CHERISH ME
RELEASE DAY PARTY!!
Reviewer: Liz
Rating: 5 Stars
Synopsis
Haunted by vivid nightmares that force her to relive the night she was shot, Judy Adams struggles to heal physically and emotionally. Rejected by her family; she finds a ray of hope when an unexpected friend shows up on her doorstep. However her recovery is quickly derailed when she begins receiving sinister threats.
Fueled by revenge and vowing to stop the one causing the terror towards the one he loves, Jace Alexander along with the men of VIP Bodyguard Service decide to take matters into their own hands. Using the training they received in the military and enlisting the help of some unexpected allies, they stumble upon some dark secrets from the past.
With danger and tragedy looming around every corner, can their relationship withstand the strain? Or will it crack under the pressure taking with it everything they cherish most.
Review
I was given an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I seriously loved this book, maybe even more than Protect Me, but I still enjoyed them both. Cherish Me is books 2 in The Protect Me Series by Jennifer Culbreth. Jennifer left me hanging at the end of the first book and Cherish Me flowed on nicely, except now its Judy and Jace’s story. Trent is still on the run and threatening as ever especially towards Judy and Abbi. Jace and Ryan will do everything in their power to protect their girls. A friend from Judy’s past shows up unexpectedly and her brother returns, so there is a lot that is going on in this book and its keeps you interested the whole way through.
I fell in love with the characters all over again, I like how easily I can connect with them. Judy and her witty comments and come backs, there are parts where I was literally in fits of laughter. Jennifer does not disappoint she is a fantastic writer and captivates her audience.
I highly recommend this book if you love romance, witty humor and some steamy scenes that get your heart racing. And once again beware Jennifer Loves leaving you hanging and wanting that next book right now! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful series, I look forward to the next installment.
Deleted Scene
From:
Protect Me
Book
#1 of The Protected Love Series
By
Jennifer Culbreth
Location:
Chapter Twelve, Page 204
She leaned back in his chair as she flipped open
the top to the pizza box. She wasn’t hungry, and food would just make her more
tired at this point. She unlocked her phone screen and hit her contacts button
scrolling down until she saw the newly updated picture of her and Ryan next to
his contact name. She had taken it the afternoon they had gone to the
chocolatier. She smiled at the thought of how much fun they had. She was too
tired to fight at this point. She really just wanted to be home, with Ryan. She
pressed the dial button as she put the phone to her ear.
It rang twice “Babe, are you ok?” His voice came
through the receiver.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just really tired and I
don’t think I am going to make it until closing. Is there any way you could
come and get me?” She could hear the exhaustion in her own voice.
“Of course I can, I will be there in just a few
minutes. What do you say you come back and stay at my house tonight? I can have
anything you need brought over, or picked up and delivered.” He sounded hopeful
that she would say yes.
“Um, sure. I would love that.” She smiled into
the phone as it reflected through her voice.
“Ok, I will see you in a just a few minutes.”
“Ok, see you soon.”
She pressed end on the screen, and was startled
when she saw the door open to Trent’s office. At first she thought that maybe
he had left something and was returning to get it before he went to his
meeting. When she looked up to the man in front of her, she realized it wasn’t
Trent. To her surprise Mr. Wilcox came in through the office door dressed in a
designer suit and shoes. She immediately shot up out of the chair. The invasion
of privacy immediately making her feel uneasy.
“Excuse me, I didn’t mean to startle you, Ms.
Hastings” He held his hand up as if to excuse himself for barging in. “I was
looking for Mr. Williams but apparently he is not in this evening.” His
familiar southern accent rang out through her ears.
“Uh, no. Trent isn’t here. He left for a
business meeting.” Her eyes darted around the room in search of something to
protect herself with. “Mr. Wilcox, what are you doing here in LA?”
