The Independent One (A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance) by Cami Checketts {Review}

The Independent One (A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance) by Cami Checketts

Kindle Edition

Published April 26th 2016 by Birch River Publishing 

Haley Turnbow escapes to the tropical Isla del Sol for an ideal vacation with her five-year old. She doesn’t plan on the resident ghost stalking her and the island’s fine-looking owner drawing her in with his confident, fun personality.
Cal Johnson is king of his own island, happy and busy. A beautiful mom and her wild little boy flip his world upside down. He falls in love with both of them knowing they’re going to leave at the end of their vacation and he might not recover from the loss.
Can these two independent adults trust their hearts or is it not worth the risk?

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My Review: 5 Stars

This Billionaire Bride Pact series has me feeling like I'm sitting in front of a big bowl of deliciousness. As hard as I try, I just can't stop myself from gorging on it. I devour these books and honestly love each and every one of them!

Haley, a strong and capable woman, wins a vacation to the lush and tropical privately owned island of Isla del Sol and takes a much needed break with her adorable and precocious son, Taz. A great first-meet brings Cal, a kind and persistent man, into her life and as much as she wants to let him in, she has baggage and just can't. The personality of Taz, added with the way he's treated by both Cal and his mother, is a complete joy.

  

As soon as I read the first page, I told my husband I wasn't going to be able to read this one because of the setting. Okay, so I'm kidding, but I love the beach and this setting is ideal and perfect! I'm craving beach time now. I loved the descriptions almost as much as I loved the characters. I was so happy to see some of the previous books characters make a brief appearance.

Cami Checketts always does a fantastic job of weaving a suspenseful angle into her books and I loved the way this one played out. Combine that with a swoony, toe-tingling romance, and I found myself in love--with the book, the writing, the characters, the romance, Cal, and really, the whole package. I'm eagerly awaiting my next binge on this series, so bring it on!

Content: mild romance (kissing); mild violence (talk of rape/assaults, an attack). Clean!

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*

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Buy Link:

Excerpt:

A tall, well-built man swept in before Haley could reach Taz and easily lifted her boy into his arms. “Hey, bud, you’re not supposed to do flips on this staircase, that’s for the diving board.”

Taz laughed and Haley’s heart slowed a few beats. “Taz,” she cried out.

The man turned with her son and she noticed dimples and blue eyes, but she could only focus on her boy. Taz launched himself into her arms. Haley held him close, inhaling the baby lotion he kept claiming he was too old for. She took several long breaths as she tried to reassure herself he was okay. 

Their rescuer turned to the older couple. “Are you both all right?” he asked.

“Oh, sure,” the man said, his arm around his wife’s waist. They were a darling couple, dressed to the nines with her hair perfectly coiffed and his hair missing.

“Is the little boy okay?” the woman asked, patting her hair.

“I think so,” Haley said. “I’m so sorry he hit you.”

“No, dear, I’m just fine.”

Haley nodded, grateful for their graciousness. She checked Taz for injuries. He had some rug burns on his face and elbow, but thankfully only the one on his elbow was bleeding. “Oh, bud, you scared me! Do you hurt anywhere?”

“Nothing ‘cept my endbow.” Taz held up his arm for her to see. “Kiss it?”

Haley laughed shakily and kissed near the ouchy spot. “We’ll find you a Band-aid.”

“A Ninja Turtle one?” Taz’s dark eyes lit up. He covered himself in Ninja Turtle Band-aids quite regularly. 

The man with the dimples turned back to her as the older couple wished them well and headed down the hallway to the shops. He placed a warm hand on her back. “Ma’am, can I take him from you? You’re shaking like a belly dancer.”

Haley laughed, but clung tighter to Taz. This was her little man and she wasn’t about to hand him over to some stranger—she couldn’t resist looking the man over—no matter how intriguing the contrast between his dark hair and skin and his deep blue eyes. “I have specialized belly dancer training so it’s okay.”

His dimples deepened. “Nice.”

“Thank you for your help Mr…”

“Johnson.” He kept his arm on her back and wrapped his other hand around her elbow. His hands were strong and warm and she couldn’t help but notice how nicely he smelled, a great combination of musk and man. “Come up to my office so I can check both of you out.”

Haley bristled. The only men she let tell her what to do were her dad and her brother. Scratch that, the only men who ever tried to tell her what to do, but failed, were her dad and her brother. She shook him off. “Sorry, not going to some strange dude’s office and nobody needs to check me out.”

He laughed. “My apologies, ma’am, but I’ve already checked you out.” He pumped his eyebrows and she was struck by the fact that he was much too attractive and much too friendly.

About the Author:

Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction.

Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science. She and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn't snowing, she enjoys swimming, biking, running, and water-skiing.

www.camichecketts.com