A slow grin spread across his face and I had to turn away from the wattage. It was like staring at the sun. The handsome sun that was making my core temperature rise and causing a hormone dump in my brain. — Shelby ThompsonPersonal trainer Jonah Bodine discovers more than he bargained for with the half-siblings he didn’t know he had in small-town West Virginia. Not only is his dead father a … Virginia. Not only is his dead father a person of interest in a cold case disappearance, but the entire town seems way too invested in Jonah’s happily ever after potential.
His summer of solitude in a lakeside cottage is ruined when his matchmaking sister saddles him with an unwanted roommate.
Adorable, snort-laughing nerd Shelby Thompson came to Bootleg Springs looking for answers and ends up getting adopted by the town’s nosy elders. Maneuvered into sharing a cottage with the handsome trainer, she makes the best of a sticky situation by offering her perpetually shirtless roommate a strings-free summer fling.
Jonah is tempted. Very tempted. But Shelby has secrets. And as the Callie Kendall mystery unravels, Shelby’s own past comes back to haunt her. The danger is very real and so are the feelings she’s developing for Jonah.
Pleasure Buttons: Small-town. Romantic comedy. Romantic suspense. Summer fling. Roommates to lovers. Rescued puppies. Family series. Mystery. Happily ever after.more
** spoiler alert ** Lucy Score and Claire Kingsley really should partner with Kleenex and a defibrillator manufacturer to bundle with this book! I laughed (soooo many times), I cried (numerous times), and I think my heart may have stopped a few times. This one has ALL THE FEELS!
I love how June gave her pet pig and Shelby’s puppy aliases during “July and Sheila’s undercover adventures”. That was so out of character for June. I loved the proposals (all of them) and Jenny (Jonah’s mom) stepping in to be mom to all of the Bodine clan. Jonah and Shelby are perfect together. However, even though the first time they had sex was romantic (” she looked like a wood nymph”), all I could think about was pine needles in places they had no business being in!
Gibson…cannot WAIT for his story in the last (*sniff*) book of the Bootleg Springs series. It’s gonna be AWESOME!!!
I was provided with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Stars, stars and more stars. This book gets ALL the stars. So I have been reading this series from the beginning. I have watched all our couples fall in love, watched them overcome their own obstacles and become closer as a family. This book was no different, Shelby and Jonah were great together, they encouraged each other and we got to watch them grow as they grew into who they were supposed to be and find their spots in the crazy Bodine family. A couple more things, we get A LOT more information and clues about Callie Kendall case and I now have a ton more questions. We also got to get more of a peak at Gibson, The man who is as cranky as can be but seems to be hiding a huge heart under that gruff interior. This book was GREAT, however I will say for new readers, start with book one or you will definitely be confused with the back story.
Jonah and Shelby’s story will have you laughing, crying, throwing things, and cheering. All the feels!!! I can’t decide which one is my favorite. It’s a toss up between Jonah/Shelby or June/George!!!
Jonah still feels like an unwanted “kid”. In the beginning, he mistakenly thinks Shelby is using him to get information about his found family. But in reality, she is a researcher looking for information to complete her doctorate in Social Work.
Jonah’s sister Scarlett, little matchmaker that she is, throws them together in her rental home. Now that they are roommates, things start to heat up between them. Jonah helps Shelby train for her triathlon. We see the kind loving side of Jonah as he helps her through the tough training process.
The mystery of “Where is Callie?” continues and we get closer to finding out what happened to her in this book. Things start to get dangerous for anyone looking into Callie’s disappearance. I soo cannot wait for Gibson’s book!
Lucy and Claire sure know how to write! You will not be disappointed in reading and re-reading these books. I’m just sad that it is coming to an end in the next book!
I devoured this book! It was jammed packed with all the Bodines and their shenanigans, happy times, personal triumphs and what it means to be family. Jonah and Shelby were oh so right together. This highly charged couple was burning hot from the get-go.
While all this happiness is going on, more of the past and what happened to Callie Kendall starts to unravel. I’ve been trying to piece the puzzle together. This penultimate book was fantastic!
