Simmer (verb): to stew gently below or just at the boiling point; to be in a state of incipient developmentMy life was always at a simmer… only stewing, never going anywhere. I was left to fend for myself when it came to affection or love, so I learned to go without.I refused to let them see how broken and lonely I was; it was much easier to hide behind a false reality. I didn’t want anyone’s … didn’t want anyone’s pity. I didn’t need it. Pity wouldn’t put food on the table or keep a roof over our heads. That was all me.
Now, I have a second chance at a dream long forgotten. It demands hard work and sacrifice—with absolutely no distractions. A recipe I already know all too well, raising a daughter on my own.
Drew Kostas is everything I’ve ever wanted but couldn’t let myself have. He’s younger, gorgeous, charming—and relentless. He sees beyond the hardened shell I’ve built to protect myself, coaxing out a softer me I don’t recognize.
It doesn’t matter how I melt in his presence when the heat between us threatens to boil over.
That’s the thing about heat. When it rises, everyone gets burned.
Especially when they’re foolish enough to fall in love.
more
I have read a few of Stephanie Rose’s previous books and have loved them. She gives us stories full of emotions and heart and Simmer is no different. In Simmer we get a story of second chances and redemption. We met Sara in Rewrite, though it can be read as a standalone, I was not sure how I would feel about her story, but I am so happy I gave it a chance.
For Sara Caldwell, nothing matters more than her daughter, Victoria. As a single mother, she is fighting to make a better life for them. But some days were harder than others, but she is determined to succeed. It has always been just the two of them, until now. When she gets a chance to finally follow her dreams and have a good future, she takes it.
Drew Kostas was everything! He was so sweet, younger and determined. He is drawn to Sara, even as she keeps him at arm’s length. He wants to show her all she can be and what they can have. He is patient and a good friend and shows her what it means to have someone stand by you.
Sara has a purpose. She did not leave her daughter for an accelerated program to be easily distracted. But when Drew enters her life, he turns everything upside down. For years, it was only about her daughter, can Sara learn to open up and let others in?
I must be honest and say I was not a fan of Sara when I first met her, but we get to see so much of her in Simmer and really begin to understand her. I loved how honest her character was. She admitted her faults and accepted them. And Drew was just perfect for her. So sweet and patient and just what she needed.
Simmer gave us a story about letting love in, learning to trust and second chances. I loved how Sara slowly learned to not only love again but love herself as well. This was not just a story about love, but about healing and growing. I loved Simmer, the characters and their journey. A great story that will stay with you.
4.5 stars! Read and reviewed for Reviews From The Heart.
Happy reading!
This is the first book by Stephanie Rose that I’ve read and although it isn’t my usual sub-genre I was able to appreciate it for what is it.
If I’m honest, I found the first half of the story a little slow. It nicely introduces us to the characters and sets the scene but I found Drew to be a little wet, for want of a better word. He doesn’t particularly pursue Sara but seems content to remain friends.
The second half of the book definitely ramps up a bit but also seemed slightly disconnected to the first half. Suddenly Drew becomes this alpha caveman which we hadn’t really seen a sign of before. Don’t misunderstand, his caveman tendencies are great and add a little tension to an otherwise sweet story.
This is a tale of struggle and finding that love conquers all. There are a few surprises along the way, tears and laughter and it all tied up into an enjoyable quick read.
A passionate love story with so much raw emotions! Ashley @White Hot Reads
My first book by Stephanie Rose but will not be my last. Simmer is full of all emotions you can think that would be in a love story. A single mom who was kicked out by her parents Sara’s always had to be the strong one and do what she needed to do to provide for her daughter Victoria. Drew is the graduate student who runs into the girl he falls in love with. The relationships all throughout this book can be related to. Loved seeing this love story transform both Sara and Drew to the point of happily ever after.
A slow-burning romance about friendship, family, love and the true meaning of home. I absolutely adored this book: I loved Sara and her beautiful character arc. Her love for her child and her pursuit of her own happiness. I loved Drew and his swoony, romantic, dirty sexiness. And I loved the reality that both confronted, and the happily ever after they so deserved.
I totally loved this book.
I loved Sara – who wasn’t the easiest person to love sometimes – and her unconditional love and devotion to her daughter. Her loveless upbringing broke my heart.
I loved Drew with his patience and understanding. He simply wanted everything and anything with Sara. He saw Sara for who she really was, what was hidden behind the rough surface of self preservation.
I liked to see how Sara broke out of her self imposed loneliness and opened up her heart to let all kinds of feelings to take root.
The title – Simmer – was a great choice. Sara and Drew’s love was the epitome of this expression.
Their slow burn romance was so sweet and full of self discoveries on both sides.
I like Ms Rose’s kind of romance. She made me understand and even like a character who seemed pretty unlikeable when first introduced in Rewrite. I am in awe of her capability to take all the good and bad and ugly in her characters’ life and make something swoonworthy out of it. I can’t help but feeling good and having a smile on my face whenever I finish one of her books while thinking „Well done!”
Something’s cooking between Drew and Sara in this wonderfully poignant romance!
It takes a brilliant author to write an unsympathetic character in one book, then redeem that character in the next. This is what Stephanie Rose has done with Sara, the OW in Rewrite, who looked at the world only from the viewpoint of what she stood to lose. In this story, we get Sara’s POV to her relationship with Josh and Bri, and our sympathy grows as we realize that her priority has always been her daughter, Victoria.
