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Once again the author has created a couple that you can't help but fall in love with. This ever growing world of hot growly guys, salty sassy ladies, alcohol fueled bad decisions that lead to really good stuff in the end, and delicious tasty treats to make your inner foodie salivate, just got even more amazing. I'm always fascinated with how the author is so good at character development that it makes me wish that these characters were real. This book stars the lovely heroine, Annette, who intrigued us (the loyal fans of Writer Lady) back in Fresh Catch. From the minute we met Annette we knew we wanted her to have her own story and boy did the author deliver. Annette doesn't need a man messing with her head, she does that plenty on her own, so when the new swoony sheriff expresses his desire for her, she doubts all of it. As always, you'll experience all the feels from the laugh out loud moments; to the witty banter; to the sexy times; to the those moments that will tug on your heart strings, and to that one moment where you connect and relate with the one of the main characters and you can't help but stop and say "oh".
Caroline Phillips
Once again Kate Canterbary delivers another five-star book that just reinforces to me - yet again- that she is the most intelligent, witty, sophisticated romance writer out there. Hard Pressed is beautifully written story set in the fiction town of Talbott's Cove, which we first visited in the equally awesome book Fresh Catch and meet Annette, the owner of the local bookstore and baker extraordinaire. She catches the eye of the new Sheriff Jackson Lau and what follows is intricately woven story (filled with sass, witter banter and super hot sexy times) of two real and relatable people finding that spark and getting their happily ever after. What I love is that there isn't serious angst or drama. Jackson isn't some damage jaded cop from the big smoke who is running away to a small town to escape from his demons and Annette isn't some fragile damage female in need of a white knight to make her whole. The characters are not perfect though and this isn't an insta-love story. They have their struggles and they feel real and relatable. Of course the Laydee Writer checks all my usual boxes for a five star read: great love story, plenty of detail, laugh-out-loud humor, trademark Laydee Writer banter, a swoon-worthy guy, a sassy female (helped in part by her super awesome BFF who I hope will get her own book), and super hot sexy times. What more could you want? So, in summary, another fantastic book from my favourite writer on this planet and I cannot wait for what she comes up with next
Regina Breier
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This book is quick-witted, delightfully funny and will make you have a new
appreciation for baked goods. We saw glimpses of the two main characters in
another book, Fresh Catch, by this author. In this stand-alone, however,
the reader is once again transported to the little town of Talbott’s Cove
in Maine where life may be simpler, but love is always a bit complicated.
Annette Cortassi is the owner of a small-town bookstore who had had an
unrequited crush on a burly fisherman for a very long time. When she sees
him with his sexy-as-sin boyfriend and deck hand in the mystery section of
her bookstore, her world begins to unravel. She goes to drown her sorrows
and lick her wounds at the local tavern. Annette drinks and drinks and
drinks some more until the bartender calls the local sheriff. Enter Jackson
Lau, an equally hot-as-sin alpha male with a heart of gold. He has had an
unvocalized infatuation with Miss Annette since he arrived into this little
town several months before and he was going to take care of her in her
weakest moment. The story that unfolds between the two is quick, fast and
very sexy. Annette does not feel she is worthy of anyone, Jackson included.
Her deflection tactics are bumpy, clumsy and unplanned. She wants love but
doesn’t see it coming at her with Jackson. Her background with her family,
her sisters and her mother, are both heart-breaking and disturbing. Annette
does nothing half-assed, however, and while she may not feel she is worth
much to others, her tenacity and determination to try is what captured my
attention with this character. She is not the typical strong female that
the author writes. It frankly took me a while to enjoy Annette because I
didn't see the strength. Do not let that cause you to pass on this book. In
fact, it should be the reason you move forward as it demonstrates the
author's ability to share a different type of female to her readers.
Jackson Lau is everything you would want from a Canterbary male lead. He is
charmingly sweet and proper, open-minded to possibilities and completely
smitten with Annette. His desire for her burns in him for weeks, until she
has too much alcohol and he is called to escort her home from the local
tavern. He attempts to take her to her house, but there is no key to be
found so he takes her to his house instead. That night Annette demonstrates
such vulnerability that his heart is hers for the taking. The relationship
that builds between these two is sweet and enjoyable. Jackson is amazingly
patient while Annette works through her issues with love, his tolerance and
intuition are great characteristics that help ground both of them into the
relationship. The story is real and messy and fun. The little town of
Talbott’s Cove has another couple to fawn over and I cannot wait to return
for the next stpry,perhaps with Annette's take-no-prisoners bestie, Brooke
Markham. Whenever eee get that story, I know it will be a doozy!