I was so happy to be transported back to my favorite fictional town, Bootleg Springs, with some of my favorite fictional characters. Jonah was definitely a character that took me by surprise when he was introduced in book 1 but he worked his way into my heart immediately. Shelby, is the sweet girl next door and is really perfect for Jonah. I really enjoyed the way their relationship progressed with Jonah holding out until he was ready for the next step. Lucy Score also worked her magic with Jonah’s mother Jenny. The dynamic she has with the Bodine men makes my heart smile as she takes them under her maternal wing. She is just what the family needs. Then there is the whole Callie mystery which is woven flawlessly throughout the book. The twists and turns that came up in this book regarding Callie had my mouth dropping and had me guessing and 2nd guessing who did what! I absolutely can not wait for book 6 to find out the resolution and who Gibson ends up with.
My Appalachia loving heart seriously can’t get enough of this series.
For reals.
I swear on Mona Lisa McNugget’s life and all the ones that came before her and all that will come after her….
This is the BEST series of all time!
Lucy Score and Claire Kingsley can make you lose your mind like Misty Lynn whenever she sees a decent looking man below 65….all within the first chapter!
You’re gonna cry over the proposals, and swoon over those sexy Bodine brothers, and want to rage out like Scarlett at certain points, but it’s worth the emotional rollercoaster. Jonah and Shelby are adorkable in the best way. I hate to play favorites, but Gin Fling is going to hold a special place in this country girls heart.
If you like a slow burn, some seriously quirky pets (and characters), a mind blowing mystery with twists and turns galore, small town humor that is completely relatable, yet laugh out loud funny then this series and Gin Fling is for you!
Thank you Lucy and Claire for bringing light to certain subjects, and being the amazing writers you are. I can’t wait for the last installment, you’ll always have a forever fan with this pepperoni roll loving, romance addicted, country girl.
I have such a book hangover. I am amazed how Lucy Score and Claire Kingsley can write this series with such consistency and flawlessness.This book has it all . It is laugh out loud funny, suspense and such great chemistry between Shelby and Jonah.
I loved how all the characters from the previous books had such a big part in this book. The way all the characters have each other’s back and how anybody in this adorable town would do anything for their fellow neighbor has me dreaming of moving to Bootleg Springs
Gin Fling, the fifth book in the Bootleg Springs Series has everything you need from a small town romance story… secrets, drama, angst, mystery, danger, twists and turns, witty banter, humor, suspense, meddling town folks, great characters, and still the unanswered question… what happened to Callie Kendall?
I volunteered to review an advance reader copy of this book.
Gah! This series is so FREAKIN’ BRILLIANT!! I just love it so much!
“Which brother are you planning to mate her to?”
Haha! Shelby Thompson is in Bootleg Springs to write her thesis. However, some people are under the misapprehension that she’s a reporter in town to dig up dirt, including the gorgeous personal trainer, Jonah Bodine.
“The woman snorted when she laughed. And I hated that some dark corner of me found it kind of cute.”
Jonah Bodine’s first impression of Shelby was very favourable. Unfortunately, the minute he thinks that she’s a reporter looking to dig up information about the town’s mystery and his dad, he becomes hostile toward her. When his meddling, matchmaking sister, Scarlett, forces them to share a small cottage together, he starts to realise that things are not what he thought and Shelby is hiding a different secret altogether.
“She’d responded to me like I was waking her up from a long sleep. Like I was something special.”
Shelby and Jonah, nerd and athlete, were a classic case of there’s no smoke without fire. These two were crackling together, and when they decide to be friends (with possibly a no-strings summer fling thrown in), things start moving along very nicely indeed!
“She had those hearts in her eyes again, but this time they were directed at me. And I sure as hell liked it.”
Both have insecurities but I loved their connection and how they gelled together. Jonah is such a gorgeous man inside and out. He’s thoughtful and caring. Shelby is a spunky little thing and refreshingly genuine. I loved her determination.
This novel was an absolutely fantastic addition to this series, with Jonah and Shelby’s story, as well as a few more revelations to the mystery of Callie Kendall. It was funny, so hot, and full of memorable characters!
Lucy Score, it’s genius.
She makes you laugh, until you cry. She makes you cry, until you laugh.
There are plot twists and happy ever afters.
Jonah Bodine Jr, is a personal trainer who is the illegitimate son of a man who is known for being the town drunk and a prime suspect in a murder case of a missing girl.
When his father died, he finds out he has half brother’s and a sister, so he moves to Bootleg Springs, to get to know them.
