{Review} Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham (with Excerpt)

Item: Kiss Me That Way
Rating: 4.5
Author: Kassiah

June 3, 2016 Blog Tour, Reviews 1 Comment

We really enjoyed Laura Trentham’s Falcon Football series, so we were excited to dive into her newest Cottonbloom Novels Series. We’ve got a fun excerpt to share with you today, along with our thoughts on the book. But first, you know the drill, here’s the 411 on Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham:

About the Book

{Review} Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham (with Excerpt)

Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham
Also by this author: Slow and Steady Rush, Caught Up in the Touch, Melting Into You, Then He Kissed Me, Till I Kissed You, Candy Cane Christmas
Series: Cottonbloom Novels #1
Also in this series: Then He Kissed Me, Till I Kissed You, Candy Cane Christmas
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on May 31, 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Opposites Attract, Second Chance Romance, Small Town Romance
Character(s): Businessmen/Lawyers/Entrepreneurs, Reclusive Heroes
Pages: 352
Goodreads Buy the Book

A river divides Cottonbloom in two: the upscale enclave on the Mississippi side and the rundown, rough and tumble side in Louisiana. They’re worlds apart—but nothing can build a bridge like love…

Cade Fournette never had it easy Cottonbloom. He stuck around long enough to raise his orphaned siblings and then hightailed it out West—and never looked back. Even though he’s made a success of himself in Seattle, Cade never lost the toughness and the angry edge that helped him survive down South. His only weak spot: the girl he left behind…

Monroe Kirby came from the wealthy side of town, but that didn’t protect her from her mother’s drinking—or her mother’s boyfriend. It was Cade who did that, on a long-ago hot September night, before he disappeared…along with a piece of her heart. Now Monroe is a physical therapist who can fight for herself, and it’s Cade who could use some conditioning when he makes an unexpected return back home. Will he and Monroe pick up where they left off and finally explore their mutual passion—or will the scars and secrets of the past divide them once more?

EXCERPT

Monroe’s lips silenced the rest of his question. The champagne on his tongue was almost
as intoxicating as his scent. The music from the great room drifted, muted and unrecognizable.
As if slow dancing, Cade wrapped his arms around her and turned them enough so he could close
the door, leaving them in silence, except for the ticking of a clock.

His hands roamed her bare back, slipping inside of her dress to brush the top curves of
her buttocks. She pushed him backward against the wall. Infinitely stronger than her, he could have held his ground or taken charge at any point, but the fact that he let her lead only made her want him more. She was done listening to logic, done fighting her hunger for him. She wanted him.

Cupping her cheeks, he pulled his lips from hers. “And again you do the unexpected.”

“Unwanted?” she whispered.

“Does it look like I’m protesting?”

Keep Reading the Excerpt for Kiss Me Like That

His breath puffed against her cheek before he kissed her once more, slipping his tongue alongside hers, before his mouth retreated once more. She tipped into him seeking more. He took her weight, bracing his legs farther apart, but evaded her mouth.

“I watched you dancing with Tarwater. What are you playing at? Is he the man you want to be seen with and I’m the one you’re keeping for the dark?” A thread of emotion in his voice tied itself around her heart and bound her. Was he jealous? Hurt? Angry?

“Do you think I’m using you?” She pushed off his chest.

“You know I’m not staying long.”

She did know. She just didn’t want to think about the day he would walk away from Cottonbloom. And from her. “What are you getting at?”

“I think you get something from him you can’t get from me and vice versa. He has clout in this town, but I’m the man that you want in the dark and in your bed, aren’t I?”

“If you think all I care about is my standing in this town, why did you follow me?”

“Because I want you. That’s why I came.” Belligerence instead of seduction beat at his words. Underneath was a boy who did care what Cottonbloom thought of him. He hadn’t always been the poor swamp rat sneaking around in the dark.

“All you want is sex?”

“If that’s what you’re offering.” His voice softened, and he squeezed her hips and fit them together. “I can be rough and dirty and a little bit dangerous if that’s how you want me.”

Arousal flared even as the gentleness of his touch belied his coarse words. He skimmed his good hand from her hip to settle under her breast, his thumb running up and down the exposed skin in between. Her nipple puckered, begging for his touch.

“Is that what you want, sweetheart?”

Her body shifted toward his instinctively, seeking to anchor itself to him, needing to draw from his heat and strength. “Th-that’s not what I want.” Before the words were even out, she knew they were untrue, or at least a partial truth. Sex wasn’t all she wanted. But she did want it.

“Don’t lie to yourself or me.” He dropped his lips to the shell of her ear and nuzzled. She grabbed the lapels of his jacket. “I could take you right here, right now, with the Tarwaters and all of crazy Cottonbloom a few rooms away. And I’d make it good, Monroe. I’d make your body sing. I’d make you beg before giving you everything you need. Then, you could walk back out into that damn party like nothing happened. No one would know the things you want to do in the dark with a poor, dirty boy from Louisiana.”

Her body sang a song of longing and need. She wanted to stay in the dark with him the rest of the night, but there was something even more important she needed to do. With the effort of separating strong magnets, she pried her body from his, opened the door, and took him by the wrist.

About Laura Trentham

Author Laura Trentham Laura Trentham is an award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance. She is a member of RWA, and has finaled multiple times in the Golden Heart competition. A chemical engineer by training and a lover of books by nature, she lives in South Carolina.

Find Laura Here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Our Thoughts

Kassiah: I love books set in Louisiana, especially when the capture the ambiance and culture of the place that I call home. I also love second chance romances, so I was pretty excited to pick up Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham. I enjoyed her Falcons Football series, too.

So. Fifteen years ago, Monroe and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks (in this case, river), Cade, formed a bond when he literally came to her rescue. They lost touch after Cade left town without telling her. Now, ten years later, Cade’s back and they never forgot each other or really dealt with their feelings. Will Monroe and Cade be able to get past his feelings of never being enough for her and the distance he put between them?

“I’ve loved you since I was thirteen. Three days won’t change that. Nothing will.”

I really liked these characters. Cade was sweet and hot and pretty much exactly what you’d think a Southern boy would be. Monroe was fun and stood up for herself. I loved their banter and the romance was totally swoonworthy.

“I love the fact you look all sweet and innocent yet detonate in my arms.”

I also really loved their history.

“I thought about it. Thought about you.”

“I thought about you, too.” She moved next to him, laying her head on his chest, and he closed his eyes. “I used to pretend my pillow was you and practice kissing it. Mostly, though, I would just hug it and pretend you were hugging me back.”

There were a few things that I didn’t like, but they were fairly minor. My biggest peeve was that they called crawfish crayfish.

The next book, Then He Kissed Me hits shelves later this month, and I’m pretty excited to get to Nash’s story. *fans self*

If you’re looking for a swoony romance with fun banter and can’t-be-denied chemistry between a couple you’ll fall for too, all while dealing with very real issues in an authentic way, Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham should be next on your TBR list.