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Review

4 stars!

I have loved Lauren Layne’s previous books and was so excited to dive into this one, and once again she has given us a sweet and sexy love story with a great romantic dynamic. It’s a love/hate set-up with great chemistry and banter that had me laughing out loud. Such an enjoyable read, I loved it.

This is officially book 2 in the Love Unexpectedly series, but doesn’t seem to tie into book 1 (I haven’t actually read it) and can definitely be read as a standalone.

Jenny Dawson is America’s sweetheart and a country music superstar. At only 22, it isn’t the life she imagined for herself and though she loves writing music and singing, she’s feeling overwhelmed by the media attention. When a new scandal erupts unjustifiably putting her in the middle of a famous actor’s claims of infidelity and tarnishing her ‘good girl’ reputation, she flees LA for a sleepy little town in Louisiana and an old house she spent an idyllic summer in as a child, where she can live in peace while she writes her new album and waits for the media frenzy to die down.

I love Jenny! She’s sensible, relatable and instantly likable, and her inner monologue and narration of the story had me instantly invested.

I, myself, am Jenny Dawson.
A country singer.
Don’t.
Roll.
Your.
Eyes.
I get that country music can be polarizing, I do, I really do. But I swear I don’t twang about dead dogs and dusty highways. I just write songs about real life. My life. And then I sing them.
Formerly in the shower, and now on the radio.

The house she is escaping to belongs to Preston Noah Maxwell Walcott. 27 year old Preston is the illegitimate son of a wealthy businessman and inherited his father’s business and properties upon his death. However he was raised in a trailer by his single mother, where he went by the name Noah. Torn between two worlds, he has escaped to the old house in Louisiana, working to fix it up while he ignores his problems. He agreed to rent his house out to Jenny but wants to continue living an anonymous life, so he introduces himself as Noah Maxwell, tells her he is the property’s caretaker, and moves into a smaller house on the property while he works on the house.

Of course from the moment Noah and Jenny see each other they are immediately attracted, but Noah is a grumpy a-hole, and he wants nothing to do with the girl he perceives as a spoiled, home-wrecking princess.

I’ve never been sucker-punched with equal waves of lust and disdain before.

But the intense chemistry between them cannot be denied and though Noah is mean and cruel to Jenny as he tries his best to keep her at arm’s length, she comes right back at him and their banter and teasing is fantastic! (Zip-ties anyone? Phew!)

“You’re playing with fire, little girl,” he says quietly. “I’m not one of your toys, and I’m not interested in what you’re offering.”
“I’m not offering anything.” I retort, even though his words sting. “I like my men more…refined.”
His grin calls my bluff. “You sure about that?”

I really like Noah. He’s a bit of a complex character, and not immediately likable with his broody snarkiness masking what’s really going on with him, so I love that we get his POV so that we can see where he’s coming from and really understand his motivations.

Fuck this girl and her addictive everything.

I love these two together! The sexual tension is zinging from the very beginning, and it builds beautifully as they spend time together, and when they finally cave in to the inevitable it’s hot as all hell! But with Jenny only in town for a short time, neither of them want to get too attached and Noah is determined to keep things impersonal between them but as they open up and get to know each other, real feelings start to develop and they soon realise that what they have between them is more than just sex.

Damn it, I want Noah Maxwell to care about me. I want a tiny bit of tenderness from this rough, gruff guy who most of the time can barely stand me.
Keep dreaming, princess, I tell myself in a mocking version of his harsh, drawling timbre.
But then I really must be dreaming, because his hand moves, hovering above mine with only a split second of hesitation before it closes over mine gently but authoritatively.
I bite my lip to fight the smile, but it comes all the same.
“Don’t make it weird, princess,” he says gruffly.

It’s wonderful to watch them slowly fall for each other even though they’re both trying so hard not to, and the heat between them blends really nicely with the growing emotion. Jenny knows she is falling for Noah, but she is due to return to her real life soon and Noah is still figuring out what he wants from his life, knowing only that he wants no part of a life in the limelight. They are both dreading the moment where she has to leave, but with their completely different lives and with Noah in denial about his true feelings, what does the future hold for them?

I don’t want to belong to anyone but myself. I don’t want to live anyone’s life but my own.
And I do not fit into Jenny Dawson’s life. I’ve known it from the very beginning.
But damned if it didn’t feel like she was just starting to fit into mine.”

I loved this book! Jenny and Noah are both great characters, and I could completely relate to them and all that they are feeling. The chemistry between them is wonderful, and I loved their heat-filled bickering as much as the sweet moments, and the oh-so-steamy sexy time.

Ranger and Dolly, Noah and Jenny’s dogs, are absolutely sensational, with real personalities that add something special to the story. And Noah’s best friends Finn and Vaughn are both fantastic, and I hope that they get their own books, because I would love to read more about them!

“I’m starting to feel a lot less like running from something and a lot more like…home”
Finn pulls out his phone. “I need to write that down. See if Ma will stick it on a quilt for me.”

This was a really fun read. I was instantly sucked in, and Jenny and Noah’s story kept me engaged the whole way through. I was rooting for them to find their happy ending, and I was really happy with how it all ended – including a gorgeous epilogue that left me with a big grin on my face.

I loved it – 4 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided in exchange for an honest review.