Torn between loyalty and lust… Grant Singleton, her ex’s best friend. Their long-simmering heat spells trouble as both vie for control of the business—and lose control of their thirst for each other…
The first book in the Sterling wives series features Tara and Grant. The story is well written and contains lots of heat.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
babyjmmr
2 years ago
This is the 1st book in the Sterling wives series. The characters are well written with lots of heat. The story line has drama conflict and suspense.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
klewendon
2 years ago
This book has left me feeling a little conflicted. I love the author’s work and her writing style. Grant and Tara are fantastic characters with lots of conflict and angst. I’m reserving judgement on Astrid and Miranda until I get into their own books, because here the just felt a bit whiny and overly dramatic. What bugged the living daylights out of me was the ‘dearly departed’ and the games he played with these peoples’ lives. I was baffled by how they could continue to respect the wishes of the petty despot and continued to shine up his tarnished reputation. I’d like to think that there’s a lot more going on and in future books in this series we’ll better understand why he pulled the strings he did.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through Booksprout.
Author
trish
2 years ago
This is the first book in the Sterling Wives series. I have to say this was an interesting read. It’s well written and had an enjoyable storyline. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Johnathon Sterling dies suddenly and what he leaves behind is a mess. Everyone thought that his current wife would get everything but good ole Johnathon decided to give his current wife and his two ex-wives his 51% shares in the company split equally. His business partner and best friend Grant wants to buy out the wives and get the controlling percentage of shares in the company. He’s ready to step up and run the company. Only the problem is the wives don’t want to sell. Astrid, ex wife number two, wants to work in the company but does want to run things. Miranda, the current wife, just wants to have a say in voting matters for the company. Tara, ex wife number one, wants to work with Grant and be co CEO with him. She’s was never happy that her ex pushed her out of the company. All Grant wants is to run the company they way he sees fit and Johnathon manages to mess that up for him even from the grave. Grant has had feelings for Tara for years and knows working closely with her is going to be difficult. Can they successfully run the company together? Will Grant tell Tara how he feels?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
thatbookjunkie
2 years ago
Well this was fun . This is a a story with a lot of beautiful moving pieces and it was worth the wait. Tara and Grant have history and was a joy to see them tip toe through it.
There’s enough angst and intrigue to keep you on the edge of your chair till the very end . The storyline was set up so the subsequent books were set up nicel, again, moving parts .
This was worth all my time and I think you will enjoy as well.
Author
jean
2 years ago
This is the first book in The Sterling Wives Series. When Johnathon Sterling is killed in a car accident he leaves his share of the company to his wife and two ex wives and they decide to see if they could work together at sterling. Grant was Johnathon’s best friend and he thought that he would become the new CEO of the company but he had a shock when he was told that Johnathon had left his shares to. Grant had always had a connection and feelings towards Tara but didn’t act on it out of loyalty but maybe now he will get a chance or will he be disappointed yet again. Wow I loved this book so much and it is a great start to a new series and I am looking forward to reading the next book as it was so well written and had brilliant characters. I recommend you read this book as it is well worth it.
I Voluntarily Reviewed an ARC Copy of this book.
Author
ssehested
2 years ago
I found this romance both intriguing and annoying so I give it three stars right in the middle.
When Johnathon Tara’s ex husband suddenly dies, Tara, Astrid (His second ex wife) and his current wife Miranda inherits all of his 51 shares of the company he build up from scratch with his best friend Grant and with some help from Tara herself when they were married.
Now Tara is determined to learn about the business from Grant so they can run the company together with the other wives.
Grant has had feelings for Tara ever since they met but has never had a chance to do anything about it because of Johnathon. He is still trying to hide his feeling from her but when she makes a mistake that can cost the company a big project and a lot of money and they have to spend a weekend in close proximity working to save the project something happens to change their whole relationship. Is it possible to find their HEA together when Johnathon still lurks in the background of their minds, when there are two other wives to consider and will all the gossip both in the papers and in the company influence their decision?
The thing that really annoyed me was Johnathon and their adoration of him. He manipulated all of them. He moved them around as little chess pieces in his game and when he couldn’t find room for them in the game anymore he through them away and chose a new piece to play with. Grant was just his boxing bag and did everything Johnathon asked of him. And still he screws them all over in the end.
I really didn’t understand how they couldn’t see it and why Tara and Grant didn’t act on their attraction long before they do. They respected him to much even in death.
But Tara and Grant are really great together and their fight for the company and against their feelings for each other are very intriguing and kept my interest throughout the book.
