woman. Lessons learned as a teenager have not translated to becoming a well rounded adult. With a teenage daughter, an old house that's falling apart, and a career as a small town lawyer, she's always been laden with responsibility. She knows nothing of being reckless or carefree. Living in Birch Crossing her whole life, she is viscerally aware of small town gossip and who she is supposed to be.
Griffin Friese is a man who knows what he wants, and how to get it. Sell the dream, close the deal. Big time business man on a mission to retrieve his daughter the only way he knows how. Balance sheets, forecasting, investments; this is the business Griffin knows. When it comes to the business of the heart and teenage girls, he doesn't even know he doesn't know. In the process of acquiring a major fashion brand for his daughter, he travels to Birch Crossing to bring Brooke home to Boston.
On a deserted mountain road, in the midst of a terrible storm, in the middle of the night, these two cross paths for the first time. Clare is stuck, Griffin is her white knight in a black pick-up truck. Griffin's protective instincts kick in at the sight of Clare, the damsel in distress. He scales a mountain in his truck for a woman he doesn't even know to help her unite with her daughter.
Feelings so foreign to both of them take over as the light of day reveals that things aren't always what they seem and sometimes you need to let your heart take over.
Clare Gray is her own woman. Lessons learned as a teenager have not translated to becoming a well rounded adult. With a teenage daughter, an old house that's falling apart, and a career as a small town lawyer, she's always been laden with responsibility. She knows nothing of being reckless or carefree. Living in Birch Crossing her whole life, she is viscerally aware of small town gossip and who she is supposed to be.
Griffin Friese is a man who knows what he wants, and how to get it. Sell the dream, close the deal. Big time business man on a mission to retrieve his daughter the only way he knows how. Balance sheets, forecasting, investments; this is the business Griffin knows. When it comes to the business of the heart and teenage girls, he doesn't even know he doesn't know. In the process of acquiring a major fashion brand for his daughter, he travels to Birch Crossing to bring Brooke home to Boston.
On a deserted mountain road, in the midst of a terrible storm, in the middle of the night, these two cross paths for the first time. Clare is stuck, Griffin is her white knight in a black pick-up truck. Griffin's protective instincts kick in at the sight of Clare, the damsel in distress. He scales a mountain in his truck for a woman he doesn't even know to help her unite with her daughter.
Feelings so foreign to both of them take over as the light of day reveals that things aren't always what they seem and sometimes you need to let your heart take over.
January 23, 2013
I am a big fan of Stephanie Rowe’s “Order of the Blade” series but had not yet read any of her contemporary romances until now.
I now think that she is a writing goddess! This story had me laughing and crying and shouting for joy. My heart was on an emotional rollercoaster all through the book and I could almost see Stephanie rubbing her hands together with a big grin on her face that says “Yeah! Got another one!”
She knows how to suck you right into the world and keep you there and there is no hope (or want) of escape. I had to force myself to put it down and go to sleep, but, sleep didn’t keep me from her story because I dreamt about Griffin (sorry Clair, in my dreams he was all mine and you were nowhere to be found).
If you want an ordinary romance then don’t bother with this book. It isn’t for the faint of heart. The romance is steamy and is swoon worthy.
I now think that she is a writing goddess! This story had me laughing and crying and shouting for joy. My heart was on an emotional rollercoaster all through the book and I could almost see Stephanie rubbing her hands together with a big grin on her face that says “Yeah! Got another one!”
She knows how to suck you right into the world and keep you there and there is no hope (or want) of escape. I had to force myself to put it down and go to sleep, but, sleep didn’t keep me from her story because I dreamt about Griffin (sorry Clair, in my dreams he was all mine and you were nowhere to be found).
If you want an ordinary romance then don’t bother with this book. It isn’t for the faint of heart. The romance is steamy and is swoon worthy.
August 27, 2013
2.5 stars
So, where to begin? I liked it, but it was missing something for me. I don't if it's because I've been reading grittier things lately or not.
There was a dramatic rescue to start us off. Clare's life revolves around her daughter, but then she meets Griffin, who helps rescue her daughter and some others. Griffin is in town to win back his teenage daughter. We spent a lot of time on Clare and Griffin's internal debate about what is right and what they want. The townspeople were quirky, but they could have been used more.
This was well written, but it felt like the characters were stuck in the same spot through the whole of the book. Then, they were suddenly pushed out at the very end. Like I said, maybe I was just not in the right frame to read this at this time. I definitely recommend it if you like a nice, quiet love story.
So, where to begin? I liked it, but it was missing something for me. I don't if it's because I've been reading grittier things lately or not.
There was a dramatic rescue to start us off. Clare's life revolves around her daughter, but then she meets Griffin, who helps rescue her daughter and some others. Griffin is in town to win back his teenage daughter. We spent a lot of time on Clare and Griffin's internal debate about what is right and what they want. The townspeople were quirky, but they could have been used more.
This was well written, but it felt like the characters were stuck in the same spot through the whole of the book. Then, they were suddenly pushed out at the very end. Like I said, maybe I was just not in the right frame to read this at this time. I definitely recommend it if you like a nice, quiet love story.
September 6, 2016
I think I'm not made for this kind of story. It was absolutely not my cup of tea.
