review || GLITTER AND GRIT { blog tour }

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Glitter and Grit by Jessie Evans

Publisher: Self Taught Ninja (12/18/2014)
Series: Lonesome Point, Texas, book 4

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: InkSlinger
Buy It From || amazon | b&n | iBooks || goodreads

My Rating: ★★★★1/2

A sexy small town romance from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Jessie Evans

This ride is going to last a lot longer than eight seconds...

Female professional bull rider, Reece Hearst, graduated from the school of hard knocks. With honors. Because life is like bull riding--when it sends you to the dirt, you do whatever it takes to get on your feet, even if you have to crawl. Like when officials stripped her of her rodeo queen title on the basis of vicious gossip years ago and not even her father would believe her side of the story. Reece could have stayed in the dust, wallowing. Instead, she fixed Lonesome Point in her rearview, joined the pro circuit, and never looked back. But now a serious injury threatens to end her career and she's back in Lonesome Point, living next door to the family that once made her life a living hell.

After multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan and his father's death, all Grayson Parker wants is to get his family's cattle business back in the black and live a quiet life. But the return of Reece Hearst opens old wounds, throwing his ordered world into chaos. Grayson was serving overseas when Reece was a teenager and can't believe the girl he once knew has grown into a heartbreaker as hardened as she is beautiful.

Grayson finds a kindred spirit in wounded Reece and soon longs to be the man to show her that there is life after pain and loss. But can two people as damaged as Reece and Grayson find their way to happily ever after? Or will the scars on their hearts forever keep them apart?

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about Jessie Evans || New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessie Evans, gave up a career as an international woman of mystery to write the sexy, contemporary Southern romances she loves to read. She's married to the man of her dreams, and together they're raising a few adorable, mischievous children in a cottage in the jungle. She grew up in rural Arkansas, spending summers running wild, being chewed by chiggers, and now appreciates her home in a chigger-free part of the world even more. When she's not writing, Jessie enjoys playing her dulcimer (badly), sewing the worlds ugliest quilts to give to her friends, going for bike rides with her house full of boys, and drifting in and out on the waves, feeling thankful for sun, surf, and lovely people to share them with.

connect with Jessie || Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Newsletter

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{ review } .

1st. Composing this from my phone... Therefore the font and size and alignment is so not on par. I will fix when I have a computer. Totally dropped the ball, and I was super prepared for today!!

 

2nd. That cover. Oooh me, oh my, that cover. I'd like to find me one of him. He's a pretty one. Beyond him, though, the style of this series' covers are just superb. I absolutely love them.

 

And now for the real meat and potatoes ;) I'm attempting to not be all synopses-y with my reviews, but I'm not sure how that will work for me. But I shall try..!

Immediately upon meeting Reece, you learn she's broken (like, crack in the head broken), but also emotionally broken. She's vulnerable and bitter. When reading her thoughts, her bitterness just seeps through the pages.

Granted, she is fairly justified in her feelings.

 

And then you meet Grayson -- he's dark and brooding, and has the weight of the world, or rather, his sister's world, on his shoulders.

For one night, they choose to let that go. Yes, alcohol does some of the talking, but the chemistry is undeniable.

When Reece wakes the next morning, first she has zero recollection of if she slept with her "Broody", but also that she is in the house of her nightmares. Without giving him a chance to explain, she bolts.

What I like about Grayson is he fights for Reece--he can't explain the chemistry, but he doesn't want to fight or ignore it -- he wants to ride it out and see where it goes.

 

In a twist of irony, Reece falls into the same "situation" she earlier calls her sister out on -- how can you fall for someone in so few days..? (FYI, that book is DIAMONDS AND DUST and I can't wait to get my hands on it!)

 

I enjoyed Reece and Grayson's story. It doesn't matter how fast, Grayson loves that woman inside and out. { spoiler }

You know from the first time Grayson follows Reece to her home to try and get her to come back (back when he assumes she was a willing participant in the relationship with his father) that he wants Reece fully. You see his concern when she hurts herself; you feel his grief when he wants her to go to the hospital (to which he would go with her) but knows he needs to be back for his sister, because first and foremost, his loyalty is to her. When the big accident happens at the end, you can understand his fear for Reece; but when she goes to that in-between place and meets their probable future daughter, and she states that her daddy needs her (Reece) back? Oh my goodness, the love that man has for Reece, it poors off the page.

“There are lots of places in the world to run a ranch,” he said gently. “So far, I’ve only found one Reece Hearst.”

 

I mean, c'mon, seriously? I love him. He may have Hus broody side (he's got a ton of stress, after all) but he's really just a big ol' sweetheart.

“I’m coming to peace with your bossy side, that’s all.”

“It’s my worried-about-you side..."

 

...and oh, dang, I wish I were on a computer to make this super long... I'll likely do more than prettify this when I reformat it tonight -- oh don't you worry.

In the meantime, I'm headed to bed. And when I wake I need to figure out when I can slide LEATHER AND LACE into my mix of books, because this is a full series that needs to be read. I love this town and it's people!