Just a girl who loves to read and hoard books.
Violet’s grandfather wants to see her walk down the aisle. Ross’s dad wants to see him settle down to curb his playboy image.
Enter three sidekicks, lost of childhood pranks and witty repartee, and you have yourself one surprisingly laugh-out-loud not-so-enemies-to-lovers story from one of the best authors in the indie industry.
So grab a bucket of snacks, relax, and let Lauren Landish lead you through page after page of Ross and Violet’s story!
It’s 3:27 AM and I find myself waking up with thoughts of Lauren Landish’s Racing Hearts, the third book on the Bennett Boys Ranch.
I search through Amazon for Mark and James’ stories, and I see that I already have them on my kindle, waiting for me to read. I guess I will, now that I have finished Luke and Shay’s story.
I must confess, though, that I was not at first keen on reading about the Bennett boys, because I was stuck with thoughts of her Dirty Fairy Tales. And then I got the chance to read Racing Hearts. I must apologize to Lauren Landish. I never should have doubted reading James’ and Mark’s stories when I had them, because, well, this one, Racing Hearts, hit a bit close to home for me.
Let’s start with the plot. Racing Hearts was everything I knew Lauren could give in a story: well-written, that I never doubted. There may have been some errors, but they were so few that it never took away the pleasure of reading about Shay and Luke, how their love was able to bring closure to the bad blood between their families.
The characters. I fell in love with Luke and Shay from the first page to the last. I felt for her brothers, and am eagerly waiting for Lauren to let her readers get to know Brody, Bruce, and Bobby.
I am shaking my head for not starting the series in order. I know this is a stand-alone, but I would have preferred to have read Buck Wild and Riding Hard first. That’s just me, being OC.
As I said, this one hit a bit close to home. I lost my Dad years back. They said it was a heart attack that took him. I was the one closest to my Dad, I was his princess. I listened more to him than I did to my Mom.
I did not attend his funeral, though, and to this day, I have no regrets for seeing him one last time. You see, he was like Shay’s Dad, he was a gambler. No, he did not gamble with our finances…instead, he gambled with our hearts. And I hated him for it.
To this day I haven’t been to his gravesite, although, in my heart, I have forgiven him. I am his daughter, after all.
So, Racing Hearts…there are some takeaways for me in the book and I thank Lauren for them:
“There are some stories that I’ve never heard and some I’ve heard a million times, all little pieces of tape that hold myself together.”
“It’s not a big secret, I’m afraid,” Mama Louise admits. “I just add freshly fried bacon, onions, and mushrooms to the green bean mixture. I dice them all up and sauté them down so they’re invisible before adding them.”
–Lauren Landish, Racing Hearts
Little gems that may not hold any meaning to some of you, but they strike deep within my heart. If you haven’t read the Bennett Boys, please, I encourage you to do so. If it’s just to experience living in a ranch through the words of Lauren Landish, read it. If it’s reading about cowboys (yes, they are) and their badass women, read it. If it’s to find little gems as I did, read it.
Even if, as you read, you find yourselves rubbing your heart like I did.
“Courage is not the absence of fear. It’s doing what you need to do even when you wanna piss yourself. Hell, sometimes, it’s doing it while the piss is running down your leg.”
–Lauren Landish, Racing Hearts
Ever since their dad died, it became Mark Bennett’s responsibility to see to it that their ranch runs smoothly. Being the eldest of the Bennett boys, he didn’t mind taking charge, as it keeps him focused, the daily needs of a working ranch never allowing him to dwell on what is missing from his life.
Everything changes when Mark meets Katelyn Johnson, a wedding planner hired on by Mark’s younger brother, James.
It was fun seeing the most serious of the Bennett boys lose control around Katelyn, a woman who saw in Mark a man tortured between wanting to be let loose, but was afraid of physically and emotionally hurting someone he has grown to love.
I also love that Lauren Landish gave us a strong heroine, one who knew what and who she wanted, and was not afraid of going after it—him. With Katelyn, Mark never had a chance!
I love all three women who were able to rope their cowboys. Strong-minded, confident ones, albeit in a country setting, the women of the Bennett Boys Ranch series were a breath of fresh air!
