Only in my world does the family screwup have a rap sheet and three Oscars. And only a screwup like me would be nuts enough to fall for a cop.
Not just any cop. Amy’s our police chief in this tiny town that doubles as my family’s social experiment and reality show. That’s some serious conflict of interest, so why can’t I stay away?
It shouldn’t matter, since Amy slams the cell door shut anytime we’re close. I’ve heard rumblings of a brother behind bars, so she hardly needs my baggage. Thing is, I’ve changed. Forget how my family hovers like I’m poised to flop face-first off the wagon. I’m doing great, and I plan to prove it to Amy.
But while my goofy jokes make her smile, I can’t convince her I’ve got more to offer than belly laughs and chemistry so hot it might be illegal. The harder I try to show I’m a new man, the surer I am Chief Lovelin locked up my heart and chucked the key.
Review:
So much fun!
I really enjoyed Cooper and Amy’s story. It was my first in the Juniper Ridge series, and though I’m still a it foggy on the specifics of what they’re all doing in Juniper Ridge (don’t worry, I fully intend to go back and read #1-3), it still worked just fine as a standalone. The emphasis was on Cooper and Amy’s relationship anyway (and apparently making sure poor Amy was embarassed over and over again in front of Coop’s family and her mentor? LOL), as it should be, and I didn’t need any series background for that.
The “confessionals” that started each chapter were a fun touch, and almost always had me LOLing–or at least giggling a little bit. There were quite a few snort-worthy moments here–Just for Show earns its rom-com title and then some–but the book really deals well with some more serious topics too. I loved that both Cooper and Amy were able to see the truth behind each other’s public personas, even before they actually were in a relationship together, and how they always (with the brief exception of the relationship black moment) had each other’s backs.
And don’t get me started on the cattle and kittens–OMG, they’re definitely the whipped cream and cherry on top of this hot fudge sundae of a book! So much stinkin’ cuteness, I can’t even 🙂
If you’ve loved the previous books in this series, run, do not walk to pick this one up! Newbies, you’ll love it to, but it’s perfectly OK if you want to grab all 4 and read them in order 😉
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.