Set the Night on Fire by Laura Trentham – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway
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Description:
Ella Boudreaux has a lot to prove to her family, friends, and foes–and to herself. So when her marriage ends she decides to invest her energy and money into a place that brings back some of Ella’s happiest memories: the Abbott brothers’ garage. Maybe, if she puts her mind to it, she can teach skeptical, stubborn Mack Abbott how to make the business a true success. Which would be a lot easier if the hunky mechanic didn’t make her motor run quite so fast…and hot.
Mack was furious when his brother, Ford, sold his share of the business. He’s in no rush to team up with a wealthy divorcee who shows up to the garage in stilettos–and the longest, sexiest legs he’s seen in forever. But Ella’s grit and determination won’t quit…and soon Mack can see that she’s been down a few rough roads herself. Neither Mack nor Ella can deny the fierce attraction that’s revving up between them. Could it be that true love has been in the backseat all along…and they’ve finally found the key?
Review:
Set the Night on Fire by Laura Trentham is the 6th book in her Cottonbloom series. I have enjoyed every book in this series, and this book is no different….I loved Set the Night on Fire. We met our heroine, Ella Boudreaux at the end of the previous book, as Ella became part owner of the Abbott Garage. All the Abbot Brothers were not too happy that Ford, their estranged brother sold out his share of the business to Ella, but Mack, the oldest brother is still furious. In Set the Night on Fire, when Ella shows up at the garage to help, Mack treats her badly.
Ella is very smart and work oriented, having helped her ex-abusive husband build his successful business. She came away from her divorce with a nice settlement, as she was the reason the business excelled. Ella knows everyone questions why she would buy into a garage, but she did so in memory of her deceased older brother.
Though Mack is cold and sarcastic to Ella, his brothers Wyatt and Jackson, as well as Willa ( Jackson’s wife), do their best to accept Ella, who is determined to help with the marketing of the business. In a short time, Mack realizes that Ella has some good ideas, and he finds himself attracted to her, though he still gives her a hard time. Mack, who finds himself turned on by Ella’s stubborn and feisty attitude with him, also notices that Ella hides something from her past, especially seeing that she is deathly afraid of dogs, and learns more about her rough childhood. Their romance begins to heat up quickly, though there are barriers that stand between them; Mack trying to reconcile with his mother (who left them years before ), as well as coming to terms with Ford’s betrayal; Ella’s sensitivity & vulnerability due to her previous abusive marriage, not trusting her own judgment. It was so much fun to watch both of them fall hard for each other, as their chemistry sizzled.
Cottonbloom is a wonderful and fun series, which Trentham continues to give us heartwarming stories in each and every book I really loved Mack and Ella together; as their romance was not only sexy, but also emotional. It was a wonderful storyline, and great to see all the other characters that we have come to know from the previous books. There was also two epilogues that I loved.
Set The Night on Fire reads very well as a standalone, but to get to know all of the family, including their mother and Ford, I suggest you start with the first book of this series. Laura Trentham once again gives us a wonderful heartwarming story, great characters, fabulous couple, great secondary characters, charming small town atmosphere, and a sweet wonderful romance. You should be reading this series, as I look forward to the next book and return to Cottonbloom.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
“Call me Ella.” At his stony stare, she shrugged and continued. “You don’t need another mechanic. You have plenty of mechanics. What you need is someone to market you.”
“And you know enough about cars to do that?” His skepticism hit her like a kid pulling her pigtails behind the monkey bars. Annoying.
She shouldn’t rise to the bait. Unfortunately, her mouth was less mature than her mind, and she reeled off facts her brother had recited with pride.
“That Datsun 240Z you were under? It’s a seventy-three with a 2.4-liter straight-six and side-draft carburetors. It can hit sixty in 8.2 seconds with 151 horsepower. Top speed is a hundred twenty-five miles per hour. Not that anyone should be driving that fast on parish roads.”
He looked . . . stunned. She confined herself to a small self-satisfied smile. She had a feeling nothing much surprised Mack Abbott, or if it did, he made sure the world didn’t realize it.
“How did you . . . How do you know all that?”
“That’s not important. What is important is that I can help you.”
“We don’t need help.” He shook his head and re-chinked the breaks in his wall of grump.
“Yes, you do.”
“No, we don’t.” The playground-level annoyance continued with his childish denials.
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes, probably not helping to diffuse the situation.
“Name your price.”
“That’s not how this is going to work, Mack.”
“I say how things are run and done in this garage. Not you, Ms. Boudreaux.”
“I have a quarter stake and an equal voice.”
“Except, we handle things democratically around here and my brothers will have my back. Every. Single. Time.”
Dangit. He had her there. Pushing against Mack was like trying to move a mountain. She glanced at the twins. If she couldn’t move Mack, then she’d have to go around him. She wanted to stalk out and slam the door, but forced herself to mosey as if she wasn’t bothered at all by the situation or the man. He followed her to the door. She stopped with one foot out and one in. The breeze caught her hair, and she tossed her head to get it out of her eyes.
“You might vote me down, but at least give me a chance to be heard.”
“Name your price,” he repeated in a growly, grizzly voice that was meant to grind down her dissension.
Where she found the gumption she didn’t know, but she gave his cheek two pats and said, “You can’t afford me, tough guy.”
An award-winning author, Laura Trentham was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee. Although, she loved English and reading in high school, she was convinced an English degree equated to starvation. She chose the next most logical major—Chemical Engineering—and worked in a hard hat and steel toed boots for several years.
She writes sexy, small town contemporaries and smoking hot Regency historicals. KISS ME THAT WAY, Cottonbloom Book 1, won the Stiletto Contest for Best Long Contemporary and finaled in the National Readers Choice Award. THEN HE KISSED ME, Cottonbloom Book 2, was named an Amazon Best Romance of 2016 and was a finalist for the National Excellence for Romance Fiction. TILL I KISSED YOU, Cottonbloom Book 3, is a finalist in the Maggie contest. LEAVE THE NIGHT ON, the latest Cottonbloom book, was named an iBooks Best Book of the Month and a Recommended Read from NPR.
When not lost in a cozy Southern town or Regency England, she’s shuttling kids to soccer, helping with homework, and avoiding the Mt. Everest-sized pile of laundry that is almost as big as the to-be-read pile of books on her nightstand.
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Giveaway
Enter to win the first five (5) books in the Cottonbloom series!
Kiss Me That Way, Book 1
Then He Kissed Me, Book 2
Till I Kissed You, Book 3
Leave the Night On, Book 4
When the Stars Come Out, Book 5
Contest is open to International entries! US winner will receive autographed copies.
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