Grayson's Vow by Mia Sheridan
Read sample
Customer reviews

Grayson's Vow

by

Mia Sheridan

(Author)

4.3

-

6,585 ratings


A marriage-of-convenience spicy standalone romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Archer's Voice.

Some vows are meant to be broken, but others are worth risking everything for…even your heart.

Kira Dallaire is desperate. She must get married, and fast, to access the inheritance her late grandmother left her. Otherwise, she'll find herself at the mercy of her wealthy, abusive father. With little money and even fewer options, she uses her quick wit and impulsive heart to come up with a plan.

Grayson Hawthorn is losing hope. A convicted felon with limited capital and dwindling resources, his vow to resurrect his family's struggling vineyard seems destined to fail. That is, until a young woman enters his office with an outlandish proposal―a win-win business marriage he can't refuse.

But what begins as a temporary arrangement soon threatens to become more, as vibrant, spirited Kira challenges detached, arrogant Grayson to want more from life. To want more for himself. As their wills clash and fiery passion ignites, the two realize that sometimes the past creates walls too difficult to climb, and lies and deception rarely precede a happily ever after.

Kindle

$0.00

or $7.55 to buy

Audiobook

$0.00

with membership trial

Paperback

$10.11

Buy Now

Ships from

Amazon.com

Payment

Secure transaction

ISBN-10

1728285089

ISBN-13

978-1728285085

Print length

416 pages

Language

English

Publisher

Bloom Books

Publication date

July 03, 2023

Dimensions

5.25 x 1.04 x 8 inches

Item weight

12.8 ounces


Product details

ASIN :

B0BPMZB8TW

File size :

2453 KB

Text-to-speech :

Enabled

Screen reader :

Supported

Enhanced typesetting :

Enabled

X-Ray :

Enabled

Word wise :

Enabled


Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mia Sheridan is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. Her passion is weaving true love stories about people destined to be together. Mia lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband. They have four children here on earth and one in heaven. Mia can be found online at www.miasheridan.com


Sample

CHAPTER ONE

Kira

“Never fret, my love, the universe always balances the scales. Her ways may be mysterious, but they are always just.”

—Isabelle Dallaire, “Gram”

In a long history of bad days, this one was at the top of the list. And it was only nine a.m. I stepped from my car and took a deep breath of the balmy, late-summer air before walking toward Napa Valley Savings Bank. The sultry morning shimmered around me, the sweet scent of jasmine teasing my nose. The peaceful beauty seemed wrong somehow, the bleakness of my mood in direct contrast to the warm, sunshiny day. An arrogant idea, I supposed. As if the weather should express itself according to my mood. I sighed as I pulled open the glass front door of the bank.

“May I help you?” a cheery brunette asked as I approached her teller window.

“Yes,” I said, withdrawing my ID and an old savings book from my purse. “I want to close this account.” I slid both toward the teller. A corner of the savings book was folded back, revealing numbers my gram had entered when showing me how to keep track of our deposits. The memory tore at my heart, but I forced what I hoped was a cheerful-looking smile as the girl took the book, opened it, and began entering the account number.

I thought back to the day we’d opened the account. I’d been ten, and my gram had walked me here and I’d proudly deposited the fifty dollars she’d given me for helping with yard work throughout the summer. We’d made trips to this bank over the years when I’d stayed at her house in Napa. She’d taught me the true value of money—it was meant to be shared, used to help others, but it also represented a type of freedom. The fact that I currently had little money, few options, and every material possession I owned was stuffed in the trunk of my car was proof of how right she’d been. I was anything but free.

“Two thousand forty-seven dollars and sixteen cents,” the teller stated, glancing up at me.

I nodded. It was even a little more than I had hoped. Good. That was good. I needed every cent. I joined my hands together on the counter and exhaled slowly as I waited for her to count out the cash.

Once the money was safely tucked into my purse and the account closed, I wished the teller a good day and then headed toward the door. When I spotted a drinking fountain, I turned to make a brief stop. I’d only been using the air conditioning in my car sparingly so as to save on gas and had been consistently hot and thirsty.

As the cold water hit my lips, I heard faintly from the office around the corner, “Grayson Hawthorn, nice to meet you.”

