Reuniting with Riley was supposed to lead to all kinds of uninhibited fun, but Shellie never expected for him to be tamed!
Riley's a changed man these days. Running a farm is a lot of work and responsibility, but it also effectively keeps him busy and away from temptations that will lead him back to the life he once lived. Although fun, that life is littered with mistakes and regrets and life-altering consequences. He's learned to enjoy a steadied life - slow paced and productive, yet he still yearns for some adventure. Enter Shellie, the girl that not only stole his heart long ago, but the one who thrived on his particular brand of chaos. Her mere presence is temptation enough, but what she's looking for is something that only the old Riley can provide. Will the new and improved Riley succumb to his old ways?
Shellie came to Apple Trail to get away from a nagging mother who was determined to suck the fun out of her daughter's life. Shellie also came to see Riley. The last few years of online chatting haven't done him justice when she see's him. His physical traits have definitely enhanced the man she remembers, but his demeanor has changed. It seems that this particular bad-boy has been reformed. When a suggestion to do something a little crazy gets rebuffed by Riley, Shellie knows that something traumatic must have happened. Riley is so shaken by it that he has avowed to never be the carefree, womanizing man he once was, but why didn't he tell her?
I'm beginning to see a pattern when it comes to Ms. Ford's female leads. Her heroines don't just sit idly by while the potential love of their life screws up, they take charge. They are determined characters, intent on breaking away from convention and taking what they want. An admirable quality. They also have a vulnerable side that when exposed can make them even more determinedly-dangerous. The heroes are no wilting-lilies either. They just need the right woman to show them how to get out of having their own way.
I really appreciate Ms. Ford writing unique world realities into her plotlines. It helps to make her characters and their situations stand out amongst others in the same romance sub-genre. Infidelity, womanizing, abortion, nagging mothers - you name it and this author is bound to write it with an intriguing storyline and characters that will make you laugh and cry.
Since Ms. Ford shows no signs of stopping us from being Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas anytime soon, I excitedly plan on continuing this adventure.
Welcome to Apple Trail, Arkansas!
If Shellie Chambers has to hear one more condescending comment from her mother about life or men, she might scream. So, she packs up and takes a trip to see her long-missed high school friend, Riley. He'll know exactly what she needs to loosen up. But instead of the girl-chasing jock she remembers from their youth, Riley’s gone country, keeping up a farm of his own.
Riley Hamilton has settled down on a farm his uncle left to him. Not the life he ever envisioned, but after getting a girl pregnant in college and then watching helplessly as the baby was aborted, he learned the hard way it was time to settle down. Shellie’s reentry into his life reminds of his wild past and it’s a fight to ignore the tempting woman she has become.
