Love Auction: Too Risky to Love Again (Love Auction #1)
Published February 3rd 2020 by Sharon Carter, Kindle Edition 306 pages
Devastated by the death of her husband in a horrific car accident, Sage lives with a protective armor around her heart. Nick, hearbroken after catching his wife cheating on him, has only casual relationships with women untuil he meets Sage at a fundrasier and falls for her immediately. Sageis attracted to the succesful benefactor, Nick, but refuses to allow him in. Sage has agreed to be auctioned off for a date to raise funds for a local organization. This is a chance for Nick to wil her over.
At the same time, Sage, a social worker, has accepted a foster child in her life. Thie child's mother was murdered by a madman, who has his eyes on Sage and will stop at nothing to make her his woman.
User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Love Auction: Too Risky to Love Again
by Sharon Carter
I received a complimentary copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
From exploring the first few pages, you realise Love Auction: Too Risky to Love Again by Sharon Carter is not a book that you can easily put down. The story, a work of fiction, depicts a story of lost love and the internal struggle to find tenderness anew.
Sage Sullivan works for Bayville’s Protective Children Services and is also a volunteer at the local community centre, a non-profit organisation, to help “ financially distressed people”, providing food for the homeless and counselling.
For several years, Sage has resigned herself to living alone after a tragic car accident involving her husband, Luke, which resulted in his death. Sage is torn between the love she still has for Luke and the burning guilt she feels when faced with the stunning “Mr Wondaful”, Nicholas Brimmer. Can Sage reach past the nightmares that still torment her, two years later, and grasp the opportunity of a new life with a new man?
The aspect of the story that I liked best was the fact that the author discusses the sad reality of losing a loved one, especially a partner in life. The one person we assume will always be there by our side. Sage passes through several emotions, but most apparent is the guilt that consumes her. Still married in her eyes to the ghost of her husband.
This book is a smooth read and evenly paced. As soon as Nicholas or Nick is introduced, I couldn’t help root for him, that he would eventually convince Sage to accept that Luke was gone. This book is suitable for adults as there are some erotic scenes that are tastefully written.
Love Auction II: Love Designs is a good choice for readers that enjoy books where love conquers all. The book ends on a delightful note, which makes a reader’s heart warm and finishes with a contented sigh.
Therefore, I rate Love Auction: Too Risky to Love Again 5 out of 5 stars.
Rating: really liked it
I read/heard (I forget :p) it somewhere, in order to get started on the process of love AGAIN, you will need a hell lot of emotional capacity. But what if that emotional capacity container got empty due to some tragic event in the past? Or worse, what if you somehow refill the container but feel guilty to use it? Something similar is the story of our protagonist Sage Sullivan. After losing her husband in a horrific car accident, she is left with no will to move on. Sage takes in a foster child named Nikki, who witnessed her mother's death. Nick Brimmer on the other hand after catching his wife cheating on him in the past, has no will to get involved in any serious relationship. As they meet, both of them feel the attraction but are terrified to make any move. To add some thrill to the story, there's this Max guy (killer of Nikki's birth mother) who has his eyes on Sage.
The author has very well elaborated on every emotion involved. There's grief, pain, romance, thrill and many more.
Grab your copy here.
Rating: really liked it
I read genres all over the place, but romance stories are usually at the bottom of my "read next list"; however, this book has me eagerly getting into the second book. Carter does a great job weaving loss and uncertainty into this romance tale, something we do see in the genre but very rarely done with the feeling of genuine humanity.
Sage, our main character, has so much going on in her life. The internal emotional turmoil coupled with significant life changes are trouble enough but navigating new relationships with it is hard to do; Carter writes as if she's been through each of these situations. Being the target of a psychopath heats things up. The book is cleaned up nicely and paced well. I can't wait to crack the second book open!
Rating: really liked it
Love Auction is masterfully written and I found myself easily getting lost amongst the pages. Sage is a very compelling character and you can tell she was well thought out and created with care and attention. Although the main point of the story is one of love it does touch on other important life issues too, i think that’s why i enjoyed reading it so much.
I shall be keeping an eye out for more books from author Sharon Carter (one to watch in my opinion)
Rating: really liked it
Love Auction by Sharon Carter takes a charitable dating auction and turns it into a magical whirlwind of a romance. Sage Sullivan is still grieving the death of her husband two years ago. She doesn't mind helping one of her best friends raise money for the orphanage in which she works. When the winner of her date is the arrogant Nick Brimmer, Sage is not happy. Furious is more like it since he insists on interrupting the comforts of her life. She isn't even sure this would be the best option for the orphaned girl she is planning to adopt.
I found Sharon Carter to be an intriguing author as her characters come alive and the plot thickens with danger. I would have classified Love Auction as a romantic thriller as the characters are ensnared by a deranged killer who fancies Sage as his future wife.
Rating: really liked it
First, let me say, this book is hard to put down once you start. Sage is a great character, and you love her from the start. She has a tragic past, and has devoted her time to helping those in need. It was refreshing that Carter didn’t shy away from Sage’s sad past, and used it instead to give her character depth and wove it seamlessly into the story. You get so wrapped up in following Sage’s journey of loss, healing, and maybe another chance at romance, that you quickly find yourself several chapters into the story before you come up for air. A great romance, and I’m eager to see what book two has in store.
Rating: really liked it
A great love story. Sage Sullivan is still grieving for her husband who died almost two years ago and the last thing on her mind is to seek or enter into any kind of romantic affair, that is until she meets Nickolas Brimmer who is also dealing with the heartache of his cheating ex girlfriend. Things start off pretty terrible between the pair but soon feelings between the two grow and perhaps love starts to blossom.
