What if all you want is the one thing you can’t have? First grade teacher Emily Towson always does the right thing. The sensible thing. In her dreams, though, she does bad, bad things with the town’s baddest boy: Tanner O’Connor. But when he sells her grandmother a Harley, fantasy is about to meet a dose of reality. And then he goes and calls her “sensible”… Tanner can’t believe sweet Emily … “sensible”…
Tanner can’t believe sweet Emily is standing in his shop. Yelling and waving her hands and looking so god damn sexy he’s having trouble focusing. He’d spent two hard years in prison, with only the thought of this “good girl” to keep him sane.
He really should send her away…
Before either one thinks though, they’re naked and making memories on his tool bench with apparently the oldest condom in history. Now Tanner’s managed to knock-up the town’s “good girl” and she’s going to lose her job over some stupid “morality clause” if he doesn’t step up.
But can this bad boy teach his good girl they’re perfect for each other in time?
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I really enjoyed this book, I had a hard time putting it down.
Emily is a woman from a small town who loves her job as a school teacher. She is a good girl who has always tried to take the safe way in life. The only thing she has ever done in her life that was dangerous was have a very secret crush on the town bad boy.
Tanner is a man who has had a rough life. Half of it hasn’t been his fault but the other half is his coping mechanism. He is a man who wanted to return to his home town because he loved it there but not necessarily the people. He wears his distrust and anger on his sleeve.
This book was full of emotions. There were times you wanted to laugh, cry, hug or throat punch someone. These two individuals are trying to figure things out with a town that isn’t on their side. Luckily for them, they have a grandma who is willing to go to bat for them.
*A copy of this book was gifted to me from the author and I freely give my honest review*
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it was witty, hot, intriguing and emotional.
* Good storyline with a little surprise in the end that I would love to hear more about.
* Emily and Tanner has chemistry and sparks fly from first encounter. I love how their relationship grows slowly in to something more and they both reflects deeply on how it’s effecting them
* The secondary characters is helping building a world that I very much like.
* No unnecessary descriptions of surroundings
* Both internal and external dialogues that makes the story so much more meaningful
* Love scenes are hot, sweet and tasteful
This start of a new series is very promising and I’m so curious for the rest of the O’Connor boys and Mimi’s stories
Saddler Cove Series
Well, it happened again! I found another new to me author to stalk!
Handle with Care is the first book in a hopefully new series. This book is a fantastic introduction to the people of Saddler Cove. Small town drama and small town living.
This story is more than just the love story of Tanner and Emily. It’s so much more! I loved the multiple POV’s and the secondary romance that was going on!
Emily is a fantastic character! I loved her honesty. I enjoyed the fact that she was forthright about her feelings and she didn’t stew long about issues that were plaguing her!
Tanner is the ultimate alpha. He has dealt with bad luck and judgemental people in his past. It explains why he is the way his is today.
The chemistry between Tanner and Emily was amazing! I loved the whole dichotomy between the characters! It was a great telling of the “good girl” “bad boy” scenario.
The secondary characters were fantastic and I am so hoping to read more about them in the future! This is a definite must read!
I am so glad to have had the opportunity to read this! Thank you for your words Ms. Croft! I cannot wait to see what you come out with next!
A beautiful story about taking chances and finding your rainbow on the other side. Two of the most unlikeliest people to fall in love do so. In a small town it becomes a spectacle. Throw in a feisty 70 year old grandmother and the fireworks explode. The emotions run riot throughout the book and the author does a great job of keeping the reader invested. I am hoping that this is the start of a great new series as there is a lot of characters that can be made into scintillating stories.
Story has been told before and yet this was so absolutely fun and adorable. Definitely well worth your listening time (or reading)
Emily has always had a crush on Tanner, the bad boy biker. Tanner meanwhile has been harboring fantasies about her but she’s sweet and he doesn’t do sweet. A confrontation leads to a tumble in his workshop using a three-year old condom predictably ending in knocking up Emily.
This book is a pleasing read with enough twists to keep me reading on. Mini and Josh’s story is an irrelevant and unnecessary arc in the story line. Croft has taken an otherwise ordinary story and turned it into an interesting one.
Good story line, I enjoyed it.
