Title: 8 Weeks (Time for Love #1)
Author: Bethany Lopez
Age Group: NA/Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb:
Is eight weeks enough time to earn back the love of someone you've betrayed...the only one you've ever loved? Shelly has been in love with Cal since they started dating in eleventh grade. Despite everyone saying that the odds were against them, they got married after graduation and built a life together. Now, six years later, she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. Devastated, her first instinct is to call it quits…
After a drunken binge at his best friends’ bachelor party, Cal betrays the one person who has always been there for him, his wife, Shelly. Terrified and realizing she might divorce him, Cal must come up with a way to prove to her that his love is true…
Cal asks Shelly for eight weeks. Eight weeks to convince her that their marriage is worth the fight. Will Shelly be able to trust him again, or will their marriage end the way many others do when faced with opposition… In divorce?
8 Weeks is book 1 in the Time for Love series, but can be read as a stand alone.
Title: 21 Days (Time for Love #2)
Author: Bethany Lopez
Age Group: NA/Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb:
Sasha and TJ are no strangers to enjoying sex with no strings attached, so when they decide to act on their mutual attraction, there should be no reason why they can’t apply that same philosophy to each other.Money has never been an issue for Sasha, which made proving herself as a real estate dynamo a personal challenge she was determined to conquer. Raised in a gilded world masking neglect and disappointment, she learned not to depend on anyone, especially when it comes to love and relationships. Men are great for companionship, but she isn’t looking for anything serious.
Used to going without, TJ has worked hard to be able to support himself. When he loses his job and his home in one fell swoop, he faces relying on others for the first time in his adult life. Then Sasha steps in, offering him a place to stay until he’s back on his feet. He grudgingly agrees, but vows to be out of her guest room within 21 days.
They'll discover that a lot can change in 21 days, especially when they decide to give the idea of "friends with benefits" a try. As each day passes, Sasha and TJ become closer than they’ve ever been. Will they be able to go back to being just friends when their days together are up, or will they allow their personal hang-ups to get in the way of what they really cherish most?
Title: 42 Hours (Time for Love #3)
Author: Bethany Lopez
Age Group: NA/Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb:
Eight years ago, Scott and Gaby shared one very special night. Not wanting to ruin their friendship, they didn't take things further...but neither of them has forgotten.
When Scott’s friends stage an intervention to make him realize that his fiancé, Victoria, is all wrong for him, he takes time to evaluate his life. He’s earned a big promotion and just bought his dream car, but those things are just superficial. The one time he was truly happy, was with Gaby.
Gaby is in a good place in her life. She loves her job, has the best friends and family a girl could ask for, and is dating a sweet and sexy guy, but she’s never stopped thinking about that night with Scott.
Eager to find happiness again, Scott makes a plan to win Gaby’s heart during a weekend getaway, but she doesn’t want to be his rebound girl. Will 42 hours be enough to convince Gaby that it's finally their time for love?
8 Weeks
excerpt 1:
Shelly
It’s crazy how much things can change in an instant.
One moment, I was eagerly awaiting my husband’s arrival. I was feeling excited and sexy, and anticipating an evening filled with love and great sex.
Then, with a few words, my whole world came crashing down around me, and my life changed.
I went from being a whole person, to having my heart shattered into a million fragmented pieces.
I was looking into my handsome man’s face, my lips still tingling from his kiss, when he started to apologize.
I’d known something was up when he walked in, but I’d never imagined the depths of what was wrong.
“Sorry about what?” I asked tentatively, unsure if I wanted to know the answer.
“Let’s go sit down,” Cal said, but I shook my head.
“Just say it.”
“I don’t remember what happened last night, apparently I got really drunk and left the guys in the casino and headed back to the room. The last thing I remember is them razzing me about being a lightweight.” I smiled at him; he’d always been kind of a lightweight. The look on his face caused the smile to fall from mine. “When I woke up this morning, I was naked with a killer hangover, and there was someone else in the room.”
