A good read by a new author to me. Great characters and a good plot. I’ll be sure to check out more of her work.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

We visit the fictional town of Wellspring, Michigan, in Elle Wright’s Touched by You. Brooklyn Wells is the daughter of business tycoon Paker Wells, Sr. Their family empire and their father controls most of the small town with a ruthless hand that has increasingly caused him more enemies than friends. His controlling behavior is a longstanding problem in their family and they’re at the height of their contention when Brooklyn meets Carter Marshall.

Carter is in town to work on a project for the Wells’ family business. A rough two years and an unimaginable loss have caused Carter to shut down and the last thing he’s looking for is a companion yet alone a relationship. The attraction to Brooklyn cannot be denied though and try as he might, being with Brooklyn and living in Wellspring, albeit temporarily, might be exactly what he needs.

Brooklyn is a social worker, choosing not to work in the family business much to her father’s disappointment. Though she seemingly carved out a little piece of authority when it came to her career, Brooklyn lived a very sheltered life and is very dependent on her family’s wealth to live the life that she has accustomed to. Though she is not a fan of her father, and they have had many arguments, she has always tried to make as much as peace as she could. However, he takes it a step too far when he tries to arrange a marriage for her. When she tries to fight back, she realizes just how unsavory and cunning her father really is.

Whew! Parker Sr. was a complete mess. He was deceitful, cold, and thought that his word was bond. No one, not even his children, should dare question him or his authority. He reminded me a bit of Stefano DiMera from Days of Our lives, back when I was prime in my soap opera fandom. While I liked the romance between Brooklyn and Carter, admittedly, I was far more invested in the unscrupulous Parker Sr. and the storyline that rehashes quite a bit of old wounds and unveils some secrets about the small town of Wellspring and its residents.


In Touched by You, the love story was complete in this novel but there were a few cliffhangers regarding the subplots. I’m interested to see how this will all play out once Parker Jr. falls in love and gets his book, Enticed by You. I’ll be keeping an eye out for that release.

This is my first Elle Wright book and I'm so glad that I picked it up. Wright has a clean and straight forward writing style that made the story enjoyable. Brooklyn and Carter are both relatable and likable characters with flaws and strengths that played off of each other well. Wright provided tension and drama in Touched by You without any eye rolling angst which is a definite plus for me in a romance story. I've never been to Michigan, but with well formed descriptions by Wright I was able to imagine and get a feel for what Wellspring might be like. Another bonus to Touched by You is that Wright took enough space to develop the story; it's not a super short glossed over rush to the ending kind of romance read. Wright gives a fully developed story that didn't leave me wondering what could have been added to fill in holes.

Great read. Love Elle Wright's stories. TOUCHED BY YOU is a captivating read. Carter and Brooklyn are dynamic characters. Senior is a great villain. Boo Hiss! I Highly recommend it this book!

Brooklyn Wells is finally determined to get out from her dominating father and show him that she doesn't need his money. However, nothing is ever simple, especially when her father continues to deprive her of everything she needs to survive -- money, a job and a place to live. Yet, she isn't about to let him win. Luckily, there's someone willing to help her in her time of need -- Carter Marshall, even if it could cost him everything he's worked so hard for. Will Carter be able to prove to Brooklyn that she can trust him or will she walk away from her shot at happy ever after to protect him from her ruthless father?

This was such an entertaining and captivating read, of which I loved from the beginning, as the heroine fights her father every step of the way no matter how many obstacles he puts in her way to independence and finally showing him that she will no longer be controlled by what he can offer -- the lifestyle of the rich. However, it was from the moment the hero and heroine come face-to-face for the first time that I loved most about the beginning, as the hero works hard to get to know the heroine and as the story progresses is determined to protect her, no matter what the consequences are when it comes to him working for Wells family company. Will Brooklyn be able to make sure Carter keeps his job?

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to the main characters back stories, as the heroine is determined to find her father's vulnerabilities. Will she find what she needs to finally get her ruthless father to back down? Moreover, the heroine is strong, courageous, driven, smart, hard-working and I liked her determination to fight for her freedom because there's no way she can marry someone she doesn't even like. And besides, Carter is way more interesting than her ex so why wouldn't she fight? I also liked that she took a chance on the hero and that she would do anything to protect him, if being with her started to work against him. Because her father is a very influential man that could put Carter out of business if he's not careful. Yet, what I liked most of all about the heroine was the close relationship she had with her brother and that he would do anything to help her, even if it could mean things being turned upside down for his world as well as hers. Will their father start to punish the heroine's brother for helping his sister?

