HOLIDAY SPICE
By Samantha Chase
Series: The Shaughnessy Brothers #6
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
ABOUT THE BOOK
Darcy Shaughnessy has gotten used to her overbearing brothers chasing away any man she wants to date. But a chance meeting with a brooding – and deliciously handsome – artist is about to make this holiday season one to remember.
There's only one thing Benjamin Tanner loves more than his woodcarving: solitude. Then he gets snowed in with Darcy in his cozy cabin in the woods, and their heated feelings begin to melt the icy barrier between them.
With Ben's need for privacy and Darcy's love of family and social life, will opposites still attract once the snow clears and the holiday festivities come to an end?
My Review
When I started this book, I didn't realize it was a part of a series. But I didn't feel totally lost as to who the characters were. Sure, I missed the entire backstory, but I got enough here that I understood who was who. But now, I want to go back and start with book 1!
I was quickly lost in Ben and Darcy's world. They were both headstrong and stubborn and didn't give in to others. She was there to work and that was it. Until there was more :) I enjoyed the push and pull these characters had with each other and their chemistry was off the charts! Darcy was quick to jump to conclusions and even though she was attracted to Ben, she knew she couldn't go there with him. Thankfully, she had her family to talk to and help her to see she was being unreasonable and she had to say I'm sorry to him. However, she did it in her own way and they soon found themselves stuck with each other for a few days. I thought their story was cute, sweet and so swoony! I really enjoyed their journey, their pasts and their potential future. I HIGHLY recommend this story, but if you're like me, you want to start at the beginning.
EXCERPT
It had been tempting to watch her for a little bit longer. Everything about Darcy was so expressive that even though Ben hadn’t heard one word of her exchange with the security guard, he had been able to imagine the entire conversation based on the look on her face.
It was highly entertaining.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her expression one of total confusion.
“Savannah called me and told me you weren’t able to get on a flight. So here I am,” he said, offering her a small smile.
She frowned.
Seriously? Even when he came to save her, she was still pissed at him?
“What if I had gotten on a flight between the time Savannah called you and the time you got to the airport?”
He shrugged. “Then I would have made a very perilous trip for nothing. I would have gotten here sooner, but people don’t know how to drive in the snow. I passed a bunch of accidents.”
“You could have been one of them.”
Another shrug. “I have a truck that happens to be exceptional in the snow, and I’m used to driving in it. It wasn’t a big deal. You need to drive slowly, and you’ll be all right.”
Darcy looked around and made a noncommittal sound. “So you just got here, huh?”
“No, I’ve been here for a while. I couldn’t get past security, and it took some time to page you. I tried calling you several times, but I kept getting a message that all circuits were busy. I guess with the storm moving in and all.” He paused and gave her a lopsided grin. “Anyway, I saw you when you were on the escalator, but you didn’t see me.”
“There’s, like, a million people here,” she said with a hint of sarcasm. “And I wasn’t looking for, well, you.”
He frowned at her tone. “What did you think you were coming here for?”
“Honestly? I thought my brother had been able to charter a plane for me.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sorry to disappoint you. But the only charter you have is me—in the form of a truck and a trip back to the lake.”
“Oh. So I guess I’ll get a room at the hotel,” she said, and he noticed she wouldn’t look directly at him.
“I just planned on bringing you to the cabin until the storm is over and flights are back to normal. It won’t be more than a couple of days. No need for you to have to go to a hotel or anything.”
Now she did look at him. “No, really, it’s okay. I’d prefer to go to the hotel.”
She was looking at him with a hint of defiance, and he figured he’d let her have her way for now. The sooner they got on the road, the better. There was already a very real possibility they weren’t going to get home until after dark. It would be pointless to drag this out.
“That’s fine. No problem.” He motioned toward her suitcase. “I’ll take that for you. Let’s get going.”
“Oh.”
Ben could hear the relief in her voice and smiled to himself. For right now, he was happy to have a truce with her. They had a long drive ahead of them, and he’d rather it be peaceful rather than tense and awkward.
He waited while she pulled her coat out and got herself together, and then they made their way out to the parking garage. The traffic was insane, and he prayed it wasn’t going to be as bad as he was fearing.
It was.
And it was tense and awkward.
DON’T MISS THE OTHER SHAUGHNESSY BROTHERS TITLES
BOOK 1 – MADE FOR US
CAN'T MAKE TIME FOR LOVE?
The Shaughnessy brothers have spent the years since their mother's untimely death taking care of each other and trying to make their father proud. Oldest son Aidan is hard-working, handsome, successful-and still single. Sure, he'd like to have his own family someday, but who has the time?
SHE'LL SHOW HIM HOW TO FIND IT
Zoe Dalton, a stunning designer Aidan meets on one of his construction jobs, has the beauty and heart to make Aidan realize how much he could be missing. But it's not easy to break down walls you've spent years building up. Now there's a major storm bearing down on the North Carolina coast, and it could be catalyst enough to force Aidan and Zoe into some major decisions of the heart.
BOOK 2 – LOVE WALKS IN
HE LIVES BY A SCHEDULE
Aubrey Burke is on the run from an about-to-be-disastrous mistake when resort owner Hugh Shaughnessy catches her climbing through his office window. Until Aubrey tumbled into his life, Hugh had relied on work and discipline to safeguard a heart damaged by family tragedy. Now his careful world will never be the same.
SHE LIVES FOR THE MOMENT
Hugh's approach to life and love is the opposite of Aubrey's, but she soon finds herself falling hard for the handsome hotel mogul. There's a darker reason behind her ""live for today"" attitude than Hugh could possibly know, but for the first time Aubrey dares to hope this man's love might make it worth taking a chance on the future.
BOOK 3 – ALWAYS MY GIRL
Falling in love with your best friend? Easy.
Telling them how you really feel? Impossible.
Quinn Shaughnessy believes there's a lot more to life than romance, and he always thought his best friend Anna agreed. But now she's coming out of her shell and dating...and Quinn starts seeing her in a very different light.
Anna can tell Quinn anything, except the big secret she's been hiding for years-that she's fallen in love with him. Now Anna is determined to make a life for herself that doesn't include hopeless pining. But just as she's ready to move on, Quinn seems determined not to let go-and the way he's looking at her might be enough to finally change them from best friends to best everything.
BOOK 4 – THIS IS OUR SONG
Entertainment reporter Savannah Daly is completely unfazed by pretty-boy rock stars. She's just here to get her interview and write her story. When she's assigned to write a tell-all about Riley Shaughnessy, she expects to be put off by a shallow rock star lifestyle. Instead, Riley brings her home to the shores of the Carolinas where she's immediately embraced by his sprawling, rambunctious family. She expected spotlights and cameras; she gets a welcoming, loving family and a side of Riley she never could have guessed.
BOOK 5 – A SKY FULL OF STARS
The stars are about to align in the newest Shaughnessy brothers romance!
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
Brilliant astrophysicist Dr. Owen Shaughnessy feels more connected to the cosmos than to people. He’s great with calculations, but when he leads a team of scientists to study a famous meteor shower, he doesn’t factor in his free-spirited artist assistant Brooke Matthews.
LOVE CAN DAZZLE YOU
Polar opposites in personality, the friction between them threatens to derail the project. But the beauty and mystery of the night sky draw Owen and Brooke together—and she’s going to surprise him in ways the stars never could.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than forty titles under her belt! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.
