Review: Barefoot in Lace by Roxanne St. Claire

Barefoot in Lace by Roxanne St. Claire
Series: Barefoot Bay Brides, Book 2
Publisher: South Street Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

Kick off your shoes and fall in love again in with the Barefoot Bay Brides! Destination wedding planner Gussie McBain needs a man...specifically, a wedding photographer. Just her luck that the shutterbug she runs into is more used to snapping pictures of glamorous models in couture gowns than brides in white lace. But Gussie's never been one to let bad odds stop her from a good gamble, so she asks for a favor she never dreams superstar TJ DeMille will actually grant.

Tom DeMille lives his life exactly as he pleases—always alone. In fact, he’s got that motto tattooed in Greek on his arm. But when Tom is suddenly saddled with guardianship of his twelve-year-old niece, he'll lose more than his freedom if he can't figure out how to take care of her. Then an alluring young woman with pink hair and a sassy mouth shows up at his door, and he agrees to do the unthinkable...photograph a wedding in exchange for some help with his niece.

As they work together, Tom begins to take down the walls Gussie has erected around herself to discover a truly beautiful and tender woman he knows he could love. But will his own heartache and refusal to lay down roots prevent him from giving Gussie the family life she craves...or could she be the one woman who can finally break his vow of solitude?

Prepare to fall in love with Barefoot Bay all over again in Barefoot in Lace. Artistry and style are a gorgeous backdrop for a romance filled with heartbreak, hope, and new beginnings. Roxanne St. Claire definitely knows how to blend sensuality, emotion, and escapism into a great story and Barefoot in Lace has all these things in spades.

Who wouldn’t want to get gussied up with Gussie? The beautiful stylist excels at her job and is one of those genuinely nice characters you wish were real, just so you could be friends with them. But Gussie also has some very real scars that she hides – and I’m not talking about the physical ones. Tom sees beneath the wigs and bravado from the start to the woman within. His determination and care bring Gussie out of her shell and are the catalyst for her deciding to start truly healing from the incident that shattered her life long ago. And speaking of Tom, he’s not without scars of his own, though he guards his ghosts more fiercely than Gussie. Tom is also nearing the end of his rope. He’s just lost his sister and his life is in chaos as he tries to figure out how to balance his life and job with the challenges of raising his niece, a girl who is feeling lost and alone herself. Alex is every bit as important to Tom and Gussie’s story as our hero and heroine themselves. The three of them are clearly meant to be a family, but conflicting wants, views on how their lives should be, and old wounds make things difficult. Ms. St. Claire makes Tom and Gussie work for their happy ending, and the reward is definitely worth the journey.

Barefoot in Lace is the second book in the Barefoot Bay Brides series, a trilogy set in the larger world of Barefoot Bay. That being said, Gussie and Tom’s book can easily be read as a standalone, though I defy you to read it and not want to at least dive in to Gussie’s fellow wedding planners’ stories. Willow and Ari continue to delight and the love and friendship between these three wedding planners is simply wonderful. I finished Barefoot in Lace both wanting to re-read Barefoot in White (Willow’s book) and eager to dive into Barefoot in Pearls (Ari’s book).

Barefoot in Lace is every bit as lovely and romantic as the weddings Gussie puts on. I adored Gussie and Tom and I look forward to revisiting them in the future.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Barefoot in White by Roxanne St. Claire

Barefoot in White by Roxanne St. Claire
Series: Barefoot Bay Brides, Book 1
Publisher: South Street Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

Destination wedding consultant Willow Ambrose has fought a battle with the scale for much of her life, but she has finally won the war. By putting her past behind her and cutting off all contact with anyone who knew her before and, of course, controlling everything she can, Willow has carved out a new body and a new life. But when she comes face to face with someone who left an indelible mark on her heart years before, all that threatens to crumble.

Navy SEAL Nick Hershey is on medical leave, doing a friend a favor as a stand in “man of honor” at a beach wedding. He might not be that interested in the nuptials, but the wedding planner catches his eye the minute they meet. When he realizes Willow is really a girl he knew in college — and a girl he unintentionally hurt to the core — he knows he has some making up to do.

Willow has learned how to beat every temptation...but Nick’s sweet as candy kisses just might be the one thing she can't resist. But the closer they get, the more the past threatens to tear them apart. Can overcome their history in order to have a forever future?

Barefoot in White is a gorgeous, emotional story of love, forgiveness, and new beginnings. Roxanne St. Claire has written many wonderful books, but Nick and Willow’s is my absolute favorite of hers to date.

Willow is now on my list of all-time favorite heroines. She’s fought hard to shed not just weight but the identity she held for the first twenty-six years of her life. Willow is a strong, successful woman but that doesn’t mean she’s invulnerable. Her past haunts her whether she wants to acknowledge it or not, and my heart absolutely broke for her. I loved Willow, plain and simple, and I wanted her to find happiness both with herself and with Nick. Nick Hershey is as sweet as his name suggests. In college, he unwittingly hurt Willow, but there’s no doubt that he deserves a second chance with her. Nick’s sexy as hell, but it’s his good heart and his own scars that really drew me to him. He and Willow have amazing chemistry and their story had me avidly turning the (digital) pages of Barefoot in White. However, Ms. St. Claire doesn’t make things easy for them. Neither acknowledges it at first, but both Nick and Willow have some healing to do over the course of the story, and it was a wonderful process to watch, ups and downs and all.

Barefoot in White is the first book in the Barefoot Bay Brides trilogy, which is set in the larger world of Ms. St. Claire’s Barefoot Bay. A couple of past favorite Barefoot Bay characters have cameos, but aside from our hero and heroine the supporting cast is made up of mostly new faces. The standouts are, of course, Willow’s friends and partners, Gussie and Ari. The two of them cracked me up and I can’t wait for these candy-betting wedding planners to get books of their own.

It’s hard for me to be objective when reviewing Barefoot in White because so many things about this story touched me. I laughed, I teared up, and I smiled when Willow and Nick got the happily ever after they so deserved. I absolutely loved Barefoot in White and I cannot wait to read the next Barefoot Bay Brides story, Barefoot in Lace!


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Seduction on the Sand by Roxanne St. Claire

Seduction on the Sand by Roxanne St. Claire
Series: Billionaires of Barefoot Bay, Book 2
Publisher: South Street Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

Like everything in his life, becoming a billionaire was easy for Elliott Becker. He bought some land in Massachusetts and discovered he sat on two billion dollars worth of rare Goshen stone. Lucky, charming, and blessed with every gift from every god, Elliott expects his simple purchase of property in Barefoot Bay will go the way everything does for him in life...easy. Until he meets the woman who currently owns that land and suddenly everything is...hard.

Frankie Cardinale’s fondest memories took place on the tiny goat farm owned and run by her “Nonno” in the heart of Barefoot Bay. While she held her Nonno in her arms on his deathbed, she promised his land would never leave their family and that she would continue his legacy. Nothing -- not even a sexy, playful, intoxicating billionaire who always gets his way -- will convince her to break that promise.

Except Elliott Becker is a man who always gets what he wants even if that means a little seduction and double-crossing of a humble goatherd. But will his lucky streak hold long enough to keep him from making the biggest mistake of his life? Because it doesn't take long for Elliott to realize that all the money in the world can’t buy him what he really wants the most...her love.

A charming billionaire, a hardworking goatherd, and some seriously adorable animals are only a few of the reasons I fell in love with Seduction on the Sand. Roxanne St. Claire’s second Billionaires of Barefoot Bay story is a fast-paced, engaging romance that’ll simply leave you smiling and wanting the final book in the trilogy.

Elliott has lead a pretty charmed life and has always taken the easy way. He’s in over his head when he meets Frankie. She’s the first person who doesn’t fall at his feet, swayed by his charm. Money and looks mean nothing to her (though Elliott’s looks don’t exactly hurt…) when compared to the weight of keeping a promise and making her Nonno’s dream come true. Though I generally hate secret-keeping, especially when it’s for less-than-honorable reasons, I was far more easily seduced by Elliott than Frankie was. At heart, he’s a good man and it’s easy to forgive his sins. Whether Frankie’s take on this falls in with my line of thinking or not is something I’ll leave readers to discover on their own, but I will say that she’s equally impossible to resist. She’s got a strong worth ethic and a battered heart that both called to me and I wanted to see her find some brightness in life. As a couple, she and Elliott fit like lock and key, though it surprises them both. Their slightly bumpy slide into love kept me turning the pages of Seduction on the Sand – I did not want to set the book down. Add in a couple of incredibly adorable goats who threaten to steal the show at times and what’s not to love about this book?

Seduction on the Sand is the second story in the Billionaires of Barefoot Bay series and though it can be read as a standalone, Elliott’s fellow billionaires, Zeke and Nate, do play supporting roles (much to my delight). There’s also a few cameos made by characters from the original Barefoot Bay quartet, and it was lovely to catch up with well-loved characters. Barefoot Bay is as irresistible to me as it is to its residents, and I can’t wait to revisit its sandy shores in Naughty Nate’s story, Scandal on the Sand.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Secrets on the Sand by Roxanne St. Claire

Secrets on the Sand by Roxanne St. Claire
Series: Billionaires of Barefoot Bay, Book 1
Publisher: South Street Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

In high school, Zeke Nicholas was known as “Ezekiel the Geekiel” while the girl of his dreams had the much more flattering moniker “Mandy the Magnificent.” It’s been over a decade since high school, but when Zeke – now a handsome billionaire – sees Mandy again, his old crush comes flaring back to life.

Amanda Lockhart doesn’t feel so magnificent anymore. In fact, she’s downright worn out. After a disastrous marriage left her deep in debt and wary of men, all she’s focused on is working hard to get by. She’s a maid at Casa Blanca, Barefoot Bay’s premier resort, and when she runs into Zeke, her life is turned upside down once more. Amanda no longer believes in fairy tales, but this nerdy Price Charming makes her feel like Cinderella. Only this Cinderella has a secret…one that could cost her everything – including Zeke.

Get swept away by Roxanne St. Claire’s modern-day fairy tale, Secrets on the Sand. Amanda had it all in high school, but since then she’s had more than her fair share of hard knocks. She’s been hurt in more ways than one and I understood and appreciated why she guards herself so closely. It’s not easy for Zeke to break down the walls Amanda erects, but the genius billionaire doesn’t give up. I was utterly charmed by Zeke. He’s a geek with polish, and that’s one of my favorite kinds of heroes. He and Amanda have great chemistry, which makes their story an enticing read. Though Secrets on the Sand begins with Zeke trying to make his high school fantasy come true, their relationship turns into something real that readers can root for.

Secrets on the Sand is a story that will make you smile, particularly if you’re already a fan of Ms. St. Claire’s Barefoot Bay quartet. Though Secrets on the Sand is the first book in the Billionaires of Barefoot Bay series, some of the beloved Barefoot Bay protagonists show up in this novella (Lacey, of Barefoot in the Sand, plays a particularly important supporting role). But while I liked the callbacks to the Barefoot Bay quartet, I’m more excited about what Ms. St. Claire has in store for Zeke’s friends and future Billionaires of Barefoot Bay heroes, Becker and Nate.

Zeke and Mandy made me fall in love with Barefoot Bay all over again. I finished Secrets on the Sand a well-satisfied reader, and I can’t wait to dive into the next Billionaires of Barefoot Bay tale, Seduction on the Sand.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More