Zoe Zimmerman wants to stay out of the spotlight, but years in media and her iffy choices in men has made that a difficult task. Jilted, heartbroken and left in the dust by those she thought loved her, she’s excited and terrified with a gift from her best friend, a 1Night Stand encounter. She hopes to find a connection and a weekend of no-strings-attached adult fun with a man who admires her for … for who she is and not her past.
Eli Martin is well-known and well-liked. He’s accustomed to taking care of people—his three children, the residents of Birch County as elected sheriff, and anyone else who may need a helping hand. Regardless of his good looks and stunning personality, his high-profile position means the widower can’t go trolling for a night of sex. When a 50th birthday present from Madame Eve arrives, Eli is greeted with the perfect opportunity to salve his lonely heart.
What neither Eli or Zoe expect is to meet one another—although their jobs provided opportunities for corresponding and phone-flirting for nearly a decade, they’ve never met in person. Will Madame Eve’s magic do its trick or will Zoe’s insecurities and a bullet end it all before they realize they’re known and wanted…and in love.
more
Zoe’s been crushing on Sheriff Eli’s voice for close to a decade when she and he actually meet in person for the first time. There’s already a connection between them, and meeting face to face just strengthens that connection. Will a weekend of pleasure turn to more, or will Zoe’s deep insecurities cause her to keep herself from the happiness they both deserve?
This is such a well told love story. I loved Zoe and Eli together, how patient he was with her, how sweet they are together once they are actually together for good. I am always looking for great stories about mature characters finding love, I definitely found that in Known & Wanted.
Zoe is in her late forties, single, insecure and a news reporter.
With Zoe’s luck of always picking losers for relationships her friend decided to hook her up with a gift from Madame Eve’s 1 Night Stand. He knew from experience the fantastic results that could lead to marriage. Little did Zoe know that the one man she’s fantasized over ten years would be her 1 night stand for the weekend.
Sheriff Eli also known to swooning women as Delicious Sheriff and Sheriff Hottie has been a widower for years raising his three children alone. Rarely did he have 1 night stands due to being on call 24/7 365. So when his friend gifted him a Madame Eve 1night stand he was curious. Lo and behold to his surprise was the woman he’d never met but had spoken to her several times a week over the years. One he had fantasized about.
A beautifully written love story of two lonely older people who learn to open up to their emotions and find love.
Gia is adorable! Candy bars!
Can’t wait for next installment, Braving the Deep End by Deanna Wadsworth. Eli’s grown son finds himself in an unusual predicament.
This is Zoe and Eli’s story. Zoe is a newswoman who is jaded by her past experiences with men, and she is excited when she is gifted a 1 Nightstand Encounter by her best friends. Eli is a widower with 3 children, and as the sheriff of Birch County he is busy making every one else happy, and he is gifted a 50th birthday present by Madam Eve. Zoe and Eli know each other as they have spoken daily on the phone, but they have never met. Now is the perfect opportunity to do so, and Eli challenges Zoe to open up about her emotions. This is a well written tale which is emotional, and with suspense, drama, danger, twists, jealousy, and is a romantic and humorous read. I look forward to reading more form this author and recommend for all.
Fans of mature couples will find themselves rooting for the main couple of Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand as they try to make a future by moving on from their painful pasts. For Sheriff Eli Martin he’s moving on from widowhood while newswoman Zoe Zimmerman is left dealing with low self-esteem and dangerous obsessions courtesy of a string of losers. For ten years Zoe and Eli have made a connection through their daily phone calls but the time has come where they both want more in an erotically-charged weekend getaway full of secrets being revealed as well as scorching encounters and moments of tenderness.
Eli’s a delicious hero with a kind heart and a deep-seated loyalty to friends and family. The life he once had with his deceased wife is a precious memory but he’s clearly ready for more as he doggedly pursues Zoe throughout their weekend together. He’s self-assured around her as he gently pushes her to open up, pushes her to be honest with her feelings, and it leads to a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Eli’s a sexy beast who all the ladies in town want, but he only has eyes for Zoe. While Eli projects an air of confidence, Zoe’s a bit more cautious when it comes to men. She’s self-assured when it comes to her professional life, but crass comments and actions from previous relationships have left her leery of opening up and putting her heart on the line in a long-term personal relationship. I can understand those concerns as what was said and done to her was truly awful and it would scar anyone’s psyche. Eli was just the man she needed to show her that there are decent men out there though and his tender but determined time with her warmed my heart.
With each turn of the page readers will find a sweet and sensual connection between Eli and Zoe, a connection that was a slow-burn over the years before, but that explodes over one weekend. Eli is nearly perfect when it comes to heroes and I could drool over him all day long. When it came to Zoe there was much to admire about her, but also a few things that frustrated me. She didn’t hesitate to stand up for herself when an ex tarnished her career, but when it came to personal aspects she wasn’t as forceful in demanding respect. She also seemed to have a radar for finding losers as her past is littered with them. A dramatic event at the end of the story also revolves around Zoe and seemed to come out of nowhere, but it served a satisfying purpose in opening her eyes to what’s truly important. Alongside this appealing, and easily relatable main couple, was a cast of equally entertaining secondary characters like Eli’s children and his second-in-command who has a heroic moment of his own in this story. On a whole this was a quick yet satisfying read that gave me an afternoon full of decadent delights. This story may be short when it comes to word count, but it was definitely full of warm fuzzies and sizzling encounters that have me longing to return to these characters in the future.
4.25 STARS!
Part of the 1 Night Stand Series a well written story that kept me turning pages. Zoe Zimmerman and Widower and Sheriff of Birch County Eli Martin’s story, there is suspense, drama, danger, twists, turns, jealousy, shooting, a villain closer than she knows, and romance. I want to read the next book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Cute and Charming….
by and1515
Wow this is the first book I’ve read by Wendy Burke and its simply delightful cute and absolutely the sweetest read ever.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.