I became a fan of Stacy Claflin after reading Seaside
Surprises: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 1). This is the start to a
sweet romantic series that promises to entertain. I enjoyed the story of
Tiffany and Jake, drawn to each other but not prepared to fall in love.
Tiffany, on the run to escape a painful past, lands in Jake's hometown, and
from the first moment there are sparks. Each has personal issues to overcome,
and loving families that are either a source for the issues (Jake) or a solution
(Tiffany.) I'm a sucker for a story set in a seaside town and this doesn't
disappoint, and includes many of the details of life in a small vacation
village. The story is well-paced, the characters interesting, and the climax
suspenseful. I look forward to reading the rest of the series, starting with:
He can’t stand her. She thinks he’s crazy.
Will their feelings stay etched in permanent ink?
Will their feelings stay etched in permanent ink?
Cruz Hunter has always stuck out in his small hometown. Now
that he’s covered in tattoos, the residents peg him as even more of an outcast.
It seems like the whole world is against his dream of opening a local tattoo
parlor.
When he finally finds the perfect place for his new
business, Cruz discovers a pastor and his daughter have already bought it. The
only thing more irritating than the change in his plan is Talia, a beautiful
and feisty argument in a dress. Cruz would like nothing more than to have her
out of his life and his mind, but for some reason, she’s the only thing he can
think about.
If Cruz and Talia can stop arguing long enough, opposites
may do much more than attract.
Excerpt
Cruz double-checked the house number and walked up the
sidewalk and to their walkway. A street lamp turned on as he walked underneath.
He’d gone over what he was going to say countless times. There weren’t any
other buildings in town he could use for his tattoo shop—the city council had
made it clear the only place he would be allowed to do business was the
outskirts of town—so he needed to be convincing if he wanted to talk them out
of the building.
His sense of humor and charm had always gotten him out of
trouble growing up, so he needed to tap into that. So many times, all he’d had
to do was tell a joke and laugh, and his teachers would just melt and let him
get away with whatever trouble he’d created. It didn’t work quite as well now
that he had facial hair and tattoos, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying.
Cruz walked up the steps to the porch and knocked on the
door, avoiding a wreath. It smelled of pine, like it had been freshly made.
Noise sounded from inside, and then the door opened. The
blonde chick from the day before—what was her name again?—stood before him,
wearing another dress. It was bright yellow with a pattern of tropical flowers.
Her hair was pulled back and a floral scent engulfed him—her perfume?
She smiled and stepped back. “Come on in, Cruz.”
And she remembered his name. He forced a smile and nodded a
thanks, stepping inside. The house had bare furnishings and almost no
decorations, spare a few holiday ones.
Blondie closed the door and then Cruz saw a pile of moving
boxes. That’s right. They were new to town. “Nice place.”
“We’re still trying to figure out where everything is. You
know how moving is.”
“Not really.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“But I imagine it’s a pain in the—uh, neck. I grew up in one
house, and the only time I moved was when I went to college, and all I packed
fit on my motorcycle.”
Her gorgeous blue-green eyes widened. “Really?”
“Don’t look so shocked. I went to UCLA. I graduated, even.”
“That’s not what surprised me. It was because you got
everything on a motorcycle.”
He shrugged.
“Isn’t UCLA hard to get into? Less than ten percent get in,
don’t they?”
Cruz looked away. “I didn’t really pay attention. Just
wanted to hang out in LA for a while.”
“What brought you back here?”
“Sure wasn’t the town. My dad had some health problems and I
wasn’t really gettin’ along with the guy I was working for, so I just packed up
my bike and came back.”
“Is your dad okay?” Talia’s eyes widened. “Do you guys need
anything?”
“No, he’s okay now. Takin’ care of himself and everything.
My mom and all five of us brothers help out, too.”
“Oh, good. Well, if you do need something, you have our
number.”
Cruz nodded and slid off his jacket. Her eyes widened as her
gaze went over his heavily tattooed arms. He tried to tell if she was judging
him or checking them out. It was hard to tell because her expression didn’t
reveal anything. He’d been judged before by religious people, making wild
assumptions based on his body art.
Cruz flexed both arms and then held out his jacket.
“Someplace I can hang this?”
***
Seaside Christmas is now available on Amazon
About the Author
Stacy Claflin writes about complex women overcoming incredible odds. Whether it's her Gone trilogy of psychological thrillers, her ongoing Transformed paranormal saga, or her Seaside Hunters sweet romance series, Stacy's three-dimensional heroines shine through. Decades after she wrote her first stories on construction paper and years after typing on an inherited green screen computer that weighed half a ton, Stacy realized her dream of becoming a full-time author. When she's not busy writing or educating her kids from home, Stacy enjoys watching TV shows like Supernatural, Pretty Little Liars, and Once Upon a Time. Join Stacy's newsletter to get three free novels. Register here to get your books right away.
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