While the hero, he's worked hard to get to where he is, and yet, I liked that he was willing to help the heroine no matter the consequences. I also liked his confidence and his determination to win over the heroine because she's the first woman to interest him in a while. Yet, what I liked most of all about the hero is the choices he made throughout this story that changed his life for the better, as he shouldn't allow the past to continue to haunt him.

Overall, Ms. Wright has delivered a superb first book for her Wellspring series where the chemistry between this couple was off-the-charts; the romance was delightful and had me loving these two together; and the ending had me loving the way Carter supports the heroine through thick and thin, especially with what happens with her dad. Will everything work out for the best when it comes to the battle she faces with her father? However, it was Carter's surprise for the heroine that I loved the most because Brooklyn has changed his life and there's no way he can let her go. I would recommend Touched by You by Elle Wright, if you enjoy the mysterious strangers trope or books by authors Farrah Rochon, Delaney Diamond, Cheris Hodges and Kianna Alexander.

Carter Marshall not quite over a tragedy that happened in his life needed to get away from family and thoughts surrounding the tragedy, Carter decides to focus on a job that his company was working on in a little town named Wellspring, Michigan when he has the pleasure of saving the life of Brooklyn Wells who is trying her hardest to get away from her dominating father Parker Wells. Will Brooklyn help Carter overcome his tragedy? and will Carter help her get away from her father?

I really enjoyed Carter’s and Brooklyn’s story,
I love the chemistry that shared and how they fought to save each other. I loved the small town people and their relationship between each other, The love in this town made me wanted to visit and see it for myself. I look forward to reading Parker Wells Jr. story.

Carter/ Brooklyn, Brooklyn/Carter. Touched by You was a fast paced book from beginning to end. Ms. Wright introduces us to Carter and Brooklyn. They are different as night and day, but compliment each other so well. Touched by You was an emotional roller coaster that I did not want to get off. You will laugh, cry, get made, and start the cycle all over again. Touched by You was great. I look forward to reading Parker's story. Sidenote: If everyone had a Senior in their life, they would need therapy from sun up to sun down.

Fans of old school romance novels revolving around the rich and powerful will find a lot to love in Touched by You. Featuring the requisite feisty, warm-hearted heroine and a brave, stalwart but damaged hero, this novel pulls out classic romance tropes to good effect to bring a twenty-first century feel to a tale as old as time. Or at least as old as Mills and Boon.

This is book two in the Wellspring series but works very well as a stand-alone novel.

He isn’t looking for love, but it falls into his hands. Literally. Carter Marshall has spent the last two years pursuing justice. When his wife and baby daughter were killed in a hate crime, he took time away from his start-up company to ensure the perpetrators were brought to account. His business partner has kept things going and growing but now that the past has been dealt with, it’s time for Carter to once more do his share. He heads to Wellspring, MI to tackle a job for an important client but before he can even get started, he finds himself playing hero to a woman who very nearly gets flattened by a speeding truck. Carter’s quick reflexes yank her out of the way, causing her to fall straight into his arms.

Brooklyn Wells is not having a good night. She and her father don’t get along at the best of times and this essentially forced appearance at his charity event is most definitely not the best of times. She’s in the middle of chugging a glass of bubbly to stave off anger and boredom when her father’s announcement causes her to spray her mouth full of champagne on to the unfortunate woman in front of her. Turns out she’s engaged to the young man she had just said a very firm no to minutes before. When her father commands her to join him and the jilted suitor on stage, Brooklyn yells, “Hell, no” as she races towards the nearest exit. She is too anxious to make her escape to watch where she is going and would likely have died if not for the impeccable timing of a very handsome good Samaritan. He disappears into the night before she can properly thank him.

While Brooklyn gets herself a room at the local hotel and gathers allies to help her take her next steps toward independence from her influential father, Carter gets to know the town of Wellspring and prepares for his meeting with his client, Wellspring Water. He is surprised – but not delighted – to find the young woman he saved is also a guest at the hotel he’s staying at. Fortunately, he’ll be moving to a leased condo soon because being in close proximity to that beauty is making him feel things he swore he would never feel again. Unfortunately, he finds himself forced to once more play the hero when he sees Brooklyn in trouble, fighting with a man (the jilted suitor) in the hotel dining room. His plan is to come to her aid this one last time and then never see her again.

Of course, our plot is about to get a lot more complicated as Brooklyn’s wealthy, powerful and dastardly father continues to push her to marry the man of his choice while Carter discovers that his important client is none other than the dastardly dad causing the distractingly beautiful Brooklyn to consistently need his help. It’s the kind of delicious, unbelievable mess of which romances have long been made.

