TUCKED AWAY
By Jennie Marts A Hearts of Montana Novel
Sometimes you find what you need in the most unlikely places…
Charlie Ryan’s cheating fiancé left her with a broken heart and even broker bank account. She’s hit rock bottom, but everything is about to change. Suddenly, she’s inherited a Montana farm named Tucked Away from a grandmother she never knew existed. A fresh start is just what she needs—and no men in her future this time, even if the local vet is as hot as a Montana summer.
Zack Cooper is content with his simple life. Running his veterinary practice and raising his daughter are enough to keep him busy, and he doesn’t need a high-maintenance city girl like his ex who plans to sell her grandma’s ranch and split faster than a setting sun. So why can’t he stop thinking about Charlie and her hot-pink cowboy boots…and the way her eyes say she wants to stay while her lips tease him with plans of leaving?
Just when both start to believe love might be worth the risk…one night will change everything.
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Excerpt:
HERO MEETS HEROINE
The corner of the heavy dog food bag caught the strap of her purse, and
she stumbled forward, falling off the curb and waving her arms to catch her
balance. The loud snap of her heel breaking was followed by a curse word worthy
of a sailor, and her purse went flying.
The dog food slid from his grasp. He reached to grab her as she
pitched forward and fell into his arms.
The heady scent of her perfume surrounded him as she looked up at him,
her chest pressed against his. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry.” His mouth went dry, and he tried not to look down at the front of her
shirt where her blouse gaped open and the lace edge of her bra peeked through.
He held onto her a beat too long, then let go as she steadied herself.
“You were just looking for some coffee, and I almost knocked you over
with a bag of puppy chow.”
She laughed. A light, easy sound. “I think breaking my
heel and being mauled by a giant bag of dog food is right on par with the way
the last couple of days have been going for me. I’m just glad you
didn’t impale me with the toilet bowl brush.”
She reached down to
pick up the brush that had fallen near her feet. It lay amongst the scattered
articles that had fallen from her purse.
“Here, let me help you.” Embarrassed, he knelt to the ground and began collecting the oddest
assortment of items: a fat wallet with receipts sticking out the sides, three
tubes of lip gloss, a pink makeup bag, a collection of fancy bottles with
French names printed on their shiny labels, more lip gloss, and a variety of
feminine hygiene products. “What is all this
stuff?”
She was busy cramming things back into the enormous bag but stopped to
give him a skeptical look. “Really?”
“Well, I mean, I know what this
stuff is.” He awkwardly handed
her the items filling his hands. “But why do you have
all this stuff in your purse?”
She blew her bangs out of her eyes. “It’s just stuff I need.”
He handed her a balled up pair of gym shorts and a hot pink sports
bra. “What could you possibly need this for?”
“Those are my workout clothes.” She grabbed the garments from him and stuffed them in her purse. “In case I want to stop at the gym.”
“What gym? The only 24-hour fitness you’re going to find around here is chores on a farm. They go from sun-up
to sun-down.” He watched in awe
as she stuffed more things into the leather bag. He couldn’t believe how much she fit in there. It was like an endless cavern of
space.
He heard her mumble something about one more thing she would have to
get used to before she looked up at him and sighed. “I’m thinking about moving here. But this
place is quite a change from where I’m from.”
“I can imagine.” More stuff had fallen onto the curb, and he collected another five
tubes of lip gloss. Geez, how much lip
care could one woman need? He caught himself glancing at her lips,
wondering if they were soft as they looked.
My Review:
When Charlie Ryan's life goes up in shambles, the only thing there is left to do is start over. In her mind things can't get any worse than they already are.
Moving to Montana and living on a ranch that an unknown grandmother (Charlie never knew her father or his family) had left Charlie in her will, Charlie begins to find herself and embrace who she is.
Charlie, a girl with abandonment issues, finds connections in her relationships with two specific people: Sophie, a teenager Charlie meets when she first arrives in town. Sophie is lonely and finds herself seeking out Charlie as a friend. Their relationship sort of reminded me of Zoey and Rose from Hart of Dixie. Sophie helps readers to see the softer side of Charlie and her personal growth from who she was before arriving in Montana to where the book takes readers. The two form a bond that each of them need in their lives and it's nice to see their connection.
The second relationship Charlie has is with the town veterinarian. Zack, a veterinarian, has been left broken hearted before. His wife took off leaving his daughter and him behind. When Charlie comes into his life he is wary about her presence given what had happened with his ex. Charlie, who has a cheating fiancé back home finds Zack irresistible and finds there is no contest when it comes to the two men.
The romance between Charlie and Zack is a slow build up since Zack has hang ups while Charlie has a cheating ex and abandonment issues. Even with the slow build, the sparks fly with this couple! Their love story is one that needed to be told and I am glad Jennie Marts gave it to us. You can feel the passion, the emotion, and the longing between Charlie and Zack and it gives you a connection to them.
Marts has written a book that will have you needing tissues. I found myself utterly immersed in Tucked Away. I loved the setting - the heart of Montana - and the ranch (Tucked Away), the characters, both main and secondary, the plot and it's twist, and of course the relationships I mentioned.
Tucked Away left me with an urge to get my cowboy boots dusted off and binge watch Hart of Dixie (a show with a city girl transplant into the country).
Tucked Away is not your typical cowboy story - which makes it just all the better. Tucked Away is one of those books that I would love to see come to life in movie form.
The best part of this book was seeing Charlie find the family she always needed and wanted. I seriously suggest having tissues handy. I've always said the best books will make you cry and Tucked Away just proves it!
I would love, love, love to give this story way more than five stars, but since I can't.. Five stars it is!!
★★★★★
About the Author:
Jennie Marts loves to make readers laugh as she weaves stories filled with love, friendship and intrigue. She writes for Entangled Publishing and is the Kindle Bestselling author of the Page Turners series, which includes the romantic comedies: Another Saturday Night & I Ain't Got No Body, Easy Like Sunday Mourning, Just Another Maniac Monday and the two newest Between the Pages Novellas-A Cowboy for Christmas and A Halloween Hookup. Jennie is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two sons, and two dogs whose antics often find a way into her books. She is addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos and believes you can't have too many books, shoes or friends.
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