Reviewed by Candace
**4 1/2 stars**
This is my first experience reading the amazing words of Shelly Alexander! Alexander delivers a heartfelt story that takes place in a small town filled with love, laughter and lots of small town gossip that sucks you in by the first chapter and wraps itself around you in a tight hug that doesn’t let go until the end.
Miranda Cruz seemed to always get the short end of the stick in life. Growing up, her mother did not have the best reputation in town with jumping from boyfriend to boyfriend. Thus, Miranda got lumped into the same bad reputation while she actually raised her younger brother. She’s had to fight tooth and nail to get to where she’s at in life and doesn’t want to take handouts from anyone. She found a mentor in the most unlikely places and seemed to be finally settling in as her own person. She was the new innkeeper and working to fix up the place and begin anew with a sound business plan. But life decided to throw lemons once again when her mentor and best friend passed away. And that brought someone back to town that she’d been hiding from for seven years. Hopefully she could avoid him as much as possible and he’d be gone before she knew it, but sometimes fate throws a wrench into the system and twists everything up.
Talmadge Oaks, the famous green architect, left Red River Valley and seemed to take the world by storm. But the almighty seem to fall at some point in life and he just had the biggest catastrophe of his career. His latest project took a drastic turn when it collapsed and left him with a broken arm and his world at a standstill. But then another problem comes along, he finds out that his grandmother passed away and he has to go back home. And the one person that he’s avoided for the past seven years seems to be front and center at every turn. But he’s only in town for a short period and his entire world revolves in figuring out how to fix his project. At the reading of his grandmother’s will, he finds out that his plans are not going to be possible. He was stuck in Red River Valley and working with the one woman who had been on his mind since that passionate night seven years ago. And he had no other choice but to work beside her and somehow convince her that it was her idea.
Miranda opened her heart up to him years ago, only to have him stomp on it that same night. That night along with all the ridicule of the town has hardened her. She doesn’t want help from anyone. She doesn’t want to depend on anyone. But Talmadge Oaks does not go away so easily. And the chemistry they shared seems to be burning them both up and could set something on fire just by looking at the strong desire and pull between them. But are they willing to take a risk on one another? Can Miranda figure out a way to become the business owner that she desires? Can Talmadge fix his million dollar project from Red River Valley? Does Talmadge really want all the fame and fortune or the one girl who’s tied up his heart for the past seven years?
I love this contemporary romance! This unique story is told in alternating third person POV with very little grammatical errors. The dialogue between the main characters was fun and witty. There are moments that were sad and broken while other moments were full of love and laughter. The interaction between Talmadge and Miranda was adorable at times and I loved getting glimpses into their thoughts. Alexander does an amazing job highlighting the supporting characters and brings a lot of laughter and humor into the story from these characters as well as the town’s tumblr blog called the Red River Rag. The sexual tension and chemistry between Talmadge and Miranda is definitely scorching and while this story is more of a slow burn, I really enjoyed the dynamic between these characters.
Definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, light-hearted and hilarious book that will warm your soul!
Late Night Books Reviewer Candace
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