Foster can’t forget Holland’s betrayal.Foster Truax is standing firmly on the right side of the law – he’s grown up since his younger, wilder days, and is firmly committed to helping his brothers make the Richmond Rebel’s shop the best in Virginia. He’s no longer street racing. The past is the past, including the “girl” who rode beside him when he was Richmond’s unofficial champion street racer … beside him when he was Richmond’s unofficial champion street racer back in high school.
Holland Powell has always been a good girl. She ran with the right crowd in school, got her college degree, a fabulous job, the right husband and had two children with that husband, before he walked out, taking her job, her kids and her self-esteem. When she’s involved in a car accident and needs a place to recover, she has no choice but to move back in with her mother and face the boy who represented her only walk on the wrong side of anything, and who she could never forget.
The past lies between them, thick and heavy and impossible to overcome; except their attraction is there too, sparking and charging the air in the house they share.
Is it possible they could develop a friendship to bridge the gap between trust and passion?
Reviews for The Small Town Boy’s Secret Romance:
★★★★★ “I love these rebel brothers with their protective natures.” – nanc
★★★★★ “Jessie Gussman created two interesting characters with lots of dimensions, Foster and Holland. Their romance touched my heart and I was completely immersed in this second chance romance.” – Sara
★★★★★ “One more fantastic story from Jessie Gussman! I am loving this sweet bad boy series!” – Jan
★★★★★ ”A story of healing and growth but also of understanding and acceptance. This author doesn’t do the crazy strung out angst where a question can be asked and answered to clear the air. Nope her characters are real and honest and talk it out. Her books are easy light reads that will touch your heart and show God’s way without the preaching and leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy.” – Teri
★★★★★ “Many of us know of or witnessed someone in a situation like Holland’s. Thankfully Jessie Gussman never shies away from a rough topic in her books. Instead she shines! This book to me demonstrates the message of forgiveness over bitterness.” – Jan
Books in The Small Town Boys series:
- The Small Town Boy’s Redemption
- The Small Town Boy’s Secret Romance
- The Small Town Boy’s Second Chance
more
This is an emotional story written from the male perspective which you don’t often see in a romance novel. It’s so nice to see strong men having feelings of forever. I want to know more about their story-do they marry, have kids, etc. but I am hoping we find that out in the next book in the series. In reading the epilogue, I believe the next book will be just as good as the others in this series. Can’t wait!
I received this copy free from the author and am under no obligation to leave a review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am freely sharing my opinion.
The Small Town Boy’s Second Chance is a story of second chance love. It shows how hard a marriage with children that end in divorce and has shared custody can become. The arrival of Foster at his Dad’s home to stay while remodeling his own home was in no way planned to be a rekindling of the flame that has burned in Foster since he and Holland were teenagers. It was told to him that Judy his “stepmother” was moving back in. But, the first people he sees when he comes in with his things were Jax and Daisy and then he ran into Holland. She looked bad. He could tell. His Dad came downstairs to talk to him about leaving his “step sister” alone and to just watch after her and help while they take a 2 month vacation! Judy tells Holland to leave Foster alone as he is nothing. That is what broke their secret dating up when they were teenagers. Judy wants Holland to move back in with Alister, her cheating ex-husband doctor. Her Mom thinks money and society life is better than a hard working man that comes home after work. The car accident Holland was involved in left her with a head injury that caused her migraines and made it impossible for her to work and care for the children so she moved back in with her Mom which brought her right on along to Dan’s house. The children falls in love with Foster as does Holland but they still have Alister to deal with. Foster told Holland if she would leave him again to go back to Alister, he couldn’t handle it. Holland said after seeing her husband with an employee of the doctor’s office they both worked at, in an exam room together, she couldn’t go back to him as that was just one of the ones she knew he had been with while married. But, can Foster keep believing she will stay? Her Mom has not got back yet to discourage her from the likes of Foster. Holland has healed so much under the care of Foster. Will she stop seeing him when her Mom insists on it again?
I really enjoyed The Bad Boy’s Step Sister. This book is interesting and fun. I like the characters. They have great chemistry. I found the plot interesting and it flowed well. This is a great sweet romance.
A sweet romance, and a sweet read. Jessie Gussman has a wonderful way of taking us into the hearts of her characters: their strengths, their histories and their hurts. As the reader I was rooting for the couple and delighted to get a happy ever after ending…just as I’d hoped.
SUPERB!!!
Foster is stunned to find his stepsister, Holland, and her two children have moved into his father’s house. They had a hidden, intense relationship in their teens but Harper broke his heart when she dumped him before leaving for college. His father is taking Foster’s ex-stepmother on a trip with hopes of a permanent reconciliation so Foster cannot refuse when his father extracts a promise that to stay and watch over Holland’s family until they return. Staying at his father’s and being around Holland every day will make his life miserable.
Holland is out-of-work, divorced from her two-timing husband, and trying to heal from a bad accident which has left her with disabling migraines. She can barely take care of her children, let alone find a job in her condition. If she had known what sort of man Alistair was, she would never have married him and when Foster walked into the house the differences were even more obvious, but she had ended their relationship in such a cruel manner there is no way he will ever forgive her.
