Title: Dare to Dream
Series: Carolina Beach #1
Author: C.A. Harms
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 14, 2017
Blurb
After the sudden death of his wife two years ago, Darren Griffin has finally found peace. He has a good life, good job, two daughters he’d do anything for, and a beautiful home on the beach.
Greer Monroe is grieving the loss of her father. It’s the final rung on the broken ladder that’s become her life—crappy job, no friends, and a cheating ex-boyfriend. At the insistence of her aunt, Greer decides to spend some time at her family’s beach house.
When the glee-filled sound of children’s laughter dances through the breeze, Greer finds herself smiling again. The neighbor girls are carefree, depicting a life Greer has only dreamed about. Husband, children, happiness—a family. And their father, Darren, he’s everything a woman could ever want.
But it is, of course, only a dream.
She can’t stay at Carolina Beach, no matter how much she adores Darren and his daughters. She has responsibilities at home, a mother who needs her. Where there’s love, there’s heartbreak, and she can’t go through that again. And she sure as hell won’t do that to those little girls.
But Darren isn’t letting her go that easily. It’s been so long since he’s felt this way for anyone. Greer is his missing piece, a piece he never thought he’d find.
Saying goodbye is hard, but sometimes starting over is even harder.
Only when they dare to dream again, will they ever dare to love.
Excerpt
Darren
“So who is the girl?” My mother’s question confused me, and the look on my face must have expressed that confusion. “The one the girls keep talking about,” she added unhelpfully. “Vivian said you were talking to a pretty lady today and she made you smile. The one from the blue house.”
“So who is the girl?” My mother’s question confused me, and the look on my face must have expressed that confusion. “The one the girls keep talking about,” she added unhelpfully. “Vivian said you were talking to a pretty lady today and she made you smile. The one from the blue house.”
I shook my head and chuckled as I finally understood. How could a friendly introduction between two neighbors be interpreted as anything more than it was? Then again, I was dealing with two girls that had their pushy, nosy, need to-fix-it-all granny fishing for any snippet of my nonexistent personal life.
The woman was hell-bent on me being happy, but I was happy. I had my girls, and I didn’t need anyone else.
“Just a new occupant in the vacation home behind us,” I said and got back to working on the pipe below her kitchen sink.
But she kept hovering. “Oh yeah,” she said dragging out the word a little longer than necessary.
“Yeah, Ma,” I said, ignoring her strange interest in nothing. “Just a simple hello, nothing more.”
“That isn’t what Vivian told me,” she said, her voice laced with humor.
Oh Lord, the woman either needed a damn hobby or she needed to focus on my brother, who was twenty-six and still living above her damn garage. He was the one who needed a push, not me.
“Vivian is four years old, and she still believes in princesses and dragons.” I leaned out from under the sink and gave my mother an exasperated look. “Gossiping with my daughter about my love life, or lack thereof, isn’t your style, Ma.”
“Yesh, it is.” I looked to my left to find Dean, my brother, talking through a mouthful of chips as the crumbs fell from his lips to the floor at his feet. “She doesh it all the time,” he assured me, still attempting to talk with his mouth full. I looked back at my mother.
She shrugged and gave me that innocent look she used to her advantage often, only this time I didn’t buy it. She was guilty.
Guilty of prying and using my daughter—or daughters, I had to assume—as her window into my life.
The woman was evil.
AMIE'S 4 STAR REVIEW
Another sweet love story by CA. As many know I always enjoy her fast paced love stories. Just enough drama, heartache and hotness to keep me hooked. With this being a start to a new series I am curious to see who and what comes next. This is Darren and Greer's story and not only did I enjoy having some different names going on I also loved the single dad vibe. Complete with a sweet HEA this story had me swooning and smiling in between the few scenes of tears.
With the pain of losing her father Greer runs to her childhood friend/now boyfriend Tucker needing his support and love. Her father was like a father to Tucker and she knows he will be devastated as well. Sadly she soon finds that he was out of touch because he had other plans for his time. At this point Greer is at a loss. Tucker has never been a one woman man and although he kind of convinced Greer he was only hers she had her doubts about their feelings and where their relationship should go. Well now she is POSITIVE there won't be any kind of relationship. Greer takes an opportunity to skip town and head to the beach for some alone time at her family's beach house. The sweet sound of laughter and the vision of a handsome father loving on his adorable girls not only gives Greer something to watch BUT it may also give her the something she has been missing !! Can she recover from her loses and enjoy her vacation or will she choose to start a whole new life in this cozy beach town ??
Darren has been raising his two girls on his own for the past couple years. They sadly lost their mom/his wife unexpectedly and although the road was rough Darren has made an amazing home for them. Now he notices the new vacationer checking out his life in action and he decides why not get to know her. Just being friends with Greer and having her around his girls is a big step for Darren , once he starts he can't stop between the love the girls have for her , the curiosity of his family and his own attraction. Loved ones can never be replaced but if you are lucky enough someone will come along that makes you feel again and takes away that guilt of having a life. Once you see how sweet Darren is as a dad and how much Greer adores the girls and they her you will swoon for so many reasons.
I enjoyed watching their relationships develop and although there were a few bumps in the road these families had some seriously funny personalities !! OMG the gram was hysterical and really all the adults made me laugh.
Author Bio
She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. You will always find her with her kindle or paperback in hand as it is her favorite pass time.
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