Boots Optional: Dead Heat Ranch Novella, #0.5
Note: This novella was originally featured in the Some Like It Hot Anthology. Although this story has not changed, this novella contains a bonus scene, along with an excerpt from Betting on Grace, DHR #1.
New York Times bestselling author Nicole Edwards is heating things up with Boots Optional, a sexy new ménage novella which is the first book in a hot new series called Dead Heat Ranch. Grace Lambert is familiar with hard work, long days, and handsome cowboys. She’s been working for her family’s dude ranch since she was old enough to ride a horse and she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty. What she is afraid of is the heat that’s been generating between her and not one, but two sexy cowboys who’ve set their sights on her. And each other.
Grant Kingsley and Lane Miller have both had their eyes on Gracie for years, but the feisty cowgirl has managed to keep them at bay. As far as they are concerned, cowboys don’t give up, and neither of them is ready to give up just yet. Not on her and not on the heat that transpires between the two of them.
Find out what happens when the sultry Texas nights get as hot as the fierce Texas days.
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://t.co/fV6dUNlz6Q
Review
Boots Optional is the perfect set-up for Grace, Grant, and Lane’s full story in Betting on Grace, book one in the Dead Heat Ranch series. Not only does it introduce readers to the threesome’s ménage relationship, but it also establishes the setting and the family dynamics of the Lambert sisters and their father.
For two years, Gracie Lambert has thwarted the advances of both Grant Kingsley and Lane Miller, but they’re done letting Gracie push them away, and they’re also done fighting their mutual attraction. But as they embark on this secret romance amongst the three of them, feelings are bound to get hurt and fears of the backlash of a relationship of this kind is always in the forefront of their minds. But Boots Optional is only the start of their story; to find out how it all plays out, readers will have to continue their story in Betting on Grace.
I’m a huge Nicole Edwards’ fan. She is one of the best romance/erotic writers out there, and her ménage storylines are extremely well written, illustrating both their complexities and the passionate feelings that exist amongst them. Every time I start one of her books, I can’t put it down until I’m finished, and that’s exactly what happened with Boots Optional. Thankfully, I already have Betting on Grace on my Kindle, so I can continue Grace, Grant, and Lane’s story.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
5 poison apples
Betting on Grace: Dead Heat Ranch, #1
New York Times bestselling author Nicole Edwards is continuing to heat things up with Betting on Grace, a sexy new ménage novel which is the first book in a hot new series called Dead Heat Ranch.
The tables have turned on Grace Lambert. For a woman familiar with long days and hard work, she just recently discovered just how hot the sultry Texas nights can get. Finding time to spend with her two smoking hot cowboys, Grant and Lane, isn’t exactly easy, but she’s forging ahead with what has turned out to be the hottest relationship she has ever been in. The true test comes in standing up for what she wants.
Grant Kingsley has landed his feisty cowgirl, Gracie, and an equally sexy cowboy, Lane Miller, but everything outside of his romantic life has gone from routine to chaos in a matter of days. Unfortunately, he’s become rather acquainted with Murphy’s Law as he is inundated with a string of bad luck. His mother is missing, his father, a gambling addict, is worried about only one thing these days, and when Grant refuses to give in, all hell breaks loose on the ranch.
Lane Miller will be the first to admit that he falls in love easily. And he’s done so again, with both Gracie and Grant. Only this time around, he’s not giving up or giving in. Cowboys don’t know what it means to back down and Lane will ensure that the two most important people in his life get all of him, no matter what it takes.
Buy Links:
Barnes and Noble: http://t.co/taP3SFFXxa
Amazon: http://t.co/oavVBkxXbz
Review
My money’s always on Grace. Always.
When Betting on Grace begins, Grace, Grant, and Lane are committed to making their relationship work despite the required secrecy and the craziness of life on the ranch. But when the added pressures of family, the inability to admit feelings, and the stress of being outed threaten to tear them apart, all three of them need to decide if what they have together is worth going up against everyone who sees it as wrong and finally stand up for the relationship they can’t live without.