I loved the chemistry between the characters. They are very likable characters. I received a free book but this review is voluntary and honest. This is definitely a book for romance lovers.
A wonderful clean short well written second chance romance story. This engaging storyline was sweet having both work through their pain and hurt of past and relationships while everyone seemed against. An amazing journey of healing and growth but also of understanding and acceptance. The epilogue was perfect and truly delightful. The characters are realistic and well developed. I voluntarily read and reviewed this incredible ARC.
My favorite quote of The Bad Boy’s Step Sister is “I’m blessed to be able to work and play with your kids. I’m blessed that you’re standing here right now, letting me put my arms around you”
I received an ARC of The Bad Boy’s Step Sister from the author and I’m voluntary leaving my honest review
What I liked The Bad Boy’s Step Sister is:
– a second chance romance
– Holland has kids
– Foster is blue collar
I strongly disliked Holland’s mother and ex-husband ( you’ll have to read the story to find out why).
I enjoyed the story I adored Holland’s kids ( Jax and Daisy). When I first started reading this story i didn’t know what to think but when Holland meet Foster at his house for lunch, the whole scene while they was at his house made me feel so much which in turn made the whole story for me, so, I gave it five stars.
Foster is the bad boy who isn’t really so bad. He has shed his bad boy ways and is walking on the right side of the law. He is kind and protective and quiet. He never really had a mother to love him and his father isn’t exactly oozing warm and fuzzy. Other than his brothers, only one other person has ever meant something to him. That was Holland. She was his unofficial stepsister. In high school, they developed strong feelings for each other but after high school, Holland left and didn’t look back, breaking Foster’s heart. He had never really gotten over her betrayal and now she was back.
Holland had gone to college, married a doctor, had a career and two children and then found out her husband was cheating. After a bad car accident, she needed a safe place to heal and recover so headed back home. Her mother never approved of a relationship with Foster and Holland and they had never been open with anyone else about their feelings. Her mother had never felt that Foster was good enough and Holland had listened to her and her friends when they told her to stay away from Foster. The truth is that Foster was the other person who had really loved her unconditionally.
With everyone seemingly against them being together, would they be able to heal each other and have a forever kind of love?
I loved the interaction that Foster had with Holland’s kids and how kind he was to the kids and Holland. He was willing to forgive her and call the kids his own. He seemed like such a gentle giant. He was the perfect bad boy that really wasn’t. This book is a clean romance without foul language or descriptive sexual scenes. I have really enjoyed every book this author has written. She has a way of telling a story and drawing you in and feeling a loss when the book is finished and hoping the next one will be ready and waiting to read.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
The Bad Boy’s Step Sister by Jessie Gussman (4.5 stars)
(Warning: this review is full of spoilers)
I felt like Ms. Gussman handled this step-sister thing very tactfully, and loved how Foster truly cared about Holland and her health and well-being As another reviewer pointed out, he didn’t fight her battles for her, but strengthened and supported her so that she could fight her own.
Through Holland and her kids, I felt the author dealt realistically with the challenges and trials of divorce. (This reader wanted to slap Alister every time he called her ‘baby’ or ‘sweet lips’ —what a jerk!)
Foster’s willingness to be there for Holland’s kids, even though it meant, at times, playing second fiddle to their biological jerk-of-a-dad spoke of his character. As did the fact that he came to truly love her kids. This man is incredible.
I was so pleased that Holland will get to be the wife and stay-at-home mom that she’s always wanted to be and can finally let go of her mom’s and ex husband’s expectations and be who she has always wanted to be.
Loss of half a star because I felt that it ended abruptly without resolving a bunch of the issues that were looming. I wanted Holland and Foster to have an outside interaction; they were in a strange kind of anti-social bubble at his dad’s house and needed to burst the bubble and get over to the garage to talk to his brothers. I felt like if the couple could get the support of the brothers, then his dad and her mom could be dealt with later. But someone needed to be fighting in their corner and it needed to be his brothers and, ideally, their girlfriends.
I wanted to see these encounters over and done with and then experience some romantic moments with these two as a newly married couple who had stood up for themselves and were free to build their life in their own home as an independent family.
*poor, **ok, ***good, ****very good, *****something special
The Bad Boy’s Step Sister was such an interesting read! Not only because of the trope (MILD SPOILER: they aren’t really step-siblings since their parents never married, they just grew up together) but because of the story in itself. I really liked the fact that the author doesn’t shy away from “real-life issues” such as cheating, divorce and social pressure, I guess. It was also a bit hard for me reading Holland’s POV at the beginning since things are going pretty bad for her, yet, both she and Foster end up learning that sometimes we do need to go through the bad and ugly stuff to come up stronger, and to be able to grow and learn how to handle things differently and better.
As with the previous book, I also liked how their Christian faith is something inherent to, I think, both characters, though it definitely has room to grow throughout the story while at the same time not being the whole focus of it.
