J. Sterling

My first thought after finishing Worth the Chase, Book 3 in author J. Sterling’s Sugar Mountain Series, was, “I hope there are more O’Grady brothers – or cousins, or . . . ) hidden away somewhere because I am absolutely not ready for this series to be over.” This is a place I want to move to, a family I want to join, stories to go on forever. They are feel-good, warm your heart through and through books. Even if the first eight words of Book 1, Worth the Fall, had me sobbing. Good show more people working through hard times and bad memories to focus on good times and good memories – and making even better memories for the future.

Worth the Chase is Matthew O’Grady’s story. He’s the youngest of the three brothers, as handsome and popular as the other two and their dad. He’s the one who left Sugar Mountain to play pro hockey, and he lived up to the typical professional athlete rep: party, play around, don’t form attachments. He had a good life and he enjoyed it. But that was then and this is now.

Now Matthew is home. He always planned on coming home, but not after just seven years in the NHL. He didn’t plan on a career ending injury. He didn’t plan on feeling lost and overwhelmed, useless, uncertain of his future and being sad so much of the time. Sure, he’s got more money than he knows what to do with. He’s still famous and recognized. And with those looks he’s still got all the women he could want throwing themselves at him. Except he doesn’t want them, who he wants is Isabella Sanchez, and she barely gives him the time of day – or night, since he spends all his nights drinking at the bar where she is the bartender.

Bella isn’t the girl he left behind or the one who got away. No, she was his high school best friend’s little sister, the pesky little girl who had the mad crush on the older boy. Not so pesky, really; they were close, she understood him and was there for him when his mother died. But she was too young and off limits. That bro code or something. And Leo wasn’t kidding when he told Matthew to stay away from her. Nor was Leo kidding when he made it a point to shove photos of Matthew with woman after woman after – you get the picture – in front of Bella when Matthew was still playing hockey. She knew Matthew didn’t have feelings for her. Except for giving her her first kiss, so unexpected, telling her, “If a guy doesn’t kiss you like this the first time, Bells, don’t let him do it again.” But he was leaving town and didn’t contact her for the entire seven years he was gone, proof enough she didn’t really mean anything to him.

So his smothering attention now is unwelcome. She doesn’t trust him; thinks he’s just looking for another conquest. Leo kept her well informed of his antics while an active player and she sees the women still making themselves available. She took that first kiss to heart, though, and has never been serious about anyone, has never really dated much, but that doesn’t mean she wants to risk her heart again; he’s already broken it once. And even though she refuses to go out with Matthew the playboy she sees beneath the drunk-every night-asking-her-out-guy to the man who is unhappy, uncertain, and unsettled. She won’t turn away from helping if she can. And Matthew – he just wants a chance. Bella is the only one besides his immediate family who made him feel he was home, and the feeling is still there.

When Bella agrees to help him find a house to buy, their relationship starts to shift. He’s still arrogant and cocky and relentless in his pursuit, but she sees more. And he sees glimpses of Bella the girl now grown into Bella the woman, the very desirable woman who still just feels so right. Author J. Sterling gives us some outrageously funny moments and some where Matthew is just ridiculous (and ridiculously cute) but the best parts are the ones that make your heart beat a little faster, as they learn more about each other, realize there is attraction and heat, and where Matthew’s proclamations of ‘our marriage, our house, our kids’ don’t seem so far-fetched. Sterling surrounds them with friends and family, treating us to more time with all the folks we met and loved in the previous books, and their presence is welcome and much needed when something horrific happens to Bella. The family’s resort and the town of Sugar Mountain are as beautiful and charming as ever; Matthew is right – this is home. Sterling has written such a special series and Worth the Chase is the perfect wrap up. I recommend it without hesitation. I received an advance copy of this book. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less

Author J. Sterling writes a wide variety of stories and series, different characters, different settings, different circumstances. But they all have one very important thing in common: they make you believe. In love, in happiness, in hope. In the conviction that whatever has happened to you in the past, wherever you are right now, it’s still possible for things to work out and your dreams to come true. There’s always a way; you just have to have faith, to be willing to open your eyes and show more look for the possibilities.

