Home is where the heart is, right? Except when it’s not. Not when you’re afraid for your life.Joey James has given up on finding his ‘Prince Charming’. There is no such thing, he needs to be realistic about his chances of a lasting relationship. A chance encounter with a former school mate at the local grocery store changes everything-maybe. Before Joey can decide what to do about it, he is swept … he is swept into a terrifying scheme. Forced into helping a dangerous stranger in exchange for his family’s safety, Joey begins a perilous journey into the criminal underbelly of Skagit. He will do whatever is needed to protect his family.
Buck Swanfeldt had a secret crush on Joey James in high school. Social anxiety and a two-year age difference made it impossible for him to approach Joey then. Life since high school has been challenging. And lonely. Eight years later, fate brings them together and Buck decides to act. He utterly fails. He would have left it at that, except fate seems to be intent on pushing Joey in his direction, and clearly Joey needs someone at his back.
Dark, sordid secrets hiding in Skagit are bubbling to the surface, danger lurks in unexpected places. Buck has never been anyone’s hero but something about Joey has him throwing caution to the wind. Together the two men take on a dangerous force greater than themselves. But sometimes our worst enemy is ourselves.
*warning may need a tissue! For audiences 18+
*ends with a mystery solved and an HEA, no cliff hanger.
Intended for mature audiences only 18+
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This installment keeps us in the Northwestern town of Skagit where there’s still investigations underway for a child-trafficking ring.
In the first book, we’d met Joey James, the feisty, sassy nurse who works at the local hospital where, well, it seems everyone has been taken to since the Feds had strolled into town. Joey is a nurturer and cares deeply for those in need. He reminds me of a sleuth-like Peter Pan.
Buck Swanfeldt is the local mechanic who has had a thing for Joey since high school. He’s a gentle giant with not too much confidence under his belt and plenty lost, thanks to an uncaring mother and an abusive father.
Joey and Buck’s difference in height had me snickering as it reminded me of my husband (who’s 6’4”) and myself (5’4”).
I really rooted for these two to find their happiness. Even though the attraction is there, the push and pull between them is very slow moving. Buck is definitely a work-in-progress.
Other than each installment’s love interests, the suspense of the storyline itself is what makes this series amazing. There’s plenty of twists and turns; it’s action-packed and sinister—even the weather provides the perfect ominous atmosphere.
Looking forward to starting the next one. I’m completely hooked!
I read the first book in this series a while ago (when it was the Accidental Roots series) and I was looking for a series to binge and stumbled back on this book. I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to the rest of the books in the series. I wish I had re-read book one first as there are several references to the events of that book here and I only vaguely recalled them. It’s not necessary in order to enjoy this book but I’m one of those people!
The author does a great job with character development and I felt like I knew and could really understand Joey and Buck. As we learn more and more about Buck my heart just broke for him. At times Joey annoyed me with some TSTL moves, especially after knowing Adam was involved but the way the story worked it paid off.
The ending is a sweet HFN and hopefully we’ll see their relationship flourish as the series continues. We saw quite a bit of Adam and Micah in this one so I am hoping that pattern continues.
Props to Elle Keaton for making No Pressure book two in the Accidental Roots series considerably better than book one. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I was seriously impressed at home much this book improved.
Not going to go into the description of the book, there is no point. Read the blurb and it will tell you everything you need to know about this book. I will say that I do suggest reading book one Storm Season before you go into this book. The characters from book one are in this book and the story does carry over in a continuation of sorts.
Buck was the real winner in this book for me. His childhood was terrible, and he was put in a position that really brought a lot of the old trauma back to him causing him what I would call a serious case of PTSD. He told Joey what he needed and there was no big drama for him wanting to get the care that he needed to make him a better person for not only himself but for Joey. That really made me love him even more than I originally did.
Joey was a sweetheart, truly. He did get mixed up in a serious shady situation, but he did what he thought was best for keeping the people he loved safe. It did take him a little longer to come around to the idea that Buck just needed help and that it wasn’t something he did to make Buck need that time. Not a bad thing, just worth mentioning.
I really loved the suspense and I felt like this story was laid out so much better than book one. It wasn’t nearly as choppy and by the time a page break came around or a chapter ended, I was happy with the way it ended. There is still more room for improvement, but I would like to see how book three plays out with Weir and Sterling.
Unlike others who have reviewed this series so far, I actually enjoyed the first book more. That does not mean this wasn’t good. I loved the continuation of the story here and I really loved the characters both the main characters and the side characters. This has definitely become one of my favorite series and I look forward to reading more.
Poor Adam. He is surrounded by amateur sleuths and Joey and Buck top the list. I worried about Joey throughout the whole book yet he wasn’t the more fragile one of the two. I love how the author weaves getting to know the characters with the mystery. As the clues are revealed so is more of Joey and Buck’s past. I can’t wait to read book 3.
Another wonderful story by Ms Keaton! I loved it! The city of Skagit shapes up to be a cesspit of illegal activity! So many secrets hidden for years, and now it’s all coming to light! I loved how suspenseful the book was. From start to finish it kept me wondering what will happen next. The characters were so likable! This is the beginning of happy ever after for Joey and Buck.
Joey is a nurse with a big heart and dreams of his prince charming. He is still young but for whatever reason his Mr. Right has not shown up yet, and he is starting to wonder if he ever will. Now, Joey is smart, compassionate and good-looking, what could possibly be the matter? The thing is with Joey that he wants it all right away, and he has no patience about waiting for it to develop and grow. It took danger and a right man to show him that it takes time to build something solid, that it was alright to take things slow. I liked Joey a lot. Even with his sometimes hazardous decisions his heart was in the right place when he ran headlong into danger.
Buck is a local mechanic. He is shy and unsure of himself. His life was never easy. On the surface he is a successful local businessman but on the inside he is a man who is uncomfortable in his own skin. He like everyone else wants that someone to come home to, to share a life with. But how will that happen when he does not feel adequate? But even after couple of disastrous attempts to start something Joey when he sees that something is not right, he proves to be a man to be reckoned with. I loved how Buck wanted to be the partner Joey needed and went for help to get better. His family issues made hide from the world, they festered inside him for so long that he was not living – he was just existing until Joey finally woke him up. Buck was so sweet, romantic and just adorable at times, and I could not help but love him.
This book was low on steam but relationship wise it was awesome. These two men came together in the end and started something that with time will grow into a beautiful happy life. I loved the measured pace, I loved the investigation, the humor, the side characters that made this book a fantastic read for me! Lovely series that I will definitely continue reading!
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Veronica –
No Pressure is the story auto mechanic Buck and nurse Joey. It is really sweet the way Buck ‘accidentally’ bumps into Joey at the supermarket at the beginning of the story. Buck doesn’t have much in the way of friends or a social life, so it is pretty brave of him to take the bull by the horns and make contact with Joey, hoping something would come of it.
A relationship begins to develop between the men against the backdrop of Joey having been dragged into some really nasty stuff by the criminal element in town. The author does an excellent job mixing the lovely budding romance with the danger Joey is in and the terror he is feeling. And I have to say, for a while there I couldn’t see how Joey was going to get out of the mess he was in.
Reading No Pressure made me happy even though it involved criminals involved in people smuggling. I love the way the author writes the romance so it takes time to build, and I enjoyed being back in Skagit and seeing the characters I already know and love. I will shortly be reading book three in this series, Spring Break, and I’m very much looking forward to it.
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.