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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I had a slow week at work & spent it amusing myself by reading reviews of the previous books in this series as it has been awhile since I read any of them. I'm going to give this review by addressing the major complaints of the previous books.
1. Too much sex - We get to about 67% before the first sex scene & I think I only counted 3-5 all told.
2. Too insta love/lust - No, slow burn enemies to lovers trope
3. TSTL heroine - Not really. Riss is perfectly competent, though her independent streak makes it hard for her to ask for help. I'm up in the air about the incident that breaks her arm. It was and wasn't dumb on her part. She should have been able to fix it herself no problem but accidents happen. But she has 3 older brothers who would certainly have helped her and a second person in that situation if possible would have been a good idea.
4. Doormat heroine - No, Riss calls Ike on his shit regularly. She refuses to do something. He does not make her do it "for her own good" and she does not cave in to his demands except when she is first still drugged up and in pain.
5. Unforgiving bitch heroine - No. Riss accepts the genuine apologies Ike gives. She does lose it briefly b/c of his sisters but they sort it fairly quick. Her 'tough love' scene with him was way harsh but he accepted it and it was the kick he needed.
6. Caveman hero - No. Not that Ike doesn't have his moments or wouldn't be that way with someone less strong than Riss, but Riss does not take that shit & he quickly adapts to that. He lost it when she told him she used to deliver to the prisons & went off on her about how dangerous it was and how dare she, etc etc and when Riss got in his face and told him off he apologized for being out of line.
7. Hero with dubious grasp of how consent works - No. Just no.
8. Hero who never apologizes or gives lame 'sorry you are upset' apologies - No. Ike admits errors & apologizes to everyone, including Riss' brothers when they called him on misunderstanding their care of Riss the first week of her broken arm. He doesn't grovel, but he gives short sincere apologies.
9. Hero & heroine have lack of communication - No. Riss and Ike use their words constantly. Both are willing to say they are confused by the situation or their feelings or whatever. No one expects the other to mind read or sits around stewing or refuses to listen to the other. It was a fine example of adults (he's 40 she's 30) building a healthy relationship
Riss is prickly but not a bitch, Ike is protective but not smothering.
The drama is mostly the relationship, plus money concerns. Riss can't work for months and needs to find income to cover that time & her medical bills. Ike's business has been failing for a year, he's depressed (though I think he came out of it rather quick with his tough love epiphany), he's been living of his savings for a year and is about broke.
I love their cheap date ideas. I love Riss' alternative realities. The slow burn build up and their witty insults and banter were great. The sex scenes were hot.
All in all I was delighted with this book.
1. Too much sex - We get to about 67% before the first sex scene & I think I only counted 3-5 all told.
2. Too insta love/lust - No, slow burn enemies to lovers trope
3. TSTL heroine - Not really. Riss is perfectly competent, though her independent streak makes it hard for her to ask for help. I'm up in the air about the incident that breaks her arm. It was and wasn't dumb on her part. She should have been able to fix it herself no problem but accidents happen. But she has 3 older brothers who would certainly have helped her and a second person in that situation if possible would have been a good idea.
4. Doormat heroine - No, Riss calls Ike on his shit regularly. She refuses to do something. He does not make her do it "for her own good" and she does not cave in to his demands except when she is first still drugged up and in pain.
5. Unforgiving bitch heroine - No. Riss accepts the genuine apologies Ike gives. She does lose it briefly b/c of his sisters but they sort it fairly quick. Her 'tough love' scene with him was way harsh but he accepted it and it was the kick he needed.
6. Caveman hero - No. Not that Ike doesn't have his moments or wouldn't be that way with someone less strong than Riss, but Riss does not take that shit & he quickly adapts to that. He lost it when she told him she used to deliver to the prisons & went off on her about how dangerous it was and how dare she, etc etc and when Riss got in his face and told him off he apologized for being out of line.
7. Hero with dubious grasp of how consent works - No. Just no.
8. Hero who never apologizes or gives lame 'sorry you are upset' apologies - No. Ike admits errors & apologizes to everyone, including Riss' brothers when they called him on misunderstanding their care of Riss the first week of her broken arm. He doesn't grovel, but he gives short sincere apologies.
