Really, there isn’t any such thing as too much lip gloss. Am I right? 😉
TUCKED AWAY
By Jennie Marts
A Hearts of Montana Novel
Sometimes you find what you need in the most unlikely places…
Charlie Ryan’s cheating fiancé left her with a broken heart and even broker bank account. She’s hit rock bottom, but everything is about to change. Suddenly, she’s inherited a Montana farm named Tucked Away from a grandmother she never knew existed. A fresh start is just what she needs—and no men in her future this time, even if the local vet is as hot as a Montana summer.
Zack Cooper is content with his simple life. Running his veterinary practice and raising his daughter are enough to keep him busy, and he doesn’t need a high-maintenance city girl like his ex who plans to sell her grandma’s ranch and split faster than a setting sun. So why can’t he stop thinking about Charlie and her hot-pink cowboy boots…and the way her eyes say she wants to stay while her lips tease him with plans of leaving?
Just when both start to believe love might be worth the risk…one night will change everything.
Review:
Tucked Away had a strong start, even if the romance itself took a while to get going. The main characters–Charlie, Sophie, Cash, Buckshot, and Zack–were all very likable. Watching NYC-girl Charlie determined to adjust to all that was new and different on the Montana ranch was a lot of fun to read, and as the romance did develop, it was very sweet.
As the novel continued, though, it started to feel as if a whole lot of drama was just being thrown at the characters–and the reader. Just about every character from the main characters’ pasts came back, Charlie found out that all kinds of things she thought she knew about her life weren’t true, and the plot to get her to sell her grandmother’s ranch took on new ans sinister turns. It all felt a bit overwhelming–a good quarter of the plot twists and turns could probably have been left out, and there still would have been an engaging story in there.
Overall I did like Charlie’s voice–Zack’s too, though we didn’t see things from his POV nearly as much. For a writer, though, we don’t see Charlie sit down and write once in the whole time she was in Montana, which seemed more than a little odd.
This book is the first in a new series, and I did like the characters enough that I might be tempted to pick up the second, despite my concerns with this one.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars / C+
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Buy Links: Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iTunes * ARe * Kobo
Excerpt: HERO MEETS HEROINE
The corner of the heavy dog food bag caught the strap of her purse, and she stumbled forward, falling off the curb and waving her arms to catch her balance. The loud snap of her heel breaking was followed by a curse word worthy of a sailor, and her purse went flying.
The dog food slid from his grasp. He reached to grab her as she pitched forward and fell into his arms.
The heady scent of her perfume surrounded him as she looked up at him, her chest pressed against his. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry.” His mouth went dry, and he tried not to look down at the front of her shirt where her blouse gaped open and the lace edge of her bra peeked through.
He held onto her a beat too long, then let go as she steadied herself. “You were just looking for some coffee, and I almost knocked you over with a bag of puppy chow.”
She laughed. A light, easy sound. “I think breaking my heel and being mauled by a giant bag of dog food is right on par with the way the last couple of days have been going for me. I’m just glad you didn’t impale me with the toilet bowl brush.” She reached down to pick up the brush that had fallen near her feet. It lay amongst the scattered articles that had fallen from her purse.
“Here, let me help you.” Embarrassed, he knelt to the ground and began collecting the oddest assortment of items: a fat wallet with receipts sticking out the sides, three tubes of lip gloss, a pink makeup bag, a collection of fancy bottles with French names printed on their shiny labels, more lip gloss, and a variety of feminine hygiene products. “What is all this stuff?”
She was busy cramming things back into the enormous bag but stopped to give him a skeptical look. “Really?”
“Well, I mean, I know what this stuff is.” He awkwardly handed her the items filling his hands. “But why do you have all this stuff in your purse?”
She blew her bangs out of her eyes. “It’s just stuff I need.”
He handed her a balled up pair of gym shorts and a hot pink sports bra. “What could you possibly need this for?”
“Those are my workout clothes.” She grabbed the garments from him and stuffed them in her purse. “In case I want to stop at the gym.”
“What gym? The only 24-hour fitness you’re going to find around here is chores on a farm. They go from sun-up to sun-down.” He watched in awe as she stuffed more things into the leather bag. He couldn’t believe how much she fit in there. It was like an endless cavern of space.
He heard her mumble something about one more thing she would have to get used to before she looked up at him and sighed. “I’m thinking about moving here. But this place is quite a change from where I’m from.”
“I can imagine.” More stuff had fallen onto the curb, and he collected another five tubes of lip gloss. Geez, how much lip care could one woman need? He caught himself glancing at her lips, wondering if they were soft as they looked.
About the Author:
Jennie Marts loves to make readers laugh as she weaves stories filled with love, friendship and intrigue. She writes for Entangled Publishing and is the Kindle Bestselling author of the Page Turners series, which includes the romantic comedies: Another Saturday Night & I Ain’t Got No Body, Easy Like Sunday Mourning, Just Another Maniac Monday and the two newest Between the Pages Novellas-A Cowboy for Christmas and A Halloween Hookup. Jennie is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two sons, and two dogs whose antics often find a way into her books. She is addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes or friends.
FIND THE AUTHOR HERE: @JennieMarts Facebook Website Good Reads Pinterest Linked In