Review: One Night by R.J. Scott

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

One Night coverMicah Adamson is the owner of a vineyard in Rochester NY.  Between it and his close knit family, he has had little time to find the partner he knows is out there for him. Forced by his family to take a vacation, Micah attends a wine festival in Santa Monica, seven nights in a beautiful hotel on the beach.  Micah expects to make some contacts and do some business.  What he doesn’t expect is to meet the man he has been waiting for….

Liam Wade is s rich, successful lawyer.  Scion of a wealthy family, he is expected to work for his father’s law office and conform to his family’s expectations.  But Liam is also a father to a young daughter he loves.  To do what he thinks will give her a family he has  become engaged to a woman his family approves of and has close business ties with.  And while he likes Leigh, he doesn’t love her.  Plus he is gay.  Now Liam has taken a week off to evaluate his wedding and his life.

A chance encounter on the beach brings these two men together for a night of passion and a morning after of uncertainty and questions.  Micah would like to pursue a relationship but Liam is struggling with his duties, responsibilities and commitments that he hasn’t told Micah about.  Can one night end up changing two lives forever?

Can one moment lead to your forever happiness?  That’s the question that RJ Scott tries to answer in One Night, her recently released novella.

I found One Night  an enjoyable read for many reasons.  The first is RJ Scott’s ability to present the reader with realistic characters quickly and establish a connection to them and whatever situation they find on the road to romance and HEA.  Starting with Micah and his New York vineyard, we got an immediate feel for his close knit family and Micah’s “Type A personality” that causes him to direct all his energies towards the business and family.  Only the persistence of his sisters persuades Micah to take that long overdue vacation, and even then, its to a wine festival in Santa Monica.  Of the two characters, Micah is easily to one most people will relate to and understand.  He wants a lover and partner but just hasn’t found the right man yet.  Oh how we get that.

Liam Wade is more problematic.  His best friend got pregnant and Liam married her to give the child a loving family.  But her death forced Liam to return to his wealthy parent’s home to take up his father’s expected law office responsibilities and duties in order to provide his daughter with stability and …well stability.  Liam doesn’t need the money.  So why return to a job and family obligations he doesn’t want?  Especially when it means a return to the closet?  I’m not sure Scott ever made her case for Liam’s acquiescing to his father’s demands so quickly and definitively, especially when it meant marrying a close business associate’s daughter.   If Liam is submissive by nature, we don’t get that.  Easy going and young?  Perhaps.  I just wish that RJ Scott had delivered a little more of Liam’s personality so we could get a grip on what drove him to accept the situation that he was in when he arrived in Santa Monica.

There are the small wonderful touches here that I have come to expect from this author.  A moment when Liam looks at an “all too perfect” posed picture of his daughter that his fiance arranged and realizes that it’s the messy, carefree little girl he misses.  An insightful and beautifully real instant in time, one that most parents will recognize.  RJ Scott’s ability to deliver scenes like is just one of the many reasons I love her stories.

Then there are the funny “wine tasting” questions and the lovely vineyard setting in New York, each comes across as authentically as possible, telegraphing the author’s knowledge, research, and depth given to this story and plot.

There isn’t any true or instant love here but the possibility of one as well as a great future together for them both.  I appreciated that the author didn’t have Liam just automatically follow Micah after the events of the festival.  That was especially reassuring, considering we need to see him as a responsible and caring parent.

So what was missing?  The romance.  I wish that we had been given more time, more interaction between these characters to allow us to connect with their growing love for each other and HEA that was to follow. Perhaps even more scenes with Micah, Liam and his daughter to make the idea of them as a family a reality to us instead of a given.  I wanted the “what happens next” and didn’t exactly get that full picture.  Had this story been enlarged even further then I am sure this issue would have been resolved.

