We’re celebrating the release of Crazy for the Competition by Cindi Madsen!
Title: Crazy for the Competition
Author: Cindi Madsen
Age: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Entangled
Blurb:
The road to trouble is paved with sweet temptation…
Always the rebel in her ultra-conservative family, Quinn Sakata dreams of quitting her dad’s real-estate business and restoring the old Mountain Ridge Bed and Breakfast in her hometown of Hope Springs. Except that Quinn’s not the only person bidding on it. Worse still, her competitor is her high school crush, Heath Brantley, who is all kinds of ripped, tattooed hotness…
So much for her “nice, conservative boys” rule.
Heath has his own reasons for bidding on Mountain Ridge, and he won’t give in without a fight – even to the red-lipped hottie with a sailor’s mouth. But when their rivalry shifts into an unexpected zing of chemistry, Heath realizes he’s in deep trouble. Because it’s inevitable that emotions will get involved, and he needs to keep his eyes on the prize before they both get hurt.
Review:
Such a sweet romance!
Quinn and Heath were both great characters–and both have such good reasons for why they need to be the one to win the competition for the property. I really liked that they didn’t let their competition get nasty; even though going that route can be humorous at times, it wouldn’t have been right for this story. They made their competition a perfectly fair one, with neither of them trying to undercut the other one in order to win.
I also actually loved that there was zero sex here–absolutely nada. It was important to Quinn that she wait for marriage, and she stuck to it from page one to the last. So refreshing! You know that there have to be people out there in real life doing the same thing, but it’s such a rarity in mainstream romance. The chemistry is there, and they’re both definitely feeling sexual tension, but Quinn resists and Heath respects her wishes. The fact that Heath was so cool with it even though it obviously wasn’t easy for him made him an even better hero than he already was.
So did the fact that he actually took the time to learn about Quinn’s culture, both by asking her and by doing research on his own. (And he uses some secretly-gained knowledge for an awesome purpose in the epilogue…but I am absolutely not going to give away what it is. You’ll just have to read it yourself!)
Though Sadie and Royce from book one ( Second Chance Ranch) play a role, you don’t have to have read their story to enjoy this one; it’s fine as a standalone. So if you’re looking for a sweet romance with a secondary theme of making a place for yourself beyond the one your family wants/society expects you to have, definitely give this one a read.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
And don’t forget about book one in the series, which I reviewed here…
Title: Second Chance Ranch
Author: Cindi Madsen
Age: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Entangled
Blurb:
Sometimes love is right where you left it.
Sadie Hart has a plan: return to her small town of Hope Springs so she can regain her confidence—and bank account—before giving one more shot to her country music dream. The dream that means more to her than anything. The dream she chose over her high school sweetheart, the brooding and sinfully handsome Royce Dixon.
Royce has moved on from his memories of the beautiful Sadie. Now he’s focused solely on running Second Chance Ranch, where he rehabilitates troubled teens through ranch work. But when he needs a new employee and Sadie’s the only one to volunteer, he has no choice but to offer his old flame a job.
Whether riding a horse with the wind in her hair or mucking out the stalls, Sadie can still get Royce’s heart beating like no one else. But Nashville is her dream, and Royce can’t settle for second best.
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About the Author:
Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the YA author of DEMONS OF THE SUN & ALL THE BROKEN PIECES, and the adult author of FALLING FOR HER FIANCE, ACT LIKE YOU LOVE ME and CINDERELLA SCREWED ME OVER.
