CELTICLADY'S REVIEWS: Barratt (Broken Falls, #4) by Laramie Briscoe Excerpt Reveal!

Title: Barratt (Broken Falls, #4)

Author: Laramie Briscoe

Genre:Contemporary Romance

Release Date:July 26, 2024

Barrett Grant is wild AF with hips he knows how to use, and he’s also eleven years younger than me…

Gabby

Get Baked is the culmination of every dream I had as a twenty-something. A dream my ex-husband stomped like a bug beneath the tip of his expensive Italian leather shoe. When I left with nothing more than my dignity and a vintage stand mixer I found at a thrift store, all I wanted was to be happy. Promised myself I wouldn’t settle until that happened.

Years later, it’s finally happening in the small town of Broken Falls, WV. My dreams are coming true, my happiness is so close I can reach out and touch it.

But my secrets? They won’t stay buried forever. Especially where Barrett Grant is concerned.

Barrett

I messed up big time with Gabby, the hot, older, owner of Get Baked. I had no business swiping right if I wasn’t going to take our relationship and her feelings seriously. When I reacted badly to a waitress who questioned if she was my mother, I should’ve let it go.

But I didn’t, and now I can’t. Not when I miss the f*ck out of her, and lost a year off my life the night Get Baked was broken into. This time, I promise myself, I’ll give us the shot we should’ve gotten the first time.

If only she gives me a second chance.

Tropes Included

small town
blue collar
second chance
reverse age gap
golden retriever hero

Barrett is book three in The Broken Falls Series: a series of interconnected standalones following a group of friends who have become family in small-town West Virginia, and the women who bring them to their knees. You do not have to read them in order, but each book builds upon the relationships of the last.

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It's been a long day, and Gabby still hasn't texted me back. My common sense tells me I should take that for what it's worth, but the part that really cares about Gabby wants to make sure she's okay? It's worried as f*ck, and I need to know. I debate on whether I want to stop when I drive by and see her car still parked in the back of Get Baked. There's a real chance that she doesn't want to see me, there's an even bigger chance that I just need to make sure she's okay. I want to set eyes on her.

Parking next to her, I get out and walk to the back door. I knock twice, waiting for her.

"Who is it?"

"It's Barrett. I just wanna make sure you're alright. I'll leave if you want me to after I see how you're doing." I hurry those words in a rush.

The sound of her unlocking the door makes me smile. With a sigh, she opens it, staring at me. "As you can see I'm okay. It's going to take more than what happened to bring me down. I might be a little bruised and broken, but I'll make it through."

"I have no doubt that you will, Gabs. I just want to make sure you're good. You never texted me back."

She sticks out a hip, throwing me a little bit of attitude, which I love. "I didn't know I was required to text you back, Barrett. We broke up, remember? I wasn't sure that after the way we left each other, either of us would want to hear from the other."

That's a fair assumption. "I care about you, I always have. I can't turn that off because we've had some sh*t happen between us. I lost years off of my life when I saw that someone had broken into your shop, Gabby."

"I know..."

"No you don't. You'll never know the fear." I interrupt her. "I know I don't have the right to be here, because I f*cked up what we were building."

She interrupts me. "No, we both f*cked that up, Barrett. It wasn't just you. That was a team effort." She exhales loudly. "Let's start over."

I inhale, close my eyes, and then let the breath out slowly. "Hey girl, hey."

She laughs, which is what I hoped she would. It lights up those eyes of hers and my stomach does a flip. "Hey."

"So, I texted you earlier, you might not have gotten it, or you were busy. But I wanted to make sure you're okay. There's been some crazy sh*t happening in the neighborhood lately." I grip the door facing to keep from reaching out and cupping her hip in my hand.

Her head dips down, before coming back up. "I did get your text, but I was busy, and then when I thought about responding, I was tired. I'm fine. The window will be replaced next week, and until then I've posted on social media, and Kara mentioned it in her live stream today. I'm not hurting for customers, people have been extremely supportive, and I'm sorry I didn't respond to you."

"It's okay. I'll leave now that I know you're not hurt. I gotta take a shower anyway." I'm dirty, and dusty, and just want to get all of that off. I love my job, but I'll never be the type of guy who can get off work and then head out immediately afterward. All part of living that blue collar life.

"Barrett, do you wanna come in and eat something? You came all the way over here, when I know more than anything after work, you want to go home." She pushes a piece of dark hair behind her ear. "You were worried about me, and I appreciate it. Let me at least feed you."

Little does she know I want way more than for her to feed me, but right now I'll take whatever she's offering. Whatever it takes to get me the second chance I've wanted for months, I'm going to do. "I'd appreciate it, you don't have to."

"I know, and the one thing you should know about me is I don't do things I don't want to do."

I grin, tilting my head back. "That's the damn truth. What are you feeding me?"

She rolls her eyes. "I have leftover pot roast that I'm making quesadilla's out of."

It's one of my f*cking favorite meals. I groan, rocking back on my heels. "It's like you knew I'd be here."

"Oh God c'mon in you little sh*t."

And with those whispered words, I know that for tonight we'll be okay.

Laramie Briscoe is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of over 30 books, with sales of over half a million copies.

Since self-publishing her first book in May of 2013, Laramie has appeared on the Top 100 Bestselling E-books Lists on Apple Books, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Her books have been known to make readers laugh and cry. They are guaranteed to be emotional, steamy reads.

When she's not writing alpha males who seriously love their women, she loves spending time with friends, reading, and marathoning shows on Netflix. Married to her high school sweetheart, Laramie lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband.