Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, he wore the skin of a killer, and bore the heart of a lover… Fall in love with Truman Gritt in TRU BLUE, an emotionally riveting and sexy standalone romance. A magnificent love story for those who enjoy fiercely loyal heroes, smart, sassy heroines, families, bikers, babies, and more! TRU BLUE is written in the same loving, raw, and emotional voice romance … voice romance readers have come to love, and the deeply emotional literary prose women’s fiction readers have come to expect, from New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster.
“Sexy and Heartbreaking….I simply adored this beautifully written romance.” Tasty Book Tours
“Ms. Foster, went for the gut with Truman and Gemma. Tru Blue is more than a romance, it is a story of love, a story of hope and a story of courage. 10 + stars.” Night Owl Reviews
In USA Today bestseller TRU BLUE…
There’s nothing Truman Gritt won’t do to protect his family—Including spending years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. When he’s finally released, the life he knew is turned upside down by his mother’s overdose, and Truman steps in to raise the children she’s left behind. Truman’s hard, he’s secretive, and he’s trying to save a brother who’s even more broken than he is. He’s never needed help in his life, and when beautiful Gemma Wright tries to step in, he’s less than accepting. But Gemma has a way of slithering into people’s lives and eventually she pierces through his ironclad heart. When Truman’s dark past collides with his future, his loyalties will be tested, and he’ll be faced with his toughest decision yet.
**
The Whiskeys are perfect beach reads with depth of story, strong family ties, and a wealth of emotions. Small town love stories with happily ever afters guaranteed. The Dark Knights motorcycle club is not a typical MC book. These bad-boy bikers are tough, but they have hearts of gold…and they’re not afraid to use them.
For more hot WHISKEY love, check out Melissa’s other Whiskey novels.
TRULY MADLY WHISKEY (Bear)
DRIVING WHISKEY WILD (Bullet)
WICKED WHISKEY LOVE (Bones)
MAD ABOUT MOON (Jed Moon)
TAMING MY WHISKEY (Dixie)
THE GRITTY TRUTH (Quincy Gritt)
And don’t miss RIVER OF LOVE featuring Sam Braden, the first story in which the Whiskeys were introduced!
The Whiskeys are perfect beach reads with depth of story, strong family ties, and a wealth of emotions. Small town love stories with happily ever afters guaranteed.
“With her wonderful characters and resonating emotions, Melissa Foster is a must-read author!” New York Times Bestseller Julie Kenner
“You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that’s fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won’t want to stop reading. Every book’s a winner!” NYT Bestselling Author Brenda Novak
“Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!” New York Times Bestseller Lauren Blakely
About Melissa…
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance and new adult romance with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Perfect beach reads for contemporary romance and new adult romance lovers who enjoy reading about wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines with complex relatable issues.
more
This is the first book I’ve ever read by Melissa Foster and you better believe I’m about to binge the heck out of the Peaceful Harbor series! Truman is a guy with a big heart and a lot of love to give – which is good because he’s about to be a parent to two of the most adorable children on earth. Gemma is effervescent. That’s a word I’ve never used before, but it fits her to a T. Despite being raised in a cold household, she is warm, caring and just the right fit for a new dad, covered in tattoos and dealing with a tragic past. I’d give this book more stars if I could.
This was a book I couldn’t stop reading.
Excellent! Characters were lovable, especially Tru with his devotion to his siblings. I fell a little in love with him.
One of the truest love stories around. Family means everything, and nothing gets in the way of that.
Melt your heart while setting you on fire
Tru Blue (Sexy Standalone Romance) (The Whiskeys: Dark Knights of Peaceful Harbor Book 1) by Melissa Foster has written an extremely satisfying romance. I was drawn in by the characters, storyline and plot in equal measure, but Truman stole a chunk of my heart. Gemma is as sexy and sweet as romance heroines come not to mention strong and resilient. In fact, resilience feels like a theme for this book. Both have endured undesirable childhoods (granted Truman’s is tremendously horrible), and experience one kind of drama or another, they persevere to have the best life that they can.
