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Preview — Precious Embrace by Dana Mason. The Romance Reviews Top Pick! Mason's writing is intense, focused and clear; she has truly written a wonderful story. Highly recommended captivating, romantic thriller!!! Now a single mother with two young boys, she wants to focus on her kids and what's left of her stagnant career. When Detective Johnny Rhay Bennett breezes into her life with his charming smile and country-boy accent, she's not interested. She doesn't need another man in her life, or another reason to make people talk.
Johnny Rhay doesn't believe in love at first sight, but after a one-night stand in paradise with Ali, he can't get her out of his head. With Nashville in his rear-view mirror, he's determined to make Ali his, even if it means moving to California. Ali's not easy, and she's living on just this side of bitter after her divorce, but Johnny doesn't care. He's up for the challenge. At least, he believes he's up for it until baby Micah is stolen right out from under his nose.
When Ali's faced with her worst nightmare, Johnny is the only person who can pull her out of her despair, forcing her to stay strong and not give up hope of finding her missing child. Johnny has to keep it together and get that sweet little boy home safe before his dreams of having a family vanish too. Kindle Edition , pages.
Published October 17th by Dana Mason first published July 3rd To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Precious Embrace , please sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. If you haven't read the first book, it's a great action packed, romantic thriller! And it's FREE right now!!! Check both books out at the links below. First of all, this is the second book in the series, but this book is definitely able to be read as a stand-alone book. In fact, I didn't realize that I had read the first book in the series when I initially began reading it.
So if you haven't read the first book, you can still thoroughly enjoy this book--at least, in my opinion. This book essentially follows a similar formula to the first book, and that is both a good and bad thing as far as I'm concerned. The storyline is fast-paced, involving, First of all, this is the second book in the series, but this book is definitely able to be read as a stand-alone book. The storyline is fast-paced, involving, and oftentimes filled with nail-biting suspense.
When it comes to this author, you can always count on a strong narrative with three-dimensional characters. I could identify with Ali from the beginning since I am a single mom myself who has had nothing but trouble from men! And when the unthinkable happens, well, it gets pretty intense. I think both Ali and Johnny seem a little too needy, and the relationship between Ali and her first ex really boggles my mind.
But those are just small details that don't truly take away the enjoyment of the tale. I will caution anyone who wishes to read this book or the first in the series. You will encounter hard-core profanity and some intensive bedroom scenes. I wasn't overly bothered with this when I read the first book, but this one really did wear on me. I'm not marking it down for this reason, but I believe that this author's story does not need all this added content.
I grew increasingly tired of reading the profanity, but that is just my opinion. The thing that spoiled this book for me somewhat is that it follows the same format as the last book. What I mean specifically is that the reader knows too well what the outcome will be. Many not-too-subtle hints are dropped along the way, and everything ends too neatly.
I know that sometimes I enjoy a happy ending, and romances are always supposed to be like that, right? However, when reality is too strained in my opinion , and I find myself rolling my eyes throughout several instances in the story, the story tends to turn me off. Maybe I'm just too much of a realist, and I prefer more meat when it comes to my characters and stories.
This does not make the book bad--nothing could be further from the truth. I would hope that if the author chooses to write another follow-up to this book that she will add more surprises into the mix and perhaps interject some realistic elements that will shake the reader up a bit.
But again, this is just my opinion. If you are a fan of romances with a bit of suspense, this book is most certainly for you, as long as you don't mind the profanity and sex. I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are percent mine. Precious Embrace continues the interconnecting story of a group of characters living in a small California town. This series is Romantic Suspense and Ms. Mason certainly knows how to turn up the tension and heat. These two met when Johnny was called into an investigation involving his friend, Sarah.
After spending a night together at Sarah and Mark's wedding, neither can get the other out of their head. Things rea Mm-mmm, Johnny Rhay! But the relationship is tested when Ali's 4-month old son is kidnapped. Ali has a rather convoluted past where his love life is concerned. She's working on a second ex-husband and is now a single mom to two young boys. She desperately wants to prove to herself and the close-knit community of Santa Rosa, that she's past her poor decisions with men. And she has made some whopper mistakes. Johnny doesn't feel like a mistake to her, though.
And she doesn't want to lose him. Johnny Rhay - just hearing his slow Southern drawl in my head is enough to melt me. He's come to Santa Rose for Ali. He has a few demons of his own but he loves this woman AND her sons. Johnny is a good guy but got there via the school of hard knocks. He's out to prove he's good enough for the likes of Ali. When Micah is kidnapped, Johnny does all he can to hold Ali together. They're both hurting and Ms. Mason did a superb job of conveying the feelings a parent - a mother - would experience over a missing child. My heart went out to Ali and Johnny, who despite not being Micah's biological father, treats him as if he were.