I’m an old hand at reading this plotline since this was a beloved trope of authors back when I started reading romances, lo, those many years ago. It isn’t a favorite trope of mine but it’s a familiar one, and one which I am automatically conditioned to give a lot of leeway to. While not realistic, this is such a standard in romancelandia that it has, in a way, a literary realism.

What makes Touched by You a good example of this particular storyline is the romance between Brooklyn and Carter. The two are interacting from the beginning, but the lustful thoughts are kept to a minimum. The author instead concentrates on key character points. Brooklyn learns Carter is a standup guy, always willing to lend a hand when she’s in need. Carter sees Brooklyn be strong, independent and resilient even under strained circumstances. When events conspire to make them neighbors in the condo complex they both move to, they take their cordial acquaintance to the next level, becoming increasingly close friends as each day passes. Both of them have traumas in their past, and that helps the bonding. They don’t just understand the other’s feelings but are able to speak to the problem in a way that someone who hadn’t experienced tragedy could not. While the pace of the story is brisk, I didn’t feel short-changed on the relationship. These two really connect and converse; the author does a great job of showing them as friends to lovers on the page, so that I felt thoroughly satisfied with their HEA.

Every book has its flaws, and in this case, I rolled my eyes every once in awhile over the soap opera-style antics of Brooklyn’s dad. The novel worked in spite of that because the author does a great job of keeping her focus on Brooklyn and Carter.

Touched by You highlights the best things about modern love: sexy romps, fun dates, second chances, and choosing the person who is perfect for you. Fans of contemporary romance will find a lot to enjoy here.

Touched by You is an engaging and page-turning read. Brooklyn Wells is a well off young woman living under her fathers thumb. She despises him because she feels abandoned yet deals with Senior because she lives under his roof. After demanding she marry her ex that she sees no future with, Brooklyn leaves the nest to make her own way.
Plagued by the agony and pain of losing his wife and daughter, Carter must learn to live again.
Can Carter and Brooklyn touch each others lives in a way neither expected? I recommend any reader looking for a good romance novel to give Touched by You a try. They will not be disappointed.

The author manages to have you near tears after just the first chapter! It starts off with Carter remembering his wife and baby daughter both who were taken from him far too soon. Your heart breaks for the pain and agony that still plague Carter even two years later.

Brooklyn meanwhile is attending a fancy dinner on demand from her father when her ex boyfriend suddenly proposes out of no where. She can't even stand the guy yet he thinks they should have a future together. That's not even the worst part! Her father announces their engagement to everyone in attendance at the party even though she never accepted!

I love the slow build between Carter and Brooklyn; it was very fitting given Carter's past. The banter between the two was great and supported their new relationship.

I found this story to be entertaining. Character development was nice. I am curious to read about the other family members stories in the future.

Fans of old school romance novels revolving around the rich and powerful will find a lot to love in Touched by You.  Featuring the requisite feisty, warm-hearted heroine and a brave, stalwart but damaged hero, this novel pulls out classic romance tropes to good effect to bring a twenty-first century feel to a tale as old as time. Or at least as old as Mills and Boon.

This is book two in the Wellspring series but works very well as a stand-alone novel.

He isn’t looking for love, but it falls into his hands. Literally. Carter Marshall has spent the last two years pursuing justice. When his wife and baby daughter were killed in a hate crime, he took time away from his start-up company to ensure the perpetrators were brought to account. His business partner has kept things going and growing but now that the past has been dealt with, it’s time for Carter to once more do his share. He heads to Wellspring, MI to tackle a job for an important client but before he can even get started, he finds himself playing hero to a woman who very nearly gets flattened by a speeding truck. Carter’s quick reflexes yank her out of the way, causing her to fall straight into his arms.

Brooklyn Wells is not having a good night. She and her father don’t get along at the best of times and this essentially forced appearance at his charity event is most definitely not the best of times. She’s in the middle of chugging a glass of bubbly to stave off anger and boredom when her father’s announcement causes her to spray her mouth full of champagne on to the unfortunate woman in front of her. Turns out she’s engaged to the young man she had just said a very firm no to minutes before. When her father commands her to join him and the jilted suitor on stage, Brooklyn yells, “Hell, no” as she races towards the nearest exit. She is too anxious to make her escape to watch where she is going and would likely have died if not for the impeccable timing of a very handsome good Samaritan. He disappears into the night before she can properly thank him.

