Thank you to Delancey Stewart, Sarina Bowen, Jenn Gaffney and the rest of the World of True North team for the advance reader copy of Unforgettable, the sixteenth story in the Vino and Veritas series.
Read all my World of True North reviews here.
“The newest barista at the Busy Bean is about to steam the place up…
Former Marine Mason Rye can make a cappuccino with military precision, but he finds it much harder to serve up a smile. It’s not that he doesn’t like people. But he knows from experience that once you let someone in, it hurts like hell when you lose them. And Mason’s lost too many people already.
So it’s pretty damn inconvenient when his old Marine buddy shows up on Mason’s goat farm with his younger sister in tow. Heather’s work in Washington D.C. has turned dangerous, and she needs a safe place out of town.
Mason doesn’t need a new roommate, especially not a pretty, single one who insists on rearranging his spice rack and giving his chickens cute names. Although there’s no denying the haunted look in her blue eyes. Every time her fear shows its face, he wants to reach for her.
The problem is that she wants him, too. And when Mason breaks all his rules, they practically burn down his bed together. But her life is in D.C. And the threat against her is over.
Unfortunately, neither of their hearts is fireproof…
Warning: this stand-alone novel contains cute goats, bossy Marines and small town charm.“
Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
- Characters: Our female protagonist is Heather. She is an education lobbyist in DC but is forced to flee and seek refuge in Vermont. She had to testify against a powerful Senator and now his supporters are making her life a living hell. Following her home and threatening her. So her brother takes her out of DC and brings her to his buddy Mason’s farm in Vermont. She is incredibly caring and a perfect counterpart to Mason. The former marine now turned family farmer. His farm is struggling to make money so he picks up a part-time job at the Busy Bean. I was really fascinated by his character as he was both kind and incredibly stoic.
- Setting: The story is set in Colebury, Vermont. The Busy Bean is incorporated nicely. We even got some lovely Zara and Audrey time. Mason’s family farm was fun setting too. The characters milked goats, picked vegetables and took care of the chickens. All these places and chores were great places for relationship-building scenes.
- Pacing: The pacing was quite good in this story. I found myself hooked and wanting to keep reading.
- Romance: These two had an interesting dynamic. Heather is the one who always needs to be saved. Mason was always the one who was saving someone. Their relationship began with some hot and heavy kissing. I always love it in books when the twenty-somethings or thirty-somethings make out like horny high schoolers. This is a love story centred around living your life happier and less lonely. This is yet another romance in the World of True North world where someone has to leave to begin to understand why they need to say. I love that trope!
Fireproof receives four out of five stars.
You can pick up the story at here.
Thank you again to Sarina, Jenn and the rest of the World of True North team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
