Category Archives: Sultry Springs Series

August 5, 2013 · 3:57 am

Review: Surrender to Sultry by Macy Beckett

Title: Surrender to Sultry by Macy Beckett
Sultry Springs Series Book Three
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Imprint: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Leah McMahon is back in Sultry Springs, Texas to help her dad recover from surgery. But there’s a new sheriff in town and he’s none other than Colton Bea, the wild-as-weeds boy who stole her heart a decade earlier.

Colt’s a changed man, and the feelings between these high school sweethearts are stronger than ever. But Leah’s got a secret so devastating that he may never forgive her. Can she find a way to earn absolution and build a future with the sultry man she’s loved half her life?

The Review:

The final book in Macy Beckett’s divine Sultry Springs series, Surrender to Sultry is another laugh out romance that is heartwarming and a little poignant. A beautiful story of redemption and forgiveness, readers finally get the full story behind bad boy Colton “Colt” Bea’s and preacher’s daughter Leah McMahon’s ill-fated teenage romance.

In the previous books in the series, Colt is a hard-drinkin’, unrepentant, womanizing deputy who is still nursing a broken heart from his long ago romance with Leah. Two years after a one night stand ran him down and put him in the hospital with numerous broken bones Colt has cleaned up his act. Now a respectable Sheriff, he has a whole passel of regrets for his past misdeeds. At the top of the list is his remorse for the cruel high school prank he pulled on Leah. When Leah returns to Sultry to nurse her father back to health, Colt is determined to make amends with Leah and in the process, he hopes to win her back. Unbeknownst to Colt, Leah is harboring a secret that will destroy his trust in her and threaten their fledgling relationship.

Colt and Leah have a lot to overcome. Both made terrible decisions as teenagers and their choices continue to haunt them. Their reflections on their failed relationship provide valuable insight into their long ago actions. Colt is truly remorseful for hurting Leah and his unwavering attempts to apologize are heartfelt and quite moving. Given Leah’s background as a preacher’s daughter, it is easy to believe that she truly has forgiven Colt but she has good reasons for keeping him at arms’ length.

Colt finally works his way past Leah’s defenses, but she knows she has to confess the reason she left Sultry. But as she suspects, Colt does not take the news well. The resolution to this part of the storyline is beautifully handled with very little angst and while it does not happen overnight, it is wrapped up fairly quickly.

Macy Beckett’s Surrender to Sultry has plenty of down-home charm, sass and steam. It is a sexy and sweet second chance at love story that is sure to delight old and new fans of the Sultry Springs series. I have loved every book in the series and I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys contemporary romances.

You can read my review of the other books in the series HERE.

2 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Macy Beckett, Rated B+, Review, Romance, Sourcebook Casablanca, Sourcebooks, Sultry Springs Series, Surrender to Sultry

February 21, 2013 · 3:57 am

Review: A Shot of Sultry by Macy Beckett

Title: A Shot of Sultry by Macy Beckett
Sultry Springs Series Book Two
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Imprint: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Welcome to Sultry Springs, Texas: where home can be the perfect place for a fresh start.

For West Coast filmmaker Bobbi Gallagher, going back to Sultry Springs is a last resort. But with her career in tatters, a documentary set in her hometown might be just what she needs to salvage her reputation. She just can’t let anything distract her again. Not even the gorgeous contractor her brother asked to watch over her. As if she can’t handle filming a few rowdy Texans.

Golden boy Trey Lewis, with his blond hair and Technicolor-blue eyes, is a leading man if Bobbi ever saw one. He’s strong and confident and—much to her delight—usually shirtless. He thinks keeping his best friend’s baby sister out of trouble will be easy. But he has no idea of the trouble in store for him…

The Review:

A Shot of Sultry, the second installment in Macy Beckett’s Sultry Springs series, is a feel good romance that is smokin’ hot and wickedly funny. With just enough seriousness to give the plot substance and depth, this deliciously fun story will keep you glued to the pages as Bobbi Gallagher and Trey Lewis fight their sizzling sexual attraction while filming a reality show starring Trey and his good friend Colton “Colt” Bea.

Bobbi and Trey are both pretty cynical when it comes to love and commitment. Her drug addicted mother’s numerous unhealthy and co-dependent relationships have left a lasting impression on Bobbi and she does not believe that love will last. In Trey’s case, it is his personal experiences with cheating girlfriends and his father’s long term infidelity that have turned him into someone who plays the field and avoids any type of serious relationship. So when they are unable to fight their searing passion for each other, they should have no problem keeping their relationship nothing but a summer fling. Or so they keep telling themselves….

