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Blurb

It all started with a bet.

When my young son inherited half of his great grandfather’s historic inn, I decided to move us both to the place where I grew up.

Notice I said half of the Inn.  The other half now belonged to Levi Miller, the famous quarterback who had other ideas about what we should do with the property.

We won’t mention that I accidentally injured him during our first meeting, causing him to get eight stitches.

You could say we got off on the wrong foot.

We bickered a lot as we both moved into the property while we figured things out.

He wanted to unload the rundown place which, admittedly, needed a lot of work.

I wanted to restore The Palm Inn to its original beauty and re-open it as a bed and breakfast.

We couldn’t agree on anything.  So Levi made me a proposal.  One he thought I would surely lose.  If I could sell out the place by the time he had to leave for training at the end of summer, he would back off and let me run it.

But in the weeks that followed, we got more than we bargained for while we were living under the same roof.

Levi and I got closer, and before I knew it, my nightly fantasies about the brawny Adonis became a reality. Not to mention, he was so great with my son.

We were in over our heads in more ways than one.

Because not only was he the last man on Earth I should be falling for because of our deal, but Levi was also my ex’s older brother.

And now the inn was the least of my problems.

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Review

3 stars

Another fun read from one of my favourite writing duos! This is a playful and flirtatious romance with an angsty twist when a single mother falls for her ex-fiance’s older brother.

Presley has just moved back to her home town with her 8-(I think)-year-old son, Alex, moving into the family inn that he inherited from his great grandfather. She plans to renovate the place and run it, but is met with resistance from her ex-fiance’s big brother, NFL superstar, Levi, who inherited half of the Inn with Alex, and who wants to sell it and split the profits.

Presley and Levi don’t really get on. Not only are they at odds with regards to the Inn, but Levi isn’t happy about how Presley left his brother seven years previously. However not all is as it seems, and when he learns that his brother is a cheating a-hole with a gambling problem, and an absentee father, he starts to see things in a completely different light.

The more Levi and Presley they spend together, the closer they become, and when attraction starts to blossom, we get these fantastic, chemistry-filled interactions that is so much fun to watch. They both know what they’re feeling, they are aware the other is feeling it too, but they know they can’t go there, so instead there is a whole lot of teasing and sexual tension, and I loved how open and honest they are about it all. And, of course, it’s only a matter of time before their attraction deepens and they find themselves unable to resist each other. It’s hot and steamy, and gorgeously emotional, and I loved watching their relationship blossom.

The moment we connected, everything seemed to fade into the background, as if nothing in the world was more important than this kiss.

But their backgrounds make the situation seriously complex, and while the forbidden element brings a level of excitement, their situation quickly turns angsty when Presley’s estranged ex shows up.

It’s a fun set up, and I loved the first part of the book which was full of light, entertaining moments, and a wonderfully developing romance. I’m not a fan of too much angst, and while I was fully expecting this one, given the situation, I didn’t like the way Presley dealt with the situation, and her actions made the whole thing more angsty than it needed to be.

And, of course, the heartache is worth it to see them get their happy ending, and it’s a sweet and swoony ending that finishes off the story beautifully.

It’s not my favourite of Vi and Pene’s co-writes, but it’s an enjoyable read. I listened to it as an audiobook narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York, and they do a great job with it, so this was a fun one to listen to.

3 stars.

Check out our Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward Author Spotlight for more great co-writes from this duo