{"id":67634,"date":"2022-12-08T12:00:43","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T17:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=67634"},"modified":"2022-12-08T16:28:15","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T21:28:15","slug":"release-arc-review-effortless-lake-family-2-by-jennifer-van-wyk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=67634","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: Effortless (Lake Family, #2) by Jennifer Van Wyk"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Effortless by Jennifer Van Wyk is live!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is such a beautiful story! A swoony and heartfelt second-chance-romance, and a gorgeous story of reconnection with the one who got away.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

Free in Kindle Unlimited<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Who knew a cancelled flight would turn out to be the best night of my life?
\nHe didn\u2019t know what my life was like before he offered me a seat at his table.
\nI don\u2019t know how, but he could see I was crumbling inside.
\nI had become an expert at hiding my true feelings and life\u2019s desires but with Cash, he saw through the mask I had grown accustomed to wearing.
\nThat night with him was the first time I was able to be myself. He listened to me.
\nFor the first time in my life, I felt free, wanted, and cherished. But more than that, I felt seen.
\nOur time together was effortless but unforgettable.
\nBut the night came to an end too soon.<\/p>\n

The first time I saw her I could see a sadness in her eyes. As the night went on, the sadness lifted and I found myself doing anything I could to make it disappear.
\nBut the night we spent in each other\u2019s arms wasn\u2019t enough. I needed more with her. Not just her body, her heart and mind.
\nFor the past sixteen years I\u2019ve dreamt of her, compared everyone else I meet to her, and longed for just one more night with her.
\nThen she walked into my small town and changed my life forever.
\nNow I can only hope her accepting my love comes as effortless as loving her.<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4 stars!<\/b><\/p>\n

This is such a beautiful story! A swoony and heartfelt second-chance-romance, and a gorgeous story of reconnection with the one who got away.<\/p>\n

This is the third book in the Lake Family<\/i> series (the second full-length novel), and it\u2019s the story of Cash Lake. Years ago during a freak snow storm, a cancelled flight led Cash to spend the night with a beautiful girl. They shared a freakish connection, talking late into the night before spending a hot and unforgettable night together, but both got on their planes the next day and went back to their lives..It\u2019s been sixteen years, and now Hadley has shown up in his small Tennessee town, and she\u2019s about to rock his whole world.<\/p>\n

Hadley grew up with wealth and privilege but was trapped by her parents who were all about image. Practically forced into marriage and a life that she didn\u2019t want, she has finally broken free, and she\u2019s starting fresh with her teenage daughter in the small town of Red Oak. She has settled in well and is loving her new life, and things only get better when she and Cash find each other once again.<\/p>\n

OMG, the chemistry between these two is insane right from the very first moment! They know each other, they are thrilled to see each other, and they don\u2019t hold anything back in reconnecting. Though the attraction is strong, they don\u2019t just dive into a romantic reconnection. Cash acknowledges that Hadley has just gone through a major life change, and he\u2019s willing to wait for her to be ready for all that he wants with her, but he makes his desires known, and we get a wonderful build-up to something that you just know is going to be epic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shouldn\u2019t have let you go,\u201d I whisper. \u201cKnew it. That morning when I watched you walk to your gate at the airport, something in me said to chase you. I didn\u2019t. I fucked that up for us. I let you walk away from me, and it felt like I was letting go of a part of me.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s no stupid behaviour, no game playing, just two people who want to be together, and who slowly and functionally work their way up to it, not hiding anything from each other, and going all in when they\u2019re ready. It\u2019s so wonderfully functional and I loved watching them find their way to each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can it be that I spent one night with you a lifetime ago and you\u2019re here with me now, and you still take my breath away? How did I never stop wanting you all that time?\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cash is a wonderful romantic hero! He is sweet and thoughtful, understanding and kind. He\u2019s romantic and a gentleman, and he\u2019s not afraid to put himself out there for his girl. And when they finally take the big step into actually being together, the man is alpha and domineering in all the best ways, and the sexy time is seriously steamy!<\/p>\n

\u201cSpent one night with you and I\u2019ve missed you for sixteen years,\u201d I admit. \u201cYou got in my heart and I haven\u2019t been able to get you out.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is a wonderful, sweet, family romance, written just how Jennifer Van Wyk writes best. There are lots of sweet moments, lots of small-town living experiences, and lots of family involvement. Hadley has a teenage daughter and fantastically entertaining friends in her life, and Cash has his family who unreservedly have his back, but also live to taunt him, so there\u2019s lots of fun times spent with the side characters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about Hadley, isn\u2019t it?\u201d
\nI know my face gives everything away because I can feel how big my smile is.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s about Hadley,\u201d Corbin confirmed. \u201cLook at his face. He can\u2019t even hide it.\u201d
\n\u201cHe looks like he\u2019s constipated,\u201d Boone adds, laughing. \u201cWhy are you making that face? Don\u2019t do that around Hadley. She\u2019ll be a runner for sure.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is a bit of drama external to the relationship which brings some depth and an opportunity for more character growth, and I really enjoyed watching Cash and Hadley work their way through it, standing strong together, and loving each other through everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were the one for me then and you still are. Always will be.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This book is sweet, beautifully romantic and full of swoon, and I loved it!<\/p>\n