I froze, then stood slowly, using my thumb to distractedly wipe the water off my bottom lip. Grayson Hawthorn…Grayson Hawthorn? I knew that name, remembered the strong sound of it, the way I had repeated it to myself on a whisper to hear it on my lips that day in my father’s office. I thought back to the quick glance at the file my dad had slid closed as I’d placed a tray of coffee on his desk. Could it be the same Grayson Hawthorn?

I took a few steps and peeked around the corner, but saw nothing more than a closed office door, the shade on the window pulled down. My curiosity still piqued, I walked to the restroom on the other side of the corridor from the office Grayson Hawthorn occupied. Snoopy much, Kira?

Once inside the restroom, I locked the door and leaned against the wall. I hadn’t even known Grayson Hawthorn lived in Napa. His trial had taken place in San Francisco, so that must have been where the crime was committed—not that I knew what that crime might have been, only that my father had taken a brief interest in it. I bit my lip, moving to the sink and staring at myself in the mirror above it as I washed and dried my hands.

As I was leaving the restroom, a man in a suit, most likely a bank executive, entered the office across the hall. He closed the door behind him, but it didn’t click into place and stood very, very slightly ajar, allowing me to hear a few words of introductions. I paused, pulling the restroom door most of the way closed and then standing there trying to listen.

Really, Kira? This is shamefully nosy. An invasion of privacy. And worse, somewhat pointless. Seriously, what is wrong with you? Ignoring my own reprimand, I leaned closer to the crack in the door.

I’d leave this less-than-stellar moment out of my memoirs. No one needed to know about it but me.

A few words drifted my way. “Sorry…felon…can’t give…this bank…unfortunately…” Felon? Yes then, it had to be the Grayson Hawthorn I thought it was. What a strange, random coincidence. I barely knew anything about him. All I really knew was his name, the fact that he’d been convicted of a crime, and that my father had participated in using him as a pawn. Grayson Hawthorn and I had that in common. Not that it was likely my father remembered the name of one man when he ruined lives so regularly and with so little afterthought. In any case, why was I eavesdropping from inside a bathroom, trying to listen in on his private conversation? I wasn’t sure. However, an abundance of curiosity was one of my confirmed faults. Okay, enough lurking. I took a deep breath and started to exit when I heard the scraping of chair legs and paused yet again. The words from across the hall were clearer now that they had probably moved closer to the door. “I’m sorry I can’t approve a loan for you, Mr. Hawthorn.” The male voice that spoke sounded regretful. “If you were worth more—”

“I understand. Thank you for your time, Mr. Gellar” came another male voice, Grayson’s I assumed.

I caught a brief glimpse of a tall, male figure with dark hair in a heather-gray suit leaving the office and leaned back inside the restroom, clicking the door closed again. I washed my hands once more to stall, and then left the small room. I glanced at the office Grayson Hawthorn had been in as I passed and saw a man sitting behind the desk in a suit and tie, his attention focused on something he was writing.

Outside, the day had grown brighter and warmer, and I let myself into my car, which I had parked up the street. I sat there for a minute, staring out the front window at the quaint downtown area: crisp, clean awnings adorned the fronts of the businesses, and large containers of brightly colored flowers decorated the sidewalk. I loved Napa, from downtown to the riverfront, to the outlying vineyards, fruit ripe in the summer and colorful with the vivid-yellow, wild mustard flowers in the winter. It had been where my gram retired to after my grandfather passed, where I’d spent summers at her cottage-style house with the covered front porch. Everywhere I looked I saw her, heard her voice, felt her warm, vibrant spirit. My gram had been fond of saying Today may be a very bad day, but tomorrow may be the best day of your life. You just have to hang on until you get there.

I drew in a deep inhale, doing my best to shake off the loneliness. Oh, Gram, if only you were here. You would take me into your arms and tell me everything was going to be okay. And because it was you saying it, I would believe it to be true.

I leaned back against the headrest and closed my eyes. “Help me, Gram,” I whispered. “I’m lost. I need you. Give me a sign. Tell me what to do. Please.” The tears I’d been holding at bay for so long burned behind my lids, threatening to fall.

I sighed as I opened my eyes, movement in the passenger side mirror immediately catching my attention. As I turned my head, I spotted a tall, well-built man in that same heather-gray suit I’d seen inside the bank…Grayson Hawthorn. My breath faltered. He was standing against the building next to my car, to the right of my bumper, the perfect location for me to see him clearly in my mirror without moving. I slunk down in my seat just a bit, leaned back, and turned my head to watch him.

