eARC courtesy of Entangled Publishing and NetGalley.
Published: 7/23/18
Let me start out by saying I requested this book because it sounded interesting with a different trope/plot-line than what I normally read. When I first started reading, I had some concerns and if the general "likability" of either Ryder or Monica would be enough to overcome what issues I had with it. While I thought Monica was TSTL at the beginning, I liked her at the end. She had some good business ideas and the talent to carry it out. Ryder, on the other hand, I thought was an asshole and made a little improvement, but not enough. The rest of this review is hidden behind the awesome page break. I can't talk about the issues I had with this book without giving anything away. 

Monica went into the wedding reception that should have been hers and Matt- the rats. She was drunk but did make it to the platform where speeches had been given and she told the people there she was suppose to be the bride and that Matt had stolen all her money and then married the floozie- Josie- who was now Matt the rats new bride. Matts new brother in law  Ryder literally put Monica over his shoulder and carried her out to his truck and took Monica from the reception. Monica is very drunk and wants revenge and tells ryder she will give him fifty thousand dollars to marry her because Matt will be jealous if he thinks she is happily married to fryder. Ryder desperately needs money to sink in his ranch and his horse therapy program he wants to start. A tornado had badly damaged his barn. The bank was knocking at his door and wouldn’t give him a loan. She can be Rapunzel and he can be her prince. Also Ryder thinks of the look on his ex- Stephanie’s face when he sees Monica on his arm as Ryders new bride. Ryder agrees to marry monica and the go to Vegas Ryder has Monica sign an agreement about a partnership in the ranch and would split the profits until she got her money back  she had invested into the ranch. Monica was a photographer in the fashion scene and was making a name for herself. Matt had taken all her money all she had was her last paycheck for money. When Monica comes to she has no idea where she is or what has happened until Ryder tells her and says she can’t leave the ranch until he has the money she promised him he kept his part of the deal and married her.

I enjoyed this book . It wasn’t realistic as far as I am concerned but a fun summer read. This was a light easy read. . I did chuckle at times while reading this. I did love Ryder and Monica together and how they interacted with each other. I liked the pace and the plot. I liked the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend.

Castiel (19) is the high school bad boy and Dean (18) is the jock/nerd that he blackmails. Plot gave me whiplash. Upped to 4 stars on second read.

This book is an anthology that includes Buckhorn Brothers series book #5.5.  This is a story that can be read alone.  For complete understanding of the series, I recommend reading it in order.  For purposes of this review, we will concentrate on this story, Buckhorn Ever After.

Nadine has known Shohn all her life.  They grew up together.  To suddenly have his interest is quite exciting.  She does not want, however, to just be a notch on a bedpost for him.  Yet the attraction is still there.

Shohn has just realized all that Nadine brings to his life.  She is good friends with his cousin, who he is also close to.  She is helpful, and a great community member as well.  Now, he is interested in her as a woman.  Can he convince her to take him seriously?  

This was an amazing book.  I loved all the stories inside.  This story in particular, was so breathtaking.  I enjoyed reading about them falling for one another.  The laughter, the tears, and that was just me while reading.  Such great banter.  Love this series so much.  I give this story a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

Heat Wave
-- 'Rex on the Beach' by Stephanie Bond
-- 'Getting Into Trouble' by Leslie Kelly
-- 'Shaken and Stirred' by Heidi Betts

Average Overall Rating:  3.4 Stars

It's pretty typical that novella-length stories are usually only good for a fast and breezy enjoyable taste of what an author is capable of.  The three stories in Heat Wave are entertaining, but don't really feel all that interesting, and probably not stories I'd come back to because they aren't entirely memorable.  And maybe a little cheesy to boot.

The beach theme was nice though--it made me want to take a little vacation to relax on a nice, sunny beach myself... despite the fact that I've never really been fond of beaches.

But hey, this sounds kind of nice:

"We'll get a great room with an ocean view, go shopping for sexy new beach outfits and laze around on the sand all day, reading steamy romance novels and sipping umbrella drinks."

