Blurb
Start with a perfect spring weekend full of pretty dresses, high heels, fancy hats, horse races, and bourbon. Combine with a friend-from-childhood lover, Nate Hawthorne, whose ongoing misunderstandings have led Lucy Granger to swear she’ll never move back home. Mix in a splash of combined family pressure for Lucy and Nate to be The Golden Couple. Pour over crushed ice and garnish with plenty of hot, secret hookups. What do you get? A funny sort of romance, chock full of dressing up, mint juleps, an axe-throwing bar, and a huge winning bet at the big race.
Review
Lucy Granger left home for college but also to escape from Nate, her childhood best friend whom she’d fallen in love with—who didn’t feel the same about her. Now she has to make her yearly trip back home to see her wealthy family and to attend the festivities of the Kentucky Derby. The worst part is that she’ll have to face Nate.
Nathaniel Hawthorne has secretly loved Lucy for years. Even though he’s busy running his family’s distillery company, he wants more from Lucy than their annual fling. When she finally returns home, they fall into their same old routine of tension, hurt feelings, and hot sex.
I had trouble connecting with Lucy and Nate, but I sympathized with her about why she’d built a wall around her heart and pushed him away. Unresolved issues and lack of communication put a wedge between them, so it was nice when they finally overcame their self-imposed boundaries.
Harrison, Nate’s brother, was my favorite character. I was so relieved when he saved both Nate and Lucy from what was sure to be public humiliation.
Overall, I enjoyed the story for the setting. I haven’t read many books centered around breweries and/or horse racing, so I found everything to do with Nate’s family business and the Derby entertaining. I enjoyed Ms. Crowe’s writing style and how she paints her scenes with enough detail to keep you intrigued. I’d love to read more of her work.
3 Stars
— If you’ve read this book, I’d love to know what you think of it. Please comment below.