I can recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
bluebird3458
2 years ago
Johnathon had a string of wives – Tara the focussed agent, Astrid the model & finally Miranda. Grant was his business partner & had a thing for Tara, so when he passes Johnathons Will opens a can of worms. Unfortunately Grant doesn’t get his CEO position & has to work for it.
These 4 have to navigate the business & work something out together. There’s also the attraction between Tara & Grant.
An interesting read making you wonder if Johnathon had an idea how his wishes in relation to his business would turn out.
I received a copy of this book from Booksprout & am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
tlbrann
2 years ago
4.5 Stars
Once Forbidden, Twice Tempted is the first book in the new Sterling Wives. The author was new to me and I’m glad I was given the chance to read it. The book was well written and easy to read. The series is based upon three women who had been married to Johnathon Sterling. He is killed in a car accident and leaves his shares to Sterling Enterprises to his wife and two ex-wives. The three wives own the majority of the shares in the company and decide to keep their shares and work for the company for a trial period.
Tara Sterling was Johnathon’s first wife and was there in the beginning when Sterling Enterprises had first opened. She never could understand why Johnathon thought she couldn’t work beside him in the company. He had pushed her into a career of real estate. She longs to have a chance to prove he was wrong about her working at Sterling. She convinces the wives to keep their shares and have a trial period working at Sterling.
Grant Singleton was Johnathon’s best friend and when Johnathon died, he finally got his dream of becoming the CEO of Sterling Enterprises. He had always been the person in the background doing the work, while Johnathon had been the spokesperson for the company. Finding out Johnathon had left his shares to his wife and two ex-wives might interfere with his professional dreams. His dream of having Tara in his life might finally come true also. He had met Tara first and has always felt a connection to her, but he never got to act on his feelings while Johnathon was alive. Maybe he can finally have her in his life if the business stops getting in the way.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It had a great storyline and was interesting. Grant’s character was so loveable. I could feel his disappointment in losing Tara to his best friend, but his loyalty to their friendship was too strong for him to get involved with Tara while Johnathon was alive. His dreams might finally come true if Tara will only realize they make a wonderful team and can work together without all the power struggles. Tara’s character was strong and self-assured. At first, I didn’t care for her because she seemed to muscle her way into the company and was set on “winning” power in the company. She was so driven she couldn’t see that her and Grant working together as a team was better for the company. I can’t wait to read the next book because it sounds just as interesting as this one.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
kim
2 years ago
I’m a huge Karen Booth fan. Her Harlequin Desire books are auto-buy/auto-read books for me. I may or may not read the blurbs. When I heard the title for her upcoming series was called The Sterling Wives, I was curious. I didn’t know what it truly meant. Well, hang onto your seats because Karen has written Once Forbidden, Twice Tempted and I am assuming the rest of the series as a mini soap opera.
Once Forbidden, Twice Tempted starts out with the freak accidental death of 41-year-old Johnathon Sterling. At the reading of his will, it is learned that he leaves his 51% ownership of Sterling Enterprises to his ex-wives (Tara and Astrid) and current wife (Miranda) equally. The succession plan for the company is that his best friend and business partner Grant Singleton gets named CEO. As you will find, even in death, Johnathon still finds a way to make Grant deal with and fix his mistakes and transgressions.
While reading the book, I had a hard time rooting for Tara and Grant. I viewed Tara as playing Astrid, Miranda, and Grant to get the CEO position at Sterling. I viewed Grant as a little puppy always trying to please. It turns out things are a lot more complicated than that. Tara and Grant have a history together. They both have life experiences including dealing with Johnathon that has shaped them into the people they are today. It’s quite interesting but is something that one must read to discover. As characters, I found them to be okay. I didn’t love them but they were likable once I got to understand them. The chemistry between them is hard to contain. It’s definitely combustible and anyone who sees them can see it.
For me, the most intriguing part of the book is that Tara is spearheading the drive to bid on a city development called Seaport Promenade. This was something Johnathon was interested in doing, but Gant was opposed to getting involved in it. I can say some interesting things are happening.
So far, The Sterling Wives series is reminding me a lot of Karen’s Eden Empire series. The Sterling Wives seem to be women who have been overlooked in some form or fashion. They are intelligent, driven, and in control of their own future. I’m looking forward to reading the next two books. The main characters have already been introduced and I’m excited to read their stories and learn more about them.
