How do you get over a woman you never should have been, ahem, under in the first place?
Just when FBI special agent Spencer Landry had decided to forget about investigative journalist Maxine-Max-Keller and their one hot night together, there’s a threat made against her and Spencer’s protective instincts get all riled up. Again.
So now they’re shacking up on the Louisiana bayou and pretending to be in love so he can keep Max safe until the guy is apprehended.
Considering their chemistry and that he can not stop thinking about the gorgeous-and-doesn’t-know-it, smart-mouthed, bold-and-yet-vulnerable redhead, this could be a fun few days, right?
Nope. She’s all wrong for him.
And she hasn’t forgotten he can be kind of a jerk.
Sure, the naked-times are great, but he told her exactly what he wantsā a bubbly, sweet school teacher who bakes him brownies and loves to cuddleāand Max ain’t it.
Max not only doesn’t bake, no one has ever called her sweet. And cuddling? Shudder.
Plus his bossiness is super annoying for someone who’s been taking care of herself all her life. But now they’re stuck together and dammit, besides being hot and very good with his mouth, Spencer is pretty irresistible with baby goats, little kids, and attempts at baking. And don’t forget alpha-protective. All of which makes her stomach feel very swoop-y. No wonder her clothes keep falling off.
But this is a temporary situation and they’re only faking it. So falling for the guy is a terrible idea.
She really should have kept that in mind.
| Title: | Gotta Be Bayou |
| Author: | Erin Nicholas |
| Series: | Badges of the Bayou (Book 1) |
| Pages: | 315 |
| Genre(s): | Contemporary |
| Trope(s): | Small Town Romance Opposites Attract Law Enforcement |
| Point of View: | Third Person, Past Tense, Dual Viewpoints (H & h) |
| Location: | Autre, Louisiana, USA |
| HEA: | āļø |
| Release Date: | 13th September, 2022 |
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A little love story – a lot of Bayou
The first page of this book tells me that I can read the prologue of this story in an anthology of story starters that I havenāt read and have no intention of buying (I mean, a whole book of cliffhangers – yeah, no). So I was grumpy from the start as the story referenced things that I had no clue of. Having passed on many of Erin Nicholasās recent stories, I was excited to get back into her books with this one, the start of a new series called Badges of the Bayou.
And yes, this is the first in a new series but it leans heavily on all of Nicholasās previous books set in Autre, Louisiana. And having skipped many of the more recent offerings, I had zero clue who all these side characters – and there were a lot – were or how they fit into this particular story. It was a bit much, to be honest. I like a series as much as the next person but when it becomes so convoluted and you need cheat sheets, or the best memory going, just to follow along – thatās where I tap out.
All that aside, our actual love story is between uptight FBI agent, Spencer, and the woman heās determined to protect, independent loner, Max. Who also happens to be someone he had a smoking hot one-night stand (or it might be two nights – I didnāt read the story starter, youāll remember) with a few months back. Forced to live together, the pair realise that thereās more to their relationship than just the chemistry.
“The chemistry between Max and Spencer was never going to be a problem…”
Spencer is my favourite kind of hero; Kind of uptight, very protective, amazingly hot and a dirty talker to boot. Yum! Heās got some baggage that means his plans for his life arenāt what Max presents – but I liked his honesty in his baser feelings and his obvious (to the reader at least) smitten-ness with Max. What I didnāt like – and never like in a story – is the way he told Max she wasnāt his type and wasnāt what he was looking for in a woman. It was meant as facts rather than with any cruelty, I just feel really uncomfortable when anyone says something like this.
Whenever a heroine is portrayed as a kick-ass, independent woman who doesnāt come across as overtly feminine – Iām always concerned that I wonāt be able to relate to them. And I have to admit that it took me a lot longer than normal to connect with, and like, Max. By the end, I was all in and rooting for her to get her happily ever after. And by the epilogue I was in love with Max as much as she was with Spencer and vice versa.
The chemistry between Max and Spencer was never going to be a problem – something we see almost from the first page. They rubbed sparks off each other in a most delicious fashion and add in Spencerās dirty talk and I was a goner. Happy sighs.
Erin Nicholasās writing style is always engaging and she really brings her characters and their world to life. For me, I just want to focus on the love story between our couple – which I ultimately enjoyed. All the other stuff about previous characters, future characters, relatives, friends, animals and in-jokes – it was too much for me. I wonāt be picking up the next in this series and sadly I can only give this one 3 stars – and thatās with a fantastic epilogue!
*I received this book in exchange for my honest view*
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as sheās been reading them. To date, sheās written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as ātoe-curling,ā āenchanting,ā āsteamy,ā and āfun.ā She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.
Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be āshockedā by the sex scenes in her books).
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Badges of the Bayou Gone Wild Series:
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