4 stars!<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review<\/i><\/p>\n

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Lake Family series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"Cover \u00a0\"Cover<\/p>\n

Serendipity (#0.5)<\/strong> (Leah & Stone)
\nReview<\/a>
\nFree: Available from Prolific Works<\/a><\/p>\n

Indescribable (#1)<\/strong> (Brock & Naomi)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Effortless<\/strong> (Cash & Hadley)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Forbidden<\/strong> (Corbin & Ryker)
\nTo be released 2022<\/p>\n

Remarkable<\/strong> (Boone)
\nTo be released<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cTied up or blindfolded?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUmm\u2026\u201d I don\u2019t know which to ask for because both sound incredibly hot.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlindfold,\u201d he decides. \u201cWe\u2019ll tie you up later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if I want to tie you up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m open to that. Whatever I do to you, you can do to me,\u201d he promises.<\/p>\n

My breath comes out in a tremble, excited for what\u2019s not just next to come for me, but for the fun we\u2019ll have with me tying him up.<\/p>\n

With tender movements, he binds the silky material around my head, cloaking me in darkness.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou trust me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCompletely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood. Can you see?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly a little bit of light.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood girl. You were honest with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

My legs rub together at the term good girl.<\/p>\n

Without my eyesight, every sensation is heightened. The way his calloused fingertips trail over my soft skin. His woodsy, spicy scent mixed with sex. The sound of our heavy breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHang tight,\u201d he tells me and I feel the bed shift.<\/p>\n

\u201cCash?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be right back,\u201d he says, but I can tell he\u2019s not next to me.<\/p>\n

I wait impatiently for him to return and feel him climb onto the bed. The sound of ice clinking in a glass alerts me of what\u2019s about to happen.<\/p>\n

I tense up at the first touch of ice to my scorching skin, over my nipple, down the center of my stomach, across my smooth mound.<\/p>\n

The air around us feels as if it\u2019s crackling.<\/p>\n

\u201cAhh!\u201d I cry out when he slides the ice cube over my most sensitive part.<\/p>\n

All while he\u2019s murmuring sweet words that feel like a caress.<\/p>\n

My hands reach for him and he chuckles. \u201cNot your turn, babe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to touch you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLeave your hands on the bed or I\u2019ll tie you up, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

I can hardly breathe, I\u2019m so turned on.<\/p>\n

I hear him reach into the glass for another ice cube and he places it once again between my legs before trailing it up my body, over my nipple. \u201cOpen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cash traces my lips with the ice cube before placing it in my open mouth. \u201cSuck.\u201d<\/p>\n

I suck and he asks, \u201cDo you taste yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMmm,\u201d I hum, letting him know I do taste myself on the ice and that I love it.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood girl,\u201d he repeats words to me he used earlier that had me squirming beneath him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to fuck you now, Hadley. It\u2019s not going to be gentle or soft and you\u2019re going to keep this blindfold over your eyes the entire time. You understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

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About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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From the Ground Up<\/em>\u00a0was Jennifer\u2019s first published novel and now that she was bitten by the writing bug, has no intention of ever stopping. Jennifer makes her home in small town Iowa with her high school sweetheart, three beautiful, hilarious and amazing kids, one crazy Jack Russell terrier. This is where her love for all things reading, baking, and cooking happen.\u00a0 Jennifer\u2019s family enjoys camping, boating, and spending time outside as much as possible. You\u2019ll be her best friend if you can make her laugh and follow up with asking her what to read next. When she\u2019s not writing, you can find her cheering the loudest at her kids\u2019 sporting events (read as: embarrassing them), sipping coffee or iced tea out of a mason jar with her Kindle in her lap or binging on Netflix.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amazon\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Twitter\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Instagram\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Reader Group<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Goodreads\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0BookBub\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Book + Main<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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  Effortless by Jennifer Van Wyk is live! This is such a beautiful story! A swoony and heartfelt second-chance-romance, and a gorgeous story of reconnection with the one who got away.   Amazon Free in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,24,1036,29],"tags":[59,790,1439,48],"class_list":["post-67634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-romance","category-second-chance-romance","category-single-parent","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-jennifer-van-wyk","tag-lake-familiy","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Effortless-1.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-hAS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/67451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}