Sunday, July 29, 2012

#BookChat The Teacher's Billionaire by Christina Tetreault


Synopsis:
Callie Taylor's life is turned upside down when she learns the truth about her birth following the death of her mother.  Not only is her father alive, but he's none other than presidential candidate Senator Warren Sherbrooke. 

Billionaire and confirmed bachelor, Dylan Talbot, is devoted to his family.  When his stepfather Warren Sherbrooke receives a letter from a past love telling him they have a daughter together, Dylan is instantly suspicious. In order to keep the media vultures away and protect Warren's political aspirations, Dylan convinces Warren to let him handle the situation. 

As Callie and Dylan spend time together, they can't resist the feelings that blossom between them.  However, when Callie learns the real reason he has been spending time with her their fledgling romance is put in jeopardy and only complete honesty can save it.

Excerpt:

Slowly she dropped her arm back down and turned around expecting Dylan to step back. He didn't move. Rather he reached out to brush a stray piece of hair off her face.

As if on autopilot Callie closed her eyes as his fingers skimmed down her check and neck to her shoulder. With the weight of his hand resting on her shoulder, she waited not sure what to expect. And then she felt just the slightest bit of pressure as his lips settled over hers. Everything seemed to stop. The only things she was aware of were his callused hand on her shoulder and his lips on hers. The kiss was gentle. Tender.

This shouldn't be happening. Not with this man.

Even as her brain protested, Callie's body responded. She wanted to feel his hard-muscled body pressed up against hers. Even though she knew she should break contact, she took a step closer and rested her hands on his wide shoulders.


Reader's Reactions
Jade Varden sez:
I was drawn to The Teacher's Billionaire because it begins with the revelation of a dark family secret, and that's totally in my wheelhouse even if romances are not. Usually, I roll my eyes all the way through love stories (I am not a fan), but I didn't want to stop reading this one. The characters are completely believable and each setting so vivid, I wanted to hop a plane to Boston to see some of the places where Callie and Dylan actually walked. She's a pretty average schoolteacher that jumped right off the page, a very real female who isn't so secure in her looks and hates her own wardrobe. He's grade-A daydream material with a magazine-ready smile and a pathos so real it's easy to forgive him for being involved in American politics (a truly demonic machine). Sure he's a Fortune 500 favorite son, a wheeler-dealer with a corner office and a home gym, but he's also a pretty basic guy that's driven by the same fears and desires as any other -- and he's all too easy to fall in love with. I can't find anything to complain about in the writing -- the author has a gift for crafting characters and places that smack of sincerity ….. I don't think anyone should pass this one up. I look forward to the next installment in the series, and my biggest complaint is that I can't pre-order it right this very minute!

Lily Silver sez:
This is a charming contemporary romance with very likeable and believable characters. I rate this as 4.5 stars. I found the plot instantly drew me in and had a hard time putting the book down. Normally, I stretch a book out for several days to a week, but this one drew me in from the start and would not let me slowly savor it.  I finished it in two evenings.

The author has created very vivid characters and an intriguing backdrop of a pre-election campaign scandal.

This story is worthy of a 5 star rating.  My only reason for giving it 4.5 stars is due to my personal preference for sex scenes to be fully depicted. There were several intimate interactions between the couple, but the author discreetly turns our heads away after the couple begins undressing and closes the bedroom door. This is not a failing of the author but rather a personal choice that must be respected.

For those expecting to have their love scenes a little more fleshed out (sorry, pun intended), be warned going in to the story that this is not the case here, yet the story stands alone without it. On the other hand, those looking for a realistic, believable, compelling romance without the offense of graphic sex scenes will be pleasantly surprised by this author's obvious talent for spinning a complex contemporary fairytale.

Either way you like your romances, hot or sweet, this one is not to be missed. I recommend it as a delightful, fun, summer read!

Meet The Author
I wrote my first story with characters similar to those in the Sweet Valley Twins books at the age of 10 on my grandmother's manual typewriter. As I got older my stories and characters became more mature. During my freshman year at UMass Dartmouth, I read my first romance novel and fell in love with the genre. I have been writing contemporary romance ever since.

Today I live with my husband, three beautiful daughters and two dogs in Massachusetts. Whenever I have a free moment you'll find me either reading a romance novel or working on my most current story

twitter: @cgricci

2 comments:

  1. I enjoyed Callie and Dylan's story so much, and am anticipating Jake's story coming soon. Pleased to have found your books.

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