Alfred “Red” Calhoun is in a rut so big, he doesn't know how to climb out of it. After his second best-selling romance novel, Red signed a contract for three more books, but now he’s having trouble finding his romantic mojo. To top it all off, his favorite bar has been bought by a woman who wants to close down and re-vamp it. With his favorite place gone, Red is looking for a distraction…just not the kind that the bar-ruining Jessie Dale has to offer, no matter how hot she may look in a pair of paint-covered overalls…

Jessie has been running away from trouble since the time she was a kid and now that she’s decided to make a place in Loco, Texas, she’ll be damned if she’s going to let a pain in the rear cowboy with too blue eyes chase her out of town. As Red and Jessie go toe to toe in an epic battle of wills, Jessie finds it hard to stay mad when Red’s kisses make her want to forget her trust issues…and take him home for a test drive.

But when Jessie’s pissed-off ex comes to town to make trouble, Red finds himself playing a hero in his own life and can’t seem to stay away from the her. But will he be able to handle all the crazy baggage Jessie’s been hauling around, or will these two miss out on the greatest adventure of all…falling in love?

I just love these type of stories where the characters start off not liking each other before they realize that there is something between them – there is always so much tension and passion when that happens which makes for a great read.

So we have Jessie who is running away from a bad situation with an ex, and she finds herself in Loco, Texas as the new owner of one of the local bars. Then we have Red, who is a romance novelist (yep, he keeps that little bit of information under his hat!) who has lost his muse and is having a bit of writer’s block. When he shows up for a drink at Jessie’s bar and finds out that she’s remodeling and not open…well that is just not going to do! What starts off as a very contentious relationship between the two quickly evolves into one of friendship and ultimately romance – which leads to some fun times and crazy outings.

Unfortunately both Jessie and Red carry some scars from their pasts. Red is trying to recover from the events that led to his two best friends getting married, and Jessie has serious trust issues since her ex screwed her over really good. Of course all this leads to even more tension between the two and some rocky times as they try to figure things out.

She wasn't going to be used or manipulated ever again. She was going to control her own life, and her own orgasms. Which she could achieve without a six and a half foot redneck with linebacker shoulders and a grumpy disposition.

Apparently her body didn't know that though, because when he opened his eyes and stared down at her with irritation, she couldn't stop thinking about sex; good, old fashioned angry sex.

It was fun watching Jessie keep Red in line. She had such a way of throwing him off balance and not letting him get away with his whole alpha male routine all the time. But it was also really great to see Red step up and protect Jessie when her past catches up to her.

This was a really fun read with a great cast of characters (I just loved Red’s mom!) and a great story. I have not read the first book in the series (yet – I just bought it!), and didn't feel like I missed anything that wasn't explained if it needed to be. I can’t wait for the next book in this series…sounds like things truly are crazy in Loco, Texas!

I won an advance copy of this book from the author with no agreement to do a review, so this is an honest one!