One thing is for certain, my new-found love of audiobooks and the fact I have KU has introduced me to a lot of new-to-me authors. Some are great, some are so-so, and some are the pits. While I enjoyed this story quite a bit, it remains to be seen if this author will knock my socks off. It’s a good start, though.

Hazel is such a fun character. She is brash and ballsy, but that’s because she cares deeply and knows her worth. She’s not going to let anyone belittle her, or anyone else for that matter. Not that Wyatt would do such a thing, he is instantly intrigued with Hazel and does everything he can to prove to her that he’s not like his uncle.

This little love match is all happening during the lead-up to Wyatt’s brother getting married to Hazel’s best friend. Wyatt hasn’t been “home” in years and hasn’t had any contact with his family. That was the thing I had a hard time with. He seems to love and cherish his siblings, yet he cut ties with them as well as their parents. Because his uncle is terrible, his siblings are very understanding. But, oddly, he’s the best man while rolling up after years of being away just days before the wedding.

It was refreshing that Hazel and Wyatt, once they gave into their feelings, didn’t have a lot of back and forth. No huge fight or misunderstanding. There is an external problem that could have pitted them against each other, but instead, Wyatt stepped up and it brought them together even more. But the storyline of the town in trouble and the evil uncle wasn’t well fleshed out, especially since Wyatt’s siblings don’t seem the type that would have let things get so far. Like Wyatt was some white knight after years away. It was disjointed for me.

Overall, I did care about the characters (although some of the side characters were a bit too much) and wanted to know how it would all turn out. I’ll be reading the next book for sure. I’m not ready to make a judgment call on this author as a whole yet.