TEQUILA HIGH (100 Proof) by M. Leighton-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: November 18, 2018

Haley Brandt isn’t the one-night-stand type, but too much tequila and a man with two sinfully black eyes left her breathless and willing to break her own rules. Her only solace was the fact that she’d never see him again.

Until the next morning when she finds out he’s her ride out of town and back to the ranch where she grew up.

Nixon Holt works with Haley’s father, so Haley makes her position clear—she doesn’t get involved with ranch employees. Ever. At nineteen, she’d learned her lesson the hard way, and it became her one unbreakable rule.

But Nixon makes his position clear, too: He’s going to wear down Haley’s defenses and he won’t stop until she breaks all her rules for him. He’s well on his way when Haley finds out the one thing that could make her hate him. Nixon is left with two choices: walk away or break all his rules for her.

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REVIEW: TEQUILA HIGH is the first instalment in Michelle Leighton’s contemporary, adult, 100 Proof, romance series. This is fashion boutique owner, twenty-nine year old, Haley Brandt, and ranch hand Nixon Holt’s story line.

Told from dual first person points of view (Nixon and Haley) TEQUILA HIGH follows the building but forbidden relationship between fashion boutique owner, twenty-nine year old, Haley Brandt, and ranch hand Nixon Holt. Ten years earlier Haley Brandt’s heart was destroyed by the young man she loved, and in the aftermath our heroine ran from friends and family to places unknown. Fast forward to present day wherein Haley has been summoned home to the family ranch, a place that holds too many bad memories of the past. An almost one-night stand upon her return, involving too much tequila, turns into something more when she is introduced to her father’s new ranch hand Nixon Holt, the man with whom Haley will fall in love. What ensues is the secret romance and relationship between Haley and Nixon when they are forced to live and work together at the Circle B Ranch, and the fall-out as Nixon’s lies by omission push Haley to run, once again.

Haley Brandt knows love and betrayal; not once but twice, Haley’s heart has been destroyed, and returning to the Circle B Ranch stirs up too many memories of a time long ago. Meeting Nixon Holt gives Haley the opportunity to put everything behind but Nixon’s lies by omission threaten any new-found stability for our story line heroine. Nixon Holt knows he must come clean with Haley Brandt but his secrets are not his to reveal. Nixon doesn’t do relationships; he’s never fallen in love, and our hero isn’t willing to accept that his happily ever after is his almost one-night stand.

The relationship between Haley and Nixon begins as a dare. Haley’s best friend Lia dares a boozed-up Haley to get ‘back on the proverbial horse’, and in the aftermath Haley must deal with the fall-out of kissing her father’s new ranch hand. Nixon is immediately drawn to the sexy red-haired siren, and is hoping for a mutual arrangement for everybody concerned. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and seductive, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Haley’s best friend Lia, as well as Haley’s sisters Hannah, Harper and Hope, and their father John Brandt. The back and forth, sibling camaraderie is fun and familiar. I am hoping the author has plans for the Brandt sisters.

TEQUILA HIGH is a fast paced, realistic, and emotional story. The premise is engaging and moving; the romance is sexy and sassy; the chemistry is immediate; the characters are colorful, captivating and dynamic. TEQUILA HIGH has a little bit of everything: romance, humor, fun, betrayal, anxiety and heart break.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, M. Leighton, is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, these days Michelle enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you’ll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren’t roaming in that direction, she’ll be riding wild horses, skiing the slopes of Aspen or scuba diving with a hot rock star, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.

About Michelle: I love coffee and chocolate, even more so when they are combined. I’m convinced that one day they could be the basis for world peace. I also love the color red and am seriously considering dying my hair.