Coming Up Roses

Coming Up Roses by Staci Hart

My review can be found below this Excerpt and Author bio. 

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Excerpt:

I wanted to kiss Tess Monroe. 

I'd wanted to kiss her the second she walked into the sop a couple days ago, wearing overalls and a Cure T-shirt. I'd wanted to kiss her as I watched her scrub the wall her little face wrinkled up in concentration. I'd wanted to kiss her when she fell off the ladder and into my arms. And all day today while we painted the shop, I only thought about one thing.

           I wanted to kiss her. And I was accustomed to getting what I wanted. 

          "Did you hear me?" Kash asked impatiently. 

           "Hmm?"

           He rolled his eyes, his long body stretched out on the bottom bunk in our old room. "Man, what's with you?" 

             "I've been scrubbing and painting the shop for two days. "I'm tired."

             "Right," he said, "and the redhead in the overall shorts has nothing to do with it." 

            I leaned back in the wooden desk chair I'd taken up residence in, the hinge squeaking. "As if Tess Monroe would willingly give me the time of day."

             He shrugged. "Seems to me like she's given you the time every hour, on the hour, for two days. What's with her? She was different today."

             It was true. This morning, she'd walked into the shop, bright-eyed and busy-tailed, ready to work with a smile on her face. She'd only insulted me seven times, and one of those was a backhanded compliment. My stats were down: the day before, it'd been twenty-three insults and a jab with a broom handle that I couldn't be sure was accidental. 

             Not that I was counting. 

             "I dunno what's gotten into her, but I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth. I'm just taking the boon and moving on." 

             "Man, she looked so cute with that bandana in her hair and paint on her nose. And her ass in those overalls..." He whistled up at my old bunk.

              I fought the urge to chuck my Batman paperweight at him.

              "So are you going after her or what?" Kash asked, smirking.

              "I just got her to quit treating me like a dog. Pretty sure anything more is off the table."

"Maybe I'll go after her then. Think I've got a shot?"

I snorted to cover my immediate fury at the thought. "She's a girl with standards, Kash, If I don't have a shot, you've got none in hell."

"Maybe she just needs somebody older. More mature."

"We were born in the same year, asshole."

"I'm just saying. Maybe she's looking for stability. Everybody knows you're about as stable as uranium."

"And you're running your mouth like you want a foot in Uranus."

Kash laughed. "I'd love to see you try."

I eyed him. "You don't actually like her, do you?"

"Nah, he said smiling. "I just want you to admit you do."
A sigh of concession blew out of me, the pause filled with my thoughts. "We almost kissed yesterday." I admitted. 

Kash sat up so fast he thunked his head on the bottom bunk. "Goddammit-" He rubbed his forehead" --Warn a guy before you go saying things like, I almost kissed Tess."

I laughed openly at his misfortune, hoping it left a mark. "She fell off a ladder in storage, and I caught her. Topless."

His eyes bulged, hand still pressed to his forehead. "Tess was topless in storage?"

"No, I was."

He rolled his eyes, chucking a pillow at me. I caught it midair and chucked it again.

"I'm surprised she didn't deck you," he said, fluffing the pillow before leaning back again.

"Me too, if I'm being honest. She hates me. Hated me. Maybe still hates me a little."

"What'd you do to her?" He asked. At this point, the question was rhetorical- neither of us knew, no matter how many times we'd asked. 

"Who knows?" But I think the last couple of days have helped my case. All I had to do was show up and not fuck up."

"Don't worry. There's still time." he reassured me.

"Trust me, I'm aware. I've been working on the installation for her in the back, and I'm both convinced I'm going to disappoint her and that I'll knock her socks off."

"Or her bra. Think you can knock that off?"

"If she were anybody else, I'd guarantee it. But Tess? I made a resigned noise.

He watched me for a second in a way he had about him, the quiet assessment that ran under his outward charm. It was a mask-that much I knew for a fact- armor to protect his soft spots. Everyone thought he was nothing but a girl-crazy flirt, just like me. But that was just how we liked it. Let them think we were empty.