I really enjoyed Love Auction. The writing was well done and engaging, and there are well drawn out and believable characters, especially of course Sage and Nickolas. The gradual revelation of the facts meant that it held my attention with interest definitely piqued along the way, driving me to always read more. Altogether this was a pretty riveting read, and I will be interested to read more from author Carter.
Rating: really liked it
This was such an adorable book. Sage lost her husband, the love of her life, two years ago. She didn’t believe she could ever love again, but can she? I love the story line and the characters including Sage, and her friends Cindy, Sarah, and Parker. Her Aunt and eventually her father were also two important characters. Sharon Carter does a great job of developing the characters and I really felt like I got to know them well in this book.
Sage volunteers with her friend Cindy and ends up meeting Nickolas. Instantly Nickolas is attracted to Sage and wants her to be a part of his life. He asks Cindy about her, and she divulges some information but also tells him that Sage is not interesting in dating. Nickolas doesn’t let this be the end of trying to date Sage, however. He hires a private detective to investigate her. He was previously married and had a bad experience, so he likes to check up on anyone he is interested in. Throughout the story Nickolas and Sage keep running into each other. She even tells him she is not interested and that she is closed off to love since she lost her husband. But can she deny the feelings she starts to develop for Nickolas? She finds herself thinking about him more and more. Her friends can clearly see that she is into him, but she continues to say she is not interested in dating him or anyone.
It was hard to put the book down because I really want to find out what happened and see if Sage and Nickolas would end up together. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading Love Auction II.
Rating: really liked it
Love Auction wasn’t my usual type of read but I found it to be a good book.
The book follows Sage who lost her husband to a horrific accident and has since shielded her heart from everyone, and Nickolas Brimmer, a business tycoon, who is still dealing with the devastation his ex-wife caused him. But that changes for him when he meets Sage for the first time and falls for her immediately.
The characters have engaging development, and the storyline is quick to hook and entertaining as it progresses. What is better is that Sage grows exponentially in the book. She grows into an amazing woman, she learned to be strong, she learned to fight and survive. Overall a very enjoyable read.
Rating: really liked it
An exhilarating romance thriller!
Tennessee author Sharon Carter is a successful entrepreneur, founding and operating with her husband an HVAC company (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning), and now she turns to her early (and persistent) love of writing. LOVE AUCTION: TOO RISKY TO LOVE AGAIN is her debut novel.
Sharon’s writing is not only top of the line in style, but it also shows extraordinary sensitivity to such issues as response to grief of losing a loved one, dysfunctionality, incipient but challenged romance, and suspense, all wrapped into a novel that defies categorization. Yes, it is a romance story, but one challenged by so many issues that it never loses the reader’s attention or commitment.
The opening pages set the plot in motion: ‘Sage Sullivan yelled across the room, trying to get Cindy’s attention. It was crowded and chaotic at the center on a warm, sunny Saturday morning. McMorris Community Center – MCC – was a nonprofit organization that helped financially distressed people. They provided food for homeless families, job programs, counseling, assisted financially, and helped orphaned children. The job program assessed people’s skills to help place them in a suitable job, paving the way to their financial independence. Cindy Robinson had founded the center. Her staff put together marathons, bake sales, and auctions to help raise money. The center was hosting an auction the following month and would be auctioning some of Bayville’s most beautiful women and handsome men…’ Sage notices a man, a benefactor (Nick) and an unlikely romance opens.
Searching Sharon’s website a very fine synopsis is discovered. The three main characters of the story are Sage, Nick, and a young girl Sage adopts (Nikki). ‘After her husband’s accidental death, Sage withdraws her heart in protective armor while Nick falls into a loveless cycle of casual relationships after catching his wife in an affair. The two characters meet each other at a fundraiser, and Nick immediately falls for Sage. But the widow, still devastated from losing her greatest love, refuses the benefactor despite her attraction. Nick finds an opportunity to sweep her off her feet when Sage agrees to be auctioned off for a date to raise funs for a local organization. Sage accepts a foster child, Nikki, who witnessed her mother’s murder, into her life. The killer sets his eyes on Sage, determined to make her his.’
This novel is excellent – on all fronts – the initial bow from an author of great promise. Very highly recommended
Rating: really liked it
Sage lost her husband and mother in the same way - a car accident after an argument. When she meets Nick, she isn't ready for another relationship, but the attraction is extremely strong and undeniable. An associate of Nick's, Max, has his eye on Sage and will do what it takes to claim her as his. Fortunately, Sage's best friend Parker is a cop, and Nick has the money to hire a bodyguard to keep Sage safe.
This novel explores several subjects - love, loss, cancer, foster care, etc. There was a lot in this tale. Ultimately, good triumphs. Some of the scenes seemed like they stopped abruptly, so I would suggest that they be reviewed. I am glad that Sage finally found happiness again with Nick, and reconciled with her father, but I felt the ending was a bit abrupt, too neat.
Rating: really liked it
Love Auction: Too Risky to Love Again by Sharon Carter is one of my first romance novels I have ever read. Sage has some serious heartbreak she is slowly healing from. The loss of her beloved husband. Her mother had passes away and the estrangement from her dad has made her less than interested in love. Nick who found his wife cheating and almost beat the man too far has landed him a position where he wasn't sure love and a serious relation would find him again. While neither are looking for a relationship they both attend an auction. While Sage is helping her friend out she agrees to be auctioned off for a date. When Nick first lays eyes on Sage its love at first sight for him.....Not so much for Sage. Sharon Carter captures a love hate with these two main characters while creating a slight suspense to keep the love interest going throughout the entire book. She writes very detailed scenes and those who love a happy ending will not be disappointed in this read!
