Leave The Night On (Cottonbloom #4) – Laura Trentham
Published: 1st August 2017
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
My Rating:
Love, betrayal, and sweet revenge—life in Cottonbloom is about to get a whole lot hotter . . .Sutton Mize is known for lavishing attention on the customers who flock to her boutique on the wealthy side of her Mississippi town. So when she finds a lace thong in her fiancé’s classic cherry-red Camaro, she knows just who she sold it to: her own best friend. In an instant, Sutton’s whole world goes up in flames. . .Wyatt Abbott has harbored a crush on Sutton since he was a young kid from the other side of the tracks. He witnessed Sutton’s shocking discovery in the Camaro at his family-owned garage—and it made him angry. What kind of man could take lovely, gorgeous Sutton for granted? But then Sutton comes up with an idea: Why not give her betrothed a taste of his own medicine and pretend that she’s got a lover of her own? Wyatt is more than happy to play the hot-and-heavy boyfriend. But what begins as a fictional affair soon develops into something more real, and more passionate, than either Sutton or Wyatt could have imagined. Could it be that true love has been waiting under the hood all along?
I agreed to review this book for one reason... fake relationship! Also, it's set down south on the Mississippi and Louisiana border and I do have a thing about books set in the southern states of America. I fully blame X-Men for this fascination but that's a whole other conversation.
I agreed to this book because I saw mention of a good old fake relationship, and a revenge/saving face fake relationship at that. Poor Sutton discovers another woman's underwear under the seat of the classic car of her fiancé she is intending to get restored as an engagement present. It is also underwear she recognises as she sold it so knowing the 'other woman' definitely doesn't help matters. Instead of being broken hearted she gets angry and she gets even angrier when she learns her (soon to be ex) fiancé is going to try and turn it around on her so she does what any self-respecting woman does: she lies. She lies and says screw you I've been cheating too and quite conveniently she has just been dropped home by sexy mechanic Wyatt and has his number. They are old acquaintances so she is only very mortified to drag him into the lie and really, it is obvious where it goes from there.
Fake relationship stories are predictable so I do have slightly discerning tastes when it comes to them. I can put up with the usual plot points as long as it's done well and this book does it right. Both Wyatt and Sutton have their own reasons for faking a relationship. Sutton needs to save face with friends (and not be discovered as lying to her ex) and Wyatt can get word out about the garage and the restoration business he runs with his brothers. But both of them are attracted to one another and think the other doesn't care. It's a whole thing and it's written well. Sure, it was slightly frustrating that Sutton assumed things about Wyatt based off of gossip but who isn't guilty of that? The two had obvious chemistry from the start and were enjoyable to read about.
Sutton is very straight-laced. She's always done as her parents wanted and never rocked the boat so I liked seeing some of her personality shine through. I often get bored of nice girls in books because they are beige (as Sutton says about herself) they are boring and you don't care about them so seeing bits of Sutton break through and show she is more than a nice girl from a nice family was good. It was Wyatt which drove the book for me, though. He was sexy and charming and completely unaware of how nice he came across to everyone. He is from the wrong side of the tracks (or the river) and so some folks look down on him and make him feel bad, but very few because he is a nice guy who can smile at an awkward teenage girl and make her blush and flash those braces. He learns he can take a chance and ask for what he wants and doesn't have to accept his lot in life. He has his own life to live and got I loved him.
So, from this slightly rambly review (or word vomit of initial thoughts) I can say this was an enjoyable romance which had me swooning. I got frustrated at Sutton in the book but even her hesitance to trust was understandable because the girl had just been burned. There are the usual romance dramas to be seen (and family dramas) but it was a good book that I sped through and I really enjoyed it. Now to find the rest of the series and see if it's as good.
And once more you have a review for a fake relationship book from me (I know, we all have our favourite tropes). Have you read this or any others in the series? And what’s your favourite book set in the southern states (another thing I have a soft spot for)?
Posts
Social Icons