9. Hero & heroine have lack of communication - No. Riss and Ike use their words constantly. Both are willing to say they are confused by the situation or their feelings or whatever. No one expects the other to mind read or sits around stewing or refuses to listen to the other. It was a fine example of adults (he's 40 she's 30) building a healthy relationship
Riss is prickly but not a bitch, Ike is protective but not smothering.
The drama is mostly the relationship, plus money concerns. Riss can't work for months and needs to find income to cover that time & her medical bills. Ike's business has been failing for a year, he's depressed (though I think he came out of it rather quick with his tough love epiphany), he's been living of his savings for a year and is about broke.
I love their cheap date ideas. I love Riss' alternative realities. The slow burn build up and their witty insults and banter were great. The sex scenes were hot.
All in all I was delighted with this book.
4.5 stars
It’s been far too long since I’ve visited this series. As much as I can remember, we haven’t seen Riss and Ian in too deep of a storyline until now. I feel we’ve gotten to know Ike much better than Riss, which makes sense since she travels for work.
The chemistry and heat are definitely there with these two. It’s amazing how much you can find out you like a person once you call a truce and don’t go with your first knee-jerk reaction every time they say anything. That’s exactly what happens with these two. Once in a while they (Riss especially) revert to old habits and say some not-so-nice things to each other. But when that happens, the other usually realizes it’s happening and calls the other on it instead of falling down the rabbit hole of bickering.
Some of my favorite things about this story are the way Ike and Riss’ oldest brother have it out and come to understand each other on a different level. I really was not a fan of any of Riss’ brothers, but that conversation made me see I wasn’t getting the whole story yet. And to be clear, I’m positive we’ll get his story and see him get an HEA eventually. On top of that relationship build, there’s also an inside look at some mental health issues. It’s a bit different from what we usually see when author deal with depression. Ike is the type of guy people look at and think he has a great life, and he perpetuates that image. Which does nothing to help him out of his funk. I do wish the author would have delved a bit deeper into treatment for the things Ike was dealing with. It’s good it was a theme of this story though since the more mental health is brought into current culture, the more it will start to be de-stigmatized.
The way Riss and Ike call each other out and help open each other’s eyes is great. Not only do they have the heat to make them want to fall into bed together, they have a level of kinship and comfort that all of us deserve in any relationship.
Ike’s sisters are written wonderfully because I know people just like them. It’s so true to life, even though none of us want to think anyone is that oblivious or selfish. I am not a fan of any of them and I can only hope they’ll eventually redeem themselves. They don’t deserve to have Ike as a brother, protector, and guardian.
The next book in this series is out in a few months. Let’s hope I don’t let so much time slip away before I get my hands on it, I just adore this author and her characters.
This review can also be found on my blog All In Good Time.
It’s been far too long since I’ve visited this series. As much as I can remember, we haven’t seen Riss and Ian in too deep of a storyline until now. I feel we’ve gotten to know Ike much better than Riss, which makes sense since she travels for work.
The chemistry and heat are definitely there with these two. It’s amazing how much you can find out you like a person once you call a truce and don’t go with your first knee-jerk reaction every time they say anything. That’s exactly what happens with these two. Once in a while they (Riss especially) revert to old habits and say some not-so-nice things to each other. But when that happens, the other usually realizes it’s happening and calls the other on it instead of falling down the rabbit hole of bickering.
Some of my favorite things about this story are the way Ike and Riss’ oldest brother have it out and come to understand each other on a different level. I really was not a fan of any of Riss’ brothers, but that conversation made me see I wasn’t getting the whole story yet. And to be clear, I’m positive we’ll get his story and see him get an HEA eventually. On top of that relationship build, there’s also an inside look at some mental health issues. It’s a bit different from what we usually see when author deal with depression. Ike is the type of guy people look at and think he has a great life, and he perpetuates that image. Which does nothing to help him out of his funk. I do wish the author would have delved a bit deeper into treatment for the things Ike was dealing with. It’s good it was a theme of this story though since the more mental health is brought into current culture, the more it will start to be de-stigmatized.