That said … some of you might not like the idea of rough play when it comes to sex, so it might be a trigger. Still, I would encourage you to read Mark and Katelyn’s story because their narrative does not simply revolve around sex. It also talks about self-doubt, of believing one’s self to be unworthy of love merely because of preconceived notions.
Give Mark and Katelyn a chance to tell their story, and I know, like me, you’d get to love them too!
James Bennett. Cowboy, rodeo star, and all-around bad boy start off on the wrong foot with veterinary intern Sophie Stone when she goes on a house call to attend to one of his favorite horses.
Sophie, who has had enough of bad boys, puts him in his place, but then she realizes that this Bennett boy might be the exemption to the rule.
What happens next is a toe-curling adventure, complete with sneaky hot sex and a good old country vibe you can only find in the Bennett Boys Ranch.
Buckle-up, hold on tight because James is but one of three hot Bennett boys sure to melt your hearts (and panties)!
Fair warning: get a box of tissues, a tub of your favorite ice cream, and hang on for dear life!
Lance Jacobs. Ex-Navy SEAL and Roseboro’s new Most Eligible Bachelor. Charlotte Dunn, baker, friend to Thomas Goldstone’s fiancé, Mia Karakova.
Lance was called home to take over his family’s business, but his heart was not in it. Charlotte, on the other hand, had to contend with running a bakery and battling with a scheming stepmother whose mission in life is to make her life hell.
This is the third installment to Lauren Landish’s Dirty Fairy Tales series, and, though I am torn, I have to say that it is by far the best of the three.
In Beauty and the Billionaire, I fell in love with Thomas’s eccentricities (if you can call it that), and Mia’s geeky quirkiness. The story, in itself, was light, although the plot was not.
In Not so Prince Charming, I cried for Izzy and Gabe. I loved how Lauren Landish led us through the struggles these two souls had to go through, how Izzy had to claw her way out of the despair that her life had become. I loved how Gabe, the fallen angel that he was, found his redemption in the end.
In Happily Never After … wow. Just, wow. Every page, every plot twist, felt like riding a roller-coaster without a seatbelt on, and you have to hang on for dear life. I laughed, I blushed, I wanted to climb into the book and slap Charlotte’s step-mother and stepsister to kingdom-come for their attitude. My heart broke for Gabe again. I wanted…I wanted… and Trixie?! Ugly. Cry.
Dear reader, hang on for dear life. Get to know Lance and Charlotte. Get to know the people of Roseboro. You won’t regret it.
Lastly. I think, no, I believe, that the Dirty Fairy Tales should not be turned into an audiobook. It should be turned into a TV series!
Don’t forget to breathe. That is what I kept telling myself as I read chapter after chapter of Bella and Gabe’s saga.
Disclaimer: I had to put the book down for a while, as I felt like I was not ready for a story wherein the hero, Gabe, was paid to kill Bella, the heroine. More so, when I felt both of their individual struggles in life. How Bella—who, if not for her friends Mia and Charlotte, felt that she was all alone in the world, that she had no one else to turn to for help in the multitude of problems that she was facing daily. How Gabe, in his grief at losing his brother, took up the life of a gun-for-hire so that he can search for, and exact revenge, on his brother’s killers.
Now that I have finally finished the book, I can tell you, dear reader, that Not So Prince Charming is so much worth reading to the end. I cried. I felt so bad for Gabe, seeing his conflict, how he saw Bella for who she was, his light, his partner.
I even thought that–oh no, Lauren Landish, this author whose stories I have come to love, will be giving me heartache at the end. But no, thank God, for I would have written her a “what the hell” note if that did happen!
Two takeaways: redemption and hope, as seen in Gabe and Bella’s eyes.
Where Gabe thought that he will forever be deprived of salvation, his actions, the man who loved his brother, and the girl who gave him her trust–tells us that even at the point of no return, if we but reach out, one last time, in whatever or wherever pit in life we find ourselves in, we can crawl out and become better than we were before, if we but believe in ourselves, and the goodness in others.