“One of the guys?” I asked, suddenly filled with dread.
Cal shook his head slowly, and my arms dropped from around him. I stepped back, the look in his eyes telling me what he was going to say before he said it.
I shook my head in denial.
“It was a woman,” he said softly, his voice strained. “I don’t know who she was or how I met her, but I’m pretty sure I slept with her.”
excerpt 2:
Shelly
One of the sweetest qualities in Cal was that he was an utter gentleman. I guess I'd always taken it for granted.
I let him help me out of the car and walk me to the door. When I turned to thank him again, I was surprised to see him walking purposefully toward me.
One second, I was standing on the step, the next I was up against the door in Cal's arms.
His hands were on my face, and his body was pressed fully against mine, I barely had time to gasp in surprise, when his mouth was on mine.
The kiss was frantic and full of need, and without a thought, I matched his need with my own. His mouth slanted over mine and our tongues met, causing a moan to escape my lips. He brought one hand around my lower back and pulled me closer to him. I lifted my leg up and assisted him as he cupped my bottom and brought me fully against him. I fisted his shirt in my hand, needing to grab on, eager to pull him closer. I nipped his bottom lip lightly, and felt a rush of cool air as he pulled his mouth away from mine.
He lowered my leg and took a step back, leaving me standing there scattered and full of need.
"I'm sorry, Shel." He leaned in and kissed my forehead lightly. "I got carried away."
Cal turned and jogged down the steps back to his car, as if he needed to get away as fast as he could.
I watched him leave with a mixture of relief and regret before slowly turning and letting myself in.
It looked like a cold shower and a lot of soul searching was in order.
excerpt 3:
Cal
I settled back into my seat, my gaze on my wife’s face, watching as it went through a myriad of emotions. Happiness, sadness, awe, and even a little pain. I loved how utterly enthralled she was by the performance.
As the ballet drew on, I began to battle the exhaustion of the day. I’d gone in early to help TJ with an engine repair, and we’d had complications trying to meet the deadline, so I was physically drained. The music lulled me, until the little pink people jumping across the stage became a blur and I fell into darkness.
I heard a giggle and a snort and opened my eyes to blinding light, with Shelly leaning over me and poking my arm.
“Wake up, sleepy-head,” she said softly.
I sat up quickly and tried to look alert.
“I wasn’t sleeping,” I saidhurriedly , trying to get my brain to catch up with what was happening as people began to stand up and file out of the theater.
“Yes you were,” Shelly said with a stern look and her finger pointed at me. “You totally fell asleep.”
“No,” I argued. “I just closed my eyes for a minute.
“Try thirty minutes,” she countered, unable to control her smile any longer. “I think you snored.”
“I did not,” I replied.
Shit, had I fallen asleep for a half an hour?
Quotes:
Cal ~ There was no future for me without Shelly in it. I just needed to convince her of the same.
Shelly ~ “I can’t go back to the way things were, too much has happened,” I began. “But I can’t imagine my life without Cal in it. I just don’t know in what capacity I can handle him. And, although I loved having sex with Cal, I don’t want to get his hopes up, or cause him more pain. We’ve both been through enough in the last few weeks.”
“Jesus,” Cal exclaimed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. “I want you to do what you want to do … I always have. If you want to tattoo your entire body, shave your head, and dye yourself blue … go for it. I’m not your ruler, Shelly, and I can’t believe that you’ve ever thought that I would dictate what you could or couldn’t do.”
21 Days
excerpt 1:
TJ
“I remember that night,” Sasha said softly. “I saw you and Melody.”
“What?” I asked assuming she meant she saw us together at the bonfire.
“I had to go to the bathroom, so I went further into the field to get away from the crowd, and I saw you and Melody in the field.”
“You saw us having sex?” I asked, my dick becoming hard of its own free will.
Sasha nodded, her face reddening a bit.
