When Alice McBride finds out her famous husband has been unfaithful she kicks him out of their home, Borne Manor. But Alice soon realises without Brad and without a job, keeping the manor is costing a lot of money she doesn’t have. She decides to rent her beloved home out for the summer and move into a battered Airstream on the manors land, but when her new tenant arrives in the shape of sexy cowboy, Robinson, she’s shocked to say the least.
Country music star Robinson Duff is dealing with his own heartache, and has come to Borne Manor to escape from his life for the summer. He’s pretty surprised to find his landlady is like something straight out of a fairytale, and is currently camping out at the bottom of his garden.
Between them there is an undeniable spark, but with so much baggage in their lives is a holiday romance really the answer? And what happens once the summer is over?
Firstly, I need to start by saying…Thank God I’ve found Kat French! What a breath of fresh air to the, sometimes stale, rom-com genre.
I’ve had this book in my Kindle library for a little while now due to ‘Household Sharing’ with my Mum, but I’d never really considered reading it as she has a habit of downloading trash because its free or cheap and I wrongly assumed this was one of those times. But there I was flicking through for something to read, having nothing urgent on my NetGalley shelf, when I came across ‘One Hot Summer’ again. I liked the cover, I read the blurb, I was hooked by the words ‘cowboy and country music’. I must explain…I have been an avid watcher of the TV series Nashville for some years, and as some of you may know after 6 seasons it sadly came to an end this week. So, what better way to pep me up then throw myself straight into falling in love with Robinson Duff!!
French effortlessly whisks you away to the village of Borne, and Alice’s home at the Manor, with her delightfully descriptive and faultless writing style. It takes great skill to transport a reader to a fictional place and this author has it in bucket loads, I could practically smell the woodlands, hear the rain on the Airstream roof and feel that warm summer breeze on my skin.
The characters are utterly charming; Alice is lovable straight off the bat with her quintessentially English yet strong-willed demeanour. The village friends, ex-porn star Stewie, mystical Hazel and bold Niamh, to name but a few, make for a comical secondary cast, and of course Robinson, the sexy and slightly damaged country star. Even the animals, Rambo and Pluto, have their own distinct, often hilarious, personalities that add a fondness to the story.
I find that a lot of romance authors are extreme with their sexual scenes, it’s either full blown 50 shades or kissing, lights off and wake up when it’s over. French manages to find some medium ground with some steamy sections that also really helped to cement the bond formed by the main protagonists.
I’m so pleased this book was more than the average boy meets girl story. I felt I was really able to connect with the characters which gave this book an edge over its peers. I can’t wait to get my hands on more titles from this author.
All I need now is to find me a cowboy!!