As a fan of Ms. Gibson's writing I'm thrilled to introduce you to her latest small town romance of complete opposites, I Do! by Rachel Gibson. Keep reading to get a taste of this novella, along with my impressions of it, and learn even more about it by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour. Make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a bundle of print books from Ms. Gibson's backlist too!
But Becca Ramsey doesn't have time for all that. Fresh out of beauty school, Becca's all business … and the last thing she needs is bad boy Nate Parrish anywhere in her life.
In the past, Nate was trouble. He's been trying to repair his reputation—heck, he's even got just one girlfriend. The problem is, she isn't Becca. Now Nate's in a whole lot of hot water. He needs to get Becca from "I won't" to "I do" … but how can he do that when she won't even say "I might"?
EXCERPT:
Rebecca Ramsey unplugged the iPod, then leaned beneath the raised hood. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Hello!”
A hollow thud like someone thumped a watermelon came from beneath the car mingled with the sound of tools hitting concrete.
Becca wrinkled her nose and whispered, “Ouch.” She straightened to the sound of a painful moan and a few “goddamn its.” Then two greasy hands reached from beneath and grabbed the shiny bumper. Under the smudges of grease, the head of a Chinese dragon breathed fire across the back of his hand. Squeaky little wheels rolled the rest of him from under the car. Long legs and a spiky belt led to a dirt-smudged white T-shirt over a flat belly. Next came hard forearms and balls of muscular shoulders. The rest of the dragon tattoo wrapped up his arm, and the tail disappeared under the T-shirt sleeve. His square chin and jaw were covered in dark stubble, and a frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. Then eyes the color of a clear Texas sky slid into view and stared up at her. Angry blue eyes beneath dark slashes of brows and surrounded by dark lashes. An even angrier red mark on his forehead seemed to turn redder by the second.
Despite the furious scowl and horrible welt, hideous spiky belt and tacky tattoo, he was so ridiculously hot, Becca felt her insides melt. He rubbed a greasy hand across the welt on his forehead. “Can I do something for you?”
“Yes.” She’d met guys like him before. Guys who looked good in anything from tight T-shirts and jeans to a Sunday suit and tie. Guys who looked at a girl and took her breath away. She’d always been a sucker for guys like him. Hot guys with cool names like Tucker or Slade or Toby Ray. Or, in this case, Nathan Parrish.
A hollow thud like someone thumped a watermelon came from beneath the car mingled with the sound of tools hitting concrete.
Becca wrinkled her nose and whispered, “Ouch.” She straightened to the sound of a painful moan and a few “goddamn its.” Then two greasy hands reached from beneath and grabbed the shiny bumper. Under the smudges of grease, the head of a Chinese dragon breathed fire across the back of his hand. Squeaky little wheels rolled the rest of him from under the car. Long legs and a spiky belt led to a dirt-smudged white T-shirt over a flat belly. Next came hard forearms and balls of muscular shoulders. The rest of the dragon tattoo wrapped up his arm, and the tail disappeared under the T-shirt sleeve. His square chin and jaw were covered in dark stubble, and a frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. Then eyes the color of a clear Texas sky slid into view and stared up at her. Angry blue eyes beneath dark slashes of brows and surrounded by dark lashes. An even angrier red mark on his forehead seemed to turn redder by the second.
Despite the furious scowl and horrible welt, hideous spiky belt and tacky tattoo, he was so ridiculously hot, Becca felt her insides melt. He rubbed a greasy hand across the welt on his forehead. “Can I do something for you?”
“Yes.” She’d met guys like him before. Guys who looked good in anything from tight T-shirts and jeans to a Sunday suit and tie. Guys who looked at a girl and took her breath away. She’d always been a sucker for guys like him. Hot guys with cool names like Tucker or Slade or Toby Ray. Or, in this case, Nathan Parrish.
FIND AT GOODREADS here.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
The denizens of Lovett, Texas return in this fun and flirty read with rapid-fire dialogue and a large cast of characters that almost overwhelm the story. Romance was never such fun as when the serious yet unlucky in love Becca meets bad boy mechanic Nate. Even as sparks fly there's a big obstacle between them that could end their relationship before it starts and readers are along for their rocky journey to HFN.
Fans of this series will love seeing characters from past books as it lends a sense of family to the story but it takes time away from the burgeoning relationship between Nate and Becca that crackles with sexual tension. Whenever they're together the scenes are electric with witty dialogue that brings a smile to your face. The one sexual encounter we see is both steamy and playful and I longed to see more of them one-on-one as they're both entertaining characters. Nate was once a player but has slowly become a responsible man who tries to do the right thing with Becca but knows she's claimed his heart the moment he first sees her. Becca's an outgoing woman full of energy who has big plans for her future. She's been cheated on many times though but breaks many of her rules where Nate's concerned as he makes her feel alive. Unfortunately for her, one omission leads to hurt once again in a denouement that's quickly resolved with only a bit of groveling and charm on his part.
This is a sweet and sensual story with fun dialogue that made for an entertaining read. Being a novella though hurt the overall story as too much was crammed into this short story to leave us feeling short-changed when it came to the main characters. While the inclusion of past characters added a folksy and sentimental feeling to the story it left little time to see Becca and Nate get closer together. Overall this is a signature Rachel Gibson book due to its sparkling characters and crackling dialogue and for that I enjoyed it. I wanted more though, more of Nate and Becca. Ultimately this was a good tale but not a great one. I still enjoy Ms. Gibson's works and look forward to her next book, hopefully one where we see more of Nate and Becca!
My rating for this is a B-
*I got this book from Edelweiss for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Rachel Gibson lives in Idaho with her husband, three kids, two cats and a dog of mysterious origin. She began her fiction career at age 16, when she ran her car into the side of a hill, retrieved the bumper, and drove to a parking lot, where she strategically scattered the car’s broken glass all about. She told her parents she’d been the victim of a hit and run and they believed her. She’s been making up stories ever since, although she gets paid better for them nowadays.
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ReplyDeleteWould love to be selected...love Rachel Gibson's books.
ReplyDeleteKathleen Bylsma