THE WEDDING GIFT
Fun story about what happens when an old boyfriend shows up a week before your wedding and tries to talk you into running off with him. The story opens as Darla, her grandmother Roxie, and grandfather Claud get ready for their sixtieth-anniversary party. Darla needs some advice from Roxie but has to wait until after the party. In the meantime, she's faced with trying to stave off Andy's innuendo-filled comments and remind herself that she loves Will.
As soon as she hears the problem, Roxie knows what she has to do. I loved her stories of the early days of her marriage to Claud, especially the marriage license, his fishing tackle, and the television. Her downhome and practical advice are spot-on (let's hear it for Sunday "naps."). Old Andy gets what's coming to him when Darla and Roxie discover he has more than one iron in the fire. I laughed out loud at Roxie's clever way of doling out justice.
I loved Darla's fiancé, Will. He adores her and intends to give her the best life possible. His little romantic touches are sweet and remind Darla why she loves him. An unexpected twist at the end showed they had more in common than they knew. I loved that they learned early on that trust is vital in a happy marriage. The wedding scene was sweet.
A SLOW DANCE HOLIDAY
Fun story. I've enjoyed the Honky Tonk series, and this was a terrific, if short, addition. Cameron and Jorja (JJ) are each given half-ownership of the Honky-Tonk by its previous owner, with the collusion of their grandparents. Cameron has run a beach bar in Florida for years and looks forward to having his own place. Jorja is just happy to get away from Nashville. Each believes their new partner is the same gender as themselves, and they get quite a shock when they meet.
Jorja is a red-headed spitfire who makes an immediate impression on Cameron when they meet. Neither is willing to give up their portion of the bar, so they quickly learn to work together. Their conversations are fun as they adjust to working and living together. I loved the use of animal pairings to give Cameron and Jorja the idea that they belong together - from spiders and snakes to robins and possums, everywhere they look, they see couples.
Jorja also faces the obstacle of dealing with her family. The daughter of a preacher, they are not pleased that she gave up an excellent job to own a bar. When her older sister shows up at the bar intent on forcing Jorja to come home, it takes some effort to convince her otherwise. I loved seeing Jorja stand up for herself. At the same time, Cameron realizes he doesn't want her to go. I loved the ending.
SUMMERTIME ON THE RANCH
Short and sweet romance from the Spikes and Spurs series. After ten years of chasing her country music dream in Nashville, she leaves it all behind to care for her grandmother in tiny Terral, Oklahoma. She gets a job working at Austin O'Donnell's watermelon wine business and is soon dreaming of starting her own vineyard. The only downside is resisting the bad-boy cowboy foreman at the ranch across the road.
Dalton has a love-'em-and-leave-'em reputation with the women of Terral. He wasn't interested in settling down until he laid eyes on Becca. Suddenly, being a one-woman man doesn't seem like such a bad idea after all. Unfortunately, convincing Becca he's changed his ways is an uphill battle.
I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Dalton and Becca. The sparks are there when they meet, but Becca is wary of becoming just another notch on Dalton's bedpost. Dalton doesn't seem to get anywhere until Becca's grandmother, Greta, pulls him into her orbit of church and Sunday dinner. Just that little bit of seeing Dalton's honorable side has Becca looking at him a little differently. I loved seeing them start to spend time together and discover they have more in common than they thought. There are some sweet scenes of burgers at the Dairy Queen and picnics in the woods, and a hilarious scene involving a bull and a watermelon.
Things are looking up for them until a bit of Dalton's past comes calling. I wanted to shake Becca for her reaction and enjoyed seeing Greta call her out on it. I liked that Dalton and Becca were adult enough to talk honestly with each other about what happened. I liked the ending and seeing them look forward to a future together.
#netgalley
Fun story about what happens when an old boyfriend shows up a week before your wedding and tries to talk you into running off with him. The story opens as Darla, her grandmother Roxie, and grandfather Claud get ready for their sixtieth-anniversary party. Darla needs some advice from Roxie but has to wait until after the party. In the meantime, she's faced with trying to stave off Andy's innuendo-filled comments and remind herself that she loves Will.
As soon as she hears the problem, Roxie knows what she has to do. I loved her stories of the early days of her marriage to Claud, especially the marriage license, his fishing tackle, and the television. Her downhome and practical advice are spot-on (let's hear it for Sunday "naps."). Old Andy gets what's coming to him when Darla and Roxie discover he has more than one iron in the fire. I laughed out loud at Roxie's clever way of doling out justice.
I loved Darla's fiancé, Will. He adores her and intends to give her the best life possible. His little romantic touches are sweet and remind Darla why she loves him. An unexpected twist at the end showed they had more in common than they knew. I loved that they learned early on that trust is vital in a happy marriage. The wedding scene was sweet.
A SLOW DANCE HOLIDAY
Fun story. I've enjoyed the Honky Tonk series, and this was a terrific, if short, addition. Cameron and Jorja (JJ) are each given half-ownership of the Honky-Tonk by its previous owner, with the collusion of their grandparents. Cameron has run a beach bar in Florida for years and looks forward to having his own place. Jorja is just happy to get away from Nashville. Each believes their new partner is the same gender as themselves, and they get quite a shock when they meet.
Jorja is a red-headed spitfire who makes an immediate impression on Cameron when they meet. Neither is willing to give up their portion of the bar, so they quickly learn to work together. Their conversations are fun as they adjust to working and living together. I loved the use of animal pairings to give Cameron and Jorja the idea that they belong together - from spiders and snakes to robins and possums, everywhere they look, they see couples.
Jorja also faces the obstacle of dealing with her family. The daughter of a preacher, they are not pleased that she gave up an excellent job to own a bar. When her older sister shows up at the bar intent on forcing Jorja to come home, it takes some effort to convince her otherwise. I loved seeing Jorja stand up for herself. At the same time, Cameron realizes he doesn't want her to go. I loved the ending.
SUMMERTIME ON THE RANCH
Short and sweet romance from the Spikes and Spurs series. After ten years of chasing her country music dream in Nashville, she leaves it all behind to care for her grandmother in tiny Terral, Oklahoma. She gets a job working at Austin O'Donnell's watermelon wine business and is soon dreaming of starting her own vineyard. The only downside is resisting the bad-boy cowboy foreman at the ranch across the road.
Dalton has a love-'em-and-leave-'em reputation with the women of Terral. He wasn't interested in settling down until he laid eyes on Becca. Suddenly, being a one-woman man doesn't seem like such a bad idea after all. Unfortunately, convincing Becca he's changed his ways is an uphill battle.
I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Dalton and Becca. The sparks are there when they meet, but Becca is wary of becoming just another notch on Dalton's bedpost. Dalton doesn't seem to get anywhere until Becca's grandmother, Greta, pulls him into her orbit of church and Sunday dinner. Just that little bit of seeing Dalton's honorable side has Becca looking at him a little differently. I loved seeing them start to spend time together and discover they have more in common than they thought. There are some sweet scenes of burgers at the Dairy Queen and picnics in the woods, and a hilarious scene involving a bull and a watermelon.
Things are looking up for them until a bit of Dalton's past comes calling. I wanted to shake Becca for her reaction and enjoyed seeing Greta call her out on it. I liked that Dalton and Becca were adult enough to talk honestly with each other about what happened. I liked the ending and seeing them look forward to a future together.
#netgalley