All in all, a great second chance story, as well as a great addition to the series. I can’t wait to read Bram’s story (which I know will also tackle some hard issues and that’s what’s making me eager for it), but since I know it’ll be a while till it’s release, I think I’ll go catch up on the Baxter series. ~ 4.5 stars
Jessie handles several issues in this book. LIKES: (1) they were able to overcome past hurts (2) divorce with cheating spouse and children was handled well (3) you dont have to be biologically related to truly love a child. DISLIKES (1) even though they are not blood related, they were step siblings and the thought of a relationship just didn’t set well with me… especially since it began years earlier as teens while living in the same house (2) allowing family to dictate your relationships. I understand this happens and while it took time, Foster came to see that that is what happened in his own parents marriage. All the years he harbored feeling abandoned by his mother because his dad didn’t tell his sons that didn’t set well with me. I have loved all of this author’s books, but this one just didn’t fit for me like the others did.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving this review
Rating: 4.5 stars
My thoughts about this book:
• Jessie Gussman created two interesting characters with lots of dimensions, Foster and Holland. Their romance touched my heart and I was completely immersed in this second chance romance.
• There was situational tension and romance in this read that made the plot unpredictable and interesting.
• There were many secondary players in this novel. They were varied, well developed, and interesting. Holland’s two children, Jax and Daisy, added depth, cuteness, and family closeness to the storyline.
• The descriptions of locations and emotions were well done, easy to visualize, and to feel. I felt a part of the scenes.
• This was a clean read and I appreciated that fact.
I was given an advance copy of this book. My review was voluntary and my opinions were my own. This was another great book by Jessie Gussman.
One more fantastic story from Jessie Gussman! I am loving this sweet bad boy series! Foster and Holland were together in high school. She broke his heart, married and had two children. Foster is surprised to run into her as he is moving a few things into his father’s house where he is staying while he remodels his house. She is living in the house with her mother after a divorce and an accident. Foster wanted to stay away from her but his kindness, compassion and protectiveness that was so much a part of him took over. His dad and her mom are going away for two months and he promised to stay and help out Holland. Can they find out their true feelings without interference from her mother? Wow! What a story!
I received an advance copy of this book and I voluntarily wrote an honest review.
I love Jessie Gussman’s books. She writes clean, sweet stories, where you always witness faith in God, but without any preaching. The characters may or may not have been run through the ringer, though in this book they kind of had been. I truly enjoyed watching Foster try to protect his heart, while wanting desperately to help the woman who had stomped on it years ago, yet still held it in her hands as she recovered from a car accident and the lack of esteem caused by her cheating and emotionally abusive ex husband, while still loving and raising her two young children.
I couldn’t put it down
This is the story of Foster who hasn’t been in love with anyone since high school. What will happen when he is forced to live with Holland in his father’s house for two months? Can he ever have a moment of peace living so close to a step-sister who broke his heart?
‘Bad boys’ seems like such a misnomer for this sweet series, in the best way. Though it cannot be denied that the Truax brothers were never perfect (Foster used to street race); they are strong, hard-working, loyal, and love the Lord. These are men I’d like to meet.
I received an ARC copy of this book, and I am leaving a voluntary review.
There’s a reason why I enjoy this authors sweet romances and it’s all about her characters. This time she has been in a marriage that fit everyone else’s view of what was perfect and right but was a living hell. No not abuse in a manner of speaking but a cheater, pompous, inconsiderate . . . okay you get the idea. Back home now, living with her mom and kids she finds herself back in the house with the man that she still loves. She broke his heart once and he never recovered. Now he has to be the stand up man God demands and not fall in love with her and her kids. Nope not gonna happen. A story of healing and growth but also of understanding and acceptance. This author doesn’t do the crazy strung out angst where a question can be asked and answered to clear the air. Nope her characters are real and honest and talk it out. Her books are easy light reads that will touch your heart and show God’s way without the preaching and leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy.
I’m really enjoying this series about the bad boy brothers. Each brother’s story just seems to get better. I loved Foster and Holland’s story. A great second chance read.
The Bad Boy’s Step Sister is a beautifully crafted story of second chances and unselfish love. Foster is an awesome, giving, generous man who simply tries to help Holland, his former secret love. I loved watching Holland become an amazing woman and mother. The ending was just perfect. I highly recommend this book.
A wonderful, emotional, inspirational story of a second chance love after a divorce. It was nice to see this grown-up version of Foster and Holland. Holland reminded me of a tulip, timid and unsure of herself but as she grew and basked in the glow of the sunshine from Foster she was clearly able to stand on her own and not let her cheating ex-husband continue to belittle her or shake her self confidence. I really liked the ending, the epilogue , and how good Foster was with Holland’s two children. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
I had an ARC copy of this book, but this is my voluntary and honest opinion. Jessie wrote another great story in this Bad Boy’s Series. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. The emotions and problems addressed are pretty common yet she keeps things interesting throughout the book. I also like the way Jessie includes faith in her stories.