This one was just so so for me. I liked it but there were some issues that held it back for me. First let's discuss Riley. He's just looking desperate here. He asks this chick out and says "I just want to see if you're the one for me." No guy does that. There was no reason for him to even suggest it since they'd never had any sort of even friendship before. Talk about seeming desperate. He just latched on to whatever female comes into town in a desperate attempt to score a wife? Lame.

Okay main story. It's only been two years since both the hero and the heroine were messed up drug users. I'm glad they're clean but I think their story should have been put off for a few years. I would have bought the whole "turned their lives around" thing much more.

I didn't really like the actions of the hero. How could he not understand that if he wasn't in love with her and wasn't ready for a committed relationship that he should have left her alone? Only a douche would keep trying to get in the pants of a woman who acknowledges that she had been/was in love with him but who was trying to get over him and move on with her life in a healthy manner. The only excuse would have been if he was crazy in love with her and wanted to make a life with her. And even if he secretly was and hadn't acknowledged it to himself, his conscious mind should have said "hey, she's just a chick who I like to bang but she wants a committed relationship or she wants to move on. I'm a decent guy, I'll step back." His actions didn't match his thoughts and words.

However, the writing was good as always and I liked the heroine and how she was trying to turn her life around.

And that situation with Aaron and Cheyenne? Raise your hand if you think that's not going to come back and bite them all in the ass. Not looking forward to reading that catastrophe.

Still I enjoy this series and am looking forward to any and all to come. I was getting this weird inkling that maybe Riley is going to end up with Pheonix, his baby mama who is in prison. What do you all think? ( )

This installment of Whiskey Creek deals with Presley. If you are already a fan of the series then you know Presley is Cheyenne's sister and not a major player in the clique of friends. We learn some of Presley in Book 2, When Snow Falls, which is Cheyenne's story. I wasn't certain Presley would be included in the series but was hoping. I think the relationship, and how it came to be, between Cheyenne and Presley is interesting and perhaps a bit difficult to understand. I try to avoid spoilers for those who haven't read the books, so this may be left mysterious for some but others know why I say that. It is the background you read of in Book 2 that lays the foundation for this strangeness. I would definitely suggest you read Book 2 before you read this book, if you haven't. There are things going on that influence heavily the decisions made by Cheyenne. If you love Chey you may hate this book. It definitely shows her in a human, flawed light. I personally loved this book. I thought the lying and scheming done brought up some of the psychological issues that are a part of Chey and Presley. While it may bring Chey down to some, I feel it shows how the past can influence you into doing things you usually wouldn't. For me, it made Chey more human, less perfect.Presley changed a lot from where she was left in Book 2. Her return brings her into contact with Aaron again, who has also been making changes in his life. It is difficult for Presley to accept Aaron changed enough to accept her and her son. I think this is a multifaceted issue. I believe that part of her difficulty was her own shame and guilt over her lie. One she really had no clue how to rectify and defend herself at the same time. This may have influenced her beliefs about Aaron, distorting the way she saw him. When you don't really forgive yourself completely your vision is distorted. I'm not certain what was going on with Riley and his sudden deep interest. Perhaps it was what I call, desperate single father syndrome. DSFS is what influences single dads to obsessively seek a "mom" for the family. I have known men who have raised their children to adulthood who are still seeking the "mom" to the family. These men, (not every single dad falls into this category), tend to look for a woman who has a child and then make decisions about her based on her mothering. I think Riley may be going through that and it is why he instantly fell hard for Presley. In my opinion this book is well done. It explores how our past influences our decisions no matter if we are the main character or the sister supporting her. I think it will be difficult for those who have put Cheyenne on a pedestal but for me it was perfect. I think Cheyenne and Presley have a unique bond that is very difficult to understand fully. It will be interesting to see how things go between them as they mature more with life's challenges. This is one series I definitely find fascinating. It is due, in part, to the author not being afraid to explore darker things and in part, to the author not being afraid of her characters falling down. No one is perfect though some are perceived that way. When their flaws are exposed it always brings out strong, intense emotions of like or dislike. This book will bring that out, for sure.

*I was given an advanced ecopy of the book for review purposes. The author, nor anyone affiliated with her, requested a "good" review. Nor did they influence or compensate me in any way. All opinions and thoughts are my own.* ( )

This book was amazing. I couldn't stop reading until the end and I still want to find out more about Aron and Presley and Wyatt.
It was a perfect story about love, the past and the future. It showed perfectly how one thing can change your life forever and the miracle of children. I have to say, this is one of the best book I've read. I liked how the main characters weren't perfect but they had made mistakes and still continued doing them, but in the end they found their way together where they actually belongs.
It was also nice to, for once, have a book that the main characters didn't mention the word love until the very end, well Presley was head over heals in love with Aron but he was stupid enough to not to realize it until the very end.
My mind is blown by this book! LOVED IT!

*ARC received from publisher ( )

Two years after she left, Presley is back in Whiskey Creek with a toddler, but she's stopped drinking, drugs and bad behavior. She starts dating Riley, an appropriate choice, but she can't seem to stay away from Aaron, her ex and also Wyatt's father, although she never told him. Someone in town figures out that Aaron's Wyatt's father, forcing the issue and forcing Presley to spend time with him while they wait for the DNA results. He's grown up too - but enough to depend on him? ( )

I was so looking forward to Aaron and Presley’s story. We first met them in the third book of the series and they were a train wreck then. Both so messed up from what their mother’s had done that they had turned to drugs and sex to numb the pain. At the end of that book we knew Presley had bottomed out had gone to treatment and was pregnant with Aaron’s baby but had chosen not to tell him as he still hadn’t gotten his life straighten out. This book starts two years later when Presley comes back to Snow Falls to open a yoga and massage business thinking that Aaron was leaving town.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I was ok with how the book was going until Cheyenne who has been unable to get pregnant comes up with a plan so freggin crazy that it requires herself, her sister Presley and her husband’s brother Aaron to lie and keep a huge secret from Dylan. If you are following a good recovery program lying and keeping secrets is not a healthy thing to do. I was hoping that somehow everyone would come clean at the end of the book but they didn’t. I don’t think the end justifies the means.

I really liked the first four books in the series but the last three have gone too far off the rails and I am sad to say I don’t think I will be continuing this series.
( )