Can his love mend the pieces of her grieving heart?
Years after suffering the tragic loss of her husband, Ethan, which left her alone to raise their young daughter, Clare Murray still holds the last letter he wrote with the words “When You’re Ready” written in his familiar messy handwriting, unable to break its weathered seal. Ready for what? He was her entire world, and Clare had accepted a life without him, without love. Until years later, fate brings her to an emergency room, and face to face with a stormy-eyed doctor intent on changing her mind.
Logan Matthews is the son of a billionaire who has spent his entire life trying to make his absent father proud. Years of living up to a man who was more ghost than father, and a publicly failed marriage has left Logan cold and emotionless until he walks into an exam room and discovers a woman who can stop his heart, make his body burn with desire and leave his entire world altered.
But how far are Clare and Logan willing to go for love? When their love is tested, is Clare ready to put her whole heart on the line again? Can Logan learn the true meaning of love, even if it means sacrificing his own happiness? When a second chance at love is given, Clare and Logan learn you never know if you are truly ready until you’re ready to risk it all.
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Review
****This book was part of a blog tour I was given a copy for my honest review****
"I have so many things I want to say to you, so many words to write. But how do you fit a lifetime into a letter?"
Clare is surviving..barely. Left a single mother after the tragic death of her husband to cancer, emotions are still very raw, fear and panic a constant in her life.
She has not dealt yet with the loss keeping herself busy being a good mother to their daughter. A Letter marked " When you're ready" is still unsealed and she cannot bear the thought of opening it. Logan Matthews comes on the scene as the doctor to her daughter. He is a troubled man, who has had a sad and lonely life. Clare and her daughter awaken something in him immediately, something he never knew existed, a capability to love.
"Don't let grief hold you back. Love is a risk there are no guarantees. But in the end it is always, always worth it."
This was an amazing story, I absolutely loved it. Emotional and gripping I finished it in practically one sitting and I ended it with a pile of tissues beside me. In saying that, I do not mean to say that this is a sad book. Most of the time I had a big smile on my face watching these two come together. Character, Logan is an amazing man, I loved his transformation from player to man in love. He sees something important and knows what he should do to keep it, I just loved him to bits. Clare is so strong and I understood every hesitation, every emotion. Ethan, the husband that Clare also had a POV, in this book and I admit to loving the snippet we got from him, especially the letter.
The steamy connection between these two was a big plus and the humorous conversations.
I just enjoyed the hell out of this love story and for a first novel from this author, I say well done!! Great job, wonderful writing, great flow. Cannot wait until the next book from this series.
Q&A With J.L. Berg
1. What did it feel like to have When You're Ready hit the top 100 list on Amazon?
Shortly after releasing “When You’re Ready”, I discovered, like many authors before me, that I’d become OBSESSED with Amazon. Since my debut, I’ve probably checked that website about a hundred times a day. I keep it up on my phone and just hit refresh every five seconds to check my sales rank. The minute I hit refresh and saw lists appear showing I’d made the top 100 in contemporary romance, I screamed....literally screamed. I then proceeded to jump and down in my kitchen while my husband laughed hysterically.
I really never expected it. Mostly because I never allowed myself to set any goals, beyond selling one book on release day! So, everything since then has been amazing! I can’t thank my readers enough!
2. When you were writing When You're Ready was it an emotional experience for you?
Writing WYR was highly emotional for me. It’s written in first person from both the hero and the heroine's perspective. When I wrote, I felt like I was my character for a short period of time. I experienced the grief Clare had for her late husband, and the love she felt for the daughter he left behind. Thankfully, I’ve never lost a husband, but I did my best to put myself in her shoes and feel what it would be like...to have that overwhelming, consuming grief take you over in every way. Getting Clare and Logan to their HEA was a very cathartic experience for me.
3. Will you let your daughters read this book?
You are not the first person to ask me this question, and the answer is HELL NO! Since my book is meant for a mature audience, I seriously can’t imagine my young daughters reading it, even when they are older. So, I’ve made the rational decision that they can read it when I’m dead. That way I won’t have to die of embarrassment when they get to the sex scenes and begin to wonder where I got my inspiration. :-)
4. Who are some of your favorite romance authors?
Asking a book nerd to pick her favorite authors is really hard! But I’ll try. I’m really in love with Colleen Hoover right now. A few others are SC Stephens, Samatha Towle, Jamie McGuire, Tina Reber, JR Ward, Abbi Glines, HP Mallory and Deborah Harkness. I’m also a huge Outlander fan and love Diana Gabaldon.
5. What is your favorite chocolate?
I lurve me some dark chocolate. The darker, the better. Trader Joe’s sells three-packs of dark chocolate bars, and I keep those on hand at all times. Usually only a small amount will hold me over until my next fix because it’s SOOO good. But in general, I will eat anything chocolate. If it doesn’t have chocolate in it, it’s not a dessert.
Author
Info
I’m
a California native, who lives in the South – Virginia to be exact.
I still prefer sushi to fried chicken, avocado to okra,
and I absolutely loathe humidity, but I love watching the seasons
change. My husband and I have been here for ten years, and I
still get giddy like a school girl every time it snows.
I’m
married to my high school sweetheart. We were married young,
barely out of high school, when everyone told us we were crazy and
stupid. We’ll be celebrating 12 years of marriage this year,
and I love him more every single day. We’re living proof that
true love knows no age limit.
We’ve
been blessed with two beautiful daughters who continue to amaze and
inspire me, and are probably making me go a bit insane. I’m
obsessed with yoga and pilates and am a complete chocoholic.
I apologize in advance for the amount of sweets in my book.
I’m
absolutely obsessed with romance novels (duh) and probably could have
built a vacation home with the amount of money I’ve invested in
them over the years. Romance novels take you to another place,
making your heart race, emotions swell, passion run free. After
so many years of meeting hundreds of fictional characters and
discovering their worlds, I found myself creating my own.
My
debut novel, When You’re Ready, a novel about about finding
love after loss, will be released August 1st!
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