“Romance! Humor! Intrigue! and Genuine Heat!”★Five Star Amazon Reviewer★Josh is a legend in his own mind, and Elle has no time for it. She has a job to do, and a winery hangs in the balance. Unfortunately, it’s his family winery. They’ll either screw up each other’s lives or… end up screwing.Crushing is the story of two people who hate each other but rumor has it, with enough wine, anyone can … with enough wine, anyone can fall in love.
ELLE
I’m in the middle of my pitch, and my breath catches, my body freezes, and I lose my words. Usually, nothing knocks me off my game. I’m a showman. But he’s much more than nothing.
He seems as shocked to see me as I am to see him. I look around and begin to babble. “What are you doing here?”
He says in a raspy tone, “How are you here?”
I shoot back to him, “How are you here?” He looks sideways and then shakes his head pointedly at me.
I want this piece of business, and no glorified farmhand will get the best of me. So I slept with one of their employees. No big. I can recover. I blow it off. He steps forward and grabs a bottle of wine, and turns the label towards me.
“My name is Joshua Lucien LaChappelle Whittier,” he says. “You know nothing about me, Cosmo. And you can call me Josh.”
Visions of LaChappelle/Whittier family tree choke me. It’s the son who doesn’t want the winery. Then he walks over and kisses his mother on the cheek. He places his hand on his father’s shoulder before sitting. Oh, god. No. No. No. Oh no. I screwed their son. A lot. I screwed him a lot. I dirty screwed their son. I slutty screwed their son. I know what their son tastes like. Oh, god. Composure. I have to find it. I need this job. Focus. He will not get the best of me. I can do this. I don’t lose, and I won’t lose this piece of business or any piece of my heart to this intolerable and very hot man.
Set in Sonoma, California’s Wine Country, this is the first book in the 5 Families Vineyard Series and, of course, the LaChappelle/Whittier Winery Trilogy.
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I may just be lust-drunk on Crushing’s Elle and Josh. Kelly Kay is one heck of a great writer, and I loved the clever twists, banter and pacing of this wine country strangers to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers to… well, who knows what’s next romance. The author turns the corkscrew on the tension which often makes you both love and hate her characters (sometimes on the same page) until things pop. It all makes for a terrific read sure to get only better with age!
When they say “don’t judge a book by its cover”, I definitely did for this one and let me tell you, I was exactly right! This book was smashing!
It started off on the wrong foot with me between Noelle and Asher. I couldn’t stand the way Asher treated her and it made me want to stop reading if he was going to be the leading man in this story. Once I got past him and we meet Joshua, I was full steam ahead in finishing this book. Noelle or Elle meets Joshua or Josh and the fireworks begin. They love each other and hate each other and find a happy in between. Just when you think this happy couple is on their way to a happily ever after more trouble arrives and BOOM the book is over.
I no more finished this book and was grabbing the next one in the series as I NEEDED MORE! Stop what you’re doing, grab some wine, and bunker down for the ride as it’s just getting started!
I think I found my new addiction. Can’t wait to read more of her books.
Couldn’t put it down and now can’t wait for the next book!!! Hurry
Crushing starts with a romance between Noelle (Elle) and Asher, a silver fox wine expert. I got a bit concerned as they became intimate as he sucked (not in a good way) in bed, and was more concerned with folding his clothes and getting himself off in the shortest possible time than making sure it was good for Noelle. I kept thinking ‘he can’t be the one. Surely not? Don’t inflict this arse on her!’
Thank goodness, pretty soon after she kicks him to the kerb we meet the man who puts the A into alpha. Josh is hot, hard and horny and they spend a night together that blows their minds and trashes her hotel room. They part ways, believing they will never see each other again, however you know how things go in romance novels, and the very next morning, he’s there at the important presentation she’s giving and thinks she sought him out to get insider intel.
From this point on lust turns to hate and they spar with each other until he pushes it too far and nearly destroys her business. This is a turning point for Josh as he has to take a good hard look in the mirror and work out if he wants to be like his domineering grandfather, or like his wonderful parents who he keeps cutting out of his life. But just as his relationship is getting back on track, a client of his, a heavy hitting mobster, comes into his personal life with the subtlety of a wrecking ball…
I absolutely loved this book. It’s fantastically written, incredibly engaging and super hot. Kelly has also done her research and the world of wine growing and making is detailed and immersive. It’s a wonderful read and I couldn’t put it down.
The only flag to raise is that this fabulous book ends on a cliffhanger, so you need to be ready to move straight onto book two to find out what happens next!
The story continues in ‘Rooted’ and concludes in ‘Uncorked’.
This is Kelly’s first book, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. This is an epic story of two strong individuals who are so much fun to read about.
Elle is a marketing monster who was brought in to help, what she didn’t plan on was falling in love with Sonoma, wine and all the people attached to it. She especially didn’t plan on a one night stand to totally change everything. Joshua is a strong, opinionated alphahole who thinks he knows better. But then he walked into a bar and the script was flipped.
Kelly Kay is more than just a talented author, she is a storyteller. She writes in such a vivid way you can’t stop yourself from mentally drinking some Chardonnay in the midst of a star filled night in Sonoma. With this being the beginning of a trilogy, there won’t be a HEA at the end, but I am glad, because I’m not ready for my time with this group of characters to be done.
This story has so much witty banter, and scenes that will make you blush it makes me wonder what is rolling around in Kelly’s brain! If Kelly Kay isn’t on your 1-click author list then you are missing out! Start reading these books, you are going to be better for it! And if you disagree then at least you will be more knowledgeable about wine!