Review: Just Once
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 17, 2013
***This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.***I really enjoyed this book about losing who you are and the struggle to find it again.After years of globetrotting and being pampered, Kate returns to a place from her past that means something to her. Trading in her expensive heels for jeans and sneakers, she heads to Ponderosa Pines Ranch to (unknowingly) face off with Shane, the ranch's Foreman.There were sparks from the second Kate met Shane. Sexual tension radiated off the pages every time they were together. After deciding the only way to get past it is to give in to it, they decide that they'll sleep together `just once' to get each other out of their systems, and they'll be good to go. Only...it doesn't quite work out that way.If I thought the sexual tension radiated off the pages just from their conversations, it shook my freaking Kindle when they made it to the bedroom. I've been so lucky lately in that I've read back to back to back books with some hot as hell sex scenes, but this one takes the cake. Shane and Kate were absolutely electric together-Shane especially was just so damn hot. He definitely knows how to get a gal's blood pumping.They were both likable characters. Kate was having second thoughts about the path her life was on, and Shane, though he had a gruff exterior, ended up being incredibly playful at times when it came to Kate, which made him even sexier. And I liked that though he was self-assured, he was uneasy about the gap in their lifestyles and if the ranch was `good enough' for Kate. I think this was accurate for his character. A man like Shane, who was very prideful, would give a great deal of thought to something like that.I found it interesting that despite her jet-setting lifestyle and the fact that she grew up wealthy, it was the ranch she'd spent three summers working at as a teenager that Kate considered her home. It said a lot about her character-she wasn't someone who felt she was entitled to things though she'd been treated that way most of her life; she wanted to earn her way.I really like the way things progressed between Kate and Shane. I felt like it was a true to life pace. It wasn't an `eyes meet-jump into bed' type of situation. They were both fighting their attraction, and their sleeping together was sort of a last ditch effort to get over each other.There was a lot of day to day life in this book, which is something I really enjoy, especially when it's in a setting I don't know much about. There was also a lot going on with the secondary characters, but when you're dealing with a setting like a ranch/resort, there are a lot of players; I liked knowing what was going on with each of them. It was a good opportunity to learn more about Kate, as she was often dishing out advice and putting out fires between the other employees.Overall, I thought the story was well-done. There was a nice balance between the Shane/Kate moments and everything else going on around them. I felt like everything was tied up nicely at the end, and I got my happily ever after!I have to say that I'm floored this is a debut novel. The writing was very seasoned and there was a nice flow to it. It makes me excited to see what is next from this author!For more reviews, please visit Gigi's Book Blog!