I enjoyed the first 60% of this book so much that I was half-joking with my husband that this series was going to make me want to go line dancing with him (we are both terrible dancers). However, the last 40% enraged me so much I doubt I will continue the series and the author has lost my trust entirely. Final Raw Score: 2.3 HOWEVER due to issues related in my content disclosure below, I am overriding my score and giving this a 1 star because I cannot in good faith recommend this book and I think a lot of people interpret anything above a 1 star as a potential recommendation. I’m including my raw scores because I do truly try to be as objective as possible when writing reviews and I want to be fair about the parts of this book that were good.

Content Disclosure: This book and review discuss relationship dynamics that I consider abusive specifically around consent and coercive control. I will remain spoiler free and give a second reminder before those discussions begin in this review, but these are issues that I do not take lightly and I do not plan on softening my language. Please proceed with caution.

What This Book Did Well The set up here is solid. The premise gives both characters real grounded reasons to be at odds with each other. Their animosity makes complete sense, rooted not just in the inheritance conflict, but in the assumptions they make about the other based on their own lived experiences. That’s harder to pull off than it sounds and shows how strong of a writer Peterson can be.

I’ll also give credit where it’s due: the miscommunication trope, which is my least favorite trope because it’s so rarely done well, actually worked here. Their “miscommunications” were rooted in their assumptions about the other and we only know their assumptions aren’t true because we get both POVs. When these are later resolved, there is some “handholding” with the explanation, but it wasn’t grating on me. The slow build up of tension worked for me and I easily saw the chemistry/connection between the couple and while things fell apart for me in the last 40%, I will say I did believe in the chemistry between the couple.

Additionally, I want to add that if you haven’t read the other interconnected series (I haven’t read the other books either), this does a great job at nodding to fans of the other series, without ever being “too much fan service”. The nods that do come up are either quick or work within the plot, often both.

Audiobook Experience While I personally don’t recommend this book, however, I do want to highlight the strong narration of both Lila Winters and Stephen Dexter! The narration is dual 1st person POV and where I often don’t love male narrators’ female voices, Dexter did a fantastic job in my opinion. Additionally, a lot of Cash’s chapters are heavy on his internal thoughts which can sometimes be confusing in audiobooks because I can’t see the text denoting it as a thought and not spoken aloud, I don’t think I was ever confused in Cash’s chapters.

Winters was equally strong, and I want to specifically highlight her accent work. She didn’t go for the stereotypical over-the-top southern drawl - Winters accent here was subtle, natural and, in my opinion, much more fitting for Mollie’s character and the story.

Where It Fell Short for Me - Warning: This is where the abusive dynamic discussion begins I want to be upfront that this is my experience and I also feel strongly enough about it that I’m not going to soften it too much. If you loved this book, this is not a jab on you or your enjoyment, just my experience with this book and I want to be as clear as possible to warn readers who are sensitive to abusive tactics without going into spoiler territory.

Once the couple actually gets together at the 60%, the story took a dramatic turn that I was not prepared for. Right before their first hookup, Cash picks a deliberate fight with another man and escalates it to physical violence, because he was feeling possessive over Mollie although they did not have any “established” relationship outside of working together at that point. This could have been okay if it was properly resolved on its own, however, this ending up being the start of what I would consider an abusive relationship. From here on Cash’s behavior becomes controlling in ways that, if a friend described the start of this relationship to me in real life, I would beg her to run.

I will not go into details here to keep this spoiler-free and minimally destressing to potential readers, however, if you want more details with potential light spoilers, I will direct you to my comment under this status update linked here.

The abusive dynamics include lack of consent, coercive control, and reproductive coercion. These are not romantic quirks, they are red flags, but the book never acknowledges them as such. There’s no reckoning, no redemption arc, no moment of self-awareness in the narrative. The story just barrels towards a rapid escalation in their relationship all within about a month and presents it as a happily ever after.

I want to be fair: I do not think the author intended to write an abusive dynamic. But intent and execution are two very different things, and for me, the execution here is a significant problem - both emotionally and as a matter of craft. I truly felt like I had been gaslit by Cash myself with the 180 degree change in personality after the couple got together. For me, this is a structural issue, not just a vibe issue or personal preference issue. The man in the first 60% and the man in the last 40% did not feel like the same person to me. This only added red flag warnings for me.

Final Thoughts, Opinions & Recommendations I cannot in good faith recommend this book given my stance on depicting what I consider to be an abusive relationship as a happily ever after. Up until the 60% point, this book was likely going to be at least a 4 star read for me. I found a lot to love in the first 60% and I was honestly surprised at how much I was enjoying it.

I can see the market for this book, if you love small-town cowboy romance, the first half of this book genuinely delivers. The tension is earned, the setting is charming, and the build up does its job.

My thanks to my local public library for having this book available instantly! GO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARIES!! They are the true MVPs!

TL;DR Would I Recommend it? No. Would I Reread it? No. Would I Continue the Series/Read More From This Author Honestly, I’m pretty conflicted about if I would read another book from this author again. The bones of a good writer are there in the first half and I really did expect to want to continue the series until things crashed and burned for me. However, what happened in the second half isn’t something I can set aside easily and I do not know if I would want to run the risk of abusive dynamics being glorified again.

Star Score Breakdown Personal Enjoyment: 0.5 Overall Execution: 2.5 Craft & Writing Quality: 3 Characters: 2.5 Plot: 3 Final Raw Score: 2.3 HOWEVER due to issues related in my content disclosure, I am overriding my score and giving this a 1 star because I cannot in good faith recommend this book and I think a lot of people interpret anything above a 1 star as a potential recommendation. I’m including my raw scores because I do truly try to be as objective as possible when writing reviews and I want to be fair about the parts of this book that were good.