On the Rocks: A Small Town Romance (Becker Brothers Book 1)

What an amazing story!! Such a well written story! You will fall in love with these characters. Noah and Ruby Grace are everything!!

Goodness, On the Rocks is a fantastic reminder to be who we are no matter our partner. Remember yourself. Like yourself. Don’t change who you are on the outside or the inside for another person. Kandi Steiner’s books always strike a chord in me. I feel like I walk into her books and always walk away with a greater knowledge of myself. That is something in itself to be proud of… there’s always a lesson to be learned deep within Steiner’s words.

The main characters, Noah and Grace, go through an intense story that really made me think. I loved the emotions in this one… the sweet and swoon able moments all resonated in my heart. Miss Steiner’s words were so lyrical in feelings that I found myself really caught in the angst and feelings throughout.

I love a small town romance and this town was certainly perfect for the stage Steiner set. I really feel life family closeness and small town living go hand-in-hand… perhaps because you can’t hide from anyone in a small town… but there is a closeness with Noah and his family that really reminds me of small towns I have lived in.

I really enjoyed the layered story here. I love… love… LOVE the deeper meaning and the looking inside oneself to their hopes and dreams.

I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.

Kandi Steiner brings the perfect summer romance in her latest — On the Rocks! It’s a small town, country romance packed with tension and heat. Available in Kindle Unlimited!

A fab read full of love laughs and oh so much angst.

Kandi Steiner delivers again she never fails to amaze me with her wonderful words….

On the rocks follows the story of noah a hot as sin barrel maker from the whiskey distillery with a wild bad boy reputation and ruby grace the off limits 19 yr old girl whos engaged to a man destined to become president!!!……the perfect match to any politicians daughter and thats the problem its not her dream but her families.

Can noah show ruby grace that life is what YOU make of it

” i never feel more like my real self than when im with you”

When secrets and lies or unearthed will ruby grace finally follow her dreams or will she stay on the path thats been chosen for her?…..

Fabulous story with a full on angst build up right till the end ,loved every minute of it and was kept glued to the pages needing to know everything that unfolds yes i felt like throwing my kindle against the wall a few times and bashing heads together but that all adds to how the story draws you in.

On the Rocks is that small town, slow burn, age gap, swoony hero book that you didn’t know you needed. And it burns so good. Kind of like the Scooter whiskey that Noah barrels there in Tennessee. 🙂

Ruby Grace, the Mayor’s daughter, has just become engaged and comes back to her small town in Tennessee to put her wedding together. When she visits Scooter Whiskey to buy her husband-to-be a barrel of whiskey, she runs into one of the towns local bad boys, Noah. He’s the good ole boy that loves the ladies, but doesn’t settle down. But what people don’t see is that he loves hard and he’s a family man at heart. He’s just waitin for the right woman to saddle up.

I have to admit, at first I was a little concerned we were getting another book about an unavailable woman and the guy that was going to steal her away. It sounded a bit familiar. Fortunately, it wasn’t just that. It was a book about friendship, family and pursuing ones dreams while being a team. Supporting one another as opposed to one person supporting the other and not getting any support in return. Ruby Grace was that person. She was just supporting her fiancé in his bid to become the next political icon. But he never once asked her what made her happy. What made her click. And Noah recognized that on day one. He was the swoony hero to ask her what SHE wanted. What would make HER happy. He got me from the get go. Literally taking the shirt off his back for the comfort of another. He was a true small town gentleman. But Ruby Grace couldn’t see what was right in front of her. Her young 19 year old mind may have been clouded over. But sometimes it takes the words from a wise and aged person to make you see the light.

“Anyone can lead an ordinary life, child. But the best adventures are reserved for the ones brave enough to be extraordinary.”

Ruby Grace and Noah had an undeniable connection. There was a bit of push and pull when it came to the two of them, but it was obvious they had chemistry. A beautiful and radiant spark. Ruby Grace’s personality just shined from the pages. She’s the type of woman you appreciate and want to know more about. She shined. She had a love for others that was so strong you could feel it.

