Book Tour Grand Finale for
Love, Unexpected
By Virginia McCullough
We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops
you can see snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:
Dear Reader,
Welcome to this book tour for LOVE, UNEXPECTED. I hope you’re happy to be back for the third visit to Two Moon Bay, Wisconsin. Book 3 of my Two Moon Bay series finds us on the waterfront again. Back when I wrote GIRL IN THE SPOTLIGHT, I knew Andi Sterling, Miles Jenkins’ former wife and Brooke’s mom, needed her own story. She told me so many times. You may remember Zeke Donovan and his dad, Art. They own Donovan Marine Supply and they made a couple of appearances in Book 2, SOMETHING TO TREASURE. They’re now front and center is this story, and Zeke gets a chance to expand his world—and his heart...
Like Andi says in LOVE, UNEXPECTED, someone (they don’t yet know who) named the wooden motor yacht Drifting Dreamer for a reason. For me, the name brings to mind the old song “Moon River,” with “two drifters off to see the world.” As Zeke observed, in 1939 no one built a 50-foot yacht if they didn’t have some big dreams.
"There's a lot to like in this sweet romance by Virginia McCullough, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Andi and Zeke in Love, Unexpected...
I loved how everything comes together, making the story’s restoration theme not only about Drifting Dreamer, but Andi’s dreams as well."
He let Teddy take him to the woman, who was tall and slender, and wore jeans and a red T-shirt. When she saw him coming, she lifted her sunglasses and perched them on her head. In her other hand, she held a giant-size Bean Grinder to-go cup.
“Good morning,” she called out, smiling. “I suppose I’m trespassing.”
He was tongue-tied. By a pretty smile and long legs. He raised his hand in protest. “Probably so, but we won’t call the sheriff, at least not yet.”
“I see. I have to prove myself first.” She held up the cup. “I’m armed only with the Bean Grinder’s morning mix.”
“In that case, we’ll…” Zeke watched Teddy sniffing the woman’s sneakers. “I was going to say we’ll call off the dogs, but, too late.”
Early readers have remarked that Zeke is a likeable guy. What’s not to like? He’s very attractive, friendly, a successful owner of a marine supply store, smart, and he even has a sense of humor. But he’s in his late thirties, and he’s never been married and doesn’t have kids. And it looks like he lives with dad. Really? Could be Zeke is a guy afraid to make a commitment. Here are the facts. You be the judge...
"Love, Unexpected by Virginia McCullough takes us back to two moon bay. I love this little town. I always enjoy each visit. In this visit we get to restore an old yacht as well as get to know the lovely Andi and Zeke. The are both very humbling and sweet. I enjoyed getting to know both of them."
Andi stretched her arm to get deep inside a hard-to-reach cubbyhole behind the navigation table to check for damaged wood. Her hand hit a divider with a finger grip, but the first tug didn’t budge it. The second and third tries didn’t move it, either. Determined now, she took a breath and gave it one more hard pull. Bam…she captured the graying piece of wood, but jerked backward with the force of the movement.
When she righted herself, she shined her flashlight inside to have a look inside the narrow space. The beam caught the corner of something that looked like paper.
“Well, well, what’s this all about?” she said to herself, curious and excited. Secret papers? That could be an overstatement, but these pages weren’t left out in the open. Someone had stashed them out of sight.
Andi laughed in my ear when I ask her about tips for single moms, but once I got her started, she didn’t hesitate to give me her list, starting with:
Luck out and have a good ex-husband...
Andi tilted her head and looked where he was pointing. “Stars. Imagine that. It’s been ages since I’ve seen more than a few of the brightest ones.”
Zeke exaggerated a sweeping gesture to take in the boat. “So happens we have a boat. I guess when we get her put back together some, she could take us far enough out to see some stars, huh? This fall, before it gets too cold.”
Andi responded with a quick slap of her palms. “See? You inherited a floating stargazer. She’s only slightly torn apart.”
Zeke laughed. Drifting Dreamer wasn’t exactly ready for even a short cruise. It wouldn’t be long, though. Andi was making progress.
"Love, Unexpected was a fun read. I recognized some of the characters, since I'd read the first book in the series, Girl in the Spotlight, last year. I definitely think this book stands on its own, but it was fun seeing how those characters lives have continued...
I definitely recommend this novel to all fans of contemporary romance. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author."
“I’m probably speaking out of turn,” Joy said, grimacing, “but I had a peculiar kind of bond with Zeke because of his mother.”
“Oh?” Andi’s heart pounded as she waited for the information. She was impatient for it, whether she’d like what she learned or not.
“My mom was a teacher, too,” Joy said. “One afternoon I was waiting outside for her after school. Zeke was there, too. I remember how he was kicking a stone around the gravel schoolyard while he waited for his mom to pick him up.”
Call it intuition or simply picking up Joy’s somber tone, but Andi began to feel a little queasy. “This story ends badly, doesn’t it, Joy?”
“Yes.” Joy paused, but Andi didn’t fill the silence.
"Heartwarming is definitely the right category for this sweet romance. It's such a subtle one, which is a breath of fresh air in a market saturated by fast love and lust. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a lot of those books as well. But a story like this one feels so much more realistic to me and leaves me feeling a bit more peaceful and nostalgic.
...I have fallen in love with Two Moon Bay and its inhabitants. I hope more stories are yet to come from this beautiful place."
"I thought it was sweet, inspiring and heartwarming. Andi and Zeke had wonderful chemistry and their story were relateable to me. I love the beautiful setting of Two Moon Bay..."
Zeke and Andi have become attached to Drifting Dreamer. I understand why. I’ve been lucky enough to own a classic wooden sailboat, and later, a fiberglass boat with gorgeous wood trim. What was the difference between the two boats? Why do Zeke and Andi have such special feelings about the classic wooden motor yacht?...
"I haven’t read a sweet romance novel in a while, and this was definitely a nice refreshing one. I read this book almost entirely in one sitting even though the book is almost 400 pages long, and was engaged for every single page."
When Zeke hires Andi to work on Drifting Dreamer, he has no doubt that the boat can be restored, meaning made wonderful and operational again while preserving the original beauty from its era. Zeke’s confident about this because at one time he was well known for restoring many local historical sites...
Zeke opened a cabinet where they stored things they almost never used and spotted a couple of vases on the top shelf. He pulled one down and arranged the flowers inside it before adding water.
Art let out a low whistle. “I haven’t seen you bring flowers to a woman in a long time.”
“It’s been a long time. That’s a fact,” Zeke said.
“Look, Zeke, you can tell me if you’re interested in Andi.”
“I know, Dad.”
He didn’t know how to respond. He was getting serious, but he didn’t know about Andi. With his back to his dad, he said, “I like her for lots of reasons, Dad. I think she likes me, too. That’s all I can say right now.”
"In this entertaining new novel by talented Author, Virginia McCullough, a woman and her 10 year-old-daughter move to a new, smaller town to be nearer the girl's father and his new wife...
This is a relaxing read with a few twists. However, it is mostly predictable but written with a flair and well-utilized literary skills. It keeps the reader's interest."
Don't forget to enter the giveaway below, if you haven't already...
Love, Unexpected
(Two Moon Bay #3)
By Virginia McCullough
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
May 1st 2018 by Harlequin Heartwarming
Moving to a new place isn’t easy…
Until a neglected ship and its owner make her feel at home
After spying a boat in need of some TLC, single mom Andi Sterling strikes a deal with its owner, Zeke Donovan, who shares her passion for restoring old things. Uncovering the legendary ship’s secrets draws them closer. Is it too soon for Andi to open her heart to the chance to build new dreams?
Other Books in the Series
Girl in the Spotlight
(Two Moon Bay #1)
By Virginia McCullough
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
June 1st 2017 by Harlequin Heartwarming
The daughter they never knew
When Miles Jenkins sees the graceful young figure skater on TV, he can't believe how much she resembles Lark McGee, the girl he dated briefly in college. Could this aspiring star be the child Lark gave up for adoption eighteen years ago? He has to find out.
Locating Lark ignites conflicting emotions in Miles—including regrets for what might have been and romantic feelings that take the two single parents by surprise. As they prepare to meet their daughter, this deeper connection between the two just might be the chance at love they never got.
Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Harlequin│iBooks│Kobo│GooglePlay
Something to Treasure
(Two Moon Bay #2)
By Virginia McCullough
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
January 1st 2018 by Harlequin Heartwarming
If anyone can save him, she’s the one
Jerrod Walters hopes relocating to the coastal town of Two Moon Bay can be the fresh start he and his young daughter need. But the single dad is caught off guard when a beautiful PR professional offers to promote his diving excursions to legendary shipwreck sites. There’s so much he admires about Dawn Larson, starting with the woman’s upbeat, can-do personality. Dawn’s boundless capacity for joy might be the only thing capable of bringing him back to life after his tragic loss…
About the Author
A writer all her adult life,
Virginia McCullough has had the opportunity to write the stories of her heart in her novels, including Girl in the Spotlight, the first book in her Two Moon Bay series for Harlequin Heartwarming. (Book 2 is scheduled for release in January 2018). Her award-winning romance and women’s fiction titles include The Jacks of Her Heart, Amber Light, Greta’s Grace, The Chapels on the Hill, and Island Healing.
Born and raised in Chicago, Virginia has been lucky enough to develop her writing career in many locations, including the coast of Maine, the mountains of North Carolina, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and currently, Northeast Wisconsin. She started her career in nonfiction, first writing articles and then books as a ghostwriter and coauthor. She’s written more than 100 books for physicians, business owners, professional speakers and many others with information to share or a story to tell.
Virginia’s books feature characters who could be your neighbors and friends. They come in all ages and struggle with everyday life issues in small-town environments that almost always include water—oceans, lakes, or rivers. The mother of two grown children, you’ll find Virginia with her nose a book, walking on trails or her neighborhood street, or she may be packing her bag to take off for her next adventure. And she’s always working on another story about hope, healing, and second chances.
Tour Giveaway
1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card and the pictured Handfelted Wool Bowl and Gemstones (US only):
Description: A beautiful handfelted wool bowl filled with colorful gemstones to add a little beauty to your home. The bowl contains a small amethyst cluster from Uruguay which is generally used in rooms where people tend to congregate such as kitchens and family rooms. It is said to bring about peace and open communication. The bowl also includes a pink chunk of rose quartz from Brazil as a reminder of love and healing, a candle quartz crystal crystal from Madagascar said to make anyone who enters your home feel welcome, a pretty piece of blue lace agate from Southwest Africa to help create relaxing and accepting energy near your front door, a deep blue apatite heart from Sri Lanka to encourage the sharing of feelings and tangerine quartz from Brazil for information retention and perfect for your office, study or a student's room.
Born in California and raised in South Florida, Harper Kincaid has moved around like a gypsy with a bounty on her head ever since. For years, she was a jill of all trades and a master of none, but is now tickled hot pink to pen stories that break and mend people's hearts for a living. Kincaid believes seduction occurs from the neck up, which is why her characters are smart, sexy, and slightly quirky - and definitely worthy to be your next hard-core book crush.