That said, I did enjoy One Night.  I connected with the men, especially Micah.  I loved the wine festival and the vineyard, wine snobs, and all.  I loved the promise of a HEA and a family for that little girl in need of less structure and more love.  I know that this tale is a restructuring of a previous story but I would love for RJ Scott to revisit this universe and let us know how this little family and the vineyards are flourishing.  Until then, I will be on the lookout for the next Heroes or Sanctuary story or whatever else this wonderful and prolific author has in store for us all.

Cover design: Meredith Russell. Lovely.  I liked the pier at Santa Monica and the small wine glass. I only wish the model for Micah would have been a little less scruffy, older and more professional.  Picky, picky, picky….

Buy Links:               Love Lane Books               Amazon                   ARe

Book Details:

This title was previously available with Silver Publishing. It has been re-edited and approximately 1,800 words added as an epilogue

2nd edition
Published June 6th 2013 by Love Lane Books (first published July 8th 2011)
charactersLiam Wade, Micah Anderson
settingSanta Monica, California (United States)
Rochester, New York (United States)

Author Spotlight & Giveaway: Happily Ever After with RJ Scott!

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spotlight on booksOne Night

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ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords is happy to welcome RJ Scott here today to talk about her latest release, One Night, and happy ever after endings.  RJ Scott is giving away a $10 Amazon or ARe gift card as part of her book tour.  To enter to win, simply leave a comment about how you feel about HEA or HFN endings and your email address in the body of the comment.  Contest ends 5/24.

Welcome, RJ:

Happy Ever After by RJ Scott

Anyone that reads an RJ Scott book is guaranteed a Happy Ever After. In my mind every single couple I have written is a couple that will be together forever.

Unrealistic maybe, but life is too hard not to have a fictional HEA.

That brings me to the original version of One Night, in which the last paragraph had the two guys saying *Let’s talk*. In my writer’s he

One Night

ad, off they went into the sunset with their HEA, but what I failed to do was convince the readers of that fact. The book still sold but the feedback was that people were disappointed. One of the few positive things about *breaking up* with my old publisher was that I got to re-write the ending to One Night. I added an entire new chapter and gave my readers what I hope is a practical and reasonable HEA.

The same thing happened with Joseph and Dale in Sanctuary 2. One is an active SEAL, the other worked for Sanctuary. I gave them what I thought was a perfect HEA, in as much as they told each other how they felt and Joseph promised to come home to Dale whenever he could. Again it wasn’t enough. That prompted me to write Sanctuary 7, World’s Collide, as a way of giving Joseph and Dale their HEA. I think it worked out okay.

What do you think about a HFN book? Do you prefer a HEA? Did you read the original One Night, then the new version? Which did you prefer? Were you a reader who wanted more Joseph/Dale?

Contest:

Win a $10 Amazon or All Romance voucher for commenting below with your ideas about HEA or HFN, or just leave your email! Contest ends 5/24, 17:00 GMT

RJ X

One NightOne Night

Liam Wade is facing the biggest change in his life since marrying his best friend, Janelle, and adopting her daughter. Janelle has long since passed on, losing the battle to live a few days after her daughter is born, leaving Liam a father, in need of finding a mother for his daughter Emma. He’s rich, successful, and Leigh is the perfect, approved, wife for him. Before he settles down to give his daughter the best family he can, he wants one week away, to think. Just to make sure that he can leave half of himself hidden and marry without love, because Liam has one big problem in all of this — he’s gay.

Micah Adamson is the owner of a vineyard in Rochester NY, and has yet to find the partner he knows is out there for him. he believes in love and wants forever, and one day he knows he will find his ‘forever’ man. He attends a wine festival in Santa Monica, seven nights in a beautiful hotel on the beach

Micah wants to show that love between two men includes affection, understanding, and can be forever. Will he make Liam see sense?

 

Excerpt:
The guy looked flustered for a few seconds. “Earlier…you…my camera… It was you, wasn’t it? On the beach?”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry, I was miles away. You’re welcome, no worries.” Blond guy thrust out his hand, the glint of a silver-colored watch on his wrist.

“Liam Wade.”

“Micah Adamson.”

“Can I get you a drink, Mr. Adamson, to say thank you?”

