Slow Ride Home by Leah Braemel

Slow Ride Home (The Grady Legacy, #1)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Mild Kink
Series-The Grady Legacy #1
Genre-Contemporary Western
Reviewed by Kay
257 pages

Ben Grady is half owner of the Bull’s Hollow ranch. He is a partner with his brother Jake. His first love was Allie Daniels. They dated in high school until Allie’s father was found out as a thief and they left town. Ben has never gotten over Allie. Turns out there was a video made of Ben, Allie and Ben’s best friend, Logan when they had a threesome. This video led to Allie losing her scholarship to Texas A&M.

Fast forward fifteen years and Allie is a lawyer who handles property title disputes. Bull’s Hollow had part of it’s shares held for a unknown heir. Ben and his family think the whole claim is ridiculous and their title insurance company sends in Allie to investigate. Ben and Allie’s first meeting after fifteen years is strained to say the least. I won’t give anymore plot away but that’s the synopsis on how this story starts.

I am a sucker for western romances. I’m also a sucker for second chance love stories. I enjoyed both of the tropes here. What I didn’t enjoy was the idea that back in high school a girl engaged in a threesome. I’m not a prude but it’s hard for me to buy into it. The suspense of finding out if there was truly another heir was entertaining but I kind of thought my heroine was a slut. This tainted the book for me. I will admit that even though there was copious amounts of descriptive sex in this book that were hot, it still left me a little cold. I don’t know if I’ll read any more in this series yet.

                     

The Scandal Before Christmas by Elizabeth Essex

The Scandal Before Christmas (The Reckless Brides, #3.5)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Reckless Brides #3.5
Genre-Historical
Reviewed by Kay

Since Ian Worth has to take bride, he asks his superior officer about his situation. See, his older brother has been injured and isn’t expected to recover fully. Ian is a Navy man and still active in his commission. His father the Viscount wants him to cancel his commission and marry so he can train him as the heir now. He knows he has to marry but he doesn’t want his father’s choice for his bride. Ian wants a quiet, unassuming girl. As he tells his superior about this, the man says he has a daughter, who is a spinster, who fits the bill. Ian is very interested. He tells himself that she needs to be pretty enough so he’ll have no problem getting her pregnant.

Anne Lesley is the daughter/bride to be in question. She knows that she is plain and not pretty. She sees this possible marriage as her way of escaping her mother’s over powering presence. She is very shy and doesn’t talk much due to her self ego. After arriving at Ian’s house, she overhears him saying hurtful but not unexpected things.

This was an okay read for me. It started off great but honestly, the setting was in the country and I prefer the city. I missed the ton and the shock value of their match it would’ve caused. Ian was a straight up ass in the beginning but finally redeemed himself. I don’t know if I’ll go on in the series as the sex scenes were kind of Meh for me.

Crash and Burn by Anne Marsh

Crash and Burn (The Men of Crash, Fire and Rescue #1)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Men of Crash, Fire & Rescue #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
34 pages

I don’t even think you could call this a novella. It was a very short story.

Dane and Laura Jo went to high school together. He was the football hero and she was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. They slept together and the Laura Jo left town for different life. She became a pilot with the Armed Forces and Dane is a rescue worker. He rescues Laura Jo from a crash and the two reconnect.

This story was okay for a start to a series. I wished there was more to it but it is what it is. Cute premise, a hot sex scene and a great cover. I may read more to the series.