One aspect of Nicole Edwards’ writing that is always done with precision is her character development. Grace, Grant, and Lane definitely have very distinct and separate personalities, which she does a great job of showcasing throughout the course of their story. Grace has always been the straight laced woman, always staying on the right path, but what she feels for both Grant and Lane makes her feel alive and loved, so even though this new journey she’s chosen to take with them is not what is expected of her, she doesn’t want to be anywhere else. Grace is a spirited and spunky woman who fights like hell to protect those she loves; she’s committed to the ranch and her family as well as to the two men who own her heart, so if anyone threatens them, you can bet Gracie’s going to do everything she can to ensure they remain unscathed.
Out of the three of them, Grant has the hardest time admitting that what he has with Grace and Lane is more than just sex. His life hasn’t been easy, but he’s finally found a home on Dead Heat Ranch, and the life he’s always wanted with the two people he loves; he just needs a bit more time to process it all. Grant’s past with his parents and his father’s abuse is a determining factor as to why Grant’s as closed off as he is, but if Lane and Grace have any say in the matter, each loving touch and tender caress will prove to Grant that he’s truly safe with them and they have his back regardless of what life throws at him.
Lane wears his heart on his sleeve, and his emotions dictate his choices. From the very beginning of his relationship with Grace and Grant, he’s been upfront with his feelings. He’s wanted both of them for a really long time, and now that he has them, he’s going to tell them exactly what they mean to him. His passion and commitment is what allows him to talk Grant down on more than one occasion and speak up when Grant pushes him and Gracie away. He’s the glue to their relationship. He’s the one who helps both Grace and Grant see that what they have is a hell of a lot more than just sex.
All three of the main characters are stubborn, fierce, and feisty, so readers can just imagine the type of chemistry they have in and outside of the bedroom. The sex scenes with all three of them as well as just when it’s two of them are scorching, but they’re about so much more than that – Edwards writes the scenes in such a way that readers can feel the passion and love that the threesome has for each other. The times they have sex give them so much more than a release; it allows them to say the things to each other with their bodies that they do not have the guts yet to say with words.
The supporting characters in this book also add an immense amount of depth to the storyline. Grace is extremely close to her sisters and father; they rely on each other and help one another get through many situations. They also are privy to inside information that the others are not. Because readers see the events on more than one occasion through Mercy, Gracie’s sister, and Jerry, Gracie’s father’s, eyes, we are allowed to come at things through different angles. Everything isn’t so black and white because they add a dynamic to the plot that would never have been considered without witnessing it from their perspective.
Betting on Grace is an absolute gem of a read. It is 100% character driven, which allows readers to invest themselves in the characters’ lives. So that when they are struggling, in pain, or ready to blow, we experience those feelings right along with them. Nicole Edwards presents the passion, struggles, and concerns of a ménage relationship extremely well; it’s clear that not everyone is going to agree with it or understand it, but in the end, Gracie, Grant, and Lane are the only three people who matter anyways, so if it’s what they want and need in their lives then that’s what they should have.
Now I have another Nicole Edwards’ series to enthrall myself with and I can’t wait to see who the next Lambert sister is to give into what her heart wants.
A complimentary copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
5 poison apples
GIVEAWAY
About Nicole Edwards
New York Times bestselling author Nicole Edwards launched her professional writing career in July of 2012. Having been an avid reader all of her life and a huge fan of creative writing, it seemed the likely path for her to take. Since then, she has released fifteen books and has no plans to stop. As her full-time career/hobby, Nicole writes steamy contemporary and erotic romances.
Nicole is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who was born and raised in Texas. Married with three kids and four dogs, she has plenty of interaction to keep her imagination brewing. Her books have been featured in USA Today’s Happy Ever After segment as well as Indie Reader’s best seller list. She has forged her way as an independent author.
Although she has a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, she prefers to be hiding out in her writing cave, talking to the fictional characters that have built up in her head over the years.
When she isn’t writing or plotting her next book (sometimes translated to “playing on Facebook”), Nicole loves to read and spend time with her family and her dogs.
Social Media Links
Website: http://www.NicoleEdwardsAuthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.Nicole.Edwards
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NicoleEAuthor
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Nicoleedwardsauthor
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