All I wanted was a quiet summer on my family’s ranch in Idaho…I didn’t think that was too much to ask. With my fiancé in California, I was back home for three months to plan my wedding. I had colors to pick, cows to milk, and a wedding dress to squeeze into. Which was why I didn’t need anybody messing with me. Especially not the guy who had dedicated his whole life to making mine a joke. The guy who filled my high school locker with frogs and my hot car with cans of tuna. I mean…I always got him back. But not this summer. Things were different now. I was engaged. I had grown up. I would NOT fall victim to Cade’s pranks, teasing, or his manly charms. If only my dad hadn’t hired the moron to cowboy for him this summer. Now my childhood enemy is living on our ranch and seems to think we have a score to settle. And all bets are off.
My Thoughts
I randomly stumbled upon this author last December thanks to bookstagram, she had a Christmas novella releasing and I was devouring all the Christmas stories I could get my hands on so I immediately got it. It was a short little story but I absolutely loved every second and it ended up being one of my favorite reads for the season. So when I saw the chance to be on the ARC team for this book I jumped on it without even stopping to read the description! When I did finally look at what it was about I was slightly nervous because I’ve discovered that I’m very picky about my enemies to more stories, especially the ones that involve pranks. Thankfully any worry was for naught and I absolutely loved this story! The pranks were the perfect lighthearted kind that had me laughing out loud. And the characters animosity towards each other was entertaining and not based in any major drama so that kept it fun. I was also a little hesitant about the fact that the heroine was engaged to someone else at the start, because that can be tricky to handle, but the author did it exceptionally well! There was banter and fun but no lines were crossed while she was still in the other relationship, which I really appreciated.
Cade was absolutely fantastic! The way he pranked, teased, and flirted with Kelsey was hilarious, but he also knew when to draw a line and he could be exceptionally caring when he wanted to be. I also really loved that he called Kelsey, Red, I am a total sucker for a good nickname so this was definitely a point in his favor!
Kelsey was a bit of an enigma, which could be blamed on the fact that she had a foot in two worlds and was trying to discover who she was and where she belonged. At times I wanted to make her realize the truth faster but she had to make the journey herself and even if her choices frustrated me at times I could understand what drove her to make them. She gave as good as she got with the pranks and by participating she got to loosen up and settle in to the person she was becoming/finding again.
Cade and Kelsey’s relationship was so fun from start to finish and it played out with just the right timing. And even though they weren’t together to later in the book and they didn’t cross any lines beforehand you could definitely see the groundwork being laid that allowed it to grow quickly when given the chance!
So yeah, I may have like this book just a lot! Can’t wait to see what else this author has in store for us and I know I’ll be reading whatever it is!
Cindy Steel was raised on a dairy farm in Idaho. She grew up singing country songs at the top of her lungs and learning to solve all of life’s problems while milking cows and driving tractors—rewriting happy endings every time. She married a cute Idaho boy and is the proud mother of two wild and sweet twin boys. Which means she is also now a collector of bugs, sticks, rocks, and slobbery kisses. She loves making breakfast, baking, photography, reading a good book, and staying up way past her bedtime to craft stories that will hopefully make you smile.
Follow her for updates and new release information at www.cindysteel.com and at Instagram: @authorcindysteel
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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