Lovin' los libros

 

 

“I’m backwoods, baby. The sooner you figure that out, the better off we both will be.”

 

I've been meaning to read this one for quite some time now. Everyone was just raving about a guy named Cole Pritchett and I had no idea why! The above quote sums Cole up perfectly. Not once did he ever make himself out to be anyone other than who he really was at heart. Meeting a girl like Whitney Vandaveer was never in the cards for a good ol' boy like him. Whitney is the complete opposite of Cole in so many ways. Where he's rugged and a bit rough around the edges, she's polished and refined. Having lived with her lawyer father and step-mother, Whitney is used to her father making decisions for her and doing what he thought would be best. It isn't until she finds her boyfriend cheating on her that she decides something needs to change.

 

Whitney may be a bit uptight to start, but I loved seeing her grow a backbone throughout the novel. She really becomes her own person and says the hell with what everyone else wants- it's her life and she's going to take control of it! Cole definitely has a lot to do with this change in Whitney. She likes who she is with him and doesn't feel that constant pressure to be perfect. He likes her the way she is, even though it definitely took a bit for him to let her in. He blows her off and gives her the cold shoulder to start, but Whitney doesn't let that deter her. She doesn't really know anyone but her mom and her sister now that she's finally come back to her hometown and neither does Cole, being the newcomer. She suggests the two become friends, but it's clear they are entirely too attracted to one another to do so.

 

Whit and Cole have such incredible passion together. Their physical relationship is explosive and hot and Lee has written some very sexy, steamy scenes for them. They do let their jealousy get the best of them at times though. Whitney has only had one boyfriend prior to Cole, so it's natural she would be on high alert, especially after he treated her the way he did. Once Cole and Whitney start dating, Cole really struggles with not being good enough for her and he lets that plague his thoughts more often than he should. He knows the summer is coming to an end and he doesn't know where his and Whitney's relationship will go. Both of them are falling hard for one another, but with all the obstacles between them (new opportunities, college, etc.) will their relationship survive or will it crumble because things aren't simple like they were before?

 

I really liked Mallory, Whitney's sister. She is laid back and easygoing, not taking crap from anyone. She lives life to the fullest and is all about having fun and taking things a day at a time. She's one tough girl and doesn't wear her emotions on her sleeve. I'm really excited that Lee is continuing the series with her story! Mallory finds out some pretty life-altering news in this book that will play a big part in her upcoming book.

 

My only hang up with this book was that it felt a bit long for me. I was still engaged, but I did think there were some scenes that weren't necessary to move the plot along. I love Lee's easygoing, fun writing style. She does a great job with her character development and I love the relationships between her characters. Whit, Cole, Mal, Zeke, and Leanne are all really enjoyable characters so it was easy to fall into their world and want them to find happiness.