My Salvation
Michelle Dare
Genre: Romance
Release Date: October 19, 2014

Caliana Crawford is smart, sexy and unemployed. After quitting her mediocre job, she finds herself in need of a break. She goes to the one place that holds her most precious memories, her cabin by the lake. Life hasn’t always been easy for Cali. She lost someone close to her, was betrayed by her lover, and now she only wants to escape reality. What she doesn’t plan on is her sexy neighbor, who has an agenda of his own.

Owen Matthews goes through the motions every day, but knows his life is missing one essential part – Cali. He has never forgotten about the summers he spent by the lake with the gorgeous brunette. When he sees she is back to stay, Owen knows he can’t let her slip through his fingers again. Others think he has it all with owning a multimillion dollar company, but what they don’t know is that he would give it all up to have her in his arms and his bed.

The road to happiness isn’t always easy. His brother returns to his life and brings with him an old flame who threatens to rip Cali and Owen apart. Will they find their salvation with one another or let the events of their past influence their future?

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My Salvation is a tale of two people getting a second chance to finally pursue the spark that exists between them. Cali and Owen had always flirted as teenagers yet never made a real move to be more. The night before Cali went to college, they shared a kiss that seared the memory into their souls forever. When chance brings them together 10 years later, both Owen and Cali know that this is a chance that they cannot give up. Yet sometimes, life and fate are working against you. When people from Owen’s past come back and threats are made to Cali, they must choose what they will fight together.

This book is the debut novel for author Michelle Dare. It starts off with Cali declaring her independence from her job and deciding to take some time to figure out what she wants from life. She takes off to her inherited lake house for some time to regroup and decide what she wants. It is here that her old crush saunters back into her life. When Cali and Owen meet again, it is a whirlwind of romance and lust. At first I had a hard time getting past the insta-love of their relationship. They literally fell into bed together so quickly. However, that is the genre and when I took a moment to reflect that they had been harboring feelings for one another for so long (over 10 years), it soothed that issue for me. Once I got past that, I really started to enjoy the story.

Cali is such a lovely strong female character. She is witty, kind, and searching for her anchor in life. She has been floating since the death of her best friend/Aunt Rhae. She is independent yet never stubborn in what she wants and what she feels is the right course of action. Cali is loyal and unwavering. When she loves, it is completely and unconditionally. Owen is the sexy boy next store turned millionaire business owner. He still has such a down to earth quality mixed with a man who can do anything he wants at a moments whim. He is able to woo Cali in such an extravagant way, yet you never feel that he is an overbearing alpha or too domineering. He is sweet, kind, and sexy.

Cali and Owen are a fantastic couple. They truly compliment each other and fit perfectly. Their passion is very well displayed. There was a lot of sex in this book, more so than I expected or really care for in books, but the point is made very clear: these two are so in love and in lust that they cannot keep their hands off each other. It is a honeymoon phase that will not end anytime soon and a spark that will not go out! About a quarter of the way through the story, a different plot twist emerges that I was not expecting, yet for me, it made the book so much better! Someone begins to threaten Cali and there is not a substantial clue as to who and what is happening. This plot development adds more depth to this story and helps to fuse our two leading characters together even more.

The secondary characters are some incredible supporting ones. Steven and Adeline were so wonderful! I loved how different characters were introduced into the story. I enjoyed watching the reconciliation between Owen and his brother Ethan. Each character was well woven into the storyline and added the perfect amount of character development and supporting plot twists. The friendships within this story are real and the kindness is so genuine. Seeing those relationships and friendships play out in this book was a real treat.

Overall, this story was a fun read. It was very heavy on the romance and had a great unseen plot twist that added emotional depth and intrigue to the story! Cali and Owen are a great couple. This was a good debut novel from Michelle Dare and I am interested to see what else she has in store!

When Cali reached the main living room she saw him out on the deck.  He was setting out breakfast for the two of them.  She stood in the doorway watching him.

He didn’t seem to notice her standing there.  Her mind drifted, wondering why Owen wanted her, what he saw.  No job, not even looking for a new one, but what she did have was a huge heart and the man in front of her was taking more and more of it.

Owen was placing food on plates.  He was wearing a dark olive green t-shirt and khaki shorts.  The way the shirt clung to his muscular arms with each movement made her hot all over.  Roving over his body, her eyes moved to take in the shape of his firm ass and his strong legs.  This man could knock someone out with one punch, she thought.

She stepped onto the deck, her sandals making a soft clap on the wood.  Owen looked up and a warm smile lit his face.  Not knowing where they were going she chose a soft pink tank top and white, cotton shorts.  She loved the way he looked at her, taking her in.  The look made her feel sexy and wanted.

When she reached him, he brought his hand up to brush one of her curls from her face.  “You are gorgeous and you’re mine.”

Cali nodded.  “All yours.”  He took his thumb and brushed the soft pad over her lower lip.

“Let’s eat before I take you down to the pool and have my way with you.”

“Hmmm,” she said, acting like she was deep in thought.  “Maybe we can take a dip later.  Might be fun.”

“I’ll hold you to it.  Now sit and eat.  We have a reservation to keep.”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Haven’t you learned yet?  I like to surprise you.”

Mumbling she said, “I hate surprises.”  But he heard and laughed.

They ate breakfast while watching the waves gently lap the shore.  A light breeze was blowing causing the palm trees to rustle.  Cali could see a couple of sailboats out on the water.  She was mentally etching the moment into her memory, not wanting to forget a single minute of the trip.

Owen kept her on her toes and she was starting to like it.  He was always moving.  She usually preferred more of a schedule, a routine.  To know what every day held.

Before, all of the surprises and spontaneity would have driven her crazy, but she was learning to relax and go wherever Owen wanted.  The way he took care of her, always thinking of her needs, she felt like she was in a dream, waiting to wake up.

You feeling lucky today? Then make sure to enter this Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win. In celebration of this blog tour, Michelle Dare and Southern Belle are giving away a $10 Amazon giftcard. Just click on the link above and enter for your chance to win! Good luck!

Michelle Dare is a Jersey girl living over the border in Pennsylvania.  She started out as a reader, then became a book blogger.  She loves the book community and thought to try her hand at writing.  Her first book, My Salvation, is a contemporary romance.

She is a married mom with two wonderful children and a German Shepherd, who she considers her third child.   She is a lover of books, music and movies.  Her favorite band is Maroon 5 and has too many favorite movies to list.  Paranormal romance is her favorite genre to read.

For more about Michelle, check out her social media sites.

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