The Gritty Truth (The Whiskeys: Dark Knights at Peaceful Harbor) Contemporary Romance

Melissa Foster

Oct 2020 · The Whiskeys: Dark Knights at Peaceful Harbor Book 7 · Sold by World Literary Press

About this ebook

A fun, sexy, and emotionally riveting new standalone romance by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster. THE GRITTY TRUTH is the perfect love story for those who enjoy fiercely loyal and insanely sexy alpha heroes, smart, sassy heroines, strong family bonds, bikers, babies, and more!

Recovering drug addict Quincy Gritt has fought his demons. He’s confessed to his crimes and conquered his addictions. He’s finally ready to go after sweet, sexy Roni, the gorgeous brunette who won a date with him in a charity auction five months ago and has been putting him off, and driving him wild, ever since. 

Dancer Veronica “Roni” Wescott worked hard to escape the seedy area where she was raised and followed her dreams to Julliard, only to have them shattered in the blink of an eye. She fought hard and regained her footing, but then the rug was pulled out from under her again when the grandmother who raised her passed away, leaving Roni feeling adrift in a world she knows very little about outside of dance. And then there's Charlie Hunnam–lookalike Quincy Gritt—the man whose late-night texts pulled her through her grief and have been setting her heart aflutter for months.

Quincy pulls out all the stops, determined to prove that their friendship is only the beginning of what’s destined to be so much more. Romantic nights lead to smoldering passion and a deep connection too strong to be denied. But when Quincy’s past comes back to haunt him, can he and Roni accept their new gritty truth, or will Quincy spiral back into the darkness and lose the future he fought so hard to have? 

For more Whiskey love stories, check out Melissa’s other Whiskey novels.

TRU BLUE (Truman Gritt)

TRULY MADLY WHISKEY (Bear Whiskey)

DRIVING WHISKEY WILD (Bullet Whiskey)

WICKED WHISKEY LOVE (Bones Whiskey)

MAD ABOUT MOON (Jed Moon)

TAMING MY WHISKEY (Dixie Whiskey)

Don't miss RIVER OF LOVE (Sam Braden), the first story in which the Whiskeys were introduced!

The Whiskeys are perfect beach reads with depth of story, strong family ties, and a wealth of emotions. Small town love stories with happily ever afters guaranteed.

What Readers Are Saying About The Whiskeys:

"The Whiskey series has become my happy place...As a matter of fact this book is one of the best out of the entire series." - Britt, Red Hatter Book Blog

"The journey to Jed and Josie's HEA was all kinds of sweet, smexy and even ovary exploding goodness...Their bantering was fun, their heart to hearts made mine melt and the smexy was HAWT." - Kahea, Evermore Books

"I don't even have words on how spellbinding Jed's book is!!! Melissa Foster just brought the Whiskey series to a whole new level of excellence!" - Heather, Audio Loves

"From heartache to heartwarming, these bad boy bikers will cast a spell on your heart." - Isha, Hopeless Romantic

"In the way that only Melissa Foster can do, this book has ALL THE FEELS. [...] You not only fall in love with Jed and Josie, but even more deeply for the whole gang." - Cara, Goodreads

"I'm going to say that Jed has become my favorite...I loved every word of this book." - Cat's Guilty Pleasure

"If you've fallen in love with the Whiskeys like I have, then you will definitely be mad about Moon!" - Lisa, Goodreads

"From the moment Josie and Jed "Moon" stared into each other eyes, I was hooked! A remarkable page-turner." - Cathy, Goodreads

"I am Mad about Moon...such a melt your heart, bawl your eyes out, stand up love that Moon has for JoJo and her son." - Nancy, Goodreads

"Mad About Moon was the perfect title for this book because that is how you will feel when you are done reading this story. I fell in love with Jed Moon right along with Josie." - Christina, Goodreads

"This story captured my emotions and my heart from the first page, and kept me enthralled until the end. I was emotionally wrung out at the end!" - Pam, Goodreads

"Bikers, steamy sex, a strong woman, and a man who loves her and her little boy. There are some parts that'll bring tears to your eyes. I always thought TRU BLUE would always be my favorite but this one is right up there with it." - Whispers from Mountains

"I really loved the way (Foster) conveyed the sense of family throughout the entire story and the fact that family isn't just blood, it's so much more than that." - Janeen, Goodreads

