Rancher Destry Reeves is your typical country boy; he believes in hard work and the easy life. None of which he recognises in Amelia Highsmith.

When a chance encounter involving a cow, a truck and a dark Texan night puts the two on a collision course, it's not long before the fireworks begin and the simple life is turned upside down.

The last thing Amelia expects is for a brute of a cowboy to get in the way of her new life. She's left behind a world of high class dinners and city lights in an effort to escape a life she never wanted.

Amelia finds herself in a world so far removed from home that it becomes impossible to break free without finding herself first.

Drawn together by an inexplicable attraction, Destry and Amelia must decide if such an unlikely pairing can ever survive.

Amelia was living the picture perfect life from the outside, but turned out it really was not perfect at all. While trying to start a new life, one mishap found her in need of a savior. Enter Destry, the sexy, cowboy who is not a big fan of city girls...usually.

She might be sexy as all get up, but she was a city girl. It was written all over her. And city girls didn't dance with country boys. 

They look, they lust, they spark, and they deny. Destry is not as friendly as his brothers. He thinks she is a city princess and not cut out for ranching life. She is not sure about the cowboy who acts like a cretin. They weren't looking for anyone, but they found each other... even though their pasts made them gun shy. There was loads of sexual tension, denial and finally some pretty steamy scenes. But there was also drama, misunderstandings, pain, and problems. 

The guy was the epitome of hot and cold...he was giving me whiplash.

She was like an addiction I didn't need but I wanted all the same. 

Destry had many personalities that showed during the story. He started out pretty stand-offish and unattainable, but eventually his vulnerability and emotional side started to show.  And Amelia was strong and determined. She was done being someone's puppet and was determined to live her new life how she wanted to. They came from two different worlds. Together when they were good, they were good...but they had their issues to deal with and communication was not one of their strong points. 

There was a whole cast of charming characters (yes, more hot, loveable cowboys). I adored his brothers : the sweet, understanding Braxton and fun and flirty, Austin. Their stories were teased at and it is obvious there is more there lurking under the surface...especially with Braxton. Their sister Ellie-May was vivacious and feisty too. I enjoyed the camraderie, the teasing, and how they welcomed Amelia. 

This was a fast, sexy, sweet book that I devoured quickly. Who does not love hot cowboys and strong, sassy women? It was told in both points of view and I felt that we really needed that since they did not always communicate effectively. I needed to get into their heads, especially Destry's. Even though their troubled  back stories were brought in, the story itself could have used a maybe bit more depth. But the characters were likeable and their chemistry was hot. It was an enjoyable, easy flowing read. It had a surprisingly teasing epilogue  that  left me ready for more stories with the Braxton, Austin, and Ellie-May. 

Thanks to Lola Stark for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. 

After the perfect storm of unfortunate events, Amelia finds herself stranded in the middle of no where, with no cell phone, no shoes, a wrecked car, and a cow in the middle of the road. When the cow’s owner arrives and it becomes clear that the only help she can find that night is to return to his ranch, Amelia hesitantly climbs into his truck, beginning two weeks of living on the ranch while her car is repaired.

I liked Amelia. Unhappy living her life as her parents and fiancé dictate (and finding her fiancé in bed with her sister), she shows an independent nature that sticks with her throughout the story, regardless of what else is going on. Her personality goes beyond the spoiled, rich girl persona that she could have easily fallen into. 

Destry unfortunately fell into a stronger stereotype than I would have liked. Few of his actions surprised me throughout the book. He is a stubborn country-boy, weary of anything he deems too “city.” But he is devoted to his family and their land. 

The speed at which Destry and Amelia go from snapping at each other and claiming dislike, to going at each other took my by surprise. And that speed is something that appeared several times, leaving me shocked or feeling a bit of whiplash from the changes. When I consider that it took me less than 3 hours to read Destry, it shouldn’t surprise me that certain aspects of the story moved quickly, at times it felt overly fast, as if there was no transition between big moments.

There was a great family dynamic established early between Destry and his siblings. They are a single unit, living and working together. All three brothers are extremely protective of their youngest sibling and only sister, Ellie-May. And while the three brothers each have very different personalities, they are always around to help the others. Throughout the book, there are hints that things are going on in the others’ love lives but the focus remains completely on Destry and Amelia until the epilogue. 

This was a fun, fast read. There were no slow downs and loads of chemistry between the characters. Even though I had those moments of uncertainty about the pacing, I enjoyed every moment of the book. 

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Conflicted Love (Needle's Kiss #2)
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