Wake up and feel the wood! In the first of a series of irresistible standalone romances from New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett, a city girl rediscovers love and lust in the Alaskan wilderness.

Valentine French may be the sassiest dating columnist in New York City, but the abundance of metrosexuals in her adopted metropolis is seriously cramping her style. Where are the beefy all-American boys? Hoping to find some inspiration, Val heads to Alaska, where the men outnumber the women fifteen to one and wrestle grizzly bears for sport. Or so she can only imagine. Suddenly the most eligible bachelorette in a town full of horny lumberjacks, Val is writing her best columns ever. But if she doesn’t get her nose out of her laptop, she just might miss out on Mr. Right.

Logan Burke is the sheriff of the little podunk town that Val finds so charmingly backward. He’s not that different from the guys she’s using for her little experiment; it’s just that one date would never be enough for Logan. As he listens to Val complain about love over beers in the local tavern, he realizes that she can’t see the forest for the trees. Because if she would ever give up her Prada bags and fourteen-dollar martinis, Logan would give her the only luxury that matters: his heart.

Dating and sex advice columnist, Valentine French is in need of some good men and inspiration for her blog articles. She is tired of the same wealthy, self centered, society types she dates in her social circle in New York. So when her cousin suggests she go somewhere different--like Alaska--to sample the burly, working men there, she takes off on her adventure. She thinks she will complete a great social experiment, but had no idea what she was really going to find. 

Logan Burke is the East Merritt Chief of Police and Mayor in their small Alaska town. He knows everyone and is the guy people depend on. But he is also handsome, sweet, helpful, and seems to develop a habit of rescuing her. But he also has an alpha edge and dirty mouth.

Her misadventures become the talk of the town. And Logan watches her try to navigate her new surroundings as the new eligible woman in a town full of randy men. But he always ends up being her savior. Val and Logan find an attraction and interest, but don't always agree on how she should do things. When they get together, it's good--very good--but due to their differences it is also easy to have misunderstandings, disappointment, and jealousy. 

Is it just a social experiment, hot sex in the sticks, or real romance?  They seem to be building trust, but are both in unchartered waters. There is an expiration date looming. And Logan does not know all of Val's secrets that could ruin the trust and bond that they have formed.

Can a city girl fall for small town charm and the man who is different than any other she has ever known? And can a strong, rugged, alpha male take on a rich, city girl and make her happy?

This one thrives on a little lust, love, laughs, and maybe some fate. This is told in dual points of view. It is light, fun, sexy, and sweet without a lot of angst or drama. Logan and Val had great chemistry and banter.  Val especially grew on me more and more as the book went on as she became more brave, tenacious, and adventurous. Logan was charming and swoony, but he did have his moments of being judgmental, impulsive, and a moody. But overall, I really liked them together and how they balanced each other out. The small town Alaska setting and the quirky inhabitants added more entertainment and a bit of drama. This is the first in the Love Hurts series of stand-alones set in small towns, and the second one will be title Jilted.

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

Valentine French is well versed in the New York dating scene, after all, she is a well known blogger with her dating exploits as the center of attention. But she is finding the cookie cutter New York man is no longer exciting, nor is she finding anything other than the typical meterosexual male in her dating pool. A farfetched suggestion to change her location finds her navigating Alaska without a clue.

Logan Burke moved to Alaska to get away from the crowds of the city. Once a Seattle police officer, he finds the pace of life as a community sheriff much more to his liking. His world shifts when Valentine arrives in a town with far more men than eligible women and he finds himself in the right place at the right time several times to assist the new tourist as she gets to know his little town.

Valentine doesn’t have the smoothest arrival and transition to town, and quickly finds herself the topic of town gossip. Even in a town with so few women, the gossip spreads like wildfire, and what few women there are aren’t happy to have new competition. I found Valentine to be frustrating upon her arrival to East Merritt. She was completely unprepared for the remoteness of her destination, despite her cousin’s warning that it wasn’t like her usual destination. But as she settled into a more casual pace, I enjoyed her antics more.

Logan is the perfect hero. He seems to always be around when Valentine needs help the most and always has a solution to her problems. Even when she makes bonehead, rookie mistakes in the wilderness, he treats her with care and concern. He is protective of her and his town, and has his roots firmly planted in Alaska.

Ultimately she is there to continue her blogging and immediately sets up a string of dates. I enjoyed the pacing of the story, with blog posts interspersed among the chapters to give readers an idea of Valentine’s writing voice, which remains the same even as her goals for the trip begin to change.

It was pretty clear where Valetine’s biggest sources of conflict would stem from, and it was only a matter of watching for her downfalls. But I enjoyed what happened after her secrets are revealed, and to me those things say the most about all the characters involved.

I would love to see a return to this small Alaskan community, especially as some of the townspeople drew my interest from Logan’s accounts of their histories. In a town made up of predominantly working men, there are bound to be some tough competitions when women are involved. I loved watching the bits of April and Jorgen that Valentine and Logan witnessed and would love to see more from the local woman and the shy fisherman.

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

SAWYER BENNETT

Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions. A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone. Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two.

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