Title: Only With You
Series: To Serve and Protect #3
Author: Kathryn Shay
Release: August 8, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb:
A family of heroes, all in dangerous jobs, all irrevocably tied to those they love. Read about the Marino clan in this fast-paced, emotional new series, To Serve and Protect, by NYT bestselling author Kathryn Shay.
Special Agent Whitney Dwyer sees the world in black and white, much to the chagrin of her beloved cousins, the Marino brothers. Her life is terrific: a supportive family, a varied job with mega opportunities for advancement and a fantastic friends-with-benefits lover. Beneath her tough exterior, though, lies a woman who was scarred in deep and dark ways by the horror of an accident that killed her parents. But Whitney’s life is knocked off its axis when she loses the man she now realizes she loves. To complicate matters, that man, Special Agent Max Blackwell, has made a decision he regrets immediately. Still, he and Whitney cannot come together again until she deals with what plagues her and he discovers what he truly wants out of life.
ONLY WITH YOU is back-dropped by the bombing of a federal building, a case assigned to Whitney and Max during their personal turmoil. The book also delves into the inner workings of the Secret Service and the danger federal agents encounter every day. Toss in a sizzling relationship and readers will find this story a page-turner.
If you liked ABOVE AND BEYOND, be sure to read the entire To Serve and Protect series: ABOVE AND BEYOND, SAY YOU’LL STAY, ONLY WITH YOU, NO OTHER LOVE, and COME BACK TO ME.
“Does life give you more than you can handle?”
If you’ve read the other two books in the Serve and Protect series you know the background of Max and Whitney. Whitney is complex hard to get a real read on. Her aunt and uncle took her in as a child and she was raised with her cousins. In a matter of speaking she had an easy childhood, but it was the time before living with the Marino’s that left a scar. Whitney only sees things in black and white, but what happens when the grey starts to seep in?
Max and Whitney have been together for years and never had an issue. Now though he wants more, he’s ten years older than her and wants to settle down and have a family of his own. Something Whitney has always been admittedly against. Max makes a mistake involving his relationship with Whitney that leaves them both wheeling.
What happens if the blows don’t stop coming?
Will these two-secret service agents be able stand strong and weather the storm?
I have always had a soft spot for these two and wanted them to settle down together. Shay was extremely hard on Whitney in Only with You but it felt right to me. Whitney needed these trials to figure herself out. You watch her Transform from someone that was kind of robotic (just going through the motions) to a woman who really appreciated those in her life, accepted love, and loved back. Max was incredibly stead-fast which was fitting for what he did.
Dive into Only with You and follow these two try and find their way to true happiness. Will that happiness be together or apart? While you’re at it prepare yourself for the next in the series, I have a feeling it will be a doozy.
Star Ratings:
Plot- 5/5
Character- 5/5
Heat- 5/5
Writing style- 5/5
Overall- 5/5
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2wjxQWb
B&N: http://bit.ly/2wjIfB8
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2wjsSZt
iTunes: http://apple.co/2wjHsjH
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2wjqHoV
Excerpt:
New Year’s Eve
Max Blackwell answered the door right away. He must be anxious, too. Good thing, because Whitney Dwyer was about to make the biggest move of her life.
“Hey, Whitney. Come on in.”
Huh. He usually greeted her with a sexist term like doll or sweetie or babe, which he’d initially used to needle her. But the terms had become endearments over the years they’d been together. Yet…now that she got a good look at him, he seemed tired. Lines around his mouth suggested maybe the expression was more one of worry.
Thankfully, she could always be herself with him. Once inside, she faced him. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Good.” She threw herself into his arms. He smelled great, like the woods and outdoors. She hugged him tight. In the past when she did that, he’d lift her up, twirl her around and kiss her senseless. This time he only held on.
So she’d take matters into her own hands. She pulled his head down. But he resisted. Instead of giving her one of his searing kisses, he grasped her arms and stepped back. “Don’t, honey. We have to talk.”
Dread she’d known more times than she cared to acknowledge shot through her. The feeling was exacerbated by how well she knew this man. “Something is wrong.”
He held her hands in his. “No, not wrong. Different.”
She didn’t respond.
Still holding onto her, he led her out of the foyer and into the main living space off to the right. She took a seat on one of his dark leather sofas. Because he was acting strangely, she was glad he dropped down close to her. Something made her wait for him to start.
He glanced over her shoulder for a minute before he looked at her. “Things have changed for me, Whitney. I think this has been coming for a while.”
“Changed how? Professionally or personally?”
