Betrayal. Such an ugly word, and one Will Ingram knows well, thanks to his former girlfriend who, for reasons unknown, sabotaged his career as one of the country’s up-and-coming artists in New York. With nothing to his name but a few art supplies he can’t bring himself to sell, and a boarding pass for Texas, Will hits rock bottom, hooking up with a woman who comes on to him in the airport. He … thinks it’s a chance encounter until she turns up in his small town. Despite his suspicions about her, he can’t deny the physical attraction sizzling between them. Is she the muse he thought he’d lost forever or just another woman with betrayal on her mind?
MacKenzie Carlysle had to admit, the sex had been mind-blowing. Life-altering. But she wouldn’t know the life-altering part until days later when the sexy guy she seduced in the airport turns up in the same small Texas town where she hopes to rebuild her career in public relations after her boyfriend/employer left her holding the proverbial bag in a scandal that rocked the New York art world. Everyone in Willowbrook knows Will Ingram, W.H. Ingram to the art community. The one man on the planet she should stay far away from, but there is no denying the chemistry between them. She has to tell him who she is and the part she played in destroying his career, but when she’s in his arms, her past doesn’t exist. There’s only Will, and a future she wants but knows she’ll never have.
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Will: Ingram Brothers #1 is an engrossing book. Right from the first page, I got hooked. This isn’t a cookie-cutter book. The story is original. Will, a super-talented artist has been hoodwinked by his closest associates. He’s lost the motivation to go on, until he has a hot encounter with a beautiful, sexy stranger in an airport. Secrets, lies and plenty of steamy sex drive this book forward, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the finale. I loved the writing, too. Ms. Lee, one of my favorite authors, paints a complete scene with few words. The dialogue is true to life. Can’t wait for the next in this series. Don’t miss this one.
Will is the first book in a new series—The Ingram Brothers—by Roz Lee. It’s a good beginning to a series about three brothers, known locally as “The Brothers Grim”—all moody and tragic characters in their own ways. The reader is immediately intrigued to learn why these young men are so hurt.
Because this is the first installment in the series there’s a lot of background information given. It may seem like a little too much sometimes but hang in there. Since two prominent side characters, Hank and Melody, had their own story (Lost Melody) published way back in 2013, this background serves to fill in the gaps. Lost Melody is quite a complicated story and it doesn’t hurt to read that book first but it isn’t necessary. The author also gives background on the three brothers and introduces a number of secondary characters that we will be seeing in future books.
Roz Lee’s writing is very descriptive and well researched, and her dialogue is very natural. She has a talent for weaving unique imaginative stories and this one doesn’t disappoint in that regard. It’s an idea I haven’t read before—an artist who loses his “will” to create. An enemies to lovers trope I supposed. I did miss Ms. Lee’s trademark wit in this book however, but since this is a book that explores personal tragedy I guess whimsy wouldn’t feel right in this case.
A quick overview of the premise (no spoilers):
The H (Will) a talented artist who made a name for himself in NYC is betrayed and left penniless by his agent/girlfriend. He’s so crushed by these events that he loses the will to paint artistically. The h (Kenzie) is also betrayed by her boyfriend/boss and she loses everything. She and Will don’t know each other, but their stories begin to dovetail. They have an anonymous encounter in the airport then go their separate ways—until they meet again in Willowbrook, Texas, the place they each have gone to start over. Will and Kenzie have a magnetic pull toward each other. They can’t stay away from each other even though Will is the biggest a$$ on the planet toward Kenzie. At the same time that he finally starts to soften up toward her, that’s when the dots become connected and the drama unfolds.
This is a nice story about a painter who loses, then rediscovers his inspiration to be authentic, both as an artist and a man. In the end this ‘tragedy’ becomes his greatest gift. I do recommend this book. The more I think about it, the more I like it.
The romance story between Will and McKenzie is completed in this book, but there is a story arc that continues in book 2.