Blitz! Under the Stars by Melissa Chambers

Under the Stars (Destiny Dune #6) by Melissa Chambers

Genre: Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: April 19, 2022
Publisher: Self

Why is he making it so hard to hate him?

Chapman

There are few things I enjoy more than messing with Taylor Palmer. She’s such a priss with her tight, corporate skirts and her high heels. Someone’s got to bring her down to Earth.

She glares at me and parades her dates into my bar like she thinks it’ll bother me. She’s on the hunt for a husband, but she’s doing it all wrong. She’s never going to be into one of these nerds. She really wants a man like me, but I’m not on the market.

I can help her find a guy she can stomach. And if she decides to break her celibacy streak with me in the meantime, good for her…and me. But she better not get attached. She also needs to quit making me feel things I don’t understand.

Taylor

I’ll never forgive John Chapman for what he did to my best friend. I don’t care that she’s forgiven him, is close friends with him now, and even seems to be pushing me toward him. It’s because he and I are the last two single people in our friend group. All will be right in the world if he and I just connect. Forget it.

He fancies himself some kind of dating coach. He says he can find me the right guy. He certainly couldn’t do worse than I’ve been doing. I guess it won’t hurt to let him help.

The only problem is he won’t quit making his own moves on me, and they are working, impressively. I can’t fall for him. He’s made that crystal clear. But as we grow closer, I have to wonder if I’m chipping away at his cement walls, just a little bit.

Welcome to Destiny Dunes, where the only thing hotter than the Florida sun is the romance between this resort’s employees. Each book in this steamy series focuses on your favorite romance tropes. Once you enter the gates of Destiny Dunes, you’ll never want to leave! 

“You ready to do this?” he asks.

“Do what?”

“Take the picture.” He heads out of the store and I follow behind him.

“Right now?”

“No, next May. Yes, right now.”

“I thought maybe I’d have time to settle into the idea of me in a two-piece plastered all over the Internet.”

He leads us through the open-air mall, past some kids playing in the sprinklers while their parents sip coffee in wrought-iron chairs. “Are we doing this thing or not?”

“We are,” I say.

“Then either you trust me or you don’t.”

“I definitely don’t.”

He comes to a halt and faces me. “Turn around.”

“What? Why?”

“Just turn around.”

I huff, but I do it.

“Now fall backwards.”

I turn back around and face him. “You are crazy.”

“Don’t look at me. Look straight forward.”

I let out a sigh and then turn away from him again.

“Fall backwards.”

“And you’re going to catch me?” I ask in a very doubtful tone.

“Of course I’m gonna catch you. I’m not going to let you fall to the ground and bust your head open.”

“What happens if some pretty girl walks by and you turn your head right when I’m getting ready to fall?”

“I don’t need to look at some pretty girl. I’m looking at you . . . your ass to be specific.”

“See, right away I don’t trust you. My ass isn’t what’s going to fall backward first. It’s my shoulders.”

“I’m watching your whole body.”

Two girls sipping iced coffees pause, watching us. I smile at them and they smile back. “We’re gathering a crowd,” I say through clenched teeth.

“If you would just hurry up and get this over with, we wouldn’t garner so much attention.”

I imagine myself falling backwards and my stomach goes for a loop. “Are you sure you can catch me?”

“Are you kidding? Have you seen me?”

“I know, but I’m a big girl.”

“This is insulting, Taylor. I work out every day. Have you seen me without a shirt on?”

I try to remember if I have, but I’m pretty sure I only have dreamed of his bare chest. “All right, I concede that you can probably catch me.”

“Probably? Come on. Just fall backwards.”

“But why?”

“Because this will do wonders for our relationship. If you can trust me to prevent a brain injury, surely you can trust me with your dating profile.”

“Okay,” I say, fiddling with the bag.

“Give me that,” he says. I pass it back to him and hear it drop on the ground. “Hold your arms out so I can get my arms around you.”

The idea of his arms on my body sends a flock of butterflies through my chest. Now I’m more invested. Because as much as I need to not think about these things, I want to know what his touch feels like. I turn my head. “How far back are you?”

“I’m the perfect amount.”

There are several groups of people watching us now. I cover my eyes. “I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”

“Do you want me to count off?”

“No, I’m going to do it . . . unless you need to count off because you’re looking away or something.”

“He hasn’t looked away from you this whole time,” one of the iced coffee girls says.

“Really?” I ask her.

“Oh yeah,” the other one says. “He is laser-focused on you. I think you can trust him.”

I purse my lips. “If you only knew him you wouldn’t say that.”

“I’d like to get to know him,” her friend says, and then they giggle together.

“Taylor,” Chapman says, and the sound of my name coming from his mouth sends a quiver through my belly.

“Hmm?”

“I’ve got you,” he says, his voice steady and serious. I close my eyes, my stomach in knots. I let out a breath and I say, “Okay.”