When two unlikely people act upon an attraction that they have for each other, lots of unexpected things happen. A story of redemption and courage. It is amazing when people get to know the real person inside instead of what is perceived to be shown outwardly. And encouraging and heartwarming read!
All the characters in the book were great. Good & “bad” were shown as normal people. Am looking forward to book 2.
Awww, I loved this book. It’s not a new story line…bad boy and the 1st grade teacher, but wow, it was written so well. The story completely engaged me and the characters were fantastic…every single one of them. It was just a fantastically well put together book and I’m so glad I decided to pick it up to read today.
I definitely recommend it and can’t wait to read more in the series.
I absolutely loved this first installment of the Saddlers Cove series and can’t wait for more! If there was ever a goody two shoes that needed a dose of “bad boy” it is definitely sweet, ‘sensible’ Ms. Emily Towson, and who better to shake her up than the worse bad boy in town, Tanner O’Connor! This story went deeper than a good girl/bad boy romance, at times leaving me with tears in my eyes and other times making me laugh out loud. Great characters! I highly recommend it!
~~ 4 #TeamTanner STARS! ~~
I have a real soft spot for swoony small town romances, so when I read the blurb for HANDLE WITH CARE by Nina Croft, about a sweet-natured good girl who finally gets her chance at true love with the bad boy of her dreams, my heart skipped a beat! And this book did NOT disappoint!
THE STORY:
Ever since her parents died in a tragic accident, sensible school teacher Emily Towson has led a safe and predictable life. But all that changes when she storms into Tanner O’Conner’s bike shop to ream him out for selling her “gullible” old Gran a Harley!! Of course the tall, dark and gorgeously tattooed ex-con just so happens to be her secret crush so her plans to rip him a new one go horrible awry!
Unbeknownst to them both, Grandma Mimi had ulterior motives—she bought the bike to bring some adventure into her granddaughter’s life—but had no clue the hornet’s nest she would be stirring up!! To say that Tanner, the sexy as hell town outcast who spent the past six years in jail for a crime he did not commit, has a chip on his shoulder is an understatement! And when the sassy little school teacher gets all high and mighty with him, he retaliates by saying lewd things to her and goading her into doing something spontaneous for once in her life.
And…eeep…DOES SHE EVER!!
To his utter shock, Emily strips buck naked in the middle of his shop and pounces on him like a cat in heat! And since he’s always covertly lusted after Emily too, he “rises” to the occasion and takes her right there on his filthy work bench!! But neither imagined the domino effect that their reckless sexy encounter would unleash!!! With practically the whole town against them, can Saddler Cove’s Most Ineligible Bachelor and little Miss Sensible go the distance??
MY MUSINGS:
HANDLE WITH CARE, my first ever read by Nina Croft, is brimming with heartfelt emotion, scintillating sensuality, and angst and drama galore! And then when you throw an unplanned bun in the oven into the mix things, get even dicier!
I loved the gossipy small town of Saddler Cove and I empathized deeply with both Emily and Tanner, especially the rough-hewn, scowly hero who had been dealt a crappy hand in life. Growing up as the misunderstood son of the town drunk was wretched enough but to then be wrongly, unjustly, imprisoned was just plain bad karma! And even though the “bad to the bone” ex-con has been out for 6 years and is trying to pave a reputable future for himself, his past is not so easily eradicated. He’d been labeled as a troublemaker with a capital T, and his self worth has taken a beating courtesy of his judgmental hometown. So it’s no wonder this angry AF town outcast is such a moody broody, seemingly unlovable prick. Which of course ain’t the case at all! And even though he knows he’s ALL WRONG for her, he can’t stop thinking of Emily, the pure-hearted good girl who has been out of reach…until recently!
As for Emily, she’s sick and tired of being labeled “sensible”—she’d put her dreams on hold for far too long, and what she wants is “love and passion and marriage and babies and happily ever after” and for some crazy reason she keeps envisioning having it with the baddest boy in town! She and Tanner try to stay away from each other after their hot, impetuous encounter but Fate has something else in store for this star-crossed duo!
This book has a lot of deeply layered emotional conflict throughout, which I thought worked for the most part. However, as much as I salivated over every delectable inch of the six-feet-four, gruffly sexy, gloriously grease-stained hero, I do think the author overplayed his embittered, woe is me attitude at times, and it didn’t help that the heroine’s attitude towards him went from hot to cold and that she seemed to be a tad too judgmental of him. And while the story started off with a bang it—that first baby making encounter was ON FIRE—the romance seemed to lose some momentum midway through due to their constant on again/ off again relationship status. And, consequently the story did not always maintain that high level of dramatic, sensual and emotional intensity that I crave.
But, on the POSITIVE side, when these two were “on,” their chemistry was undeniable! The depth of emotion and rich complexity to this tale was deeply affecting and I found it extremely provocative how a life altering event not only brought these two polar opposites together but helped them bring out the best in each other.
What made this homespun love story EVEN MORE CAPTIVATING was the secondary romance featuring Emily’s Grandma Mimi and Tanner’s former cellmate Josh, a war veteran who’d spent over 40 years in jail,! Gah! I was so touched by how these lonely hearts discovered love later in life and found a second chance at happiness together after all they’d been through. The manner in which Ms. Croft seamlessly relayed the book via 4-way POV was genius and I think the dual romances were woven extremely well throughout! I also loved Tanner’s camaraderie with his bros Aiden and Reese whose stories are hopefully in the works!
And ultimately, though both headstrong duos sure took their sweet time surrendering to their love, their HEAs were so heart-tugging I wept with joy!
Highly Recommend!
I’m a goner for surprise pregnancy romance and if the parents to-be aren’t a couple then that’s just icing on the cake! Handle With Care is exactly what I’m talking about, this sweet romance has a little angst to keep it real; it’s the first book in the Saddlers Cove series and with more brothers involved I’m hoping to read their stories soon.
No one would expect Emily Towson, the town’s sensible first grade teacher, of dating or much less having a baby with the town’s bad boy. Lesson learned: never trust a three year-old condom. Having been raised by her grandmother, Mimi Delaney, after her parent’s death, Emily would like nothing more than to have both parents in her baby’s life; but she’s going to leave it up to Tanner to decide if he’s in or out.
“She was so beautiful he ached. A beauty he recognized was as much internal as external; she radiated a goodness. And he’d defiled that goodness.”
Tanner O’Connor and his two brothers have been the town’s pariahs for years. The boys were raised by their father, the town drunk, after their mother died at childbirth; her death sent their father into a downward spiral he could never get out of, before dying a few years ago. The O’Conners own and operate a successful business, selling and customizing motorcycles. Since getting out of prison six years ago, after serving two years for the death of one of his best friends, Tanner’s had a chip on his shoulder; he dislikes most people in Saddlers Cove. But he’s determined to stay where he grew up, especially since Emily’s here, too. He’s always liked her, even though he knows she’s too good for him. And that’s kinda why he’s the father of her unborn child, he couldn’t say no to her.
“Humility has never been a strong point of mine, ma’am.”
“No. I suspect not. But maybe in light of your change in circumstances—you might want to cultivate a little. You would be the last person to want your child growing up with the stigma of an irresponsible parent.”
I liked the story a lot, but the one fly in the ointment was how repetitive the main characters were. After the first three or five times the main characters went on and ON about how wrong they were for each other, I wanted to yell “we got it!” I actually gave this story an extra half star because of Mimi’s story! Who would’ve thought this seventy year-old grandmother had such an interesting story, going on at the same time, and it really kept me invested in the drama. I enjoyed it, and the other O’Conner brothers have an interesting story to tell, too.
“There’s a good man in there somewhere.”
“Yes. Deep down. I suspect too deep down for me to get to him.”
I normally love a small town romance, they’re one of my favorite kinds. Add in a bad boy who’s really ‘good’ and you have me. But, HANDLE WITH CARE by Nina Croft just didn’t quite hit the spot for me.
Tanner O’Connor is that bad boy, he was sent to prison for something he didn’t do and now that he’s back home, he tries to act like he doesn’t give a damn, but beneath his scruffy overalls beat a heart that cared too much. He knew all that when he met Emily Towson, he knew she was way out of his league, but it didn’t stop him desiring her above all others.
Emily is considered a sensible woman, that’s who people have talked of her for as long as she could remember and she’s had enough. She’s going to step out of those sensible shoes and wait to see what happens.
She’s always had a soft spot for the town’s bad boy but her never even looked her way, but now she’s set her sights on him.
