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changenotcoins 's review for:
OMG that cover?! STUNNING. It’s what originally pulled me in and made me dive headfirst into this book completely blind. And let me tell you, opening with drunk vehicular manslaughter? I was shook. 😳 Definitely not what I was expecting from a small town western romance, but I was intrigued enough to stick with it.
One of the biggest highlights for me? The MMC is the virgin, and not the FMC for once 🙌. That twist on the trope felt fresh and honestly made Jack super compelling at the beginning. His shy, awkward, cinnamon roll energy had me rooting for him… at least initially. As the story went on, he kind of lost that spark. His personality shifted into this cocky, overconfident vibe that didn’t feel true to how he was introduced. He went from “quiet and unsure” to “mysterious macho man” in like… 0.2 seconds. Confusing, and I just wanted more depth to him, especially after everything he had been through his life.
Katarina, our FMC, was fine but pretty forgettable. 🤷🏼♀️ She’s your typical strong ranch girl carrying the world on her shoulders, which I usually love, but nothing about her really stood out to me here.
The romance had potential, but I feel like it left a lot to be desired. A lot of emotional baggage, a lot of space for healing and growth. But unfortunately, that depth was never really explored. Instead, we jumped straight into the lust and the spicy scenes, which got repetitive fast. I wanted more vulnerability, more hard conversations, more groveling, especially because of their circumstances and the obstacles. Instead, I got “ripe and ready” and… yeah, I cringed. 😬
Also, why was “the breath I didn’t realize I was holding” used SO MANY TIMES?! Once is too many, but that many? Girl, no. 😩
Despite all of this, I did enjoy being in this world. The writing wasn’t super polished, but it was easy to read and fast paced. I liked the family ranch setting, and even though the plot was kind of meh, I found myself entertained enough to finish it.
✨ Trope-y breakdown:
Enemies to lovers
Ranch owner FMC
Ex convict MMC
Western romance
Forbidden
Virgin MMC (!!!)
She watches him 👀
Found family
Overall, I wanted to love this one, but it just didn’t click for me. Three stars for a hot cowboy, a gorgeous cover, and a few fun moments, but the execution wasn’t there. Hoping the next in the series gives me more of what I was looking for!
One of the biggest highlights for me? The MMC is the virgin, and not the FMC for once 🙌. That twist on the trope felt fresh and honestly made Jack super compelling at the beginning. His shy, awkward, cinnamon roll energy had me rooting for him… at least initially. As the story went on, he kind of lost that spark. His personality shifted into this cocky, overconfident vibe that didn’t feel true to how he was introduced. He went from “quiet and unsure” to “mysterious macho man” in like… 0.2 seconds. Confusing, and I just wanted more depth to him, especially after everything he had been through his life.
Katarina, our FMC, was fine but pretty forgettable. 🤷🏼♀️ She’s your typical strong ranch girl carrying the world on her shoulders, which I usually love, but nothing about her really stood out to me here.
The romance had potential, but I feel like it left a lot to be desired. A lot of emotional baggage, a lot of space for healing and growth. But unfortunately, that depth was never really explored. Instead, we jumped straight into the lust and the spicy scenes, which got repetitive fast. I wanted more vulnerability, more hard conversations, more groveling, especially because of their circumstances and the obstacles. Instead, I got “ripe and ready” and… yeah, I cringed. 😬
Also, why was “the breath I didn’t realize I was holding” used SO MANY TIMES?! Once is too many, but that many? Girl, no. 😩
Despite all of this, I did enjoy being in this world. The writing wasn’t super polished, but it was easy to read and fast paced. I liked the family ranch setting, and even though the plot was kind of meh, I found myself entertained enough to finish it.
✨ Trope-y breakdown:
Enemies to lovers
Ranch owner FMC
Ex convict MMC
Western romance
Forbidden
Virgin MMC (!!!)
She watches him 👀
Found family
Overall, I wanted to love this one, but it just didn’t click for me. Three stars for a hot cowboy, a gorgeous cover, and a few fun moments, but the execution wasn’t there. Hoping the next in the series gives me more of what I was looking for!