He had his head leaned back against the building behind him, and his eyes were closed, his expression pained. And my God, he was…breathtaking. He had the beautifully carved features of a knight in shining armor, with almost-black hair a tad too long, making it curl over his collar. It was his lips that were truly devastating though—full and sensual in a way that made my eyes want to wander to them again and again. I squinted, trying to take in every detail of his face, before my gaze traveled down his tall form. His body matched his beautifully dark masculinity—muscular and graceful, his shoulders broad and his waist narrow.

Oh, Kira. You hardly have time to be ogling beautiful felons on the sidewalk. Your concerns are slightly more pressing. You’re homeless and well, frankly, desperate. If you want to focus on something, focus on that. Okay, except…I was unable to drag my eyes away. What had his crime been, anyway? I tried to look away, but something about him pulled at me. And it wasn’t just his striking good looks that made my eyes linger on him. Something about the expression on his face felt familiar, speaking to what I was feeling right that very minute.

If you were worth more…

“Are you desperate too, Grayson Hawthorn?” I murmured.

As I watched him, he brought his head straight and massaged his temple, looking around. A woman walked by and turned as she passed him, her head moving up and down to take in his body. He didn’t seem to notice her, and fortunately for her, she turned, looking ahead just in time to narrowly miss colliding with a light pole. I breathed out a laugh. Grayson stood staring off into the distance again. As I watched him, an obviously homeless man moved toward where he stood, holding his hat out to people walking by. They all moved quickly past him, looking away uncomfortably.

When the man began to approach Grayson, I pressed my lips together. Sorry, old man. It seems to me the person you’re asking for help is in pretty dire straits himself. But to my surprise, Grayson reached into his pocket, hesitated only briefly, and then grabbed the bills inside. I couldn’t be sure from where I sat, but when the dark interior of his wallet flashed my way, it looked like he’d emptied it for the old man. He nodded his head once at the man in rags, who was thanking him profusely, and then stood for a moment watching the homeless man walk away. Then Grayson strode in the other direction, turning the corner out of sight.

Watch what people do when they think no one’s watching, love. That’s how you’ll know who they really are.

Gram’s words floated through my mind as if she had spoken from somewhere just outside my car. The shrill ringing of my phone startled me, and I let out a small gasp, grabbing my purse from the passenger seat to rifle inside for my phone.

Kimberly.

“Hey,” I whispered.

A beat of silence. “Kira? Why are you whispering?” She was whispering too.

I cleared my throat and leaned back. “Sorry, the phone just startled me. I’m sitting in my car in Napa.”

“Were you able to close the account?”

“Yeah. It had a couple thousand dollars in it.”

“Hey, well, that’s great. That’s something at least, right?”

I sighed. “Yeah. It’ll help me get by for a little bit.”

I heard Kimberly’s boys laughing in the background, and she shushed them, holding her hand over the phone and speaking to them in Spanish before coming back to me and saying, “My couch is always yours if you want it.”

“I know. Thank you, Kimmy.” I couldn’t do that to my best friend though. She and her husband, Andy, were squeezed into a tiny apartment in San Francisco with their four-year-old sons. Kimberly had gotten pregnant when she was eighteen and then learned the shocking news she was carrying twins. She and Andy had beaten the odds so far, but they hadn’t had an easy time of it. The last thing they needed was their down-and-out friend sleeping on their couch and putting a strain on their family. Down-and-out? Homeless. You’re homeless.

I took a deep breath. “I’m going to come up with a plan though,” I said, a feeling of determination replacing the hopelessness I’d felt all morning. Grayson Hawthorn’s face flashed quickly in my mind’s eye. “Kimmy, do you ever feel like…a path is laid out in front of you? Like, clear as day?”

Kimberly paused for a beat. “Oh no. No. I know that tone in your voice. It means you’re scheming something I’m going to try—probably unsuccessfully—to talk you out of. You’re not considering that plan to advertise for a husband online are you because—”

“No.” I cleared my throat. “Not exactly anyway.”

Kimberly groaned. “You’ve gotten another one of your spur-of-the-moment Very Bad Ideas, haven’t you? Something completely ludicrous and most likely dangerous.”

I smiled despite myself. “Oh, stop. Those ideas you always call ‘Very Bad’ are rarely ludicrous and seldom dangerous.”

“The time you were going to market your own all-natural face mask from the herbs in your garden?”

I smiled, knowing her game. “Oh, that? My formula was almost there. Right within reach, actually. If my test subject hadn’t been—”

“You turned my face green. It didn’t go away for a week. Picture day week.”

I laughed softly. “Okay, so fine, that one didn’t work out very well, but we were ten.”

“Sneaking out to Carter Scott’s party when we were sixteen—”

“Totally would have worked if—”

“The fire department had to come get me off your roof.”

“You always were such a wuss,” I said, grinning.

“The time you were home from college on summer break and hosted that Japanese-themed dinner party where we all had to wear kimonos, and then you almost killed everyone there.”

“An ingredient error. How was I to know you needed to be licensed to cook that particular fish? Anyway, that was forever ago.”

“That was two years ago.” She tried to deadpan, but I could hear the smile in her voice.

I was laughing now. “Okay, you’ve made your point, smartass. And despite all that, you love me anyway.”

“I do.” She sighed. “I can’t help it. You’re completely lovable.”

“Well, that’s debatable, I guess.”

“No,” she said firmly, “it’s not. Your father’s an ass, but you already know how I feel on that subject. And, honey, you need to talk about what happened. It’s been a year. I know you just got back, but you need—”

“Not yet,” I said softly, shaking my head even though she couldn’t see the movement from the other end of the phone. “And thank you for making me laugh for a minute there. But seriously, Kim, I’m in a very bad predicament right now. Maybe a Very Bad Idea is what I need.” I couldn’t help the small hitch in my voice at the end of my sentence. Kimberly never failed to lift my spirits, but truly, I was scared.

“I know, Kira,” Kimberly said, understanding in her voice. “And unfortunately, if you’re determined not to use any of your father’s business contacts, you might have to get a waitressing job until you figure out what you’re going to do.”

I sighed. “Maybe, but would you really want me anywhere near food preparation?”

“You do make a valid point.” I heard another smile in her voice. “Whatever you decide, it’ll always be the Kira and Kimmy Kats, okay? Forever. We’re a team,” she said, referring to the band name I’d come up with when we were twelve, and I’d devised the plan to sing on the street corner for cash. I’d seen a commercial on TV about kids who didn’t have enough to eat in Somalia, and my dad wouldn’t give me the money to sponsor one of them. In the end, we’d been caught sneaking out of the house in the very inappropriate “costumes” I’d made from construction paper and tape. My dad grounded me for a month. Kimberly’s mom, who worked as the live-in head of our housekeeping staff, gave me the twenty-two dollars I’d needed to help feed and educate Khotso that month—and then every month I couldn’t come up with the money on my own after that.

“Always,” I said. “I love you, Kimmy Kat.”

“I love you Kira Kat. And I gotta go, these boys are getting out of control.” I heard Levi’s and Micah’s squeals of laughter and shouts ringing in the background over the sound of small running feet. “Stop running, boys! And stop yelling!” Kimberly yelled, holding the phone away from her mouth for a second. “You gonna be okay tonight?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I think I might even splurge and rent a cheap hotel room here in Napa and then walk along the riverfront. It makes me feel close to Gram.” I didn’t mention that earlier that morning, I’d hurriedly packed my stuff and climbed down the fire escape of the apartment my dad had paid for as he’d yelled and banged on the front door. And that now, said stuff was jammed into my car’s trunk. Kimberly would just worry, and for now, I had some cash and a partial but arguably Very Bad Idea roaming around in my head.

And in my illustrious history of Very Bad Ideas, this one might just take the cake.

Of course, I’d be thorough in my research before making a final decision. And I’d make a list of pros and cons—it always helped me see things in a clearer light. This one required some due diligence.

Kimberly sighed. “God rest her soul. Your gram was an amazing lady.”

“Yes, she was,” I agreed. “Kiss the boys for me. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Talk to you then. And Kira, I’m so glad you’re back. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too. Bye, Kimmy.”

I hung up and sat in my car a few minutes longer. Then I picked my phone back up to do a little internet sleuthing and to find a hotel room I could afford.

Read more


About the authors

Mia Sheridan

Mia Sheridan

Mia Sheridan is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. Her passion is weaving true love stories about people destined to be together. Mia lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband. They have four children here on earth and one in heaven. Mia can be found online at www.miasheridan.com or www.facebook.com/miasheridanauthor.

Read more


Reviews

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

6,585 global ratings

DonnaC

DonnaC

5

An emotional yet funny love/hate love story, beautifully and flawlessly written

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

Grayson’s Vow by Mia Sheridan 5 stars!!

“Desperate times…call for desperate measures. And this is about as desperate as measures get.”

Mia Sheridan has been one of my go to authors for a long time. Archer’s Voice still has an extremely huge place in my heart and in fact is one of my “go to” books, you know those books that you can read and re-read and no matter how crap you feel it gets you out of your funk. Since then, although Mia’s books have been superb, not one character has come close to MY Archer, Grayson didn’t make it, but he is a close damn second.

“Because true love is not only the flower, true love is also the thorns.”

This book was truly beautiful, another one of those soul wrenching, emotional reads that Mia seems to pen so effortlessly while interspersed with some fantastic dialogue and witty banter that kept those pages turning.

Everyone loves a broken man and believe me, Grayson is broken. Nigh on at rock bottom, his life seemingly couldn’t get any worse. Those “vows” that he made to himself…he seemingly can’t uphold, it seems life just has a way of sucker punching him one way or another, time after time. There is only so much one man can take.

Kira, the woman that is trying to make it on her own away from her fathers interference, manipulation and money. Another person seemingly hurtling towards rock bottom. She has one out, but it has stipulations.

“True love is the greatest leap of faith there is.”

A chance meeting, a shared history, a hate/love/hate/love relationship that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but we all know there is a fine line. Their first meeting did not go well; in fact they hated each other but on the flip side also fancied the pants off each other. While their relationship started as purely business and beneficial to both of them, the sniping and bickering had already started, with Grayson referring to Kira as a little witch and Kira calling Grayson the dragon and it is here the fairytale begins. I do love a love/hate relationship, those constant barbs, the constant bickering all coming off the back of some intense sexual tension always brings with it a heady climax. Both having explosive tempers and Kira being a fiery red head you just knew that when these two finally gave into their desires that it was going to be hot and these two were intense, off the charts, set fire to the kindle kinda hot.

“…forget the prince and princess. I always imagined the real story was between the witch and the dragon.”

Kira was a beautiful character inside and out, she was selfless to a fault and was determined to be the person that she wanted to be and not what anyone else wanted her to be. Her grit and determination were admirable and her drive was fueled by her compassion and her constant giving to those less fortunate than herself. She was not the prissy princess that people thought her to be; she was made of tough stuff and could rough it with the best of them. Her general outlook on life, her fun loving temperament were refreshing and infectious and could put out the fire in any grumpy arsed dragon.

“You bring me peace, little witch, and you put a fire in my blood.”

Grayson was a grumpy, closed off, antagonistic arse at times but he had his reasons. But underneath that fire-breathing grumpy dragon was a man that just felt unwanted, unloved and had something to prove, both to himself and his family, whether they be living or dead. He put immense pressure on himself and had done everything he could to stop the family vineyard from reducing to a pile of rotten, tangled vines. But underneath that hardened exterior was a little boy at heart that just wanted to be heard, to be held, to be loved.

“We should all be children when it comes to love - open and vulnerable.”

A witch and a dragon, two fairytale creatures, but will this fairytale have a happy ever after?

This is a book of generalisations and misconceptions, learning to trust and open up to others, to put a piece of yourself out there for the taking. To believe in yourself, believe that you can love and be loved and taking a chance on those gut instincts.

With some fantastic secondary characters that only enhance and enrich this beautiful story, Mia Sheridan has once again penned a novel that will be extremely hard to forget. From the barbs, to the playful child like situations that these two find themselves in on many occasions, to the soul searching, and to falling in love this book has something for everyone. I have loved this signs of love series and cannot wait to see what comes next, no matter the sign, I’ll be reading.

Read more

JBenoit

JBenoit

5

Another amazing book from Mia Sheridan!

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2015

Verified Purchase

‘He looked like every hero in every fairy tale I’d ever dreamed, come to life. And, God, I wanted to believe in heroes again. But sometimes, I supposed, a girl just had to be her own hero.’

Ever since reading Archer’s Voice, Mia Sheridan has totally become a 1-click author for me so I was very excited when she announced the release of this book! I know that with a Mia Sheridan book I can expect amazing writing, a unique storyline and loads of feels. While we certainly got all of that in Grayson’s Vow, this book also had a decidedly lighter vibe than some of her other books. It definitely dealt with some pretty heavy topics and will definitely squeeze your heart from time to time, but it was also funny and at times had an almost magical, fairytale-like quality to it as well. I really enjoyed it, and I think it’s definitely in my top 3 favorite Mia Sheridan books.

“I don’t mean to rush you, but I have a lot to get done today.” Her eyes widened. “Right. Of course. I’m sorry to hesitate. Well, I guess I’ll just get right to it. I have a business arrangement to offer you.” I lifted one brow. “A business arrangement?” She nodded, twisted the long gold necklace she was wearing. “Yes, well, in actuality, Mr. Hawthorn, I’m here to propose marriage.”

I loved the premise of this book, definitely an unconventional love story but it was still a beautiful love story all the same. As the blurb indicates, Kira Dallaire is in a desperate situation. She is trying to escape the life her father is trying to trap her in and live life on her own terms, but in order to do that she needs money and she refuses to take a dime from her father. Known for her ‘Very Bad Ideas’, Kira concocts probably her craziest idea to date when she by chance spies Grayson Hawthorn in his own bit of desperation while she’s closing an account at her Gram’s bank. She seeks him out and proposes what she feels is a mutually beneficial business arrangement: to get married in order to access the money in the trust her Gram left her and split the money 50/50. That will allow her to set out on her own and rebuild her life while at the same time allowing Grayson to save his family vineyard that he vowed to his deceased father that he would rebuild and make successful. Aside from their guilt at mocking the sanctity of marriage they both see this as a win/win arrangement, all they have to do is get married, split the money, stick together for a few months for sake of appearances and then divorce after a year. Simple enough, right? Well the one thing neither of them counted on was pesky feelings getting in the way. Just as they start to build a real relationship though, ghosts of the past and old scars that run too deep threaten to ruin everything.

‘He looked like a prince, but if I were going to cast him in a fairy tale now, I’d cast him as The Dragon! A beastly, judgmental, fire-breathing dragon.’

‘She was a conundrum. A pretty princess with a tempter of a fiery little witch.’

I’m going to say that I loved how they started off basically hating each other. They both had preconceived notions about the other based on the little information they knew and it was so much fun watching them butt heads with each other. Kira had a fiery personality and constantly pushed Grayson, who had basically closed himself off for the past several years. I loved their nicknames for one another, Kira was the “little witch” and Grayson was “The Dragon”, I think they were very fitting and I loved how they carried through the whole book. As they begin to learn more about the other they realize that they have more in common than they may have originally thought, the difference being that Kira took the hardships of her past and used them to fill her heart with love and help others while Grayson chose to shut down and put up thick walls around his heart. I loved how Kira’s light started to break down Grayson’s walls and begin to take away the darkness, it really was wonderful how she never stopped fighting to restore Grayson’s name and help him feel accepted and loved.

‘What was sexier on a man than great abs and a heart full of hidden torment? They should bottle it and sell it by the truckloads. Or perhaps write a book: “Abs and Hidden Torment: A Man’s Guide to Bagging Babes.”’

I love a good tortured hero and I think Grayson fit those shoes quite nicely. At times he definitely had the scaly personality of a dragon but once you got underneath that and saw the pain and hurt that he carried around it’s hard not to fall in love with him. It really was heartbreaking when you learn the full extent of what happened to Grayson growing up and as a young man, you can definitely understand why he’s closed himself off. He just wants to do right by his deceased father and bring the vineyard back to its glory so that his father would be proud of him. Man, just thinking about what happens surrounding that is making my heart squeeze again. I just want to hug him! But it was great seeing him come alive again under Kira’s influence. It starts off just being little glimpses here and there but soon he truly starts living again and it made me so happy to see!

‘Kira was like a brightly shining light, and I had been living in cold darkness for so very, very long.’

