I’m Ivy Clarke. Bartender, best friend, and disbeliever in love. And now I’m in over my head, trying to flip a house all by myself. Thanks, HGTV. I’m not too proud to admit I need some help. Too bad the only one who can help me is the same man I want to throw out this house’s second-story window. Jackson Gamble and I can’t be in the same room together for more than a minute without devolving into … without devolving into a sparring match.
Except for that one time…
But enough about that. Jackson’s looking for forever, and I don’t believe in love, remember?
Get in. Renovate. Get out. Keep my heart firmly in tact.
Because it’s much easier to fix up a house than a broken heart.
Full of humor and dripping with delicious tension, Nailed It proves that every heart can be ready for a little rehabilitation, if only you’re willing to open it up.
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USA Today Best-selling author Cindi Madsen has hit the nail on the head with her latest book Nailed It. If you are looking for a feel-good second chance romance then this is the story for you.
“The guy was an enigma wrapped in an eye-candy package and if I wasn’t careful, I’d slip and forget all about my carefully structured broken heart prevention plan”
Ivy Clark doesn’t believe in love. After seeing her mother go through men like purses, she is just a bit jaded. Trying to flip a house, and put HGTV to shame, Ivy may be in over her head. Enter Jackson Gamble. He helps save the day, but he doesn’t just want to help fix things, he wants Ivy. And not just for a night or two, try forever. But how do you convince someone that doesn’t believe in love, to take a chance and love him in return?
“You believe a guy out there will restore your faith in love. When you find him, drop your walls, open your heart, and don’t be afraid to fully love”
I really enjoyed the fun banter between the two main characters. Ivy has commitment issues, but who can really blame her with having a serial dater Mom. And Jackson, having dated a lot was ready to settle down, thinking he had finally found the one in Ivy. But fears get in the way, and things get said. Can Jackson convince Ivy to give him a chance. I absolutely loved this second chance romance with memorable main characters, witty dialogue and all the feels that make up a wonderful read. I give Nailed It Five stars, and deem it a must read.
Ivy Clarke is kind of coasting through life having not really found what she wants to do with her life. She finds out that the only ‘home’ she knew growing up is for sale. She gets in over her head attempting to fix up the house to flip it. Her best friend, Savannah, send over her brother, Jackson to help her out.
These two are awesome together. Their banter is too great! Jackson knows just what to do and say to get Ivy fired up. You just know that underneath all that banter that there is chemistry. It’s explosive!
Ivy doesn’t do relationships. Her mother has fallen in and out of love with an ongoing string of men all through Ivy’s life. Ivy has always been the grown up in their relationship. Always having to pick up the pieces when another one of her mother’s relationships fails. Jackson does his best to show Ivy that love is real and that they can have a future together. Ivy doesn’t trust love and ends up hurting Jackson in the process.
Her #1 rule now is-Love fully, no matter what. It’s totally worth it. She now has prove it to Jackson and hope it’s not too late.
I loved that my emotions were all over the place with this book. I felt sorry for Ivy for her lack of a childhood. I felt sorrow for Jackson when he was hurt by Ivy. I laughed several times during their banter. I absolutely loved this book! It is so well written that it grabbed my interest right from the start and kept me hooked all the way till the end.
I loved Ivy and Jackson in 12 Steps to Mr. Right so I was so excited to read their story!!
Ivy and Jackson seem to not get along at all. The secret is that they had a short fling and haven’t been able to be in the same room together since. When Ivy learns that the woman who helped raise her is selling her home and it needs a lot of renovations, she decides to take on the project herself. Watching home improvement shows on HGTV means that you can renovate an entire house right? When she realizes that she’s bitten off way more than she can chew, her best friend enlists Jackson to help.
Ivy and Jackson have off the charts chemistry and I was rooting for them from the very first page. Jackson is patient and so committed to changing Ivy’s mind about having a full relationship. Ivy is fiercely independent and I loved getting to know her better. This story was quick, fun, and insanely entertaining. I couldn’t put it down but I never wanted it to end.
I have an affinity for cheeky and entertaining. Cindi Madsen hit the nail on the head (pun intended) with Ivy and Jackson. Nailed It combines two of my worst addictions: HGTV and hilarious, steamy, heartwarming romance to create an irresistibly tempting renovation of the heart. The ultimate fixer upper has arrived and left a lasting impression on my heart.
3.5 stars–NAILED IT by Cindi Madsen is a stand alone, contemporary, adult romance story line focusing on building contractor Jackson Gamble, and bartender Ivy Clarke. We were first introduced to our couple in the author’s 12 Steps to Mr. Right. Ivy is Lincoln Wells’ cousin; Jackson is Savannah’s brother.
Told from first person point of view (Ivy Clarke) NAILED IT follows the acrimonious relationship between bartender Ivy Clarke, and building contractor Jackson Gamble. Ivy is hoping to ‘rehab’ and flip the house where her fondest memories of childhood began but our heroine struggles with the overwhelming amount of work, and a lack of funds to complete the job. Enter carpenter and contractor Jackson Gamble, Ivy’s ‘one week stand’, and her best friend’s brother. What ensues is the building relationship and love between Ivy and Jackson, and the fall out as Ivy struggles with her inability to trust, and her mother’s history of broken relationships.
Ivy Clark wants nothing to do with relationships, love or a long term commitment. Her mother’s history of different men, in and out of our heroine’s life, leaves Ivy struggling with an inability to trust or ever fall in love. Ivy has her own ’12 Step’ program she follows to ensure that her own happily ever after never occurs but she battles the loneliness of an empty bed, and a series of hopeless one-night stands. Jackson Gamble is hoping to settle down but the woman that calls to his heart refuses to acknowledge her attraction to, and the palpable sexual energy between them. As Jackson slowly works his way into our heroine’s heart, Ivy believes their time together expires with the sale of the house.
The relationship between Ivy and Jackson is a second chance romance. Years before Ivy pushed Jackson out of her life when their relationship began to take on something more permanent. Months of caustic back and forth banter would lead to a temporary truce as the couple battle their attraction working together. The $ex scenes are mostly implied or fade to black.
NAILED IT is a sweet story of romance; of one woman’s struggle to rise above her mother’s past; and one man’s battle with his attraction to a woman too jaded to give love a chance. The premise is cute and endearing; the characters are lively; the romance is delightful and charming.