The Ultimate Catch, by Constance Phillips
Published July 2014 by Whiskey Creek Press
About the Book:
Jolanda will do whatever
it takes, even face off against the Bering Sea, to raise the money for a
balloon payment on her father's house. She challenges Keller and wins a
bet to fill a deckhand slot vacated by her father on Keller’s recently
inherited crab fishing boat. Unwilling to go back on his word, the young
captain must buck tradition and superstition against women on fishing
vessels.
Will his season be doomed or will he end up with the ultimate catch?
MY TAKE:
Constance Phillips has done it again, delivering another
sweet and sexy romance that kept me up all night reading and rooting for that
happily ever.
For Jolanda Gilles, family comes first. When her mother left
Alaska with a teenage Jo in tow, she vowed never to let her dad down the way
her mom did. She also made a promise to herself to never get romantically involved
with a fisherman.
But bills from her father's diabetes treatment have started
piling up and the balloon payment on his mortgage is also due. Working two jobs
isn't quite enough to cover it. Jo makes a crazy bet with her dad's former
boss, the handsome boat captain Keller Sveinsson. If she can out-drink him, he’ll
allow her to take her dad's place in his crew. Winter crab fishing is cold and
dangerous, but highly lucrative. Jo is sure she can make enough money in just a
few trips out to pay off all of her father's debt.
Keller has his own family demons. He walked away from the
winter season two weeks before his own father's fateful heart attack out at
sea. When he returned to take over the family business, his fiancé left him.
Now his brother (and partner) has walked away from the season to care for his
wife, who's having complications with the birth of their first child.
The last thing Keller needs is feisty Jo joining his crew,
but a bet is a bet and he gave his word. And he can't seem to keep his thoughts
from turning to the petite ball of energy who pushed her way into the forefront
of his life.
Constance Phillips once again shows her mastery of sweet and
sexy romance with a tale that weaves real-life danger together with the dangers
of the heart. Jo and Keller both need to let go of their fears and past regrets
to embrace the possibilities of love. I loved this book, reading it straight
through one dark and stormy summer night, and totally recommend this sensual
romance.