They didn’t always see eye to eye but they made it in the end. This was a pretty okay story but for me it just didn’t ring any bells, maybe it was the 3rd person POV, which I am not a fan of. Fans of Nina will probably disagree with me, but to each their own.
Having a craving just like the character for a bad boy this one filled it to the fullest. Emily being a teacher has a set of standards that especially in today’s time is important so dreams it is. Dreams though can come to life don’t ya know with this having Tanner larger than life. When they cross paths and things happen this author will have you following their every step. Astonishingly to you will get a shake up with you pulled to the edge by these two with you not going anywhere until you see where it lands. Nice trip to Saddlers think I will go again when it comes around.
4.5 Touching Stars
Review by Elizabeth
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
I’m sad that this is my first time reading Nina Croft’s words, because she is too good not to have been on my TBR before now. Handle with Care is somewhat emotional –I cried— romantic and just utterly splendid.
Emily is the town’s good girl and a first grade teacher. She never does anything out the ordinary or risky until she clashes with Tanner, the town’s bad boy and an ex-con. Tanner decides to ‘sell’ Emily’s grandmother a hog, or motorcycle, and Emily flips.
Her moment of adventure is put to the test when an unexpected surprise comes into the picture. Emily is nowhere ready to be a mother and Tanner is not ready to be a father. These two share so much passion and chemistry its downright wow!
I love how Nina has developed her characters! Emily is a sweetheart and Tanner is broken but Emily is his savior. Of course, Mimi, Emily’s grandmother, is amazing! I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Nina.
This story should be made into a Lifetime movie, it’s that good. A definite must read!
5/5 stars absolutely!
Nina Croft is an amazing writer and I am happy to have read this romantic meddling family story that will make you laugh and cry. The characters oh my I can’t express how the main characters you will love them all except Jed Forrester. Small town small minds is what this story is about and you’ll enjoy each story told about Tanner and Emily and Mimi and Josh. There is so much thought put into this story that you’ll get every thing you desire. Nina did a fantastic job that at the end I seriously believe this should be a romantic Lifetime movie. It’s got some drama and attitude but it has the second chance feel and the characters are so deserving to be made into real life. It flowed so smoothly from story to story. You get know the main characters of this small town and the newcomer that just needs a chance to live again. I was hooked from the beginning because the start of the book is with Mimi (Emily’s grandmother) meddling because you hear it as she talks. It is a bumpy ride for the characters but they pull through and give you a great ending and so much love.
***Reviewed for Sweet & Spicy Reads, ARC provided in return for an honest review***
I struggled a little with my review about the book. I was between 3,5 and 4 stars because at times I felt like the story was dragging.
Emily and Tanner’s story is kind of forbidden. She’s the town’s good girl, a first-grade teacher and he’s the bad boy, ex-con biker. You may think that these two people are totally unsuitable for each other but trust me the story will change your mind!
They would never had a chance if it wasn’t for Mimi, Emily’s grandma. She decides to “buy” a Harley from Tanner, in order to rile Emily up and confront him, hoping that the chemistry between them will be enough. Surprise surprise, the chemistry is enough! Emily confronts him, the passion between them is too much and they sleep together. However because of some bad luck and a three-year-old condom they find themselves with a surprise; Emily is pregnant.
The decisions they have to make are not easy. They practically don’t know each other. The town is not very happy either. Too many things come between them and try to keep them apart. The question is will they make it at the end or they’ll drift apart?
I love the secondary characters as well. Emily’s grandma is a sassy and strong woman. I was so happy she found someone to spend her life with! We don’t get to learn too much about Tanner’s brothers and I’m hoping that the next books are about them!!
3.5 Stars
“How did I look at him?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to that one.
“Like you looked at Beauty that day at the pony auction. When you were six years old. Like he was all you wanted, and you would die happy if you could just have him for your own.”
It took me a little while to truly get into this story. The characters were great, especially Mimi! But there was something about the beginning flow of the story that I just felt … disconnected from it. Could’ve been me, but eventually I got pulled in.
I liked that this story involved the town bad boy, the quintessential good girl, and her pushy grandma. All of the characters were unique and carried very distinct personalities. Getting to know them was the best part of the story. I think that each of these boys NEED their stories told, and I hope that they will get them.
