Sex in the Sticks by Sawyer Bennett Pages: 225
Series: Love Hurts #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Also by this author: Ryker, Hawke, Sugar Daddy, Sexy Lies and Rock & Roll, Max, Roman, Code Name: Sentinel
Goodreads
Wake up and feel the wood! In the first of a series of irresistible standalone romances from New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett, a city girl rediscovers love and lust in the Alaskan wilderness. Valentine French may be the sassiest dating columnist in New York City, but the abundance of metrosexuals in her adopted metropolis is seriously cramping her style. Where are the beefy all-American boys? Hoping to find some inspiration, Val heads to Alaska, where the men outnumber the women fifteen to one and wrestle grizzly bears for sport. Or so she can only imagine. Suddenly the most eligible bachelorette in a town full of horny lumberjacks, Val is writing her best columns ever. But if she doesn’t get her nose out of her laptop, she just might miss out on Mr. Right. Logan Burke is the sheriff of the little podunk town that Val finds so charmingly backward. He’s not that different from the guys she’s using for her little experiment; it’s just that one date would never be enough for Logan. As he listens to Val complain about love over beers in the local tavern, he realizes that she can’t see the forest for the trees. Because if she would ever give up her Prada bags and fourteen-dollar martinis, Logan would give her the only luxury that matters: his heart. Don’t miss any of Sawyer Bennett’s smoldering novels: The Sugar Bowl seriesSUGAR DADDY | SUGAR RUSH | SUGAR FREE “This book devastated me in the most wonderful way.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Meredith Wild, on Sugar Daddy The Cold Fury Hockey seriesALEX | GARRETT | ZACK | RYKER | HAWKE | MAX | ROMAN “Sawyer Bennett never fails to deliver heroes I fall hard for and heroines I adore.”—New York Times bestselling author Violet Duke This standalone novel includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
Sex in the Sticks is a strange story. Valentine (aka Val) has had it with the metrosexual male population of New York. Since she is a trust fund baby she can do whatever she wants, and after a suggestion from her cousin, decides to test out the male population in Alaska. Surely they will appreciate her!
Val is probably the most difficult heroine for me to like. First, she is 31 and has no real job. She is living off her family money and while thats great for her, I have no idea what that life is like and I cannot feel an ounce of sympathy for her at any point. Oh, her dates don’t pay attention to her and fawn all over her? Yeah, thats not a New York metrosexual man problem. But, that Val thinks she is so extraordinary that men should be more thankful to be on a date with her. I really couldn’t find anything redeeming about her other than the fact that she doesn’t hide who she is or pretend to be less shallow or egocentric. So, she gets to Alaska and is LOVING all the male attention. Yep, thats the story. Yay, the male population of a town that only has like 3 women is throwing themselves at her. Seriously? How am I suppose to like her? I might have been more forgiving if she were in her early 20’s. But she is 31. By then, you should be past this type of narcissism. Having said that, she does improve a bit. By the end I didn’t find her as narcissistic and even found she was humble. But, it just sort of happened. Like, I’m not really sure WHY or HOW she changed her behavior. I didn’t believe that simply being in love with Logan (who she hardly knew) was going to change her personality. But, whatever the reason, she does grow as a person.
Logan is the town sherif and is a very normal guy. He is an ex-military cop who decided he loved Alaska and when he had the chance to move to East Merritt, he took it and hasn’t regretted his decision. He finds Val beautiful for sure and he does go a bit out of his way to help her out a few times. He openly admits its because she is gorgeous. However shallow Logan may be, he isn’t unlikeable. I didn’t exactly swoon over him though. Perhaps this makes Val and Logan perfect for each other. They are both shallow. And, quite frankly, I totally agree with Logan’s actions near the end of the story. How mortifying for him!
So, will Val fall in love? She said that isn’t what she wants but will the Alaskan men change her mind? Will Logan give everything up to be with Val in NYC? Will Sassy get eaten by a bear because Val brought the tiny dog to Alaska and didn’t pack a leash? The plot centers around how this will end for Val when Alaska was only suppose to be temporary. Honestly, by the end of Sex in the Sticks, I was pleased with how it played out, but still not particularly in love with either of them. This is however a story I might like a novella on to see how these 2 are doing a few years into the future.
- POV: dual 1st
- Tears: no
- Trope: fish out of water
- Triggers: no
- Series/Standalone: stand alone
- Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
- HEA: View Spoiler »
Books by Alice Clayton, Penelope Ward, Helena Hunting…then you will probably like Sex in the Sticks!
Sex in the Sticks
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