Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Destined for Love by Melissa Foster

Title: Destined for Love   

Author: Melissa Foster 

Series: Love in Bloom: Snow Sisters & The Bradens #5; Love in Bloom: The Bradens #2 

Published: November 2013, World Literary Press 

Format: E-copy, 227 pages 

Source: Publicist  

Rex Braden is wealthy,
hard working, and fiercely loyal. Sweat at his brow, he works the family
ranch by day, then kicks back at night with part time lovers who
require nothing more than his physical presence a few times each week.
But that was before. Before Jade Johnson, the daughter of the man his
father has been feuding with for over forty years, moves back into town.

After
ditching a horrific relationship—and her veterinary practice in the
process—Jade Johnson returns to the safety of her small hometown and
finally finds her footing. That is…until her horse is injured and Rex
Braden comes to her rescue. The last thing she needs is a bull-headed,
too-handsome-for-his-own-good Braden complicating her life.

Despite
the angry family history, sparks fly between Rex and Jade, and
attitudes follow. Fifteen years of stifled, forbidden love stirs a surge
of passion too strong for either to deny—and the rebel in each of them
rears its powerful head. Loyalties are tested, and relationships are
strained. Rex and Jade are about to find out if true love really can
conquer all.

My thoughts: This is the first Melissa Foster book I’ve read and I have to tell you, I really enjoyed it! She reminds me a bit of Carly Phillips and Bella Andre and I love that this book is part of a larger series! Now, of course, I did something that’s a bit out of character for me in that I read this book first, without having read any of the books that came before it. Usually I’m pretty anal when it comes to reading series in order, but being that this was the first time I was reading the author, I figured, I would try this one out and if I liked it (which I did, very much!!!), I would then go back and read the books I had skipped.

This is just a good old romance – a tale of two people who have loved each other for a while but, due to a family feud between their fathers, have had to keep their distance. It’s that tale of forbidden love that really fuels the romance and let me tell you, this is a bit steamy at times! Oh boy!!! The chemistry between Jade and Rex is hot and the tension that ensues because of the fact that they can’t be together only adds to it.

I love reading about big families and the Braden family certainly fits that bill. I also love that this family, despite losing their mother, was raised with strong values and family loyalty. What ends up finally bringing Jade and Rex’s relationship out in the open after all their efforts to hide it is really touching. I also liked how the feud between their fathers adds to the overall story – yes, that’s what caused these two to keep their distance, but it also provided another layer to the story.

I think this works well as a stand-alone, but can see where having read the previous books would have just made some of the characters more familiar. I will definitely be reading all the books in this series and keeping an eye out for whatever else Melissa Foster writes.

Books in the Love in Bloom series:

Snow Sisters                                 The Bradens

     1. Sisters in Love                       4. Lovers at Heart

     2. Sisters in Bloom                    5. Destined for Love

     3. Sisters in White                     6. Friendship on Fire

                                                              7. Sea of Love

                                                              8. Bursting with Love

                                                              9. Hearts at Play

Purchase Destined for Love

Goodreads   |   Amazon   |   Barnes and Noble

Author Links

Website   |   Facebook   

*** Both Sisters in Love and Lovers at Heart are currently free on Amazon US.

More information about this series can be found here:

‘Love in Bloom’ Series

About the author: Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author.
She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s
fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling
characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her
books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, and the World Literary Café. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on  Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine. 

Melissa
hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted
and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in
Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on The Women’s Nest, Fostering Success, or World Lit Cafe. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Authors Links:

Website   |   Twitter   |   Facebook  |   Pinterest   |   Goodreads

***On this tour Melissa Foster is giving away 3 e-copies of her novel Lovers at Heart.

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