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Review

The synopsis for this book had me immediately intrigued, and I have been so excited to get to it! And I was hooked from the very first page, and finished it the same day. It’s funny, it’s romantic, it’s sexy, and it’s got a fantastic HEA that left me grinning like an idiot!

“We were crazy two years ago. Crazy in love.”

Andie survived an awful childhood of abuse and neglect. Trying to take back control of her life, at age 15, she created a lifeplan– things that she would achieve in her life by a certain age (college, career, marriage, babies). As a result of this, her life is completely scripted as she strives to achieve her goals.

The lifeplan gets thrown right out the window one wild night in Vegas where she is partying with girlfriends. She literally stumbles into Mack, a gorgeously sexy cowboy, and they spend one incredible night together (hot sex anybody? Damn!!!), connecting on many levels.

“I don’t want this to end. There’s something about you that’s just lassoed my heart or my common sense or something and I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to get it back until you let it go.”
…
“You’re something special. Didn’t you feel it? The way we fit together so perfectly?”

“With him, I knew I could be myself. I could be confident and sexy and in control. I could dream of a life that didn’t involve a plan that had to be followed for the next ten years. I could forget where I came from and who I’d left behind to become the woman I was now”

But the following morning, Andie wakes up hungover and alone, with very little memory of the night before except for the amazing man who isn’t there in the morning, and sadly doesn’t fit into her lifeplan anyway.

Two years later she is engaged to somebody who does fit into her lifeplan – and who is a total douche! When she receives the unexpected news that she can’t marry her fiancé as she is already married (Oops!), she travels straight to Ohio to track down her husband and demand a divorce so that she can go about her perfectly scripted little life. However, upon seeing each other again, not only is it clear that she still harbours some very intense feelings for him, but Mack has no intention of letting her go.

Mack – what a freaking awesome name for a cowboy! OK, so his name is actually Gavin MacKenzie, but he goes by ‘Mack’, which is so much hotter! I love him! Absolutely love him! He is so in love with Andie, so sure of his feelings, and so committed to her.

“I’m engaged” …
“No, you’re not,” he growled into my neck. “You’re married. To me. We came first, not him.”

Oh, and he’s still hotter than all hell!

“If you really, really want me to stop touching you, I will. I swear it … But if you want me to keep touching you, all you have to do is say please, and it’ll be done. I’ll touch you all night. All you have to do is ask.”

*fans self*… and then there’s this…

“With every thrust he gave me his response. “You. Are. My. Wife.” The last word came out as a growl.” 

Wow!

And Andie’s response – “I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t be blamed. I was just a sorry little slut who couldn’t control her libido.” Not that I can blame her!! Not. At. All! The chemistry between these two is SCORCHING, and their sexy time is really intense!

But Andie is still stuck working towards her lifeplan, and there’s also the pesky issue of the fiancé back at home! And through it all, Mack is honest with her, letting her know how he feels, but never forcing her into anything. And it made me love him all the more!

“Come on, wife. Come take a little ride with me. Let me show you all the things you’ll be missing when you go back East and leave me here with a broken heart.”

I love Mack and Andie! They are great characters individually, but together they are just dynamite!!! And the dialogue in this book is fantastic – it’s fast paced, it’s clever, and there is some great banter. The character dynamics are also sensational, particularly with Mack’s family. What a fantastic bunch! There is background there for Mack’s younger brother, Ian, and I’m hoping that he gets his own story at some stage. I also loved Andie’s friends, who are freaking hilarious – Candace had me laughing every time she appeared.

I really loved this book. It’s a gorgeous story, really well written with fantastic characters, a whole heap of hotness, and some gorgeous swoon.

“Once I saw you, I had no choice. I was done for good. You’re the last woman I ever want to be with.”

“I can’t let you go because you’re mine.”

I loved it! 4.5 stars.

 

Shine Not Burn series