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No connections. Play it safe. These were the rules Ivey lived her life by.
Until she hit Mustang, Colorado, a perfectly imperfect town where the citizens were welcoming and one of them included the tall, beautiful, macho man rancher cowboy, Grayson Cody.
On the run for a decade, Ivey knew she was supposed to play it safe. But she was tired of being on the run. She wanted a normal. She wanted real. She wanted a home.
And she wanted Grayson Cody.
And Grayson Cody wanted Ivey.
No one who looked at them couldn’t see they belonged together. There was one man in this world for Ivey and one woman in this world for Grayson Cody.
So they fell in love.
But just as quickly as they fell together, they were betrayed and torn apart. Separated for years, Ivey was certain her life would not include her rancher cowboy. Until the town of Mustang reached out to her when Gray was in trouble. Even though she thought he broke her heart, she charged in to help. Then Gray and Ivey discovered they were betrayed and, not only that, Gray had an enemy who would stop at nothing to defeat him.
My Casting
Ugh, every girl needs a Grayson Cody! My God. The man is a walking cowboy GOD! Just to start with… Grayson Cody, I mean, come on?! How ‘hot cowboy’ is that?! Seriously made me want my very own ‘macho man cowboy rancher’.
On to the book itself, we’ll come back to Gray. I found the writing hard to get my head around at first. The way the dialogue flows and the way some things are written kept pulling me out of my book world and making me focus on the words on the page rather than the movie reel in my head. But once I got used to it, I was away.
That said, I loved it. I was completely drawn in to the actual plot from the beginning. I felt that the book was really noticeably a story of two halves and although both very different, each were equally gripping. I enjoyed watching Ivey grow as a person, despite the hardships she had to endure on the way.
“I’m glad that when I was on the sidewalk on the square in town with you and Casey all those years ago, I decided for the first time in my life not to play it safe.”
“I’m glad too, Ivey, seriously fuckin’ glad you took a chance on me.”
The surrounding characters were fab. I adored Lash! And all of the characterful Mustang inhabitants. They really made the book.
Personally, being a horsey girl, I always love a book with a horse in. 😉 And this line made me chuckle, as I know this to be oh so very true…
You couldn’t muck out a horse stall in Christian Louboutins.
Ivey was a little frustrating at times, but over all, she was a heroine that I could warm to. She loved Gray wholeheartedly, she was troubled, but prepared to take a chance, she was innocent, but the story saw her harden up and grow some serious balls… I really enjoyed her journey of self discovery, of finding happiness, security and love, of never having it in the first place, then losing it all and then fighting for it tooth and nail. She had some great rants and really let people have it when she was pissed. I loved that!
“Wherever you were born and whatever you did, pool hustler, showgirl, tonight, you were a rancher’s woman and just like you, when you do somethin’, you’re the best there is.”
Ok, so back to the perfection of Grayson Cody. *happy sigh* Aaaah, if only there were more hot, perfect, protective, sensitive, loving, alpha-male cowboys in the world, it would sure be a happier place. His adoration for Ivey was just swoon-worthy cute!
“Prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Gray,”
“In that getup, in your jeans and tees, in your bikini on the lawnmower, when I open my eyes in the morning and see you next to me, anything I see you, that’s what I think. First thing that comes to mind. Anytime. Every time.”
So in conclusion, the book was corny as hell but just brilliant! A bit of action, drama, a whole lot of romance, some steamy but not over done sex scenes and a gorgeous HEA epilogue.
“Say you love me, Ivey.”
“I love you, Gray.”
Me tooooo!!! I love you Gray!!!
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