Apr 2020 - audiobook ( )

Welcome back to Gold Valley, where the only think more memorable than the sunsets are the people.

This time around we're getting the scoop on Lindy Parker...two years divorced, and the woman behind Grassroots Winery, she's a force to reckoned with, but that doesn't mean the gossip doesn't fly. It shouldn't with how her ex exited, especially with his very sisters standing by their sister-in-law instead of their can't-keep-it-in-his-pants-good-for-nothing brother. Well, I suppose he was good for something...the winery, to be exact, because without him, she'd not have had the chance at the future she's currently molding, or at least not nearly as easily. Thing is...she's not that girl. She's not the one to date, marry, ditch, and profit. She wanted the whole cake, the love with the love of life, and the fact that she's left with only half that dream has made her keep her heart close guarded. True, once you've made it in, it's for keeps, but getting there is the hard part, and I can't say I blame her. She was wounded something terrible, but I have to admire how she came back from it (mostly) on her own terms, and I didn't see her letting those walls down as a sign of her losing control, but rather gaining a new stronghold...and let's not forget possibly the heart of a certain rough and tumble cowboy.

Okay, so truth be told...I was all prepared to despise Wyatt Dodge, right from the start. I mean, he was arrogant, crass, stubborn, and took some things in life a little to less than serious...but then I got to know him (better man...sorry, Dickens relapse). You see beneath the "good time" cowboy is a man that's been struggling with his lost youth, his poorly sought venues of affection, the ultimatum issued by dearly wronged dad, and despite his bravado and need for control, a lack of ever feeling like he's enough...just him, nothing else. I know, sounds sappy, right? STOP RIGHT THERE...he doesn't do sappy. He does do weaken your knees, tear down your resolve, and flirt you out of your knickers, but as much as he can be a pain in the behind, he has a good heart.

In the end, it was another GREAT READ from an author who totally turned my head on the whole cowboy themed Contemporary Romance niche...and THANK YOU for doing it! I've loved my time in Gold Valley and can't wait for another chance to visit with old friends and meet sizzling new potential couples. Yep, LOVED IT. Now it's your turn...and don't worry about it being such and such a number in a series, it works as a stand alone, so choose your entry point and GO!


**copy received for review ( )