GIMME SOME SUGAR
Author: Kimberly Kincaid
Release Date: June 3rd 2014
Series: Pine Mountain #2)
Publisher: Zebra
ISBN: (ISBN13: 9781420132854)
Pages: 352 (paperback)

Out of the frying pan. . .and into the fire!

Desperate to escape the spotlight of her failed marriage to a fellow celebrity-chef, Carly di Matisse left New York City for a tiny town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The restaurant she’s running these days may not be chic, but in Pine Mountain she can pretend to be the tough cookie everybody knows and loves. Until she finds herself spending too much time with a way-too-hot contractor whose rugged good looks melt her like butter…

Jackson Carter wasn’t looking for love. But he’s not the kind of man to walk away from a worksite—or from a fiery beauty whose passionate nature provides some irresistible on-the-job benefits…

It’s the perfect temporary arrangement for two ravenous commitment-phobes, except that Jackson and Carly keep coming back for seconds… and thirds… and fourths…

MY REVIEW:

LOVE, LOVE, LOVED this book! Kimberly Kincaid has a fluent and polished writing style and yet manages the impression of being so casually personal I felt right at home in the Pine Mountain setting and with the characters. GIMME SOME SUGAR follows Turn Up The Heat, the first book in the Pine Mountain series.

The main characters in Gimme Some Sugar are celebrity-chef, Carly di Matisse and Jackson Carter, a sexy, six-foot-four, loaded with muscle and charm construction worker. Jackson is best friends with Shane Griffin and Carly is Bellamy Blake’s boss at the resort restaurant (the main characters from Turn Up The Heat) and they both have prominent page time in Jackson and Carly’s story.

Jackson is a great guy with strong family ties and a loyal friend, who only dates casually and never really gets involved. The classic bachelor with commitment issues. He meets Carly in a hilarious and somewhat accidental way and she immediately gets under his skin, whether he realizes it or not, because he can’t get her out of his thoughts. He can’t help but keep coming back and finding more ways to spend time in her company.

Carly is in Pine Mountain escaping with a divorce pending from her ex, who not only cheated, but tried to take down her reputation in the New York restaurant scene. She’s there to focus on restoring her name and making the big comeback and has no time to be thinking about getting involved with another man. Even if he is a hunky contractor who brings her temperature to a boil every time he’s near. Even if, like Jackson, she can’t stop thinking about him.

The chemistry between these two is sizzling hot. The banter is funny, sexy, and filled with innuendo. The story line kept my interest and a smile on my face, except when I was reading about Carly’s dirt-bag ex, Travis, or the stress her mother was putting on her to reconcile with the cheater. Both Jackson and Carly have good relationships with their family and friends. Lots of humor, teasing and honest moments go down in that way only a family member or good friend can get away with when there is obvious unconditional love. The interactions with all the characters is just so enjoyable and well written. I felt like I was hanging out with the gang and chiming right in with all that was happening. Not every writer can pull that off. Kimberly Kincaid does it with style and grace. Certainly don’t miss out on this book, but check out Turn Up The Heat and the rest of her back list as well. You’ll be glad you did, I know I am. 5 stars

~Complimentary copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

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