Whiskey Chaser: Bootleg Springs, Book 1

A Goodreads friend recommended Whiskey Chaser and I'm absolutely STOKED that she did. There is NOTHING better than starting a new series, trying new to me authors and having SUCCESS with a sub-genre that normally drives me BONKERS!! There were happy dances and big goofy grins at the end of this one. I LOVE FINDING A GOOD READ!!I normally struggle with small-town romance but this was nothing like the ones I've tried in the past. I loved that the townspeople were friendly, caring, intimate and familiar without being judgemental, narrow-minded or stuck in the past. The characters are diverse without being treated differently for their skin colour, beliefs or sexual orientation. Bootleg Springs is appealing in so many ways and if it was real, I would seriously contemplate a visit.When my friend recommended Whiskey Chaser, with a little peek at the blurb I was heading straight to Amazon. With an intro like..."I'm afraid my vagina might turn itself inside out if you try to give it another orgasm so soon." — Scarlett Bodinewho wouldn't be tempted?Scarlett is a unique and funny character that I instantly liked. She's a little crass, is always looking for fun, and works bloody hard to make something of herself. When we meet her for the first time, she's having a party in her backyard with friends and family after the death of her father. Hmmm...that probably sounds bad. Well, it's not as bad as it seems. Scarlett is one of the only people who actually cared for her alcoholic father, but even she admits that his passing has relieved her of some of her stress. She's having a great time when a very good-looking bloke steps onto her property trying to stop all of the singing, dancing and merriment.Devlin has ruined his life and the last thing he wants is to be exposed to people having fun. He's in the process of scraping off his cheating ex-wife, regretting an altercation with his ex's lover AND his life-long dream of a career in politics is looking very shaky. Devlin is staying in his grandmother's cabin by the lake to hide out until the things settle down. What he doesn't want is to have to interact with the people of Bootleg Springs. What he doesn't expect is to fall instantly in lust with his next door neighbour. What he never thought possible was a Spitfire, her small town and the people in it to change EVERYTHING.Seriously, I get the giddy, happy dance feeling when I find a book this good. It was so easy to get sucked in to spend a whole day reading. All of the characters from Bootleg Springs were quirky, cool and a lot of fun. Sure, they are far from perfect but that makes them even more interesting. The storyline was interesting and kept my attention from start to finish. We're treated to a hot and steamy romance that definitely had my heart pumping. It was funny without being silly. There was a touch of intrigue that I think will be an ongoing mystery throughout the series. All of these things combined to make me a very happy reader who was thoroughly entertained.I smiled, smirked, squirmed and swooned...all of the winning components to make an awesome contemporary romance. I've already purchased Sidecar Crush, Bootleg Springs #2 and I think I'm going to start it straight away. I love finding a new series that's already got a few books out. If #2 is as good as this one, I'm going to be a wee bit excited and there's a good chance I'll be hassling the authors to hurry up and give them all to me NOW!!

I'll start by saying I really enjoyed this book. It was a terrific small-town romance between a disgraced lawyer/politician and a what you see is what you get local woman. Before I get into the story line too much, however, I'm going to mention something that took a bit of the shine off the book for me in case it helps other readers (or at least prewarns them). This book has two main foci; 1. The romance between Devon and Scarlett, the two main characters, and; 2. The town's long-held claim to fame - the disappearance of a local girl many years ago that remains unsolved. The second point added a great bit of mystery and put a nice spin on the small town romance trope BUT (and this is a major 'but...' for me) there was absolutely no closure on the girl's missing case. Without spoiling too much, an alarming discovery is made, obviously involving the main characters. It affects the main characters, secondary characters and the township in general. Considering this is a major component of the story, I was left gobsmacked when it was left as a To Be Continued element of the series. I wasn't too cranky as I bought the entire series on sale, however if I had only bought the first book and got to the end of the novel only to find that what I'd spent a few days reading had no satisfactory conclusion to a major plot point, I would have been fuming. There's no mention of this at all in the book blurb, nor prior to starting the novel (that I saw). It's mentioned by the author that the missing girl story line isn't concluded until Book 6. BOOK 6!!! Which is fine and a great idea for a series as I love an entertaining mystery, but I really would have been liked to have been pre-warned as I'm a book nerd and plan out my reading around ARCs, new releases, life events, etc. Luckily, I really enjoyed the story and while I probably would have continued with the series anyway, I still would have wanted to set everything on fire in annoyance lol. Especially if I'd only purchased the first book. I'm putting it right up the front of my review in case other readers would like to know prior to starting as to me, this is kind of like a book ending on a cliffhanger.Anywho, back to the basics. This is a small town romance where opposites attract with a female lead who is refreshingly different from many others in the mainstream romance categories. After Devon finds out his wife is having an affair, he decks the other guy and has to take a quick break from his political job and future path of running for senate by laying low until it all blows over. He shacks up in his grandmother's lakefront home in Bootleg Springs. He's blown away by his gorgeous and out-there neighbour, Scarlett Bodine. She can drink most people under the table, is brash, anti-longterm relationship, dirty talking, hard working, optimistic, has a red-hot and quick fire temper and goes after what she wants, including sexually. She spends her life enmeshed in her local town and its people, from pepperoni rolls to weekly bonfires and drink until you drop softball. She was a cowgirl and true to herself and I loved her. Scarlett was also out there without being obnoxious with just the right amount of vulnerability to stop her from being too over the top. Growing up with parents that resented each other and argued constantly, she and her brothers had a rough childhood. Running his maintenance business, Scarlett is the only Bodine child with time for her father and when he dies, she finds herself in a bit of a quandary of where to next. Enter Devon. He's from Annapolis, from parents heavily invested in political advancement and has grown up with a clear path for his future as well as a set of rules on how to act and where to be seen. Meeting Scarlett is a breath of fresh air and as they both get to know each other, they agree things are only temporary whilst unwittingly diving headfirst into something deeper.The two main characters were fantastic and I loved how the author wrote a romance that was as transparent as the characters themselves. There was a little bit of 'I'm no good for them' which always drives me crazy - why do novels always chuck self-sabotage in for extra relationship drama? - and a tiny bit of cheese towards the end, but it wasn't so unbearable that it took any shine off my enjoyment of the book whatsoever. There was an epilogue set four years down the track that was appreciated, although a bit wishy-washy. I'm assuming it's because there are five more books in this series so the authors don't want to let slide who bumps uglies with who.I loved the small town charm the authors managed to jam into this book without it being tropetastic. Instead, it was really charming and authentic. There was great banter between the characters and I loved Scarlett's relationship with her many brothers, including their over-protective ways, which was a big part of this book. There was plenty of steam and some of the smexy times are preeeeeetty hot.I'll be continuing this book because I want to find out what happened to the missing girl as well as enjoying this read. As I said at the start, however, I felt jipped that there was no closure on one of major plot points of the story, but the romance was great. By the way, I love the idea of a pig-in that was introduced here - buy really unhealthy food and then eat too much in your own house so no one sees your shame. You betcha' lol.