I allow myself to fall, and just when I think I’ve made a huge mistake and I’m going to have a concussion or end up in the hospital, he catches me as those big, capable arms wrap around me.

The groups around us whoop with applause. He sets me up on my feet, and I turn around to face him. He’s smiling at me, genuinely—not one of those cocky smiles like he’s gotten something over on me or that he knows I’m dying for his hot body in my bed and he’s just tempting me with it, but a real smile like we’re friends. “You caught me,” I say, sounding more surprised than I should.“Of course I caught you.” 

Have you read the other books in this series?

Check out my reviews of other books by this author!

 

Melissa Chambers writes contemporary novels for young, new, and actual adults. A Nashville native, she spends her days working in the music industry and her nights tapping away at her keyboard. While she’s slightly obsessed with alt rock, she leaves the guitar playing to her husband and kid. She never misses a chance to play a tennis match, listen to an audiobook, or eat a bowl of ice cream. (Rocky road, please!) She has served as president for the Music City Romance Writers and is the author of The Summer Before Forever, Falling for Forever, and Courting Carlyn (Entangled Teen).

To learn more about Melissa Chambers and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, BookBub, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Book Review! Over the Moon by Melissa Chambers

Over the Moon (Destiny Dunes #5) by Melissa Chambers
Genre: Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: January 4, 2022 
Publisher: Perry Evans Press

One stormy night could change everything…

Easton

I have no idea why Raven Youngblood hates me. From the moment I met her at the bar where I used to hang, she's given me the cold shoulder.

Now that I opened my own bar along with my two buddies, they've hired her to bartend for us. Even though I'm technically her boss, she still gives me the evil eye. But the more she throws hate my way, the more intrigued I become.

A storm's coming, and she and I are stuck here at the bar alone. Maybe I'll get to the bottom of her issues with me. Maybe I'll change her mind.

Raven

I should never have taken the job at the bar co-owned by the guy I need to avoid. But I can't help myself. I’m drawn to Easton Moreau like hot fudge to vanilla ice cream.

He looks just like my toxic ex, though he's nothing like him. Easton is good and kind and even hotter than him. I’ve been trying to avoid unhealthy patterns since I left him. Besides, with the side job I’ve taken to pay off my sister’s debt to some seriously shady people, my life's too messy to think about romance.

But we’re stuck here together, alone. And I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up this act.

Welcome to Destiny Dunes, where the only thing hotter than the Florida sun is the romance between this resort's employees. Each book in this steamy series focuses on your favorite romance tropes. Once you enter the gates of Destiny Dunes, you'll never want to leave!

Over the Moon is the fifth book in the Destiny Dunes series by Melissa Chambers. This is Easton and Raven's story. Raven's a tough cookie, and since Easton reminds her so much of her ex, she wants nothing to do with him. These two are cute though, because they work around each other's baggage... mostly Raven's. Easton is so understanding of her, even though it's really hard for him to deal with her "other job" and rightly so. They also come from different worlds. Not as different as some in this series, like Jack and Tori, but still enough that they have a lot to learn about each other. They were fun, and I've enjoyed every single story by this author so far. I can't wait for more.

Over the Moon by Melissa Chambers was kindly provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