The characters are stuck in the same place throughout the entire book in my opinion, there is no real development and I didn't warm up to any of them.
WHat ticked me off pretty much at the beginning of the book was Katie. The moment she found out that Griffin is bBrooke's father she basically told him that his abandon is unforgiveable and it would be better if he had died instead of her father. What kind of a teenager is that? And it doesn't matter what her mother says, Katie does as she pleases. SHe really destroyed the whole thing for me.
Rowe's writing was good and it had a nice flow, but after I began to hate some of the characters and the others were annoyingly not movcing forward it was time to quit.
The characters are stuck in the same place throughout the entire book in my opinion, there is no real development and I didn't warm up to any of them.
WHat ticked me off pretty much at the beginning of the book was Katie. The moment she found out that Griffin is bBrooke's father she basically told him that his abandon is unforgiveable and it would be better if he had died instead of her father. What kind of a teenager is that? And it doesn't matter what her mother says, Katie does as she pleases. SHe really destroyed the whole thing for me.
Rowe's writing was good and it had a nice flow, but after I began to hate some of the characters and the others were annoyingly not movcing forward it was time to quit.
May 26, 2012
Stephanie Rowe is amazing.
As this book is not released yet, I won't post spoilers.
I have been fortunate enough to have Stephanie take me on as a beta reader, and therefore have read this book prior to release.
A little background about me, I'm a HUGE paranormal romance fan. So when Stephanie asked if I would be interested in a contemporary romance I was a little skepical. Not anymore. This book is what I would imagine all true romantics will consume in one sitting!
The characters are real and believable, the setting is wonderful and the storyline has everything from drama, humour and tragedy, to a warmth and compassion that leaves nothing wanting.
No matter what your preferred genre, definitely put this on your MUST read list. You will not be disappointed.
As this book is not released yet, I won't post spoilers.
I have been fortunate enough to have Stephanie take me on as a beta reader, and therefore have read this book prior to release.
A little background about me, I'm a HUGE paranormal romance fan. So when Stephanie asked if I would be interested in a contemporary romance I was a little skepical. Not anymore. This book is what I would imagine all true romantics will consume in one sitting!
The characters are real and believable, the setting is wonderful and the storyline has everything from drama, humour and tragedy, to a warmth and compassion that leaves nothing wanting.
No matter what your preferred genre, definitely put this on your MUST read list. You will not be disappointed.
August 27, 2020
DNF at 19%. I hate the supporting cast of characters. NO ONE acts like that in real life. The whole town is a bunch of horrible, judgmental jerks. They don’t even know the hero, and after he helps the heroine save her daughter’s life, they think he’s a murderer come to kill his ex-wife and daughter. Her mother’s best friends were the worst, and she continually makes excuses for them, insisting they were just being protective. I’d have told the two old crows to put a sock in it. Her daughter was a BRAT. If I had talked to my mother that way or my boys had talked to me that way, there would’ve been consequences. Who’s the adult here? Can’t read this one. The pacing is S-L-O-W, and I don’t care what happens to hero or heroine. It had potential. Execution is bad.
June 28, 2012
Another amazing story by Stephanie Rowe!! Dawn at Birch Crossing is a very touching heart felt story about two people who believe their lives are where they are suppose to be, that is, until they meet each other. There were many heart-wrenching moments that I literally wanted to reach in and give the character a hug and tell them it would be okay. Then there were just as many moments that had me smiling or laughing out loud. Simply put, Stephanie has done an amazing job with making this story so realistic that you feel you are witnessing every single one of the characters' moments in real life. An absolute must read!!!
January 18, 2013
All I can say is wow . I loved this book it made me laugh,cry, and want to smack Griffin and sometimes Clare in the head hahaha. I love how the book caught me in the very beginning . I thought the people in the story were very real it made me feel as though I was right there . This book is really one you don't want to pass up . There are some great people here and I believe if you read the story you will love it and them as much as I did .I have been in a reading funk for a while now jumping from book to book just to see if I can find a book to keep my attention and I can say Thank you Stephanie Rowe. I was given this book to read as a gift and I totally loved it .
May 23, 2016
Did not finish.
"Disbelieving hope" - I couldn't get past that particularly poor word choice. But it was an accumulation of faults.
The characters were not particularly intriguing, cookie cutter single mom and bored, alpha male with magical attraction instant and inexplicable. Daughter dying of hypothermia eight miles of treacherous stormy mountain away, and rescue-mission Mom is distracted by wondering when the last time her breasts were touched? It's okay for Alpha boy to careen around the pass at high speed (for fun) but foolhardy for single-mom to carefully, painstakingly take the same path for rescue purposes.
All this in chapter one, mind. Not recommended.
"Disbelieving hope" - I couldn't get past that particularly poor word choice. But it was an accumulation of faults.
The characters were not particularly intriguing, cookie cutter single mom and bored, alpha male with magical attraction instant and inexplicable. Daughter dying of hypothermia eight miles of treacherous stormy mountain away, and rescue-mission Mom is distracted by wondering when the last time her breasts were touched? It's okay for Alpha boy to careen around the pass at high speed (for fun) but foolhardy for single-mom to carefully, painstakingly take the same path for rescue purposes.
All this in chapter one, mind. Not recommended.
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