Micah frowned. Mr. Adamson sounded so formal. He decided his guess about this guy—this Liam—working in business wasn’t far off if he went round calling people mister.

“Call me Micah.”

“Okay, Micah. I would offer to actually buy you a drink, but they seem to be giving it away tonight.” He gestured to the layout of all the wines and frowned. “There is a bar here somewhere that probably has beer. I don’t know about you”—he lowered his voice—“but this wine is all a bit too formal for me, not really into it. I really need a beer.”

Micah nearly choked on his last strawberry, coughing and trying to get control of his breathing.

“It’s a welcome party for a small wine convention,” he finally managed to push out.

“Oh, so that explains all the wine snobs sniffing their glasses.” Liam nodded wisely, as if he had suddenly discovered the whole reason for being. Micah couldn’t think of a single thing to say. He was torn between being affronted at Liam’s humor and agreeing with the absurdity of what some of these winery reps did in the name of knowing wine.

Micah didn’t need all the dramatic sniffing and tasting and use of incredibly meaningless long words. He knew wine; he knew grapes; he wanted to share that with others. That was enough.

“I’m a snob,” he blurted out, cursing inwardly at the what the hell did I just say? moment. To his credit, Liam said nothing, which left Micah enough time to correct his statement. “I mean I own a winery. My family owns a winery, near Rochester, a vineyard and a winery, Seneca Blue.”

Liam looked at him, then down at the glass in his hand, pulling his lower lip between his teeth as if in deep thought.

“They have vineyards in New York State?” Liam asked, completely open and honest in his curiosity. Micah smiled. Now that was a question he could handle.

“The Finger Lakes region. We have snow, rain, and storms rolling in from Lake Ontario like you wouldn’t believe, but you can also find some of the sweetest, most perfect harvests you could imagine.”

“Wow,” Liam murmured in response, and Micah narrowed his eyes. Was that a genuine wow or an oh shit stop talking wow? Micah had received both in his twenty-nine years.

“Seriously, I imagine New York as this gloomy grayness. Just another Seattle, I guess.”

Clearly that had been an interested wow.

 

Book Details:

2nd edition
Published June 6th 2013 by Love Lane Books (first published July 8th 2011)
charactersLiam Wade, Micah Anderson
settingSanta Monica, California (United States)
Rochester, New York (United States)
This title was previously available with Silver Publishing. It has been re-edited and approximately 1,800 words added as an epilogue.

Buy Link at Love Lane Press, ARe, Amazon

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍
ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords is happy to welcome RJ Scott here today to talk about her latest release, One Night, and happy ever after endings. RJ Scott is giving away a $10 Amazon or ARe gift card as part of her book tour. To enter to win, simply leave a comment about how you feel about HEA or HFN endings and your email address in the body of the comment. Contest ends….

Welcome, RJ:

Happy Ever After by RJ Scott

Anyone that reads an RJ Scott book is guaranteed a Happy Ever After. In my mind every single couple I have written is a couple that will be together forever.

Unrealistic maybe, but life is too hard not to have a fictional HEA.

That brings me to the original version of One Night, in which the last paragraph had the two guys saying *Let’s talk*. In my writer’s he
ad, off they went into the sunset with their HEA, but what I failed to do was convince the readers of that fact. The book still sold but the feedback was that people were disappointed. One of the few positive things about *breaking up* with my old publisher was that I got to re-write the ending to One Night. I added an entire new chapter and gave my readers what I hope is a practical and reasonable HEA.

The same thing happened with Joseph and Dale in Sanctuary 2. One is an active SEAL, the other worked for Sanctuary. I gave them what I thought was a perfect HEA, in as much as they told each other how they felt and Joseph promised to come home to Dale whenever he could. Again it wasn’t enough. That prompted me to write Sanctuary 7, World’s Collide, as a way of giving Joseph and Dale their HEA. I think it worked out okay.

What do you think about a HFN book? Do you prefer a HEA? Did you read the original One Night, then the new version? Which did you prefer? Were you a reader who wanted more Joseph/Dale?