“It’s not a hurricane,” says one of the bar’s locals as I pass by him.
I come to a stop, looking the man in the eye. “Are you sure about that? Because the weather guy says it’s a possible tropical storm.”
“They don’t know what the hell they’re talking about,” the guy says, waving me off. “Trust me. I’ve lived here my whole life. They do it for ratings. We might get a little sprinkle later, but it ain’t gonna be no hurricane.”
There aren’t any hurricanes in Louisville where I come from, so I don’t know much about them. I already earned the nickname Code Red for shutting down the bar early last week at the threat of a tropical storm. Our clientele is a local one, probably because our bar isn’t as spiffed up as some of the tourist traps with T-shirt shops attached to them, so they didn’t appreciate me kicking them out. A few haven’t come back.
Chapman and Logan are both gone, purely by coincidence. None of the three of us likes leaving me alone in the bar. I had zero restaurant experience prior to the day I slapped down my life savings along with the loan I got from my grandmother to buy into my part of the bar.
But on this particular stormy night, Logan is taking his girl, Piper, out, and Chapman is being wooed by a rep from a local brewery. I’m in charge of inventory and purchasing, so it should be me getting wined and dined tonight. But this is a guy Chapman knows from Big Fish Pub where he used to work. So, I’ll concede that Chapman earned his night out.
I head toward the bar with my gaze planted on the lovely Raven Youngblood. Her straight, auburn hair falls over her slight shoulders onto her Beach Bums T-shirt. I’m fully aware that she is required to wear the shirt sporting the name and logo of the bar I partially own, but I can’t help the sense of pride that makes me stand taller when I see her in it. Too bad she one hundred percent hates me.
I walk behind the bar with a stack of ones and offer them to Raven. “Your ones, Miss,” I say with what I hope is a charming smile.
She opens the register, pulls out some bills, and hands them to me. We make the exchange without her giving me a hint of eye contact, which is nothing unusual.
That’s been her game since the day I met her. When Logan told me he’d hired her, I split my time between being shocked and annoyed. This is a girl who not only doesn’t give me the time of day, she won’t even look at me. I first made her acquaintance at Big Fish Pub where Chapman and Logan worked with her. She’s never liked me, and I have no clue why not.
Dismissed, I head to the back room and sit down in front of the computer, but I’m not focused on the spreadsheet in front of me. Why doesn’t she like me? I’ve thought about asking, but I don’t want to seem like a desperate prick. The only time she talks to me is to give me the days she can’t work. She has some mysterious job somewhere else that I have to schedule her around a couple of nights each week. I asked once what her other job was, and she just looked at me like I was a nosey bastard and then walked away.
I check the weather app on my phone and I’m starting to think that local guy may be full of shit. I can’t close the bar again. I’ll have too much egg on my face if it doesn’t even rain. But I can make sure the staff gets home before any bad weather comes in. It’s not packed in here tonight. I can get my butt out there and pour beer. Chapman is supposed to be coming back after his night out. I text him.
Are you coming back soon?
No response. Son of a bitch.
I head out to the dining room and go table to table letting everyone know the kitchen is closing. No one has any final orders, so I head back there. “No more food orders,” I say to Sammy, the one kitchen guy left tonight. “Head out when you’re ready.”
“You don’t need to tell me twice.” Sammy’s a transplant too. I feel seen.
I head out into the dining room and grab Kinsley, the last server on duty. “You can go ahead and leave.”
“I’ve still got to do my side work.”
“I’ll do it for you. Just go. I’ll make sure you get your tips from these last few tables.”
She narrows her gaze at me. “You know, if it were Chapman saying this, I wouldn’t believe him. But I think you really will.”
I cock my head to the side. “Of course I will. I would never steal your tips.”
She kisses me on the cheek. “You really are a doll, you know?”
I give her an aww shucks smile and then glance over at the bar. I catch Raven looking away from me, grabbing glasses off the bar. Great. Now she looks at me. That’s just what I need—Raven thinking I’m hitting on the staff.
I walk over to her. “Why don’t you go ahead and get out of here.”
“Are you closing early?”
“No, but I can handle everything from here.”
She puts her hand on her hip. “There’s like four tables of people left. Who’s going to get them drinks?”
“I will.”
She purses her lips at me. “You know how to tend bar?”
“No, but how hard can it be?”
She huffs a humorless laugh while she submerges glasses into dishwater, and I know I’ve completely said the wrong thing.
“I’m not saying what you do is easy. I’m just saying I think I can handle it.”
She points at a table. “She’s drinking Manhattans and she’s drinking Sea Breezes. Do you know what’s in both of those?”
“Well, no, but I’ve got Google.”
She rolls her eyes at me like I’m the biggest idiot on the planet and goes about her business.
“Seriously, I can handle it. We’re supposed to get bad weather.”
“I’m not leaving until these people leave,” she says.
“You think I’m that inept, don’t you?”
“I think you’ve never tended bar.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask her why she has such disdain for me when Kinsley comes up to the bar. “I need three pale ales and two margaritas.”
I turn to Kinsley. “Seriously, I’ve got this.”
“You so don’t got this,” Kinsley says to me.
“I freaking do. Now go.”
She tosses up both hands and takes her apron off as she heads toward the back. I just stare at Raven while she sets two glasses on the bar. “Do you think I should close?”
“This isn’t my bar.”
“I’m asking for your opinion.”
“I wasn’t hired to make your decisions for you. If you want to kick these people out you can. But I’m not leaving unless they go.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not answering to Chapman and Logan when they ask me why I went home early when all it was doing outside was sprinkling.”
“But I’m telling you to go home.”
She just keeps going about her business.
“What, you respect them and not me?” I hear how desperate it sounds the second it rolls off my tongue.
“Do you really want me to answer that?” she asks as she pulls a beer from the tap.
There’re so many things I want to say to her right now, but I bite my tongue and head to the tables. “It’s last call,” I announce to each of them.
“It’s only nine-thirty,” says one of the guys at table six.
“The weather’s supposed to be getting worse.”
“It’s not even raining,” a girl at the next table says.
“We’re going across the street next time,” one of the guys says.
I walk to the last table. “It’s last call. Can I get you ladies anything?”
The dark-headed one squeezes her boobs together, setting her elbows on the table. “How about your number? I might need you to come over later and keep me safe during the storm.”
Safety. I look up at the windows, realizing I need to get those boarded. “Excuse me,” I say, and head outside, getting started. This place is old and shitty, and we haven’t had the money to get storm windows yet. So we’re still using the makeshift boarding system that was here when we bought the place. It definitely needs upkeep.
Once I’ve done the best I can with the boarding we have in place, I head back inside and notice we’re down to just a couple of tables left. I walk to the bar. “Did they cash out?” I ask Raven.
“I ran their cards.”
“Thanks. Did anybody leave a decent tip? I told Kinsley I’d save them for her.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get your girlfriend her tips tomorrow.”
She grabs a rag and walks out from behind the bar to a table and wipes it off. I walk over to her. “Kinsley is not my girlfriend,” I say, which is stupid. I probably need to let Raven think I am into Kinsley. Not that she’d be jealous or anything. Raven seems impervious to me no matter what I do. I don’t know why I care so much. Actually, that’s a lie. I know exactly why I care.
