So enjoyable! This was my second read from this line but my first book by this author, and I am hooked. Chase Cooper was a very likeable hero. He surrounded himself with his two best friends since Kindergarten, and he took care of his mother who was suffering from Alzheimer’s by buying the ranch to keep her in familiar surroundings. He was a hard worker and wasn’t shy about admitting his flaws. But along with having his hands full, he felt lonely. That was when the thought of “the one that got away” entered his mind.

I felt sorry for the heroine, Julia Blair. Her relationship with her identical twin sister, Mari, appeared to be intact, but I got the feeling she never quite got out from behind her sister’s shadow. They may have been identical in looks, but personality wise they were complete opposites. Where Mari was outgoing and made friends easily, Julia was the studious, more introverted one. The fact that Mari was best friends with the handsome but arrogant jock, the very same who never seemed to notice Julia, was just another reason to feel slighted. I have to say I rather enjoyed that underlying tension throughout the story.

Even though Julia firmly believed that Coop had wanted Mari there instead of her, I liked that she allowed herself to live in the moment. She did overthink a few situations but recovered nicely on her own. I felt the chemistry between them mainly because of Coop’s known desire and Julia’s little bout of jealousy. The story moved quickly but not unrealistically. After their first (and second) round of intimacy, the relationship developed off page over the course of five days. Speaking of intimacy, the love scenes were hot! For such a short story, perhaps the back-to-back coupling in detail was a little bit much but no less enjoyable. I’ll always point out how appreciative I am for the lack of over the top drama. While there were hurdles, they seemed true to the main characters’ personalities.

If you want a quick, steamy, well-written story, definitely pick up this book.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. ( )