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HIS TEMPTATION, HER SECRET – Barbara Dunlop
Whiskey Bay Brides , Book 3
Harlequin Desire #2573
ISBN: 978-1-335-97133-3
February 2018
Contemporary Series Romance

Seattle and Whiskey Bay, Washington – Present Day

Widower TJ Bauer is a billionaire banker who takes life a day at a time after losing his wife a few years ago. But one day, he gets a phone call that changes his life: he is the perfect bone marrow match for a child in Seattle. He races to the hospital and it turns out the patient is the son of an old high school classmate, Sage Costas. She also delivers the news to TJ that he's the boy's father. Now TJ will do anything to claim his son. Even marry a woman he doesn't love?

TJ and Sage had sex one night in high school after he went along with his buddies as part of a dare to make out with the school nerds. She found out about it afterwards and refused to have anything to do with him. Turns out Sage got pregnant from that one time and she chose not to tell him. She is barely surviving financially, but she'll do anything for her son, Eli. TJ makes it clear he wants Eli close by, and Sage finally agrees to move to Whiskey Bay, where he lives. They soon settle into a life, but as each day passes, he realizes the only way to keep Eli nearby is to marry Sage. But does TJ's heart still belongs to his late wife?

After high school, TJ went on to college and founded a highly successful company. After losing his wife to cancer, he was devastated and poured himself into work. His company continues to prosper, but he doesn't have a clue how to move on. Sage is good with figures and is pulled into not only helping TJ share his wealth as a benefactor, but to also organize a local festival. Their life together is almost like a real family, and TJ figures they can marry, provide a home for their son, and maintain civility as friends. Yet, TJ isn't ready to let Sage into his bedroom. In HIS TEMPTATION, HER SECRET, the attraction between them can't be denied, but can she break down the wall he's put up to keep his heart from loving again?

Sage has been raising Eli without help from anyone, and her hackles rise when TJ infers she needs his assistance. She won't keep him from his son in the future, but she prefers to do it on her own terms. Reluctant at first to move into TJ's massive home overlooking the Pacific Ocean, she finally agrees. TJ is soon surprised at how she and Eli bring his house alive. Later on in HIS TEMPTATION, HER SECRET, a little girl Sage knows who became an orphan after her mother died is also brought to live with them. Suddenly, TJ's home is bustling. TJ and Sage marry—for Eli's sake—and eventually make love. Life seems perfect, but he still won't let her into his heart. Once Sage falls in love with him, is she going to end up with a broken heart?

The final book in the  Whiskey Bay Brides  series by Barbara Dunlop,  HIS TEMPTATION, HER SECRET can easily be read as a standalone, though the other couples from prior books do pop in and out of a few scenes. An emotional tale that will pull at a reader's heartstrings, HIS TEMPTATION, HER SECRET is both sweet and sensual. Grab a copy to find out if there's a future for TJ and Sage.

Patti Fischer
     
 
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