Synopsis

She’s never had a no-strings fling. He’s never had anything else. But maybe this time will be an exception?

After a year of mourning her fiancé, Alexis Parker has worked hard to rediscover what she wants out of life. Fresh out of the military and back stateside, her brother offers her a marketing job at the Stag Distillery. Ready for a new challenge, Alexis agrees to accompany her new co-worker Jake Cooperon a Stag cross-country promotional tour. He may have an infamous playboy reputation, but Alexis is surprised to find out that there is more to him than meets the eye. And she likes what she sees. . .

Jake promised Alexis’s brother that he’d be an absolute gentleman. Of course, that was before he and Alexis hit the road, and they both agree that what Alexis’s big brother doesn’t know won’t hurt him. The plan: to keep their fling confined to the RV, and everything will go back to normal once they head home. Things progress in ways neither of them could have imagined, and Jake realizes that he and Alexis make a perfect mix. Can he convince her that he’s ready to shake things up and give true love a shot?

Releases August 28th

Review

I love the setting for this series – a distillery in KC that has a room used for weddings et al. Stag Distillery – owned and operated by three guys who were of course single when the series started. The first two books took care of Dean and TJ, now it is Jake’s turn to meet his fate. Of course like most books, the road to true happiness is set with land mines and in this case it is Alex’s memories of her dead fiance that was killed just weeks before their wedding. Sure it has been a year but she is dealing with a lot of emotions and guilt that she is still alive (even though she was no where near the helicopter crash) and living life.

The great thing about this relationship is that it starts off as a friendship over email, text, etc since Alex is in Italy and Jake is in the states. I firmly believe that a good relationship should be based in friendship first because it will get you over the tough times. Now that doesn’t mean that Jake and Alex don’t have issues because they do in spades! She still has her hang up over Nate and Jake has some of his own baggage from his childhood. And then there is Dean, Alex’s brother and Jake’s friend and business partner. Dean is a bit protective of his younger sister which can cause problems if he doesn’t remember that Alex is an adult. Thankfully Charlotte (Dean’s fiancee’) steps in to calm the waters.

I enjoyed the story between Jake and Alex and was surprised at how one sided it appeared. Jake was there for Alex but was Alex there for Jake? Sometimes. BUT Jake wasn’t as open as he could have been about what he was feeling. That’s a guy for you. However, he did open up more especially when he realized he knew what he wanted in life and that was Alex.

There were some great scenes with Nate’s family – he may be gone but they still welcome Alex in their home and their lives because while she wasn’t able to marry Nate, they had a long relationship before his death and they considered her family no matter what.

I also enjoyed the witty comments from Joel, Dean’s father, and his sage advice to Alex.

This is a fun series to read and while you don’t have to read in order it is suggested since the characters are intertwined in the books and it makes more sense than reading them out of order.

We give it 5 paws up

About the Author

Nicole McLaughlin wrote her first full length book (6 pages) about the birth of her baby sister, when she was eight years old. She only finished it because her mother bribed her with a Rick Astley cassette tape. Sad, but true. Now her characters are what keep her writing and her subject matter has gotten a little bit deeper and a lot more romantic. She resides in a small town outside of Kansas City with her husband and three sons. When she isn’t writing, she’s a wedding and portrait photographer, loves to cook, and watch historical dramas or documentaries. Nicole is the author of two series with St. Martin’s Press, the Man Enough series (All I Ask) and Whiskey and Weddings (Maybe I Do).

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram