When You're Ready by J.L Berg - Book Tour, Book Review, Excerpt, Giveaway

When Clare Murray suffers the tragic loss of her husband Ethan, leaving her alone to raise their infant daughter, she feels the grief overwhelming her, eeping into her very soul. Weeks later, she stumbles upon an envelope with the words “When You’re Ready” written in Ethan’s familiar messy handwriting, but can’t bring herself to breach the seal. Ready for what? He was her entire world, and Clare has accepted a life without him, without love. Until, years later, fate brings her to an emergency room, and face to face with stormy eyed doctor intent on changing her mind.

Logan Matthews is the son of a billionaire who has spent his entire life trying to make his absent father proud. Years of living up to man who more ghost than father, and a public failed marriage has left Logan cold and emotionless until he walks into an exam room to discover a woman who stops his heart, makes his body burn with desire and leaves his entire world altered.

But how far are Clare and Logan willing to go for love? When their love is tested, is Clare ready to put her whole heart on the line again? Can Logan learn the true meaning of love, even if it means sacrificing his own happiness? When a second chance at love is given, Clare and Logan learn you never know you are truly ready until you’re ready to risk it all.

How do you say goodbye to the person you loved the most?

The first few pages and the tears from my eyes are threatening to come down. The beginning was just so beautiful that I wonder, if I can take the next pages.

When you already met your greatest love, spend wonderful years with him and then suddenly lost him - can your heart make space for another? Some of us aren't lucky enough to find our soul mates, but to find love, it its purest and unadulterated form twice in your lifetime is truly a blessing. 

When you have the type of love Ethan and I did, you don't expect to ever be lucky enough to find it again.

Clare Murray lost her husband Ethan at a young age, leaving her to fend for their daughter, Maggie. He was her one true love, and it wasn't really easy to move on. So despite it was three years ago, she haven't dated, slept with anyone or flirted. Her attention was focused on the little girl Ethan left her with. After his death, she found a letter among his things addressed to her, with the words, "When You're Ready". Like her (or perhaps some of you who have read this), you just don't know what kind of control I did for me not to go to the last page to read it. 

Then she met Logan Matthews, smelling like puke, in her most distressing situation inside the emergency room after Maddie's accident. It was not the sexiest way to meet a man, but fate has its own mind.  Logan is a trauma doctor, a son of a billionaire who had spent his entire life making his absentee-father proud of him. But when his divorce and the surrounding controversy hit the media, he packed all his things and left New York. He changed all of a sudden, he became cold, and emotionless. He thought he was not capable of falling in love - after all, that what drove his marriage to failure. UNTIL he stepped into the emergency room to come face to face with Clare who made his heart beat a little over the normal limits.

When You're Ready is a love story between a man who thought he wasn't capable of love and a woman who never thought she'd found another one to love. I fell in love with this book right from the start, and it didn't take me long to finish it - especially because I was too excited to read Ethan's letter. What Ethan and Clare has was totally irreplaceable, but what Clare and Logan has is totally worth it. 

They did not rush, especially Logan. He waited, wooed, not only Clare but also Maddie. I so love that he took care of both girls and was willing to be a friend first. So when they finally crossed the line, it was just amazing! There was no guilt, no remorse, everything was just about them. 

And just when they thought everything was perfect, here comes a phone call that will test not only their love but Clare's strength as well. Will their love ever be enough? Or will they let each other go?

It was not only Clare, Maddie and Logan who caught my attention. Her best friend Leah, was totally hilarious. I love her humor - it's much needed to lighten up the heaviness of this book. She's an amazing friend and had been there for her throughout the ordeal. I'm looking forward for her happy ending in the second book of the series. 

I have read so many wonderful stories about second chances and moving on, and every book has made its mark on me. This one did as well. J.L. Berg wrote a wonderful, wonderful book that will have you in tears, laughing, in love, and in awe of the characters. You won't stop reading until you reached the final page. And that breathe you're holding - you're finally going to exhale it. Because at the end, they all got what they deserve, and just like the beginning, the ending was beautiful!

When you plan to share a life with someone, you never for a second stop to wonder how long that life may be.

RATING:

Purchase Links

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*Contains Adult Content*

A knock on the door marked the entrance of yet another person. As I turned my head, I found myself face to face with the real-life version of Dr.McSteamy entering the exam room. Is this our doctor? Holy hell, I think I just whimpered a little.

Tall and built like a swimmer, he was sexiest thing I’d ever seen in a pair of scrubs. Like the sky right before a summer storm, his eyes bordered between gray and blue, and I couldn’t help but stare into their thunderous intensity. His hair was dark brown that edged near black and had that “just fucked” look to it. The kind of hair that made you want to run your hands through it. How did guys do that? Did they spend time creating that look in a mirror, or was it really a product of being fucked? I suddenly wanted to know. Oh shit, was I drooling? Did he say something?

He was looking right at me, waiting

“Are you the mother?” he asked. His eyebrow arched in question. A really hot question.

Seriously, Clare…get your mind out of the gutter.

“Uh, yes. I’m Clare Murray. This is my daughter Madilyn, uh, Maddie,” I said, trying to cover up the fact that I had probably been standing there for an ungodly amount of time, lamely staring at him and forming my own mini puddle of drool, while he tried to get my attention back on my sick daughter.

