My Thoughts
I really loved Hoss. Almost as much as Mason which says a lot. He fell hard for Hope and wanted to bring happiness to her life. This was such a roller coaster ride of emotions for me. I cried and I swooned with this love story. I don't want to give away any part of it, but know that it is one special story that will have you reeling.
I give Hoss 5 hearts!
I give Hoss 5 hearts!
About the Book
Isaiah Rogers grew up on his family farm in Alabama. Loved by his family, he’s a country boy at heart, a southern gentleman by raising.
The path to northern Indiana was twisted and long, but this sensitive man found a comfortable niche as a member of the Rebel Wayfarers, vice-president of their affluent and growing Fort Wayne chapter. Hoss, as he’s now known, retains pieces of the boy from rural Alabama, but life in the club has hardened him, driving home the message time and again that love isn’t safe.
Hope Collins also grew up in Alabama, but their histories could not be more different.
An ill-timed youthful rebellion came with long-lasting consequences. It’s then she finds she’s not an only child after all, her father holding up her half-sister’s failures as a painful lesson before closing the door of her childhood home in her face.
Hoss and Hope’s paths collide when she travels to Fort Wayne, to meet the sister she had gone most of her life without knowing about. For Hoss, from the first moment he laid eyes on Hope, the truth and beauty inside her called to him. Now he will have to find a way to win the woman’s trust and love, while navigating the dangerous currents swirling around the club.
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Excerpt
Hoss smiled, leaning back into the couch cushions, his arm around Hope’s shoulders. Dinnertime at Jase and DeeDee’s house was wild, loud, chaotic, and entertaining. Bingo was back in the hospital, but his kids were in residence, which meant tonight there were eleven small bodies running around, aged fifteen and down. Nine, a mix of boys and girls, were Bingo’s tribe, one boy belonged to Jase and DeeDee, and one was his and Hope’s boy. His breath stuck in his chest for a moment, because he liked how that sounded in his head, ‘his and Hope’s boy.’
When they arrived for dinner, Sammy had raced up and hugged his mother then stepped back. Looking up, he stood in front of Hoss, shifting from foot to foot, staring into his face. His features twisted into something that looked like sadness as he asked, “Did you and Mom have a good day?”
Hoss had frowned, crouching down so he was on Sammy’s level when he answered, “Yeah, the best. How about you?” Tentatively, he reached out, cupping his hand around Sammy’s shoulder, asking, “Did you have fun with Jonny and Kane?” No way could Hoss miss how the boy leaned into the hold, his shoulders lowering a couple inches as he relaxed.
“Yeah, we had a great time. Coach Spence took us to the rink.” He cut his gaze up to his mother, and Hoss twisted so he could see her face, too. “He said he has a Sammy-sized opening on his league team, Mom.” That was all he said, and Hoss watched a flash of pain cross Hope’s face at his hesitation.
“I talked to him on the phone today, bud. He has this deal for friends and family”—she switched to a poor imitation of a New Jersey accent—“and he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.” She grinned, and he caught Sammy’s matching smile from the corner of his eye. “I’ll sort things out with him tonight, see what kind of schedule we’re looking at, and what I can commit to for equipment, okay?”
Hoss felt more of the tension leave the kid’s muscles as he told his mother, “Yeah.” That single, soft word conveyed an understanding that if she could work it out, she would, and if she couldn’t, then the boy wouldn’t blame her, because he trusted she would always do her best. These two had a bond that seemed unshakable, having no one else to depend on for so long. In Sammy’s case, his whole life.
He was hit yet again by how alone in the world they had been, no one to have their back, no one to give a hand when they hit bottom. Only each other, ever.
About the Author
Raised in the south, MariaLisa learned about the magic of books at an early age. Every summer, she would spend hours in the local library, devouring books of every genre. Self-described as a book-a-holic, she says “I’ve always loved to read, but then I discovered writing, and found I adored that, too. For reading … if nothing else is available, I’ve been known to read the back of the cereal box.”
A hockey fan, hiker, gamer, and single mom of a special needs son, she embraces her inner geek and has been working in the tech field for a publishing company for a couple decades.
Music is a driving passion, and she says, “I love music of nearly any genre — jazz, country, rock, alt rock, metal, classical, bluegrass, rap, hip hop … you name it, I listen to it. I can often be seen dancing through the house in the early mornings. But I really, REALLY love live music. My favorite thing with music is seeing bands in small, dive bars [read: small, intimate venues]. If said bar [venue] has a good selection of premium tequila, then that’s a plus!”
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Love this so hard! Thank you, from the bottom of. <3 ~ML
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