Kira was a fantastic heroine! There was plenty that had happened in her life that could have broken her but she chose to take those experiences to make her stronger. She was so full of life and light, I think she was the perfect complement for Grayson. I loved her strength and her selflessness. She had such a positive influence on anyone she came in contact with. She was also fun and quirky, I loved her ‘Very Bad Ideas’ and how she was always scheming up some new trouble. Mia Sheridan is great at writing strong female characters and I think Kira is now my favorite of the bunch.

We also had a great cast of secondary characters. Playing into the fairytale theme, I loved how Charlotte pretty much served as their fairy godmother! She was a great character and I loved her constant meddling, she definitely kept Grayson on his toes. I also loved Kimberly, Virgil, Walter, Harley, Priscilla and of course Sugie Sug! All together they rounded out this story and all played important parts. It’s great when you meet a group of characters that start to feel like family by the end, and that’s exactly what we got here.

I really enjoyed this book and while Archer’s Voice will probably always have the #1 spot on my Mia Sheridan list this book is definitely up near the top of that list! It was full of humor, lovable characters, heart stopping romance and at times heartbreaking sadness. Like I said, it’s definitely not as heavy or emotional as some of her other books but it’ll still make you feel and perhaps tear up a time or two. But it was a thoroughly enjoyable read that I would highly recommend!

Read more

5 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Amazon Customer

5

A Book named after my son.....Grayson

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2024

Verified Purchase

I have read almost everyone of Mia's books. I started with this one because it was my sons name, and I was very curious how the story would unfold. I was never much of a reader, in fact the only book I have ever really read was back in high school. I was so fascinated by the whole story line of all her books that I had a hard time putting them down once I started to read them...I feel she is really a gifted artist and I really appreciate her writings.

Read more

Mom in FL

Mom in FL

5

Another great story from Mia Sheridan

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2015

Verified Purchase

This was another solid story from Mia Sheridan. And, as usual, pretty atypical circumstances. And characters who are broken in some way, yet somehow create this really great bond with someone else, against all odds.

Grayson is an ex-con. His sentence was a little harsh considering the circumstances of his crime, but he paid his debt to society. (Overpaid, really.) But even beyond that whole thing, Grayson had sort of been drowning his whole life. From outward appearances, it would appear he had everything -- his father owned a successful winery, which meant his family was pretty well off. He was definitely blessed by his DNA. But he was the product of his father being unfaithful. The day his step-mother finds out about her husband's infidelity is the day Grayson's mother drops a 6-year-old Grayson off at the winery, stating Grayson ruined her life and her career and she wanted nothing more to do with him, and walking away without looking back. And because of Grayson's father's guilt, he was always beating Grayson down (mentally) as a sort of penance to his wife. All Grayson wanted to was to be deemed worthy by someone in his life. Grayson's father died while he was in prison and left the now-failing winery to Grayson. Grayson's vow was that he'd bring the winery back from the brink... make his father proud from beyond. Little did he know...

Kira knows all about feeling worthless. Her mother died when she was young. Her father, a crooked politician, tended to use people, Kira included. Her father set her up with Cooper, a man he was grooming for more crooked politics, but when Kira discovered Cooper doing drugs with a couple of hookers, she called off their engagement. Rather than tell the truth, or even try to come up with some other explanation, Kira's father blamed the engagement breakup on Kira's (non-existent) drug addiction. Kira would take the fall for Cooper's indiscretion. WTF?! Kira, who always had a huge, giving heart, took off for Africa with the last of her money and stayed as long as she could to help a friend start a medical clinic there. Upon her return, she needed a way to get money without going to her dad for it -- too many strings attached. Her grandmother, whom she loved dearly, had left her a trust that would only be paid out upon her marriage.

Fate intervened and put Grayson in her path. He didn't know it, but they sort of had a history. She approached him about a no-strings arrangement. He gets half of her trust money for his winery (she overheard him at the bank get turned down for a loan), and she's perfectly happy to have a marriage in name only just to get her hands on the money so she can support a few of her favorite charities, as well as set up her future life. It's only a temporary arrangement. Right? I mean she's not even his type -- or so he's said. Originally, he thinks she's a society princess who is just having a tantrum because daddy won't give her what she wants. He eventually realizes he's dead wrong.

