3.5 ⭐
MCs:
- Dash, 30
- Molly, 28
Book info:
- Cowboy Romance
- Small town romance
- Forced Proximity
- Workplace romance
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Drug Addiction
- Loss of loved one
- Non-virgin MCs (both celibate for years)
- No cheating, omd/owd
- With third act breakup
- HFN
"𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰’𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰’𝒎 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓."
The story got me hooked in the beginning, but for some reason it fell flat in the second half.
I really liked Dash and Molly's chemistry; it was definitely there, and it was palpable. They've known each other, I think, since book 1. Their interactions were minimal because Dash is a grumpy loner who would rather deal with horses than people. However, Dash's brother hired Molly to be the stable manager, and accompanying this position is an accommodation. They've become roommates, and this is where the forced proximity comes in.
Their first introduction as roommates was Molly coming out of the bathroom buck-ass naked. Like I said, it was implied they rarely interacted before. But Molly has a little crush on Dash; he, on the other hand, didn't see her as anything else. Yet after this incident, insta-lust kicks in for the both of them, and since then, they've been wanting to jump each other's bones. It was funny at first reading their inner monologue about how they have hots for each other but can't do anything about it, but it kind of became repetitive along the way.
However, ngl, their steamy scenes did serve. They were hot, and Dash's mouth is really something. But after their first time, they decide to be friends instead and not to have a repeat. Which is a silly idea because this only made them hornier than ever before. This didn't last for long anyway; they went at it like bunnies and became roommates with benefits.
Then there's the freaking third-act breakup that I didn't understand at all. Molly's sister is about to graduate, and she promised her that she could live with her. But she didn't tell this to Dash, and I don't even remember her reason why. Then Dash found out about it, and he got hurt, like, why can't Molly even tell him about this thing? Tbf, Molly didn't want Dash to leave; she just wants the three of them to live together. Then his insecurity comes in, and he decides to leave their apartment. They were separated for a few weeks. Then he made his grand gesture by proclaiming his love for her by announcing it to all of their staff. I got second-hand embarrassment from this, but that's my problem.
Anyway, I really liked the writing style of the author, and this is the first book I read from her. The characters were likeable too, despite some of their dumb actions. I honestly enjoyed the first half, but when they finally did the deed and decided to backtrack to being friends, it made me lose interest a little bit. The third-act breakup doesn't make any sense to me, and I was honestly confused at first with Dash's reaction. Then, when I thought hard about where he was coming from, I felt that he overreacted and should've communicated to Molly instead. Then I realized again that he's not a people person, and he's not good with words. At this point, I just gave up; I don't know what to do with the scene anymore because this only annoyed me; it doesn't need to happen, imo.
Anyway, Molly is such a kind-hearted person, and she really misses Dash too, so when he made his public announcement, she accepted him quickly, and they got back together.
Overall, it was okay. It has some good things, but also some that are not. I enjoyed it mostly, except for the breakup. I also felt like the ending was rushed, and it only has a HFN situation; personally, I'm not a fan of that. There's a bonus epilogue, but it's more like an extra scene and not years later. I'm kind of greedy, and I always want to have a glimpse of MCs lives in the future.
Anyhoo, I think this is still a good read if readers are interested in cowboy and small town romance.