Publication date: December 11, 2018
Cover blurb:
She wants to leave Nugget behind, he’s just made it his home. Sometimes love is worth throwing plans—and caution—to the wind . . .
Raylene Rosser is Nugget’s most infamous prodigal daughter. The townspeople aren’t exactly holding a welcome home parade when she returns, but that’s okay with Raylene—she’s only here to make amends for selfish mistakes, sell her property, and get out of town asap after her half-brother Logan’s wedding. Picturesque Nugget is her past, and Raylene is determined to build a future . . .
All of which would be easier if Logan hadn’t asked his business partner to keep an eye on her. A security specialist, Gabe Moretti certainly knows how to shadow a girl—and how to boss said girl around. It would be infuriating, if only Raylene could keep her eyes off Gabe’s broad chest, rugged profile, and sexy smile. Falling in love might not be the safe choice, but sometimes everyone needs to tempt fate . . .
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Have I mentioned how much I love the Nugget series by Stacy?? These books have everything-heart, humor. sexy times, small town ideals and a cast of great characters! Even those characters that are less appealing than others-or at least appear to be so. Raylene Rosser is a good example of someone who has come across in previous books as utterly the most unlikable character possible (short of being a murderer or something like that!) Previous outings of Nugget have introduced readers to someone who is spoiled and has no heart..but was that the real Raylene?
If you’ve read the Nugget books prior, you will know what an ass Raylene’s father Ray was and that he coerced her into attempting to frame to her high school boyfriend Lucky for murder and is part of the reason why the majority of the town despises her. Even knowing this, Raylene has come back to Nugget for her brother’s Logan’s wedding, where she is met with scorn and derision. The only bright spot besides Logan and his fiancee Annie is Gabe, his business partner and her appointed babysitter. Gabe is intrigued by her beauty and spirit, and determined to find out what she is hiding about her return to Nugget because he knows that the nuptials are not the only reason.
Raylene admits she has also returned to sell off the last of the Rosser land to finance her dream of training cutting horses in So Cal, though that is not the whole truth. She is also determined to find the fabled ‘Levi’s Gold’, treasure hidden by one of the Rosser ancestors on the property. That would allow her to not only buy a ranch but to continue to support a women’s shelter which has become a huge part of her life after years of dealing with her father and abusive ex-husband. Gabe finally gets her to admit her secondary plan and decides to humor her in her search which allows him to stick close to her and their mutual attraction to grow. And of course treasure also means danger (aka FF catnip!) so you understand why I enjoyed the book so much!
Revisiting Nugget is one of my favorite things to do, and I absolutely recommend this book to other fans of contemporary romance. While Raylene will probably never be one of my favorite residents, I appreciated how her journey to redeem herself in the town’s eyes was not just a simple process which only made it seem more real. As always, the cast of characters (especially Owen!) continues to entertain, and I eagerly look forward to the next outing!
Thank you to Kensington/Lyrical Shine for the chance to read this early via Netgalley!