* * * *
Lusting after the woman trying to steal my job is stupid. Sexting with her? That’s a game-changing fumble.
Emma Crawford became enemy number one the second she stepped foot on Blue Mountain Farm. She might think I’m just a dumb jock, but I know she’s a stuck-up wine snob who believes she’d be a better exec than me.She can take my position over my dead body.
But with her ridiculous curves and fearless smarts, she’s becoming one giant distraction just when I need to prove my worth most.
Lucky for me that I have a secret internet sext partner to blow off steam with. My nightly dirty chats with V scratch all the itches Emma gives me.
Emma and V couldn’t be more different—except it turns out they’re the same person.
Just when I thought this scenario was enough of a disaster, I’m falling for the co-worker I can’t touch and can hardly stand.
Even a hotshot player like me can see this is a game we’re both gonna lose.
Source: ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review
Can this just be my review?
No? Fine.
I guess I can throw in some words as well. I mean, when you read a Jessica Peterson novel you know you're in for a mega steamy romance. Hence, the very real need for a spray bottle by your side. It's how she rolls and she's darn good at it. In fact, she doesn't even give you fair warning before she leads with some insanely hot online connection. And that's before you even get to chapter one! That's why you read anything that Jessica Peterson writes.
The obvious aside, the other highlight of Southern Hotshot is all the food porn. Seriously! If you're a foodie, you'll be in heaven. I didn't expect to be swooning over paella and tapas and missing dining out but there I was, mouth watering and lamenting how I couldn't have all the nice things that Samuel and Emma were having. As I'm not a wine drinker (I'm so bad; I have to ask people what they think I'd like), so a lot of the nuances were lost on me but it didn't stop me from appreciating its value to their profession or the joy it brought them.
Peterson scores high marks yet again for portraying all the facets of a woman. Emma is professional and serious about her career as a sommelier. She's just slightly cocky about her expertise and because Samuel was not being so nice in the beginning, she might even rub it in his face a bit. When she's away from work, she craves intimacy and acceptance. It's not the career path her family envisioned for her so it's created some discord between them. Like anyone she wishes that they'd give her a little support but she can't sit around waiting for that. I liked that Emma states what she wants and goes for it. She owns her sexual needs and there is no embarrassment or apology for taking care of herself in that regard. Samuel is as complicated as they come mostly because of the high expectations he sets for himself. That he generally doesn't like to ask for help is another reason he's such a grump and rude to Emma and refuses to concede that they would benefit from her expertise. Because he'd been betrayed professionally in the past he views her as a threat to what he's since built at Blue Mountain Resort. They're asked to work together on an event that leads to some mutual appreciation of their skills and the value each brings to the table. It also gives Samuel a glimpse into what Emma has to deal with on a professional level. That new understanding makes him change his attitude and also sorry for his abhorrent behavior.
There is an unexpected love triangle that pretty much blindsided me as much as it did the characters involved. I was so thrown off I wasn't sure if I'd missed something but that's the point - that they all missed something? The upside is that it does set up the next story (I'm assuming?) perfectly in the epilogue, and I don't mind saying that I'm already intrigued and rubbing my hands greedily in anticipation.
Back to Southern Hotshot - it's fun and wild, sexy as all get out, and has the romantic overtures and all the delicious things you want in a spicy read!
~ Bel