Shelby, is writing a thesis involving field study on, the bonds that exist between neighbors in small communities and how these relationships can often be as strong as and as binding as actual biological or romantic relationships.
She has given the town surveys to fill out to incorporate into the thesis and the answers are awesome.
When Scarlett, decides that Jonah and Shelby are her new match making victims, she gets them to be roommates.
As they spend time together, training for Shelby’s triathlon, they decided that maybe a summer fling would be ok, as the sexual tension is off the charts.
With everything from a pot belly pig and a new rescue puppy . Weddings and engagements and expanding the population of bootleggers and now the gin and tonics are the next moonshine drinks.
Love love love this series and I am so excited for the final book.
I’m usually one of those readers who starts reading a book giving all of her attention to the main characters, forgetting completely of the so-called “supporting actors”. So imagine my surprise when I started reading a story about Jonah, who was described in the previous books. How could I have missed such an amazing, caring and loving man? This man is the perfect rival of the man of my dreams, in a few words he is the real deal. Not only is he willing to risk everything in order to protect his family, of which it has come to his attention only recently but what impressed me most is how he lovingly took care of a woman and her health issues who had been just a few hours before his sworn enemy. Their relationships is absolutely unique. So with such an insight, finally the mystery of Callie Kendall begins to unravel. This story has been, in my opinion, an escalation of mixed feelings. The reader has already become used to this bizarre community but this book is mainly the story of a man who realizes where his heart belongs and a woman who helped him through this tortured voyage. Nothing left for me to say but just “Long Live Love”.
I’ve tried to write this review a few times, but each time it ends up a rambling love letter to Bootleg Springs. I promise to focus, but you will have to stick with me, because there is a lot to say about this one. Long story short? Buy this book immediately and devour it. You’ll try to savor it, but you won’t be able to put it down.
I love this book and everything about it. I adore Jonah and Shelby. I love seeing each of the couples from the previous books. I love hearing from the town residents through the snippets of Shelby’s survey at the ends of the chapters. I love the writing and how both of these characters grow throughout this book. I love that I was on the edge of my seat going through so many emotions regarding the mystery of Callie Kendall. And I love the way I feel like I just might die waiting for Highball Rush, but I also don’t want it to come because I don’t want to ever leave Bootleg Springs.
Jonah and Shelby bring all the feels. Neither of these characters are native to Bootleg Springs, and they both feel a little bit disconnected. They see themselves as puzzle pieces that just don’t quite fit. However, it was absolutely beautiful the way everything else was able to come together, and they could find their place once their pieces joined together. (Get your head out of the gutter…okay, that too.) Not only did things come together for them, but it was as if they were the missing pieces Bootleg Springs had been waiting on as well. They both made the Bodines and Bootleg Springs as a whole better just by being there.
And the mystery…oh my goodness! So many theories were thrown out, brought back, altered, and carefully crafted while reading this. There were some major twists and turns as well as answers revealed. I love the thoughtfulness that went with crafting this series. Things that were foreshadowed along the way, and things that were in place as little red herrings to keep you guessing. I find myself going back through the previous books to check my facts with each new one that is released, and I absolutely love it!
Lucy and Claire have created something so special with this series. The community as a whole is just incredible. This small town is like no other, and I adore it.
Jonah = swoon worthy!!!!! To sum it all up is LUCKY SHELBY!!!!! I have to say each time i read a bootleg book i say i love this one more and this holds true because each one gets better and better. This book made me chuckle an awful lot with Shelby eating like a toddler, throwing hissy fits but in the end she was a perfect match for Jonah. I can say i wasn’t to happy i didn’t get the answers i wanted but the next book will be that much better. I loved the story i have to say Jonah’s mom was a doll and stepped up to be the Mom of the boys and I loved that touch. But overall it was fantastic! All the boys and their ladies made the story that much better. I still have a soft spot for June she was great in the book as well. Defiantly defiantly read this book you will LOVE IT!!!!!
I swear, I had no idea how amazing this series was going to be when I started the first book. The humor, mystery and excitement builds in each volume and I am happily along for the ride. C’mon book 6!