First introduced in Sultry with a Twist, Trey Lewis is Luke Gallaher’s best friend and all around good guy. Trey’s loyalty to Luke earned him a dishonorable discharge that has strained his relationship with his parents and affects his professional life as well. He now has an opportunity to clear his record that will hopefully salvage his relationship with his parents and provide him with better career options in the future.

Bobbi Gallagher is Luke’s younger half-sister. When they were kids, their mother abandoned Luke when she took off for California with Bobbi in tow. Both have been deeply affected by their mother’s actions and while Luke has found love with June, the scars still remain. Their relationship is loving but a little uncomfortable, and when Bobbi needs a place to stay while she tries to revive her failed career, Luke is quick to offer an invitation for her to stay with him and June. But things quickly get tricky for the siblings when Luke extracts a promise from Trey to stay away from Bobbi.

A Shot of Sultry is a fast paced and engaging story that is laugh out loud funny and heartwarming. The dialogue is delightfully witty and the plot is unique and well-written. The cast of characters is charming, vibrant and three dimensional. Bobbi and Trey are realistic protagonists with plausible issues to overcome. Although both have trust issues, they fall into an easy friendship that naturally transitions into a romance. Their sex scenes are sensual without being overly graphic.

While A Shot of Sultry is the second novel in the Sultry Springs series, it can be read as a standalone story. Macy Beckett provides enough backstory to get the reader up to speed, but you won’t want to miss a single installment of this fabulous series. I absolutely cannot wait to read Colt’s story, Surrender to Sultry, due out later this year.

Read my review of the other books in the series HERE.

2 Comments

Filed under A Shot of Sultry, Contemporary, Macy Beckett, Rated B, Review, Romance, Sourcebooks, Sourcebooks Casablanca, Sultry Springs Series

October 2, 2012 · 3:58 am

Review: Sultry with a Twist by Macy Beckett

Title: Sultry with a Twist by Macy Beckett
Sultry Springs Series Book One
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Imprint: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Welcome to Sultry Springs, Texas:
where first loves find second chances…

Nine years after June Augustine hightailed it out of Sultry Springs with her heart in pieces, one thing stands between her and her dream of opening an upscale martini bar: a bogus warrant from her tiny Texas hometown. Now she’s stuck in the sticks for a month of community service under the supervision of the devilishly sexy Luke Gallagher, her first love and ex-best friend.

If Texas wasn’t already hot enough, working side-by-side with June would make any man melt. Luke wants nothing more than to strip her down and throw her in the lake—the same lake where they were found buck naked and guilty as sin all those years ago. In their heads, they’re older and wise. But their hearts tell a different story…

The Review:

Macy Beckett’s Sultry with a Twist is a spectacular debut novel and first installment in what promises to be a fun and engaging series. It is a well-written second chance at love and friends to lovers story that fans of contemporary romances are sure to enjoy.

Best friends for much of their lives, June Augustine and Luke Gallagher shared one incredible night of passion that ended effectively ended their friendship. Luke left for a stint in the Army while June headed off to college. Following a heated argument with her grandmother, June vowed never to return to Sultry Springs, and she’s kept her word for nine years. That is until the terms of her community service force her to live with her grandmother while working for Luke. Will thirty days be enough time to mend her relationship with her grandmother and heal her broken heart?

June and Luke are beautifully developed characters. Neither June nor Luke have had an easy life and they carry the emotional scars of events from their respective childhoods. Of the two, Luke has the most obstacles to overcome; he feels unworthy of love and finds it difficult to believe that June can genuinely love him.

June is sassy, smart and works hard to achieve her goals and dreams. She is a strong woman and I really appreciate the fact that she stands up for herself when she needs to. She has enough self-worth that she won’t settle for what Luke is willing to give her.

The relationship between June and Luke does not fix itself over night. For every step forward they take, it seems like they take three steps back. Their relationship is complicated and the glimpses of their shared past make their present day relationship more realistic. The sexual chemistry between June and Luke is off the charts smokin’ hot and their sex scenes are positively sizzling.

What makes Sultry with a Twist such an outstanding read are the relationships between the various characters. June’s grandmother, Pru, is stubborn and no nonsense but underneath her gruff exterior lies a marshmallow soft heart. There is conflict between Pru and June, but it does not take long for them to work out the issues between them. Luke’s friendship with his Army buddy Trey is wonderful and the scenes between them are some of the best in the book.

Sultry with a Twist is a deliciously sexy and heartwarming romance. The characters are well-rounded, appealing and genuine. Macy Beckett is a not to be missed new author in the romance genre and I am eagerly awaiting her next novel in the Sultry Springs series.

6 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Macy Beckett, Rated B+, Review, Romance, Sourcebooks, Sourcebooks Casablanca, Sultry Springs Series, Sultry with a Twist