Contemporary Romance published by Berkley 01 Dec 20
Given all the time recently spent in the kitchen following recipes, I must say that Lexi Blake combines the right amounts of emotion, romance, and conflict with a pinch of this and that to create a beautiful love story. I have been reading Ms. Blake for some time, but I feel that this series showcases her as a romance writer full of depth and sensitivity.
Zep Guidry has been portrayed as the good-time guy chasing the next beer and beautiful girls with the hard-hitting deputy Roxanne hauling him to jail every few days to sober up. Even as the town really doesn’t see beneath the surface to the man beneath, they do enjoy the foreplay between the deputy and the town drunk. Poor Zeb, how is he to shed his skin and show Roxanne, whom he loves madly, the deeply sensitive caring man he truly is?
Roxanne has her share of baggage. She left a high-profile precinct and a bad marriage to settle in this quiet backwater, always planning to return when the time is right, but she certainly did not expect an opportunity in the form of a surprise visit from her family with her ex-husband in tow to ostensibly celebrate her birthday. Surprisingly, it’s Zeb who seizes the opportunity to demonstrate not just his true feeling for her but also a little bit of the person he really is.
This is best book in the series, given that both characters have a fair amount of baggage they have to overcome. The emotional intensity of the story will grip your heart and, like the rest of the town, particularly his family, you’ll find yourself rooting for Zeb.
Grade: A
Summary:
Roxanne King left the big city looking for a simpler life, but after years of proving herself on a SWAT team in New York City, being deputy in a sleepy Louisiana parish is something of an adjustment. She’s settling in, but she knows she made some mistakes in the beginning–Zep Guidry being the worst of them. Zep drifts through life on his looks and Cajun charm. Roxie learned the hard way he’s not for her.
Zep is a man who knows what he wants, and what he wants is Roxie. He’s just not sure how to get her. They spent one hot night together a year before and now all the lovely deputy seems interested in doing to him is arresting him. He’s not used to a woman he can’t charm, but Roxie seems immune. He’s determined to win her back by any means necessary. Including becoming the kind of man she desires.
And when Roxie’s past comes calling, it might be the opportunity Zep needs to show Roxie that the town bad boy might just be the man of her dreams.
Other books in this series:
