REVIEW - Buckled - Pam Godwin

TITLE - Buckled

AUTHOR - Pam Godwin

BLURB:

I protect what’s mine.
The ranch, my family, our buried secrets.

Nothing will stop me from reassembling the life that went terribly wrong.
Not the law.
Not our enemies.
Not even Maybe Quinn.

The gorgeous, quarrelsome journalist shouldn’t have meddled.
I shouldn’t have let her stay.
But she’s hiding something in those deceptive blue eyes.
Something deeper than her thirst for a news story.

I make a deal with her to buy time.
To unravel her lies. To play with her. To satisfy my darker appetites.
When she buckles beneath my belt, I’ll send her away.
Unless I buckle first.

TRAILS OF SIN series (HEAs with no cliffhangers - must be read in order):
Knotted #1 - Jake and Conor
Buckled #2 - Jarret and Maybe
Booted #3 - Lorne and Raina

Erin's Review:

I just finished this book with a grin on my face, but dread in my heart. There's a happy ending, but tendrils of unfinished business for that I'm sure we'll see in Book Three. This book had some very dark and bereft themes in this book, but the overwhelming theme of righting wrongs and love for family is the main theme. This book can be read as a stand alone, but it would be a serious disservice to the series, and a loss to the reader. Go back, read Knotted, then come back. Together, these books will take you on a dark, yet loving roller coaster ride of emotions.

We were introduced to Maybe Quinn in Knotted. She and Jarrett had sparks in that book... Through this book we get to see both their skeletons, and how far they'd go for love and truth. I enjoyed the plot; it had some interesting twists and turns that kept it fast paced and entertaining.

I liked these characters. They were a little tougher to fully envision right away, a departure from Knotted; but they had an enduring depth and charismatic drives that made me stick with them. For both, there was a solid strength and desire for truth and sense of right and wrong. Maybe has secrets she's hiding and we know Jarrett has things he'd be hiding from her. But how those secrets and hidden agendas and ulterior motives have the most unique intersections and implications for our characters. 

“Good Gold Almighty. Cowboys do nothing for me, but the two men who just strolled in redefine my preconceived notions of rugged ranchers....There's an air about them, a confidence, an authoritative intensity that grabs a woman by the ovaries and reduces her to the most primitive core.” 

These two characters have a darker vibe than the sweet Conor and Jake. But their connection is strong and their love blooms, despite the darkness.

I was excited to read this book after loving Knotted. This did not disappoint. It was a great second book, with it's own plot and separate characters. This author weaves an impressive tale to unearth truth and love and help these characters grow and move forward. There are amazing lines that give the story such vivid power, 

“We're a combustible vortex of acid and corrosion, gunpowder and sparks. One lit match and we'll go up in flames.” 

I felt all the feels in this book. It was great to see more about Jake and Conor, but see Jarrett come into his own and get to know him. This book does a great job of giving the Maybe and Jarrett a happy ending, while setting up book three for Lorne. 

“A man cannot be good unless he possesses the capacity to be evil. Decency is a choice. It's being tempted to hatred and following a different path no matter how difficult. It's looking inward a with a magnifying glass and acknowledging the flaws and weaknesses in one's character.”

Star Ratings:

Plot = 5/5 

Characters = 5/5 

Heat = 5/5 

Writing Style = 5/5 

Overall Rating = 5/5