The way Riss and Ike call each other out and help open each other’s eyes is great. Not only do they have the heat to make them want to fall into bed together, they have a level of kinship and comfort that all of us deserve in any relationship.
Ike’s sisters are written wonderfully because I know people just like them. It’s so true to life, even though none of us want to think anyone is that oblivious or selfish. I am not a fan of any of them and I can only hope they’ll eventually redeem themselves. They don’t deserve to have Ike as a brother, protector, and guardian.
The next book in this series is out in a few months. Let’s hope I don’t let so much time slip away before I get my hands on it, I just adore this author and her characters.
This review can also be found on my blog All In Good Time.
I had high hopes for this book despite the fact that I normally don't like many cowboy story lines.
Ike is a sexy cowboy who meets sassy Larissa and the I-don't-like-you, you-don't-like-me banter between the two is cute. Ike has broken away from being a cattle broker and is trying to find his way in the job as a contractor. After Riss has an accident her and Ike decide to call a truce. The attraction flies between the two as they are forced to spend time in close quarters. Although the characters had depth, the story line really didn't hold my attention that much. The steam between the two was enjoyable, and for those who want a nice beach read, this is your book, I did love the sweetness of it, I, personally would have enjoyed it more with a little more spice added in. all in all an enjoyable read.
Ike is a sexy cowboy who meets sassy Larissa and the I-don't-like-you, you-don't-like-me banter between the two is cute. Ike has broken away from being a cattle broker and is trying to find his way in the job as a contractor. After Riss has an accident her and Ike decide to call a truce. The attraction flies between the two as they are forced to spend time in close quarters. Although the characters had depth, the story line really didn't hold my attention that much. The steam between the two was enjoyable, and for those who want a nice beach read, this is your book, I did love the sweetness of it, I, personally would have enjoyed it more with a little more spice added in. all in all an enjoyable read.
A frenenemies to love story. I really liked the verbal forplay in this book. Riss and Ike make the book book fun and unpredictable. Loved this one
This book probably would have gotten 5 stars, but one of my LEAST FAVORITE WORDS came up in the first sex scene. It is just a word that pulls me out of the story.
Riss and Ike have THE BEST CHEMISTRY and I enjoyed how their relationship really slowly developed over a long period of time. The enemies to friends to lovers tropes is one of my ultimate favorites! Read it! Will be reading more in this series!
Riss and Ike have THE BEST CHEMISTRY and I enjoyed how their relationship really slowly developed over a long period of time. The enemies to friends to lovers tropes is one of my ultimate favorites! Read it! Will be reading more in this series!
I think reading this so long after my binge of the series made me not care as much. I had to force myself to keep going, in the midst of all my skimming. Eek!
It was just okay for me. Honestly, Riss drove me crazy so I wasn’t fully engaged in her story. Strong women are fine but some take it too far and it’s annoying. This was her.
Aw well.
It was just okay for me. Honestly, Riss drove me crazy so I wasn’t fully engaged in her story. Strong women are fine but some take it too far and it’s annoying. This was her.
Aw well.
Another Lorelie James book I waited for and read cover to cover without a break.
Linking the characters from previous books in the series is exciting to read. It’s like
catching up on old friends. Loved it!
Linking the characters from previous books in the series is exciting to read. It’s like
catching up on old friends. Loved it!
Things I liked about this book: 1) The cover model has a shirt on. 2) Though this is book 9 of the series, I did not feel overwhelmed by a million side characters. 3) Riss is a lady truck driver, although she doesn't drive anything for 90% of the book. 4) Ike is an adorable gruff caretaker who sees right through Riss's prickly exterior. 5) They work through their relationship problems in a realistic way. Nice job, author! Enjoyable and sweet.
Riss and Ike were really great together. I found their relationship really interesting to read. They had an antagonistic history that has smoothed over by the time the book started, but it was constantly in the background while they figured things out. It was more of an issue for their friends and families than for themselves. This is one of those stories where people have an opinion of the couple or parts of the couple, but they see themselves differently because they know all the underlying bits of the story. Not a lot of angst. There was the potential for it, but they did their best to be truthful and to talk to each other. Another great addition to the Blacktop Cowboys series.