Please welcome To May Movers and Shakers Promotion author Sharon Gerlach; author of "The Secret Dreams of Sara Jane Quinn."
What Sharon says about herself...
I write in the free time I have after the day job (financial aid advisor at a public college) and the family (husband, three grown children, and a buttercup – also known as a granddaughter). People have called me a romance writer, but I really don’t think that describes what I pen. I like to go beyond the first fluttery feelings of romance, beyond the “being in love” euphoria, to the real meat of the relationship: bills, not enough money to pay them, the challenges of living together, the insecurities that lead to bad decisions. In other words, I like to write about real life with a dash of hope thrown in. That is not to say that my stories always have happy endings. Let us just say that they have happy enough endings.
Sarah-Jane Quinn has many secret dreams: to own the bed-and-breakfast inn where she stayed as a child; to finally capture the elusive Coleridge “Collie” Tate, on whom she has an enormous crush; and most importantly, to be someone’s top priority for once in her life.
But Collie is a single father with a potential custody battle on his hands, and Sarah ranks roughly Number 917 on his list of concerns. So when Gus Haldemann, the sophisticated director of Human Resources, shows a marked interest in her, she finds it not only flattering (and mystifying), but decidedly tempting and irresistible.
And then Sarah is brutally attacked by a violent stalker. In the aftermath, she must re-evaluate her priorities and decide which man reaches deepest into her heart – and let the other go forever.
But Collie is a single father with a potential custody battle on his hands, and Sarah ranks roughly Number 917 on his list of concerns. So when Gus Haldemann, the sophisticated director of Human Resources, shows a marked interest in her, she finds it not only flattering (and mystifying), but decidedly tempting and irresistible.
And then Sarah is brutally attacked by a violent stalker. In the aftermath, she must re-evaluate her priorities and decide which man reaches deepest into her heart – and let the other go forever.
Review from The One Hundred Romances Project (http://onehundredromances.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-secret-dreams-of-sarah-jane.html):
Joey’s Review:
Love triangles. I find them frustrating. Not necessarily in an awful way. They just stress me out. Make me hedge on who I want the heroine with. Bite some nails. That kind of thing. Well, usually.
I started reading this story, and from the get-go, I LOVED Sarah-Jane Quinn. She struck me as rather Bridget Jones-ish, without being a Bridget Jones clone. (Just try to sort out THAT logic, readers.)
I started reading this story, and from the get-go, I LOVED Sarah-Jane Quinn. She struck me as rather Bridget Jones-ish, without being a Bridget Jones clone. (Just try to sort out THAT logic, readers.)
Sarah's crush, Collie is introduced. And I'm in lust. Want Collie. Dear God, give me a Collie of my own. Then Gus is introduced. And I'm in adoration. A warmer, fuzzier kind of lust. I kinda want Gus, too.
I can't give away plot. I want to, believe me. This is the part in which I desperately want to rave about this section and that event. But I'm trying to be a good reviewer, and not spoil. So, let me say this: The true star of this story is the voice. Just stellar. I admit, in the past, I have found it difficult to get into narratives in the first-person, present tense. Not even the faintest issue, here. Sarah-Jane is our guide through her murky love life (and lord, how she reminds me what it was like to be twenty-something and looking for Mr. Right), and her voice is strong, true, and amusing. You can't help but want her to find happiness. I instantly connected to the characters in this novel, and that connection didn't waver. And I was a little bummed when I read the last sentence. (Bonus: I didn't see the little twist at the end coming, though I knew something was up. Always a plus when I get a little surprise.) Run and give this story a read!
Joey's Rating:
Where can you buy "The Secret Dreams of Sara Jane Quinn."