Mason threw in regarding the kidnapping were shocking and relevant in today's culture. And there were moments I was wishing for sedation because, like Ali, I had a hard time coping with what was going on. Precious Embrace is suspenseful and sweet. I know I've said it before but I really am enjoying Romantic Suspense. Mason deftly delivers all the elements that make the genre so rewarding. And I'm loving the stories of all these well-developed characters set in a small town.
Precious Embrace Embrace, 2 Dana Mason is a fantastic author, her writing is superb and Precious Embrace has everything a great story needs to captivate the readers. It is full of suspense, heartache, love and loss……. The Embrace series is one of the better series I have read lately and I have to say again her writing is superb.
May 03, Nancy Thompson rated it it was amazing. Precious Embrace is probably the most heart-wrenching of The Embrace Series. Ali, a newly-divorced, single mother of two boys, including a four-month-old baby, and Johnny Rhay, a police detective and Ali's one-night-stand from a faraway destination wedding she attended months earlier. When Johnny can't get Ali out of his thoughts, he shows up on her doorstep, but while a relationship is the last things Ali seems to want, Johnny is determined, and turns out to be the only one who can help Ali whe Precious Embrace is probably the most heart-wrenching of The Embrace Series.
When Johnny can't get Ali out of his thoughts, he shows up on her doorstep, but while a relationship is the last things Ali seems to want, Johnny is determined, and turns out to be the only one who can help Ali when her baby is kidnapped. The book effortlessly engages the reader into a vortex of fear and treachery, of enduring love and unfulfilled dreams, of hope and second chances. Overall, this is not for the faint of heart. It deals with and throws the reader into some pretty dark scenarios. But it all feels very real and is brilliantly pulled off by the author, who steeps each story in reality and authenticity, managing to deftly maneuver the reader into the land of happily-ever-after.
It will strike both fear and hope in your heart, while it wrings out every emotion. Do not even think of missing it! May 03, Kristine A Cozy Booknook rated it it was amazing. This book quickly drew me in and kept me turning the pages, I had to know what was going to happen next. The author had me on a rollercoaster of emotions while reading this book. With strong characters, an intriguing storyline, suspense, and romance, there is something for everyone in this book.
I suggest reading this series in order to gain better understanding of the relationships in this series, as well as more background. I look forward to reading more of this series. Once again, Dana Mason brings the heat. Precious Embrace positively sizzles. If it is even possible, Mason has brought us an even more delicious male protagonist than the one we fell for in her last novel.
A smoking hot guy with washboard abs, a southern drawl and a gun who changes diapers? It doesn't get better than that. In this novel, we're focused on Ali, the ex-wife of the main male character in Dangerous Embrace. Her second marriage has just ended because her husband did not want to be a f Once again, Dana Mason brings the heat.
Her second marriage has just ended because her husband did not want to be a father. Ali is a single mother of a 4 month old trying to piece her life back together when a one night stand she had a couple of months ago at a wedding in Hawaii shows up on her doorstep. Johnny Rhay Bennett has been unable to stop thinking about Ali since their night in Hawaii and when offered a job near her, he jumps at it, moving 3, miles in the hopes of a relationship.
Just as things start heating up between them--and I do mean raging-inferno-heat--Ali's infant son, Micah is kidnapped in a particularly brazen abduction. With this crime, Mason initiates an underlying sense of menace that skulks throughout the rest of the book, setting you on edge even as you're rooting for these characters to come out on top and work everything out. Mason also gives us a villain who will make your blood turn to ice who is nicely juxtaposed with Ali, a female lead character who has all the single-mom-with-failed-relationships angst that real live women have as well as smarts and grit.
I also love how the baby, Micah--the character the plot turns on--is a real character in this book and not just an abstract figure. This book was a wild emotional roller coaster ride. The perfect blend of hot romance and pulse-quickening suspense. Mason is back with the second in her "Embrace" series, Precious Embrace.
On the heels of a very successful debut of Dangerous Embrace she throws the reader right back into the lives of Sara and Mark. When Precious Embrace opens Ali Hayes, Mark's ex-wife, is going through a second divorce and is plenty bitter about it. Raising her new baby Micah alone, she swears off men to focus on her career. When she opens the door to an unexpected guest she comes face-to-face with her one night stand, Joh Ms.
When she opens the door to an unexpected guest she comes face-to-face with her one night stand, Johnny Rhey Bennett. When she finds out he has moved to California for good she quickly informs him she is not interested in a relationship Johnny forms a bond with Micah and becomes the father figure he needs, but that just adds to the turmoil Ali feels about him. When the unthinkable happens and Micah is kidnapped Ali and Johnny must work together to bring him home.