“What’d you do? Run back and tell Shelly and Gaby?” I asked my voice a little hoarse.
“No…” Sasha responded, her eyes wide. “I stayed and watched.”
It felt like someone had lit a match and ignited my body. My heart started pounding and my entire body felt molten at her words.
“You watched Melody and I have sex?” That was the hottest shit I’d ever heard.
“I hadn’t had sex yet, and I was curious,” Sasha admitted. “I was going to turn and leave, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I stayed. I didn’t move until after you guys went back to the bonfire. The girls and I left soon after, I wouldn’t have been able to face you if we’d run into each other.”
I wanted to ask her if watching us had made her hot, if she’d thought about it when she touched herself, and a million other things that I would ask any other girl who admitted to watching me have sex, but I couldn’t. I knew if I crossed that line, I wouldn’t be able to stop until I had her writhing beneath me, and there would be no turning back.
Instead, I jumped up, “I’m gonna go take a shower.”
excerpt 2:
Sasha
“Who goes first?” I asked.
“I will,” Gaby yelled, her hand raised as if she were in class.
“Okay… Gaby, Truth or Dare?”
“Dare.”
“I dare you to kiss TJ,” Shelly said excitedly.
“What?” Gaby and I both asked.
This was not turning out quite how I’d imagined, but Shelly was grinning like the Mad Hatter.
Gaby looked at me questioningly, but when I just shrugged my shoulders, she walked towards the room TJ was staying in. Shelly and I trailed closely behind her. She knocked on the door and TJ said, “Come in.”
He was sitting on the bed, fully dressed and reading a book.
I blinked.
“You read?” I blurted without thinking.
TJ raised his eyebrow at me and asked, “Are you surprised that I can?”
“No,” I stuttered. “I didn’t mean that. I just didn’t realize you liked to… As a pastime I mean.”
TJ put the book on the end table and looked at each of us warily.
“What’s up?”
“I’m gonna kiss you?” Gaby said eagerly.
A little too eagerly for my taste.
TJ grinned at her.
“Is that right?”
“We’re playing Truth or Dare,” I said sharply as way of explanation.
TJ nodded, as if he saw grown women play Truth or Dare everyday, then crooked his finger at Gaby. She crawled across the bed towards him, trying to look sexy, but blowing it when she started laughing. My mouth went dry when his eyes met mine, and I wondered if he wished it were me crawling towards him, because I was beginning to. He flicked his eyes back to Gaby, then made a show of kissing her passionately.
I mean… I think I came just from watching.
He leaned in and started with just their lips touching, then his right hand came up behind her head and pulled her closer, while he placed his left hand on her face. I couldn’t see, but I imagined he was caressing her cheek. Then he turned his head and seemed to deepen the kiss. I started to feel a red hot lick of jealousy crawl up my spine as I watched, and just as I was about to whimper, he broke the kiss and leaned back with a cocky grin.
“Wow,” Shelly said from behind me, mimicking my thoughts.
“You’re really good at that,” I heard Gaby say.
TJ looked at my face again, frowned at what he must have seen there, then stood up and held out a hand to help Gaby off of the bed. I heard a knock at the door and spun to go answer it, eager to get away from TJ and my confusing reaction to seeing him kiss Gaby.
I wanted to kick something. Preferably the two of them.
excerpt 3:
TJ
I looked over at the clock and decided that I was going to have to wake her up, we were quickly running out of time, and I wanted to do something fun today. Just the two of us.
I eased up onto my knees, throwing one over the side, so I was straddling Sasha. I didn’t want to crush her, so I hovered slightly over her, bearing the weight on my shins. I ran my hands lightly up her back, stopping at her shoulders, then slowly began kneading her back. She shifted slightly, then grunted, alerting me to the fact that my plan was working. I continued to massage her neck and shoulders, before moving down her back, rubbing and adding pressure when I felt knots. When Sasha moaned loudly, I knew she was awake. I stilled my hands and leaned down to kiss her on the back, “Good morning.”