Patrick O’Grady, however, doesn’t have any of that faith. He may as well be encased in concrete, frozen like Han Solo in Star Wars. His high school love, Addison Whitman, moved to New York City almost four years ago and hasn’t been back to Sugar Mountain once. But Patrick can’t move on, won’t move on. He loves her with his whole heart and he chooses each and every day to continue doing so. How long can he go on like this? He’s read somewhere online that people tried something new for up to five years. They either gave up within that time frame or kept at it. Almost four years now without her, but when his countdown calendar reaches five years, will it be any different? Not if his thoughts and his conversations with his brothers are any indication. Every action he’s taken since she left is still with their shared dreams and plans in mind.

Leaving Patrick was the hardest thing Addi ever did. Yes, she went to follow her dream to enter culinary school, but that was only part of it. Addison’s mother tore their family apart when Addi was young, and when I say tore apart I’m not kidding. Her disdain for small-town life in Sugar Mountain, feeling smothered and suffocated there, led her to leave for New York City. Not only did she leave Addi and Addi’s father Jeremiah, without even a backward glance, she took Addi’s little sister Sarina with her. So the move to New York is not only for her dreams of being a successful chef one day but an opportunity to possibly reconnect with her mother and to spend time with the sister she misses so much. The job and school are good but demanding and the field is exhausting and cutthroat, her mother treats her with the same disdain she displays for Sugar Mountain and Jeremiah; time with Sarina is wonderful, but they are still worlds apart. Sarina grew up in the city and thrives there; she’s a wildly successful influencer. Rather than adapting and coming to love her new life, Addi is starting to hate the city and wonder if her dreams for her life as a chef are really meant for city life, but what are her choices? If she goes back to Sugar Mountain what is she going back to?

Well, the choice to go back is taken from her: fate – or more specifically her father’s accident – have her rushing home, but it’s bittersweet. She loves Sugar Mountain and she’s missed it. She’s missed her father, too, and can’t believe she let all that time go by without visiting him. And there hasn’t been a day that she hasn’t thought of Patrick, hasn’t missed him, hasn’t felt her heart ache for him. Their reunion is sweet and poignant. Their love just shines through, it bursts out of them, but it’s not that simple. It feels like no time has passed and also like there is an impossible chasm between them.

Worth the Fall, the first book in the Sugar Mountain series, had me crying within the first couple of pages. Worth the Wait had me swooning and immediately in love with Patrick. This series may be author Sterling’s first time writing small-town romance, but she has nailed it. You will be so invested in these characters; their connection is so strong it will make you smile and sigh, and then there are the funny parts which will have you laughing out loud, and don’t forget the sensual, sexy, scorching parts. Whew!

Worth the Wait was an amazing, enjoyable read start to finish. I recommend it, this series and everything else J. Sterling writes. I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of Worth the Wait. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less

“My wife died giving birth to our daughter.” Okay, this is definitely a first sentence to get your attention. And if you’re not crying by the end of the first paragraph you don’t even have a heart. Thomas and Jenna went to high school together, married suddenly at age 23 when she discovered she was going to have a baby, and were beginning a new life together. Maybe they were a little young and hadn’t planned their future this far out, but they were making it. Until while giving show more birth to their baby daughter, Jenna suffered a brain aneurysm and died. Thomas was now a widower and a single dad, just like his own father.

Fast forward eight years. Thomas is now a dedicated, devoted dad to Clarabel, a smart, active, joyous little girl spoiled outrageously by her grandfather Pops and her Uncles Patrick and Matthew. And Thomas? His name is now almost officially Mr. Grumpy. He loves his little girl, he is good at and likes his job at the family’s Sugar Mountain Resort but women, dating, relationships? No, thanks. He finally got over (most of) the self-inflicted guilt from Jenna’s death, he worries about being a good father, work and Clara keep him busy, and that’s more than enough. Until Brooklyn McKay runs into him – literally, wanting to go rock climbing on his chest – and then again as a job candidate to replace his assistant. The state she’s in and why she wants to go rock climbing is happy/sad, the job interview is funny/intriguing. Worth the Fall just takes off and it’s non-stop enjoyment from this point on.

