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hetvixcv's review against another edition
3.0
This one started off so good. I loved Everly from the previous book and couldn’t wait for her book. I always love a good marriage of convenience, and this one checked all the boxes. I loved how Huxley and Everly started falling for each other and the chemistry they shared. But around the end, when Hux and the daughter started giving Everly attitude, there’s where I got frustrated. Everly was so nice and was trying to make the daughter feel included and she still was a major B**** to her. I loved that she made Hux grovel but still not cool Hux. Other than that, a nice easy read.
samanthacare's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
khoffner13's review against another edition
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
docmollyreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
turtleswift01's review against another edition
4.0
absolutely gobbled this up in one sitting, and bonus points bc it made me shed a tear at one point?? literally so unexpected i loved it
lmrivas54's review against another edition
5.0
There’s something in Willa Nash’s (alter ego of Devney Perry) books that grab you and you don’t want to stop reading. Her characters are compelling, the stories are enthralling and the feelings, the passion, the small town gossipy nature combined with goodness just suck you in.
Everly is stuck in a limbo. After the stalker that attacked her and her bestie Lucy, she hasn’t been able to decide on a course of action. She used to be a singer but she doesn’t want to be a singer anymore. Her parents want her to have a direction, are pressing her on it, but all she wants is to stay cocooned in her second story apartment, watching life in the small town of Calamity as it goes on, through her front windows. It’s not until one night she goes for a nightcap to a bar, finds this handsome and compelling stranger and has a one night stand with him, that her motor started running. But what really started running were her hormones!
Hux is an ex-con. When he revisits his history, you can tell his situation is the result of wanting to please an ever demanding wife. And on top of being the cause of his imprisonment, she gave birth to a daughter, hid it from him, and once he was out of prison, constantly denies him access to!
Hux has an art gallery, has made a life for himself, but he’s a hermit in town, his only purpose and desire, to have contact with his daughter. When he has the one-night stand with Everly, he remains mesmerized with her sensuality and beauty, but he’s still reluctant to get involved. That is, until Everly convinces him he has a better chance to gain access to his daughter if he presents himself to the town and the judge as a community man, settled in marital harmony.
The chemistry between Everly and Hux is off the charts; and even though their marriage is fake, in the bedroom it’s very much real. I found Everly a little spineless at first, but later on I realized that she exerts herself for the sake of others and not herself.
“Life with Everly had taken me by surprise. She had taken me by surprise. Ev had the grit to gut out the hard moments. She had a smile that made the good ones shine like the sun. Along the way, it had stopped being about sex. Or only sex. She’d become a constant. A companion. Maybe even a friend.”
The person I felt for the most was Savannah. Clearly the bone of contention between her mother and Hux, she craves love from her father but her mother rejoices in being an obstacle. It’s a very frustrating situation, seeing a woman who is so selfish and self-centered that she relishes making Hux’s life impossible, spreading false rumors about his reputation and unrelenting in not allowing him time with his daughter.
“Treats me like I’m this huge burden on her life, this inconvenience. But when I suggest I get out of her hair and live with my dad, she flips out. She doesn’t want me, but she doesn’t want him to have me either.”
When I read that Everly had decided that her purpose and focus would be to fix the estrangement between Savannah and Hux, I admired her generosity of spirit but also had an “uh oh” moment. Her focus was pointed outside and not inside as it should be. The result was an adventure in negotiating a tricky path between a troubled teenager, a grumpy man with lost social graces, and Hux’s longtime friend Katie, who didn’t receive Everly with open arms. Katie manages the gallery where Every arrives to help with the accounts. It was a graceless job with little gratitude except for a fantastic sex life.
.
The story kept me mesmerized, there’s always a hint of suspense, a wonderful supportive best friend, and a villain in the form of a spiteful, malicious ex-wife. It’s a testament of the author’s grace and elegance that she treats everyone, even the evil ex-wife with kindness, I would have annihilated her, she was so annoying.
What I loved most was the teasing bonus epilogue that has the promise of another yummy installment of this series! I can’t wait!
Everly is stuck in a limbo. After the stalker that attacked her and her bestie Lucy, she hasn’t been able to decide on a course of action. She used to be a singer but she doesn’t want to be a singer anymore. Her parents want her to have a direction, are pressing her on it, but all she wants is to stay cocooned in her second story apartment, watching life in the small town of Calamity as it goes on, through her front windows. It’s not until one night she goes for a nightcap to a bar, finds this handsome and compelling stranger and has a one night stand with him, that her motor started running. But what really started running were her hormones!