Sara’s got a second chance to establish a worthy career, and she’s determined not to let anything distract her from her goal – especially not the younger, nerdy, hot-as-hell Drew, a man who is equally determined to start out as friends and work his way into her heart one step at a time. Sara also gets a second chance with the sister she was separated from years before, and slowly she comes to grips with the realization that she is worthy of these second chances, and worthy of a man who is willing to accept her as well as all her emotional baggage.
I loved this story, and I love the world that the author has established for these characters. The epilogue was absolutely perfect, showing the best possible resolution to potential conflicts and ensuring a solid HEA for all characters. (Except poor Joey – that boy had better run!) I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
this is such a great read by Ms rose.
Sara is a single mom to Victoria and I really felt connected to her.
drew is so dreamy I loved these 2 characters.
I highly recommend this book.
here couldn’t be a more perfect title for this book as it had the perfect build up, the simmer, of Drew & Sara. And I have to be honest, I wasn’t a fan of Sara in Rewrite, but I adored her after learning her story.
“Don’t you want to peak with Drew, then come back and tell us all about it in Every. Single. Detail?”
I loved that this story was about a single mother, who wasn’t afraid to chase her dream, even years later. I adored Lisa and some of the other college students who befriended Sara and helped break down her walls.
And Drew, hot damn! The perfect mix of alpha, heart, and heat.
“You’re mine. People should either accept it or get out of our way.”
This book was full of so much emotion – love, loss, sadness, and everything inbetween. I teared up. I smiled until my cheeks hurt. I was hot and bothered. I adored Veronica and especially loved seeing Josh & Brianna so much again. There is just so much amazingness in this book and it is a MUST read! (5 stars)
Stephanie Rose’s newest masterpiece, Simmer, is exactly what I have come to expect from this author. Brilliance. From the story to the amazing characters, I was hooked from the very beginning. Sara and Drew have completely stolen my heart.
“Simmer is heating through but making sure it doesn’t come to a boil.”
“What happens if it gets too hot? Like you try to keep the heat down, but it boils over anyway? Is it all ruined?” My froggy voice dipped to a husky tone.
“Depends,” she whispered as her gaze slid to mine. I wasn’t talking about the soup and neither was she—whether or not she could admit it.
If you’ve read Rewrite, you’ll recognize Sara as Josh’s perpetually perturbed baby momma. Going into this book, I really did not think that I could like Sara. I have never been happier to be wrong. Sara is kind of a badass. She is strong, fierce, and knows exactly what she wants in life. She also has walls so high that they’d likely be impenetrable to any man. When she meets Drew Kostas, those walls begin to crumble despite her best efforts. It’s beautiful seeing their relationship unfold.
Let’s take a minute to talk about Drew. Drew Kostas is what book boyfriend dreams are made of. Once he meets Sara, she’s it for him. There is no hesitation or question in his mind. I loved that he so willingly accepted Sara’s hang-ups and never saw Victoria as anything other than an extremely loveable bonus to his relationship with her mother. He’s not all sweet though… There’s a bit of alpha there and it is HOT! He is deliciously perfect.
Simmer has quite possibly become my favorite Stephanie Rose novel. There was not a single thing that I didn’t enjoy. Simmer is the perfect word to describe Sara and Drew’s relationship. Stephanie Rose has the ability to make pages come to life and I cannot wait to read whatever she creates next. Do yourself a favor and read this book immediately.
Pro tip: While Simmer is a standalone with one hell of a happy ending, reading Rewrite first is guaranteed to make the experience even better!
5 “Fire and Ice” Stars!!!!
I want to start off by saying that I’ve claimed Drew Kostas. He’s mine! End for story! Don’t come at me because I won’t play nice. That man is MINE! So now that we have that cleared up, on to my review.
Simmer was intoxicatingly delicious. It brought so many emotions. Likable characters that had me smiling so hard. With a swoontastic Hero that gave me all the damn heart eyes. And a heroine that had me rooting for her and praising her at the same time. A story filled with charming moments and MC’s you couldn’t help but fall completely in love with.
Sara’s life hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. The only bright spot is her daughter, Victoria. She’s been estranged from her family, her parents want nothing to do with her. Her focus is going back to school to finish her degree and get a job as a chef and provide for her daughter and to give Victoria the life she deserves. Sara had so many qualities I admired. And for her to think she wasn’t deserving or worthy broke my heart. She just needed one, one person to show her and make her believe that she was wrong.
Drew Kostas. Oh be still my freaking heart. Drew was EVERYTHING! Attentive, charming, swoony, a little alpha thrown in there, caring, and loving. I can go on and on. He was just the perfect man, if there ever was one. I seriously couldn’t get enough of him.
Sara and Drew, there was no denying their attraction. It was obvious feelings were there. But Sara was hesitant, not only because she was older, but also because she has a daughter. She didn’t want to get involved with Drew only to have it not work out. Though Drew was persistent and wouldn’t stop until Sara put her reservations aside and gave in to what she was obviously feeling. And boy when that happened, sparks ignited. I loved how Drew didn’t give up on Sara and helped her see her worth. These two were so made for each other. And the relationship between Drew and Victoria melted my heart, cuteness overload. Couldn’t get enough of this book or these characters. Love, love, love!
Definitely recommend!
The book is simply amazing. It can definitely hit close to home and cause some tears, but that’s a good thing. I love how real everything seems. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. I was pulled into the book and it was like I was viewing the life of friends. Sara and Drew are so amazing together and I cannot say enough good about this book. Everybody should read this, especially so if you’ve read Rewrite. It is not a series, but they are amazing together!