“Whatever. It’s none of my business.” She goes to the next table.
The women at table seven flag me down, and I go over and take their credit card. I run it and bring it back to them with their slip, and they get chatty with me. They’re both flirting, and I wonder what the end game is here, because there’s only one of me and two of them.
“We’d love to get to know you better,” one of them says and the other one nods in agreement.
I gauge the two of them and then glance over at Raven who is wiping the table next to us. “You ladies better get home before the storm comes in.” I indicate the window where hard pellets of rain are starting to beat down through the half-ass boarding system.
“You should come over,” one of them says. “You could help us with our storm windows. Especially the one in the bedroom.”
Raven lets out a snort, and I turn my head to find her lifting a chair up onto a table. We usually don’t do that until everyone is gone, but I don’t argue because we do need to get out of here.
“You ladies be safe.” I go over and help Raven with the chairs.
“You’re free to leave,” she says. “If you give me your key I’ll lock up.”
“Of course I’m not gonna leave,” I say, setting a chair down on the table.
She walks to the next table and I follow her. “Don’t wanna miss your opportunity with the twins over there.”
“Those girls don’t look like twins to me.”
She gives me a look. “I wasn’t talking about the two women.”
I look at the one woman’s boobs which are ready to drop out of her shirt at any minute. Part of me wonders if Raven is a little jealous. I would think she was if she didn’t hate me so much. “Like I’d leave you here to close by yourself to go have a three-way. You must really think I’m an asshole.”
She keeps her mouth shut, lifting a chair.
“I need another beer,” shouts one of the guys at the last table of people left. Raven just lifts her eyebrows at me. I walk over to him. “Man, we need to close. The storm’s starting to come in. You guys should get somewhere.”
“We are somewhere,” the other guy says.
“Seriously. It’s starting to come down out there. Why don’t you guys get on home. I’ll bring you your check.”
“We don’t want a fucking check. We want another beer.”
I run my hand through my hair, because I’m really not a guy who likes confrontation. Chapman is a six-and-a-half-foot wall of muscle, so guys usually aren’t stupid enough to pick a fight with him. Logan is a little smaller than me, but he’s fearless and has been known to sucker-punch guys twice his size. I’m somewhere in between the two of them, but I’m a pacifist. I blame my parents. Neither one is a risk-taker. They both have spent their lives with their heads down, keeping the peace.
“Look, man. I don’t want a bunch of shit. I just want my staff to get home.”
“Aren’t you the one they call Code Red?” one of them asks. “Didn’t you close the bar down last week when it started sprinkling?” They have a hefty laugh at my expense.
Raven walks over and slaps down a piece of paper. “Here’s your check. I’d like to get home sometime in the next century.”
“I’d like to take you home,” one of them says, eyeing her like a piece of meat.
“Why don’t you guys go ahead and get out,” I say, my blood starting to heat up.
“Is this your boyfriend?” one of the guys asks like I’m not even standing here.
Raven holds out her hand. “Just give me your damn credit card so I can get you guys cashed out.”
The one sitting closest to Raven grabs her hand and pulls her down onto his lap. She’s a really small girl—I doubt she weighs a hundred pounds—and he jerks her around like she’s a ragdoll and not a full-grown woman with strength and choices. The rage that flies inside me is something I don’t recognize.
“You better fucking let go of her before I beat your ass to a pulp.”
The guy looks at the other one and they laugh. Raven seizes on the distraction and jabs the guy in the eyes with both fingers.
“Fuck!” he shouts as Raven scrambles out of his lap. “You fucking bitch,” he says, standing up.
I jump in between him and her. “Get the fuck out, man.”
The other guy stands. “Dude, let’s fucking go.”
The guy, who’s a few inches shorter than me, just stands there gauging me, and I hold his stare, hoping I’m ominous enough to make him cave.
The other guy grabs his arm. “Come on, man. Let’s get the fuck out of here.” The guy jerks his arm away from the other one, his pride bested by a woman.
The guy spits on the ground and then points at me. “I’ll fucking kill you next time I see you.”
“Cool,” I say as he walks out, because if he was going to kill me, this was his opportunity. When they get out the door, I walk over and lock it, exhaling a breath. Raven stands there like she’s frozen to the spot. She’s breathing pretty heavily, so I walk over to her. “Hey, are you okay?” I put my hand on her shoulder.
She jerks away from me. “I’m fine. Just…let’s finish up.”
“You can go.”
“Out there in the parking lot with them? I think I’ll take my chances in here.” She puts her hand on her forehead, looking visibly shaken. She walks over to the window, peeking through the boards.
“They’ll be gone in a few minutes,” I say.
“Can you guarantee that?”
“No, but I’m sure they don’t want to hang around here after the dude got humiliated by a woman.”
“I was defending myself.”
“Of course you were. I’m not blaming you for that. That was badass.”
“That was really stupid,” she says, sounding like she’s on the verge of tears.
“It wasn’t stupid. It was smart and brave. Sticking your finger in some guy’s eye can’t be fun. Have you done that before?”
“Just forget it. Let’s finish this up so we can get out of here at some point.”
I do want us both to get out of here, but I’m unsure about walking out to the parking lot right now. I took karate as a kid, but I haven’t used it since I was about twelve years old. I’ve never had to use it. I guess I’ve always kind of been the peacekeeper like my mom. But I wanted more than anything to pummel that guy when he put his hands on Raven the way he did.
Raven sweeps while I close out the register. Neither of us says anything as we work on the closing tasks. I try to ignore the sounds of the storm outside, the rain beating down and the wind howling. I can see the parking lot through a crack in one of the boarded windows. The two assholes are still sitting in their car just outside.
She walks up to the window with me. “They’re still out there?”
“Yep.”
“I can’t believe this. They’re waiting for us.”
“Maybe they’re just waiting out the storm. It’s getting bad out there. It might be too dangerous to drive.”
“Crap,” she says and I can tell she’s scared.
“We’re all closed up here, the windows are boarded, and the door is locked.”
“What about the back door?”
“It’s locked. They can’t get in here.”
“So we’re stuck here?” she asks as if she’s just been handed a death sentence.
“Is that the worst thing ever? Look, that storm is bad. We don’t have to go out in it. And I don’t know what those guys are doing. Let’s just stay here till the storm passes. Once their car is gone, I’ll walk you to your car and you can get home safely, okay?”
She lets out a sigh, closing her eyes like she’s trying to come to a resolution.
The glass breaks on the window we’re standing near, and it startles us both so much that we jerk out of the way.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she says, as we both view the glass on the floor and the rain coming in.
“Damn, these windows. We’ve got to prioritize getting a decent system in place,” I say to myself.
Another one bursts through, and it brings a whole piece of wood with it. “Fuck,” I say, wondering how many more are going to fly through. “Why don’t we go in my office. There are no windows in there. I think it was a storage closet before it was an office.”
She eyes me suspiciously.
“Or we can stay out here” I say as another one breaks through. “Fuck.” I hate that I doubted myself. This may be a hurricane for all I know and here we are right on the beach. “I should’ve closed an hour ago. Come on. Let’s go to my office.”
She doesn’t move.
“I’m going to my office. You should come.” I walk in there by myself, leaving the door open, hoping she’ll come to her senses.