**Received a copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.**
Author
rhonda
2 years ago
What an intense and entertaining read with interesting and complex characters. Great dialogue and interaction between the characters creates a really good story. Good read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
tburbr
2 years ago
While this was a decent start to what I hope will be a good series, this book did not hold my attention like I had hoped. The story line and the characters were well written, but I had a hard time liking the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
By karenbooth
The first book in the Sterling wives series features Tara and Grant. The story is well written and contains lots of heat.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the 1st book in the Sterling wives series. The characters are well written with lots of heat. The story line has drama conflict and suspense.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book has left me feeling a little conflicted. I love the author’s work and her writing style. Grant and Tara are fantastic characters with lots of conflict and angst. I’m reserving judgement on Astrid and Miranda until I get into their own books, because here the just felt a bit whiny and overly dramatic. What bugged the living daylights out of me was the ‘dearly departed’ and the games he played with these peoples’ lives. I was baffled by how they could continue to respect the wishes of the petty despot and continued to shine up his tarnished reputation. I’d like to think that there’s a lot more going on and in future books in this series we’ll better understand why he pulled the strings he did.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through Booksprout.
This is the first book in the Sterling Wives series. I have to say this was an interesting read. It’s well written and had an enjoyable storyline. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Johnathon Sterling dies suddenly and what he leaves behind is a mess. Everyone thought that his current wife would get everything but good ole Johnathon decided to give his current wife and his two ex-wives his 51% shares in the company split equally. His business partner and best friend Grant wants to buy out the wives and get the controlling percentage of shares in the company. He’s ready to step up and run the company. Only the problem is the wives don’t want to sell. Astrid, ex wife number two, wants to work in the company but does want to run things. Miranda, the current wife, just wants to have a say in voting matters for the company. Tara, ex wife number one, wants to work with Grant and be co CEO with him. She’s was never happy that her ex pushed her out of the company. All Grant wants is to run the company they way he sees fit and Johnathon manages to mess that up for him even from the grave. Grant has had feelings for Tara for years and knows working closely with her is going to be difficult. Can they successfully run the company together? Will Grant tell Tara how he feels?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Well this was fun . This is a a story with a lot of beautiful moving pieces and it was worth the wait. Tara and Grant have history and was a joy to see them tip toe through it.
There’s enough angst and intrigue to keep you on the edge of your chair till the very end . The storyline was set up so the subsequent books were set up nicel, again, moving parts .
This was worth all my time and I think you will enjoy as well.
This is the first book in The Sterling Wives Series. When Johnathon Sterling is killed in a car accident he leaves his share of the company to his wife and two ex wives and they decide to see if they could work together at sterling. Grant was Johnathon’s best friend and he thought that he would become the new CEO of the company but he had a shock when he was told that Johnathon had left his shares to. Grant had always had a connection and feelings towards Tara but didn’t act on it out of loyalty but maybe now he will get a chance or will he be disappointed yet again. Wow I loved this book so much and it is a great start to a new series and I am looking forward to reading the next book as it was so well written and had brilliant characters. I recommend you read this book as it is well worth it.
I Voluntarily Reviewed an ARC Copy of this book.
I found this romance both intriguing and annoying so I give it three stars right in the middle.
When Johnathon Tara’s ex husband suddenly dies, Tara, Astrid (His second ex wife) and his current wife Miranda inherits all of his 51 shares of the company he build up from scratch with his best friend Grant and with some help from Tara herself when they were married.
Now Tara is determined to learn about the business from Grant so they can run the company together with the other wives.
Grant has had feelings for Tara ever since they met but has never had a chance to do anything about it because of Johnathon. He is still trying to hide his feeling from her but when she makes a mistake that can cost the company a big project and a lot of money and they have to spend a weekend in close proximity working to save the project something happens to change their whole relationship. Is it possible to find their HEA together when Johnathon still lurks in the background of their minds, when there are two other wives to consider and will all the gossip both in the papers and in the company influence their decision?
The thing that really annoyed me was Johnathon and their adoration of him. He manipulated all of them. He moved them around as little chess pieces in his game and when he couldn’t find room for them in the game anymore he through them away and chose a new piece to play with. Grant was just his boxing bag and did everything Johnathon asked of him. And still he screws them all over in the end.
I really didn’t understand how they couldn’t see it and why Tara and Grant didn’t act on their attraction long before they do. They respected him to much even in death.
But Tara and Grant are really great together and their fight for the company and against their feelings for each other are very intriguing and kept my interest throughout the book.
