The Truth about Lennon
K.L. Grayson
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Release Date February 21, 2017
Lennon Barrick-St. James is making headlines as New York City’s hottest new socialite. Only she isn’t new at all. One well-intentioned night gone horribly wrong has landed the daughter of vice presidential candidate Christopher St. James on the front page of every newspaper and magazine in the country.
Forced by her father to stay out of the limelight, Lennon flees to the quiet town of Heaven, Texas, where she vows to lie low and avoid men. Well, except for the sexy biker she just ran off the road—she definitely won’t be avoiding him.
Noah Cunningham already has one girl in his life, and he sure as hell doesn’t need another. Especially the beautiful and sinfully sweet angel that just descended upon the quiet little town he calls home.
The only problem is that the more time he spends with Lennon, the more he wants to be with her. And that’s just not going to work for Noah. He’s already been burned once, and he’s not so sure he’s ready to go down that road again.
Noah has spent the last five years putting his life back together after secrets and lies ripped it apart. So what will happen when he learns the truth about Lennon?
This is a fun, lighthearted, humorous love story between opposites with just enough emotional turmoil and angst to keep you interested.
Lennon Barrick-St. James has left her life as a New York socialite to get away from bad press and to decompress in small town, Heaven Texas. She runs into Noah Cunningham as soon as she comes into town and their "meet cute" is not so cute nor are his initial reaction to her. He's the King of mixed signals. There is a lot of push and pull until he finally admits the problem.
Lennon is trying to step away from the controlled, superficial life she used to lead. She wants to be away from her family's expectations and the shadow of her last break up. She has dreams of becoming a designer and seamstress. She is kind, compassionate, sweet, funny, and stubborn. This is her journey of trying to embrace who she really wants to be.
Noah is a local and fully entrenched in his small town where everyone knows everyone else. He can be broody, resistant, and has walls up. But he has his reasons. But when he lets his guard down and is vulnerable and honest, he can be tender, caring, sexy, and downright swoony. He is a man that once he makes a decision, then he goes all in.
They begin to forge an easy going relationship that progresses pretty fast. They've got a fun rapport and good chemistry. They feel right and make each other happier than they ever expected. But Lennon's still got some secrets. And Noah values honesty since he has been burned before, and he also has obligations that have to be a priority.
This is one of those books that you are coasting along in happy, sexy La La land, but you just know something bad is coming. And you are afraid to see how it is all going to come out and what the fall-out will be. This book is sexy, sweet, romantic, with just enough angst and drama. It deals with honesty, trust, and being willing to take risks and fight for love. It is really Lennon's story of trying to find her true self and where she belongs in the world. But it is also about Noah trying to finally move on from his own past and look towards the future.
The side characters really added to the story. I loved Nova and their relationships with her. Their friends, Charlotte and Mikey were great sounding boards and motivators while also adding humor. His family was wonderful, while hers made me want to slap them. But it all worked to bring more depth and drama to the story.
It was easy to get attached to these characters and become immersed in their story. Lennon and Noah were just so good together and so compatible despite their differences. The beginning had me laughing, then it became more sexy and heartwarming, and by the end I had experienced a bunch of different emotions. But it kind of makes me want to live in Heaven, Texas and hang out with this group.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a sweet, fun, small town Texas meets socialite New York read, as Lennon has left the city in order to keep her head down and let a media storm blow over. She is used to being watched, but isn’t used to having mistakes plastered across the news, nor is her politician father happy with her choices. A small town seems like the perfect place to hide until someone else steps into the media’s attention. She was planning to avoid men and keep her head down, and wasn’t expecting to run into (nearly literally) a hot, tattooed, biker on her first day in town.
Noah and Lennon have great chemistry. Though their initial meeting is not smooth, and Noah is rightly angered at her arrival in town, Lennon’s persistence wins her points as she works to gain forgiveness for her actions.
I really enjoyed both of their relationships with Nova. It was sweet to watch Lennon bond with her. The way Nova helped Noah see more about Lennon said the world about what both adults thought about Nova. The other side characters also added to the story. I loved Charlotte and Mikey. As friends to each Lennon and Noah, these two were the best sidekicks, supports, and shoulders to this couple.
Though Lennon is being forced to lay low by her father, I love the way she really embraced small town life. Though she doesn’t realize at first just how fast news travels, she finds the quiet she had always wished for and worked to make it hers.