This story wasn’t easy. These characters were fairly opposite, stubborn, and made a lot of mistakes for themselves and with each other along the way. Everyone in town seemed to have an opinion about whether they should be together and about who they were supposed to be. This made things difficult for them because they were forced to decide who they truly wanted to be.
This was my first story by this author and I’m adding more to my TBR!
“Hell, you’re not easy. Not in any way that matters. You’re the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I’m terrified of getting it wrong.”
3.5 stars– HANDLE WITH CARE is the first instalment in Nina Croft’s contemporary, adult SADDLER COVE erotic, romance series. This is twenty-six year old, mechanic and town bad boy Tanner O’Connor, and twenty-four year old, first grade teacher Emily Towson’s story line. There is also a secondary story line and relationship developing between Emily’s grandmother Mimi, and Tanner’s friend Joshua Simpson
Told from several third person perspectives including Emily, Tanner, Mimi and Josh HANDLE WITH CARE follows the building relationship between twenty-six year old, town bad boy Tanner O’Connor, and twenty-four year old, first grade teacher Emily Towson. Tanner O’Connor is Saddler Cove resident bad boy. Having spent two years in prison for the death of his childhood friend, the small-minded and judgemental residents of Saddler Cove are still having a difficult time with Tanner’s return to their quiet, little town, six years later, believing his bad boy attitude will affect all who come in contact. Enter Emily Towson, Tanner’s high school crush, and the woman with whom Tanner will fall in love. What ensues is the acrimonious relationship between Emily and Tanner, and the potential fall-out as a ‘morals clause’ in Emily’s teaching contract comes into question when the town’s newest primary school teachers is pregnant by Saddler Cove resident bad boy.
Emily Towson cannot believe she seduced Tanner O’Connor on the heels of her breakup with Ryan Forrester. Being called ‘sensible’ sent Emily over the edge into the arms of Tanner O’Connor, arms that felt right for our story line heroine. But an unplanned pregnancy meant sweet, innocent, sensible and goody-two-shoes Emily Towson was in violation of her teacher’s contract, a violation that threatened everything she had worked for including her relationship with the man with whom she was falling in love. Tanner O’Connor served his time for a crime he did not commit in order to protect his one-time best friend but the people of Saddler Cove had long memories including the time when Tanner’s own father once wore the moniker of resident bad boy. Like father, like son, Tanner’s reputation had a snowball affect especially as Tanner believed the self-fulfilling prophecy as a life-long screw up, and it didn’t help matters that Emily often sat in judgement of the man, herself.
The relationship between Tanner and Emily is tempestuous at best as both have issues of low self-esteem. Emily has a difficult time looking past Tanner’s tattooed and bad boy image, an image that is greatly affecting her own standing in a town filled with judgemental people. Tanner believes himself unworthy of love, especially from a woman as sweet and ‘sensible’ as Emily Towson. The back and forth, yin and yang, accusatory and emotional highs and lows between our leading couple were frustrating and childish; immature and heart breaking. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is another ‘forbidden’ relationship developing on the side between Emily’s seventy-year old grandmother Mimi, and Tanner’s former prison cell mate, sixty-eight year old Joshua Simpson. Joshua, a man of color and a Vietnam veteran, served forty years for killing a white man, a prison sentence that does not go unnoticed by the people of Saddlers Cove. Determined to make something of himself, Josh begins working for the O’Connor brothers, work that is threatened by the bigotry and rumors around his time spent in prison.
We are introduced to Tanner’s brothers Reese and Aiden, as well as Reese’s six year old daughter Keira: Emily’s seventy-year old grandmother Mimi, and Tanner’s former prison cell mate, sixty-eight year old Joshua Simpson; Emily’s ex boyfriend Ryan Forrester; Tanner’s one-time friend Sawyer Dean and Sawyer’s wife Lanie. There is also a large assortment of bigots, gossips and townspeople who are refusing to let Tanner move on with his life, including Jed Forrester, Ryan’s uncle, and a man who spearheads much of Tanner and Emily’s on-going troubles.
HANDLE WITH CARE is a frustrating read; an emotional story about betrayal and discrimination; about issues of low self esteem, and self fulfilling prophecy; of redemption, acceptance and falling in love. The premise is energetic ; the characters are spirited but wounded; the romance struggles in the face of preconceived notions, self doubt and the narrow-minded, judgemental people whose intent is to ensure there is no upset to their clouded balance.