Blog Tour and Giveaway: Dare to Love by Carly Phillips

Ian Dare doesn’t do relationships, why would he?  He grew up thinking his parents had a great one only to find out the truth that his dad had a whole other family that he left Ian and his siblings for.  He is protective of his brothers and sisters but Ian wants nothing to do with his half siblings and they feel the same about him.  When Ian meets Riley he is instantly attracted to her, the only problem?  She showed up with his half brother Alex.  He wants her, bad, but will he be able to win her over and at the same time deal with the brother he wants nothing to do with?

Riley does not want to be weak like her mother was when it comes to men.  Her upbringing was anything but pleasant and its caused her to have various issues.  Riley is stubbornly independent.  She refuses to take help from anyone, including her best friend Alex.  When she meets Ian she knows how the two feel about each other but can’t stop feeling the attraction she feels towards him.  With her comes Alex and that isn’t going to change.  Will she accept Ian’s help when she needs it when doing so can hurt the friendship she has with Alex?  Can she let him dominate her life without losing who she is?

I loved Ian.  He is sexy, dominant, successful and protective of his family.  He is also as stubborn as a mule at times when it comes to his half brother and sisters.  I felt bad for Alex, he hurt more than he wanted to admit about what his dad did to him growing up.  That molded who he was and it was going to be hard for him to see that not all relationships will turn out like his parents.  I loved how he knew Riley was going to be stubborn about a relationship with him and worked at getting her to trust and want to be with him, even if he had to show some of his dominant side to do so.  Riley helped heal
Ian and he helped her heal too.

Riley needed someone like Ian in her life.  While she had Alex, he was her best friend.  Ian made her crazy at times but she needed that.  Her past molded her as well, she needed to break out of that mold to begin to heal and Ian was the one holding the hammer to bust her out.  It took a lot for her to accept the job with Ian, she was a little stubborn about being seen with Ian, which I totally understand but I wanted to yell at times come on get over it.  Both her and Ian needed to compromise in the relationship.

I really liked the first book in this new series by Carly Phillips.  I am a huge fan of hers and I think this might very well be one of my favorite books by her.  I am looking forward to seeing how this series is going to turn out, I think it’s going to be sexier than all of her others.  Fans of Carly Phillips need to add this to their TBR piles for sure!



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About the Author: 

New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips tossed away her legal briefs and a career as an attorney to become a stay at home mom. Within the year, she turned her love of reading into an obsession with writing. Over 30 published novels later, Carly writes sexy contemporary small town romances, striking a balance between entertainment, humor and the emotion her readers have come to expect and enjoy.  Carly is a New York Times bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, Publisher’s Weekly bestseller and as of 2012, a Romance Writer’s of America RITA Nominee. In 2002, Carly’s novel, The Bachelor, became Kelly Ripa’s “Reading with Ripa” pick on Live with Regis and Kelly, making it the first romance ever chosen on a nationally televised book club.

Carly received her undergraduate degree from Brandeis University and is a graduate of Boston University School of Law (J.D.). To date, Carly has over thirty novels to her credit, all available wherever books are sold.

When not writing or playing online, Carly loves to read, occasionally to knit, and to spend time with her family. She lives in Purchase, New York with her husband, two daughters and her dogs, a soft coated wheaten terrier and a Havanese. Her dogs are prominently featured on her website and Facebook page.

Author Website:  www.carlyphillips.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/carlyphillips
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/carlyphillips
Pinterest:  www.pinterest.com/carlyphillips

    
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Serendipity by Carly Philips

Faith and Ethan shared a kiss on the back of his motorcycle when Faith was 16 years old. The chemistry is still there between them but neither are looking for a serious relationship.  Ethan hires Faith to redecorate his house, a house that use to be hers....

Faith Harrington used to be from one of the most prominent families in the town of Serendipity, that is until her father was convicted of fraud in a Ponzi scheme that rocked their town and left people angry and without any money.

Faith returns to Serendipity to try to start her life over after her marriage failed by opening her own interior decorating business. It just happens to be at the same time when her father was arrested. Unfortunately, her welcome by most of the town’s people is anything but welcoming. 

Ethan Barron was once known as the towns bad boy. After his parent’s deaths, he left his two younger brothers behind to join the military.  Ethan returns to Serendipity to try and mend the fences with his brothers so that they can be a family once again. Ethan’s brothers are not having all warm and fuzzy feelings about the older brother who forced them into foster care and split them up....until they find out a startling secret.

Serendipity is the first book in this series.  I really liked this book.  I liked the feeling of not just a second chance at starting lives over or proving that people can change, but a second chance at being a family even if it isn’t anybody’s idea of perfect.  I liked how Faith knew returning to her home town after what her father did wasn’t going to be easy and how she let the real her show- not the one everyone thought she was.  Faith wasn’t ever the oh-poor-me-look-at-what-you-all-are-accusing-my-father-of-boo-hoo kind of girl. No, she was angry towards him for what he did and how he has no remorse at all and so she refused to even talk to him.  I felt for Ethan. He just wanted his brother’s to understand why he left. He wanted to prove to them that he has changed but he knows he can’t force them to forgive him.  Ethan stepped up when it came to time with his half-sibling.  Faith sees the good qualities in Ethan and even when his brothers are nasty to her.   

I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series so I can find out if the Barron brothers come together as a family again or if the two younger brothers stay determined to keeping themselves separate from their older brother.