“You are the heroine just as much as he is the hero.”

And Noah. What can I say about Noah? I could feel his heart. I could see his smile. I could grip onto his soul through the words. You could feel his emotions literally dripping from the pages. He was still a man’s man, but he also loved his mama and his brothers like any good southern boy should. He is the man you want to be yours. He is what book boyfriends are all about.

“I just see you with my eyes.” “No, No, you see me with your soul. And I feel you with mine.”

Ahhhhh….This book was just beautiful and emotional and set the stage for the 4 Becker brothers. Although it was slow to get to our HEA, I enjoyed the tension and chemistry between the two main characters. I also enjoyed the wise and sage advice from the elders of the book. Some of the characters I could have strangled a bit, but that’s to be expected. Kandi Steiner took us on a journey of self discovery and love in a small town where everyone’s in your business and she did it with finesse.

Grab on to this book and enjoy a young woman’s discovering her worth in the world and the man that will give it to her willingly. It’s a fun yet emotional journey that will definitely please the romantic in you.

Overall Rating:

Three phrases to hook the potential reader of Kandi Steiner’s On the Rocks: whiskey + hot burly guy from the other side of the tracks + gorgeous mayor’s daughter. While Steiner’s book suggests in its blurb that it is an “opposites attract” contemporary romance, it is actually nothing like that. It’s so much more.

First and foremost, Steiner’s book is an ode to Tennessee. All of the beauty of this state coupled with a listing of its glowing achievements greets the reader of this book. Personally, I have never had a strong feeling of visiting Tennessee (don’t hate me!). After reading this first book in her current series, her descriptions of Tennessee’s merits coupled with Noah and Ruby Grace’s conceptions of it, have piqued my interest in this state. In some ways, the state acts as another character in this story.

The power of this story is its hero, Noah, and heroine, Ruby Grace. This is a story about resilience in the face of the judgment of others. Noah and Ruby Grace should not work as they come from different backgrounds. Noah works as a barrel builder for the whiskey business where his grandfather and father worked. He wants a simple life: a wife, children, and a life in the town where he has grown up. He does aspire to travel the world by sailboat, but it doesn’t drive his daily decisions. He grew up with a simple life, filled with the love of his parents and three brothers.

In contrast, Ruby Grace was raised with luxury. As the mayor’s daughter, her childhood was lived in obligation to others. Her mother required her to act obediently for appearance’s sake. She knows her parents love her, but this love seems contingent on her obedience to the rules.

Ruby Grace returns home from college engaged to an up and coming politician. Through the course of the story, she realizes that everything she believed in was false. Instead, she begins to find her truth in Noah. And this is the beauty of Steiner’s On the Rocks. Noah sees the real Ruby Grace and loves her just as she is.

Noah is probably one of my new favorite heroes. At first sight, he’s a player, a hot guy looking for an easy lay. Yet, we recognize quickly that he’s simply waiting for the “right” woman. Initially, it appears that he is all man. And he is, but there is a sensitivity to Noah that I fell in love with. In acknowledging Ruby Grace’s essence, he gives her strength to live her life on her own terms. He loves her through her choices, no matter the expense to himself. His sacrifice for her is beautiful. Honestly, he’s a true feminist in this story.

There was so much I loved about this book besides Noah. I loved Ruby Grace’s devotion to volunteerism. Her relationship with Betty illustrates the impact that one person can have on another’s life. Ruby Grace’s willing sacrifice for her family is noble, while also frustrating, but it shows the depth of her character. It’s the crux of this story.

In Steiner’s On the Rocks, you can’t help but love the soft hearts of its characters. Yes, it is steamy, and Noah and Ruby Grace encompass $exual fire. But these are people with hard exteriors and soft underbellies, and this sensitivity is what’s lovely about this book. I didn’t expect Noah to show this so readily, but he made me swoon. If you loved The Notebook, then I think you’ll love this Noah and Ruby Grace just as much. One-click Kandi Steiner’s On the Rocks. You won’t be able to put it down.

