Review & Giveaway: Beach House No. 9 by Christie Ridgeway

Beach House No. 9

Christie Ridgeway

Harelquin (HQN)

Jan. 29, 2013

Crescent Cove Series bk 1

384 pgs.

When book doctor Jane Pearson arrives at Griffin Lowell’s beach house, she expects a brooding loner. After all, his agent hired her to help the reclusive war journalist write his stalled memoir. Instead, Jane finds a tanned, ocean-blue-eyed man in a Hawaiian shirt, hosting a beach party and surrounded by beauties. Faster than he can untie a bikini top, Griffin lets Jane know he doesn’t want her. But she desperately needs this job and digs her toes in the sand.

Griffin intends to spend the coming weeks at Beach House No. 9 taking refuge from his painful memories-and from the primly sexy book doctor who wants to bare his soul. But warm nights, moonlit walks and sultry kisses just may unlock both their guarded hearts….

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Review

The first book in Christie Ridgeway’s Crescent Cove series; Beach House No. 9 was a real delight to read.  Ridgeway has a way of bringing the characters to life with the emotion she draws from every page.  And while each of these books can be read as a stand alone, why would you want to do that when all three books are out now on Netgalley?

Jane Pearson is hired to re launch Griffin Lowell’s writing career after a personal tragedy has him hitting a writing block.  And of course Griffin is having none of it, he rebuffs Jane’s attempts at every turn but something about spending so much time together in a secluded setting ignites long seated chemistry between the two and it isn’t long before sparks fly and passion ignites.

At first when I was contacted to read this series I was skeptical, the blurb seemed too tame for me.  I wasn’t really into spending my time reading something that wasn’t going to get my juices flowing (not when I had Lover At Last waiting for me)!  But I enjoyed reading Beach House No. 9 a lot more than I thought I would.  The second and third books are eagerly  waiting in my TBR pile.

                                           

A little about the author

An avid reader, Christie began writing romances in the fifth grade when she wrote stories starring her teen idol (and herself as the heroine, of course!). These stories remain intact, in a locked box with a mercifully missing key.

After college as an English major, she became a technical writer in the computer field for a number of years. That led her into computer programming, a geeky profession that was not-so-surprisingly satisfying for the daughter and sister of accountants.

Christie married her college sweetheart and gave up     full-time programming when her first son was born. A visit from an old friend prompted her to take up writing again, and she joined her local chapter of Romance Writers of America two weeks later.

Thanks to the camaraderie and support she found there, Christie persevered, making her first sale to Harlequin. When another son joined her family, she continued to write, juggling motherhood, wifehood and the writing life. She makes her home in Southern California, doing work that she loves thanks to the support of her math-teacher husband and their two sons.

If Christie is not at her computer writing contemporary romances, she is washing clothes or folding clothes or washing some more clothes or folding yet another load of clothes. She does a lot of laundry due to active sons, as well as a husband who likes to surf, bike and fix things!

While the yellow Labrador retriever, the cat, the fish and the tortoise do not add to the laundry piles, they do add to the excitement. As often as possible, though, Christie escapes it all with — what else? — a romance.

Christie's website:  christieridgway.com