 Tobias
Gamble knew from a young age precisely the kind of woman he was going to make
his. She was not going to be like his mother. She was going to be like the
mother he claimed. In
other words, she was going to be just right.
And
when Toby returns to his hometown of Matlock, Kentucky and claps eyes on
Adeline Forrester, he knows she’s the one. The
problem is, his brother Johnny has a new girlfriend. And Addie is her sister.
Last, Toby would do nothing to hurt Johnny’s chance at happiness.
Toby
hangs around town to get to know the woman Johnny fell in love with. He also
hangs around to get to know Addie. But
he’s fallen hard, and he knows the best thing for him—and Addie—is for him to
leave.
Addie
Forrester is thrilled her sister Eliza found a good, solid man. Johnny Gamble
is the salt of the earth. The best guy in the world.
The
best except for his brother, Toby.
Toby
doesn’t know it, but Addie’s fallen hard too. He’s perfect, except for the fact
that he’s hands off and it’s torture, being friends with Toby when she wants so
much more. Addie
also has a lot on her mind. She’s got bills to pay, her young son needs food,
Christmas is coming and her job at the grocery store just isn’t cutting it.
Toby
is steering clear of Addie. Addie is steering clear of Toby. But everyone
around them knows this is the slow burn. Because
just like Eliza and Johnny, Addie and Toby were made for each other.
Since their dramatic
introduction in The Hookup, Tobias
Gamble and Adeline Forrester haunted me. I wanted more from these characters,
and I just knew that as a couple, their chemistry would be explosive. It
certainly was. Even though their sexual attraction was instantaneous, the
journey from friends to lovers was not only complicated but a delicious slow
burning inferno. So happy to revisit Matlock, Kentucky where this author once
again overwhelmed me with another heartwarming emotional tale. If you're craving
a contemporary romance with all "the
feels" from the golden age of KA, look no further. With a sizzling hot
story-line and a cast of endearing characters, Kristen Ashley delivered a
fantastic read reminiscent of her earlier works with The Slow Burn.
Tenacious, sassy and loving, the wild-child Adeline became one of my favorite heroines. A single mom who struggled financially, she faced each obstacle with incredible strength and determination. Seeing her exhaustion from juggling a low paying job as a cashier and crafting homemade greeting cards for extra cash, to trying her best to provide for Brooks, tugged at my heartstrings. I adored and admired everything about Addie, especially her witty sense of humor despite her difficult circumstances. Proud to a fault, she stubbornly refused to burden others with her troubles, striving to be as strong as her late mother.
But
it was an eye-opening confrontation with the equally obstinate Toby,
the man she was secretly attracted to, that changed her life for the
better.
I
fell hard for the rambling man and former
womanizer known as "Take 'Em and Leave "Em" Toby." He was
edgy, growly, controlling, excessively broody and protective ~ A bearded hottie
with a huge heart who fiercely loved his family. He was unyielding at first,
hiding his true feelings from Addie for the sake of their friendship and his
brother Johnny's relationship with Izzy (Addie's older sister). But his heart
eventually won that battle, and together this couple's passion was beyond
scorching.
His intense love, dedication and the tender way he cared for his
woman and her son melted me. The way they supported one another to resolve all
issues, especially the baggage each carried from childhood, warmed my heart.
Toby, in true KA Alpha style, had some asshole-ish moments that ticked me off,
but I quickly forgave his transgressions seeing the sincere way he made amends.
All-in-all, he was the perfect KA hero, with a gentler side, that I completely
adored.
The Slow Burn was a seductive and sweet romance
that had me laughing and swooning from beginning to end. Aside from savoring
Toby and Addie’s passionate relationship, giggling over Brooks’ antics, and
surviving the extremely emotional last few chapters, there were some notable
secondary characters that I absolutely loved. The charming Dave, the larger
than life Margot as well as beloved Daphne, Addie's deceased mother, left an
incredible impression on me and made this read even more enjoyable. I will miss
them all. As always, KA emphasizes the importance of family and bonds of
friendship. The dynamics of these relationships were just as much a part of
this story as this couple's journey.
In the end, another amazingly
sexy novel from the one and only Kristen Ashley that I highly recommend. Also
suggest if you haven't already, jump into Johnny and Izzy's love story
featured in The Hookup, book one of
the Moonlight and Motor Oil series.
The Hookup (Moonlight and
Motor Oil #1)
I voluntarily reviewed an
advance copy of this publication
On
Saturday morning, Toby was standing beside his fridge downing a bottle of water
when it happened.
He’d
gotten his run in and sweated out the beer and whisky he’d consumed at the
local bar, On the Way Home (known as Home to townies) the night before.
And
he knew he should be happy he at least got to drink a little of the bitter of
that fight with Addie out of his mouth and then sweat it out the next morning
before it happened.
He
was actually surprised he didn’t get a visit at his barstool at Home last
night.
Seeing
his screen on his phone, which was sitting on the island counter, light up and
what it said when it did, he really didn’t want to take the call.
But
his father (not to mention Margot) taught him to deal with problems when they
happened so you could lose the weight of them before that weight got too heavy
and dragged you down.
With
that in mind, he put the water down, nabbed his phone and took the call.
“Yo,
Johnny.”
“Are
you fuckin’ kidding me with that shit?” his brother replied.
Toby
let out a long breath.
“‘Yo,
Johnny.’ That’s what you’ve got to say to me when the whole town’s talkin’
about you shouting in Addie’s face on the fuckin’ street yesterday?” his
brother demanded.
“Johnny,
listen—”
And
just so you know the entire reason I’m pissed as fuck at you, I had to hear
that shit from someone else, not my brother who had a fuckin’ fight with my
woman’s sister on the goddamn street and then came back to the garage and
worked right beside me for the next three hours and didn’t say dick.”
All
right.
You
know what?
He
was done with this.
So
he bit out, “Johnny, lay off.”
“Lay
off?” That came low and even more ticked than his brother had already sounded.
“Yeah,
lay the fuck off,” Toby returned.
“Have
you lost your goddamned mind?”
“No,
actually, I haven’t,” Toby gritted.
“What
was it about?”
“That’s
none of your business.”
“Wrong,”
Johnny clipped. “When it comes to Eliza’s sister, it’s absolutely my business.
When it comes to my kid brother, it’s my business. I cannot fuckin’ believe you
got up in Addie’s shit and didn’t say dick to me. But I shouldn’t be surprised.
That’s vintage Toby.”
Oh,
hell no.
“Right,
no,” Toby ground out. “We’re not doin’ this. You are not goin’ there. I’ve
eaten that shit for as long as I’m willin’ to eat it. This ends here.”
“Tobe—”
“No,”
he interrupted. “I’m not you. Get over it. I’ve never been you. But I’ve been
around for nearly thirty-three years so it’s time you got your head around it.
And speakin’ of that, I’m nearly thirty-three fuckin’ years old, Johnny. It’s
also time you quit treating me like I’m thirteen.”
Kristen
Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself
making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around
her neck (already attempting to accessorize and she hadn't taken her first
breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room,
her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been
assassinated four days before). Kristen's Mom remembered thinking it was the
end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning. Nothing's changed. Kristen grew
up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West
Country of England. Thus, she's blessed to have friends and family around the
globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you
want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm
town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO
Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched). Needless to say,
growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow
up. And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.
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