I loved Scarlett from page one. A great story with lots of laughs along the way. I guess I’ll have to read the rest of the series to find out who the brothers married and the solution to the mystery - there’s a good epilogue that doesn’t answer any of those questions! But the town of Bootleg and all the wonderful characters will make it a pleasure to read the following books. I hope Scarlett is a major character in all of them. A highly recommended fun romance.

Scarlett Bodine is a sassy spitfire. She's been fixing things since she was about 13, and driving her alcoholic daddy since about that time too. After her daddy dies, her older brothers let her take the responsibility for cleaning out the family home. What she finds inside is the biggest clue in Bootleg Springs's biggest mystery in a dozen years.Devlin McAllister is a lawyer and state legislator who is spending some time at his Gran's home in Bootleg springs while he recovers from a minor scandal involving his soon to be ex wife. He was born and raised to be a politician, but it has never been the thing that brought him happiness.They're as different as chalk & cheese, and she's just exactly what he needs to bring color & joy into his life. He's what she needs too, but she doesn't want to admit it. She thinks she's bad for him, so she pushes him away. But like gravity, they're drawn to each other.There are serious laugh out loud moments and a lot of steamy scenes. Scarlett lives large and in charge, while Devlin approaches almost everything from a more politically correct standpoint - except when they're in the bedroom and then the role reversal is pretty intense.I love this book - it sets the tone for the entire Bootleg Springs series.

Characters:Scarlett Bodine: Raised by her three overbearing brothers, Scarlett is a hell-raising tomboy with a tool belt. She’s known for her ability to drink any man under the table and her love for two-stepping. Love isn’t on her radar.Devlin: Once a golden boy with a promising political career, Devlin’s life crumbles after a scandal. Now he’s the black sheep, relegated to Bootleg Springs.Plot:Scarlett claims Devlin as her new pet project, determined to bring him back to life.An old mystery resurfaces—the cold case disappearance of a teen girl. Scarlett and Devlin find themselves entangled in the scandal.Setting:Bootleg Springs is a tight-knit community known for moonshine and secrets.In summary, “Whiskey Chaser” offers romance, humour, and a dash of mystery, all set against the backdrop of a quirky town.

Okay now the bootleg series part 1 is definitely something I will reread somedayAdorbs devlin❤️❤️❤️Scarlett is pretty much the same as every other FL in LEs books but hey still liked her!!

Adoro este libro, esta serie. Para mi es el libro al que vuelvo cuando tengo ganas de echarme unas risas, disfrutar de Scarlet, la protagonista más cañera y carismática que me he encontrado, de emocionarme, de sentirme en casa y desear vivir en un lugar como Bootleg Springs... Lo recomiendo absolutamente. Solo falta que lo traduzcan a español para poder hacérselo llegar a más gente.

If you love sassy and outspoken heroines who don't mind telling you exactly what you have done wrong then go get this book! Scarlet is a great character. She is so full of life and her exuberance flies off every page. Devlin, in contrast, is reserved and full of fancy manners. They make an excellent couple, like fire and ice. And just like when you heat ice too quickly, watch out for the explosion.I can't wait to read about all the other Bodine's and their HEA's - along with solving the mystery of the missing girl.

ich liebe dieses Buch und kann kaum die Fortsetzung abwarten. Tolle Charaktere. Man schließt alle sofort ins Herz, besonders Gibson :)