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BOOKWORM REVIEW: Defiant Heart by Brighton Walsh

 

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
SPICE: 🔥🔥.5

This was such a fun introduction to the Starlight Cove series.

Brady McKenzie has a lot on his plate. He is the Cove's sheriff and the eldest of the McKenzie brood. He and his siblings are struggling to keep their family beach resort open, and a big opportunity is knocking at their door. It is all hands on deck for the McKenzie clan, and each has their share of responsibilities to make this opportunity work for their resort.

Brady's biggest task? To keep the town newcomer from generating negative attention. Luna Lancaster has one goal: to keep the new development company from building a new mall. She doesn't care if she has to chain herself to the trees on site and if she becomes a thorn on the town rule enforcer's side. Keeping Luna from the construction site meant staying by her side, and the more time they spent together, the more these two realize that the animosity might be a mask for something more.

I just loved this standalone read. Brady and Luna's connection was wrapped so well in a super-tense bubble that just grows and grows. I went through each chapter just waiting for that bubble to pop, and when it did, the wait was so worth it. The chemistry -- not to mention Brady's dirty, dirty mouth -- lit up the pages with sizzle and spice. 

The first book in a series always has the unfortunate and awkward task of introducing the characters for future books, but that was seamlessly done in this read. We organically meet Brady's siblings and hints of their potential partners. I also love that while we get some background into the McKenzie family, we get some unresolved subplots without feeling like we're left with a cliffhanger. 

This is a spoiler-free zone so I will just say this: the story's third-act climax -- the actual one, not the bedroom one -- is so incredibly sweet, and I absolutely loved it.

I cannot wait for the rest of the series. Each McKenzie sibling has their own unique personality and charisma, and I cannot wait to dive into each of their story.

ABOUT THE BOOK

I’ve slapped my cuffs on Luna Lancaster too many times to count and not a single one was for fun.

As the sheriff of Starlight Cove, I shouldn't crave her, but I do. She’s chaos, mayhem, and sunshine wrapped up in too-tight yoga pants. The lawbreaker might have the town enamored with her free spirit, but she’s a thorn in my side, even if she is the sexiest woman I've ever seen.

I want her out of my town and out of my head.

Trouble is, she's made it perfectly clear she's not going anywhere. And her spree of minor infractions—who runs a yoga class without a license?—is hitting dangerously close to home. Her latest protest has her chained to a tree on the boundary of my family’s resort. The last thing we need is bad press ruining the short tourism season when the resort is already one bad month away from bankruptcy.

I'll do whatever it takes to save Starlight Cove. Even if that means handcuffing Luna to my bed.



MEET BRIGHTON WALSH

Award-winning USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brighton Walsh spent a decade as a professional photographer before taking her storytelling in a different direction and reconnecting with her first love—writing. She likes her books how she likes her tea—steamy and satisfying—and adores strong-willed heroines and the protective heroes who fall head over heels for them. Brighton lives in the Midwest with her real life hero of a husband, her two kids—both taller than her—and her dog who thinks she’s a queen. Her boy-filled house is the setting for dirty socks galore, frequent dance parties (okay, so it’s mostly her, by herself, while her children look on in horror), and more laughter than she thought possible.

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