When East Coast elite and wealthy bachelor Gavin Williams wakes up in a rural West Virginia hospital, he doesn’t remember who he is or where he’s from.
He doesn’t remember his heiress fiancée, his luxury homes, his exotic travels, or his private plane.
And he especially doesn’t remember insulting local country-girl and fiery redhead Jamie Sutton, smashing her dreams, and leaving her in a pinch.
So when a redhead in overalls stands over his hospital bed and convincingly tells him he loves banjos, hound dogs, and rustling chickens, what’s he supposed to do?
Suddenly Gavin is scrambling to fit into a country life that doesn’t feel familiar and that can’t possibly be his. A wife? Kids? A chicken coop?
His life is full of holes and secrets, desires and dreams, and as Gavin learns more he begins to wonder—will he ever remember? And what happens when he does?
When Gavin was sad and pleading, like Elijah when he begs to go out and play baseball instead of doing his homework, I sorta felt sorry for him. But now, he’s looking at me like I’m a diseased rat that somehow, incomprehensibly ended up in his pristine world, and all my feeling sorry evaporates.
I stiffen, because honestly, I do have some pride.
“You have two seconds to answer me, or I’m calling the police.”
Not for nothing, but “the police” is Daryl Jones, my second cousin. That’s not going to help Gavin. All it’ll do is embarrass me. Daryl will get a good laugh out of this.
Gavin pulls a phone out of his pocket and holds it up threateningly.
“Tell me your name and what you’re doing lurking in my home.”
Slowly, I stand. I don’t want to startle him after all. When I do, he gets a good look at my dirty overalls, my roughed up boots, and my frizzy hair. His eyes widen and his nostrils flare. I get the impression he just got his first whiff of ol’ Billy.
I really should’ve taken a shower.
I would’ve if I’d known this was going to happen.
“My word, she’s a squatter. I’ve got a squatter in my home.” His jaw hardens and he thrusts his hand toward the open door. “Out. Get out.” He motions at me like I’m some mangy stray.
“Hey!” I put my hand on my hips. “I’m not a squatter. I’m Jamie Sutton.”
He stares at me, his expression uncomprehending. “What did you say?”
I blow out a long breath, the hot air stirring the hair sticking out from my braid.
“I said,” I annunciate and talk real slow for him, “I’m not a squatter. I’m Jamie Sutton.”
He shakes his head like he still doesn’t understand and then he takes slow, careful steps toward me, like he expects some loony behavior on my part. When he’s only a few feet away, he wrinkles his nose and looks at me with utter distaste.
“I don’t know what jammy sudden is, but I want you to remove your person from my home.”
Oh lordy. He can’t understand plain English.
“Jamie Sutton,” I say slowly pointing at myself.
He stares at me, uncomprehending. No wonder the fairy princess left him. He’s gorgeous, but his head is full of rocks. And he has a temper. I know it, because he steps forward and grabs my arm, his fingers hot and calloused. “That’s it. If you won’t get out, I’ll take you out.”
Author Sarah Ready writes contemporary romance and romantic comedy. Her books have been described as “euphoric”, “heartwarming” and “laugh out loud”. Her debut novel The Fall in Love Checklist was hailed as “the unicorn read of 2020”. She loves to write fast-paced, emotionally compelling romances about quirky, smart women and the men who love them.
Before writing romance full-time Sarah had lots of fun teaching at an Ivy League. Then she realized she could have even more fun writing romance. Her favorite things after writing are adventuring and travel. You’ll frequently find her using her degree at a dino dig site, crawling into a cave, snorkeling, or on horseback riding through the jungle – all fodder for her next book. She’s lived in Scotland, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and NYC. She currently lives in the Caribbean with her water-obsessed pup and her awesome family.
As an affiliate at retail sites, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure for more details.
Three Reasons You Should Read Contemporary Romance:
It Takes a Villa by Kilby Blades takes place in Italy – an old small town in need of a little repair – that sounds absolutely beautiful. The sights, the sounds, the smells – they all come to life.
Natalie Malone is one brave and determined woman. Picking up everything and moving to Italy to restore a villa she bought for $1. That takes some guts.
Pietro truly loves his town and restoring its beautiful buildings, and you can’t help but fall in love with him and his strive for perfection.
For the reasonable price of $1, Natalie Malone just bought herself an abandoned villa on the Amalfi Coast. With a detailed spreadsheet and an ancient key, she’s arrived in Italy ready to renovate—and only six months to do it. Which seemed reasonable until architect Pietro Indelicato began critically watching her every move…
From the sweeping ocean views to the scent of the lemon trees, there’s nothing Pietro loves more than his hometown. And after seeing too many botched jobs and garish design choices, he’s done watching from the sidelines. As far as he’s concerned, Natalie should quit before the project drains her entire bank account and her ridiculously sunny optimism.
With Natalie determined to move forward, the gorgeous architect reluctantly agrees to pitch in, giving her a real chance to succeed. But when the fine print on Natalie’s contract is brought to light, she might have no choice but to leave her dream, and Pietro, behind.
It Takes a Villa by Kilby Blades is a fun mix of contemporary romance leaning towards woman’s fiction. Natalie is determined to make a new life for herself in Italy. And the first step is to fix up the villa she purchased for $1. This is a type of program that I’ve seen run in several European areas, but I hadn’t seen it brought into play in a book before. The biggest catch is she only has a short period of time to complete the renovations. And there is a lot to do.
She is not the only person from the rebuilding program living in the area. She connects with a group of fellow re-builders from around the world. They were fun, supportive, and helped her navigate the first few confusing days in Italy. But she also finds herself relying on Pietra, a local man with a love for old buildings and restoration. And he’s quite the expert on how to get it done correctly.
I found Pietro’s conflict with his father – who seems to never really respect Pietro’s expertise – to be one of the most interesting parts of the story. The generational struggle and possible disappointment of not following where your parents thought you should go as an adult is a situation many can relate to. Natalie struggled mostly with repairing her villa in time to meet the program’s deadlines. And while I learned a bit about architecture, it just didn’t draw me in as much as Pietro.
There is plenty of drama, a little catastrophe, and lots of relationships being built. There were a couple of things that really threw me off. The first was the sudden change from what was reading as a fairly clean romance to a spicier romance. While I don’t have a problem with either, the tone of the book changed and it threw me off. The second was the ending. It just sort of stopped. The resolution was there, but then it just cut off and didn’t tell me the wrap-up. Which is one of my favorite parts.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Title: Feisty Author: Julia Kent Genre: Contemporary Romance
It was one little dare with razor-sharp teeth—work for him. Yes, he’s a fire-breathing grump and gazillionaire bachelor. Yes, I just gave him an ego check he’ll never forget. Yes, he’s still offering me the job dreams are made of.
But Cole Lancaster is the stuff of bossy nightmares. Too handsome for real life. Big Coffee kingpin. Guarded papa bear. His precious daughter is the only reason he ever stops grumping for five seconds. I’m sure I can deal with his scowls and cutting glances for one huge payday.
Only, sometimes your best assumptions are dead wrong. Like the business trip to paradise that shows me a different Cole. A man with a beating heart and a billion-dollar smile. A master of soul-stealing kisses. A mess of secrets that leave me reeling.
I wish my taste in men didn’t match my coffee. Strong, steamy, and unspeakably complicated. When I took the job, I didn’t know the risks. What if one crazy dare means falling in love?
I can smell him. Earth, citrus, a hint of espresso, and overpowering alpha male.
“You just can’t sit still, huh? You had to take over the flight attendant’s job?” His voice is a low rumble, a purr that plucks at my nerves.
The attendant rounds the corner and gasps. “Oh, I’m sorry, sir! I offered to do it, but she said she wanted the experience. I didn’t see the harm…”
“Guilty,” I say without looking at him. “I couldn’t pass up a chance to join the coffee mile-high club.”
His eyes flash with a wicked gleam when I realize my mistake.
“Are you done bothering me, Mr. Lancaster?”
He smirks at the flight attendant. “It’s fine. I know how Eliza gets.”
What? He doesn’t even know me.
Why is he acting so familiar?
First the flirting, and now this?
Did he really bring me on this trip for the sake of coffee science? What do I know about Kona beans, anyway? I’ve never picked them by hand.
The sudden crisis of confidence hits like a Mack truck.
“Why don’t you sit down? I’ve got this. I think we’re the only people left without coffee,” I say, ignoring how he squeezes into the tight space next to me.
Lancaster doesn’t move. If anything, he inches closer, watching how I tremble every time he brushes me and—oh, God. He’s enjoying this, isn’t he?
When I grab the new carafe, I almost elbow him in the gut on my way out.
“Do you mind? Like I said, I’ve got this.”
His look reminds me how very little I’ve got anything when it comes to self-control. I almost drop the coffee container on the floor.
When his hand darts around my wrist, I almost hit the ceiling.
I’m barely breathing as he moves his fingers slowly up my hand, gently lifting the carafe away from me.
“You’re shaking like a leaf with a container of hot liquid. Are you sure you don’t need a hand? Serving coffee isn’t below my pay grade, sweetheart,” he whispers.
Dear Lord.
I shake my head fiercely, until he gives up the carafe again when I reach for it, touching his fingers.
For the faintest second, my hip brushes his.
“I can handle my coffee, Mr. Lancaster, but…but thanks.” And because I can still feel his breath when he’s so achingly close, I add, “It’s not as hard as I thought it would be.”
He clears his throat loudly.
At first, my mangled words don’t register.
Shocked that this self-possessed man seems so flustered, I replay the last two lines in my head.
Nicole Snow is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. She found her love of writing by hashing out love scenes on lunch breaks and plotting her great escape from boardrooms. Her work roared onto the indie romance scene in 2014 with her Grizzlies MC series.
Since then Snow aims for the very best in growly, heart-of-gold alpha heroes, unbelievable suspense, and swoon storms aplenty. With over a million books sold, she lives for the joy of making two people fight with every bit of their soul for a Happily Ever After.
Current fan favorites include her Enguard Protectors series, accidental love novels, plus long beloved MC romance thrillers like the Grizzlies and Deadly Pistols.
