Reviews: Leather and Lace: Jessie Evans
Leather and Lace (Lonesome Point, Texas #1)
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Wild girl, Mia Sherman, has a secret—she isn’t as fearless as she pretends. Descended from Lonesome Point, Texas’s founding family, Mia grew up hearing tales of an old Irish curse that had followed the Shermans to America. At age twenty-four, Mia is still terrified of the stories, because they aren’t stories. They are a warning about what will happen if Mia allows love and romance into her life. The curse struck Mia’s grandmother and her great-great-whatever grandmother, and Mia knows she could be next. The first-born daughter of every generation is cursed to lose her husband on her wedding night, which is one of the many reasons Mia has sworn off relationships.
Until the fateful day Sawyer Kane rides his Harley into her life …
Rancher turned restoration expert, Sawyer Kane, can’t believe his luck when the feisty owner of the lingerie shop next to his hotel turns out to be the curator of his latest project, a ghost town he’s been sent to restore. He’s looking forward to long, hot days talking history, and hotter nights with Mia, but the redhead with the killer smile seems determined to keep him at a friendly distance. But when a dangerous man from Mia’s past arrives in town, Sawyer finds himself drawn into her inner circle, and into the legend of Lonesome Point itself.
Can true love conquer all, even a centuries-old curse? Mia and Sawyer may be the first to find out.
Sawyer Kane is in Lonesome Point for a restoration bid for their ghost town project. He meets local Mia Sherman in an unconventional way and then can't get her out of his head. But she claims she wants nothing to do with him (or any man really). However, she is attracted to the sexy stranger who rides a motorcycle and wears a stetson well. But there is a little matter of a family curse that seems to affect first daughters of her family. And she has survived a bad relationship that has left her guarded, unstrusting, and fearful of intimacy. So she has no plans on having a relationship, getting married, or subjecting any man to the curse.
Sawyer is big, burly, hot and sweet. He is one of those guys you love from the minute he is introduced and know he is just the perfect book boyfriend. He has a good sense of humor, is charismatic, attentive, and protective. He has been in a bad relationship that left him with a need to keep his guard up. And his past was painful and left emotional scars. But he knows what he wants when he sees it and is not afraid to go after it no matter how challenging.
Mia is tough, sassy, funny, but also terrified due to her past and worried about the possibility of a future. She has walls up for self protection and to protect those she cares about. She has damage from her past with her ex that also makes her afraid to open up and be vulnerable.
I loved them together. They had witty banter, fun rapport, and good chemistry. And the more time they spend around each other, the more they realize that just having fun and not getting serious is not going to be easy. They are both falling harder than they should.
But there is also mystery and danger lurking under the surface, and past issues clawing at their happiness. And there is still that little matter of the family curse. All of which provide challenges and threaten to ruin everything.
This was a fast-paced, fun, sweet, humorous read with a side of mystery of suspense. I liked the characters and small town setting of Lonesome Point with the nearby ghost town. It added depth and interesting twists to the story. It was told in both Mia and Sawyer's points of view giving us knowledge of their fears, insecurities, and feelings. The side characters of her crazy family especially her outspoken Grandma and her friend Tulsi, Bubba, and Ugly Ross added even more support and comic relief. I am looking forward to more with these characters. There are at least three more books planned in the series. Next up is her friend, Bubba in Saddles and Sin. We saw a little tease of his story in this book.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
A Harley-riding cowboy, a lingerie shop owner, a ghost town, and a family curse combine to tell an engaging story that captured my interest quickly and completely.
Mia Sherman owns a lingerie shop in the town she grew up in. Lonesome Point has been her family’s home since it was a brand new settlement. As the town grew, so did her family’s ties to the area. Her namesake built the town’s first saloon and hotel, and was pivotal in the growth of the early town. She also did this as a widow, widowed on her wedding night. This unfortunate event became a family curse when Mia’s grandmother experienced duplicate misfortune of having her husband pass away on their wedding night.
Sawyer Kane is in Lonesome Point to restore the ghost town buildings that have fallen into disrepair from years of disuse. When he meets Mia, he is immediately intrigued, and then surprised when he finds she is his point of contact for the restoration.
Seperately, both Mia and Sawyer are dealing with ghosts from their pasts. Mia is so afraid of the curse that she is terrified to find any serious relationship. Both have previous relationships that have left their scars, some more visible than others.
Together, I loved Mia and Sawyer. From the instant they run in to each other for the first time, there is instant chemistry and attraction. As they get to know each other, they realize there is more than surface attraction simmering between them. I loved that even though parts of their relationship were whirlwind, there wasn’t a forced rush to move the relationship along. Things moved at a pace that felt fast but natural.
I was surprised by a slight paranormal aspect to the story. Beyond the setting being tied to a ghost town, I hadn’t anticipated anyone actually experiencing anything paranormal. And while it was not a driving part of the plot, it was just enough to raise goosebumps at a couple points.
This book was a great piece of easy entertainment. It wasn’t overly heavy (though there were some tense moments), and the characters had some lessons to learn along the way. I enjoyed getting a glimpse of some of Mia’s friends and the other townspeople, and am excited to learn more about the town and it’s residents in upcoming books, beginning with Saddles and Sin in September.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Lonesome Point, Texas series. Hot Texas days, hotter Texas nights:
Book 2: Saddles and Sin
Expected : Sep 16, 2014
Expected : Sep 16, 2014
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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessie Evans, gave up a career as an international woman of mystery to write the sexy, contemporary Southern romances she loves to read.
She's married to the man of her dreams, and together they're raising a few adorable, mischievous children in a cottage in the jungle. She grew up in rural Arkansas, spending summers running wild, being chewed by chiggers, and now appreciates her home in a chigger-free part of the world even more.
When she's not writing, Jessie enjoys playing her dulcimer (badly), sewing the worlds ugliest quilts to give to her friends, going for bike rides with her house full of boys, and drifting in and out on the waves, feeling thankful for sun, surf, and lovely people to share them with.
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