Alison Kent

After a drunken flirt during a vacation, Kinsey Gray and Doug Storey haven't had much to do with each other. Then Doug decides to move to another town, and Kinsey thinks that she might want him to stay. So, with some help from her best friends, she sets out to seduce him.
I should probably get smart and not read category fiction anymore. Most of the time it's a huge disappointment. This book certainly was. I've seldom met such a pair of unlikable protagonists. They definitely deserve each show more other. But let me point out a few things that are totally wrong with this book. First of all, Kinsey's job. She's supposed to be Vice President of Girl Gear, a company that...does something. Maybe they sell clothes, but who knows. She never works, and if there is a meeting with her colleagues (all women), they don't do much beyond discussing their personal lives and what they can do for this or that charity. Next, Kinsey's view of herself. The author mentions all of the time how gorgeous and well-dressed she is. Good for her, but then why is she afraid that nobody will bid for her at the bachelorette auction that happens in the book. Then, her plans to win Doug over. Stupid. She isn't sure if she wants him, she isn't sure if she even wants to fall in love, and she also doesn't know what she wants with Doug if it turns out he's interested. Also, the way she goes about this. She actually tries to be someone else! She invites Doug for dinner and pretends to be a great cook, even though she never cooks. She watches sports matches with him (can't remember if it was football or baseball), even though she isn't interested in sports. Whatever is she thinking? Is she thinking at all? Why does she even want this guy to fall in love with a person that isn't her? And let's not forget Doug, the "hero". He can be quite cruel to Kinsey at times. He has decided that he never wants to fall in love. Why? Because a girlfriend did something bad to him many years ago. Yes, he's a really mature and intelligent guy. Not. show less

I recently read a short story by Alison Kent that I really liked, so when I saw that she had two of her older books available in e-book format for only $.99 each, I couldn't resist purchasing them. I just read the first, Love in Bloom, and have to say that it was more than worth the price. It was a nice, easy read at a time when I very much needed one, but at the same time, quite pleasant and enjoyable. I love the reunion romance, and Love in Bloom was all about a second chance for a couple show more who had been too young and naïve to fully appreciate the once in a lifetime love they had the first time around. I liked that neither one had been able to find another relationship that could rival the grand passion they had once shared with each other, and now they had another shot at making it work when they were in a much better and more mature place. I have to admit that I was a little hesitant about this one, because of the seeming hidden baby plot (not a favorite) that was implied in the synopsis, but it turned out to be something entirely different than what I was expecting and not at all bothersome to me.

Love in Bloom had some very likable characters. Carson was a genius photographer who had helped make Eva famous as a teen model. His jet-setting parents had never paid much attention to him growing up, and so, in his youth, he was apparently an extreme perfectionist who thought that doing everything flawlessly was the only way to get attention. Eva was the only one who understood him well enough to put up with his attitude, but even she had her limits. She believed he wasn't ready for a family, so when Eva discovered that she was pregnant, she left Carson to his career. As a result, he ended up spending the next seventeen years searching the globe for something that had been right under his nose all the time. I liked that Carson had grown and changed a lot in the years he and Eva had been apart and had come to realize that he didn't need to be perfect to be worthy of her love. Even though she was a well-known model, Eva had some tough breaks in life, and had worked hard to be far more than just a pretty face. She now has a successful nursery business and is a wonderful mother. She too has grown enough that once she got reacquainted with Carson, she was willing to admit that maybe she had somewhat underestimated him all those years ago and was willing to open her heart to him again when it became obvious that he wasn't the same person she'd know in her youth. Eva's teenage son, Zack, the only prominent secondary character, was a great kid who had a few of his own point-of-view scenes as he too struggled with the implications of young love.

Alison Kent seems to have a way with conveying the intense, unrequited longing that Carson and Eva had for one another, but in a more subtle way that might require a bit of reading between the lines. A few more specific examples of Carson's demanding personality might have been nice to help convey Eva's concerns which led her to leave him, but I still think I generally understood her reasons even if I would have liked for them to be expressed on a deeper level. Sometimes couples may simply not be ready for love the first time around, but after personal reflection, will begin to understand themselves enough to make it work later in life, and I think that's exactly what happened with Carson and Eva. I also thought it was rather neat that both characters were over 35, which is kind of a rarity in romance. Overall, Love in Bloom was just a gentle, uncomplicated story that was a pleasure to read, and has left me looking forward to more from Alison Kent. Love in Bloom was originally published in print by the Zebra Bouquet line under the pseudonym Michaila Callan, but was recently reprinted in digital format. show less

3.5 stars

“Who hurt you?”Finn asked, his voice pitched low and coming from just behind her.
She kicked at a cloud of bubbly foam. “A friend of my father’s. He said I invited his advances. Told me I’d asked for it with the way I flounced around half undressed.”
“You know you didn’t. No woman asks for a sexual assault.”
She tried to shrug off his words. “He didn’t really hurt me—”
“Of course, he did. If not physically, then emotionally. How old were you?”
“Fourteen. show more Old enough to know better.”
“Olivia—”
“He was right. About that much, anyway. I’d seen him looking at me. I knew what he was thinking.”She lifted her face, letting the breeze cool her. “But he wasn’t going to have any say in what I wore. I had the right to wear anything I wanted to, damn him, to expose as much of my body as society said was decent. I’d show him. And I did. Until he showed me.”She didn’t move when she sensed Finn coming closer. She didn’t freeze or flinch. She wanted him there. Wanted the comfort he offered when he stood behind her and wrapped her up in his arms. She closed hers on top of his and held him there, sinking into him, needing the support of his body, but needing even more the emotional rock he offered.

Ladies and gentleman, this is a hero. There were so many little but immensely powerful moments from this hero Finn in regards to healing the heroine. Swoon.

This one started off pretty slow with Finn doing some P.I. work and Olivia purposefully crossing paths with him. Then about 20% in, we get a second couple of Judi and Roland/Roman (he is undercover DEA) that share equal time, trading off, with Finn and Olivia. About 40% in this becomes erotica and what a steamy sexy read it is. Both of our couples are far from shy and burn up of the pages with their chemistry. Then about 60% in the story starts to hit some deep emotional tones delving into our characters' childhood issues and how they affect them today and finally the last bit plays out the suspense storyline. This story is a hard one to pinpoint because of all its different components and while it made it different, it also made it uneven. However, the hot sex and little devastating emotional moments more than makeup for the other grouses. show less

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance/chick-lit read by Alison Kent. Overall the plot was mostly believable and I enjoyed the evolution of sharing that took place between Ten and Kaylie as well as that between Kaylie and Lena. The supporting characters were nicely fleshed out and I look forward to learning more about them as the series progresses. I would have enjoyed getting a bit broader view of Hope Springs as I feel settings are almost a character in and of themselves. Nevertheless, show more I believe I am hooked on Kent’s Hope Springs series and look forward to reading the next installment when it is released.

I received an advanced copy of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less