Ramblings of a Book Lunatic: Forgiving Reed (Sothern Boys #1) by C.A. Harms with Giveaway, Excerpt & Review

Forgiving Reed by CA Harms Blog Tour

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 13th, 2014

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions (http://bookenthusiastpromotions.com)

Kori suffered a great loss, one that left her feeling so desolate and alone, that she believed nothing would ever fill the void…

The only thing that kept her going was the one little piece of joy she still had in her life, her baby boy, Rhett.

She had no choice but to move forward and give her son the best life she could. Which meant moving back home. Except there was one problem.

Home was where Reed would be…

The man who once held her heart, then shattered it into a million pieces.

Grieving the loss of Rhett's dad, and learning to forgive those who have betrayed her, Kori was battling it all.

But will she ever have the strength to forgive Reed?

Fourth of July weekend came quickly. I knew that only meant it was time for me to once again climb out of my shell, make an appearance to those who pitied me.

Maria insisted that I take part in the festivities. She was in charge of the food. She was making a big impression in town with her fancy cooking skills. It was her new found hobby and she was really good at it. This was her chance to gather the praise she deserved. She was able to try out some new items and get some real feedback. Oh, how the cowboys loved every little bit. I know her appearance only made it a little better on their behalf. They got to ogle her and devour her food.

I stood under the tent, placing out the new filled dishes, after the current ones were emptied. I heard someone clear their throat and I quickly looked up. Connecting immediately with a man that could still make my knees feel weak. The thought of that seemed to spike my temper and had me wanting to lash out.

“You gonna act like you hate me forever Kori? Or are we gonna move passed the fact that I was a dumb kid that made an even dumber mistake?” He stared at me directly in the eyes, waiting for my response.

I narrowed my eyes and glared, “I think I’ll just stick to hating you forever.”

I heard him chuckle as I continued to busy myself with refilling the food that was running low.

“You don’t hate me Kori…not like you say you do.”

What in the hell did he know? He had no idea how I felt. I leaned forward bracing myself against the table in front of me with both hands. I could see the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Cocky arrogant son of bitch thought that he had me in the palm of his hand.

“I can promise you one thing Reed.” I paused to look up over his shoulder. Connecting my vision with none other than the girl he felt was worth throwing away everything we had, all those years ago. “If the last eight months have taught me anything, it would be that life is short. I don’t plan on wasting a moment of my time on those who don’t deserve it.” His smile fell as I continued. “You, Reed, took what we had and threw it away, for a quick roll in the hay with the town slut. That was the moment I started hating you.”

I pushed up off the table causing a few of the dishes to rattle with the force.

I spun around and walked away leaving him staring after me in what I assumed was regret.

4.5 stars
This was a great book about love, life, forgiveness and second chances. Kori was hurt as a teenager by Reed. She moved on in her life, and discovered Blake. Blake taught her how to love completely, and then was taken from her life just when she needed him most. The loss of Blake brought Kori back home, where she focused on herself and her son, Rhett. Running into Reed only brought her painful memories from the past, until she decided to let go of that and move forward. It wasn't easy because she was choosing to move forward with her life now, as a single mom and young woman who lost a great deal. Reed, for his part, has always regretted his actions in the past, and has done a great deal of growing up himself. I loved that he offered to be there for Kori as a friend, because that is what they had always been before the mistake. It wasn't easy, and it took a lot of time for both Reed and Kori to move forward and accept their feelings for each other. This book pulled me in and didn't let me go, even at the last page I wanted to know what was in store for the characters next. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

C.A. Harms is like any other addicted reader. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories. She hasn't always been a lover of Romance and had once been addicted to a good Mystery. Just recently she has taken on a new liking and now is a full blown Romance novel addict. She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. You will always find her with her kindle or paperback in hand as it is her favorite pass time.