This was a “rolly coaster” of emotions from beginning to end. I’ve read each book in the series from the beginning, and with each story you get a better understanding of who the Bodines are. There is a different side to every one of their views on family and growing up the way they did, and they each have a different scar that isn’t quite healed. Seeing sensitive Jonah, thinking he’s being left out, when really they are folding him in about broke my heart.
Shelby writing her paper on the town and trying to understand why it is that the town and its people are so bonded was amazing. Seeing little bits of the perspective from each of the towns people and why it is that they are so close knit and willing to help anyway they can.
I can’t wait to see what happens next, to get to the end of the mystery. Bootleg “claimed another victim” with me.
Gin Fling returns us to the world of Bootleg Springs and the Bodine family, and it is a gosh-darn delight. I love this family and this town so much. There is so much humor, heart, family, and moonshine throughout the first five books, with a mystery unravelling across each. It’s so rare to find the perfect combo and balance between mystery, humor, and romance.
I’m not sure how much to say without giving away the plot of the overarching mystery, but let’s just say it took another intriguing turn this book and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the 6th book to come out next month.
Please enjoy this representation of my feelings during the reading of Gin Fling in emoticons:
With special shout-outs to
THIS is what a book with ALL THE FEELS is!!
My expectations for this book were HIGH. Like REALLY HIGH. And, of course, Lucy Freakin’ Score nailed it!
In Gin Fling, Jonah and Shelby find their footing in the town and each other and I loved every minute of it. We get to revisit all our favorites and meet some new faces as Bootleg Springs charms it’s way into many hearts. We learn a lot about the Callie Kendall case and yet there are so many questions left to be answered in the final book, which can not get here fast enough for me (is it July yet?) This book was filled to the brim with heart, heat, suspense, humor and a cast of characters that feel like family. I love this little fictional town and all its residents (even the ones of the feathered, furred, and oinking variety) and am sad that it’s all coming to a close, but so excited to see how it ends. I highly recommend this series!
*Please note: while each book in this series tells a complete story for each couple, there is an ongoing backstory so these must be read in order!
Gin Fling is finally here!!!! Book #5 in the Bootleg Springs series and it’s Jonah and Shelby’s turn to tell us their story! Also, if you’ve been waiting on pins and needles to get more about what happened to Callie Kendall, HERE IT IS!!!! So many good nuggets to munch on while we’re waiting on that final book!!
I loved Jonah and Shelby!! Jonah is a buff personal trainer (who trains ALL the people). And Shelby is an adorable nerd who’s deathly afraid of bears. These two end up roommates after a little bit of scheming…by who else….Scarlett!! There’s lots of fun over the top Scarlett moments in this book as well!!
I just love these Bodines!! And I will be equally excited and sad when this series comes to an end next month.
If you like a little mystery with your laughing out loud moments and a ton of heart, THIS is the series for you!!!
OMG. IF I DIDN’T LOVE BOOTLEG SPRINGS BEFORE, WELL I DEFINITELY DO NOW.
I just, I thought this series couldn’t get better. I thought they had given me everything I wanted. But I was so, so wrong.
Jonah and Shelby are PERFECT. I probably said that about Scarlett and Devlin, Bowie and Cassidy, Jameson and Leah Mae, and even JuneBug and GT, but I mean it this time.
I absolutely love how Bootleg Springs takes in these two outsiders and makes them part of their own. Jonah has the Bodine blood and that basically makes him Bootleg, but the real proof that he is a Bootlegger is the initiation. That special brand of Bootleg Justice.
I’m in love. I’m in lust. I’m waiting for my forever with a Bootleg Springs citizen. Do they still have single Bootleggers in my age group??
At this point, the only thing I’m missing is Gibson Bodine falling in love (and Oh, I have so many theories and canNOT wait to see who the lucky lady is) and getting his HEA. And, the obvious, what happened to Callie Kendall?!
Is there anything better than Lucy Score and Claire Kingsley? Yes, there is. When they write together. Two of my favorite authors have come together to write a series of books that are downright addictive. Gin Fling is the latest (and penultimate) book in the Bootleg Springs series. Jonah and Shelby are two “outsiders” (didn’t grow up in Bootleg) and find themselves as roommates. From there, you can expect the laughs and heart that are always at the core of either of these authors’ books. Family, mystery, heart, humor… it’s all here. This book is a standalone, but the world building begins with Sidecar Crush. Please read them from the beginning!