ARC REVIEW Highlander in a Pickup by Laura Trentham

Highland Georgia #2, This is such a fun book, a light hearted and funny romance between one person determined to prove herself and a man who's trying to find himself. I loved Iain and Anna. Anna, after failing her dream of broadway came home and eventually took over her mother's dance studio. She has worked hard to make it hers to expand the direction of the studio to fit current trends and now she wants to run for mayor. Anna sees her chance at running the Highland Games this year as her chance to prove to everyone that she has what it takes to be mayor of Highland. Iain grew up the caretakers son he saw his dad's life revolve around Cairnow Castle. As soon as he could he left but while in HM Armed Forces he couldn't wait to come home. Until he actually got there and he didn't know for sure of that's what he wanted anymore, but he promised his Dad after helping with the Highland Games he'd be back.

At first Anna sees Iain as a threat, a very,very sexy, kilt wearing threat. Thinking he's going to come in and take over. That had been Iain's plan but seeing that Anna has everything under her control he takes on the one thing she can't control, the animals. Since the addition of livestock show is new and Anna is horrible with animals she is more than happy to leave that to Iain. As the days pass the attraction builds and Anna sees how good Iain is with the townspeople he even takes on extra work just to help out around the town and the attraction grows stronger. When they finally do give into the lust it's hot and heavy between them but they don't let that get in the way of the festival. The Festival is anticipated and dreaded as it also marks the ending point of Iain's time in Highland.

Overall, it was such a fun read. I am really enjoying this series and the teaser at the end about the next book, oh boy. It can be read as a standalone but reading the first book give you a bit more background on the town and the Highland Games festival.





Also by Laura Trentham, a recent release on the serious side of Contemporary Romance, An Everyday Hero.


Heart of a Hero #2, A heartfelt emotional romance about healing, grieving, learning to move on, and music. Greer left Nashville and came back home to find her boyfriend cheating on her, instead of feeling inspired to write she felt more dejected than before and thought she'd never pick her guitar up again. But after a night of drinking and getting in trouble with a perverted cop she winds up with community service helping out a local place where they use music to help with veterans and their family. Her first assignment is a young teenager, Ally, who lost her father overseas and her mother isn't handling it any better. Greer's second assignment is a little bit more personal. Emmett was the popular one in high school and he even stood up for Greer once and she never forgot the incident so when she heard what happened she easily took the assignment.

Emmett blamed himself for what happened, he may have lost part of his left but several of him men lost their lives. He plans to just sit alone in the cabin and just drink the pain away until a feisty little spitfire named Greer calls to his senses, brings music back into his life and shows him he still has something to live for. Ally hates her new school, she hates that her mom acts like her dad's not dead, she doesn't want to do the music therapy but Greer shows her a way to vent through her lyrics. Ally and Emmett also help Greer get out of her funk, show her that she deserves better than her last boyfriend and that the music never left her she just needed the right person, or persons, to push her where she needs to be.

Overall, this was a beautiful story. Laura Trentham wears a coat of many colors when it comes what she can write and she writes emotional, not to angsty, romance just as well as she writes the funny stuff. 

ARC REVIEW A Highlander Walks Into a Bar by Laura Trentham

Highland, Georgia #1, This book was so enjoyable! All the characters not just the main ones were memorable; I'm glad this is the start of a series I already can't wait to read everyone else's story. I love reading Laura Trentham she has a great narrative voice and is so funny, her romance slow burning building the sexual tension between them until they are combustible and with a heartfelt and sweet ending that leaves me wanting more. I fell in love with Highland, Georgia it sounds like a wonderful place to live; except the humidity would probably kill me in the summer.

Rose and Isabel Buchanan love their hometown. Rose married into one of the founding families and after her husband died she kept his spirit and his love for the town alive by continuing on with his favorite time of the year, the Highland Games. Izzy loves this place just as much as her mother and she has fully accepted that her life will always be in Highland. Izzy usually trusts her mother's judgement so it blindsides her  when Rose comes back from her Scotland trip with more than just a scarf and earrings as souvenirs. The man her mother brought home to help organize the games could be after their land or money, but her mother is infatuated it's up to Izzy to keep things in check.

Alasdair Blackmoor use to be close to his uncle, Gareth, but that was before his father died and the truth came out. Alasdair hasn't seen his uncle since he was eighteen so when his mother calls him and tells him he needs to go to America to bring home his uncle before the American woman swindles away his inheritance he goes to appease his mother. He never expected to find a home away from home, his uncle the happiest he's ever seen, and the feisty and beautiful Isabel. Everything smooths out for the most part Rose has Gareth and Alasdair has Izzy and they are happy and the preparations for the games are going well but Gareth and Alasdair are hiding something from the girls; a big secret that can ruin both their relationships.

Overall, such a joy to read. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love and with the epilogue teasing the next character's book I'm excited and can't wait for it.

