Book Review: Rocky Mountain Desire by Vivian Arend

Title: Rocky Mountain Desire
Series: Six Pack Ranch, Book 3
Author: Vivian Arend
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy from publicist
Published: March 2012 by Samhain

Matt Coleman always figured at this point in his life, he'd be settled down with a family. Since his ex split for the big city, though, no way will he give anyone else the chance to drop-kick his heart. Physical pleasure? Hell, yeah, he'll take-and give-with gusto, but nothing more.

Hope Meridan is working long hours to hold on to her new quilt shop, going it alone since her sister/business partner ran off. Sex? Right, like she's got the time. Not that she doesn't have the occasional dirty fantasy about Matt. Fat chance he'd dream of knocking boots with her-the younger sister of the woman who dumped him. Nope, she'll just have to settle for the F-word.

"Friends" would be far easier if there wasn't something combustible going on between them. And when casual interest starts to grow into something more, their tenuous bond strengthens in the heat of desire. But it may not survive the hurricane-force arrival of the last person either of them ever wanted to see again...

Warning: Small-town rivals, men in pursuit and family meddling-in good and bad ways. Look for a cowboy who knows how to rope, ride and rein in a hell of a lot more than eight seconds of sheer bliss.

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Erotic romance set in cold-ass Canada. The plot is focused on the relationship and the homespun characters.

The Set Up: Matt is still angry at his ex-fiancé for cheating on him and leaving him so when he starts lusting after her kid sister he thinks he’s crazy. But Hope isn’t her malicious sister and her honesty and warmth help heal him. But what happens when Hope’s sister returns?

Why I Read this Book: I’ve read some of Vivian Arend’s books before and enjoyed them so thought I’d enjoy this one, even though it’s book three in a series and I hadn’t read the previous two.

What I Liked: This is a super erotic romance I didn’t quite expect from the country setting. Matt isn’t shy about ordering Hope around in their bedroom explorations and this was surprisingly well integrated with their emotional intimacy too. I liked both Hope and Matt as they’re fairly uncomplicated characters who are lonely and are drawn to each other. Their internal conflict is fairly drama-free and I liked that simplicity in the romance.

What I Also Liked: Matt is one of six brothers who work on their family ranch and they have lovely family dynamics. I like this rugged family who play hard and love each other. Yes, they’re a tad perfect but this *is* romance so even that worked in the story. Additionally, this is set in a small ranch town so plenty of exotic animal husbandry and seed planting for this city girl to enjoy.

What I Didn’t Like: Hope’s sister, Helen, was beyond a stereotype. Hope even refers to her sister as the Wicked Witch of the West. She’s a stock baddy sent to destroy the romance of Hope and Matt just for her own selfish sake. I like more nuanced bad guys, err, women and her character was just silly.

IMO: Anyone lusting for an erotic romance will enjoy this so long as they don’t mind perfect leads and a stock baddy.

J9’s Rating: