A Prequel Novella to LOVE, CHOCOLATE, AND BEER)

Man, oh man, was he in trouble…

If the girl-next-door-had an unpredictable, feisty twin sister, this woman would be her. Though she’d doused it quickly, a sizzling, ultra-feminine awareness had flared in her eyes in that brief moment they’d met his, along with a sweet blush she’d fought with adorably, stubborn defiance. Damn, she was cute. And intriguing. With that quiet, kitten gaze of hers still mulishly refusing to look his way again, she was drawing him in, hook, line, and sinker.

Holy Hefeweizen…

It was bad enough that the faint scent of one of her dark ales was lingering on his lips in that sexier-than-sin sort of way, but candying it atop steamy eyes and a gentlemanly sweet center to boot was just plain unfair. He was cowboy-in-the-city sexy with a laughing smile and all sorts of promised temptations radiating from him. And he always smelled like chocolate. With his scorching hot gaze, he was completely lethal to everything that kept her tame.

The night Luke and Dani met, they really should have gotten each other’s last names. More importantly? Each other’s occupations.

See how the chocolate vs. beer throwdown between chocolatier Luke Bradford and beer brewing beauty Dani Dobson gets started in this prequel novella to LOVE, CHOCOLATE, AND BEER.

MY REVIEW:

A LITTLE COMBUSTIBLE CHEMISTRY by Violet Duke is a brilliant introduction to her new Cactus Creek series. It is a smart, snappy, witty, steamy, and most of all a fun prequel to Love, Chocolate and Beer (Cactus Creek #1) that was just right at satisfying me with the novella and teasing me with the desire for more. As with Violet’s Nice Girl to Love series I fell head over heels for her likeable characters mostly due to the natural and realistic feel of her writing style.

The key players are Dani Dobson, wildly popular brewmaster and owner of Ocotillos Brewpub. Born and raised in Cactus Creek, she is a second generation owner and extremely well-liked among the townfolk. She is also a bit of a workaholic, been burned in the romance department leading to a yearlong sexual drought, a girl-next-door type of sweet and a take-no prisoners businesswoman all wrapped up in one feisty package Luke finds impossible to resist.

Luke Bradford is a chocolatier extraordinare who has moved his successful chocolate shop, Desert Confections, from Mesa to Cactus Creek after visiting and falling in love with the quirky small town. As the new kid on the block he has a lot to prove and a lot to lose. He is a sexy, smoldering, old-fashioned romance kind of guy who has his eyes fully focused on Dani. She can’t stop the weak-in-the-knees reaction he causes in her with just the hot way he looks at her from across the room. And Luke’s ready to pull out all the stops; flowers, private dinner, and candlelight all to find his way into Dani’s arms.

To coin the title, their initial attraction and sexual chemistry is so intense it’s combustible. They are on the same page with this from a personal perspective (the scene of their first encounter is quite delicious) and the sparks fly. Unfortunately from a business perspective they are at odds, and again the sparks fly. They are helped along, both personally and professionally, by coworkers and friends with sassy and quirky personalities of their own. All combined for a quick entertaining read.

~I received this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review.”