Kandi Steiner always brings the angsty goodness! Breaks and makes our heawrts! Never more than with the perfect summer romance, her latest — On the Rocks! It’s a small town, country romance packed with tension and heat. Grab!

Kandi Steiner brings the perfect summer romance in her latest — On the Rocks! It’s a small town, country romance packed with tension and heat. Available in Kindle Unlimited!

On the Rocks by Kandi Steiner is a contemporary, small town, friends to lovers, forbidden romance told in first person, dual POV.

Ruby Grace and Noah grew up in the same small town but haven’t seen each other in years. They meet again when she is purchasing a wedding gift for her fiancee. They both feel instant sparks and can’t stop thinking about each other afterwards. Noah and Ruby Grace decide to be friends because they enjoy each other’s company but her wedding is only weeks away.

Ruby Grace is saddled with family obligations and the expectation that she’ll let go of her dreams in order to support her husband’s political aspirations once they are married. Noah encourages her not to give up on her dreams stating that the right man will love her so much that he’ll want all her dreams to come true.

I loved this story! It pulled on my heart and had me all twisted up in the best way possible. The chemistry and attraction as Noah and Ruby Grace attempted to deny their forbidden desire was so hot! The angst and heartbreak that came with the twist had me in tears. I read the entire book in one sitting. A sexy, romantic roller coaster ride of emotion that I enjoyed from beginning to end.

*** I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. ***

“Anyone can lead an ordinary life, child,” she’d said to me one lazy afternoon. “But the best adventures are reserved for the ones brave enough to be extraordinary.”

I’m a huge fan of small town stories. Growing up in a small town, it’s so cool to be able to identify characters and relate them back to people you knew in real life and to read an event happening or hear a phrase, then immediately laugh out loud because you’ve seen it happen. Traveling down to Tennessee for this story, I was entranced from the very first chapter. I just knew this was going to be a story I would love.

Ruby Grace is your typical small town, southern “royalty.” She is planning her wedding to a young man who is hot on the trail to politics when she comes back home for a few weeks. Upon arriving, she stops by distillery to choose a barrel for her betrothed and meets Noah Becker. Well, actually, she already met Noah when she was 9 years old and he sat near her in church. The difference this time – they’re both grown up and not entirely sure about their paths.

A chance distillery meeting leads to a budding friendship tinged with a great deal of attraction. This relationship was kinda beautiful. Noah recognizes that Ruby Grace is engaged and that means something to him, even though he doesn’t particularly care for the man, and he comes up with the plan to befriend her and be her person. Now, that’s not to say that he doesn’t hope she recognizes her mistake and falls in love with him, buuuuut he is still being pretty upstanding with his choice.

Overall, this book made me feel. I know this sounds silly since in my book reviews I’m always talking about how stories make me feel. This was more, though. I felt SO MUCH. I was mesmerized by the characters introduced, mostly Noah’s family and Betty, frustrated with character’s choices and their inability to truly see what was happening around them, entertained, disappointed, heartbroken, and ultimately I was absorbed into this world.

I don’t often give 5 stars in a review, but I felt like this story really earned it for me. Mostly, this landed right in the arms of the Becker family and Betty. This crew truly made the story for me. These characters felt so real in every way that I honestly felt as if they were real people after I was done reading. I am in love with this world. Also, I highlighted probably half of the book! There were so many moments I wanted to remember and quotes I loved. This book is full of everything I’ve been looking for recently and I am so excited I took a chance on it.

“You just have to decide if you want to walk the path of least resistance, the one where you are merely another traveler on the road. Or, if you want to forge a new path with those scissors, bit by bit, limb by limb, and discover something you never imagined.”
“It sounds selfish.”
She scoffed. “Selfish. What a silly word. Should you give to the ones you love? Absolutely. But should you lose yourself in order to better their lives at the expense of your own? Never.”