Allison's Nook: The Coffee Shop By Lauren Hunter Review

The Coffee Shop By Lauren Hunter

Blurb

If Derrick thought experiencing alternate timelines and glimpses into the future was strange then he had no idea it was about to get far more strange than he ever imagined.

When Derrick Sloane meets Annie Maddock and falls madly in love, he believes he's met the girl of his dreams. Only he then awakes to discover she is exactly that...nothing more than a dream. Disheartened, he goes to the first coffee shop he can find. There he meets Annie. She is at the same table, reading the same book, and he fast realizes his dream has shown him his own future. But when a misstep alters that perfect future he tries to fix it, every attempt only making it worse.

Can he fix what he has changed? Should he even try?

Excerpt

There was a rap at the door. “Your hot chocolate is ready.”

“Thanks, I’ll be right down.”

There was a pause. “You sure you’re all right?”

“Why do you keep asking me that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I can hear something in your voice.”

“In my voice? What are you, part dog or something?”

Derrick chuckled. “There might be a girl from college that may just agree with you on that.” Again there was a pause. “May I come in?”

“Actually, I was about to get dressed.”

“So, you’re saying you’re not decent?”

“No, I’m wearing a bathrobe.”

“Well good, because I’m coming in.”

“No, Derrick…” But he had already opened the door, and setting the cocoa

aside he came over standing before her as she sat on the bed.

“Okay, now I know something’s wrong. Annie, why didn’t you tell me how bad you hurt yourself?”

“It’s not that bad. I’m not about to make a big deal out of nothing.”

“You don’t need to be brave for me. If anything it’s really important that you be as honest as you can, with both yourself, and me, about this. I don’t want you doing any more damage because you are trying to force yourself to do something you shouldn’t be.”

“All right, I’ll admit, my ankles are a little sore. I must have stretched the muscles or something.”

“It looks like they are a lot more than a little sore.”

“Well you know what they say. A sprain is a lot more painful than a break. Although that would obviously depend on the break. But I’ve sprained something, and I’ve broken something, and I’d have to agree with that assessment, the sprain was much more painful. But as far as that goes this isn’t even that bad.”

“Pain is our body’s way of telling us we are hurt.” Derrick looked concerned.

“You do realize you sound like Mr. Rogers?”

“Those people that feel you have to be in pain to accomplish something.” He shook his head.

“Well, I’ll agree with you on that score.”

“If they hurt you need to stay off them. You don’t want to make it worse.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Well, look at it this way, by using them while they’re sore you will probably lengthen the time it takes for them to heal.”

The idea of experiencing what she was now for any longer than she absolutely had to, was not an appealing concept, to say the least. “I’ll try to take it as easy as I can.”

“Try?”

“Well I am not going to spend the remainder of the weekend in this bed.”

“No need.”

“What are you saying?”

Before she had a chance to reply, Derrick had slipped one arm beneath her knees, the other around her back and under her arms.

“Whoa! What are you doing?”

“Well, I would have thought that was obvious.”

“Oh, you have to be kidding me.”

“What makes you think that?”

“You are not serious.”

“Completely.”

“What? So, you’re going to carry me everywhere?”

“Pretty much.”

“Oh now that’s just too much!”

He was already lifting her into his arms as though she was nothing, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her out the door and onto the balcony. He was wearing a sweater but she could still feel his taut and rippling muscles beneath it. The muscles in his arms flexing against her as he carried her carefully down the stairs. The heat from his body reached through her bathrobe as she held her face close to his, the scent of soap and aftershave wafting up around her as he grasped her tightly to him. Setting her on the sofa next to the fire, he turned his face to hers. For a moment they just stayed like that, holding each other, their lips close as his eyes moved down her face to her mouth.

Author Bio

Lauren Hunter is a writer of paranormal romance and Regency paranormal romance novels, with plans to write in a variety of other genres, including time travel, angel, ghost, and contemporary romance. Her paranormal romance, The Coffee Shop, and her paranormal Regency, The Promise, are now available through Musa Publishing, with the second and third installment of a paranormal regency trilogy soon to be released.

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Review

Wealthy, handsome Derrick Sloane stops at a coffee shop and meets the love of his life. Annie Maddock is a sweet, vulnerable, smart woman trying to define herself under her own terms. I liked her immediately. (Derrick is also sweet and vulnerable, and perhaps a little too good to be true, but I found it impossible to resist his charms.)

What appears to be a traditional sweet romance takes a turn about one hundred pages into the story when Derrick wakes up one morning to find that his relationship with Annie was nothing but a dream. He races back to the coffee shop and ‘meets’ his love all over again. I found the dream sequences a bit confusing, but ultimately Derrick finds himself waking up to different ‘timelines’or realities. In each timeline, the lovers’ relationship has changed based on small details or advice offered in the previous sequence. Through the course of the story, Derrick is faced with the possible death of his best friend and the death of his beloved Annie. Each time he tries to ‘fix’ the problem, unexpected consequences arise.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The story idea is interesting and unique. I liked the characters and I really liked the premise that love transcends all things. The conversations between Annie and Derrick could have been edited for a speedier, more comfortable read and I would love to have the first realization of the timelines occur much, much earlier in the narrative. However, if you love the tender romance of The Notebook or The Time Traveler’s Wife, you’ll be hard pressed to put this book down. And it’s impossible to read the ending without a few tears.

Review By Kristi J. Thank you so much for helping me out.

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Buy Links

Musa: http://www.musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=18

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-coffee-shop-lauren-hunter/1107218124?ean=2940015007947

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/The-Coffee-Shop-ebook/dp/B005VRZ1EM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319245215&sr=1-1

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Coffee-Shop-ebook/dp/B005VRZ1EM/ref=sr_1_26?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1319243981&sr=1-26

Amazon Germany: http://www.amazon.de/The-Coffee-Shop-ebook/dp/B005VRZ1EM/ref=sr_1_26?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1319674716&sr=1-26