This was one of those reads though where things seem to be going along just fine at a pace that makes you realize something big is coming. And when it hit, I was shocked right alongside the characters. Their struggles were real and honest, and it hurt to watch them fight feelings they (and we) didn’t see coming.
This book left me smiling and feeling warm fuzzies, but to get there it had its share of heartbreak and frustration. The drama level was just perfect to keep the pages turning without raising my frustration level with character actions. Each of these two have their reasons for their reactions, and own up to their choices, but there are always unintended consequences of even the most conscious choices.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Later that night, I’m crawling into bed, my sketch pad in hand, when my phone rings. Brenna’s name flashes across the screen.
Shit.
I don’t want to answer, because I already know we’ll end up in another fight. And I’m sick of fighting. I push the button to ignore the call.
I’ve enjoyed my short time here in Heaven, and it isn’t necessarily because of Nova and Noah—although they play a big part. But I’ve enjoyed the quieter life. I’ve enjoyed exploring the little shops in town, getting to know the friendly locals, and seeing the potential all around me. I’m doing what I want when I want without having to answer to anyone. No publicist watching my every move, and no looking over my shoulder everywhere I go, wondering if the paparazzi are hiding around the corner, just waiting for me to screw something up. And I haven’t screwed anything up. I’ve made some mighty fine decisions—both business and personal—since I’ve been here, if I do say so myself.
My phone vibrates again, but this time when I look down, I smile.
Noah: How is your night going?
Me: Better now that I’m talking to you.
I snuggle into my covers, waiting for him to respond.
Noah: I was going to call, but I didn’t want to wake you up.
Me: I’m in bed, but you didn’t wake me up.
Noah: Now we’re getting somewhere. Bed, huh? What are you wearing?
I can’t help it, I grin.
Me: Am I supposed to be wearing something?
Noah: Fuuuuuuck
Me: I can think of a few ways for you to come warm me up ; )
A few seconds later, my phone rings, and I pull it to my ear. “Hello?”
Noah growls. “You’re killing me.”
The sound of his voice is enough to send my body into overdrive. “In the best possible way though, right?” Because you’re killing me, too.
“You have no idea.”
I hear the sheets rustling, and I know he’s in bed. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be there next to him.
“I think I have an idea.”
“Are you really naked?”
“Do you want me to be?”
“Damn,” he mumbles. “I would kill to be over there right now. You know that, don’t you? You know that if I didn’t have Nova here, I’d be there in a heartbeat.”
“I know.” My heart melts at his sweet words.
“I haven’t been inside of you in days.” His voice is low and raspy, his drawl much more prominent, something that happens when he’s turned on.
“Soon.”
“Really?” he admonishes. “Because I’m beginning to think it’ll never happen again.”
I chuckle. “You miss my body that much, huh?”
He’s silent for a few beats, and then he takes a deep breath and blows me away with his words.
“It’s more than your body, Lennon. It’s your scent and the way it wraps itself around me. It’s the way your eyes sparkle when you smile and the sound of your laughter throughout my house. And how you are with my daughter. You’re amazing with her. You’re gentle and kind and loving and… it’s everything. It’s you. I miss you.”
“Noah?”
“What?”
“Unlock your door.”
I end the call, and two seconds later, I’m hauling ass out the front door in my pajamas. When I hit the bottom step of his porch and find Noah half-naked in front of his open door, wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung sweats, I nearly lose my breath. I’m not sure if it’s the tattoos crawling up his arms, or the way he’s hanging on to the top of the door frame—it could even be his warm, brown eyes, which are eating me from top to bottom—but he looks different.
“What took you so long?” His slow, sexy grin pulls me in, and I walk straight into his open arms.
I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and smile. “I had to put clothes on.”
In an instant, Noah scoops me up, kicks the door shut, and is moving down his hall.
“Why the hell would you do something like that?”
K.L. Grayson
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K.L. Grayson resides in a small town outside of St. Louis, MO. She is entertained daily by her extraordinary husband, who will forever inspire every good quality she writes in a man. Her entire life rests in the palms of six dirty little hands, and when the day is over and those pint-sized cherubs have been washed and tucked into bed, you can find her typing away furiously on her computer. She has a love for alpha-males, brownies, reading, tattoos, sunglasses, and happy endings…and not particularly in that order.
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