The plot is full of drama; family, legal, history, to name a few. Truman finds out what he is made of and it is magnificent. A chance meeting for Gemma is the birth of a dream come true.
The interactions, engagement, dialogue and setting bring Truman, Gemma, Truman’s siblings and the secondary characters to life in bright vivid color. I loved how well rounded Truman and Gemma are, and the love they have for the little ones as well as each other leaps off the pages and invades the reader’s heart. When these characters are not warming the heart, they are incendiary devices that burn bright, hot and eternal.
Overall, this beautiful romance is heartwarming and just as sexy. I adored Tru and Gemma throughout their story, loved their HEA and hope to read more about them in the coming books of this series. It has become a must read for me, I’m hooked on the Dark Knights.
Love this book! Definitely a must read. Such an original book, up to what is happening in our world for sure. Great characters, original and definitely a page turner. Fantastic book!
Thoroughly enjoyed this story and series.
I liked the book and am reading more of Melissa Foster books
Loved the characters! They had tough breaks in life but finally got their HEA…
Loved this book and can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
Well written with believable and lovable characters.
“You know my story. I have nothing else to hide.”
Melissa Foster’s books get to me. It’s pure romance, I can’t describe it any other way. It may wreck you a bit emotionally, but there’s love, and communication, and family. And yes, I think that’s what gets to me the most.
“Truman Gritt was hard, he was tattooed, and he looked like he hadn’t shaved in weeks. He was all the things she never thought she’d want, and in two days he’d shown her that none of those things mattered.”
I cannot help but love Truman. I am not one of those girls who swoons over a single dad. I kind of think that’s what a dad’s supposed to do – be there for his kids – , so I don’t feel the need to swoon over it. I swooned over Truman though, because these are not his kids. They’re his brother and sister, and he steps up to help them because he know what it’s like to have nothing, and he doesn’t want that life for them.
Truman is a truly special guy. The exterior is obviously dreamy (for me anyway), but it’s what’s inside that melts your heart and makes you wonder where these are guys hiding IRL.
“I am kinda pushy.”
“Be pushy. Don’t hold back with me. Don’t hold back your worries, your desires, or anything.”
Gemma is so different from him you’d think these two could never hit it off. She’s been brought up inside a glass dome, by rich parents who made her more of a decorative object to showcase to their friends than a daughter. But she’s her own woman, and she’s strong, and I love that about her. I love that she’s pushy and that she doesn’t give up. That she’s not afraid to speak her mind and say what she wants. A woman after my own heart.
“Tru.” Breathless. Always breathless. “I’ve never had enough. Please be too much. I need too much. I need you.”
These two together can light up a whole city. Yep, that’s how steamy it gets once everything falls into place. You know, people hide a lot of things, and Truman is hiding a lot of secrets, but once he decides he wants Gemma in his life, he knows he needs to risk losing her. Because if she comes back, once she knows all of him, he knows it’s meant to be, and that they’re meant to be.
“‘He’s all the goodness and all the love I’ve hoped for my whole life wrapped up in one delicious creature. And he’s all mine.'”
Once Gemma realizes life can be quite unforgiving even if you’re a good person, and that some people are really dealt a bad hand, she has all she needs to know. And she’s able to give herself completely. There was a time when I thought she was gonna back up, and I wanted to kick her ass for it, but Melissa always delivers on that HEA you know you need.
“‘The heart doesn’t care about bloodlines or birth parents. It just seems to know how to love in the same way our lungs know how to breathe.'”
The two of them together with Lincoln and Kennedy, his kid brother and sister, are just adorable, especially after knowing more about Gemma and the hand she’s been dealt as well. The four of them are not the traditional, normal kind of family (what’s traditional and/or normal these days, anyway?) but they work, because there’s love. The unconditional, can’t-be-bought kind of love.
“‘Sweet girl, I can’t offer you glamour or glitz, but I can offer you ice-cream stains, homemade fairy tales, and midnight kisses.'”
The beautiful thing here for me is that for all these people, including the whole Whiskey family, what they have to offer is just who they are. With their pasts, and their history, and the good and bad that happened to them.
And who they are is so much more than enough.
