Over time, I have become a huge fan of this author. Her Charleston Heat series is one of my favorites because the guys are swoon-worthy yet sensitive and the gals are headstrong yet vulnerable.
It’s a fine line to walk but Ms. Peterson does it with expertise, humor, and a heavy dose of steam.
Oh, the steaminess.
I could make this whole review about that alone because it is off the charts in this book. But I should probably get to some other things first. Besides, it’s best to experience it yourself – so buy this book, because no way could I do it all justice.
Anyway……
I liked how this book overlapped with the first in the series (Southern Seducer). So often, series are exactly that…they’re linear, where a couple is introduced individually, but each book focuses on the actual pairing. Kind of like dominoes in a row.
But Southern Hotshot takes place concurrently with Southern Seducer, so events from that book that got a small mention (for example, the friction between Emma and Samuel) get full attention here.
It’s an effective way to tell their stories because it reflects real life, which is messy and complicated and not at all linear.
Boy are Emma and Samuel messy and complicated.
You can read blurbs and plotlines elsewhere. But frankly, the author had me at female sommelier. Growing up in Northern California near Wine Country, I feel like it’s practically in my blood.
I loved the passages about Emma’s love for wine, her passion for pairing the correct wine with food, and how it all transcends simple sustenance. It’s true that the right combinations can speak to the soul. The author does a fantastic job describing this.
I enjoyed Samuel’s transformation. His “awakening” so to speak was a definite journey, but one that he needed to go on. I liked how Emma guided him – in many different ways.
That was unique in this story as well. You know that they should have figured things out way before they did but being in the moment and focused on what each wanted, they kind of couldn’t see the forest for the trees.
Now, back to that steaminess.
Ms. Peterson outdoes herself this time. The sexting chapters are beyond hot. I mean, I don’t know what else I can say about them. It’s difficult to capture that on the page, I think, but she managed.
And the “real life” scenes? Fuhgeddaboutit. What woman wouldn’t Samuel’s attentions?
Beyond all of that, the author uses crisp dialogue and an acute eye to throw in wise observations about everything from anonymity on the internet allowing for true soul-searching, to the pitfalls of believing the shiny, happy lies of social media, to the importance of Young Adult love triangles.
That last passage literally had me laughing out loud.
Aside from their partnership in work and personal lives, I have fallen in love with Blue Mountain. Each visit is like a vacation. The descriptions of the resort itself are idyllic and someplace I would like to go in real life – not that I could ever afford it.
But I so appreciate Ms. Peterson for giving me the opportunity to visit virtually. It’s a world that is worth escaping to if only temporarily.
