Review: Wonderfully touching story with an awesome couple! <3
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 4, 2013
5 starsI loved this book! Ivey and Gray are both great characters and I loved seeing them get together despite what people did to try to split them up. I just had to root for them from the beginning because it's so obvious that they're meant for each other. I'm a big fan of KA's writing and this is one of her best...it's made it to my favorites list and I will be rereading it in the future. :DIvey is 22 years old when the story starts. She and her brother, Casey, have been on the run since she was 12 years old (due to some bad issues with their home life). Casey took off with her to protect her but as they got older it started being Ivey that brought in the money and took care of them both. They kept on the move and end up in Mustang, CO, where Casey meets a girl he wants more time with so he pushed them in to staying. Ivey has lived her life making no connections and drawing as little attention as possible, aka "playing it safe". She meets a man that she's attracted to in Mustang but doesn't think it's safe to let herself go out with him. When Casey insists on staying in town, she decides to take a risk for once in her life and accepts a date with Grey.Gray is 25 when the story starts. He runs a combo Orchard/horse farm that has been in the family for generations and is well respected in town. Gray's a good man and takes care of his crippled Grandmother with very little help from the rest of his family. When he meets Ivey, he knows she's not your normal sort of girl but he's attracted to her and helps her when she gets in some trouble with a local jerk. When Ivey ends up staying in town, Gray convinces her to go out with him and it turns in to more then either expected.Ivey gets a waitress job at a local bar and a room to stay in. She's never had a place of her own and she's happy to be able to settle in this charming town that she likes from the start and make some friends. With being on the road all the time, she's also never dated so going out with Gray is a new experience for her but one she's more than willing to indulge in. They become close quickly and regardless of their different backgrounds, it's obvious they're good for each other. Things are grat until her brother, having broken up with his girl, demands she leave with him. She refuses and stays in town to be with Gray and make a life for herself. Unfortunately, there are people that don't like her and Gray's happiness and through lies and manipulation, Ivey gets pulled away. She leaves town in an effort to protect Gray and the townspeople but leaves a note telling Gray she'll be back as soon as she can. She doesn't know she's being manipulated and that after she's gone, people make sure that Gray never gets her note. She does get back to Mustang but only long enough to see Gray in what seems to be an intimate moment with another woman (which isn't what it seems) and thinking he's moved on, she doesn't stick around.Ivey ends up in Vegas and becomes a headliner in a show. She has a glamorous life but isn't truly happy. She closes herself off and is only close to her BFF Lash (who runs the club her show is at) and Brutus (aka Freddie). Lash is gay but way in the closet and she acts as his fake girlfriend, living with him and convincing everyone they're a couple. Her life is pleasant but she still longs for Gray and misses Mustang and the life she almost had there. When she gets a call from a friend of Gray's saying he needs help, she immediately agrees to help, regardless of the fact that she thinks he doesn't care about her. When she does what she has to in order to help Gray, it comes out that she'd left a note that was never received and that their relationship was sabotaged in order to split them up. After her time in Vegas, Ivey is unsure about Gray and the town accepting her again but things go well and Gray just wants her back (as he never stopped loving her) and the townspeople (once they find out what happened) are just thrilled she's back. Gray and Ivey become a couple and work on forming their life together (and they are sooo great together, making a wonderful couple) but things aren't perfect as the villain of the story keeps causing issues. There are a number of problems they have to get through but some good times as well. In the end the villain of the story is dealt with (although I wish he'd have gotten worse than he did) and Gray and Ivey are free to really settle in and enjoy being together and building their future. The story ends with a wonderful HEA that was very sweet and satisfying.Sigh! This book was so great and emotionally satisfying. Gray and Ivey are perfect together and it was great to see them get past the machinations of the villains and find happiness. I was very touched by the story and it's made it to my all time favorites list (and Gray is totally a new book boyfriend for me). This is definitely worth a read (and rereads). I'd highly recommend it. 2 thumbs way up! :D