Review: A- rating....
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 25, 2013
My Review:I loved, loved, loved the set-up for this story. This is my first official lumberjack read (even if Matt insists he's not a lumberjack...hehe.) Knowing that Inez Kelley had some expertise on the subject (her husband does this job) really showed. I know nothing about timber management, but found all those details just as interesting as the rest of the story. And this is a good story.Matt works for a big lumber company. He's the guy that makes the plan for how to go through and work a piece of property. When he's given an assignment, he's just given the gps coordinates and doesn't realize it's his family homestead that they lost twenty years ago when he was 16. Everything about this property hurts him on a certain level because the memories are so bittersweet. The mountains were his home for the first 16 years of his life and are truly a part of him, but this property also represents his biggest shame and the extreme poverty they were forced to live in toward the end. To complicate matters is Kayla...he really, really likes her and is drawn to her. But he needs to stay away because of the land. His boss overrules him on that and they slowly begin to work together and then become so much more, but Matt is hiding what her property means to him.Seriously, a great, great story. I loved all the emotion to Matt. He grew up knowing that this land was his family's identity...his heritage, but at 16 he was helpless when they lost it all. The pain he feels at that comes across every single sentence, every single word. Honestly, as the reader that vulnerability made me ache for him. At the same time, he needed to tell Kayla. Not telling her wasn't fair to her, but that's the source of the conflict in this book. He has so much pride. He doesn't want her to see him as anything "less" and when they lost the house, they were definitely "less" in the eyes of everyone who was close to him. That moment in his life has left deep damaging scars that are hard to overcome.Inez Kelley wrote two great characters here and set up for a fabulous series....Webb and Bob and Jonah...all from the lumber company were GREAT characters and I definitely want to see all their stories coming. And Molly too...even Abby is a great character. Oh yeah, and this is only book #1...so many great story possibilities to come. Personally I'm really excited about this new contemporary series. Inez Kelley once again struck the perfect balance of entertainment, romance, angst, smexiness, and friendship that makes for a great contemporary romance.I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.