New Release & Book Review!!! ~ The Bastard Heir by Whitley Cox & Ember Leigh

Title: The Bastard Heir
Series: Winter Harbor Novel #1
Authors: Whitley Cox & Ember Leigh
Release: April 9, 2022
Genre: small town, second chance, estranged brothers, family mystery, grumpy/sunshine, fighting a developer

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60492019-the-bastard-heir
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-bastard-heir-by-ember-leigh-and-whitley-cox

Blurb:

I’m the heir to a secret family fortune, facing down brothers I hate, and trying to get back the one that got away….

Callum

Eight years ago, she broke me.

Her secrets drove a wedge between me and my brother that can never be fixed.

Now, with my life in shambles, I’m forced by the ludicrous demands of my dead father to face the one woman I ever loved, and the brother I can not stand.

I need the money. But a year is a long sentence to serve in a house with people I hate, and in a town that hates me.

A year is a long time to dodge Harlow Jackson and the eyes and smile that made me fall harder than I’ve ever fallen before.

But it only takes days to show me that what happened eight years ago was a mistake. Now I need every last second of the year ahead to convince her to take a second chance on us.

This is the first book of the Winter Harbor series which features a quirky small town, secrets galore, and three estranged brothers who find the key to healing comes from the women who steal their hearts.

Buy Links (Kindle Unlimited):

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3NVKi6a
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3JiqaHN
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3je2FFk
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3DQ9czo

Praise:

“Fantastic read! What a great second-chance romance! All the spicy scenes coupled with the perfect sibling rivalry! Callum and Harlow burn up these pages and the hea was perfect!

– CK (Amazon Review)

“Another successful read. I just love Whitley Cox writing style, I love everything she’s wrote, real-life stories that never fail to give me the feels.”

– Jayne (Amazon Review)

“When two of your favorite authors come together to write a book you know it’s going to be spectacular! That’s what you get when you read Harlow and Callum’s book. They are dynamite together!”

– Mrs. Taz (Amazon Review)

“I loved this story and where it took me. There are secret passageways in the house they inherit that brings the brothers closer together. And there is the mystery of what their grandfather and father did to this town. Then there is the history between Callum and Harlow that can be devastating. Their relationship is electric and I loved the emotions that it evoked.”

– Donna Smith (Goodreads Review)

Teasers:

In the Series – PreOrder (August 16, 2022)

The Asshole Heir

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3xh2fq3
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3v3W06g
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3NXFYDC
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3DQOyzk

Excerpt:

He smirked. “So it is a weekly thing. Great. I’ll let my brothers know so we can be sure to tidy up and put our Sunday’s best on, so we can convince you that we’re a happy little family out here.”

“Sunday’s best wouldn’t fool me on that one, sorry. Remember—I do know you.”

“So, is this weekly charade also a requirement of the will? I don’t remember reading about this in the paperwork. Unless you just wanted some excuse to see me?”

I tried not to let my strickenness migrate to my face. I’d been here less than ten minutes, and he’d already called me out. Wonderful.

“You are impossible,” was all I could muster, however weak it sounded.

“At least I’m not transparent,” he said with a mischievous smile. “Do you want to see the upstairs?” The question felt like an olive branch. But one lined with thorns, if I knew Callum.

I hesitated, looking back at the front door. “You have a bunch of orphaned duck eggs under an incubator lamp you want to show me?”

That earned me a devilishly handsome grin over his shoulder. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Dammit. I had a hard, if not impossible, time denying this man, particularly when he wore what could be considered lingerie for me. I took a deep breath. “Sure. I can’t stay long, though.”

His footsteps clomped up the stairs. “Why? Got a hot date?”

“Yes, actually,” I lied.

“Well, you better tell him you keep fucking up and making out with the Winters boy,” he intoned. Electricity snapped between us. Of course, he’d gone there. Of course. The man probably believed it was illegal to go a day without reminding me of this sexual connection.