Hope, that like Bella, even when faced with a bleak future, she blindly trusted someone else to hold her up. And so should we. No matter how bad a situation we find ourselves in, it only takes for us to trust that everything will fall into place–however hard or long that journey may take–everything will be bigger, brighter, better.
So, Lauren Landish did it again, and I can’t wait for the conclusion to her Dirty Fairy Tales.
Thomas Goldstone. A billionaire driven to succeed but haunted by demons from the past, he demands the best from his employees to the point where he is known to them as the Ruthless Bastard.
Mia Karakova is a quirky, anime-loving, data analyst whose office is located atin the basement of Goldstone HQ. Two less likely people meet each other and realize that they complete each other’s souls.
From the time he lost his mom, Thomas fought hard to feel worthy of his father’s love. Instead, he was ridiculed, abused–blamed for his mother’s death, of which he had no control as a child.
Thomas’s drive to succeed and prove himself worthy caught the eye of a bitter rival who was hell-bent on bringing him to ruin, and it would take Mia’s love and facing his demons for him to realize that he deserves to find peace and happiness, with Mia in his arms.
“Where you’re at right now is beyond your control, but who you are? That’s your choice, today and every day. Make the right choices and ultimately, you’ll get to be where you want to be too.”
–Lauren Landish, Beauty and the Billionaire
Lauren Landish has become one of the authors I one-click without blinking. Beauty and the Billionaire is no different because as usual, she crafted a story that caught my emotions.
Some might say that Thomas was a weak character and that Mia was, as well. The thing is, his portrayal of a man tortured by his demons–imposed upon him by the death of his mom–was spot on. That he showed weakness when he cried, well, would anyone want a man with a heart of stone in real life? Plus, I for one think that Mia’s nerdy flaws were Thomas’s turning point towards acceptance at the end.
Like Stan said to Thomas:
“Where you’re at right now is beyond your control, but who you are? That’s your choice, today and every day. Make the right choices and ultimately, you’ll get to be where you want to be too.”
–Lauren Landish, Beauty and the Billionaire
Lauren Landish is a WALL STREET JOURNAL & USA TODAY bestselling author and her books have garnered a legion of praise from her readers.
When she’s not plotting about how she will introduce you to your next sexy as hell book boyfriend, you can find her deep in her writing cave, furiously tapping away on her keyboard, writing scenes that would make even a hardened sailor blush.
Lauren, who lives in NC with her boyfriend and fur baby, warmly invites you to her worlds of rock hard abs, chiseled smiles, and men with deep, fat pockets…but beware! These stories are guaranteed to have you addicted and needing your next fix!
Visit Lauren’s Website at: http://www.laurenlandish.com/
Join her Mailing list at: http://www.subscribepage.com/w1h8x6
Connect with her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lauren.landish
Follow her on twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenlandish
Nathan Stone. Ruthless. Cunning. Fierce. A military man forced to step into his father’s shoes, running one of the largest jewelry companies in the world. Emma, an archaeologists’ assistant, aspiring actress poised on the verge of success. Carly, Emma’s friend who escapes her family’s stifling influence to forge her own path. Kyle, looking to avenge his lost love.
All of their worlds collide, creating a chain of events too twisted and breathtaking that it kept me conflicted. I wanted to turn page, after page, after page, but I also did not want to find out what happens next, as these four characters pulled me in on all directions at once and it seemed that I couldn’t catch my breath!
I honestly felt that I was only able to take a deep breath of relief after having turned the last page, because, dear reader, this book was sooo good!
My take: I knew Lauren Landish was, and is, one of the best indie authors whose work I have had the pleasure to read. But, let me tell you, this was the first time I read a suspense/thriller that has left me in awe of the talent that this author has.
The way she wrote, how her prose was flowery but not too dramatic, how she paced the story in such a way that I felt like I was in for the ride of my life right along with the characters …
How I FELT the characters. Wow.
While I admire a lot of indie authors—my e-book is groaning at the sheer number of books I have collected in the past two years—there are, but a few, who has managed to make me envious of their talent as a writer.
Lauren Landish has forever carved a place in my heart, and I hope that you find it in your heart to give her a space in yours.
Bitch N Books 