When Lightning Strikes (Whiskey Creek)

When Lightning Strikes is the 1^st full length book from Brenda Novak’s Whiskey Creek series. The publisher is Harlequin MIRA. From the back cover.~

Simon O'Neal's causing trouble again. And it's up to Gail DeMarco to stop him.

Gail DeMarco left Whiskey Creek, California, to make a name for herself in Los Angeles. Her PR firm has accumulated a roster of A-list clients, including the biggest box office hit of all—sexy and unpredictable Simon O'Neal. But Simon, who's just been through a turbulent divorce, is so busy self-destructing he won't listen to anything she says. She drops him from her list—and he retaliates by taking the rest of her clients with him.

Desperate to save her company, Gail has to humble herself by making a deal with Simon. The one thing he wants is custody of his son, but that's going to require a whole new image. He needs to marry some squeaky-clean girl who'll drag him off to some small, obscure place like Whiskey Creek….

Gail's the only one he can trust. She agrees to become his wife—reluctantly. But she isn't reluctant because he's too hard to like. It's because he's too hard not to love!

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of When Lightning Strikes from NetGalley. I’ve read Brenda Novak for years, and have to say that her Whiskey Creek series might just be my favorite of all.

I really liked Gail from the start of the book. She is a tough lady, but knows how to get what she wants out of life. Simon was a bit harder for me to love at first. I figured out pretty quickly that he was covering up something as he tried to destroy his life. Once he and Gail strike a deal to marry to help him turn his life around to try and win custody of his son, I think we got to finally see the real Simon.

Keeping their secret that their marriage is in name only isn’t too hard, but fighting their mutual attraction becomes harder with each passing day. Gail has always found Simon attractive, he has even starred in some of her fantasies. Once Simon is sober he starts to things more clearly, which includes how he sees his new wife. He has always thought Gail was nice to look at, but now sees her for who she really is and sees her true beauty.

Of course, someone is trying to make waves with their new marriage. Photographers find their new home in Whiskey Creek, and soon Simon’s father follows to try and make Simon return to Hollywood to do his latest movie. Gail is finally clued into one of Simon’s biggest secrets when she meets with his father. She sees more than ever what steps Simon will take to protect his son. I think it was just the final thing she needed to learn to cement her falling for Simon.

The chemistry between Gail and Simon increases the more time they spend together. When they finally stop fighting their attraction to one another, Gail and Simon love scenes were hot, sexy, and even sweet at times. Of course, Simon’s ex-wife is still pulling his strings a bit where their son is concerned and will do anything to try and get Simon back. Simon and Gail’s new love is put to the test very early in their relationship. Only trust and real love will get them through this latest hurdle.

The official release date for When Lightning Strikes is August 28, 2012 in both print and digital release. You can find it at your favorite bookstore or on-line retailer. For more information about the Whiskey Creek series or any others, check out Brenda Novak’s website.