Professional Reviews
2009 Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence Finalist for Mainstream Romance
Best Book: "Ms. James did an outstanding job writing Turning Thirty-Twelve. I most definitely did not see the twists and turns coming. This book grabbed a hold of my heart and did not let go until the very last page. I still find myself thinking of this book and the characters who made this book so special. I highly recommend Turning Thirty-Twelve to anyone who enjoys a laugh out loud, exceptionally written book that will keep you coming back for more. I would love to see this book either have a sequel or become a series so I can see where my favorite characters are today and how they are faring. Turning Thirty-Twelve was simply an amazing book that I would read many times over which is why I would like to give it the LASR Best Book Rating! I will most certainly be keeping my eye on Ms. James for any books she may have coming out." -- Violet, Long and Short Reviews
5 Hearts: "Ms. James did a fabulous job creating this storyline and she developed characters that you just can't help but fall in love with, quirks and all. I found this story to be a little bit sweet with a whole lot of hot and sexy mixed throughout. I loved Ms. James' sense of humor that she sprinkled throughout the pages and I found myself laughing out loud numerous times as I was reading. I would highly recommend this story to others and it's a definite keeper in my library. Don't pass this one up!" -- Diana Coyle, Night Owl Reviews
4 Stars: "Sandy James offers readers a touching romance. I like the characters in Turning Thirty Twelve. Love does not stop when a woman's hair turns gray. The plot of this book is very realistic. James demonstrates the trials of parents everywhere. Fans of romance will enjoy Turning Thirty Twelve." -- Anne Boling, ReviewYourBook
Voted 2008 Best Bookart -- Preditors & Editors poll
Excerpt
The phone rang, and I jumped in surprise. Picking up the handset, I was a bit shocked to see "Brennan, Mark" in the caller-ID window.
Mr. Yummy!
I punched the answer button. "Hello?"
"Um, hi. Is this... Jackie?" He sounded incredibly nervous. I think his voice actually cracked like one of my student's might.
I nodded before I stupidly realized Mr. Yummy couldn't see me. "Yes, this is Jackie."
"Hi. This is Mark. Mark Brennan. I'm a friend of Suzanne Roberts. We go to the same church. She thought... She figured that we might... I don't know. She said we might want to go on a blind date."
My heart started pounding so hard I could hear the rhythm roaring in my ears. Mr. Yummy was the guy that Suzanne and Abs had been trying to force on me. God, love them! I sure did!
Although my head was spinning, I had enough sense remaining to realize that he didn't recognize my name. Knowing Suzanne and Abs, they had probably just written down my first name and phone number.
"You still there?" Mark asked.
"Sorry. Yeah, I'm still here. I was just thinking that I should probably tell you that I know who you are, and that you might not want to take me out when you find out who I am."
"Why? Are you a serial killer or something?" he asked with a chuckle.
Mr. Yummy has a sense of humor.
"My last name's Delgado. We met at the OfficeMax. Remember?"
"I thought the name sounded familiar. You're Carly's biology teacher, aren't you?"
I nodded again. Boy, could I be lame sometimes. "Yeah. I understand if you don't want to go out now."
"Why?"
"I'm your daughter's teacher."
"Is there some rule against parents going out with teachers?" He sounded confused.
"Well, no. But..."
"Look, I wasn't really thrilled about this whole idea--"
"Fine!" I interrupted. My insecurity was already thrumming through me like the beat of a big bass drum at the notion of a man as gorgeous as Mark Brennan wanting to spend time with me. Now that he knew who I was, he was balking. "Don't bother."
"Will you let me finish?" he asked with a note of irritation.
Mr. Yummy has a temper.
"Fine. I'm sorry."
"What I was saying was that I wasn't thrilled about the idea until you told me who you are. Now, I'd really like to take you out."
"Why?" I let the word slip out before I could censor myself. I had never been very good at using that protective filter most people have between their brains and their mouths. Mine failed me on a regular basis.
"Excuse me?"
"Never mind," I mumbled.
"I want to go out with you because you seemed nice. Funny. Real."
"Real?"
"Yeah. You don't seem to be the type of woman who plays games. Carly likes you too. How about Friday?"
Mark seemed to be gaining some confidence. It dawned on me that he probably hadn't asked out many women. This was obviously something he wasn't horribly comfortable doing.
"Friday," I repeated.
"Is that a yes?"
"Yes," I echoed in my delirious trance as I nodded my head. I'm going out with Mr. Yummy! Oh, my God! I'm going out with Mr. Yummy!
* * * *
"It's so beautiful," I said taking in the landscape surrounding the cabin. Not really a cabin, more like an enormous log house. I never realized cops made enough money to afford something like this.
Mark handed me my bag, grabbed his own from the trunk, and slammed it shut. "I love it up here. I time share with several other cops in my precinct," he explained, obviously reading my mind. Detectives could be creepily perceptive. "Just looking around takes all the tension away." He took my duffle back and walked toward the front door. "We could go for a walk and stretch our legs after that long drive and all."
"That would be great," I said, arching my back and trying to remove the collection of painful knots that had formed there. "I need to hit a bathroom first." And grab a handful of Tylenol for my poor aching body. When did I get so old that traveling wore me out?
Dropping the bags, Mark opened the door and held it for me. Then he followed me inside. "Down that hall," he said with an incline of his head. "Third door on the left."
He was coming out of a bedroom when I finished my business and opened the bathroom door. I figured he'd put our luggage in the same room, but I wasn't going to argue the notion that we would be sharing a bed. I wanted him. Hell, I'd wanted him for a long time. I could feel my gut tighten at just the thought. I savored that delicious shiver of excitement that I hadn't felt in far too long – years to be precise.
I followed Mark into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator. "Just like I thought. Empty."
"I'd hope so," I commented with a laugh. "I can't imagine how disgusting anything someone left here the last time he visited would be by now."
"Point taken. We'll have to hit that little Mom and Pop grocery later."
I wasn't thrilled with the notion of getting back into a car after the long drive that had eaten a lot of the day. "Yeah, but... can't we wait a little bit."
"Of course," he replied with a sweet smile. "I'm as sick of the car as you are."
I leaned back against the big kitchen island. "We could go for a hike."
Mark took a few steps and stood in front of me, placing both arms on either side of the counter, effectively trapping me exactly where I wanted to be. "We could." He kissed my forehead.
"We could go fishing."
"We could." He kissed my nose.
"We could go watch birds."
"We could," he said before he kissed each cheek.
"We could..."
His mouth settled on mine before I could even complete the scatterbrained thought.
His kiss was so warm, so consuming. Every nerve tingled, from the hair on my head down to the tips of my toes. My heart beat in a steadily increasing rhythm that echoed in my ears. There would be no long, agonizing wait to see which one of us would make the first move, no worry about what each little touch meant, no stupid guessing games. This was it. And I wanted it to last forever.
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