“It was once,” I corrected. “I made out with the Winters boy once, and I think my hot date will be fine,” I said, my heart racing. “I’d never fuck the Winters boy, which is the most important detail.”

Callum appeared unfazed, but of course, all I could see were his broad shoulders straining at the black fabric of his t-shirt. Every inch of my body begged to see the reaction on his face, to see the desire shining through his eyes.

“But oh, you used to fuck him,” he said, his voice grittier. “And you loved it, too. Particularly liked sitting on his face, if I recall.”

My neck went hot at his words. It had been stupid to come here, knowing this would be the outcome. But God, it felt so right, too. This was the forbidden fruit I was dying to taste.

“I don’t see how that’s relevant.” I cleared my throat. “Nor do I understand why you continue to dredge up ancient history every time we see each other.”

He reached the landing, hands stuffed in his pockets as he turned toward me. His face had hardened into a mask of indifference, at odds with the heat and grit in his voice. I could only imagine it was because he was fighting this losing battle alongside me. And we were both willing victims.

“What else is there to talk about besides ancient history?” The smirk that emerged on his lips was both sexy and infuriating.

“Clearly nothing else, since you can’t move on.”

“But have you moved on?” he asked.

The question rooted me to my spot. I had tried like hell to move on. But every second spent around him reminded me that I hadn’t. Not in the ways that counted.

“I offered to talk about it with you, but you didn’t want to,” I spat. “Does this mean you want to have the conversation now?”

Callum strode down the wide hallway. He jerked his chin toward a smaller door tucked into the wall. “Let me show you something.”

I deflated slightly. Now he was deflecting. “What?”

“The perfect place to air our grievances.”

Well, that was slightly more promising, at least. “What is it? A padded room and a couple of baseball bats?”

This is a second chance romance featuring Harlow and Callum. They were college sweethearts but it ended badly and then eight long years later they are reunited but not on purpose.

She’s the lawyer handling his father’s estate and he is (one of) the bastard heir.

I won’t get into the details of WHY they ended because it’s a part of the story you need to read for yourself even though it’s only slightly hinted at a few times throughout the story.

Okay so I enjoyed the story but I wasn’t that big a fan of Harlow or Callum. I liked the people in town like Ripley and Harlow’s bestie Jayne, and even the youngest Winters brother Colton, but that was about it. I found Harlow and Callum quite immature and I didn’t feel this connection they had no matter how many times I was told about it.

There was steam. Lots and lots of steam and it was done well, but other than the fact that first loves are hard to forget, I didn’t feel it.

I appreciated the mystery of learning about their past and that would be the reason I read the Carson and Colton’s stories going forward. The story was good but it’s hard to get too into a story when you don’t like the hero or heroine. But I do love a good mystery and it looks like Carson has his own personal mystery in addition to that of the boys’ mother.

Good read.

About the Author:

A Canadian West Coast baby born and raised, Whitley is married to her high school sweetheart, and together they have two beautiful daughters and a fluffy dog. She spends her days making food that gets thrown on the floor, vacuuming Cheerios out from under the couch and making sure that the dog food doesn’t end up in the air conditioner. But when nap time comes, and it’s not quite wine o’clock, Whitley sits down, avoids the pile of laundry on the couch, and writes.

A lover of all things decadent; wine, cheese, chocolate and spicy erotic romance, Whitley brings the humorous side of sex, the ridiculous side of relationships and the suspense of everyday life into her stories. With single dads, firefighters, Navy SEALs, mommy wars, body issues, threesomes, bondage and role-playing, Whitley’s books have all the funny and fabulously filthy words you could hope for.

Social Media Links:

Website: WhitleyCox.com
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Multi-Author Blog: https://romancewritersbehavingbadly.blogspot.com
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Booksprout: https://booksprout.co/author/994/whitley-cox
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/whitley-cox

Author the Author:

Ember Leigh has been writing erotic romance novels since she was far too young. A native of northern Ohio, she currently resides near Lake Erie with her Argentinean husband, where they run an Argentinian-American food truck and wrangle two wild boys.