From the New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men books comes the next installment in the Saints of Denver series.

Everyone else in Dixie Carmichael's life has made falling in love look easy, and now she is ready for her own chance at some of that happily ever after. Which means she’s done pining for the moody, silent former soldier who works with her at the bar that's become her home away from home. Nope. No more chasing the hot as heck thundercloud of a man and no more waiting for Mr. Right to find her; she's going hunting for him...even if she knows her heart is stuck on its stupid infatuation with Dash Churchill.

Denver has always been just a pit stop for Church on his way back to rural Mississippi. It was supposed to be simple, uneventful, but nothing could have prepared him for the bubbly, bouncy redhead with doe eyes and endless curves. Now he knows it's time to get out of Denver, fast. For a man used to living in the shadows, the idea of spending his days in the sun is nothing short of terrifying.

When Dixie and Church find themselves caught up in a homecoming overshadowed with lies and danger, Dixie realizes that while falling in love is easy, loving takes a whole lot more work…especially when Mr. Right thinks he's all wrong for you.

Dixie and Church...they've had that smoldering chemistry for awhile. Church always managed to keep her at arm's length, while she nursed her crush that she assumed was unrequited. This is their story.

Dashel Churchill is the stoic, broody, distant, uncommunicative, and pessimistic bouncer at the bar where Dixie waitresses. His past made him feel loss, guilt, and pain, and his coping mechanisms had him shutting people out and walling up his heart. He ran to the Army as his escape and has avoided going home for ten years, but now he cannot ignore the call to go back.

Dixie Carmichael is sweet, sassy, and sunny. She always sees the good in people and situations. She is always willing to help others and often sacrifices her own needs to do so. She is independent, does not like asking for help, and does not often put herself first. She's been waiting for her Mr. Right to give her the fairy tale she has dreamed of. But unfortunately the man she wants doesn't seem to feel the same, and all the other men seem to pale in comparison.

But when Church asks for Dixie's help, she can't deny him. And that begins an adventure for these two and puts them in such close proximity that denial is getting harder and harder.

Church might seem tough and unemotional, but he's hides quite a bit under the surface. He's got fences to mend at home and his own wounds that need to heal. He's afraid of love, letting someone in, and possible loss. He's lived a dark and void life for years, but Dixie's light just keeps illuminating his shadows. He doesn't believe he deserves good and that is why it is usually taken away from him. And he seems to believe that he could hurt her or somehow she could get hurt because of him. He had his protective heart in the right place, but he could be so stubborn.

But when things become more complicated and hurt feelings are not the only things at stake, will Church find a way to overcome his fear and take a risk? Is love stronger than fear?

I loved Dixie and Church. They seemed like such opposites, but really could be good together. She was just so sweet and so positive that Church did not have a chance to keep up his Mr. Broody persona. But even she could not see just how much she was getting under his skin. I loved seeing more and more of Church being revealed as she kept shining her light on him.

This story takes us out of Denver, but still feels like a Saints book. There was some more exploration into the side characters of Poppy (Salem's sister/Dixie's neighbor), Wheeler, and Kallie (Dixie's sister/Wheeler's ex). I am looking forward to more with them in Salvaged. And there were some other fun cameos from Denver friends. I also liked Church's family Jules, Dalen, and the feisty Elma Mae.

This was funny, sweet, steamy, emotional, and also had a suspense and danger component. There is a lot of soul searching and emotional turmoil, and some precarious situations. It was about home and family...about running to something versus away from it...about not wasting time with those you care about...and that sometimes the reward is worth taking a risk. It was truly Church's path towards hope, healing, and redemption. And Dixie's road to  reaching out for that love she craved no matter how unlikely it seemed that she would get it.

I was gifted a copy in exchange of an honest review. 

Dixie is a bright ray of sunshine in the bar. She has been there longer than even Rome, and knows the people inside and out. She’s a sweetheart and brightens everyone’s day, a caretaker and a fixer. She has watched everyone in her family fall in love easy, and fall fast. All she wants is to find love with the right person, and she thinks she has found him, if she can only convince him.

Church is taciturn, taking quiet to the extreme. He doesn’t talk about his past, and even Rome only knows pieces of what Church is avoiding by remaining in Denver rather than returning home, wherever home may be. Acting as a bouncer at the bar keeps him occupied, helping his friend, but it also gives him the chance to remain close to Dixie without having her, something he won’t permit himself to want.

An emergency sends Church back to Mississippi to take care of business, but he can’t show his face back home without the reason he gave his family to explain his absence: a girl. He knows Dixie is interested in him, but his past says he can’t keep things that are good. He doesn’t want to need her, doesn’t want to encourage her feelings, but he needs her help.

I love Dixie’s light and outlook on life. Her quirks are cute and endearing. As a match for Church she may be his polar opposite, but she is also the best thing for him. She makes it very hard for him to deny himself all the good he has kept from his life for so long, and she also doesn’t accept that he doesn’t deserve good things.

Watching their story play out outside of Denver was an unexpected twist, but I loved the things Church had to face as a result of losing the anonymity of his past. Even as they traveled outside of Denver, the side characters continued their own stories in Colorado, and readers learn more about Wheeler, Poppy, and Kallie. The new setting also introduces a whole new set of characters and stories that are fresh and new to the series. 

This is a story of home and forgiveness, of moving on and letting go. There was also a bit of unexpected danger that followed them through their journey. While it is mostly focused on Church’s journey home, there is a good deal of learning Dixie must do in order to find the love she has been searching for her whole life.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

LEVELED (Saints of Denver #0.5)
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