There was comfort in being underestimated. We were constantly set to impress everyone. 

About Staci

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life-- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. 

From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics. 

Connect with Staci

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Let this be known...I'm a Staci Hart fan girl. I LOVE her writing. This is the second book of hers that I've received an ARC copy of, and I hope there are many more to come! She is the best. Her books are amazing, and she knows how to make you fall in love with her characters. 

Coming Up Roses is releasing AUGUST 1ST!! Don't miss out on this one!! 

"Everyone hates parts of their job. Maybe it's the paperwork. Maybe it's the day-to-day grind. Maybe it's that client who never knows what they want, or the guy who always cooks fish in the microwave. But not me. I love every corner of Longbourne Flower Shop, every flower, ever petal, every stem. I love the greenhouse, and I love Mrs. Bennet, my boss. I love creating, and I love being a florist. I don't hate anything at all. Except for Luke Bennet. The Bennet brothers have come home to help their mom save the flower shop, and Luke is at the helm. His smile tells a tale of lust, loose and easy. He moves with the grace of a predator, feral and wild. A thing unbridled, without rules or constraint. When he comes home to save Longbourne, I almost can't be mad at him. Almost. He doesn't remember that night I'll never forget. That kiss, touched with whiskey and fire. It branded me like a red-hot iron. But it meant nothing to him. Everyone hates part of their job, and I hate Luke Bennet. Because if I don't, I'll fall in love with him."

"Be wild. Because life is lived in the moments you don't see coming. Not in the comfort of predictability, but in the thrill of the unknown."

Listen, as I said above I'm a fan girl. I basically love all things Staci Hart, but this book just edged it's way into my top spot of her books. I just love these characters. I've said this before, but I love a story that revolves around a family. The family dynamic is always so comforting to me. I loved all the Bennet's. I can't wait to see what Staci has in store for the rest of them. And Mrs. Bennet just holds a special place in my heart, man what a fantastic character, I just loved her right from the start. 

Tess does not do the unexpected. She doesn't like chaos, she loves routine. Luke Bennet is the opposite of everything she loves. He is like a storm that comes crashing into her life when she least expects. He wrecks havoc on her, but it's not a bad thing. Tess was due for something, or someone, to come in and turn her world upside down. 

"Disarmed. He disarmed me, stole my grenades, took down the wall brick by brick, left me defensless. I was helpless to fight, and my desire to was gone, replaced by another desire entirely."

Luke was wild. He went from place to place, job to job, searching for something, but not ever really realzing that's what he was doing. His life was a whirlwind, and it was nice to see what happened to him when he finally decided he wanted to make roots, at home, with his family and with Tess. He was relentless in his fight for her, he knew there was something there even when she didn't. I wanted to be the man she didn't believe me to be.

Their love story didn't come easy. It wasn't all sunshine and roses.(no pun intended) They had some fight, they had some things they needed to overcome, but reading it all play out was beautiful. Staci wrote their story with so much heart. I cried numerous times. I cried with an ache in my heart when I didn't want them to go through something they were going through, I cried tears of joy (mostly with Mrs. Bennet), and I cried happiness when everything seemed to finally be working out for them. 

"I wondered if he'd made a wish, wondered what he'd wished for. And then I closed my eyes and made one of my own with my broken heart nicking my ribs."

I can't finish this review without mentioning the storytelling. The flower shop came alive in my mind with Staci's writing. It was like I was there and I could touch and smell these beautiful flowers and arrangements. It made me ache for a Longbourne Flower Shop in my town. I wanted to live next door to the Bennets, their craziness, their love for each other, it was a fantastic part of the story. This was really a beautifully written story. 

Overall, I'm obviously giving this one 5 STARS. I don't think I could have gushed about a book anymore than I just did. This book will pick you up and put you right into the story, make you feel like your a part of the flower shop, and make you feel like your a part of the family. I can't wait to see what happens next for this family.