Genres: Contemporary Romance, Clean Romance, Sweet Romance, Romantic Comedy, Inspirational Romance Blurb: When a family of former pro football players buy a small Texas town, they didn't intend to start a war with its residents ... or to fall in love. Ever since his career-ending injury, Pat has bounced from job to job, idea to idea, short-lived relationship to short-lived relationship. But when his father purchases the town of Sheet Cake, Pat suddenly sees his life with clear purpose: get his brothers on board with his dad's wild idea and win back the one woman who got away. Lindy was supposed to be traveling the world, not stuck in a small town, caring for her niece. But she would do anything to keep custody of Jo--even if that looks like a marriage of convenience with the man who already broke her heart once. Now if she can only keep herself from falling back in love with her husband... “I’m sorry,” Pat says. “I know I said it, but I can keep saying it until you believe it—I’m so sorry I hurt you.” And another quote because I just COULD NOT choose... “I don’t need a grand gesture,” he repeats, shaking his head for emphasis. “I just need you.” I need to start this review by saying that I am THRILLED about Emma (Kirsten) deciding to write a series for Harper's brothers! All of our begging and demanding worked lol!! And just so you know, the book was MORE than worth the wait. Seriously. I loved it so much...I don’t think I can describe how much I loved it!! 😭😍 it really WAS beautiful The story was filled with a whirlwind of emotions and I really enjoyed the balance of both humor AND heart. Pat was crazy in the best way lol, always ready to help someone or make them laugh. And even though Lindy was tough/closed-off at times, it was obvious that she had so much love to give...even after being hurt. The strong family themes were amazing and it was great to read about so many familiar side characters, as well as all the new ones!! H I G H L I G H T SStep one: Get my hot bod back. Step two: Show off aforementioned hot bod by strategic losing of shirt. Repeat as necessary. Step three: Show her I’ve changed. Step four: Do whatever it takes to restore the sparkle in her eyes. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 “I don’t even know if he's there,” I tell them. “He’s always there,” Jo says, and she’s right. Pat is ALWAYS THERE. He’s unavoidable. Most days, he feels inevitable. And dang it if I don’t feel the slightest hop and skip in my heart thinking about going home right now to see him. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 This is not the time to count Pat’s abs. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 Winnie sets down her fork and leans across the table with a piercing look in her eyes. “I’m only going to say this once. Probably. You are allowed to enjoy this, you know. You are allowed to have happiness. To want things. To have things you want.” 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 As Val and Winnie park behind me, Pat picks Jo up, swinging her around until she squeals with delight. I hope he shakes the milkshake loose and she pukes all over him. Note: I actually laughed out loud at this part lol 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 “Ooh! I want to know what stupid thing you think he’s going to do,” Thayden says. “As his lawyer, it’s better I know up front.” 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 When Pat grabs my hand, I’m not quick enough to move away. Or maybe I don’t want to. His hand, warm and strong and instantly reminding me of a thousand and one good memories, envelops mine. He links our fingers, and I can’t help the sigh that escapes me. We are holding hands. We. Are. Holding. Hands. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 “You can’t keep showing up here, interrupting my life, buying my town, making trouble.” “Trouble? Me?” He puts a hand to his chest, mocking offense. “Yes. You—the one in the cell. I’d call this trouble.” Pat grabs the bars in his strong hands. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 “James?” Harper calls again. He grunts a response, which translates to, Caveman mad at family. Me go brood in cave. Maybe forgive later. Then, he’s gone. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 I can feel Pat’s gaze searing into me. The heat of it is like the blast of hot air that hits you when you leave an air-conditioned building in summer. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 “Do animals have souls?” One second, I’m asleep. The next, a voice is right in my ear, and I’m screaming and rolling out of bed. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 My gaze lands immediately on Pat. Are there even other guys in there with him? As far as I’m concerned, it’s always only Pat. Regrettably so. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 When I imagined my wedding day—and yes, despite what people might think, some guys picture their wedding day—I wasn’t wearing an ankle monitor under my suit. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 For now, I’m going to skip right over what Ashlee said about reunification. I cannot imagine a world in which my sister, who abandoned her month-old daughter and did not so much as call once in five years, would get to be reunified with Jo. Over my dead body. I may not be her biological mother, but I am all mama bear when it comes to Jo. Note: AGREED! 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 More wild boars, please! Or a traffic cycle that’s too short—that one caused a thirty-minute debate at our last meeting. I’m even happy to talk about whether or not the Daylight Donuts Shop is slowly poisoning the town. Eula Martin swears up and down they’ve been using cleaning spray on the inside of the glass case while the donuts are still inside. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 “I don’t want to be your napkin buddy. I’ve got enough of those already.” Pat just stares, blinking in confusion, because what even is a napkin buddy? And what does it mean if I have a lot of them? Fantastic. Now I’m the napkin hussy of Sheet Cake. I just loved this part too much... 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 If I ran a school, everyone would wear pajamas all the time. Pajamas would be the required uniform. Pajama school: where everyone is comfortable learning. Great tagline, right? 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 My heart constricts again as I scan the row. They’re all here, even the grumpy James, who’s standing next to an equally grumpy-looking Winnie. Dale was supposed to come and cancelled due to a last-minute accounting emergency. From the looks of it, Winnie is taking out her disappointment out on James. Note: I ship ittttt 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 If this guy messes up my boots, this will go a whole lot less peacefully. Harper and the guys always give me a hard time about it, but I am a man who likes my clothes and shoes. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 “What can I do? I need specifics. What do they look for?” This is how I operate. Give me a task, and I’ll get it done. Note: Oof, I relate to that so much 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 “Actually, now that you mention it … how about a kiss for luck?” Pat taps his cheek, clean-shaven for the game. It’s a good look on him, and I can’t help but wonder how his skin would feel under my fingertips. Or my lips. As far as content goes: There was no on-page sex, but it was talked about (especially since the main characters dated in the past and share a marriage of convenience), and there were some suggestive material/innuendos (nothing too crazy). Characters did drink. Pat's mother died when he was young. Lindy's father left when she was also young and her mother struggled with dementia. Lindy was raising her niece (Jo) because her sister (Rachel) dealt with a drinking/drug addiction, and she left Jo behind. However, Rachel wanted Jo back...which resulted in custody issues. None of this was triggering for me, but could possibly be for other readers. I would describe the book as a "PG-13 romance movie." And now, I'm going to let my list of IMPORTANT points do most of talking... 1: I’ve barely started this book and I’m already so invested lol 2: I’ve missed Tank and the boys 3: I love how close their family is, seriously 4: Pat is so intense! 5: “No way is a town named after a cake” 6: I haven’t seen her and Jo actually interact yet, but I know that their relationship needs to be COMPLETELY protected 7: PTO Mafia 8: Oh snapppp, he went looking for her! 9: His crush on her is adorable lol 10: He WHAT?! 11: Jo has a super cute sense of humor, oh my gosh 12: She’s hereeeeeee!! 13: The tension is already tooooo much 14: I love Mari 15: The Neighborly app is GOLD 16: Jo and Lindy have my heart 17: Oh my gosh, Jo is just precious all the way around 18: I ship Lindy and Pat so freaking much 19: I’m glad the truth came out sooner than later tbh 20: YOU BOTH ARE SINGLE AS HECKKKKK 21: “I wanted it to be you.” 22: James always manages to snag my attention... 23: Small. Town. Drama. 24: THAYDENNNNNN 25: People can judge Pat all they want, but I’m here for the fajita proposal 26: Wowww, Bessie 27: It’s so intense how much Lindy wants him even know she feels like she shouldn’t 28: I can’t wait to read Winnie and Val’s books 29: He’s got ideasssss 30: I love “darlin’” gahhhh it’s so swoony lol 31: YESSSSS, Judge Judie!! 32: THE FIRST BUT NOT FIRST KISS HAS HAPPENED 33: Winnie and James 34: Their “slow dance” 35: The rules, take two 36: I’m more than okay with the rule-bending 37: THANK GOD HE TRIED TO FIX THAT TOLIET 38: I was wondering how flaming squirrels were going to happen lol 39: Jo is too much lol. MATING RITUAL?! 40: The swing 41: I love how sensitive he is 42: I just want to keep reading lollll 43: That football game though... 44: HA! He showed up anyway and we love him for it 45: Glitter. ALL THE GLITTER. 46: Oof that rainstorm 47: I know the book isn’t over yet but I’m so happy right now lol. 48: Exposed brick wall 49: Okay, James was raining on my parade (I still love him) but now everything is feeling cozy and happy again... 50: Oh nooooo. WHAT IS HAPPENING? THIS IS SUPPOSED BE A GOOD THING! 51: Okay, but I wasn’t actually expecting him to show up like that lol 52: “I don’t need a grand gesture.” 53: Gahhhhh, I had a feeling Pat was the one along (IYKYK) 54: “The talk” 55: That ending 56: The epilogue is starting out EXACTLY how I wanted 57: Grand gesturessss 58: Yeah, I definitely need James and Winnie’s book Phew. What a mouthful! (Have I convinced you yet?? 😏) READ THIS BOOK! That way we both can wait impatiently for the rest of the series because we fell in love with the wonderful shenanigans of Sheet Cake, Texas. 😍💗 ~I received an e-copy of this story from the author, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.~ About the Author:
Emma St. Clair is a USA Today Bestselling Author who loves sassy heroines, witty banter, and love stories with heart and humor. She lives in Katy, Texas with her hubby, five children, and Great Dane. Her favorite place to write is tapping on her phone while on the elliptical machine. No Emmas have been hurt in the writing of these novels. (Yet.) Follow me on insta: https://instagram.com/kikimojo Join the Facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/emmastclair/
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |