Leave the Night On
By Laura Trentham
Publisher: St. Martin's
Release Date: August 1, 2017
Reviewed by PJ
Love, betrayal, and sweet revenge—life in Cottonbloom is about to get a whole lot hotter . . .
Sutton Mize is known for lavishing attention on the customers who flock to her boutique on the wealthy side of her Mississippi town. So when she finds a lace thong in her fiancé’s classic cherry-red Camaro, she knows just who she sold it to: her own best friend. In an instant, Sutton’s whole world goes up in flames. . .
Wyatt Abbott has harbored a crush on Sutton since he was a young kid from the other side of the tracks. He witnessed Sutton’s shocking discovery in the Camaro at his family-owned garage—and it made him angry. What kind of man could take lovely, gorgeous Sutton for granted? But then Sutton comes up with an idea: Why not give her betrothed a taste of his own medicine and pretend that she’s got a lover of her own? Wyatt is more than happy to play the hot-and-heavy boyfriend. But what begins as a fictional affair soon develops into something more real, and more passionate, than either Sutton or Wyatt could have imagined. Could it be that true love has been waiting under the hood all along?
Sutton Mize is known for lavishing attention on the customers who flock to her boutique on the wealthy side of her Mississippi town. So when she finds a lace thong in her fiancé’s classic cherry-red Camaro, she knows just who she sold it to: her own best friend. In an instant, Sutton’s whole world goes up in flames. . .
Wyatt Abbott has harbored a crush on Sutton since he was a young kid from the other side of the tracks. He witnessed Sutton’s shocking discovery in the Camaro at his family-owned garage—and it made him angry. What kind of man could take lovely, gorgeous Sutton for granted? But then Sutton comes up with an idea: Why not give her betrothed a taste of his own medicine and pretend that she’s got a lover of her own? Wyatt is more than happy to play the hot-and-heavy boyfriend. But what begins as a fictional affair soon develops into something more real, and more passionate, than either Sutton or Wyatt could have imagined. Could it be that true love has been waiting under the hood all along?
In Leave the Night On, Laura Trentham returns to the southern town of Cottonbloom, a community split by both a river and a state line, for the first book featuring the newly introduced Abbott brothers. While familiar characters from the first Cottonbloom trilogy appear periodically, readers new to Trentham's Cottonbloom books will have no difficulty starting with this novel.
I've been excitedly anticipating this newest Cottonbloom story and it did not disappoint. Once again, Trentham has paired a couple from opposites sides of the river: Sutton, the privileged daughter of a Mississippi judge and Wyatt, the blue-collar mechanic from the Louisiana side. At first glance, Sutton and Wyatt are completely mismatched, but both are much more complex than appearances would suggest. Wyatt, in particular, has hidden depths that not even his family has guessed and beneath her prim and proper exterior, Sutton hides the soul of a woman aching to break loose and have fun. I adored them both, individually and as a couple, and thoroughly enjoyed their journey.
As in her previous books, both the town of Cottonbloom and the quirky citizens on both sides of the river are featured prominently in Leave the Night On. Trentham brings them to life with her vibrant, realistic descriptions and spot-on southern dialog. It's a town I want to visit - people I'd like to know. And you can put Wyatt at the top of that list. He made me laugh, made me sigh, and if I didn't like Sutton so much, I'd elbow her out of the way and claim him for my own.
In addition to creating intriguing communities, Trentham also excels at developing complex family relationships, the Abbott brothers being the most recent to take center stage. The dynamic among the four brothers is fraught with emotion, mistrust, and conflict. Trentham unveils just enough about each brother to leave me wanting more though I have to admit that at this point all I want to do with eldest brother Ford is drop-kick him off the nearest cliff. I'm sure there are swirling emotional depths within each of them to which we will eventually become privy. I can't wait to see where she takes them in upcoming books.
If you enjoy small-town stories true to their southern roots with sensual romance, emotional depth, likable couples, quirky secondary characters, and a splash of humor that wrap you up in a satisfied smile and sigh, then I recommend any of Laura Trentham's Cottonbloom novels. Leave the Night On is a great place to begin.
Have you read any of Laura Trentham's novels yet?
Do you have a favorite book or character from Cottonbloom?
Do you enjoy stories set in the American south?
One randomly chosen person leaving a comment by 11:00 PM (EST), August 6, 2017 will receive a print copy of Leave the Night On. (U.S. addresses only)
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. The first two books of her Falcon Football series were named Top Picks by RT Book Reviews magazine. Then He Kissed Me, a Cottonbloom novel, was named as one of Amazon’s best romances of 2016. 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.
She writes sexy, small town contemporaries and smoking hot Regency historicals. The first two books of her Falcon Football series were named Top Picks by RT Book Reviews magazine. Then He Kissed Me, a Cottonbloom novel, was named as one of Amazon’s best romances of 2016. 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.
Social Links:
Twitter- @LauraTrentham
Buy Links:
Thank you for a lovely giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a book I want to read
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Laura Trentham's historical romances yet but I've loved all of her contemporaries, especially those set in Cottonbloom.
DeleteAnother Pat here - lol - I have not read any of Laura's books. Will have to check her out; this one sounds vg. And I do enjoy Southern settings. (Sherryl Woods).
ReplyDeleteIt's the morning of the Patricias, including me! :)
DeleteI hope you enjoy Trentham's Cottonbloom books as much as I have. For the first Cottonbloom trilogy, I encourage the books be read in order: Kiss Me That Way, Then He Kissed Me, and Till I Kissed You. Leave the Night On is written in such a way that you'll have no problem starting there first and going back to read the earlier trilogy later.
Oh, this sounds like my kind of book. One of the few things I like better than a good contemporary, small-town romance is a good contemporary, small-town romance with a Southern setting. I have read Kiss Me That Way and have the other two in that trilogy on my Kindle. I've also read at least one of her Falcon Football series. I enjoyed the books I read. Her books come recommended by you and by Manda Collins. That's good enough for me to add them to my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy them, Janga!
DeleteSuch a great small town series, which is my very favorite type of contemporary romance novel.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you're enjoying it too, Nikki!
DeleteI have not read any books by Ms Trentham, but I just bought one. I love well written stories about the South. I live in Texas and have lived in small towns. So, yes, if it is well done, I love them. Mostly it is cause I have lived in towns where the quirky characters have been my neighbors.
ReplyDeleteI love small town series. That they are set in the South, even better. I just went on Amazon and got the first book. I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteI love small town stories. I also read this book & loved it. I'm glad I wasn't the only one feeling that way about Ford. I hope Laura Trentham writes stories for Jackson and Mack.
ReplyDeleteI have not read any of this author's book. Would love to win. And do like the southern charm in novels.
ReplyDeleteNatty's Mama
I have read a few of her books. I like them a lot.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of Laura's books, but I do think I would like them. I live in the South, so I enjoy reading books that use the South as a setting.
ReplyDeletenew to me author
ReplyDeleteI've read all the Cottonbloom books, PJ, and enjoyed every one of them. Didn't know she had a new one out so this is a very nice surprise. This will definitely go on my TBB list! Thanks for the review.
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