Enjoyed listening to this fun, swoony romance with a hint of the supernatural thrown in. Lauren Ambrose is the granddaughter of an oil empire matriarch. There’s a curse on the men of the Ambrose Estate; they die early. Lauren has sworn off marriage because she doesn’t want to risk losing someone she loves. She’s an artist living in San Diego and prefers to keep a low profile. When she’s summoned back to Texas, she shares a ride with a handsome, charming man who happens to live in San Diego as well. But, Lauren has no time for an ill-fated romance. Imagine her surprise when the handsome stranger shows up at Ambrose Estate.

Nick Matthews is an investment broker. He sees Ambrose Oil as out-of-date but with the potential to make an even bigger fortune. When he shares an Uber with an intriguing woman, he’s immediately interested in her. His interest grows when he learns she’s Lillian Ambrose’s granddaughter. As he gets to know Lauren better and passion flares between them, he’s determined to find a way to break the curse.

I liked both Lauren and Nick. Nick is thoughtful, handsome, and the proverbial dream. I loved that he was always upfront with Lauren about his business dealings and there were never big secrets between them. I loved the way he was willing to let Lauren ultimately choose her own destiny. Lauren has grown up with this curse and so I can’t blame her for believing it, but I wanted her to fight more instead of passively accepting it. I liked Nick’s persistence and Lauren’s willingness to finally open her heart. The curse and the breaking of it stretch the imagination a little bit, but it adds a fun element to the story. I enjoyed the side characters including feisty Lillian Ambrose.

There are plenty of passionate kisses in this romance, but it’s definitely clean. The audiobook version was enjoyable to listen to. The narrator had a more sultry sounding voice that lended itself well to this story. I sped up the narration to 1.25 and it was the perfect speed for me. She does a good job of distinguishing each character. If you like narrators with a more mellow sounding voice, you’ll enjoy this. While it’s the second book in the series, it can definitely be read as a standalone.

It’s a fun story and I’m looking forward to the other books in the series. I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook from the author. All opinions are my own and I am voluntarily leaving my review. ( )

Maybe I chose to read this novel at the wrong time, but I really struggled to get through this book. I never quite connected with the heroine, Lauren, for some reason, and though the love story between her and Nick is sweet, I still fought to stay engaged.

There is some intrigue with the Ambrose curse that quietly looms over the Ambrose women, and a little drama with an ex did pique my interest, but even then I still felt like there was something missing. I love Heather B. Moore's writing, which is a big reason why I kept going, hoping that I would better engage with the plot and characters with time, and there were times I thought about calling it quits, but I'm glad I stayed the course, as the ending was happy and quite satisfying.

This was the only book that I've read in the series, and even though it can be read as a standalone, maybe if I'd read the first book in the series I would've better connected with the characters. I do plan on eventually reading the first one to see if my hypothesis is correct, but for now I am glad I stuck it out, but I'd be lying if I say I wasn't a little disappointed, as this was not "perfect" for me. ( )