Review: The Write Man by Lisa Ricard Claro

Reviewer's Rating: 5

5.0Overall score

I loved this one so much!

The Write Man By Lisa Ricard Claro

Genre: Congemporary Romance

Released: December 6, 2017

Publisher: Self Published

Series: Barefoot Bay Kindle World

Synopsis

She’s afraid to trust . . .
Trust comes hard for kid-lit author Merry Sunjoy, who survived a rough childhood and rocky marriage to a pathological liar. But Merry ignores her painful past and seeks silver linings everywhere, though she’s tested by Scurvy Rickets, a writer of raucous pirate stories for kids, who has engaged Merry in a humiliating social media battle. Adding to her anguish is her sister’s miscarriage and the upcoming anniversary of their mother’s death. Merry escapes to the golden beaches of Mimosa Key to hide from the world and write her next book.

He can’t tell her the truth . . .
Syndicated sports columnist Nick Brubaker isn’t looking for love when he meets Merry Sunjoy on the beach, but her sunny, impetuous ways heat him up fast, and she soon owns his heart. They take moonlit walks and share deep confidences, but Nick withholds his most important secret: He is Merry’s detested online nemesis, Scurvy Rickets. A legal contract enforces Nick’s silence, and he can’t divulge his nom de plume or his misbelief that Merry knew the online ribbing was arranged by others for promotional purposes.

Hidden words, hidden meanings . . .
When Merry accidentally discovers Nick’s secret, the betrayal cuts deep, and Merry uses Nick’s contract of silence against him. It will take deft writing on Nick’s part to convince Merry that he’s worthy of her love and trust, and that while he may be The Write Man, he is also, and will always be, the right man for her.

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

I loved this one so much!

I will read just about any story/book if there’s at least a hint of romance in it. If anyone reading this has read my reviews lately you’ll know that I’m mostly reading M/M romance, but, I have a few favorite authors who write M/F that I will always read. Lisa Ricard Claro is one of those authors. I did a beta read of The Write Man. Lisa sent me what she called “a rough draft.” I found exactly 3 things that I felt I needed to comment on – 3! I’ve read great books, published by best-selling authors, that had way more than 3 typos/inconsistencies worth mentioning.

The blog requires that I classify books as either G, PG, Sweet, Spicy or Scorcher. I’m always afraid if I classify a book as “Sweet” it will turn some readers away because it’s not “hot” enough. Well, The Write Man has no explicit sexual content, I consider the swearing to be minimal (a few damns and hells) but I’m here to tell you that this story grabbed me and touched all of my emotions. I was bawling my eyes out by the end of the book. In places they were sad tears but by the end they were happy tears.

Merry Sunjoy is a children’s author. Her books are full of light and joy and optimism and they sell well. Nick Brubaker is a sports writer with a syndicated column but he’s also the author of children’s books under the pen name Scurvy Rickets; a pen name which, under the terms of his contract, must be kept secret from everyone.

When Nick unexpectedly meets Merry at the resort where both of them are vacationing, he knows who she is right away but, of course, she has no clue that he’s Scurvy Rickets. The two of them hit it off and as they grow closer he hates that he can’t tell her who he is. Merry thinks that Scurvy Rickets is a jerk because of the social media battle going on between the two of them. Nick knows that he needs to tell her but that clause in his contract demands that he remain silent.

Lisa has a wonderful way with words and the depth of emotion I felt while reading this story was one I hadn’t felt for a while. Merry’s sense of betrayal and Nick’s regret at not being able to tell her the truth made my heart break for them. Fortunately, this is a romance and there is an HEA.

Here is one of my favorite passages in the book:

Nick took her face in his hands. “As you wish,” he said and touched his lips to hers, a soft whisper. “As you wish,” he murmured, and brushed her lips again. “As you wish,” he repeated, now kissing the spot on her cheek where her dimple appeared. “As you wish.” His lips moved feather-light over her cheekbones, her eyes, forehead, nose, against her ear. “Forever, Merry, as you wish,” he whispered before returning to her mouth.

All I had to do was reread the ending of this book to have all of the emotion it invoked when I first read it, over a month ago, come rushing back. That is a sure sign of what a story means to me since I read around 5 books a week and don’t remember details about all of them.

I can’t recommend this story enough if you love romance. Although it is part the Barefoot Bay world it can be read as a standalone story.

♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Sweet

Reviews for Lisa Ricard Claro

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Barefoot Bay Kindle World Series

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About Author

Lisa Ricard Claro

Lisa Ricard Claro is an award-winning author with published novels, articles, essays, and short stories spanning multiple media.

An Atlanta resident for decades, Lisa yearned for the beach. She collected sand dollars and seashells in anticipation of the day her inner mermaid would rise and declare, “Enough already. For the love of Poseidon, woman, get thee to the saltwater and sand!”

Heeding her inner mermaid, Lisa now resides on Florida’s gorgeous Gulf coast. She shares her life with an indulgent husband, two cheerful dogs, and an affectionate-to-the-point-of-madness cat. Lisa is mother to three—a handsome son and two beautiful daughters—and is waiting for the day she can add ‘adorable grandchildren’ to her bio. (No pressure kids, no pressure.)

Lisa has a heart for rescued pets, and you’ll find one in all of her books. Sometimes their rescue is part of the story, as with Pirate the dog in Love Built to Last, and sometimes they’re already ensconced in their forever home like Pavarotti the cat, in Love to Win. As you read Lisa’s novels, watch for the rescues.

A fan of every genre, Romance is one of Lisa’s favorites because she believes in love and happily-ever-after. She’s a Mystery buff too, and a whodunit is coming soon. But no matter the genre, Lisa’s books are written from her heart with inspiration from mermaid wishes, starfish kisses, and silky sand between her toes. (Okay, okay—and maybe the occasional margarita or daiquiri. Mermaids love that stuff!)

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