LIFE IN A RUT, LOVE NOT INCLUDED by J.D. Hollyfield

Having it all isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

When Sarah Sullivan’s perfect life blows up in front of her, she finds herself crawling back to the one place she never saw herself returning: Home.

At thirty-one, Sarah had it all. Perfect job, perfect boyfriend, perfect life. When all that is taken away from her, she is left heartbroken and angry and desperate enough to let her life swallow her whole…for a while.

Fending off love and the pursuit of happiness completely, Sarah vows to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. She creates a list of goals for herself—starting with a much needed shower—and constructs a plan to dig herself out of her rut. What she doesn’t plan for is meeting the arrogant new employee her parents have hired to work on an addition to their home. Enter Jack Calloway, the handsome, charming, lickable foreman with an insatiable effect on Sarah’s girly parts.

Jack accepts the job, but gets more than he bargained for. Unable to ignore his racing hormones—and calm his temper—over the obnoxious woman who clouds his judgment, Jack pulls her in and steals her heart until she finally surrenders. But is he up for the challenge of picking up the pieces of Sarah’s broken heart? Can he carry her out of her rut?

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Love Not Included #1

Release Date - March 1, 2014

Genre - Contemporary Romance

Heroine POV - 1st person

Heat - 2.5 out of 5

Format - ebook copy provided by the author

Length - 224 pages

Sarah's rut ain't so bad

★★★ 1/2

Sarah had what she believed was the perfect life - a handsome boyfriend, an upwardly mobile career, a fabulous wardrobe, a beautiful apartment, and a best friend/roommate who was more like the sister she never had. One shining moment, a moment of celebration had her 'perfect life' falling apart. Now she has no more boyfriend, an ex-best friend, and she's back at home with her parents. Adulting is hard! She's struggling to pick up the pieces and doesn't even know where to start. A chance encounter, a fender bender, opens the door to new beginnings and life once again is worth living... as long as the living is with Jack.

I had a blast reading this story from Sarah's perspective. She was silly and absolutely ridiculous, but I understood her despair after suffering her first heartbreak. Anyone who has been betrayed by someone they love can relate to her issues. However, she did come across as infantile a bit too much and I think the story would have benefitted from Jack's point of view during those times. It needed something to break up the monotony of her childishness. I get that it was supposed to be funny in an awkward way, but I just ended up feeling uncomfortable. She was in her thirties and her behavior reminded me too much of one of my teenage daughters.

Overall, it was a quirky and adorable story about overcoming the pain of a broken heart. Jack was freaking wonderful and the perfect man to help put Sarah back together again. She was no longer in a rut and love was most definitely included.

About the Author

Creative designer, mother, wife, writer, part time superhero...

J.D. Hollyfield is a creative designer by day and superhero by night. When she is not trying to save the world one happy ending at a time, she enjoys the snuggles of her husband, son's and three doxies. With her love for romance, and head full of book boyfriends, she was inspired to test her creative abilities and bring her own story to life.

J.D. Hollyfield lives in the Midwest, and is currently at work on blowing the minds of readers, with the additions of her new books and series, along with her charm, humor and HEA's.

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