THE AMENDMENT (The Contract Series #3) by Melanie Moreland
Release Date: October 7, 2019
AVAILABLE NOW!!
Blurb:
Richard VanRyan has it all.
A loving wife, a beautiful family, great friends, and a career he excels at.
He is riding high on the crest of life.
What happens when the ride stops?
When the unthinkable becomes reality and life may never again be the same?
The Contract has changed.
Can Richard and Katy overcome The Amendment?
Series Synopsis:
The Contract Series
Follow Richard VanRyan and Katy as they hate, love, and grow in this gripping, deeply emotional series.
Book #1
What do you do when the one person you loath becomes the one person you can’t live without?
Book #2
Richard VanRyan just added another description to his resume.
Daddy.
How will he handle it?
Book #3
When the life you know becomes the life you had, how do you cope?
How will Richard and Katy overcome The Amendment?
It has taken me forever and a day to write this review. My struggle was with if I write this review, I have to finally let go of these characters as those I know in Romancelandia refuse to. If truth be known, I am one of those bugging the author for more. More Katy. More of their lives. More Richard. That man I couldn't figure out how this storyteller in The Contract was going to make me like him much less love him.
I did... I love him. I love his story.
Richard is one of the most challenging character arcs for a reader to watch. You wonder how this man - this man who is so unapologetic about his behavior can learn to love. He finds Katy. This woman who - I seriously wondered how she could tolerate him. But the more you get lost in their world, the more you come to understand the whys and - damn it - you WANT them to have a HEA which they get - and you laugh with- in The Baby Clause.
Anytime I am bored with my reading selection, I pick up The Contract/The Baby Clause to binge in. Not because fake romance/enemies to lovers is my favorite trope. Because the brilliance of the storytelling keeps me mesmerized in the tale. Like another reader friends states - it's my GOAT (Greatest Of All Time).
I became giddy when Richard and Katy showed up in Maddox (major fist bumps with romance friends) and in Reid. He was still Richard, and Katy was still keeping him in line. How could their story possibly be better?
HOLY SH*T!
I mean what possibly could the author give us? Grocery shopping? More holidays? She gives us that. Melanie Moreland paints a beautiful picture of a man - a man who never dreamed of this life - a wonderful family of marriage and friends. As we all know, life isn't without challenges. What happens when the unthinkable does? How do the characters react?
It is real, raw and emotional. I will not lie. It gripped my heart and kept me devouring page after page.
My GOAT just got better in more ways than I could imagine.
Thank you Melanie Moreland for writing not only this couple again for Romancelandia to enjoy. But gifting us another incredible story.
5 plus STARS
Excerpt:
“I can’t get these damn cuff links on, Katy,” he grumbled. “This pair never seem to cooperate for me.”
I set down my coffee and slipped the heavy silver disks into the sleeves, fastening them. “There.”
He inspected his sleeves, pleased. “Thanks, sweetheart.”
“Will you be late tonight?”
He shook his head, smirking as he grabbed my coffee from the counter beside me and stole the last few mouthfuls.
“Damn it, you still make the best coffee.”
I rolled my eyes and waited.
“No, in fact, unless there’s some big emergency at the office, I thought I’d come home around three and start the weekend early. Maybe we can take the girls to the park and out for supper somewhere.”
“I’d like that.”
“Zandini’s?” he suggested. “We haven’t had pizza in a while, and Gracie loves it there.”
I chuckled. “So does Daddy.”
He lifted one eyebrow in amusement and kissed me fast. “Yes, he does. I want to spend the weekend with my girls. I’ve missed you all too much.”
I cupped his cheek. “A family weekend sounds perfect.”
“Great. I looked at my calendar and next week is going to be crazy. Graham has me booked solid. You have a sitter for Thursday, right?”
“Yes. The dinner?”
He nodded, a grimace crossing his face. “Graham is certain we’re going to grab a few awards for the campaign for BAM. Otherwise, I’d skip it.”
I studied him for a minute. “Why?” He usually enjoyed the dinners and spending the evening talking with his peers about marketing and strategies.
“David will be there. From the rumors I’ve heard, things aren’t going well with his company. That will make him especially nasty. I don’t want him anywhere near you.”
I stroked along his jawline, feeling the tension simply talking about David caused him. “He’s in the past, Richard. He can’t hurt us now.”
He huffed out a long breath, not meeting my eyes.
“Hey.”
He looked up, wary.
“What is it, darling? Tell me,” I insisted.
He slid his arm around my waist, pulling me close. His breath tickled the hairs on my forehead. “Seeing him, being in the same room as he is, reminds me of the man I was before. The bastard I was to you—to everyone. It reminds me how close I came to becoming like him. I hate even hearing his name, never mind being around him.”
I hugged him close. It was rare, even now, that Richard showed his vulnerable side.
“I know he’s going to bait me. Make his snide remarks—remind me of my past.”
I held him tighter. “Nothing he says will make any difference.”
He laid his cheek on my head. “I worry I’ll slip back into that behavior someday,” he confessed in a low voice. “That I will lose everything I hold so dear to my heart.”
I tilted up my head, meeting his worried gaze. “No, you will not. You will never be like him, Richard. You’ve totally changed. You were lost and alone before. You have me now. The girls. The Gavin family. We would never allow that to happen. You would never allow that to happen.” I studied him, worried. “Maybe you should tell Graham you don’t want to attend. He would understand.”
Our eyes locked. Anxiety was evident in his stance. “Katy…”
“I love you,” I insisted. “I love you with everything I have. I love the man you are.”
About the Author:
New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Melanie Moreland, lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of twenty-seven-plus years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.
While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys traveling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.
Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She's learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.
Melanie is represented by Flavia Viotti at Bookcase Literary Agency. For any questions regarding subsidiary or translation rights please contact her at flavia@bookcaseagency.com
Connect w/Melanie:
Vested Interest Box Set: Books 1-3 by Melanie Moreland
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