Little by little, they get under each other's skins. Charlotte and Walter, Grayson's house help, and the closest thing to parents he really had, are playing matchmaker, and things progress really nicely. But her crap dad and ex-fiance can't deal with Kira not being under their thumbs, and her dad makes big problems for them. And then Kira has to explain her father's role in Grayson's sentencing... and Kira comes up with one last(?) Very Bad Idea in an attempt to at least save Grayson.

Watching them fall in love was really so sweet. Definitely heartbreaking at times. Grayson was so used to retreating into himself when he was hurting, because he felt like he had nobody else. Sometimes that felt to Kira like he was turning away from her. And he could say some harsh things to her in anger, but she gave it right back. She had such a great heart, but I could see why Grayson was so wary of her intentions. It's not like anyone had ever really looked out for him before. And Grayson had a really good heart, too... all the things he'd done for his brother (their dad was a real piece of work)... even his vow to revive the winery for the father who never even really threw him a bone.

Anyway, it was another great story. And now I wait for the next one. Big heavy sigh.

Read more

Wendy LeGrand

Wendy LeGrand

5

A Grown Up Modern Day Fairytale That Will Melt Your Heart!

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2015

Verified Purchase

Mia never ceases to amaze me with the stories she crafts in such a perfect way. I would love to crawl into her head to the place where she comes up with these truly amazing characters and their stories.

Once again Mia gives us two beautiful but broken people who have gone through life in less than ideal circumstances who have had to learn how to exist in a world that has done nothing but beat them down.

Kira Dallaire appears on the outside to be the privileged daughter of a wealthy man who is prominent in the San Francisco judicial/political system. But what we see on the surface is not at all what truly lies beneath her beautiful exterior.

Grayson Hawthorne is the son of a Napa Valley winemaker who did something unspeakable and has spent the last five years in prison. Now he's home and struggling to get the failing winery up and running again.

Kira approaches Grayson with an over the top "proposal" that will benefit them both. Kira needs to get married in order to inherit a settlement from her late grandmother. The money will help her get out from under the oppressive thumb of her overbearing father. Kira chooses Grayson as her "partner" in this proposal after overhearing him being denied for a loan at the local bank. Grayson desperately needs the money to keep his vineyard going. Grayson agrees to this arrangement and their story begins.

Grayson comes across to Kira as a cold, disinterested man who quickly earns the nickname "dragon" from Kira. Grayson views Kira as a spirited, feisty "witch" who infuriates him and makes him feel things he hasn't felt in a very long time, or at all for that matter. Both of them grew up in loveless homes but where Grayson perfected the cold as ice persona to guard himself, Kira chose to make the best of each and every moment. She's impetuous and free spirited and she starts getting under Grayson's skin. He can't figure out if he likes this or not, so he runs very hot and cold with Kira at every turn, giving her tiny glimpses into himself but then pushing her away just as quickly.

Told in alternating points of view, we the reader get to see inside both Kira and Grayson's heads, but they don't communicate their thoughts to each other. Because of the way each of them were raised, they don't know how to express how they're feeling, and they each have insecurities they're not sure they can overcome. Kira constantly pushes Grayson to open himself up, even if it exposes him to pain and heartbreak. Grayson is not ready and admits he isn't brave enough to risk any more of his heart, so what ensues is a lot of angst, heartache, suffering. Grayson pushed a lot of my buttons with his treatment of Kira throughout the story. One minute he was the Ice Prince with his coldhearted disinterest but the next minute he was the passionate, fiery dragon that Kira was so attracted to.

Mia does a beautiful job of weaving this fairytale story of the Witch and her Dragon and their bumpy, turbulent path to a storybook ending. I loved the side characters of Charlotte and Walter, the only real positive role models that Grayson had in his life. Their love and devotion to him throughout his life were heartwarming. The setting of story was perfect, a vineyard in Napa with a house that reminded Kira of a fairytale castle, complete with a maze and a cottage that the broken princess lives in until her Prince Charming finally rescues her. I am just a big kid at heart and I really loved the spin Mia put on this story with the beautiful, feisty witch and the gorgeous, fire breathing dragon.

Loved this story so much!! Mia never fails, no matter where her stories start, no matter how badly she rips my heart out with the angst and drama that takes place, she always manages to put me back together and leave me with a huge smile and happy tears streaming down my face!

Read more

More reviews