Really, I adored this book. I loved Tate, his dominating ways, his ultra alpha attitude, everything. Lauren is the perfect match. She knew when to fight him, when to push him, and when to back off. There is smokin' hot sex, even hotter foreplay/wordplay, some suspense, and a couple of bawl your eyes out parts. Ms. Ashley has a way of saying exactly what I'm thinking. I think I said the same thing in my review of The Gamble, but she just knows how the female mind works, and writes it on paper. There's no reason for her fictional character to pretend be someone she is not. So she doesn't. She writes so realistically. These characters could be real people walking around today, and wouldn't that be great, to bump into Max and Tate one day?! They almost don't seem fictional!The small town that she creates is such a huge part of the story, also. I came to care for all of them, and they all added a depth to the story that you don't often come across in contemporary romance. Usually, there are one or two secondary characters that add a little something extra. But Ashley literally takes a town and makes you care for it and all of its residents. Wood, Krystal, Bubba, the hippies, the bikers, all of them are special in their own way, and I have a feeling they all have a super story that could be told on their own. But instead of dragging a series out into ten books, Ashley pulls you into this multi-layered, fascinating town and doesn't let go. This is going on my love love love shelf.
