I’ve spent my whole life guarding the family’s biggest secrets. Too bad this one won’t leave my guest room. Let’s blame that inconvenient distraction for the questionable choices I make at my brother’s wedding. Thank God for Lily Archer, who saves my rep and melts my heart in one fell swoop. It’s damn humbling for a controlling jerk like me accustomed to being in charge of everything. But … in charge of everything.
But something about Lily has me unraveling like the cuffs on a cheap suit. She’s sexy and smart as hell, and makes no secret she wants me for a no-strings fling. What guy in his right mind would say no?
I’m clearly not in my right mind because I suddenly can’t stop thinking about long-term with Lily. It’s not ideal, since the family’s worst skeleton is ready to tumble from the closet in a big, dusty heap. Who the hell is in charge around here?
It’s me. And before this is over, I’ll have some explaining to do.
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Loved it, didn’t put it down
I love these books.
It was cute. Had fewer grammar and punctuation and word choices than most. Quick read.
Love this
very entertaining, picked up more of the series
I’ve enjoyed this series!
This was a cute book with laugh-out-loud moments, but the language….So not necessary. A big detraction.
Tawna has done it again. This book was such a joy to read but it had humor, a little sex and great characters. The storyline was greatly thought out and very well written. Good read!!!
It was a good story except for the constant use of the “f” word and way too much of steamy business, both of which were not necessary.
Two people set against marriage or permanency decide to have a relationship with benefits…. oh how the universe laughed. I enjoyed how they trusted each other and their easy camaraderie. Love this series.
This had me laughing very early and had points of laughter all the way through. I totally enjoyed the story and the writing style. I’d never heard of forking before.
Wonderful story! I enjoyed reading this series so much! Entertaining afternoon read.
I love this series – It is fun and charming and quirky. There are emotional healing moments and lovely family moments and romantic moments as well as steam heat. On my All Time Favourite Series List.
Well, I’m not sure where I rank this book. Would it be my new favorite in the Ponderosa Resort series? The series just keeps getting better and better. Each book offers a circumstance or situation that is a little stickier than the last book; the tension ramped up a notch and the characters a little more complex. This one is all about the de-icing of James “Iceman” Bracelyn. James is the Keeper of Secrets, at least for the Bracelyn clan. And there are some doozies!
It’s fun, it’s snarky, and it’s completely entertaining!
James Braceyln “Iceman” is the family leader and keeper of secrets…all of this changes when he meets Lily. This is the fifth book in this series and with most series, this was was better than the last.
The characters are complex and they both bring their own bag of emotions.
As the reader, I did not want this book to end.
What a fun read!
Now we have James and Lily, he’s the oldest of the Bracelyn siblings, so he takes on a lot of responsibilities. And Lily is a kickass woman who we know is gonna blow his mind, lol.
I loved these two, such opposites yet in perfect synch. I love how Lily melted his ‘Iceman’ heart, he was so vulnerable deep down. And how he showed her that having strings to someone you love can be awesome. Fall in love, girl!
I loved them and we also saw some earlier characters in the series, and some new ones. And OMG the secrets! Totally unexpected and I’d recommend reading the entire series so far, so you get exactly how these characters are feeling in this book.
SO looking forward to reading more in the series. <3 <3
*Thank you to the author for providing a copy for which I’m giving my honest opinion*
I loved this book! I loved the characters and I felt this book was more serious than the other books of the Ponderosa series by Ms Fenske. While the others were sometimes hilarious, this time, with the has-to-be serious character of James, she did a wonderful job, trying to get the playful boy out of the strict and severe character by using the playfulness and smartness of the heroine. I loved it- great characterbuilding, secrets coming to light and the necessity of playing pranks to your siblings.
James “Iceman” Bracelyn is wound tighter than a vintage Rolex. Besides his CEO role at Ponderosa Resort, he’s guardian of the family’s biggest secrets, including a doozy that keeps him up at night. Alone. In that big bed he’d rather not share, thank you very much.
That’s fine with Lily Archer, who likes her flings flaming hot and fleeting. Her man-eater rep might be slightly exaggerated, but she’ll gladly dial it up to rescue James from himself—and a bottle of Glenlivit—at his brother’s wedding.
Intimacy’s the last thing either one wants, but it’s tough to dodge when they’re drawn together by the world’s drooliest dog, a TPing escapade gone wrong, and a good old-fashioned desktop hookup. That’s problematic for James, whose ability to hide the family’s riskiest secret is complicated by the secret’s refusal to get the hell out of his guest room.
Can Iceman keep his frigid shell intact while falling for the hottest science geek sex goddess he’s ever met, or will the ticking time bomb blow it all to smithereens?
Stiff Suit!
James Bracelyn is the one brother that is wound too tightly. No one understands his stiffness, but he has his reasons! Then he meets Lily Archer, who is an independent woman with a bit of a mischievous streak! Just what James needs!
Even when the two start their casual sexual relationship, secrets keep showing up out of the woodwork, and James is trying hard to keep things semi-normal. But then everything blows up and he tries to protect Lily. She is a fiercely independent woman, but being sent away when she could see James needed her to center him, was just too much. Thankfully, her grandmother is there to help point her in the right direction! But which direction works for both James and Lily.
I loved this book. Lily is a modern woman, not afraid to show her sexuality, while James needed someone like her to help bring him out of his cocoon.
I received an ARC copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing it. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.
I’ve enjoyed all of the Ponderosa Resort books, but I have to say that this may be my favorite so far. James the “Iceman” Bracelyn earned his nickname in the courtroom and will dealing with his dearly departed philandering father’s secrets. The ice starts to melt when he meets Lily at his brother’s wedding. Lily doesn’t do relationships, but has had a series of monogamous friends with benefits flings. She finds something intriguing about James and decides that she will have fun loosening up this stiff suit. I think what I loved the most about this book is James. His reputation is as some unflappable iceman, however, he loves his family dearly and will do anything to protect them. Of course, one of his father’s many secrets threaten to ruin his relationships with his family and Lily. I also loved catching up with the many family members and cannot wait for the upcoming stories in this series.
I really thought that there was no way I’d love anything more than the first book in this series. I was wrong. This had the blend of humor and seriousness I love about this author. The emotions in this book were what pushes this book over the top though. Not crazy intense, but good feeling movement. The humor and happiness outweigh the sadness, frustration, and pain, but the later emotions are enough to keep the story from being too fluffy.
Also, I learned a new word: forking. And no, I didn’t misspell that word and it doesn’t have anything to do with a u replacing one of the letters. But I do want to try it. It sounds fun!
I got this as an ARC, so I got to read it early. This review is coming from my second reading of the book, when it was released and I got it from Amazon. It feels better the second time, even though it was really good the first time.