ARC REVIEW The Military Wife by Laura Trentham

A Heart of a Hero #1, Laura Trentham is wonderful when it comes to small town romance, with this new series it's  more Women's Fiction with a romance. What I loved about this book was the alternating of past and present it was a nice touch you get to see all the best and the worst memories Harper and Bennett had with Noah at the same time you get to see Harper and Bennett fall in love and Harper finally finds what she was meant to do with her life. Told in the third person but switches perspective between Harper and Bennett.

We also meet Allison and Darren. Darren is an officer and Allison is his wife, mother of three, and Harper's best friend. Darren is feeling the effects of PTSD but too ashamed to admit he needs help doesn't feel like he deserves the help. Harper can tell Allison needs someone to really talk to and goes to visit her on that visit she attends one of the group meetings for the wives and hears the same stuff she heard when she was in their shoes so she comes up with a plan to help out military wives who feel like they need to do more than just fill the time. Harper has the start up money she was given a large sum when Noah died. But when Allison tells her one of the guys on the team gave her that money and not the NAVY Harper tracks down Bennett Caldwell to return the money.

Bennett meet Noah in BUDs and they formed a fast friendship, they became brother's in every way except blood. When Noah found out Harper was pregnant he had Bennett promise him if anything should happen he would take care of Harper and the baby. The entire friendship Bennett avoided meeting Harper, through all the emails and letter that Noah shared Bennett had fallen in love with her. He left the SEALs after Noah died and thought that giving Harper all that money would be enough to take care of the baby and herself. He never expected to see her again after handing over the money but here she is five years later trying to give it back.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was such an emotional journey not just for Harper and Bennett but for Allison and Darren too. This book made me cry and laugh and cry. This was a wonderful second chance romance and a wonderful story of a woman helping other women and finally getting on with her life and moving on. A lot of lessons in this too, like learning how to accept help and learning to let go of guilt.

ARC REVIEW Set the Night on Fire by Laura Trentham

Cottonbloom #6, We continue with the Abbott brothers. Jackson and Willa eloped got married by way the Justice of the Peace and Sutton and Wyatt are planning a huge wedding, well Sutton's mom is at least. Ford followed through on his threat to sell his share and Mrs. Ella Boudreaux bought it. The announcement that she was now part owner of Abbott Brother's Garage and Restoration didn't go quite as smoothly as she had hoped the fact that it was used to hurt the Abbott brothers didn't sit right with her, Ford told her it was what was best for the garage and yet the other brother's treated her like the plague. Ella wants to be part of the garage she wants to help to finally be part of something; Wyatt and Jackson are more open to her than Mack but then again Mack is not only fighting the fact that she now own part of the shop he's fighting his own attraction to her.

There is more to Ella than meets the eye and the more time Ella spends at the shop the more Mack realizes she can help and the more he realizes she's far more than she seems. The chemistry between Ella and Mack is great, you can see it bubbling just beneath the surface and by the time they give in the sexual tension is just overflowing. I loved all the little complications that came up and how they were handled. Mack really did grow, he had quite a bit of character development and it was all for the better he was able to let go of the anger. Ella really didn't change but she was finally able to become who she wanted to be and in doing so she was able to stand up to her ex and let go the hurt and help his current wife leave him. There are so many other characters I want to see get their own books and I'm over here speculating who could be paired with who, very excited for the upcoming books. Overall it was another great read.    

ARC REVIEW When The Stars Come Out by Laura Trentham

Cottonbloom #5, I'm so glad we didn't have to wait for Willa and Jackson's story for too long. I am so loving this series, this town, and these people. This second story arc with the Abbott brothers is just as good if not better than the first three books. In this story arc the Abbott brothers, Mack, Ford, Wyatt and Jackson, inherited their father's garage, a four way split that left Ford annoyed and keep threatening to sell his share of the garage. The other three just added on to the garage and turned into Abbott Brother's Garage and Restoration and can't afford to buy him out. Ford wants more he wants it now and the tension and animosity between the brothers just keeps getting worse and worse.

Willa Brown was hired by the boys father almost two years ago, she was there when he collapsed and died and she stuck around after that because they needed her, but now that Ford threat to sell his share has a ring of truth in it and the fate of the garage is up in the air Willa isn't sure she can stay no matter how much cares about Jackson. It wasn't supposed to be a permanent thing anyways but Mr. Abbott reminded her of her own father and she stayed because of Jackson. When Mr. Abbott hired Willa he agreed to pay her in cash off the books but now that he is gone and Mack is charge he wants everything on the up and up  including having her SSN on file, Willa knows her time to leave is getting closer.

Jackson sees the look of panic in Willa's eyes when he brings up her SSN, the guys always knew she was on the run from something but they figured she would tell them when she was ready but it wasn't until that moment that Jackson realized she might run and it hit him that he didn't want her to leave, ever. Jackson decides to insert himself a little bit more into her life and try to figure out what or who she is on the run from; and in doing so finds himself falling for her. When they finally admit to each other that they want one another they start a friends with benefits type relationship that quickly turns  into more. But Willa isn't the only one Jackson is worried about, Ford is missing and his bookies start showing up to collect.

Overall, this is an easy four star read, Willa is a little overly stubborn, but if I had a guy try and spoil me like Jackson was doing for her I would cave so freakin' fast. I have a soft spot for the strong silent types. I enjoy Trentham's writing she really brings Cottonbloom to life with the detailed active setting and the quirky characters. P.S. I don't think Ford deserves a HEA. 

ARC REVIEW Leave the Night On by Laura Trentham

YAY! The Cottonbloom series continues! I'm so happy this series wasn't over with the last book. Book four of Laura Trentham's series starts with a different family arc, The Abbott brothers. Once again we met a family on the Louisiana side of Cottonbloom. The Abbott brothers were raised by their father and their two aunts, their mother having ran off on them when the two youngest, twins, were still little. The boys grew up in their Dad's garage. Abbott Brother's Garage became popular for it's restorations on older model cars and by the time their dad died the boys were all grown up and ready to handle their share of the garage, well except the oldest. Wyatt is one of the twins and he's happiest when he's working on a new project.

From the Mississippi side of the river we met Sutton Mize the judge's daughter and owner of the town's boutique engaged to an up and comer lawyer, Andrew Tarwater. That all changes when Sutton takes Andrew's Camaro to Abbott's to get the interior overhauled and restored as an engagement gift, when she is cleaning out the car she finds a pair of underwear that is not hers and she knows exactly whose they are because she special ordered them for her best friend. Emotionally devastated and betrayed Sutton finds an unlikely friendship with Wyatt who was with her when she found them and since she was just betrayed by her best friend Wyatt was there for her to vent at and talk too. Sutton during her confrontation with the both of them she did something stupid she blurted out that she had been cheating on Andrew with Wyatt. Sutton then talks Wyatt into a fake relationship, she doesn't have to try too hard because Wyatt has had a crush on Sutton for longer than he can remember and he's willing to spend any time with her.

Wyatt falls easily in love with Sutton but he's has a curse hanging over his head, twins run in the family and the twins have never gotten married. So both Sutton and Wyatt are trying to talk themselves out of falling in love with each other; the more time they spend together the more they realize just how perfect they are for each other. But between Wyatt's older brother and Andrew and the fact that they come from different sides of the river Sutton and Wyatt have a lot to overcome before they can get their HEA.

Overall, Loved it! Sutton had more issues than you'd think and she does take advantage a little with Wyatt and Wyatt is full on even if he doesn't realize it at first. Laura Trentham writes great small town romance and I love this divided little town, I can't wait for the other books.  

ARC REVIEW Then He Kissed Me & Till I Kissed You by Laura Trentham

Once again one of the Fournette siblings has a friendship that goes sour and know it's time to kiss and makeup. This wasn't a secret friendship Tally and Nash were practically inseparable until Nash's mother finally succumbed to the cancer that was slowly killing her. Tally's own peaceful life was upturned with the sudden death of her parents. Nash moved to the other side of the river to live with his aunt and was kept from Tally. As a genius Nash skipped grades and soon found himself in highschool the same time as Monroe and Regan who were his only friends. Then he was off to college once again at a young age. Tally on the other hand always struggled in school barely making a passing grade, it wasn't until later she learned she was dyslexic. Tally always believed she was stupid and instead of academic or, like her brothers, engineering she choose a more athletic route. Tally opened her gym and still hides the fact that she has difficulty reading. Now that Nash is finally back in Cottonbloom teaching at the local college he plans to reconnect with Tally.

First off I think the blurb for this book was spot on. I love the last line because it sums up everything perfectly.

 Between Tally’s possessive ex and Nash’s snobbish aunt, no one thinks they belong together. In a town torn apart by old resentments and rivalries, can they find their way back to the life they once shared—and turn their long-lost dreams into a real and lasting love?  

See, isn't that great! kudos to the person who wrote the blurb. Back on topic. I love Nash, but that's no surprise I love smart men especially when they are a little clueless about women. Tally is a tough one, she is tough on herself especially she still likes Nash but she doesn't feel worthy of being with someone as smart as he is. Nash has always loved Tally even when they were just kids and now he's back and she's single he's out to prove he never wanted to lose her and he plans never to again. Also going on the rival town festivals are still being sabotaged.

Overall, this was a good one Tally was a hard sell but in the end it really was a great story.

    Finally Regan and Sawyer!! These two are a hoot. You finally find out what happened to tear them apart and what finally happens to bring them back together again.

But will a common enemy be enough to unite them—and finally fulfill the promises they made one passionate night under the stars?

Once again spot on blurb. Regan and Sawyer broke each others hearts not one thing alone tore them apart but a series of things. Someone is out to keep both towns from throwing their festivals. Regan has been getting threatening letters and someone more recently someone tried to poor herbicide on her Mother's prize winning tomatoes. Regan has a crazy idea of who it might be but the only person she can trust not to think she's gone crazy is the only other person deeply invested in the festival, Sawyer. 

Sawyer has finally gotten the chance to explain to Regan what happened all those years ago. Sawyer's plan is two sided he wants to stop the saboteur and win over Regan again. But it's not just the saboteur he's dealing with but the snobbish and hateful mother.

Overall, this was a great way to end. I loved the book. I loved the characters. I loved the series. It one of those that makes you go awwwww at the end.