Rex on the Beach -- 3.0 Stars

by Stephanie Bond

I have a lot of problems with the premise of this story, if only because I'm not entirely comfortable with how quickly our couple lusts after each other even when they each have their own commitments--one of which is a possible marriage.  But if you can get past that, the development of our main couple had a pretty good amount of potential to make a fun romance.

When two characters carrying secrets hop into a relationship, you're bound to have all sorts of juicy twists and turns to work with.  So maybe if this story had been a little bit longer, it might have been more intriguing.   But otherwise, even the characters as individuals were a little flat.

Getting Into Trouble -- 3.5 Stars

by Leslie Kelly

Leslie Kelly is always hit or miss with me, and I've read enough of her work to keep her on my radar.  But a lot of her older work, or mainly some of her contemporaries are laden with dated romances, and an underlying sense of judgment towards females and their sexuality--akin to slut shaming, I'd say, but not quite so blatantly.  I say 'dated romance' because it's quite typical to find these themes in older romance novels: a sense that good girls don't talk about sex, don't think about sex, and don't have sex.

Which is in full contradiction of the main female characters in her contemporaries, because they are cast as very sexual people--they DO think about sex, the DO talk about sex, they DO like sex.  Except that there's always that unofficial disclaimer of "I don't always do this."  Because it's quite alright for a woman to have sexual needs and express herself sexually... if she doesn't announce it often, or if it's not in her normal behavior.  I'm not even sure Kelly realizes she does this, because I've read other works by her that don't have this underlying tone of a qualifying a woman's open sexuality.

It bugs me, if only because, even in this day and age, women are hesitant about expressing themselves in a sexual way, because society has taught us that women should not talk about sex nor even like it--that it creates gossip and makes you look bad.  Even though it's perfectly acceptable for men to joke about, talk about, have, and/or even be crass about sex.  On a regular basis.

I have a friend who can't even say the word 'sex' without turning pink and whispering it like it's an evil mantra.

But anyway, let me get back off of my soapbox, because this could go on for a long time.

Getting Into Trouble was the longest, most in-depth novella in this collection.  A lot happens that really DOES create a well-rounded romance, with conflict, angst, and fun.  I just got a little irritated with both of our characters:  Allie for being so wishy-washy with her actions; Damon for taking rejection so personally that he acts all butthurt and kind of douchy about it.

But in the end, everything comes together and it's a pretty nice and enjoyable romance.  My spiel about the whole 'dated romance' thing came mainly, because there were points in the book where Allie finds herself having to justify her attraction towards Damon, and it bugged me.  The word 'scandal' got tossed out there, and suddenly I'm thinking, "What is this, a historical?"  That people would disapprove of her getting close to a strange man because she's a single mom.  That it was okay when all the other women did it, but NOT Allie, because she's the virtuous main character.

That she feels she can't be attracted to, start a relationship with, or get to know this passerby in town, otherwise she'd get judged for it.

Of course, it might also have to do with the fact that Damon is traveling with a carnival, and carnies really do get a bad rep, more often than not.

Otherwise, the story was pretty good.

Shaken and Stirred -- 3.5 Stars

by Heidi Betts

The honest truth is that Shaken and Stirred was the better written of the three stories, with a cute and sweet romance, a slight amount of conflict, and a Happily Ever After™.  The relationship developed in a mature, fun, honest fashion, if a little too fast for my liking.  There was a cutesy, breezy feel to the story's progression.  And there weren't any overly complicated twists.

It was just a sweet little chick lit piece about a woman breaking out of her normal, shy and closed-in personality, and having a fun vacation; meeting a man, having a fling, and generally enjoying herself.

It was simply a contemporary romance, about a man and woman who meet during a summer vacation, have a fling, and start developing deeper feelings.  The sex might have happened a little too quickly, and the "I love you's" were flung out faster than I expected, but it seemed like a pretty decently outlined, down-to-earth romance.

If only it hadn't been so boring.  Which is probably why it felt like the shortest of the three stories.

But, nonetheless, it was still very enjoyable, and readily likable.


***

Roll #33:  "Read a book with water on the cover, or where someone turns on the waterworks (i.e., cries) because of an emotional event."

The cover features water from a beach and ocean.

Page Count:  320
Cash Award:  +$9.00

Updated Bank Balance:  $258.00