The Sweet Spot

Recommended Read! Also posted at my blog, TBR Mountain Range.Sometimes you fall into a story and are captured by the characters who melt your heart, hoping that they'll find their way from tragedy to a happy-ever-after. THE SWEET SPOT is a journey from the overwhelming sadness of loss, its ability to destroy a family, then bit by bit, their recovery through the healing power of love. Heart-wrenching, funny and thought-provoking, this novel is an awesome beach read.After firing her ex-husband and [...]

I've been thinking how I am going to rate this book. I had put this one off because of review comments. I'm glad I finally read it. Grief is a very hard and strange emotion to deal with especially when dealing with the death of a child. The loss must be devastating to each parent and to a marriage.The story, the feelings and the motivations of the characters are realistic. The couple cannot deal with their guilt and grief - they don't turn to each other - they each descend into grief, depression [...]

I'll not go into details nor provide spoilers. I got up in the middle of the night unable to sleep. My plan was to read a couple of chapters and go back to bed. Four hours later(!), I'd read the entire book. This isn't your usual romance or women's fiction. It's a delightful blend of both. The hero and heroine are not in their twenties, just starting out in life. They are 40y/o couple who had a wonderful life together and saw that life shattered. No one is to blame for what happened, and yet the [...]

What a wonderful book! Second-chance romances are my favorite love stories, and this one was so well-written. Brimming with emotion, this book tugged at my heartstrings, feeling the characters’ regret, grief, and love. The characters were charming and aggravating and loving and hurt and forgiving. Loved it!

My Review:I have to admit, I bought this book several months ago and went into reading it without re-reading the cover copy so I had no idea what the story was about. As a result, I was astounded at how close this book hit to home. It's about JB and Charla who got divorced a year ago after 22 years of marriage in the aftermath of grief from their 7 year old son's accidental death. They have a ranch in the Fredericksburg, TX area. (And this is an aside, but it explains how much this book hit me e [...]

I wanted so badly to like this book and I just couldn't. There's not one thing I can put my finger on, just a bunch of little things. I guess I'm also confused about this being a romance. I felt it was more of a woman's fiction. The story was more about Carla Rae growing as a person then anything else. Those who like women's fiction will like. But for us that like more romance in their story, read this with open eyes.

Sad, sad. I have mixed feelings about this book. I'm a sucker for a story that pulls at the heartstrings (and this one did, big time!), but for me THE SWEET SPOT was too much too soon. Readers don't get a chance to connect with the characters before all their troubles are thown at them.Charla and Jimmy's twenty-year marriage couldn't survive the accidental death of their only child. Guilt and anger drove a wedge between them. Jimmy sought comfort in a woman half his age, and Charla turned to pil [...]

Laura Drake has woven a beautiful a tale of love, loss, and remembering what is truly important, all with the wonderfully quirky back drop of Professional Bull Riding. I'm not always a fan of ex-lovers that find each other again because all to often they fall in love again mainly based on physical attraction. I always wonder why they don't remember there were reasons they broke up before. But that was not how it was here.Charla and JB both have issues to work through alone before they can even b [...]

I double checked the spine of the book and yes, it did say romance, but this is more of a woman's fiction story. I know that it's a terrible thing to lose a child, but Char was just a turn off to me. She pushed her friends and family away, and what parent doesn't feel guilt, and I know that is realistic, but then she blames J B her husband and childhood sweetheart for everything, even though he tries to help her. In some ways she grew stronger, got herself of the pills she wallowed in. She also [...]

I've never been to Texas, I haven't been on a horse past the pony ride at the local fair, and I've certainly never been lowered into a chute onto the back of a bucking bull. But Laura Drake put me right there, in the sweet spot, with my hand on the rope and all the excitement and fear in my heart! "The Sweet Spot" is a love story full of raw and honest emotion, as Charla Rae remembers she and Jimmy had a life, they had "enough," before the loss of their son Benji, and then realizes it's okay to [...]

Wow!! What an absolutely wonderful story. It had heart and humor. At first I wasn't sure I would be able to forgive JB but I did. I shed tears more than once at the powerful emotions the characters wrung out of me. Even though I haven't experienced the same things as Charla I was able to identify with her character and feel as though I had. I've never lived in Texas or on a ranch but the author's words brought it all vividly to life so that I could see, hear and feel the ranch.Looking forward to [...]

This pages of this book are filled with so many emotions that pull at your heart. You feel the love and loss the tears a couple apart. But then you feel the love and determination of them with the help of their family and friends for them to make their way out of the dark back into the light to find that love that was always there to bring them back to The Sweet Spot

Drake's book hits you right between the eyese hero and heroine's grief over their son's death and how they each handle it is gut-wrenching. You can't help but pull for these characters as you read the book and watch them find The Sweet Spot!

Very emotional and unforgettable story. Outstanding.

This was awesome. Not my usual type of read, but more of a 'real' type of feel with relatable characters going and growing through some of the toughest things life can throw at anyone. Both MCs make choices that, in hindsight, made their situation even worse. This story is about how they make their way through and back to each other.We didn't get a HEA where there was a surprise pregnancy with triplets or any other fairytale ending, but we did get a believable ending with both MCs in a place whe [...]

Review posted: Happily Ever After - ReadsBlog rating: B-JB and Char were married for years before tragedy struck and their young son died. Their marriage fell apart after that, both of them not dealing with their grief well and as a result, their relationship suffered. Char turned to medication to dull her feelings and JB left Char after his repeated attempts to get through to her failed. He started dating a much younger woman and caused a stir in their small town. They’re currently divorced b [...]