He cleared his throat. “Personally.”
Kernels of information formed in her brain. Past talks…
Does this arrangement suit you, Whitney? Between you and me?
Yeah, sure. It’s the best. You?
Well, I’m ten years older than you are. Sometimes, I think about where I’ll end up when we split.
I never think about us splitting.
Ah, so like you.
So don’t you think about it, either…
She gripped his fingers. “Tell me straight, Max.” The tremor in her voice annoyed her, but she was scared now.
“Fair enough. I want to settle down and have kids.”
“Kids?” She never expected this. “You said that wasn’t in the cards for you.”
“I hadn’t even turned forty when we started working together. I wasn’t thinking about growing older.”
Oh, my God. “And now you are?”
“Yes.” His expression became incredibly sad, making her heart clutch in her chest. “I’ve found someone else I think I can build a future with.”
“What?”
“I’ve met another woman.” His face reddened as if he knew he’d done something wrong.
This couldn’t be, yet… “Angela Grimes.”
Dark brows rose. “How did you know?”
The expression on Angela’s face when she sat gazing up at Max in the classroom that day at Rowley. How she answered his phone the night over Thanksgiving break, when Max hadn’t come to the Marino Thanksgiving. And where had he gone Christmas Eve when they’d all been invited to the White House party?
“Whitney, I asked how you knew.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I’m sorry. I should have been more careful.”
A horrible thought sliced through her. “H-have you slept with her?”
“No! You and I promised each other we’d be exclusive while we were together.”
“And now you want to end our relationship?”
“As it’s been, yes. I want more in my life.”
God, the irony of all this. She thought of the advice her cousin Connor had given to her over Thanksgiving. To go to him. To tell him what she’d discovered about her feelings for him. Unfortunately, Max had gotten an assignment with the CIA out of town for the two weeks right before the next holiday, so she had to wait. Then he’d gone away with his father after Christmas and hadn’t come back until today. Apparently, she was too late.
She tried to erect the infamous Secret Service armour she used to protect herself with. But instead, she was defenceless.
“Whit, we’ll still be friends.”
“You know that won’t happen.” She gripped his hand now. “We spend all our free time together, in bed, going on vacation, to movies and concerts.”
“We’ll still see each other. I promise.”
Deep in her heart Whitney knew that wouldn’t happen. “I don’t understand, Max. How could you make this life-changing decision unilaterally? Without consulting me?”
“I didn’t want to put you on the spot.”
“For what?”
“Committing to something you don’t want.” His words were harsh, as if he were defending himself.
“I should have had a choice.”
Challenge always incited him. She could see the anger flare in his eyes. “All right. Are you ready to get married and have a baby?”
She rose and she crossed to the window. It had started snowing harder, and flakes gathered on the window. She thought about his question. Was she ready? After a long time, she turned to him and folded her arms over her chest. “No, Max, I’m not ready to get married now, or ever have family. But I’ve had an epiphany over the last month. I know one thing. I’m in love with you.”
“I love you, too, but that’s not enough.”
“I said I was in love with you. Romantically.”
He watched her. She hadn’t realized how her life could change in an instant. When he stood, she stepped back.
“I’m sorry, babe, that’s not enough. I’m not sure it’s even true. Whenever we’re apart for a while, you always miss me, want to be closer to me. I feel the same. Marrying me and having my child is a whole different ballgame.” He arched a brow. “One I don’t think you want to play in.”
Author Bio:
A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Kathryn Shay has been a lifelong writer and teacher.
She has written dozens of self-published original romance titles, including print books with the Berkley Publishing Group and Harlequin Enterprises, and mainstream women’s fiction with Bold Strokes Books. She has won five RT Book Reviews awards, four Golden Quills, four Holt Medallions, the Bookseller’s Best Award, Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year, and several “Starred Reviews.” Her novels have been serialized in Cosmopolitan Magazine and featured in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and People magazine.
There are over five million copies of her books in print, along with hundreds of thousands downloaded online. Reviewers have called her work “emotional and heart-wrenching.”
Social Media Links:
http://www.kathrynshay.com
http://www.twitter.com/KShayAuthor
https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=kathryn+shay
Praise for Kathryn Shay:
“A wonderfully written, emotional and extraordinary read and truly deserves a five-star rating.” Affaire de Coeur
“Kathryn Shay’s storytelling grabbed me on page one and her characters held me until the very last word.” Barbara Bretton, USA Today bestselling author
“Each page is pure seduction of the senses.” Genie Romex Reviews
Giveaway Items - will be any ebook from her backlist
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