On my 21st birthday I was lying on my parent’s couch bored out of my mind. I wasn’t a clubber and my friends were back on campus. There were no drunken festivities happening for me that night. Earlier that day, my sister-in-law brought a garbage bag full of books for me to take back to my friend at school. I was not a reader. 🙂 That sounds very funny to me now because that night changed my life forever.

While rummaging through the bag full of books on a whim, I pulled out Christina Dodd’s Just the Way You Are.

This book was so amazing to me. I was already a fan of suspense and my mind was constantly thinking about sex and this book combined both of these genres. Here is the blurb:

Mystery and misery scar their young lives. Three sisters and their foster brother are torn apart by tragedy and scattered across the country to grow up apart…

Meeting Griswald is a shock; he is neither gruff nor old, but a powerful, handsome man. In fact, he is Zack Givens, mysterious, cold, heartless—and charmed by the artless young woman who brings him chicken soup, treats him like a friend…and falls in love with the humble man she imagines him to be. When she discovers Zack’s secret and faces his betrayal, she leaves without a backward glance. Can Zack solve the mystery that haunts Hope’s past to prove their futures lie together?

Christina Dodd is a fantastic writer. She makes you fall in love with the characters as if they were real people. Hope reminded me so much of myself as well because she was pretty much a loner and didn’t let a lot of people in. But when people are in need she is selfless. She didn’t allow men to get close to her  because she was focused on one agenda. Fine and wealthy ass Zack Givens changed all of that. This is a must-read. I first read this book over 10 years ago, but every now and then I pull it back out. The story has a 50 Shades of Grey feel to it, but it is highly developed and well-written.

Currently, Christina Dodd has written 50 books across the genres. Over time authors change the covers of their work, but below is the original cover.

I’ve read this entire series and they’re all amazing. Because of that one encounter I found my passion for reading and writing. As far as Romance or Romance Suspense genres go, my other favorite authors are Iris Johansen, Lori Foster, Kasey Moone, Allison Kent, Noire, and J.D. Robb to name a few. Like every author you have hits and misses, but all of these guys are great!

So, Cocoa Drops share your favorite authors and books with us so we can enjoy the good read as much as you have!

KT