The Hoarding Readers Corner: Blind Love by Kishan Paul

Title: Blind Love Author: Kishan Paul Release Date: June 2, 2015 Genre: Contemporary Romance Publisher: Samhain Publishing

She doesn’t need a hero. But a sexy Marine…that’ll work.

At twenty nine, psychologist Lauren Baxter has a successful counseling practice. Since becoming legally blind at fifteen, her world has been a blurry mess of colors. Her greatest fear is also her ultimate reality. One day that fuzzy realm will forever turn black. Refusing to let blindness define her, she builds a life for herself with her dog, Jack Sparrow, and best friend, Sunny Daye.

Lauren has no tolerance for pity or for Superman swooshing down and rescuing her. She is capable of saving herself just fine. That is until Gabe, the great smelling, former Marine, from Texas moves in next door. Her attraction to him is immediate and, unfortunately for her, mutual.

When Lauren’s ex-husband shows up begging for another chance, she is confused and fragile. She also finds herself in the arms of her secretive neighbor. Little does she realize that her decision for a steamy roll in the hay with Gabe will suck her into his mysterious past, thrust her ex-husband back into her life, put her in the middle of a murder investigation, and place her life in danger.

Gabriel Briggs has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Short term flings are all he can afford for more reasons than one – reasons he never plans to share. Until he moves in next door to the beautiful, green eyed, feisty, Lauren. One night with her and he’s reconsidering promises he made almost a decade ago. When a woman from his past is murdered, his world is turned upside down. Secrets are revealed and innocent lives are threatened. Can Gabe win Lauren’s love and save her life before it’s too late?

Product Warnings: Contains a blind therapist who doesn’t consider herself impaired; a meddling, erotic-novel-writing best friend; a hot ex-Marine with a shady past; and a loyal guide dog that howls “I love you” and is probably the sanest one of the bunch.

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EXCERPT

Gabe stayed on his knees with the kid wrapped around his neck. The two men stared each other down.

“Hey, there. My name’s Lauren. I’m your neighbor. What’s your name?”

“Evan.” His voice came out muffled from having his nose pressed into Gabe’s shoulder.

“Hi, Evan. This big dog beside me is Jack Sparrow. We call him Jack.”

The dog wagged his tail and licked Lauren’s face. “Jack, say ‘I love you’.”

Both of Gabe’s hands were where visible, but Ben stayed on alert.

When the dog yodeled his response, Evan turned his head. The kid’s eyes doubled in size.

Lauren smiled. “Dogs can’t talk, right? And they can’t. But sometimes they can make noises that sound like they’re talking. And Jack’s a special dog. He’s trained to smell when people need help. Like me. I need his help a lot because I’m blind.”

“You are?” Now Evan had turned completely around and peered into her face.

“Yup, I am. Jack’s my guide dog. He helps me get places and do things.”

“Wow.”

Both Evan and Gabe gazed at Lauren with looks of awe on their faces.

She smiled and kissed the dog’s neck. “He is wow. But what makes him even more wower is he can tell you’re a little scared and he wants to help you.”

“He does?”

“Yup. What he wants to do is to give you a kiss and let you hug him so you’ll feel better. I do it all the time with him when I’m scared. If you’re okay with trying, why don’t you give him your hand and see if it helps?”

“Gabe?” Evan said, still glued to his dad.

“It’s okay, Sprout, he won’t hurt you,” Gabe whispered.

The kid reached out his palm. Jack put his paw on it and panted.

“He wants me to shake his hand,” Evan announced, giving the furry foot a shake.

When Jack licked his cheek, instead of screaming, he laughed.

Acid burned in the pit of Ben’s stomach, from the way the man was eyeing Lauren.

“Thank you. For everything,” he said to her.

Lauren’s smile faded. “I didn’t do it for you.”

“I know.”

Ben cleared his throat but said nothing. She nodded. “Well, I better get back inside. Jack, you coming?”

The dog whined back his answer.

“He seems to want to hang out with your son.”

Gabe had yet to blink much less look away. “It’s mutual. Would you mind if they played together for a little while?”

Lauren bit her lip and Ben prayed she’d say no. “You wouldn’t hurt him would you?”

“Do you think I would?”

She shrugged. “You’re obviously capable of a lot more than I realized but no, I don’t think you will.” She got up from her spot. “He’ll come home when he’s ready to, or send him over when you guys are done, whichever happens first.”

PURCHASE LINKS

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Reviews for Blind Love

“I absolutely fell in love with this story and quite honestly didn't want to put it down or for it to end.” -Bobbi of Bobbi’s Blog

“Lauren is both strong and vulnerable, and much the same could be said for Gabe. You have two people battling their own personal demons, lots of emotional baggage and an undeniable (and strong) mutual attraction that keeps pulling them together…Humorous banter, believable chemistry and a strong cast of supporting characters are just some of the things that make this book difficult to put down.” -Nessie Strange author of Living Dead World series

“I love, love, loved this story. I am a huge fan of contemporary romance, and this was perfect. One minute I was crying, the next laughing…The story is very well written, the characters are well developed,…a must read for any romance lover. There is a little suspense, and you'll want to keep some tissues near-by…Fans of Susan Mallery, Robyn Carr, Jennifer Bernard, and Jill Shalvis will love this novel.” -Nicole of Books and Pearls.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

From daring escapes by tough women to chivalrous men swooping in to save the day, the creativity switch to Kishan Paul’s brain is always in the “on” position. If daydreaming stories were a college course, Kish would have graduated with honors.

Mother of two beautiful children, she has been married to her best friend for over seventeen years. With the help of supportive family and friends, she balances her family, a thriving counseling practice, and writing without sinking into insanity.

Her novella, Taking the Plunge, is currently available in the Love Least Expected Anthology on Amazon.

I was voted Best New Author at the Smexy and Fabulous Beach Reads and Blind Love got second place in the same competition for Best Contemporary Romance. Blind Love is also voted the Best Book of June, 2015 on Goodreads and is one of the Top Ten Books of Playwire's Reviews for June.