The Two Brains of Book Reviewers: Mid Life Love: At Last by Whitney Gracia Day 1!!!

Mid Life Love: At Last

If you ask me if Jonathan Statham makes me happy, I’ll say ‘Absolutely. He’s the man of my dreams and I can’t wait to marry him.’ If you ask me why my ex-husband Ryan is currently one inch away from me—staring into my eyes and pressing his hand against my cheek, I’ll say, ‘I have no fucking idea…’

Claire Gracen finally has the life she’s always wanted: A career she loves, a man who’s willing to do any and everything for her, and friends that show her the true meaning of the word ‘friendship.’

As she and Jonathan prepare to make the ultimate commitment to one another and plan the wedding of her dreams, she quickly realizes that the hurtful past she left behind in Pittsburgh is a lot closer than she thought.

Sexy, unpredictable, and as charmingly clever as ‘Mid Life Love,’ ‘At Last’ will captivate you from the first page and never let you go.

Sunny's Review:

I don't even know where to begin on this book!!!! So most of you should know that when I read Mid Life Love I was blown away by Jonathan. I could not get him out of my head...to the point of not being able to focus when anyone named Jonathan called the office. It is really kind of embarrassing...but needless to say I LOVE Jonathan. So you can imagine the squeals when I started this book.

If you have not read the first book STOP and read it now!!! So Claire and Jonathan are together and they are trying to figure out their life. They are planning the wedding and Claire is finally starting the business she has always wanted. Everything seems perfect except Claire's ex and ex-best friend show back up in her life and Jonathan is still trying to resolve his issues with his mother.

The only bad thing about this book and it really isn't even that bad is that I really did not like Claire. I liked her in the first book and did not have any problems with her. In this book I just really wanted to slap her 95% of the time. Maybe it is out of jealousy but I thought she was really super annoying. I don't know. Maybe I am being too hard on her and I have no idea what I would do if I were in her situation but I feel like she was turning into a spoiled brat (again maybe I am jealous b/c I can't be a spoiled brat).

Jonathan...he so did not disappoint in this book. I am really glad that he did some of the things that he did. When he decided on something he did not back down. I am trying to not put spoilers in here. Just know that you can never get enough Jonathan!!! These books are definitely on my reread list. If you thought he was yummy in the first book he just gets better in this one! LOVE HIM!!!

I am giving this book 4.7 stars out of 5. I am serious when I say go get this book.

Interview with Whitney!!!!

(Just so you know I am having a major nerd moment since I got to interview Whitney!!!)

1. How long have you wanted to be a writer?

For FOREVER! Although I honestly thought I would be a journalist or a screenplay writer, never an author because it seemed so out of reach!

2. Where do you get your ideas? Do you have a Jonathan in your life or is he totally made up?

I usually get them from a single scene in a movie or a TV show: Mid Life Love was inspired by a scene in Unfaithful and At Last was inspired by a scene in He’s Just Not That Into You. I WISH I had a Jonathan in my life! He’s totally made up!

3. What made you want to write about an older woman with a younger guy?

I love second chance romance stories and so many stories out there now are about teens and “new adults” which I loveee, but I thought it would fun to write about something different. I’m also practically new to the romance genre, so most of the books I’ve read in earlier years have been about older characters; I think I understand their mindsets a little more.

4. Do you know the whole story before you start writing it or do your characters where they want to go instead of what you want?

I always have to know the ENDING before I start—I need to know exactly what’s going to be on the page right before the book says “The End” All those crazy scenes at the end of Mid Life Love? Yeah…Knew those months beforehand, BUT I let the characters tell me how they wanted to get there.

5. How do you feel about so many women in love/lust with Jonathan?

Honored? LOL No seriously, I think it’s awesome that they fell in love with him as a character and want a Jonathan for themselves!

6. When you wrote this story did you expect so many people to fall for him?

NO! And you know what? I honestly thought people would love Claire MORE than Jonathan when I first hit publish. I knew she had her frustrating moments, but I thought people would fall hard for her…HA! You live and you learn LOL

7. Do you have a favorite author?

I have like twenty favorite authors LOL—David Sedaris and Nora Ephron are two of my top faves though.

8. What is your go to reread book when you need a pick me up?

On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

9. Quick response:

Lake or Ocean: Ocean, hands down

Country music or rock: Country, babe! (Carrie Underwood can do no wrong)

Sunshine or Rain: Rain all day, any day

Trucks or Sports Car: Sports car…with a hot guy as the driver

Blond or Dark haired guys: DARK haired…Blond guys can’t be trusted…

Beer or Wine: Wine, not the boxed stuff!