I can recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Johnathon had a string of wives – Tara the focussed agent, Astrid the model & finally Miranda. Grant was his business partner & had a thing for Tara, so when he passes Johnathons Will opens a can of worms. Unfortunately Grant doesn’t get his CEO position & has to work for it.
These 4 have to navigate the business & work something out together. There’s also the attraction between Tara & Grant.
An interesting read making you wonder if Johnathon had an idea how his wishes in relation to his business would turn out.
I received a copy of this book from Booksprout & am voluntarily leaving a review.
4.5 Stars
Once Forbidden, Twice Tempted is the first book in the new Sterling Wives. The author was new to me and I’m glad I was given the chance to read it. The book was well written and easy to read. The series is based upon three women who had been married to Johnathon Sterling. He is killed in a car accident and leaves his shares to Sterling Enterprises to his wife and two ex-wives. The three wives own the majority of the shares in the company and decide to keep their shares and work for the company for a trial period.
Tara Sterling was Johnathon’s first wife and was there in the beginning when Sterling Enterprises had first opened. She never could understand why Johnathon thought she couldn’t work beside him in the company. He had pushed her into a career of real estate. She longs to have a chance to prove he was wrong about her working at Sterling. She convinces the wives to keep their shares and have a trial period working at Sterling.
Grant Singleton was Johnathon’s best friend and when Johnathon died, he finally got his dream of becoming the CEO of Sterling Enterprises. He had always been the person in the background doing the work, while Johnathon had been the spokesperson for the company. Finding out Johnathon had left his shares to his wife and two ex-wives might interfere with his professional dreams. His dream of having Tara in his life might finally come true also. He had met Tara first and has always felt a connection to her, but he never got to act on his feelings while Johnathon was alive. Maybe he can finally have her in his life if the business stops getting in the way.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It had a great storyline and was interesting. Grant’s character was so loveable. I could feel his disappointment in losing Tara to his best friend, but his loyalty to their friendship was too strong for him to get involved with Tara while Johnathon was alive. His dreams might finally come true if Tara will only realize they make a wonderful team and can work together without all the power struggles. Tara’s character was strong and self-assured. At first, I didn’t care for her because she seemed to muscle her way into the company and was set on “winning” power in the company. She was so driven she couldn’t see that her and Grant working together as a team was better for the company. I can’t wait to read the next book because it sounds just as interesting as this one.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I’m a huge Karen Booth fan. Her Harlequin Desire books are auto-buy/auto-read books for me. I may or may not read the blurbs. When I heard the title for her upcoming series was called The Sterling Wives, I was curious. I didn’t know what it truly meant. Well, hang onto your seats because Karen has written Once Forbidden, Twice Tempted and I am assuming the rest of the series as a mini soap opera.
Once Forbidden, Twice Tempted starts out with the freak accidental death of 41-year-old Johnathon Sterling. At the reading of his will, it is learned that he leaves his 51% ownership of Sterling Enterprises to his ex-wives (Tara and Astrid) and current wife (Miranda) equally. The succession plan for the company is that his best friend and business partner Grant Singleton gets named CEO. As you will find, even in death, Johnathon still finds a way to make Grant deal with and fix his mistakes and transgressions.
While reading the book, I had a hard time rooting for Tara and Grant. I viewed Tara as playing Astrid, Miranda, and Grant to get the CEO position at Sterling. I viewed Grant as a little puppy always trying to please. It turns out things are a lot more complicated than that. Tara and Grant have a history together. They both have life experiences including dealing with Johnathon that has shaped them into the people they are today. It’s quite interesting but is something that one must read to discover. As characters, I found them to be okay. I didn’t love them but they were likable once I got to understand them. The chemistry between them is hard to contain. It’s definitely combustible and anyone who sees them can see it.
For me, the most intriguing part of the book is that Tara is spearheading the drive to bid on a city development called Seaport Promenade. This was something Johnathon was interested in doing, but Gant was opposed to getting involved in it. I can say some interesting things are happening.
So far, The Sterling Wives series is reminding me a lot of Karen’s Eden Empire series. The Sterling Wives seem to be women who have been overlooked in some form or fashion. They are intelligent, driven, and in control of their own future. I’m looking forward to reading the next two books. The main characters have already been introduced and I’m excited to read their stories and learn more about them.
**Received a copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.**
What an intense and entertaining read with interesting and complex characters. Great dialogue and interaction between the characters creates a really good story. Good read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
While this was a decent start to what I hope will be a good series, this book did not hold my attention like I had hoped. The story line and the characters were well written, but I had a hard time liking the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.