Have you read the other books in this series?

Check out my reviews of other books by this author!

 

Melissa Chambers writes contemporary novels for young, new, and actual adults. A Nashville native, she spends her days working in the music industry and her nights tapping away at her keyboard. While she’s slightly obsessed with alt rock, she leaves the guitar playing to her husband and kid. She never misses a chance to play a tennis match, listen to an audiobook, or eat a bowl of ice cream. (Rocky road, please!) She has served as president for the Music City Romance Writers and is the author of The Summer Before Forever, Falling for Forever, and Courting Carlyn (Entangled Teen).

To learn more about Melissa Chambers and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, BookBub, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Buy this book at:

Book Review & Excerpt: In His Heart by Melissa Chambers

In His Heart (Destiny Dunes #3) by Melissa Chambers
Genre: Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: June 29, 2021
Publisher: Perry Evans Press

He wants to trust again, but she’s keeping secrets

Logan

I’ve got trust issues. I don’t let people in, which caused me to lose a great girl last year. I know I need to change or I’m going to die alone a beach bum bartender.

The Destiny Dunes fill-in nurse practitioner, Piper, could be the one to flip my script. Seeing a life with her outside of this resort motivates me to figure out a way to take control of my career and open my own bar.

But when her slimy ex tries to bribe me to break her heart so she’ll go running back to him, I know something’s way off.

She’s keeping secrets from me. I can feel it. It’s hard to learn to trust when your gut and your heart are at war.

Piper

I thought I was taking the two-month job at Destiny Dunes for a little soul-searching, but I’ve gotten more than I bargained for with Logan.

I’ve always gravitated toward safe guys, but he has me parasailing, skinny-dipping, and trading my sweater sets for leather boots. I feel like I’m coming into my own for the first time in my life.

If I tell him what I’m keeping from him, he’ll look at me differently. First, I need to make sure I’m ready to hand him my heart no matter the consequences.

