This is a complete standalone story.
Looking for …
<3 Second Chance
<3 Small town
<3 Unrequited
<3 Quick, Sweet, and Sexy …
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ISBN: 9780369513458
ASIN: B0GD5T1V4C
Blurb
After a life changing incident, Hawk Masters is back in his small town. He has to make changes to his life, the doctors have warned him that he wouldn’t make it if he had another heart attack.
It’s time for him to … relax, to rest, and to figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He was the owner of a multi-million dollar advertising company. He was the best one out there.
Now, he’s in Hope, the small town he didn’t want to come back to. There was nothing here for him, until he bumped into her, Katie Smith, now Katie Palmer. Now is his chance, and he’s not going to let it slip away.
Seven years ago, Katie lost her husband to cancer. He wanted her to move on, but there is no one for her, until Hawk walks back into her life. There is a spark. Katie didn’t know this but Hawk has wanted her since they were kids. But, he didn’t know how to handle it, and so, he said nothing.
There has not been anyone else since her husband, but Hawk, he is different. He makes her heart race, and every single day, she looks forward to seeing him. It doesn’t feel wrong falling in love. It doesn’t feel wrong being with him.
But what is going to happen when she falls pregnant? Will Hawk be able to handle being a dad, or was this all just for show to get what he wanted?
Excerpt:
The following morning, Katie stood in her kitchen, her hair a hot mess, as she looked out across the garden.
The only person in her life that she had sex with was Adam. That was it. They had lost their virginities together at prom. It had been so corny, but they had both wanted to. Their first time hadn’t been perfect, and it was painful. Adam spent a lot of time apologizing, and they laughed and made it through, having sex a couple more times. Adam hadn’t been able to have sex for long, as it was their first time. Over the years, they got better at it.
She hadn’t been with anyone else since him.
Until last night.
And it had been incredible.
She didn’t even know why she had changed her mind. Her mother had told her to stop living in the past, to start moving forward. It was what Adam had wanted.
Katie intended to invite Hawk in, have some coffee, and then tell him goodbye. Only, he’d looked down at her lips, and she didn’t know for sure, but she had a feeling he wanted her.
Rather than spend all her time thinking about what she was going to do, and how she was going to do it, she just did it. She got up and took Hawk to her bedroom.
She expected it to be awkward, to be exactly like when she was eighteen years old. Only, it had been so much more than that. Hawk had blown her mind, and even now as she sat downstairs in her kitchen, drinking her first cup of coffee, she could still feel his lips on her body.
After they had gotten naked, Hawk had promised to kiss every inch of her body, and he had not disappointed. She had never felt like that, and when his tongue had danced between her thighs, licking at her clit, gliding down toward her entrance, she had been shocked.
Hawk was large. At first, she didn’t think he was going to fit, but that would just be silly. Of course he was going to fit, and he had, and he’d blown her world.
And this morning, she had left him upstairs, so she could come downstairs and have coffee.
There was no one she could talk to. There was no way she was calling her mother and telling her about the amazing sex she had last night. She had friends, or more like acquaintances, but no one she could share her thoughts and feelings with. Right now, she was on her own.
The only real friend she had was upstairs sleeping in her bed, making it look so inviting. The blanket had covered his back, leaving his ass exposed, and she had a flash in her mind of gripping his ass as she pulled him inside her. There was no way she was going to be able to forget about this.
“Morning,” Hawk said, coming into the kitchen, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“Hawk,” she said.
He rubbed at the back of his head. “Hey.”
He looked really good naked. He was all muscle with several tattoos covering his body.
Hawk walked right up to her, put his hand on her hip, and it was like his touch was fire, as it lit her up from within, and she didn’t want it to stop. She looked up to him, and he took possession of her lips, and had her forgetting her own name for a second. How did he do that?
“You made coffee?”
She looked down at her cup that was trapped between them. “Yes, let me get you a cup.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
She needed a little distance between them, so she could focus. Having sex last night was like the last of her brain cells had vacated the premises of her mind.
“Yes, I do. You want a drink, and I am going to get you one.”
She reached for the cup and Hawk was not going to help her, as he put his hands on her hips.
“Do you have any idea how crazy you drive me, when you lift up like that and show off that delectable ass?” he asked, pressing his lips against her neck.
Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. The premise is different and nothing like Sam has written. The story grabs you and takes you on a journey with twists and turns. Hawk and Katie make a great couple who finally realize that each one is what they need.
5.0 out of 5 stars Hawk and Katie let the healing begin
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2026
Hawk and Katie is a romantic read that teaches them how to heal and slowly let themselves live. It is a truly wonderful read!
Customer Review.
Hawk Masters left his home town of Hope seventeen years ago. He made a huge impact in the world of advertising but it came at the cost of his health. Determined to recuperate and reevaluate his life he heads back home to Hope and to his family with the goal of doing just that, however he wasn’t prepared to run into Katie Palmer again and she will have the biggest affect on him yet! At thirty five Katie Palmer focuses on her life of running her gift shop. She has been dealing with the sad passing of her husband Adam seven years prior and is trying to move forward but no one has made her truly want to until she bumps into Hawk Masters again. The guy from her school days who didn’t leave the best of memories with Katie but we soon learn why. Katie understands Hawk, she truly sees him and together they heal one another in so many ways that when they do come together its just magical. I thoroughly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. It has characters that kept me engaged throughout and I loved the way the leading characters interact with each other but also their families. It is a delightful small town romance, giving us a second chance at love with no outside drama and lots of delicious heat that leaves you breathless. What a great start Sam Crescent has given us to the New Year, I am excited to see what she gives us next! Happy Reading.
Please note that I was given an arc of this book for my honest review which is exactly what I have given.
5 out of 5 stars.
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book–so so good!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2026
I love all this author’s work–and this story shows how wonderfully talented author is. The characters had extreme chemistry and the steaminess was off the charts–love the story so much. This was a must read (and reread again and again it is that good).
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