The family scenes really were the highlight for me in this book. ~ Slick, Guilty Pleasures
Description:
Second chances are the sweetest—and the hottest.
It took a spectacularly embarrassing break-up to knock Steve Moonshine Coleman off his lazy butt. In the ten months since that night, he’s changed his ways, and now that Melody’s back in town, it’s time for this sweet-talking cowboy to convince her to get back in the saddle with him.
A return to her veterinary position in Rocky Mountain House was always in the cards for Melody Langley. Getting back together with Steve? Never part of the plan. He had lots of potential but zero ambition, and there’s no way she’ll accept anything less than a man who can keep up with her, in and out of bed.
But the new-and-improved cowboy is impossible to resist, so Melody issues a challenge. Three months to prove he’s reformed. Three months of Steve orchestrating one sexual indulgence after another—wicked distractions from the old boys’ club Melody faces at work and Steve’s growing responsibilities.
He’s got one shot to prove with more than words what’s in his heart and soul.
Warning: Fifty percent less angst, twice as much filthy-talking, dirty-daring cowboy. Get ready for a whole lot of make-your-knees-weak wooing from a man intent on proving he’s got what it takes, and the woman ready to push him way past his limits.
Review copy provided for an honest review
I’ve been a huge fan of the Six Pack Ranch/Coleman Family/Thompson & Son’s series by author Vivian Arend since its inception. I’ve always appreciated the complexity of the stories, the huge family ties, and of course the absolute sexiness that comes with her writing. While I enjoyed Rocky Mountain Romance, for me it didn’t have the same charm and I just didn’t feel that since of “rightness” with this couple. Despite that, spending time with a lot of the Coleman clan was a huge bonus in this book.
Steve Coleman, one of the Moonshine clan, and Melody Langley had a casual relationship that ended a little over a year prior to the beginning of this book and it ended in spectacular fashion when in the middle of a bar with all of Steve’s friends and a lot of his family present, Melody dumped a pitcher of beer on his head right before she left town for a year to add some extra studies to her veterinarian degree. The beer incident and the loss of Melody was an eye opener for Steve and he’s made changes in his life over the past year. Now that Melody is back and resuming her position at the vet clinic where she worked, Steve has plans to win her back and show her how he’s changed.
I’m usually a huge fan of rekindled romance but to be honest sometimes you have to wonder if maybe there was a reason it didn’t work in the first place. I really felt like Steve went over and beyond trying to convince Melody he had changed and was a better man and the thing is I truly believed Steve changed and why she may have set those changes in motion it became clear as the book went on that there were other reasons why he wanted to change. More than that though, he liked the changes he made and they way they made him feel. However I really, really felt like this relationship was one sided; that Steve put way more into it than Melody did. Yes, I get that Melody was back and her position at the Vet clinic took on a huge role shortly thereafter, but I just didn’t feel she put in half as much effort at Steve. While it was obvious they enjoyed their sexy times that “heat” between them than you normally feel with Ms. Arend’s characters just wasn’t present. Again this could be because they’d known each other and dated for two years so there was a familiarity already there that made them more comfortable than exciting.
There were obviously some points being made in this book about women being accepted into the ranching community as equals, organic farming and ranching, and new and improved ways of doing things; all of which are fine because our world is changing and sometimes those “good old boy” communities have a hard time with change but at times I felt like this weighed the book down. I do love the way Melody stood up for herself, did everything she could and more to prove herself and her abilities, and the way she refused to back down. I liked Melody’s character; I’m just not sure I liked her relationship with Steve.
What I have always loved about this series is the family aspect and we got to see many of the Coleman clan in this book which is always a highlight for me especially because Gabe had quite a few memorable moments. We checked in on many of the past couples and it is always wonderful to how they are progressing and how their family is changing. We also got a few hints as to what might be coming down the line in future books which has me intrigued. No doubt about it, the family scenes really were the highlight for me in this book.
As a lover of this series and this author’s work this is a review that was hard for me to write because for once I didn’t absolutely love this book. Personally, I hope we see more of Steve and Melody in a future book; I’d like to see Melody catering a little bit more to Steve rather than Steve doing all the work in their relationship. I enjoyed Rocky Mountain Romance and as always I’m looking forward to the next book in the Six Pack Ranch/Coleman/Thompson & Sons saga because I’m hooked and I will always want to know what happens next!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Slick