Hux is an ex-con. When he revisits his history, you can tell his situation is the result of wanting to please an ever demanding wife. And on top of being the cause of his imprisonment, she gave birth to a daughter, hid it from him, and once he was out of prison, constantly denies him access to!
Hux has an art gallery, has made a life for himself, but he’s a hermit in town, his only purpose and desire, to have contact with his daughter. When he has the one-night stand with Everly, he remains mesmerized with her sensuality and beauty, but he’s still reluctant to get involved. That is, until Everly convinces him he has a better chance to gain access to his daughter if he presents himself to the town and the judge as a community man, settled in marital harmony.
The chemistry between Everly and Hux is off the charts; and even though their marriage is fake, in the bedroom it’s very much real. I found Everly a little spineless at first, but later on I realized that she exerts herself for the sake of others and not herself.
“Life with Everly had taken me by surprise. She had taken me by surprise. Ev had the grit to gut out the hard moments. She had a smile that made the good ones shine like the sun. Along the way, it had stopped being about sex. Or only sex. She’d become a constant. A companion. Maybe even a friend.”
The person I felt for the most was Savannah. Clearly the bone of contention between her mother and Hux, she craves love from her father but her mother rejoices in being an obstacle. It’s a very frustrating situation, seeing a woman who is so selfish and self-centered that she relishes making Hux’s life impossible, spreading false rumors about his reputation and unrelenting in not allowing him time with his daughter.
“Treats me like I’m this huge burden on her life, this inconvenience. But when I suggest I get out of her hair and live with my dad, she flips out. She doesn’t want me, but she doesn’t want him to have me either.”
When I read that Everly had decided that her purpose and focus would be to fix the estrangement between Savannah and Hux, I admired her generosity of spirit but also had an “uh oh” moment. Her focus was pointed outside and not inside as it should be. The result was an adventure in negotiating a tricky path between a troubled teenager, a grumpy man with lost social graces, and Hux’s longtime friend Katie, who didn’t receive Everly with open arms. Katie manages the gallery where Every arrives to help with the accounts. It was a graceless job with little gratitude except for a fantastic sex life.
.
The story kept me mesmerized, there’s always a hint of suspense, a wonderful supportive best friend, and a villain in the form of a spiteful, malicious ex-wife. It’s a testament of the author’s grace and elegance that she treats everyone, even the evil ex-wife with kindness, I would have annihilated her, she was so annoying.
What I loved most was the teasing bonus epilogue that has the promise of another yummy installment of this series! I can’t wait!
bookbae96's review against another edition
5.0
Give me a strong steady law man and a small town, and I'm in. Given this, THE BRIBE by author Willa Nash, was a happily forgone conclusion for me, and, as I wrote in my review, it did not disappoint. I mean, to be fair, you would be hard-pressed to find a book by Willa Nash, or her alter ego, Devney Perry, that I didn't love, but a tortured artist who is emotionally unavailable, erm...
News flash: I LOVED HUX! So now we know, tortured artist types are a yes, at least when written by Willa/Devney. Hux, for all of his tortured broodiness and brokenness, is not unredeemable. He needs a gentle but firm hand and a giving heart, and, lucky for him, Everly Christian has that in spades. And, as hard as he tries to hold himself apart, he can't help but change the longer Everly's around.
One of the things that I loved best about this book is that Everly is nobody's doormat, and she gives as good as she gets. She has plenty of her own baggage, but gives Hux and his situation everything of herself that he needs, whether he realizes it in any given moment or not. But she's stronger than she thinks, and when enough is enough, she's not afraid to say it.
The more time I spend in Calamity, Montana, the more I love it, the place, the people, the quirks, everything. There are still plenty of stories to be told, and I cannot wait for Willa to deliver them. In the meantime, read these books. Just do it. Because they are heartfelt and passionate and so, so satisfying, and you will be so glad that you did. Calamity is a trip worth making. ❤️
dkhiggins's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ltcreads40's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
I was really looking forward to Hux and Everly. But I just couldn't connect with Hux. I loved Everly and her openness and strive to help everyone around her. The best part of this book was the groveling after the third act break up. Everly made Hux work for it which I love to see. I don't enjoy when everything is forgiven with a single apology especially with how epically Hux broke Everly. Solid read and I will definitely continue with this series.
I was really looking forward to Hux and Everly. But I just couldn't connect with Hux. I loved Everly and her openness and strive to help everyone around her. The best part of this book was the groveling after the third act break up. Everly made Hux work for it which I love to see. I don't enjoy when everything is forgiven with a single apology especially with how epically Hux broke Everly. Solid read and I will definitely continue with this series.