“Well you
see, Abbi, I happen to be a pretty well-known business man out here. I happen
to do business with your boss as well; meaning I do a lot of traveling from
Atlanta to Los Angeles, mostly for the weather though.” He regarded her coyly
before stepping closer. She could feel her body immediately tense. Causing the
aches through her body to sing out. “Mr. Williams has explained that the two of
you are particularly close aside from your working relationship. You can
imagine my surprise when he mentioned your name.” He smiled over at her before
continuing, “Now, seeing as how I helped with your father’s estate maybe you
could tell me who might he be meeting with tonight? I didn’t realize that Mr.
Williams had any other associates aside from myself.”
“Oh, no Trent and I aren’t in a relationship.”
She stepped back and shook her head. Where on earth would he have gotten that
idea? Why is Trent telling people they were together? Why was Mr. Wilcox here
in LA? All of the questions began piling into her head. He’d seemed harmless
when she’d first met him but something in her gut was telling her that he
wasn’t the most honorable man.
“No need to explain anything to me, I pass no
judgment on how he runs the business. I can assure you I won’t report it back
to HR.” He gave her a sideways grin as he stepped closer to the desk.
She felt the sudden urge to get out of there.
She wasn’t sure what he was here for, but she could tell that it wasn’t
anything that she wanted to be involved in.
“Listen, Mr. Wilcox, I really have no idea why
you’re here. I also have no idea where Trent is or who he is meeting. So I
should just be on my way.” She made a step towards the door.
“By all means, I understand you have a very
important job to do. However I would like for you to pass along some
information for me, I want my money. And I don’t like having to wait.” His tone
suddenly turned very serious.
“Listen, I have about twenty dollars in my
wallet. If that will cover it than I will go get it right now. If not, then I
think you’re talking to the wrong person.” She edged her way a little closer to
the exit at the side of the room.
“You’re very funny, Ms. Hastings. I would hate
to have to break that funny bone of yours because of your boyfriend’s
misjudgment in my patience.” He reached towards her and she flinched back. He
recoiled his hand, “Please pass the message on to him, and let him know that I
will be back, soon.” With that he turned and headed towards the door.
An eerie silence transcended throughout the
office. It was so quite her ears were ringing. She needed to get out of here.
She didn’t give a damn if she had to wait outside for Ryan she was not going to
stay in this building any longer tonight. She found herself very jumpy as she
made her way out of the office and down the hallway, checking over her shoulder
every few steps. The feeling that someone was going to jump out from behind a
door caused her to almost run. Relief flooded through her body as she made her
way out of the door and down towards the bar counter. She nudged her way
through the crowd as she found Judy standing just towards the end of the bar.
Explanation:
In this deleted scene you see that Mr. Wilcox,
the attorney from Atlanta who helped her with her father’s estate in the
beginning chapter of Protect Me, is actually used as the villain. I read over
this scene many times before deciding to change. I felt as though Abbi had
entrusted too many less than honorable people by this point in the book. I
wanted some of the people she had relied on to actually have good intentions.
The other reason I decided to change Mr. Wilcox
as being the villain to Mr. Hernandez is because I felt it would flow easier. I
knew that certain characters wouldn’t be continuing on to the next book and I
wanted to keep the threat of retaliation alive. So instead I re wrote this
scene and introduced Mr. Hernandez. Other scenes earlier in the book, i.e. when
Abbi is eaves dropping on Trent’s conversation with the “mystery man” were
added to incorporate this scene into the book.
Author Interview –
Jennifer Culbreth
Book(s):
·
Protect Me (Protected Love Series Book
#1) released July 30, 2013
·
Cherish Me (Protected Love Series Book
#2) To Be Released October 26, 2013
1)
What author(s) influenced your writing?
I grew up reading the classics. I fell in love with Mr. Darcy
and Gatsby before the playboys like Christian Grey and Gavin Blake had even
been thought of. Now, don’t get me wrong… I love a schmexy CEO just as much as
the next girl. But I not only fell in love with the characters in the classic
literature that littered the small book case in my room, most importantly I
fell in love with the words. The beautiful words that brought the story to
life. Authors such as Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, and Robert Louis Stevenson were
my main influencers. The most influential authors for me, for their support and
guidance, have been Gail McHugh and Teresa Gableman. When I started this
journey I was scared to death, alone as I knew no authors, and clueless. I
reached out asking for help to a number of authors whose books I had read and
enjoyed and both Gail and Teresa graciously answered back. I truly have to say
if it hadn’t been for them motivating me to take the leap I wouldn’t be where I
am in this journey today.
2.)
What tips do you have for someone who is
thinking about writing a book?
To go for it! Never in a hundred years would I have imagined I
would be able to call myself a published author. It doesn’t matter what
background you come from, or what your walk of life is. I grew up a tomboy who
hunted and fished, and yes I still do to this day. I went to college first to
join the Police Force and then graduated with a degree in Business thanks to
the coaxing of my family. However I have had no formal training to become a
writer. I had a passion. One that I embraced and stayed focused on and this
journey for me will never end.
If you are considering self-publishing and you have the
creativity, thick skin, and motivation to find the answers you need you have
already met half the battle. The publishing world is full of amazing creative
minds, being able to think outside of the box and explore new story lines and
characters is important. Along with having thick skin. The Indie Author world
can be tough and you have to really be able to take criticism. You will at some
point get less than pleasant reviews, you will have those who want your cover
to look a certain way, or want your story to go differently. But you have to
always keep the spark alive and remind yourself that not every reader will fall
in love with your book; and that’s ok. You will have readers who will love your
work support you and those are the ones that truly matter.
I am always available to help in any way that I can to give
advice and guidance to anyone interested in becoming an Indie Author. I have
been blessed to have the amount of support from others through this journey and
the most humbling part is being able to pass the torch sort of speak. I can
always be reached via fb or email.
3.)
What do you do for fun?
Growing up in
a rural area there wasn’t a lot to do for fun. We made the best of it though
driving along dirt roads, hunting, fishing, and having cook outs with friends
and family. We are all avid SEC Football fans and enjoy the family rivalries
during the fall. Go Gators! I am lucky to come from a huge family and I love
spending time with them. Two years ago I married First Class Petty Officer
Culbreth and have been blessed to have an amazing partner in life. He inspires
me, teaches me, and motivates me every day. I am very lucky to have him in my
life.
We just moved
to Colorado Springs and look forward to being able to enjoy the mountains and
the outdoors here. Being a Florida native for more than 26 years you can
imagine my thrill in looking forward to the snow! Hopefully before that happens
we will be able to travel up and enjoy the sights of Cripple Creek and Pike’s
Peak.
I would have
to say my favorite hobby would be trying new foods. I don’t know if you would
consider that a hobby but as often as I eat I think we can categorize it as
such! I have a slight obsession with s’mores… I love Indian cuisine, and Gordon
Ramsey is my favorite person to watch on TV. I look forward to heading up to
the bakery I have heard so much about in Woodland Park and trying a bacon maple
twist!
4.) What is your
favorite movie?
I absolutely
LOVE movies with action. That is one of the primary reasons why my books
contain elements of suspense. I have to have something that keeps me on the
edge of my seat. My favorite movie is Act of Valor. I balled in the movie
theatre (only movie to ever make me do that), I cry like a baby every time I
watch it at home, and even when I read the book. I can stand in the same places
as those wives being married to an active duty US Navy Sailor myself. I can
feel their pain, their angst, and their sadness. I love movies that draw me in
like that.
However I
don’t only like movies where explosions happen in every other scene. I also
enjoy a movie that will make me laugh. This is The End is probably one of the
only stupidly funny movies I have ever liked. If you are in need of a funny
movie that will make your abs hurt from laughing I recommend it!
5.) If you were
going out on a hot date what would it be?
Well, as most
of you know I am just a down home country girl. Born and raised in the
backwoods. So if I could choose any date it would probably be taking my huge,
lifted, SUV out in the mud! Bonfire, good friends, apple pie moonshine, old
country on the radio, and my hubby to cuddle next to. Of course at some point
someone will have to make me s’mores…
PURCHASE LINK