Summer or Winter: FALL! LOL

I can't tell you how excited I am that I got to do this interview...it is really funny b/c I think the only quick response answer that would have matched mine was Country music...poor blond hair guys get a bad rap :(
Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!!

Darra has a surprise for tomorrow so make sure you come back and see what it is!!!!!

EXCERPT:

Days later, I stood in my office and stared at the newest set of family photos I’d hung on my wall: pictures of me, Ashley, Caroline, and Jonathan hanging out at a private lake.

In one photo, the four of us were flying our kites high into the wind, laughing at how long it’d had taken us to put them together. In another we were rowing four small kayaks across the water.

Ever since Ashley and Caroline had gone off to college in Arizona, my days at home were a lot less noisy. They were actually quite boring.

I missed the two of them lying around on the couch—talking about absolutely nothing, laughing at my terrible jokes, and ultimately getting on my nerves from time to time. I missed that.

Now, instead of family dinners on Sunday and Thursday nights, Jonathan and I simply went over to his little sister Hayley’s condo and ate dinner with her. Although he never admitted it, Jonathan was missing family dinners too; I was pretty sure that was why he’d already planned a week of meals for their Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.

“Miss Gracen?” My assistant interrupted my thoughts.

“Yes, Rita?”

“Your daily flowers from Mr. Statham have just arrived. Would you like them in here?”

“Yes, please.” I leaned back and watched as she pulled a small cart of flowers—orchids, Baby’s Breath, and white carnations, into my office.

As usual, there was a silver card with a note on top:

Dear Future Wife,

Do I need to start picking you up from work to get you home in time to eat dinner with me? You’ve been late all week.

Stop Testing Me.Love,

Your Future Husband

I laughed. I was about to pick up my phone and call him, but Rita stepped inside my office again.

“Your three o’ clock is here now,” she said. “I’m going to go ahead and bring her back before my lunch break.”

“Thank you, Rita.” I stood up and smoothed my dress, ready to seal another deal, blocking everything else out.

As soon as the client walked inside my office, my mind was focused on white columns, framed cabinets, and stained wood necessary to create a brand new space. She and I talked for hours, negotiating the timeline, the best materials, and of course—the cost for everything.

When I handed her the final contract, she nodded her head and grabbed a pen to sign it. “Everything looks really good, Miss Gracen. These dates work well for me.”

“Great. I’m really looking forward to designing your new living room, Mrs. Klein.” I shook her hand and stood up.

“Thank you.” She smiled. “I’m sure it’ll be just as fabulous as all your other work.”

“I guarantee it.” I led her out of my office and back inside the storefront, pulling all the drapes closed once she walked outside.

I’ll finally get to make it home on time today…

I started straightening the pillow display that was over by the far window, making sure all the tags were tightly tucked underneath. I was tempted to lay across them and relax, but my phone rang. Jonathan.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Claire.” His deep voice still had the power to make me melt. “What are you doing right now?”

“I’m…I’m closing the store. You?”

“I’m driving. Are you tired?”

“Why?”

“Answer the question.”

“Yes.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m too tired to have sex with you right now.”

He laughed. “Would you like me to reschedule our meeting with the wedding planner then?”

“No!” I’d been looking forward to that meeting for weeks. “Not at all.”

“Good. I’m on my way to pick you up. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“See you soon.” I hung up and started swiping a mini-duster over all the candle shelves. I was halfway done when I heard the bell over the door ring.

“I’ll be right there.” I sighed and didn’t bother turning around. “Let me finish this last shelf and—”

“Claire?”

My blood boiled at the very sound of that voice.

I shook my head, knowing that I couldn’t be standing in my store. I had to be at home and asleep in my bed. I had to be dreaming. I had to be having a nightmare.

“Claire?” He asked again, and I pinched myself before slowly turning around.

I wasn’t at home. I wasn’t dreaming.
It was Ryan.

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ABOUT WHITNEY G.

A self-diagnosed candy addict, travel junkie, and hypochondriac, Whitney Gracia Williams LOVES to write about characters that make you laugh, cry, and want to (in the case of Selena Ross) reach through your Kindle and slap them.

She is the "imaginary bestselling" author of the Jilted Bride Series, Mid Life Love, Wasted Love, and Captain of My Soul.

She also loves getting emails from her readers, so if you want to tell her how much you loved (or hated) her stories e-mail her - > whitgracia@gmail.com

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