Review: Leave the Night On by Laura Trentham

Title: Leave the Night On by Laura Trentham
Cottonbloom Series Book Four
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Love, betrayal, and sweet revenge—life in Cottonbloom is about to get a whole lot hotter . . .

Sutton Mize is known for lavishing attention on the customers who flock to her boutique on the wealthy side of her Mississippi town. So when she finds a lace thong in her fiancé’s classic cherry-red Camaro, she knows just who she sold it to: her own best friend. In an instant, Sutton’s whole world goes up in flames. . .

Wyatt Abbott has harbored a crush on Sutton since he was a young kid from the other side of the tracks. He witnessed Sutton’s shocking discovery in the Camaro at his family-owned garage—and it made him angry. What kind of man could take lovely, gorgeous Sutton for granted? But then Sutton comes up with an idea: Why not give her betrothed a taste of his own medicine and pretend that she’s got a lover of her own? Wyatt is more than happy to play the hot-and-heavy boyfriend. But what begins as a fictional affair soon develops into something more real, and more passionate, than either Sutton or Wyatt could have imagined. Could it be that true love has been waiting under the hood all along?

Review:

Laura Trentham tugs on reader’s heartstrings with Leave the Night On, the latest addition to her heartwarming Cottonbloom series. Although this newest release is the fourth full length novel in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

After Sutton Mize discovers her fiancé Andrew Tarwater and her best friend Bree Randall have betrayed her in the worst possible way, she panics and invents a relationship of her own to save face.  From a prominent Cottonbloom family, she is finally beginning to chafe under the weight of her parents’ expectations.  However after a lifetime of never rocking the boat, Sutton finds it difficult to make choices based on her needs instead doing what other people want her to do. After she comes to the realization that she is living a somewhat bland life, Sutton is ready to take a bit of a walk on the wild side, but will she be able to overcome a lifetime of  worrying about what other people think of her?

Wyatt Abbott co-owns a garage with his three brothers and nearly a year after their father’s unexpected death, everyone is somewhat out of sorts. He is feeling a bit restless but he cannot quite pinpoint the cause of his dissatisfaction. Wyatt has absolutely no qualms about agreeing to help Sutton salvage her reputation, but his longtime crush on her quickly complicates things for him.

Despite their very different childhoods, socioeconomic backgrounds and careers, Wyatt is comfortable in his own skin so he has no difficulty fitting into Sutton’s life.  While Sutton is pretty keen to expand her horizons, she is a bit unsettled when confronted with new experiences.  Wyatt’s confidence in her is instrumental in helping her step out of her comfort zone both personally and professionally as she attempts to make positive and long overdue changes in her life. She has several misconceptions about Wyatt and although these negative assumptions do bother him, Wyatt never hesitates to set Sutton straight when she misjudges him. A sizzling hot attractions underlies their easygoing camaraderie but will either of them find the courage to turn their fake relationship into a real one?

Readers’ interest will be piqued by several tantalizing glimpses into Wyatt’s brothers’ lives. Mace has the weight of the world resting on his shoulders as he worries about the future of their business. Wyatt’s  twin brother Jackson is embroiled in a very intriguing situation with co-worker Willa Brown.  Ford has fallen WAY out his brothers’ good graces with his secretive behavior and it will be very interesting to how their relationship with him will fare in the future.

Leave the Night On is a delightfully charming romance that is fast-paced and engaging. Wyatt is a sigh worthy hero with enormous appeal.  Sutton undergoes the biggest transformation as she finally begins to discover who she is and what she wants out life.  One of Laura Trentham’s greatest strengths as an author is her uncanny ability to bring the town and residents of Cottonbloom vibrantly and realistically to life through her vivid descriptions and brilliant dialogue.  This latest installment of the Cottonbloom series is absolutely marvelous and will leave readers impatiently awaiting the release of When the Stars Come Out early next year.