Review: Violet Duke does it again!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 22, 2014
This is a Cactus Creek novel but it can be read as a stand alone.  I recommend, however, that you read all of her books cause they are really good.Hudson Reyes is scarred, inside and out.  Injured in Afghanistan in a combat incident, he is home and resigned to never being a soldier again.  He has also resigned himself to a life of loneliness and unhappiness, until he spies Lia at a friends wedding and can’t get her out of his head.  Liana Lin has her own scars from her past to deal with, but she’s a fighter and has dealt with them the best way she knows how.  Her day job as an antique arms authenticator is intriguing enough, but she can hold her own in an MMA fight as well.  Hudson and Lia have sparks flying between them from the first moment that their eyes meet, but will Hudson be able to allow himself to be happy?  Will Lia be able to break through his defenses and get to the scarred man that lies beneath?Love, Tussles, and Takedowns is the second full length novel in the Cactus Creek series, there are three stories all together if you include the prequel as well.  To be honest, I haven’t ever read a Violet Duke novel that I didn’t like, and this one is no exception.  She has, once again, delivered a spectacular story that is filled with heat, chemistry, sadness, happiness, and everything in between.  I love it when an author gets you so involved with the characters that you really seem to have a vested interest in whether everything turns out okay or not….like you might actually be depressed if it doesn’t work out between them.  She lightly touches on the topic of PTSD in our soldiers, and while it is a very important topic, she manages to include it in such a way that you feel empathy for them without being bogged down in the really deep dark emotions that can be associated with it.  There are a couple of darker moments in this book, but they are essential to the plot and the development of the characters.  Without them, the characters just wouldn’t come to life as easily for the reader.  I also liked that she included a little bit in this book that sets up for (I hope) a story line that would be several books from now.Overall, I loved this book.  It was, as are all of her books, a fun and easy read with some laughter and tears thrown in here and there.  If you enjoyed the Nice Girl to Love series, then you will love this series as well.