Welcome to Destiny Dunes, where the only thing hotter than the Florida sun is the romance between this resort's employees. Each book in this steamy series focuses on your favorite romance tropes. Once you enter the gates of Destiny Dunes, you'll never want to leave!

In His Heart is the fourth book in the Destiny Dunes series by Melissa Chambers. I just want to hug poor Logan. His heart has had a rough year. He's such a good dude, and you really get to see that within this story. Not that we didn't already know he was a keeper. I think Piper is good for him. They both have a bit of trust issues, though for different reasons. Sure, she has secrets, but she doesn't trust enough to reveal them, and Logan knows something's up, sooo that amps up his suspicions. That sounds like a lot of drama, right? But it's not really, because I feel like these characters handle it all pretty well. They're cute together and fun to read about.. not to mention a bit steamy. I read this one a little out of order, but it didn't hold my enjoyment back one bit. It stands alone just fine, but I do recommend that you grab up this whole series if you haven't already. They're super fun and pull you right in!

In case I haven't mentioned this before, Melissa Chambers is also a Tennessee author! So, a big, happy Woo Hoo to that! 

The ARC of In His Heart by Melissa Chambers was kindly provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

That guy’s gonna be trouble,” Raven says as she scoops ice into a tall glass.

I pull a beer out of the cooler and pop the cap, setting it down in front of a customer. “What was your first hint? The Bitches Beware T-shirt, or the fact that the volume of his voice has risen to a notch above a firetruck’s siren?”

The six-and-a-half-foot goon belly laughs at something his dickhead friend says, stumbling backward, almost upending a bar table.

“Do you think I should call security?” she asks.

“Probably not the worst idea.”

She pulls her phone out of her back pocket. In a minute, she says, “They’re on their way. They’re just around the corner.”

A familiar woman in scrubs walks through the doorway and says something to tonight’s hostess, who points at me. Odds are she wants to place a to-go order. I’ve seen her. She moved in across the street from me a few days ago. She walks around like she’s balancing a tiara on her head.

The second she steps in my direction her composure shatters like a glass of beer dropping to the floor. Cro-Magnon man tosses his arm out to the side in some stupid gesture, sending the woman stumbling backward. I jump over the bar to check on her, but the guy reaches her first.

“Oh shit. Did I do that?” he asks, bringing her to her feet. “You okay?” He pulls her into his chest, crushing her against him, stroking her hair with a big, meaty hand. “She’s fine.”

“Hey,” I say, getting his attention. “Let go of her.”

“Who the fuck are you? Her boyfriend?” he asks, laughing and holding on to her.

“I’m not asking again,” I say.

He considers me, and as he loses focus on her, she wiggles away from him.

“Why don’t you and your friend get the fuck out of here before security gets here,” I say. “They’re on their way.”

“Do you think I’m afraid of some rent-a-cop? Fuck off and mind your own business before I—”

I sucker punch him in the nose, but he’s so massive I barely make a dent. He lunges for me, and I duck, sending him stumbling. I have the advantage of being sober.

My throbbing hand registers the pain. I shake it, and my second of lost focus gives him enough time to break a beer bottle and lunge at me. I toss up my arm to protect my face, and he gets me with a slice on my forearm as I maneuver away from him.

A security guard grabs me as another one grabs him, but he easily shakes the guy off and comes at me and the security guard who’s holding me. We stumble backward as he clobbers us, and we all roll to the floor, the impact knocking the wind out of me. I don’t know what’s up, down, or sideways as giant bodies crush me, jabs going into my side as I try to push the guy off of me. The other security guard gets his bearings and knocks the fuck out of the guy with his baton, and now he is the focus of the goon’s anger. I take the opportunity to slither away, and as I do, the security guard who originally had me, puts his focus on the goon. The two of them are finally able to wrangle him out the door.

The girl in the scrubs appears in front of me. All of her dark hair is swept back into a clean ponytail without a strand out of place, even after being manhandled by the goon. “Are you okay?” she asks, her brown eyes darting back-and-forth between my eyes as she gauges me for signs of life. She focuses on my arm. “I want to take a look at that. Come with me.” She grabs my good arm and pulls me out of the restaurant. The security guards are in a screaming match with the goon. “Come on,” she says, picking up her pace.

“We don’t have to run because of that asshole,” I say, trying to keep up with her.

She’s still holding my hand. “I just want away from that guy, if you don’t mind,” she says, giving me a look back.

I follow behind her as she pulls me into the clinic a few doors down from the bar where I work.

“What’s going on?” the guy at the front desk asks her, looking confused. “Where is our dinner?”

She ignores him, pulls me into the exam room, and closes the door behind her. She smooths her hand over her hair, glancing around the exam room like she’s getting her bearings, her breathing heavy.

I touch her on the shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course I’m okay,” she says, not seeming fine at all.

“Are you sure about that?” I nudge her over to the exam table and she sits on it.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “That was just extremely intense.”

“Have you never been in a bar fight?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

“No, of course not,” she says, clearly not getting my humor.

I consider her, realizing this may have been more traumatic for her than I can understand. “That guy holding onto you like that…that seemed really gross,” I say, not knowing how else to describe it.

“Yeah,” she says, finally meeting my gaze. There’s something about her face that’s friendly, despite her rigid demeanor. I think it’s her little bitty nose. It kind of curves up like a ski slope. “Gross is a good way to describe that.” She looks down at herself like she’s tainted.

“Do you want to go home and change? Get a shower?”

She jumps off the table. “No, I’m fine. I’m a nurse. I’ve dealt with worse than that.”

“I’m glad we cleared that up. Otherwise, I was wondering when we were going to get kicked out of this exam room.” My jokes don’t seem to do much for her.

“Have a seat on the table, please,” she says, taking on a professional, unaffected air.

I follow her instructions and sit. She washes and dries her hands and then puts on rubber gloves. “I’m going to check for glass in this wound.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I say. She opens a pack of instruments and takes my arm. “You’re Simone’s roommate, aren’t you?”

She frowns at me. “How did you know that?”

“I live across the street from you. Simone and I are tight.”

“Oh,” she says. “I didn’t realize. I haven’t met her yet.”

“Yeah, I know. She’s been in Nashville this week. I’m Logan, by the way.”

“I’m Piper.”

“You moved in Wednesday, right?”

“That’s right,” she says, turning my arm as she inspects it up close.

“I saw you out there with your…boyfriend?” I ask.

“No. That was my…that was just someone who was helping me.” She puts my arm down and goes over to the counter.

“Okay,” I say, wondering what the story is there.

“My boyfriend will be here in the morning. He’s visiting for the weekend, and then he’s leaving for London on Sunday.”

“Oh,” I say, trying not to sound too disappointed. She’s uptight, but she’s cute. “You can take him to the bar. Show him where you got mauled by a grizzly bear.”

She wipes away the blood on my arm. “I don’t think you need stitches. I’ll dress this and let it heal on its own.”

“Works for me. What’s your boyfriend going to be doing in London?”

“Working,” she says, opening a tube and squeezing some gel onto her finger. “He’s there for a two-month project. We’re taking a little break.”

“You mean from each other, or…”

“No,” she says, her cheeks going pink. “We’re still together, of course…I think…I’m not totally sure, actually.”

“Sounds complicated.”

“I just need some time to think.” She goes over and gets a bandage. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. It doesn’t kill couples to be apart for a few months.”

“Of course not. But I wouldn’t really know too much about that.”

“Being in a couple?” she asks.

“Yeah. I don’t do the couple thing.”

She applies a bandage to my arm. “Well, you’re missing out. Being in a relationship is a wonderful thing. Someone to spend evenings with cozied up on the couch, someone to cook with and go to movies with and share your life with. Who wouldn’t want that?” There’s a sadness to her tone, like maybe she’s trying to convince herself.

“It’s also fun sleeping around,” I say.

She gives me a look like I’m a pile of dogshit she stepped in. “Keep that clean and dressed,” she says, tossing her gloves in a trash can.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She opens the door to the exam room and peers into the small lobby. The tension in her shoulders falls, and she opens the door wider. She holds out her hand to me. “Thank you for what you did at the bar.”

I shake her hand. “It was no problem.”

She scans my face like she wants to say something then walks over to her computer and sits down.

“Are you coming back to get your dinner?” I ask.

“No, I’m not hungry anymore.”

“I am,” says the guy at the front desk.

“What do you want to eat?” I ask. “I’ll bring something for both of you.”

“You don’t need to do that,” she says.

“I’ll take the quesadilla,” says the guy.

“And you?” I ask.

She lets out a sigh. “I guess I’ll take a bowl of gumbo, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“It’s not,” I say.

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a credit card that she offers me.

“I think this one needs to be on the house after what you went through in there.”

She pockets her credit card. “Thank you.”

I head back to the bar and walk up to the kiosk to put in the order for the food.

“How’s your arm?” Raven asks.

“No stitches. Just a surface wound. What happened to the guy?”

“They’ve detained him. The police are on their way.”

“Good deal.”

Mike, my manager, walks by and I grab him. “Hey, I need you to comp this ticket.”

“Why?”

“This is for the girl who got mauled in here a minute ago.”

He gives me a skeptical look and then swipes his card through the machine. “She’s hungry for a woman, isn’t she?”

I don’t answer. I try to say as little as possible to Mike. He’s not my biggest fan, and I’m not his.

When the runner delivers the food to the bar, I grab it and head to the clinic. When I walk in, I notice the door to the exam room is closed. I set the food down in front of the guy at the desk. “Is she with a patient?”

“No, she’s in there alone.” He leans in. “I think she’s crying.”

“You didn’t check on her?”

“I just met her tonight. She’s not the most open person, you know.”

I frown at him and then take the bowl of gumbo out of the bag along with the package of plastic utensils. I walk over to the door and knock.

