Book Review – Shine Not Burn by Elle Casey

“Why can’t you just let me go?” …
“I can’t let you go because you’re mine.”

• Buy SHINE NOT BURN (Kindle) 
• Buy SHINE NOT BURN (Paperback)

SQUEE!!! I fell in love with a cowboy! If you’re looking for a book that’ll just make you happy, this is it! ♥

All it took was the blurb for me to know that I wanted to read this book and from the first few pages I was hooked! It was a total escape from reality. The character made me fall in love, the romance made me swoon, and the witty writing kept me laughing and chuckling the whole way through. It was the perfect light-hearted, romantic read 🙂

The story follows Andie who has a life plan that is spelled out to the ‘t’. Said life plan is comprised of a husband, 2.5 kids, a solid career and a stable, predictable future.

That being said, when she’s dragged off to Vegas for her best friend’s bachelorette party, her perfect life plan gets derailed by a gorgeous cowboy.

I doubted at this point that I’d be able to string a coherent sentence together. His beauty combined with his slow-talking cowboy sexiness had completely robbed me of any intelligence.

Andie and Mack meet (none too gracefully I might add) when she unceremoniously (but accidentally) dumps her drink all over him at the black jack table. However, they hit it off – big time – connecting on all kinds of levels with crazy, undeniable chemistry.

My eyes widened… Sweet Jesus, he’s hung. That’s some kind of magic, the way he somehow fits that thing into those pants.” … “No underwear,” I said, still staring… I couldn’t think of anything else to say, save, ‘My god, you have a huge cock’… but that didn’t seem like the smoothest of moves, so I stuck with the basics.

A whirlwind and a half later after one hell of an incredible night, she wakes up in bed… alone. They had really connected on a deep level and honestly were just perfect for each other and yet, here she was waking up in bed alone with barely coherent memories and no way to contact him. So… life went on…

Two year later her cowboy was sadly forgotten and Andie was well on her way to realizing her life plan. Her job was going well and she all set to marry her fiancé who, despite being a douchebag, fit perfectly into her ‘plan’.

Everything was going swimmingly until she went to apply for a marriage license only to discover that she was already married…

“Says here in my system you married a man by the name of … Gavin MacKenzie, on April tenth, two thousand and eleven… That name ring any bells? Gavin MacKenzie? What’s that? Scottish?… Ma’am? Are you still there?”

Much to Andie’s dismay (and my squee-worthy glee), she headed off to Oregon to traipse through the countryside tracking down her cowboy “husband” with all intentions of divorcing the poor dude.

What are the chances that I’ve stepped right off the plane into a pile of horse shit?

My first goal was to work up enough nerve to ask some of the most ridiculous questions I’d ever asked in my life. Here’s how I pictured that conversation going:
Me: Do you know Gavin MacKenzie?
Country person: Who’s askin’?
Me: His wife.
Country person: – vacant look – crickets –

Buuuuut, let’s just say that his memories of their night together weren’t quite as fuzzy as hers and he was not willing to let her go. Not this time! 😀

“With every thrust, he gave me his response, “You. Are. My. Wife.” The last word came out as a growl.“

I loved Mack! Seriously, what a HOT cowboy. Hot and totally sweet! He was clearly just smitten with her and seeing how crazy he was for her made him all the more swoony. In Andie’s words he was…

“Sexy. Handsome. Smart. Sexy. Magnetizing. Compelling. Muscles. Good family. Confident. Polite. Sexy.”

Teehee!

I loved that he wasn’t willing to let her go and just *knew* that they were perfect for each other. I also loved how in his stubborn cowboy way, he was willing to fight to get her to give them a chance right from the very beginning.

I really need you to sign those papers.”
“No.” …
“You don’t love me, Mack.”
“How do you know who I love and who I don’t love?”

“It’s not a second chance, Mack. It can’t be.”
He sat up next to me and pulled me to his side with his arm across my shoulders. Touching his head to mine he spoke in a low voice. “Yes, it can. We’re still married. Why can’t we just take a shot at making it work like a real marriage?” …

“We’re going to have sex again, aren’t we?”
“He gave me a wicked smile.
“Hell yes, we are.”
And then he lowered me to the ground.” 

I honestly just loved this book. It was quick, easy to read and just a delightful blend of everything happy. Really, it was exactly what I needed at the moment after my string of heavier reads. My cheeks ached from grinning and I definitely squeed out loud a time or two.

Shine Not Burn was a witty, light-hearted, addictive romance that kept me chuckling, swooning and fanning myself from start to finish! It was escapism at it’s best. Andie and Mac’s story is going to keep me smiling for  a long time… all I’ll need to think about is black jack and calf testicles but I’ll let you read the book yourself to find out more about those 😉

This is a stand alone with a happy ending.

4.5 stars!

• Buy SHINE NOT BURN (Kindle) 
• Buy SHINE NOT BURN (Paperback)

Casting

• Mack –> Click here and here