Originally posted at smexybooks/2013/05/review-The Sweet Spot by Laura DrakeContemporary RomanceMay 28, 2013ForeverFavorite Quote: “Nepotism isn’t a good idea when your family tree doesn’t branch.”Charla Rae Denny and James (JB) Denny had the perfect marriage. Charla kept the homefires burning while JB competed in championship bull riding competitions. When their son dies in a tragic accident, their world crashes and they drift apart, each consumed with their grief. Charla wakes up to fi [...]

The back cover reads:Charla Rae Denny was the perfect wife with a perfect life, content to keep the home fires burning while her husband, JB, competed as a champion bull rider. Then their son died in a tragic accident--and everything fell apart. Divorced and saddled with a hill of bills and a failing ranch, Charla must now cowboy up to put her life back together.James "JB" Denny doesn't stay where he isn't welcome. So when Charla shut him out of her grieving heart--and their home--a year ago, he [...]

The Sweet Spot was an unexpected pleasure for me. I knew that Laura writes more "women's fiction" rather than "romance" but the book cover looks like a romance novel so I guess I forgot.In the first chapter you find out that this is the story of a couple who has been married for a long time, but are no longer together. You know it has something to do with their young son (and the back cover copy tells you he died, so I'm not giving anything away), and you start seeing that the story will be abou [...]

For the last two Carolyn Brown books she has mentioned Laura Drake being one of the heroine's favorite authors to read. I just had to check it out. I'm so glad that I did. I usually don't read stories that involve cheating in it but the blurb got to me so I gave it a chance. This is an older couple who have been torn apart due to tragedy, grief and addiction. Charla and JB are divorced since he had an affair and they found no common ground after their son was accidentally killed. She got addicte [...]

This is one of my most favourite and most treasured books! If your a bull rider or just a fan of bull riding and the PBR YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK. If your a fan of bull riding or the PBR you will LOVE THIS BOOK! Their are references to some of the best bulls and riders all through out the read! If your not a fan of the PBR however, you will still love this book as the love story between Charla and Jimmy is one of the most heartfelt and touching stories I have ever read. Let me be clear here, I [...]

The Sweet Spot isn’t a typical love story. Charla Rae Denny and James "JB" Denny were high school sweethearts who were married for long time until the death of their son and the resulting grief, guilt and anger tore them apart. JB sought comfort in his work on the professional bull riding circuit and ultimately in a woman half his age while Charla turned to prescription pills to numb the pain. Unfortunately, the terms of their divorce mean that they have to remain in close proximity. With JB o [...]

Laura Drake is an author to watch. The Sweet Spot was an enjoyable read, set in the world of professional bull riding and I gobbled it up in a few hours. I don’t normally venture into romance stories, but this book brings to life two three-dimensional characters that you can’t help but hope that they’ll struggle through their tragic past and find new love together. The reader learns quickly that this once married couple lost a son in a terrible accident, and stress, affairs, and addiction [...]

Every now and then I like to sway outside the box and try something a little different and this one most definitely hit my sweet spot! And you can't get any different than bull riding, ranching and selling bull semen. Oh my I had no idea this kind of stuff went on in the world. Anyway, this is a love story for grown ups. The main characters are JB and Charla who've been together since High School. Their lives took a drastic turn when they lost their son in a tragic accident. Both blaming themsel [...]

It is a true pleasure for me as a reader to discover a story line with familiar and favorite themes that are written in a fresh, involving way which is both surprising and rewarding. Such was my experience in reading "The Sweet Spot" from author Laura Drake. Charla Rae and JB Denny were high-school sweethearts who married young and worked hard to build the home and family life of their dreams. For years it seemed as though they would never become parents, but finally little Benje arrived to ligh [...]

*(I won this book through the First Reads giveaway section on in May 2013)*When I was younger -- before I really started reading -- I would go to the dollar store and get those cheesetastic romance novels. You know the ones: a handsome guy on the front cover with long flowing hair and a chiseled chest; things that are supposedly meant to appeal to the ladies. Yeah, those types.I never could make it through the first few pages of those types of books. I'm a grown adult now with more experience i [...]

Browsing for something by a 'new' author doesn't always pan out the way we want it to, that is not the case with Laura Drake. I had come across the book 'The Sweet Spot' and the cover spoke to me immediately, the blurb on the rear cover really grabbed my attention and I decided to take the chance on this author. Well, great covers and well written blurbs do not a book make- that hinges on the ability of the author.Verdict: Slam Dunk! This author rocks!This book, these characters just speak to yo [...]

Disclaimer: The author is a friend of mine from my local RWA chapter. The Sweet Spot is Women's Fiction, and focuses on the broken relationship of Charla Rae and JB Denny of Fredericksburg, Texas. After their son died in a tragic fall, Charla Rae fell apart and retreated into a bottle of valium. JB responded by having an affair with a woman twenty years his junior, and the marriage broke up. Since they are ranchers, dividing their assets was a challenge. The ranch is owned by Charla Rae's father [...]

Reviewed by Sarah LBook provided by publisherReview originally posted at Romancing the BookWhile I would classify The Sweet Spot as romance, I really feel it was more about a mother coming to terms with the loss of her child and learning to live life again. After their young son died in a tragic accident, everything, including the marriage between Charla and JB, just fell apart.Even though I cannot directly relate to the loss experienced by Charla and JB, as a mother I felt a strong connection t [...]

I love romances and read them almost exclusively. The Sweet Spot was the best kind of romance, a true romance.A long time married couple, Char and JB, have lost everything since the tragic loss of their son including each other. Each must first build something from their previous life before either can move into the future. How these two people discover new facets of themselves and confront their own failings that led to the break up of their marriage makes this a universal story. My life has be [...]