"Melissa Foster always digs deep into her characters and brings out all the raw emotions. I would expect nothing less." - Helene, Goodreads

"I didn't want to put my Kindle down...I completely fell for Jed, and I didn't want the story to end!" - BCD Book Review

"Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!" New York Times Bestseller Lauren Blakely

"You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that's fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won't want to stop reading. Every book's a winner!" NYT Bestselling Author Brenda Novak

"Melissa Foster writes worlds that draw you in, with strong heroes and brave heroines surrounded by a community that makes you want to crawl right on through the page and live there. - New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent

NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance, and women's fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa's emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented. Melissa loves to chat with book clubs and readers, invite her to your next event.

Foster's love stories are perfect steamy romance beach reads for fans of big-family, small-town romance. The characters are romantic and loyal, some are billionaires, others are not, and you're always guaranteed a happily ever after. 

This book will resonate with people looking to read: small-town romance, feel-good romance, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, series, romantic comedy series, racy, sexy, heartwarming, heart-warming romance, family, love, love books, kissing books, emotional journey, contemporary, contemporary romance, romance series, long series, long romance series, sassy, captivating romance, hot, hot romance, forbidden love, sparks, loyalty, swoon, beach romance, books for summer, books for the beach, beach series, sweetbriar, seaside, love in bloom, bradens, remingtons, ryders, whiskeys, wicked, dirty, fierce, alpha heroes, funny romance, laugh romance, modern romance, cape cod, cape cod romance, USA today, USA today bestseller, smart romance, something funny to read, billionaire, billionaire romance, love story, millionaire, wealthy heroes, happily ever after, happy ending, lighthearted romance, light romance, romance for adults, contemporary romance 2023, funny romance new, swoonworthy, romance series, romance books, beach reads, new adult, small-town, funny, female, stories, sensual, sensual romance, alpha male, dominant male, hot guy, fun summer reads, love and friendship, new romance series, hot romance series, new small-town series, beach reads 2023, new beach read, free beach house book, free beach romance, free summer romance, free vacation romance, free summer book, steamy romance, romance series, family romance, big family, friend romance, friends to lovers, contemporary crush, love story, romance love, new adult romance, contemporary romance and sex, romance billionaire series, friendship.

Ratings and reviews

Where to start and what to say about this very special read. The Gritty Truth is book 7 in The Whiskey’s: Dark Knights at Peaceful Harbor and I was excited to back in the town I have come to love. It’s a fun, entertaining stand-alone love story featuring loyal, extremely hot alphas and smart, sassy heroines and I highly recommend it to all romance lovers. Quincy Gritt is a recovering drug addict, he fights his demons on a daily basis but 5 months clean and a charity auction where he won a date with the smart, sassy Roni has him loving life. Roni also has baggage she would rather forget but it’s when her grandmother who raised her passes away she finds herself sinking more into herself and she constantly refuses to go on the date with Gritt, she feels unworthy of love but she doesn’t given the man who won a date with her enough credit, can Gritt convince Roni she is worthy of love or will his pass come back to break them...... You know you have read a very special story when the characters and their journey stays with you long after the final words have been read, and that exactly what this book did to me. I found myself cheering this couple on, I wanted them to get the HEA they so deserved, I smiled, I sighed and I loved catching up with all the residents of this wonderful town. Can’t wait for more in the series that has me feeling like I’m catching up with friends.

***5 “I Want Us to Be a Given” & “Booful” Stars*** Truth: Ever since meeting Quincy in Tru Blue, I was wondering if he would ever get his own HEA, so to say I was all kinds of happy to get my hands on this book is an understatement (And, yes, I was all kinds of happy that it also meant that I would get more Truman because he’s all kinds of bookboyfriendgoodness) and I was not disappointed at all. I was surprised ~ pleasantly so ~ and my cheeks hurt from all the grinning, and I did get sniffly and teary at certain points ~ but I loved getting to know Quincy and meet the girl who brought him to his knees. I adored Quincy and Roni. Quincy has been to hell and back and has truly come out stronger for it. He’s sweet, compassionate and honest, but what I loved the most about him was how he didn’t hide from those he called his own. Roni is a sweetheart. She is something of an enigma because it’s hard to put her in a box. She’s naive about some things and way too worldly about others, but she has this will to live that rivals most. Their journey to their HEA was all kinds of fun. A lot of what made it a ‘grinning so much it made my cheeks hurt grin was that they were both on the same learning curve when it came to figuring things out. I loved their flow. Their bantering was on point, chemistry off the charts and I loved how they truly communicated with each other about the things that mattered the most. They definitely had things to work through, and there were a couple of situations that even surprised me, but I loved how everything worked out for them. But of course, as much as I loved Quincy and Roni, I cannot deny that getting to hang out with the Whiskey’s, Dark Knights and their friends and family made me all kinds of happy. Kennedy and Lincoln kinda stole the show in this one, but I loved catching up with all of them and just seeing how their relationships have grown and changed as time has gone on. And as for what’s coming up next in the Whiskey world...I’m all about Penny and Scott, but it’s Diesel I can’t wait to get my hands on because that man is all kinds of broody goodness! ~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~

4.5 stars--THE GRITTY TRUTH is the seventh instalment in Melissa Foster’s contemporary, adult The Whiskeys: Dark Knights at Peaceful Harbor, erotic romance series. This is recovering addict and bookstore employee Quincy Gritt, and twenty-four year old dance instructor Veronica ‘Roni’ Wescott’s story line. THE GRITTY TRUTH can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading TRU BLUE for back story and history. Quincy is the brother of Truman Gritt (Tru Blue #1). Told from dual third person perspectives (Quincy and Roni) THE GRITTY TRUTH follows the building romance and relationship between recovering addict and bookstore employee Quincy Gritt, and twenty-four year old dance instructor Veronica ‘Roni’ Wescott. Months earlier Roni’s friends bid on, and won a date for Roni at the Whiskey Bro’s bachelor auction with our hero Quincy Gritt but Roni struggled to make time for the man that stirred something deep within our story line heroine. Persistent and determined to get a date with Roni Wescott, Quincy makes plans to seduce our heroine starting with a surprise picnic in the back of his truck and a scavenger hunt where anything and everything is possible. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Roni and Quincy, and the potential fall-out as Quincy’s past is determined to destroy our story line hero. Quincy Gritt is broken; a recovering addict who struggles in the face of past regrets, mistakes and the fall-out of his own mother’s addictions on the children she left behind. Revealing the truth to Roni may threaten everything Quincy had hoped for including a future with our story line heroine. Roni Westcott was a burgeoning star at the Julliard School of Dance but an accident destroyed her hopes for the future, as well as our heroine’s self-esteem. Secrets will be revealed; issues of trust must be addressed but the past refuses to let go when the truth comes to light, and Quincy, once again, must face the demons that destroyed his life. The relationship between Quincy and Roni is one of immediate attraction when Roni’s friends ‘won’ Quincy at the local bachelor auction. For months Quincy and Roni danced around their attraction to one another as Roni battled between head and heart believing her scars would detract from a potential love. The $ex scenes are intimate, intense and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and familiar secondary and supporting characters including Whiskey patriarch Biggs and his wife Red; Gemma, Tru, Lincoln and Kennedy (Tru Blue #1), Bear and Crystal (Truly, Madly Whiskey #2), Bullet and Finlay (Driving Whiskey Wild #3), Sarah and Bones (Wicked Whiskey Love #4), Josie and Jed (Mad About Moon #5), Dixie Whiskey and Jace Stone (Taming My Whiskey #6); Quincy’s friend Penny Wilson and Scott Beckley; Dark Knights’ nomad Desmond ‘Diesel’ Black and Tracey Kline; Simone Davidson, as well as several characters with cameo appearances. Little Lincoln is priceless and ‘booful’ Penny and Scott’s story is next in the novella In for a Penny, and Diesel and Tracey’s story Running on Diesel. THE GRITTY TRUTH is an emotional and heart breaking story of addiction and recovery; power and abuse; secrets, revelations, vengeance and love. The premise is profound and real; the characters are animated, impassioned, broken but healing; the romance is spicy, imaginative and flirty. Melissa Foster’s THE GRITTY TRUTH looks at courage, recovery, challenges, and acceptance wrapped in a package of romance and love.

About the author

NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance and women’s fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented, the perfect beach reads for contemporary romance and women’s fiction lovers who enjoy reading about loyal, wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines with complex relatable issues.

Melissa also writes sweet romance under the pen name,  Addison Cole.

Melissa enjoys chatting with readers and book clubs. Send her an email invitation to your next event!