Friday, February 24, 2023

Designs on a Rancher - LaQuette (HD #2929 - Mar 2023)

Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: The Wedding (Book 2)
 
She's willing to give him everything in bed
But will she risk her career for passion?
 
Keely Tucker knows designing a showstopping wedding dress for a movie starlet is the career-making opportunity of a lifetime. But Jacob Chatman has sent her focus into a tailspin! When a blackout leaves her stranded with a rancher she can't resist, their passion practically sets the sheets on fire. Jacob admires her drive…but is their hookup worth Keely risking her hard-earned ambitions for a life in Texas?

 
Good book about two seemingly opposites who have more in common than they expect. I enjoyed this city girl meets country boy story.
 
Keely was born and raised in the Brooklyn projects. She took the drive and ambition she learned from her parents and applied it to her dream of a career in fashion. Her business is everything to her, and she puts it first in her life. After years of hard work, she will take her business to the next level with her custom-designed wedding dress for movie starlet Ariana. When the power goes out in her hotel and most of the town of Royal, Ariana finds a new place to stay.
 
Jacob is a rancher and horse trainer who is married to his work. He has no time to make nice with some city woman but agrees to let Keely stay in his guest cabin. He plans to ignore her, but that idea disappears when he meets her.
 
The sparks flew between Keely and Jacob from the moment they met. Some of those sparks were antagonism, but most were attraction. Fighting it doesn't work, and since neither is interested in a relationship, they decide to go for a short-term friends-with-benefits arrangement. Two or three weeks should be enough time to get it out of their systems.
 
I liked Keely. She knows what she wants and doesn't beat around the bush when going after it. She's confident in who she is, and her backstory adds depth to how she got there. I loved her focus, determination, and creativity evident in her collaborations with the other vendors.
 
I also liked Jacob. His goal of being a top-rated trainer is within reach, and nothing will get in the way of making it happen. He's driven but not obnoxious about it. He has a good relationship with the people who work for him, and it's obvious that they respect him.
 
I enjoyed seeing the development of their relationship. Keely and Jacob go into their affair with the clear understanding that their work comes first, and they aren't interested in anything permanent. Though they see themselves as opposites because of the city vs. country thing, they have more in common than they realize. I enjoyed some of their time together as they shared meals, rides, life stories, and fantastic chemistry. As they spend more time together, each realizes they want more than they agreed to.
 
A dinner engagement with a significant potential customer brings out Jacob's nerves, and he talks Keely into coming along for moral support. But that dinner opens their eyes to their growing feelings, which sends Keely scrambling to put distance between them. I ached for Jacob, who had no idea what had happened, and I liked how he called her out on it, leaving her to do some soul-searching. The ending was good as they realized that loving each other wasn't the hindrance they feared but a chance for their dreams to come true.


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