books by Suzanne McKenna Link

Saving Toby by Suzanne McKenna Link
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Saving Toby is the first book in the Finding Me contemporary series. This story is also a new adult opposites attract romance. I had previously read book three in the series, although the characters aren’t linked, it is the subject matters that relate to the series.

Claudia and Toby— two young adults from very different homes. Toby grew up with violence; his father killed two people while drunk driving, while his brother is in prison for murder. The family name Faye was well known in town, but not for good reasons.

Claudia is the police chief’s daughter who studies hard and has plans to move to California for university. She has volunteered for part-time work caring for Toby’s sick mother. Previously, Toby and Claudia had been had the same school; he’d had a crush on her, but she moved away to a new school. Their romance now blossoms, but it is complicated by further violence and Claudia’s plans to move away.

This is a story about relationships and finding what you want in life. At times this is a harsh story, but that gives it a realistic edge. Overall another good book in the series.

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Orange rose book description — Book description

Loving a man through a hard fall from grace is a job for a strong woman.

The Faye name is infamous in Claudia’s sleepy Long Island bayside town. She remembered Toby Faye only as the tough, moody kid in school who couldn’t make eye contact with her. She might have forgotten him if it weren’t for the horrific drama surrounding his family.

When a job opportunity drops Claudia back into Toby’s life, she discovers the once skinny, troubled boy is now a charismatic and playful package of muscle and swagger. Despite her attempt to ignore Toby, his loving relationship with his ailing mother gets Claudia’s attention and wins her heart. A good girl mixing it up with the town bad-boy is a huge risk, but Toby’s blue-grey eyes expose a need Claudia cannot ignore.

Does Claudia have the grit to love Toby through his inevitable downfall?

Saving Toby is the first standalone novel in the stirring Save Me new adult romance series.

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Finding Edward by Suzanne McKenna Link

4.5 stars

Finding Edward is a contemporary romance, although it is the third book in this series it easily reads as a stand-alone. Eddie’s grandmother recently died and left the contents of her estate to be divided three ways; Eddie, his mum and his brother. Each of them also received a personal letter with a last wish for them to fulfil. Growing up was hard, money was tight and school was a challenge. Eddie’s first love was art, but it was only his grandmother who encouraged him to follow his dreams.

Her letter to Eddie involved a long-kept secret which his mother was left to reveal; the man he thought of as his father was not his biological parent. Eddie’s grandmother sets him two tasks; go to Positano, Italy to search for his father, and use his inheritance to enrol in art college. For years. Eddie
had put aside his love of art and taken a more conventional job, and he’d never strayed far from home; a trip to Italy would test his comfort zone to its limits.

The ups and downs of Eddie’s search for his father were believable as was the romantic theme, but it was the author’s creation of vibrant characters and beautiful Italian settings which made this book come alive. They took me right to the Amalfi coast and I could almost taste the coffee, hear the
Italian spoken and see the amazing landscapes. The Italians insisted on calling him Edward or Eduardo and the name artistically fitted the story as it progressed. I loved how Edward’s love of art was reignited and how helpful and welcoming the people of Positano were. It made me want to pack
my bags and book my own holiday. If you want a piece of escapism reading in an idyllic setting, then I can highly recommend this book.

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When Edward’s beloved grandmother dies, she doesn’t just leave behind money. His inheritance includes a father he never knew he had.

Now he’s forced to navigate a country he doesn’t know, using a language he doesn’t speak, in search of a man who has no clue Edward even exists.

He’s expecting disappointment, he’s expecting anger, he’s expecting pain. But what Edward isn’t expecting is to stumble across the one woman to ever steal his heart … the one woman he can never have.

Edward’s past and future collide, leaving him more lost — and more alive than he’s ever felt before.

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