“Don’t stop,” was her answer.
I chuckled softly and continued her massage, “You don’t have to work today, right?”
“No, I’m off,” she grunted in reply.
“I’m off too. Let’s do something fun. If you could go anywhere, where would you want to go?”
“Water,” she mumbled.
I knew that. Sasha loved the water. Ocean, lake, river, creek, pool… It didn’t matter. Sasha loved being around the water, and swam like a fish.
“Okay, where do you want to go today? Lake or ocean?”
She lifted her head a bit and peered at me through a layer of hair. “The ocean’s two hours away.”
“So?” I asked, raising my eyebrow in challenge.
She squealed and bucked, so I moved to the side, and barely fell off the bed when she threw herself into my arms. I didn’t get the chance to hug her back, before she was off the bed and running to her dresser, “Just give me five minutes to get my bathing suit and get dressed.”
Quotes:
Sasha ~ My bank account was full, and I would never want for anything… Well, anything physical anyway. Emotionally… My account was empty.
TJ ~ “We have time Sasha, let’s play a little bit.”
Character Profiles
Here's my Pinterest board for the series: http://www.pinterest.com/bethanylopez2/time-for-love-series/
Shelly - Married to Cal, they started dating in 11th grade. 5'6" with long brown hair and green eyes. She works at the bank and drives an old Ford pick-up. Raised by her dad.
Cal - Married to Shelly. 6'4". Brown hair and eyes. Mechanic. Has a brother, Craig, and wonderful parents. Loves Shelly more than anything.
TJ - About 6', sandy colored hair. Had a rough childhood. Being independent is important to him. Mechanic with Cal. Restoring his El Camino.
Sasha - 5'9", Voluptuous redhead. Works in real estate, but her family is wealthy, so she doesn't have to.
Scott - Tall, dark hair, dark eyes, runners body. Director of Operations for a Medical Supply Co., Brandt Industries. Drives a BMW 7 Series. Engaged to Victoria. Closer to Cal's parents than his own.
Gaby - Small, long blonde hair, blue eyes. Sister, Gwen. She's a baker at Bee Sweet. Kind of a free spirit type, drives a VW Bug. Dating Brock.
Brock - Mexican and Irish, he is very tall with dark blonde hair. He has a trimmed beard, and is built. He owns his own paint company and raised his brothers after their parents died.
Victoria - Not a favorite among the group, Victoria was raised to be the perfect trophy wife to a rich husband. No goals other than marriage. Rich, snobby, and uptight. She has a sister, Abigail.
Craig - Cal's little brother has a scholarship to play baseball at USC. Before attending college, he's going to work for Brock. Idolizes TJ, and often gets to hang out with the guys at poker night.
Gwen - Gaby's little sister is into photography and drama. Thrown together since Cal and Shelly started dating, she and Craig have always been there for each other. Too bad he's never seen her as anything other than a friend.
My Thoughts:
So far, I thins this is a pretty good series, but I have to say that I much prefer the second book in the series, 21 Days, to the first one. Don't get me wrong, 8 Weeks was just fine, but it just didn't have the emotional punch and drama that 21 Days had. Cal and Shelly were good characters and I believe their love was true, but it just wasn't that exciting reading about how they recovered from his indiscretion; I think how they got together in the first place might have been the better story. Maybe it's because they were already so used to each other, there just wasn't any real spark to the story. 21 Days, on the other hand, was all spark. The relationship between TJ and Sasha was one firecracker just getting ready to burst and when it did - oh, boy, was it beautiful! This story was exciting and fun and I really loved the dynamics of the characters. Well worth the read. So give this series a try; you'll be glad you did.
About the Author:
Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. Since then she has published various YA and NA books. She is a lover of romance, family, and friends, and enjoys incorporating those things in what she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BethanyLopez2
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/bethanylopez2/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Rcmrn
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Giveaway:
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Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed TJ and Sasha's story!
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