Once again you find yourself turning page after page asking questions like: Will they find Micah? Can Ali forgive herself? Will Ali let go of her bitterness and accept she's loved Johnny since Hawaii? And just when you think you have it all figured out Ms. Mason throws in a twist you will NOT see coming. Mason so artfully puts you in the lives of Ali and Johnny you can almost feel sweet Micah in your arms and then the emptiness when he is gone. By the time the last page is turned you will have the answers you seek, a deeper understanding of the pain of losing a child and the euphoric feeling of new love.
You don't want to miss the second in the Embrace series and I am looking forward to the next!
Dana does it again in the second book the 'Embrace Series'. Between the twists, turns and some steamy scenes, this novel will keep you turning the pages until your questions are answered. I look forward to the next book in the series and highly recommend the whole series to all romance lovers. This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which Dana does it again in the second book the 'Embrace Series'. This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review. Precious Embrace is good followup to the first installment of the Embrace series, focusing on the ex-wife of the male protagonist from Dangerous Embrace and featuring one hell of a man in a uniform.
Going through a second divorce and having a newborn to care for, Ali Hayes is cautious, if not a little bitter, about romantic relationships and wants to focus solely on her children and recharging her career. Men are the last thing on her mind—well, except for Johnny Ray, the southern cop with Precious Embrace is good followup to the first installment of the Embrace series, focusing on the ex-wife of the male protagonist from Dangerous Embrace and featuring one hell of a man in a uniform.
Men are the last thing on her mind—well, except for Johnny Ray, the southern cop with whom she had a one-night stand.
When Johnny Ray shows up on her doorstep four months later, announcing he's moved and accepted a job in her city, she has a hard time resisting his southern boy charm and drawl but more so his unconditional love her boys. Unlike the father of her newborn, Johnny Ray adores and cares for Micah like the little boy is his own. He has stars in his eyes when he looks at her son and at her. Better yet, he doesn't care about her past and the tramp she's painted as because she cheated on her first husband with her second one, only to later divorce him upon the birth of their son. As Ali's resistance begins to slip and the life she always wanted starts to form, the unthinkable happens: Her son is kidnapped.
Ali and Johnny turn to each other for comfort. But then she finds herself once again more dependent on men and questions her ability to be a mother. Johnny is riddled with guilt, as he was unable to stop Micah from being taken and can't help with the case. Johnny Ray is persistent and utterly devoted. I couldn't love him more. He has a no non-sense attitude, takes the initiative when it comes to caring and playing with her children, and has a heart of gold.
He's a natural father figure, the ideal husband, genuinely open, and somewhat an alpha male without being overly so. Never once did I feel he was trying too hard or forcing the persona. Ali, on the other hand, is guarded, with a snippy attitude and trust issues. I couldn't blame her; she did catch her second husband straying when she was in labor, no less! But I did find it hard to like her at times. She could be a bit bitchy and ungrateful. She seemed to be kidding herself all the time when it came to trusting her recent ex and to her accepting feelings for Johnny, especially considering what she went through.
Quite a few moments I wanted to shake her. Besides the kidnapping, I felt she deserved what she got. She made her own bed but came out very lucky. I would've appreciated less of the pity-partying. I don't mind some because it makes the characters human, but I need as much action as the personal inner battles when it comes to Romantic Suspense. That's not to say there isn't a lot of action—there is—but like Dangerous Embrace , the first book in the series, the inner struggle felt never-ending, the emotions repetitive and reiterated too many times.
That could just be how I felt, though. Many readers love this series, and it is well written. I simply have high expectations with Romantic Suspense. I still enjoyed Precious Embrace. I adored the male protagonist, and there was hot angry sex woo-hoo! I also enjoyed the ending and how far the characters go with their personal development individually. It has been four months since Ali Hayes split from her second husband, she was not going to buy into the old adage that three times is a charm.
Even if the 'charm' in question is her hot one-night fling from two months ago, Johnny Ray, with all his southern charm and his sexy drawl. The ink on her divorce isn't even dry yet! And besides, she has two sons, one an infant, with two different fathers Time to stand on her own two feet, http: Time to stand on her own two feet, use her head and ignore her heart.
Detective Johnny Rhay Bennett asked for a tranfer, specifically so he could be closer to Ali. Having met her a few times and then spending that one night together was enough for him to head for the West Coast. He knows she's been burned and that she won't be easy to win over, but he is up for the challenge. Good thing he has Ali's son, little 4-month old Micah on his side. The little guy smiles from ear to ear whenever Johnny shows his face.
Ali can't help but admire the easy, gentle way that Johnny slides into her life, the way he handles Micah as if he has been taking care of kids his whole life. Slowly she starts letting down her guard a bit, when right out in the open, Micah is stolen right in front of them. Suddenly what was growing into potentially promising future, has descended into the despair and agony of the worst kind of nightmare.