There’s a moment’s hesitation before she says, “Come in.” I open the door, and while she’s trying hard not to show it, she’s been crying. She takes the soup from me. “Thank you. This was very kind. This soup was recommended by a patient earlier tonight.”

“It’s the best thing we make, but we only make it on Fridays for some stupid reason.”

She nods, touching her face as if she’s nervous.

I shut the door behind me and say, “Would you like to talk about anything?”

“No, why would you ask me that?”

“Because you’re clearly rattled. I know that guy—”

She shakes her head, pressing her fingertips against her forehead. “It wasn’t that guy. I mean…that was bad and I never want to have to go through it again, but it’s not him.”

I pull the visitor chair over to her and sit. “Is it another guy?”

Her expression goes tight, and I can tell she’s trying to hold back tears.

“Is it your boyfriend?”

She grabs a couple of tissues and dabs at her eyes. “It’s just that change is hard. I was so sure I was doing the right thing, and now this happens. It feels like a sign. And I’m not into any of that kind of woo woo stuff.”

I hold back a smile, because she doesn’t need me making fun of her right now, but I have no idea what woo woo stuff is. “It doesn’t have to be a sign. It can just be an asshole in a bar. There’s plenty of those. Hell, more times than not I’m probably the asshole in the bar.”

She meets my gaze with those big brown doe eyes. Or maybe she’s just reminding me of a deer because she’s so vulnerable right now.

“You don’t seem like an asshole,” she says, gauging me.

“Well, many of the women in the greater panhandle area would disagree, but that’s probably a story for another time.” I smile at her to put her at ease, hoping she will eventually get my humor.

Her expression softens, and I feel like she wants to smile but she can’t quite get there.

“You said you were trying to do the right thing,” I say. “What is that? What are you trying to do?”

She rubs her forehead. “I’m trying to make a decision.”

“What decision is that?”

“Whether or not to marry my boyfriend.”

“Oh. That’s a big decision. How long have the two of you been together?”

“A year,” she says and then looks at me with her face kind of scrunched up.

“That’s a decent amount of time. When did he propose?”

“He’s been proposing for about six months now. But this time he proposed with an ultimatum. He said he was going to have to move on if I couldn’t give him a firm yes or no.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“Worried I’m going to do the wrong thing.”

“I would think you would know whether or not you wanted to marry a guy after a year.”

“It’s…complicated.”

“Sounds like it. When do you have to give your answer?”

“In two months,” she says, fumbling with the top of her gumbo. “That’s how long I’m here. Laura, the other night nurse, is on maternity leave for two months. I was supposed to go to London with Thomas, and then I found this. I thought it was a sign. Maybe I’m more into that woo woo stuff than I think I am.”

I squint at her. “I let it go the first time, but now I’ve got to ask. What is woo woo stuff?”

She smiles with a little giggle, and her face blossoms. I thought she was cute before, but now that I see how a smile transforms her, I know cute doesn’t cover it.

“It’s like spacey, New Age thinking. The stars aligning, fate, those kinds of nonsensical ideas.”

“Ah. Yeah, I’m not into that stuff.” I think about how, just as I was starting to believe that Bailey was the girl for me, my cousin decided he wanted her. The stars didn’t exactly align in my direction, because he ended up with the girl.

“I’m not either,” she says, like she’s making a decision. She stands up. “I’m sorry for burdening you with my problems. It wasn’t very professional.”

“I’m not your patient any longer. Now I’m officially your friend.” I give her what I hope is a comforting smile as I stand.

“Thank you, once again,” she says, touching me on the arm like she’s not sure what to do.

I hold out my arms. “Would you like a hug?”

She considers me like she’s solving a physics problem.

I drop my arms. “Next time.”

As I’m about to walk out the door, she says, “Yes, I would.”

I turn around and raise an eyebrow.

“I’ll take that hug,” she says, holding out her arms, but keeping them close to her body.I walk over to her and draw her into my chest, holding her there. I keep expecting her to pull away, but she doesn’t, so I let her live there as long as she wants. I get a whiff of her hair, and the scent of almonds and vanilla sends a shot of warmth through my chest, jerking me to my senses. I pull away, getting my bearings. I point to her food. “I’ll let you eat your dinner. Thanks for taking care of my arm.” Before she can say much in return, I shoot out the door and back to the bar.

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Melissa Chambers writes contemporary novels for young, new, and actual adults. A Nashville native, she spends her days working in the music industry and her nights tapping away at her keyboard. While she’s slightly obsessed with alt rock, she leaves the guitar playing to her husband and kid. She never misses a chance to play a tennis match, listen to an audiobook, or eat a bowl of ice cream. (Rocky road, please!) She has served as president for the Music City Romance Writers and is the author of The Summer Before Forever, Falling for Forever, and Courting Carlyn (Entangled Teen).

To learn more about Melissa Chambers and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, BookBub, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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