Fun and Addictive series from Rachael Tamayo

The Friend-Zone Series

by

Rachael Tamayo

My Take:

Bravo, Rachael Tamayo! The Friend-Zone series was fun and addictive. After reading Adrienne's adventure into romance with her best friend Clint in Chase Me, I was sure I could never sympathize with Adrienne's sister, Ashley. The author did a great job of bringing Ashley to life and showing the real woman she is in book 2 Reach for Me. Ashley's romance with Shane is a page turner. All three novels were. Chloe and Micah may seem like an obvious match from book one forward, but the twist in their story made the journey in their relationship an exciting read and certainly not predictable. I can't wait to see more from this very talented author.

I received a copy of this collection free in return for my honest review. The only reason it has received four stars instead of five, is because of the amount of typos I found. That's not something I would usually even mention, but since many readers/reviewers find this to make reading more difficult, I wanted to note it.  I don't believe it hinders the enjoyment of the story, so please don't miss out on a great read.

About the Books:

Loving your friends is one thing, falling in love is something totally different. For these six people, finding themselves in the friend zone proves to be a problem they weren't prepared for. Follow three couples in their journey to escape friendship and find true love in the Friend-Zone Series Boxed Set. 

Book one: Chase Me

Adrienne Lawrence loves her friends. It seems, however, that she doesn’t get along with her family as well. One hot Texas summer, Adrienne manages to fall headfirst over her own big mouth when she lies to her Mom about a long term boyfriend in efforts to squelch her Mom’s nasty comments about having a date for a family wedding.

Clint Montgomery, one of her best friends, kindly steps in agreeing to play the part of the devoted boyfriend during a week-long venue wedding across the country.

After a week of pretend kisses and smoldering looks, the lines between what is fake and what is real seem to become fuzzy. The only problem is, Adrienne doesn’t want to become one of the women that Clint leaves in his wake, but fighting what she’s feeling is becoming almost impossible.

Book two: Reach for Me

When Ashley’s high society life crumbles around her in the space of one afternoon, she’s forced to swallow her pride and move back home to Dallas. Having lost both her husband and her career, she takes up a job at her father’s restaurant under her little sister Adrienne’s management. After months living with her parents, she decides to move in with her coworker and friend, Shane. Ashley vows to never let a man cause her life to come crashing down around her ever again. Never will feelings cause her to make “stupid decisions.”

Of course, that's before she knew Shane. Can she resist his charms? Not to mention, blue eyes, tattoos, and a ride on his motorcycle.

Book three: Claim Me

Who will claim her heart once and for all? A hot Spanish purring blond or a life-long friend with deep eyes and a heart to match?

Chloe, ever the “good girl” among her close knit group of friends, that is until Brandon comes along. For the first time, Chloe forgoes the wait for love and lets her hormones take the lead. After the fling takes it course, he moves away and life goes on.

Of course, that includes her close friend Micah. Her brother’s best friend and the man she’s crushed on since she was fourteen years old. Micah’s only grown hotter as he blossomed from an awkward teen into a full grown man, and now that they are roommates, things heat up quickly.

There’s only one problem. Just as things start to finally combust between the friends after years of holding back, Chloe’s fling comes back to haunt her in a big way. She’s pregnant with Brandon’s baby.

Now torn between the man she’s loved most of her life or the man that’s fathered her child and stirred up a heat in her that doesn’t seem to be extinguished, Chloe has a choice to make.

About the Author: 

Who am I? I'm a police dispatcher/ 911 operator, and a romance writer. I'm a wife and mother. I live in the Houston, TX area with my husband of twelve years and our three year old son. We all live happily with our yellow Lab, Daisy and our African Grey parrot, Sassy, 

When I'm not writing or working, you can usually find me at home enjoying quality time with my husband and son, or maybe a large family get together with my fantastic extended family.

Find me on Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon,  Pinterest

The Thin Gold Line - Guest Author Rachael Tamayo

I'm excited to welcome a brand new guest blogger today. One with an awesome job. A job I'm certainly not cut out for, but I have a ton of respect for those that do. But, why don't I let her tell you about it. 

My other job

Someone is breaking into my house.

I think she's dead.

I can't tell if he's breathing.

I need police, hurry, but I don't know where I am.

I've heard all of this, and then some, in my ten years as a 911 operator and police dispatcher. I've talked to distraught mothers and fathers, grown men that sob into the phone, scared children. I've also talked to numerous liars, criminals, mentally ill, and a few murderers.  I am that disembodied voice that you call for help, then forget about by the time the police, or maybe a fireman or ambulance come to your rescue. We are not remembered - destined to be called upon and then fade into the background.

They call us the thin gold line. It's a rare breed that can do this job and stick with it. It's said that less than two percent of the population can handle it. The turnover rate is astronomical. Honestly, I think you have to be just a touch crazy to want to do it, and even more so to be good at it. I can't tell you how many police officers I know that have stepped into my dispatch center and told me, "I don't know how you do this."

Those of us that do this, we do it because it's who we are. We love it. We're OK with being forgotten, yelled at, cussed out by strangers on a daily basis because they're just having a bad day. We all know that it's not about us, so we take the abuse and keep smiling. Why? Because we helped. 

There's no glory for us dispatchers. We don't need it. Just give us a Thank you from time to time and that's all we need. Glad to help. OK with being forgotten, as long as we were able to help you in your time of need.

I've been asked once or twice, how does doing this job help you in your writing? I've always been a writer, since I was a child. I suppose being submerged in such a wide range of human emotion on a daily basis gives me an insight that most people don't have. Like any other dispatcher, I have an ability to insert myself into the mind without losing my own in the process. This is the reason I can capture these feelings so well.

So what's my book about? It's book one in a series about good friends falling in love.  In book one, Adrienne Lawrence trips over her own big mouth when she lies to her mother about having a boyfriend when her mom's nasty comments about not having a date for a family wedding get to her.  Thank heavens for her close friend Clint. He steps in, agreeing to play the part of the devoted boyfriend at a week long venue wedding, saving her from embarrassment. After days of pretend kisses and smoldering looks, the lines between what's  pretend and what's real start to blur, and Adrienne has to fight her confusing feelings. The last thing she wants is to lose her friend, or become one of the women he leaves behind.

Author and Dispatcher Rachael Tamayo

My name is Rachael Tamayo and I work for an agency in the Houston, Texas area.  I'm also a wife and mother, and a writer. My first book is in pre-publication with solstice publishing. 

Please follow me on Facebook here https://m.facebook.com/Rachael-Tamayo-1600504033593522/

and 

Twitter here: https://twitter.com/rtamayo2004

For updated information regarding the release of my first book, Chase Me (title pending approval) book 1 in the Friend Zone series.  Check me out on the Web at http://www.rachaeltamayowrites.com

Thanks, Rachael for doing such an amazing job and being for guest blogging today. Be sure you check out her page and watch for her new release. I know I can't wait to read it. :)