Friends and family draw together to support Ali while waiting for word on her baby, but Johnny and Ali cling to each other for comfort. Johnny has come to love Micah as if he was his own and struggles not to let feelings of guilt overwhelm him. He needs to keep his head on straight, so he can find Ali's baby and fight to build the family he hopes to make with Ali and her boys.
This is the second book by Dana Mason and already she has found a fan in me, with her ability to intertwine and perfectly balance an edge-of-your-seat thriller and a scorching and passionate romance. All this written with keen insight, sharp intelligence and a good sense of dramatic timing, to make for a truly excellent, highly recommended read!!!!! I am "in-love" with Johnny I love his laid back and gentle nature, sense of humour, but also the strong, take charge side and the imperfect parts and bits, the overreaction to certain things, slight petulance here and there Ali is great, although I'm not "in-love" with her, I do love her character, faulty as it is Perfect heroines get boring, and Ali is everything but, she does stupid things, has made some really bad choices, but she's had some tough knocks and has learned from her mistakes.
She loves her kids to distraction and would do absolutely everything for them. She is real, genuine, and stil very likeable, warts and all! There was not a part of this story that seemed off-pace, or too drawn out, in fact, the entire experience was exhilarating. You don't just get one simple storyline, but it feels as if you have read more than just one book when you finish the last page. Absolutely worth 5 solid stars!!! I really enjoyed Dangerous Embrace, the first book in this series, and I fell in love with Johnny Rhay Bennett, the hero of this book, when he appeared in Dangerous Embrace, so of course I had to pick this one up!
For me, Johnny is the highlight of this book. He's a good, strong, caring man who wears his heart on his sleeve.
He knows what he wants, and he goes after it. And what he wants is Alison. The two of them hooked up in Hawaii during Sarah and Mark's wedding they were the coupl 3. The two of them hooked up in Hawaii during Sarah and Mark's wedding they were the couple in the first book , and Johnny Rhay hasn't been able to forget Ali ever since. He even moves three thousand miles because he can't stop thinking about her. I like a man who's willing to put himself out there. Ali is a bit of a mixed bag. She's a devoted mom, and I liked that aspect of her character.
She also kicked Carl her ex-husband to the curb in the first book after he did something despicable, and I liked her decisiveness. However, in this book, she's a bit wishy-washy about Carl, despite his having done something just plain horrible to Sarah, and I didn't get why Ali would even give that man a second of her time after that.
The Romance Reviews Top Pick! 5-Star Review "The plot is so well put together everything fits in. Ms. Mason's writing is intense, focused and clear; she has truly . Precious Cargo (Cargo Series Book 2) and millions of other books are available .. Put Precious Cargo, the latest installment in her series, at the top of your list.
She also has some rather lame reasons for not wanting to get involved with Johnny. For example, several times, she says she's worried about being labelled the town slut. Aside from her mother who comes off as a real pain at the beginning , is anyone actually paying an iota of interest to Ali's sex life?
All of her friends like Johnny. They all think he's awesome. So I didn't quite buy her excuse here. If she wanted to slow things down, then she should have said so, instead of trying to kill the relationship altogether. The overall story was a bit up and down for me too. Dangerous Embrace started off with a bang and the suspense story line was threaded through the entire book pretty consistently. This book, however, reads like a contemporary romance for at least the first quarter, and I got a wee bit impatient since I was expecting something else. Once the action does kick in, the book starts moving, and there are some very good action scenes.
I did pause a bit when Ali has a major breakdown and Johnny has sex with her to bring her out of it. I don't want to spoil the book, so I won't say why she has the breakdown, but in my opinion, I didn't believe that two characters as stressed and depressed as they were would be even remotely interested in sex, and it seemed out of character that Johnny would pursue that course to bring Ali out of the dark hole she'd crawled into. However, maybe that's just me. All that said, I did get teared up a couple times, so that was good, and I was flipping the pages quite fast by the end, especially through several nail-biting sequences.
Although I didn't love this one quite as much as Dangerous Embrace, I'll be reading more in this series. Dana Mason's heroes are strong, good men who treat their women well, and it's refreshing to read heroes who aren't arrogant alpha jerks. So yay for that too! This is book two in the Embrace Series. Yes this book can be read as a standalone, but we are introduced to both of these characters in book one.
And the story of Sarah and Mark from book one is continued in this book as well. I gave this book 5 stars. This is Johnny and Ali's story. Ali feels like a failure. Is she ever going to get it right? Precious helps them look for clues to find the cow.
But getting the cow back home will require some quick thinking and help from an unexpected source. The Great Cake Mystery: This is the story of an African girl who says just that. Her name is Precious. When a piece of cake goes missing from her classroom, a traditionally built young boy is tagged as the culprit. Precious, however, is not convinced.
She sets out to find the real thief. She also learns how to be a detective. From the Trade Paperback edition. More about Alexander McCall Smith.
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