Review of Just Once by Julianna Keyes

By hinesandbigham on December 13, 2013 • ( 1 Comment )

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book Length: (Est.): 290 Pages

Book Description/Synopsis:  

Kate Burke is done making bad decisions. Thirty years old and belatedly determined to grow up, the successful travel writer and one-time party girl returns to work at the remote Ponderosa Pines Ranch to reassess her life.

Although her kitchen/cabin staff is lacking and the workload never relents, Kate’s main challenge is Shane Maddox, the ruggedly handsome and doggedly stubborn ranch foreman. Instantly at odds, they battle over everything from ceiling fans to bothersome bats—studiously ignoring the sparks they generate with each confrontation.

They can’t explain their explosive physical chemistry, but after a few frustrated weeks they can’t deny it either. Their solution? Just once. They’ll get past their inconvenient lust and move on.

Kate’s been trying to think with her head instead of her hormones, but is this just another bad decision in a lifetime of careless choices? Has she really changed at all?

Set in the striking and serene hills of southern Colorado, Julianna Keyes’ debut novel offers a sizzling and satisfying tale of unexpected chemistry and the power of second chances. Her characters will get under your skin and into your heart. Just once may not be enough for you either.

Jennifer’s Review: 

*I received an ARC of this book free from Irresistible Reads Book Tour in exchange for an honest review*

This is such a sweet story and it covers so many different stereotypical people, but most importantly the characters seem like such real people. They all have their issues, some grow and some don’t, and some find things they didn’t even know they were looking for.

Kate may have had her life together once upon a time, but something changed all of that and sent her seeking a sanctuary from her past, Ponderosa Pines Ranch. She’s looking to change the pattern her life had fallen into, exchanging fine dining, lavish trips, and careless partying for kitchen duty, cabin cleaning, and a whiny staff.

The lumberjack of a ranch foreman, Shane, is surprisingly the only one who brings her pause. He’s demanding, arrogant, and panty dropping hot. She’d always been attracted to the high maintenance, suit wearing, more hair products than her type of men, but that all changes when she continually runs into the ruggedly handsome foreman who knows just how to push her buttons.

I thoroughly enjoyed her interactions with the other staff. It gave the book an authentic quality, mainly because from a girl’s standpoint it was straight on. Mostly I enjoyed how the younger girls helped bring her prospective, just as she did them too.

My Favorite Laughable Moment: I laughed so hard when she attempted to get the bat out of the cabin by herself. The interference she encountered was so mean and so hilarious that I couldn’t stop laughing.

My Favorite Discussion: When Kate and Hailey are discussing Shane’s past involvement with Summer Skank and the possibility of needing bleach. It was priceless!

Overall, I give this 5 stars! 

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

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Tagged as: Contemporary Romance, Julianna keyes, just once