Forever Mine by Erin Nicholas Series: Opposites Attract #2
Published by Forever
Publication Date: March 28th 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
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Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.
The second book in New York Times bestselling author Erin Nicholas’s series about three geeky girls and the hunky guys who fall for them.
Maya Goodwin doesn’t believe in holding back. Ever. As a cop, she never hesitated to throw herself into harm’s way to save someone. Even after an injury on the job forces her to retire, she’s not afraid to keep risking it all to get the life she wants. With a new career teaching martial arts to kids already underway, she’s looking forward to the future – and taking a chance on the unbelievably hot Dr. Alex Nolan.
Maya – daring and spontaneous – is the exact opposite of what Alex always thought he wanted. But when a nine-year-old daughter he never knew existed shows up on his doorstep, Maya is the one who helps them hold it together. With love on the line, will the guy who’s always played it safe be willing to take the biggest risk of all?
Review
I enjoyed the previous book in this series and how the author made geeky look so sexy and enticing but I think she has outdone herself with this one. FOREVER MINE is a celebration of relationships – between a man and a woman, between a parent and a child, between friends, between co-parents – and was so heartwarming and uplifting.
Nothing could be cuter than a father trying to connect with his daughter by learning the things that she loves and that’s what makes Alex Nolan such a sweet father. Alex was not aware that he had a daughter until she was nine, but he is determined to make up for lost time and if learning martial arts and geeky stuff is the way to get to know her, then he’s game. But being attracted to the teacher was not a part of the plan because he can’t afford the distraction she is and her zest for life would completely suck him in against his better instincts.
Maya Goodwin gives her all every time and even though it cost her her job as a cop, she has channeled that energy into her martial arts studio for kids. Helping Alex learn stuff that would appeal to his daughter is also for her because she enjoys being with him and wants to explore the chemistry between them.
On the surface Alex and Maya seem to be very different, but they are really not. They both are selfless givers, willing to go the extra mile for others. They’re both also overly hard on themselves and unwilling to accept any limitations. The only difference between them is that Maya is an open book and holds nothing back while Alex is shut down like a bank vault, with reason I might add.
Did this story move at the pace I wanted it to? No, but Alex impressed me by taking his time to think things through and make the choices that would benefit his daughter. Another thing I enjoyed was that he and his ex had a solid relationship where they could co-parent successfully without drama and recriminations.
This was a very enjoyable read, with entertaining moments and little drama that left me with a huge smile on my face. This is only my second book from Ms. Nicholas, but she has become an auto-read for me now.
Excerpt
Alex laughed. He liked Maya. The thought hit him directly in the gut.
Maya smiled brightly, and he admitted that he was intensely attracted too. Now fast attraction—that he’d experienced before. But it had been a long time since even that had happened.
“I’m Dr. Alex Nolan. I’m on staff at Boston Children’s Hospital. I’m on their website if you want to look me up.”
Maya suddenly frowned. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”
“Of what?”
“Googling pediatricians and finding out who you are after the mall the other day,” Maya said.
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t that be a little creepy?”
“Probably,” she agreed. “Maybe that’s why I didn’t do it.”
He laughed. “Well, to further decrease the creep factor, I do have a kid,” he said. “A daughter. Charlotte. We call her Charli. She’ll be ten next month. She’s very into superheroes, GR, and swords, and I know nothing about any of that. I liked the demonstration at the mall and thought I’d come check out your studio.”
“So you’re wanting to sign her up,” Maya said with a nod. “Okay, not creepy at all.”
“Uh…” Alex knew this was going to sound strange. “Actually I want to take the class myself.”
Maya frowned. “These classes won’t teach you about superheroes exactly,” she said. “They are kind of a combination of stage fighting and martial arts and self-esteem workshops.”
“I know.” He’d been on the website. Which is how he’d found out more about the studio. And where he’d stared at Maya’s photo before going in to look up more about her on the internet. Which was how he found out that her classes had won some local awards, she’d been a brilliant cop—who had not, incidentally, been fired for beating someone up—and that she regularly blogged about superheroes and their fandom and the psychology of that fandom. He’d bookmarked her page immediately.
“And the things you do in class sounds like the perfect bonding activity for Charli and me. I’ll take the class and then go home and teach her.”
Maya looked puzzled. “Why not just bring her to class?”
“She…” He swallowed. Charli would love Maya. Hell, if she saw Maya with those pointy-weapon-things, she’d want to be Maya.
But Alex had only seen Maya twice, and he’d already witnessed her get hit with a Bo staff, punched in the ribs, and cut with some kind of sharp hand weapon. Which reminded him that she’d been bleeding.
He looked down, but the bleeding had already slowed or stopped. Which was what happened when a person with normal blood got cut. But Charli didn’t have normal blood. She didn’t bleed faster, but she would bleed longer—because of the genetic mutation he had passed on to her.
He’d told her mother that Charli should be able to try whatever she wanted. But he’d also told her he’d keep Charli safe. If Charli took classes here, he would have to fill Maya and her staff in on the hemophilia and precautions and treatment…
“She has some special needs,” he said, cringing a little as he said it, knowing that Maya might easily jump to conclusions that were not at all correct. But it didn’t matter what she thought. This was the right thing for Charli.
But Maya didn’t even blink. “Okay,” she said. “I understand. Maybe…” But she trailed off while watching him thoughtfully without completing the sentence.
“Maybe what?” he asked.
“Maybe I could teach you and your daughter a private Super You class.”
He was surprised at her offer, but more—he was tempted. Which meant he had to say no. The timing for meeting a gorgeous, intriguing woman couldn’t have been worse. “I think a class with lots of other people, especially kids, would be better.”
“Why?”
Maya was direct. He liked that. And he could return the favor. “Because you look just as good in workout pants as you do in leather.”
Her eyes widened in surprise just a beat before her smile widened. “And that’s a problem?”
“It is when I’m trying to give all of my extra time and attention to my daughter.”
She studied him for a moment. “Okay,” she finally said with a nod. “And once you see the class, if you change your mind, she’s always welcome.”
Alex relaxed. “Thanks.”
“You’re not going to feel funny taking a class with a bunch of kids?”
“I love kids,” he told her.
“What about the tights and cape?”
“Tights and cape?” Alex repeated.
“The costume,” she said with a nod.
“Thought the participants all helped create their own character,” he said, realizing she was messing with him.
“They do.”
“Well, there’s no way in hell I would create a character that would wear tights.”
Maya’s gaze wandered over him, head to toe, before she said, Too bad.”
About Erin Nicholas
Erin Nicholas is the author of sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).
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