While Brooklyn gets herself a room at the local hotel and gathers allies to help her take her next steps toward independence from her influential father, Carter gets to know the town of Wellspring and prepares for his meeting with his client, Wellspring Water. He is surprised - but not delighted - to find the young woman he saved is also a guest at the hotel he’s staying at. Fortunately, he’ll be moving to a leased condo soon because being in close proximity to that beauty is making him feel things he swore he would never feel again. Unfortunately, he finds himself forced to once more play the hero when he sees Brooklyn in trouble, fighting with a man (the jilted suitor) in the hotel dining room. His plan is to come to her aid this one last time and then never see her again.

Of course, our plot is about to get a lot more complicated as Brooklyn’s wealthy, powerful and dastardly father continues to push her to marry the man of his choice while Carter discovers that his important client is none other than the dastardly dad causing the distractingly beautiful Brooklyn to consistently need his help. It’s the kind of delicious, unbelievable mess of which romances have long been made.

I’m an old hand at reading this plotline since this was a beloved trope of authors back when I started reading romances, lo, those many years ago. It isn’t a favorite trope of mine but it’s a familiar one, and one which I am automatically conditioned to give a lot of leeway to. While not realistic, this is such a standard in romancelandia that it has, in a way, a literary realism.

What makes Touched by You a good example of this particular storyline is the romance between Brooklyn and Carter. The two are interacting from the beginning, but the lustful thoughts are kept to a minimum. The author instead concentrates on key character points. Brooklyn learns Carter is a standup guy, always willing to lend a hand when she’s in need.  Carter sees Brooklyn be strong, independent and resilient even under strained circumstances. When events conspire to make them neighbors in the condo complex they both move to, they take their cordial acquaintance to the next level, becoming increasingly close friends as each day passes. Both of them have traumas in their past, and that helps the bonding. They don’t just understand the other’s feelings but are able to speak to the problem in a way that someone who hadn’t experienced tragedy could not. While the pace of the story is brisk, I didn’t feel short-changed on the relationship. These two really connect and converse; the author does a great job of showing them as friends to lovers on the page, so that I felt thoroughly satisfied with their HEA.

Every book has its flaws, and in this case, I rolled my eyes every once in awhile over the soap opera-style antics of Brooklyn’s dad.  The novel worked in spite of that because the author does a great job of keeping her focus on Brooklyn and Carter.

Touched by You highlights the best things about modern love: sexy romps, fun dates, second chances, and choosing the person who is perfect for you. Fans of contemporary romance will find a lot to enjoy here.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

Touched by You contains all of the elements that made me an Elle Wright fan after reading Her Kind of Man in her Edge of Scandal series: a multifaceted community rendered in a broad array of black and brown people who are complicated as they persevere. In this first entry in the Wellspring series, Brooklyn and Carter’s love story introduces readers to the company town of Wellspring, Michigan. Population: messy. It contains all the soap opera juiciness of a daytime drama with its layers of social commentary about social class disparities, localized economic monopolies, and resources for underserved segments of the population such as people who are homeless and mentally ill.

It’s the emotional range and depth of her characters that hook me the most. There’s a tangible sense of profound connections between siblings, extended families, and friends. Carter’s expressions of his grief differ from Brooklyn’s, and yet both resonate as believable. Brooklyn’s self-awareness keeps her twenty-something angst from being too distracting, while Carter’s flashes of hypermasculinity occur in contexts of protecting vulnerable targets from harm. It’s so refreshing to read a romance with an ethnically diverse cast of characters who are dealing with a variety of challenges like human beings who happen to be brown and black among other traits.

Religious beliefs are included in organic and subtle ways. The running thread bout short hair, natural hair, wigs, and weaves rings true in the tradition of Chris Rock’s Good Hair documentary. E. W.’s compassionate affection for most of her characters projects clearly from each page.

There were a few place where the tech expert aspect of Carter’s profession seems to contradict his access to information. It was the same thing in a few scenes with Brooklyn. Internet search engines are a fact of present-day life. It’s noticeable when characters behave as if that isn’t true.

The small cliffhanger linked to a multi-pronged scandal is reminiscent of some elements from Alisha Rai’s* Forbidden Hearts trilogy. The teaser for Parker, Jr.’s love story does its job of generating anticipation for the next installment. There are still questions that need answers.

[Incidental profanity usage occurs maybe a handful of times.]

*Her “Toxic male Syndrome” panel group discussion for this year’s Book Con June 2—3 in NYC with Jasmine Guillory and others should generate some meaningful discourse in this #MeToo and Time’s Up social climate shift.