Moving back to Lockhat Bend wasn’t easy for Marianne Stanton. But the smart and sassy firecracker has come with a plan. She’s going to turn her Aunt’s old Honky Tonk into a sleek and successful brewery in the heart of Lockhart Bend. Proving that while her life didn’t go as planned, she could still take the town that judged her harshly as a child by storm. She’s set out to win the upcoming Battle of the Brews at the county festival. The plan is to do it solo…no matter what the annoyingly hot town sheriff has to say.
Sheriff Trent Wild has a dream—a dream that his favorite honky tonk will never change. For years he can kick back with a cold one and listen to country crooning on the jukebox as couples two-stepped their way around the floor. It’s a dream that’s in peril since master brewer Marianne came back to town, all grown up—and looking damn good—to burst his bubble. Now Trent needs to persuade Marianne that the Honky Tonk is perfect as it is…and that he could be perfect for her, too.
What starts off as a welcome back to town quickly becomes a battle of wills. Marianne and Trent will find themselves fighting for their separate dreams until a cherry chapstick flavored kiss proves juicier than expected. Now they’ll have to decide if living the dream is worth missing out on the love of a lifetime.
Titles in The Wildhorse Ranch Brothers series include: Breaking The Cowboy’s Rules – Healing The Quarterback – Stirring Up The Sheriff
Title: Stirring Up The Sheriff
Series: The Wildhorse Ranch Brothers #3
Author: Leslie North
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: May 31, 2017
Publisher: Relay Publishing
My Rating: 4 stars
Marianne is returning to the small town she was born in with determination and a plan. That plan will put her on the opposite side of the debate with the local sheriff, Trent who likes things just as they’ve always been. When Marianne buys the Honky Tonk bar from her aunt she plans to reopen it as a brewery pub. She is talented at brewing beer and plans to sell her stock to the locals, as well as running her newly designed pub. She’s out to prove a point that the small town gossips were wrong about her back then, and she can stick to something and be successful. Unfortunately, she didn’t really consider that what she wanted to build here in this small town doesn’t really have a small town audience. And one stubborn, opinionated neighbor who happens to be the sheriff will remind her of that fact… constantly.
Trent and Marianne make an interesting pair. Their bickering and sexual tension drive them both and provide an interesting feel to their story. Some outside drama, a bit of a challenge and learning how to compromise will move this story alone.
I enjoyed my time here and would recommend this story and this series to any Romance reader.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Available in paperback and for the Kindle
