Tina Ness grew up in Minnesota where she still resides with her husband, two daughters and two crazy Boxers. Tina is a romance junkie, food and wine lover, fitness junkie and nutrition enthusiast. She enjoys cross-country skiing, boating, music, photography, travel and simply anything that inspires her.

It Will Always Be You is Tina’s debut novel. She is currently working on the sequel.

If you’d like to connect with Tina Ness or learn more about her, she can be found on the following social media sites:

Website – http://www.tinaness.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/authortinaness
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8471725.Tina_Ness

For a chance to win a copy of It Will Always Be You, visit Tina’s Facebook page, or click here to join the Reader Appreciation Author Hop.

After surviving four years with a commitment-phobic boyfriend, Elizabeth wants nothing more than to settle down. Too bad the man she desires, Marshall Roderick, leaves her flustered, trembling, and unable to utter a single word when he’s near.

Assuming he’s the very definition of a womanizing bachelor, Elizabeth relegates him to fantasyland and makes no move to get to know him. That is, until a chance encounter along the shores of Lake Superior leads to drinks and a steamy romance.

Confident, successful, and freakishly handsome, Marshall is everything Elizabeth has been looking for. But when an unthinkable act of violence shakes them both to the core, she discovers that Marshall isn’t as carefree and put-together as he led her to believe.

Now it’s up to Marshall and Elizabeth to figure out if their love can heal the scars of the past and turn them into the people they’ve always wanted to be.

It Will Always Be You tells the story of Elizabeth, a young woman who hasn’t had the best luck with relationships, and Marshall, a hunky, head-turning businessman. Elizabeth works at a hotel where Marshall frequently stays while on business trips, and she has been eyeing him for quite some time, afraid to make a move because she assumes he is a playboy. After a chance encounter leads to a date, romance blossoms, and Elizabeth slowly comes to realize that there is so much more to Marshall than meets the eye.

I enjoyed the development of Elizabeth and Marshall’s relationship. It was clear through early interactions that they were attracted to each other, but they managed to hold back from jumping each other’s bones right away. When they finally did become intimate, I appreciated the realistic progression of their encounters. Ness did a great job of writing hot-n-heavy scenes that aren’t cheesy or repetitive.

In addition to romance, this book also offers a bit of suspense surrounding Marshall’s family and something traumatic that happens to Elizabeth. I was glad when nothing turned out to be too far-fetched. However, I was disappointed with Marshall’s reaction when Elizabeth told him who was responsible for the traumatic event she experienced. I think this was the only part in the story that seemed unreal. I just couldn’t see Marshall reacting the way he did, given his strong feelings for Elizabeth.

Another thing that bothered me was how down on herself Elizabeth was at times. She’s a smart, independent woman with big dreams to become an interior designer, yet she has such low self-esteem. Parts like this made me so sad: “The husband, kids, and home are highly unlikely for the unlovable, but a girl can dream.”

The ending was perfect. I’ll be reading part two, Before There Was You, which is told from Marshall’s perspective instead of Elizabeth’s.

Memorable Quotes:

The searing heat of his hands and his heavenly scent made my blood boil and my clitoris sing.”

I don’t want to be without him. He’s like my drug, my medicine, my addiction.”

I can’t help but feel that the two of us are dooming any possible future while we protect ourselves from the things that hurt us most.” (This one really spoke to me. People often sabotage relationships for this very reason.)