Contest:

Win a $10 Amazon or All Romance voucher for commenting below with your ideas about HEA or HFN, or just leave your email address in the body of the comment!

RJ X

One Night

Liam Wade is facing the biggest change in his life since marrying his best friend, Janelle, and adopting her daughter. Janelle has long since passed on, losing the battle to live a few days after her daughter is born, leaving Liam a father, in need of finding a mother for his daughter Emma. He’s rich, successful, and Leigh is the perfect, approved, wife for him. Before he settles down to give his daughter the best family he can, he wants one week away, to think. Just to make sure that he can leave half of himself hidden and marry without love, because Liam has one big problem in all of this — he’s gay.

Micah Adamson is the owner of a vineyard in Rochester NY, and has yet to find the partner he knows is out there for him. he believes in love and wants forever, and one day he knows he will find his ‘forever’ man. He attends a wine festival in Santa Monica, seven nights in a beautiful hotel on the beach

Micah wants to show that love between two men includes affection, understanding, and can be forever. Will he make Liam see sense?

 

Excerpt:
The guy looked flustered for a few seconds. “Earlier…you…my camera… It was you, wasn’t it? On the beach?”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry, I was miles away. You’re welcome, no worries.” Blond guy thrust out his hand, the glint of a silver-colored watch on his wrist.

“Liam Wade.”

“Micah Adamson.”

“Can I get you a drink, Mr. Adamson, to say thank you?”

Micah frowned. Mr. Adamson sounded so formal. He decided his guess about this guy—this Liam—working in business wasn’t far off if he went round calling people mister.

“Call me Micah.”

“Okay, Micah. I would offer to actually buy you a drink, but they seem to be giving it away tonight.” He gestured to the layout of all the wines and frowned. “There is a bar here somewhere that probably has beer. I don’t know about you”—he lowered his voice—“but this wine is all a bit too formal for me, not really into it. I really need a beer.”

Micah nearly choked on his last strawberry, coughing and trying to get control of his breathing.

“It’s a welcome party for a small wine convention,” he finally managed to push out.

“Oh, so that explains all the wine snobs sniffing their glasses.” Liam nodded wisely, as if he had suddenly discovered the whole reason for being. Micah couldn’t think of a single thing to say. He was torn between being affronted at Liam’s humor and agreeing with the absurdity of what some of these winery reps did in the name of knowing wine.

Micah didn’t need all the dramatic sniffing and tasting and use of incredibly meaningless long words. He knew wine; he knew grapes; he wanted to share that with others. That was enough.

“I’m a snob,” he blurted out, cursing inwardly at the what the hell did I just say? moment. To his credit, Liam said nothing, which left Micah enough time to correct his statement. “I mean I own a winery. My family owns a winery, near Rochester, a vineyard and a winery, Seneca Blue.”

Liam looked at him, then down at the glass in his hand, pulling his lower lip between his teeth as if in deep thought.

“They have vineyards in New York State?” Liam asked, completely open and honest in his curiosity. Micah smiled. Now that was a question he could handle.

“The Finger Lakes region. We have snow, rain, and storms rolling in from Lake Ontario like you wouldn’t believe, but you can also find some of the sweetest, most perfect harvests you could imagine.”

“Wow,” Liam murmured in response, and Micah narrowed his eyes. Was that a genuine wow or an oh shit stop talking wow? Micah had received both in his twenty-nine years.

“Seriously, I imagine New York as this gloomy grayness. Just another Seattle, I guess.”

Clearly that had been an interested wow.

 

Book Details:

2nd edition
Published June 6th 2013 by Love Lane Books (first published July 8th 2011)
charactersLiam Wade, Micah Anderson
settingSanta Monica, California (United States)
Rochester, New York (United States)
This title was previously available with Silver Publishing. It has been re-edited and approximately 1,800 words added as an epilogue.
Buy Link at Love Lane Press, ARe, Amazon
You can find RJ Scott at:

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