Yup, best mother ever.

“Nice to meet you Ms. Murray, I’m Dr. Matthews.” Turning to Maddie, he said “And this must be the princess.”

Calling Maddie a princess earned him major brownie points, and I think I even heard a faint giggle. She immediately looked up, her big brown eyes connecting with his as he began the examination.

Dr. Matthews bent down, leaning over her tiny frame and ran his hand over Maddie’s head. I knew he was checking for any bumps or abnormalities, but his gesture seemed protective and my heart did a little flip flop seeing my daughter in the arms of another man.

Done with his physical exam, he settled himself at the end of the hospital bed and motioned for me to take a seat in the chair positioned next to Maddie. It was a small room, making us all very cozy. I could feel the heat radiating off his body. His really, really hot body. His eyes lingered on mine briefly, and I felt the blush start to creep up my cheeks. A quick smirk flashed across his face before he began speaking.

“Well, your nurse already gave me some of the details on what lead to Maddie’s injury this afternoon. Sounds like you had an eventful day,” he said, giving Maddie a gentle smile. She looked up at him like he’s the king of the world, which surprised me. Maddie’s generally not a fan of men, having not been around many in her life.

“But it looks like a classic concussion. Her skull feels normal, and I don’t see any signs of swelling or bleeding. I’m going to go ahead and order a CT just to rule out anything major and make sure we’ve covered all of our bases. But more than likely she’ll be back to her old self in a few days,” he said, offering reassurance.

I nodded absently, those stark white walls starting to tighten around me. It’s not the fact that he wanted a test that sent me into an instant panic attack. I understood the precaution. I was glad Dr. Matthews was taking the time to do so, and I appreciated his thoroughness. It was the way in which he said it. The exact phrasing. One sentence, and the memory came back to haunt me, flooding my mind and taking over my senses.

Ethan sat down next to me on the bed. He looked at me with those dark brown eyes and concerned, loving look. He knew I always worried about everything.

“Baby, I don’t need any more tests. The doctor says they’re only migraines,” he said. “The CT came back normal which rules out anything major. I don’t want to fight with the insurance company to get an MRI. You know they aren’t going to pay for it, so why bother?” He pulled me down onto our bed so that we were laying side by side.

“It’s going to be fine. So please, stop worrying.” He pleaded, leaning in to kiss me slowly, desperately trying to change the subject. He pulled away, looking at me with a devious grin plastered on his face. “Besides, we have more important things to think about right now,” he whispered, looking down my body slowly and appreciatively.

“Oh, yeah? I can’t think of anything,” I said, faking a yawn and stretching my arms out wide. “I think I’m going to go to sleep. Night!”

I tried to keep my face steady, but I couldn’t help the grin that escaped, and before I could cover my mouth to hide it, he attacked and I squealed with laughter. He straddled my body, pinning me to the bed with his knees, and trapping my wrists above my head in his tight grasp.

“Shhh! This is the first night in weeks the baby has been asleep for more than an hour, and you’re going to ruin it with your squealing horse laugh!” He leaned down to kiss me, chuckling.

“I do not laugh like a horse!” I pouted.

The annoyance in my voice melted as his trailing kisses reached my neck and meandered down to my shoulder, taking the strap of my nightgown with him. He pulled my body firmly against his and slowly made his way back to my mouth, kissing me so fiercely that every other thought melted away. Tests and headaches were left in the past.

If only I had been more persistent, more demanding…taken him to more specialists…

“Are you sure the CT will be enough? Nothing will be overlooked? I asked, escaping from the memory that had held me captive. Fear was evident in my voice. I knew everything was fine, and what happened with Ethan had been rare, but the irrational panic was there nonetheless.

Maddie is not Ethan. Maddie is not going to die. I silently chant, feeling the calm beginning to return.

I looked up at Dr. Matthews, and he was watching me with concern and confusion painted all over his gorgeous face.

Awesome. Good job, Clare. Now the hot doctor thinks you are crazy.

I’m a California native, who lives in the South – Virginia to be exact.  I still prefer sushi to fried chicken, avocado to okra, and I absolutely loathe humidity, but I love watching the seasons change.  My husband and I have been here for ten years, and I still get giddy like a school girl every time it snows.

I’m married to my high school sweetheart.  We were married young, barely out of high school, when everyone told us we were crazy and stupid.  We’ll be celebrating 12 years of marriage this year, and I love him more every single day.  We’re living proof that true love knows no age limit.

We’ve been blessed with two beautiful daughters who continue to amaze and inspire me, and are probably making me go a bit insane.  I’m obsessed with yoga and pilates and am a complete chocoholic.  I apologize in advance for the amount of sweets in my book.

I’m absolutely obsessed with romance novels (duh) and probably could have built a vacation home with the amount of money I’ve invested in them over the years.  Romance novels take you to another place, making your heart race, emotions swell, passion run free.  After so many years of meeting hundreds of fictional characters and discovering their worlds, I found myself creating my own.

My debut novel, When You’re Ready, a novel about about finding love after loss, will be released August 1st!

    

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