I can’t wait to get to the rest of the Whiskey series now!
Loved this!
I’ve owned this book for a long time.
It’s been recommend to me often.
I’m happy to say I’ve finally read it & so glad I did!
Melissa Foster was a new to me author before this, so I was excited for that. Then once I started reading, I was even more excited because I was sucked in and loving it immediately.
So loyal and protective and such a gentle giant, I fell hard for Truman Gritt. Family is everything to him even though his own mother betrayed him in the worst way. He will do whatever it takes to keep his siblings safe. To see how hard he loved, how big his heart is, was a beautiful and heartwarming thing.
When he first meets Gemma, it’s in the middle of the night, in the middle of Walmart. Truman needed all the help he could get, and she was willing to step up. These two couldn’t have been any more opposite, but there was no denying the sparks between them.
I absolutely loved Gemma. She is such a good person with a big heart despite the mother she grew up with. I love how strong she was and how she stood up for herself and fought for what was right.
There were so many times when I thought some drama & nail-biting angst were coming. But, surprisingly, the main characters were honest with each other and talked through their fears and problems. How nice & refreshing. 🙂
I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to more from this author. Especially those Whiskey brothers.
Does the cover of this make your heart go pitter patter and make you swoon hard? This story will too. It’s full of so many heartwarming moments that gave me all the warm fuzzies. I can’t recommend this one enough.
Interesting, easy read.
Second Chances
At helping his family. Truman spent 6 years in jail for his brother Quincy. He walked in on his mom being raped but his brother already stabbed. Now both were older but his mom got Quincy hooked on drugs while he was away. One night he call Tru and that is where he found his dead mom, and his two young siblings. Quincy stayed. Tru met Gemma when he was a Wal-Mart late the same night get stuff for the kiddos.
Every time I listen or read one of Melissa Foster’s books, I want to go back and re-read the whole Love in Bloom series. She creates amazing characters and Tru Blue is filled with more.
This was the first time I’ve heard Paul Woodson as a narrator. He did a great job, especially considering I prefer have dual narrators.
**Edit to my original review**
Tru Blue was voted best book by Melissa fans. And let me tell you, it really is. I read this book upon its original release. I just now finished the audio version. Omg it is still hands down my favorite Melissa book. I love listening to audio books while working around the house and especially while driving. I love the narrations of Paul Woodson. He does an amazing job.
I have read and loved every book Melissa has written. The characters she writes about are always incredibly hot and sexy. Tru and Gemma are no exception. That said, there was so much more then hotness to this story. There is just something about this story that just tore my heart wide open. Tru is such an incredible strong man who will do anything to protect the ones he loves. The way he took to Kennedy and Lincoln just melted my heart. There are many moments where I needed a tissue. Definitely a must read so much so I will be reading again.
Tender and sweet. Well written.
I listened to the audio book. I have to admit I love a story about a sexy single dad story who is so invested in his kids. One who wants to be involved in their lives and doesn’t consider himself to be a babysitter.
I liked the way Tru stepped up and took on the responsibility of his siblings with no hesitation. I liked the way Gemma stepped in for the assist and was not overly pushy.
I thought Tru and Gemma were good to each other and for each other. I didn’t get any sense of great chemistry, or a buildup of sexual tension. Just that they belonged together and made a nice little family.
I liked the story. It was a sweet single dad romance, but it didn’t engage me like Melissa Foster’s work normally does. The narration was ok. Although, there were times when my mind would wander and I would suddenly remember I was listening to a book. I would have to rewind to catch what I had missed. I found myself doing that several times.
I liked the characters. The Whiskeys, Gemma’s friend Crystal, the kids, even Quincy toward the end. Gemma’s mother had no redeeming qualities, lol.
I can’t put my finger on it. There was a lot I liked about this book. It didn’t hit me the same way most of the writer’s other work does. I felt like something was missing. Like I was missing some connection with the characters who were very likeable and had some interesting back stories.
I recommend that you take the time to read or listen to this book for yourself. I am going to move on to the next book in the series.
Loved this story…..to much sexual description but otherwise exceptional story.