AUTHOR: Shirley Penick GENRE: Romance PAGES: 220 RELEASED: 30 June 2019 SERIES: Burlap & Barbed Wire #6 SYNOPSIS: He’s never even kissed the woman, but her son is clearly, without a doubt, his. Zach McCoy has been on the rodeo circuit for six years and is making a damn fine living at it. When he comes home, for the first time, to be in his best friend’s wedding he’s got one helluva surprise waiting for him in the shape of a five-year old boy who is his spitting image. Emma Kipling took matters into her own hands six years ago, before the man she was crazy about took off to join the rodeo. She didn’t care one bit that he was two years older and she was still in high school, she wanted one night with him before he left to compete in a dangerous sport. When he didn’t come back after she found herself pregnant she knew he had abandoned her and her son. Now he’s back for her brother’s wedding, and by the look on his face, sparks are going to fly. She’s ready and willing to go toe to toe with him and give him a piece of her mind. This book was kindly sent to me by Give Me Books PR in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Saddle up for the final time as we embark on a second-chance roadtrip with our first and last love.
Emma has been living as a single mum for five years, and while she would have loved to have had her son’s father involved, his lack of return to town after finding out she was pregnant speaks volumes. Besides, she hasn’t been alone. She’s had the love and support of her parents, grandfather and five older brothers to help her raise Tony. That’s all she and Tony have ever needed. But with her brother getting married, his best friend and her baby daddy, Zach, is back in town to act as best man. The last time Emma and Zach saw each other was the night she fell pregnant after his farewell party before he headed off on the professional rodeo circuit. Turns out though, he has zero recollection of that night and therefore never realised that when he was told Emma was pregnant that it was actually with his child. But now that he knows Tony exists, he’s not going to walk away again so easily. With a few months left until the rodeo circuit starts again, Zach is determined to spend as much time as possible with Emma and Tony, and hopefully this time Emma and Zach can get the happy ending they both denied themselves of six years earlier. Shirley saved the best for last with Emma. We’ve got to learn a lot about Emma and Tony over the course of the series, and Tony has been a scene stealer during every single appearance in the previous books. And while Shirley had never explicitly mention who Tony’s father was in previous books, there had been hints that he was Drew’s bestie Zach, so I had been theorising how their story would unfold when Emma finally got her book. And of course, I could never have guessed the course of Emma and Zach’s story, which turned out to be a sweet and fun road-trip where the pair got to learn about the adult version of each other, and Zach got to start learning how to be a father. There are so many funny and heartfelt moments between all three characters and I loved seeing their bond as a little family strengthen throughout the book. While the book itself focuses moreso on the development of their family bond, there were still plenty of sweet, swoony and spicy moments between Emma and Zach as they rekindled their romance and finally acted on the crushes they had always had for one another. I’ve read a good number of second-chance romances, and it’s safe to say that Shirley has delivered an absolutely fabulous one. Not going to lie, I’m annoyed that Shirley skipped over three of the Kipling weddings - Drew & Rachels’ destination wedding to Hawaii, and the twins’ joint wedding on the ranch. I was SO excited to see all these couples tie the knot, so I felt like we were robbed of those moments (I was especially keen to see the Kiplings take on a destination wedding and all the drama that could ensue). But, I did really like getting one final update on all the Kipling siblings. I like to think they are all now living in marital bliss on Rockin’ K, all in their own houses, and with mini Kiplings starting to run around. It’s sad to say goodbye to Rockin’ K and the Kipling family - they have become one of my all-time favourite contemporary romance families. Luckily, they make a small reappearance in the Helluva Engineer series, so it’s not goodbye forever. Sadly, after finishing this book, I discovered that Shirley passed away in March last year, meaning we will no longer be getting more of her fabulous small town and cowboy romances. Thankfully, I still have several of her books to read, which I will definitely be savouring. If you’re looking for your next romance companion novel series and are in a bit of a yeehaw mood, Burlap and Barbed Wire is the series for you! |
Categories
All
Affiliates
See DISCLAIMER.
|