Spurred On

Heart, heat, humor all mix together to bring the story to light.

Since the introduction of the Double S Ranch, I’ve wanted Cody’s story –and watch him as besotted as the others who have found love, in rather unconventional ways, in this series. He’s got that whole “it’s not for me” vibe working when it comes to relationships, and believes that love is not, and never would be, for him. Cody is just about everything that you would hope for: finding a way to support what he loves with something that, while not his first choice, fits on his ranch, and allows him to make some much needed cash. And, with having the ‘hen party weekends’ full of women looking to fill cowboy fantasies, and plenty of options, he’s managed to scratch the itch without getting too close to anyone.

But, this book makes a couple of turns to get us to the REALLY good stuff. First, the timeframe of Cody and Sidney’s story closely follows the first book (Stripped Down), in which Logan and Hanna found their moment. And we are jumping back to the planning of the bachelorette party that was the main event. See, Hanna’s party was planned by her sister, Sidney, and when she appears at Cody’s ranch to finalize the details, Cody is thrown back to the last time he saw her, and the damage she did to him when she left him.

And oh the tension between these two is strong: poor Sidney realizing she’s still angry with Cody, and that perhaps, maybe, oh, okay, she does still care and he’s grown up to be one heck of a specimen. And, yes, she knows the reputation that follows him, with discarded conquests scattered across the stableyard like old straw. But, she really never was able to forget him. And, he will be key to her showing Hanna just how wrong her upcoming marriage is. Poor Cody, never quite sure what hit him, when he realizes that he never forgot or stopped wanting Sidney, but he’s got to find a way to show her…..

Heart, heat, humor all mix together to bring the story to light. Cody and Sidney who, despite their inability to just say what they mean at first, are truly adorable, and even as everyone seems to be embroiled in ‘something’ else, they manage to take center stage. Bringing the whole series together with opportunities to see (again) characters and couples from earlier books, fixes these friends and lovers in your heart, and on your shelf. York’s ability to keep a lightness and balance in her tales, even when real issues and concerns arise make for wonderful and engaging moments, peppered with unforgettable dialogue, laugh out loud moments and plenty of steam.