Brooklyn is just getting out of a bad, bad, bad marriage. She refused to admit it to herself for a long time, but she wasn’t ever very happy and feeling taken advantage of and invisible became unbearable. She is good at and enjoys her job, but the position at the resort would be challenging and a new beginning. Being around those sinfully handsome O’Gradys, especially Thomas, is a bonus.

Sugar Mountain is a small town. They all went to the same high school but not at the same time, so while they know of each other they don’t know each other well. Except that everybody knows the O’Grady family. But what’s with that spark between her and Thomas? They hardly know each other. And spark nothing – it’s about to hit forest fire level.

Thomas is rude, opinionated, judgmental – and sexy. Brooklyn is strong, wary, gives as good as she gets, doesn’t back down – also sexy. Their encounters are often laugh-out-loud funny. They are irresistibly drawn together, then he jumps back almost in panic, then she wonders what she/they are doing, and then it starts again. Factor in the instant warmth she feels for Clara and the adoration Clara immediately feels for her and you’ve got one enjoyable, romantic, charming, steamy, hilarious story. I love stories like this: single parent, precocious yet lovable, adorable child, and the old enemy, new crush, best-friend-now-love-interest stepping into the picture and you can see this instant family forming almost right before your eyes. Makes you feel warm and fuzzy. The heat between the adults will make you toasty warm, too.

Worth the Fall is sweet, steamy, thoughtful, entertaining. Underneath the sexy scenes and the funny scenes is a lot of life happening. And a close look at two people just hanging in, hanging on, trying to get through what life has thrown at them, trying not to feel guilty for the decisions they made, to not feel they are to blame for things they never could control. Their attraction is strong, much more than just casual or physical. It is physical, but there is also romance and trust and yearning. The story is well written, smoothly plotted and introduces us to a large cast of family and friends we hope to see more of. I was drawn into the story at once with that strong first chapter and loved every minute of the book, and the dedication at the start is amazing. I can’t wait to see what’s next in this series and to read more from this talented author. I received an advance copy of Worth the Fall from Wordsmith Publicity. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less

I suffer greatly with contemporary romance. I truly do...it us so very hard to find a novel with a story that isn't solely about lust. When the novel's focuses primarily on an erect phallus and soaked panties, you get a book whose dialogue is written by hormones.

I don't find that hormones have a large vocabulary, or a large focus of attention for that matter. The conversation and inner monologue revolves about one subject - getting laid. I don't mind sex, actually the more the better but i show more need something in between, otherwise i feel like i am eating a bread sandwich. You simply have to have something juicy wedged in there or it's dry, boring and damned hard to swallow.

This book only gets an ok rating because of this - You know when you have a girl that likes a guy, but pretends to hate him? She will call him a jerk while she is undressing him with her eyes, she will tell her friends - "Omigosh, like, totally, i will never go out with him, not in a million years!" - while she will jump on every opportunity to be near him, she will push him away verbally while grabbing him by the arms and pulling him close....

You get my drift. Well, i find that kind of behavior juvenile, transparent, and boring....so very boring. It's like watching a bunch of 13 year old kids.

Cassie is one of those juvenile, boring, unimaginative, silly girls and when Jack singles her out, I just can't see why? She is nothing special, in fact she is so average i had to look up her name for this review, and i just finished the damned thing. That's how big of an impact she had on me.

I found that it's very hard to write a young adult novel. Majority of the authors out there don't seem to be capable to introduce that 'adult' factor to the novel. And no, I'm not talking about sex. So what we wind up reading is a bunch of corny high-school cafeteria kind of dramas, that - let's face it - weren't even that interesting when we were in high school.

But,hey i am not the one to give up, because there are always a few novels out there that are worth it.....it's finding them that's the problem. show less