Real Men Don’t Quit
(Real Men, #2)
By: Coleen Kwan
Publisher: Bliss
Published: April 8, 2013
Genre: Romance
Rating:
Serial bachelor. Celebrity author. Her perfect forever?
When famous author Luke Maguire decides to write his next novel in the small town of Burronga, Australia, he’s sure he can ignore the fiery redhead next door. Not only has he just been burned from a high-profile breakup, but he’s never been one to set down roots. No, he’ll finish his novel and leave Burronga. And soon.
Tyler Jones just wants to run her business with her best friend, Ally, and take care of her three-year-old daughter, Chloe. She’s never needed help from anyone, especially not a man, and the brooding, rugged writer next door can’t tempt her. Not in the least.
Only Tyler and Luke can’t stay away from each other. So they set rules. No staying overnight, no future plans, no sappy good-byes when Luke inevitably quits town. But the chemistry between them is too strong to contain in a rulebook. Are Luke and Tyler ready to risk their lives of independence for something more?
Real Men Don’t Quit is the second story in the Real Men series. However, this book can be read as a stand alone. You see, in the first book we met Tyler’s friend, Ally. In this story Ally makes a couple of appearances since not only do they co-own a business together but Tyler is helping Ally prepare for her wedding. So even though this is the second in the series, it deals with a whole new set of people who we met briefly but didn’t really get to know in the previous book.
I normally don’t like stories with kids in them. They can be a bit weird and uncomfortable, especially when it comes to romance novels but Coleen did a great job with it. Tyler is a single mom who’s making ends meet to provide for her daughter. She learned early on to be self efficient and to rely on no one but herself. She is very protective of her daughter, Chloe. So when she wakes up one morning to find Chloe missing from not only her bed but the entire house, only to find Chloe in the arms of a stranger, she immediately goes on the offensive, scoops her 3 year old into her arms and takes off back to the house.
Luke is the leading man in this story and he was definitely different from the typical males you see in stories. He’s been having trouble writing the sequel to his best selling book. So in an effort to get the juices flowing, he’s staying at his agent’s house to get some piece and quiet to concentrate on the novel. However, those plans are quickly squashed when he wakes up one morning to the sight of a little girl trying to get into his fenced in pool. He runs outside to keep her from getting in and starts to look for her mother, which is when Tyler comes bulldozing over to him. He’s instantly struck with her and he finds himself slowly but surely integrating himself into their life.
“Scowling, Luke stared after her, his blood pressure still thumping, hands fisted on his hips. The woman’s long, smooth legs flashed as she motored away, the purple lace panties accentuating the rounded curves of her firm butt. He couldn’t help staring after her. There wasn’t an ounce of flirtation in her walk- quite the opposite, in fact- but she had him riveted.”
With Tyler being as independent as she is, it was interesting to see Luke interact with her. He didn’t try to dominate situations and in fact would step back on occasion and would let her take over. However, when it would seem like Tyler was acting rash, he was the first one to diplomatically point it out to her. He was also very caring towards Chloe, which was really adorable. He “helped” Chloe make dinner so that Tyler could relax and get some work done. When he’d give them a ride, he’d carry Chloe in the house and put her to bed when she’d fall asleep in the car. He was just so darn sweet to that little girl. And he always called her “Little Miss Moppet”.
“He ruffled Chloe’s hair, and when the girl offered him one of her mangled daisies, he tucked it into the buttonhole of his jacket. The air caught in Tyler’s throat at the sweet, casual interaction between the two.”
This is a very sweet romance. There’s isn’t really any spice to it but that was okay with me because the story was solid, the characters were likable and it grabbed my attention the entire time. I really do enjoy Coleen’s writing style and this series is starting to look like something that I will actually keep up with. (I usually get bored by the second book) I wonder who will gain the spotlight next. If I had a guess, I would say one of Luke’s sister. I know he has nieces and nephews but I’m not sure if all of his sisters were married or not. We shall see…
“Ten minutes later, Tyler’s head was nodding against her headrest, and Chloe had already fallen asleep. Luke slackened his foot off the accelerator and eased back to catch the breeze flowing through the window. They would arrive soon enough, but for now he had everything he needed right here.”
Previous reviews from Real Men
Real Men Don’t Break Hearts
Ahhh I loved this one too Kristin! I usually like more heat but it still really worked. That first meet with them was great and aw yeah your favorite quote totally made me do that girly sigh thing.
I need to go back and read book one sometime soon and see how Ally and her man got together 🙂