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Thursday, March 2, 2017

One Wild Night - Contemporary Romance Review

One Wild Night by Melissa Cutler

Rating: Good
Source: NetGalley

Description: A cowgirl at heart, Skye Martinez has a rebellious streak she's determined to shake. Especially since she's poised to take the reins of her family's business at Briscoe Ranch Resort. It's time for her to settle down and get serious about her future...right after one last night of fun with a handsome stranger she meets in the resort's stable. But when a midnight horseback ride turns into a red-hot weekend with one of country music's biggest stars, Skye's world is rocked beyond her wildest dreams...
Gentry Wells rode his bad boy image all the way to the top of the country music charts. But churning out hits has dried up his creativity, and he can't remember the last time his life was his own. Skye is a sexy distraction he can't resist, especially since she breathes new life into his music. They bring out the wild side in each other, which is great for Gentry's career—but a major threat to Skye's. Too bad he's fallen in love with her. With their hearts and futures on the line, can Gentry convince Skye to turn their joyride into a real chance to ride off into the sunset together?

Genre: Romance - Contemporary 

Why I Picked This Book: I like contemporary romance and I'm always looking for new to me authors.  I also loved that Gentry is a celebrity.

My Impression:  There was a lot I liked about this one.  I loved the family feel and Skye works with many of her relatives and her mother and both grandmothers play important roles in the story.  I enjoyed the grandmothers' hijinks and seeing the more serious relationship with her mother.  I especially enjoyed the work type scenes.  It always drives me crazy when a character has a specific job for a plot point and then after she finds the dead body (that'd be more of a mystery than a romance) or meets the guy or his mother or his dog - never goes to it again.  Skye is warm and funny with a serious rebellious streak but also wants to settle down and make her parents proud of her.
I really loved Gentry.  He's got this bad boy image that's more than a little created by management and he's kind of at a cross-roads professionally, creatively, and personally and at the start of the book comes off as a little lost and just plain sad.  From the first run in with Skye it was fun to see the light kind of show back up in him.  I loved the relationship between him and his band mate Nick and enjoyed the not always flattering commentary on the music industry.  Plus, the man understands the meaning of the term "grand gesture" which is always an added bonus in a romance.
For the most part I enjoyed the conflict.  It made sense that Skye wouldn't trust Gentry given her past and his reputation.  It also made sense that Gentry isn't always the clearest on just what he wants in life since at the beginning of the book he seems so lost.  There's also another conflict that is one I typically dislike the most but actually worked here which was a surprise.  There were a number of issues that cropped up in the book but their reactions felt right and it was easy to believe that these people would react like that which is a big plus for me.

There were some things I didn't like.  Skye's rebellious streak is very prominent and seems to head towards self-sabotage at times.  I think it's not unrealistic but I didn't relate to her as much as I'd like because there were times I thought she was being super irresponsible and I wanted to shake her.  At times the book felt slightly disjointed with some parts being almost slapstick and then at other times it strayed towards angsty.

Overall, this wasn't my favorite read of the year but it was an enjoyable.   I love the setting the author has built up and am looking forward to reading more of the series.  This is the 3rd in the One and Only Texas series but honestly I would have had no idea it wasn't a stand alone if Goodreads hadn't told me.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:   I would!  I'd like to see a little more of Briscoe Ranch Resort and get to know more of the characters.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  If you enjoy contemporaries - especially with a Western theme I think you'd like this.

6 comments:

  1. Glad you enjoyed this despite some issues. I love when books in a series like this can be read as a stand alone. Great review!!

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  2. I do love celebrity romances, but I think Skye would drive me crazy. I struggle with really rebellious characters, especially if they are adults.

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  3. grandmother's in books can be so exciting sometimes right XD
    Im sorry you couldn't really relate to skye I can see why honestly, I'm not sure I would be in tune either.

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  4. I like contemporary western romances but not a fan of celebrities - not sure why. That said, I'd give this one a try. Nice that it can stand alone.

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  5. This sounds like a nice read. I am always a fan of grandmotherly hijinks :) I haven't read a lot of romances with celebrities but I would give this one a try. Great review!

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  6. I think I'd enjoy this one Katherine in spite of the reservations you have. Pity she was so on the verge of self sabotage and that the tone/mood changed around quite a bit. However if you like a western romance I am sure it would be a good read for all the reasons you mention.

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