The Bluff by Willa Nash is now live!
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Blurb
As Calamity’s newest resident, Everly Christian thought life in small-town Montana would be dull and tame—and she needs a little mundane after the last few chaotic years. But one night, boredom drives her to the local bar, where she finds herself sitting beside a handsome and mysterious artist.
The man is anything but dull and tame, especially in the bedroom, and when she steps out of his shower and overhears his conversation, life gets interesting again.
Reese Huxley needs a wife.
And why shouldn’t Everly be the bride?
She’s got her reasons for agreeing to the hasty nuptials—reasons she’s keeping to herself. As long as she can stop herself from falling in love with her husband, she’ll make it out of this sham marriage in one piece. But Everly has a weakness for wayward men, and the more Hux pushes her away, the more she realizes this bluff is anything but a lie.
Review
5 stars!
I love this book! A fake relationship/marriage of convenience story that is passionate, intense, and absolutely sizzling with chemistry! I felt the connection between these two characters, and I loved their fun, dramatic and (mildly) angsty story.
This is the second book in the Calamity Montana series, and while you can read it as a standalone, there is some character crossover, and beware storyline spoilers for the first book in the series, The Bribe.
Everly Christian is the best friend of Lucy (heroine from book #1). An ex-singer, she followed her best friend from Nashville to the small town of Calamity, and was a part of the drama that unfolded at the end of the previous book. It has left its mark on her, and she’s feeling very lost, with her life in limbo. She’s searching for…. something. She’s just not sure what that something is.
Reese ‘Hux’ Huxley is a local artist with a devastating background. He’s a single father with practically no access to his 16-year-old daughter and he has been through hell, and while his professional life is booming, he is struggling personally. Gruff and broody, he has a reputation in town for being closed off and a total loner, but deep down he is a man nursing a whole lot of hurt, and of course, I fell for him instantly.
Everly and Hux meet at a bar one night and end up sharing a wild and unforgettable night together. Hux is absolutely not interested in a relationship, but when it becomes clear that they can’t keep their hands off each other, they agree to a no-strings arrangement for as long as it both suits them. And it absolutely does. And then Everly overhears that to help his situation, Hux needs a wife. Presented with the opportunity to help him, Everly is right on board, offering herself up as his fake (but oh-so-willing) wife. The plan being that they maintain their current no-strings arrangement, while living together as a married couple, showing their ‘love’ off to the town.
“You need to show the town of Calamity that you’re not just a brooding artist with a magnificent scowl and marginal social skills.”
His frown deepened.
“See?” I pointed to his face. “This is what I’m talking about. Seriously, Hux, you radiate pissed-off jerk.
It’s a fantastic set-up, and so much fun, and I loved watching the story play out. Hux and Everly have a wonderful dynamic that is honest and upfront – part snark, part playful, part raw sexuality, and I loved them together!
Everly in bed was something I could compartmentalize. The bed was familiar. The bed was easy. If we had one thing going for us headed into this shitshow, it was the sex.
Damn it. Nothing good would come from me falling in love with my husband.
Complications arise when, of course, the more entwined their lives become, feelings start to develop. There’s also Hux’s family situation – his daughter and his vindictive ex-wife, and the fact that nobody in his life seems to accept Everly’s place in it. Then there are Everly’s demons which she’s still wrestling with. There’s drama, and a little bit of angst, and though it hurt at times, I loved watching them work through it.
I wanted it to be real. With every passing day, I wanted to belong to someone special and have that special someone belong to me.
I wanted that special someone to be Hux.
Ev and Hux are magic together! They have such a positive impact on each other, they laugh and tease, and the growing emotion between them is so, so beautiful. You can see every stage of their changing relationship, and there are some wonderfully swoony moments in this book. It’s not an easy ride for them, they have a lot to figure out and they have to fight for their happy ending, but the drama and conflict is really well written, it’s understandable from both sides, and it’s so worth it to watch them figure it all out.
“Ev.” His gravelly voice wrapped around me like silk. “Look at me.”
My eyes locked with his blues and… crash.
I loved him.
I was undeniably in love with Reese Huxley.
I loved so much about this book – the characters, their individual stories, and their story as a couple. The drama brings so much to their journey, and it all comes together beautifully to create a really special read. We get a glimpse of the fireworks in store for the next book, and that glorious bonus epilogue hints at a possible future book for Hux’s daughter, Savannah, and I am here for it! The only thing that could have made this book even better was more of Ev and Hux together – the book ended and I wasn’t ready for it to be over, and I would have loved just a little bit more. But I look forward to many, many rereads of this book in the future.
Whether she’s writing as Devney Pery or Willa Nash, the woman has a gift, and I just keep falling more and more in love with her stories.
5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Calamity Montana
The Bribe (#1) (Duke & Lucy)
Review
Buy: Amazon
The Booty (standalone novella) (Aidan & Lola)
Review
Free from Author: Bookfunnel
The Bluff (#2) (Hux & Everly)
Review
Buy: Amazon
The Brazen (#3) (Piece & Kerrigan)
Review
Buy: Amazon
The Bully (#4) (Cal & Nellie)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Excerpt
“You need a wife.”
“It was a joke.”
She sipped the hot, black liquid. “Was it?”
Everly had this way of posing a question that contradicted everything. Like the first night we’d met at the bar and I’d told her she’d missed the excitement.
Did I?
One two-word question that had led me straight to her bed.
Well, this two-word question wasn’t going to lead me to the altar.
About the Author
Willa Nash is USA Today Bestselling Author Devney Perry’s alter ego, writing contemporary romance stories for Kindle Unlimited. Lover of Swedish Fish, hater of laundry, she lives in Washington State with her husband and two sons. She was born and raised in Montana and has a passion for writing books in the state she calls home.
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