Definitely a story to enjoy on a lazy Sunday afternoon!

I like uncomplicated books. I like stories which are easy to read and enjoy. And, I like Joya Ryan’s writing style so yes, this book suited me down to the ground. 

I get that some may find the story centring around a garden centre a little “flowery” but this story managed to smooth away the hard edges of my emotions, which I appreciated. So many books these days are about shock and awe but this was a simple love story told in a way which captures your heart. 

We first meet Laura Baughman who, now divorced, has returned home with a plan to take over the running of her late mother’s flower shop. What she doesn’t expect to find in her way is Jake Lock, her father’s business partner. When Laura sees the flower shop closed up and now used as an office it breaks her heart but she is determined to resurrect her mother’s legacy. Her father soon puts a spanner in the works though when he tells Jake and Laura that they need to find a way to work together, something which brings about daily fights. Despite finding Jake hugely attractive, and remembering him from her school days, Laura knows that she can’t work with him but with her father’s ultimatum, she is not willing to lose the business to someone outside of the family.

Despite their resentment of each other, they are both attracted to one another and sparks fly when they connect but will their attraction win out over their mutual, business related, hatred of each other?

This is a relatively short story but one to still be savoured. It is a typical contemporary/women’s romance story so don’t expect too much angst, drama or violence. It’s simply the coming together of two people who were clearly destined to fall in love but first must face a few bumps along the road towards their HEA. 

This book appears to tell a complete story, within a possible series and does not contain any cliffhangers.

This one was an ok read.  I had a hard time getting into the story mostly because Laura irritated me.  She leaves town leaving her father to run the family business on his own, which he has done very well, and she expects to come back and start doing things her way?  Which if it had just been her father may have worked out but for ten years Jake Lock as worked side by side with Laura's father changing the business from a small flower shop to a thriving garden center.  He's not about to walk away without a fight.  Add in the fact that there is some serious sexual tension between Laura and Jake and you have one wild ride going.  Overall this isn't a bad read, some parts were quite entertaining.  I just had difficulty connecting with the characters.

When Laura returns home to run her late mother’s floral shop, she didn’t expect her father to make her divide the business between her and Jake. The two immediately start to bicker on how things should be done as they fight their attraction to one another.

Jake starts off very arrogant in my opinion. He is hot and he knows it. I expected him to be a little more humble since he was the former geek. I think that is part of why I liked him. He likes that he gets the former high school beauty.

Laura initially comes off as spoil. She expects that her life should be easy now that she is back. She should have the shop. Everything should be the same and she slowly realizes it is not the same. It doesn’t help that Jake is there to rub it in her face every chance that he gets until their little sexual encounters get real.

The author relies too heavily on sex advance the story along. While, I love a good steamy sex scene because I’m naughty, if it doesn’t help build an authentic connection between the main characters than it just becomes repetitive. I think there are good enough bones to this story to help with the character development without sex.

Laura relates to the people in her life in an interesting way. She takes on whatever problems as her own. She is heavily guilt laden throughout the book. She blames herself for not being good enough several times. She blames herself for not being emotionally there for mother. She blames herself for running away to California after her mother’s death resulting in her leaving her father.

As the story moves along, Laura blames herself for every little problem that occurs in the company. I started to root for Laura but after a while, I realized she didn’t grow as quickly as I had hoped. I realized at the very end, she still questioned herself and Jake had to reassure her.

There is also the strange dynamic between Laura and her father.  He doesn’t explain anything about the family business to her before challenging her to run the company alongside Jake. This is a small town and he doesn’t stop by or speak to her. He is supposedly speaking to everyone about her but not to her. I wanted to know did Laura and her father reconnect after her being away for ten years.

Overall, this is a sweet and at times funny contemporary romance. It ticks off just enough of boxes to satisfy me.

~ Samantha

Review will be posted on blog next week

Laura returns home after a decade to try to revive her mother's old florist shop and runs into the nerd who had a crush on her throughout high school. Jake is no longer the band geek. He's the hottest guy that she ever laid eyes on. He also happens to have controlling interest of her parent's company and had turned the florist shop into a profitable home goods warehouse instead. Laura was annoying throughout most of the book. She hated him one minute but as soon as he talked dirty to or touched her, she was putty in his hands. The book wasn't terrible but it was predictable. I also felt like the characters lacked chemistry as well which was my reason for this rating.

This book unfortunately did not work for me- there was a disconnect of what the start was and the largess of all the sex right away

As a fan of this author I wa excited to start a new series but this just fell flat with me, I couldn't like the characters as much as I tried, I will still recommend this book on my blog but it's just not for me. Sorry.

I read this book because of the  "Sweet Torment " series which was very good,but I have to say that I was very disappointed with this book and was  prone to just leave off reading it.The heroine came in from out of thin air with guns blazing, only to fizzle out with her constant self doubt and indecisiveness.The ad nauseam re-stating of her mission for returning home became crating and cause for skipping whole paragraphs.Jake ,the hero in the story was more likable and interesting.The sexual encounters  felt forced, lacked any kind of romance and were more of a deterrent than a turn on.Is there a flat surface somewhere? Oh, the sordid tales the truck could tell. Couldn't wait to put an end to this book .This free read was provided by Netgalley.

This book had an interesting premise, but fell short in some areas. The main character Laura, returns home after a decade and expects to just walk in and take over her late mother's flower shop that her father now owns. This seemed very arrogant. After not even visiting for a decade, she is stunned to find that the shop is now a home improvement store, run by a former classmate, Jake. She is determined to step in and bring it back to the flower shop of her mother's time. She makes decisions that seem self involved and unwise. She was very difficult to like, which made me not care what happened to her or her part of the business.

Jake was a very sympathetic character, and I felt awful that after running the business for a decade and putting such effort into making it successful, his future was put in jeopardy by Laura's return. Laura's father decided that the two could run the separate parts of the business for a month and then he would determine which of them would control the entirety.

The story kept me interested, but I would have been more invested in the book if Laura would have been a more likable character. I didn't care much about the romance because I thought Jake deserved better than Laura.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

This was such a fun and light read I devoured in less than a day. This was my first Joya Ryan and will not be my last.

This was a very fun quick read. I enjoyed the banter & connection between Laura and Jake!

Laura returns to her hometown after her recent divorce in hopes of running her mother's beloved flower shop, which has been neglected since her mother's death. When Laura returns home she finds that her father has expanded the business to include construction and is being run by Jake. Laura and Jake both have a vested interest in the business when Laura's father proposes a competition between the two. 

This book was good. The characters had a lot of determination especially Laura. I loved the connection between the two. Great read.

Ten years ago after her mother died, Laura Baughman made the decision to leave her hometown and marry the wrong man. Now smarting from a nasty divorce, Laura has returned to Yachats, Oregon to help her father run the family business.  A lot has changed in ten years though and the once thriving florist shop has been replaced with a much larger landscaping company that is being run by Jake Lock. Jake has changed as well in the last ten years. The former band geek is all muscle and has Laura flustered from their first encounter.  With Laura’s father itching to retire, control of Baughman Home Goods is up for grabs.  Jake and Laura must prove who the best business person is and Walt will decide who wins after thirty days.  Who will end up running the business? Will Laura and Jake act on their attraction to each other?
I have to admit I was rooting for Laura to win control of the family business. I felt so sorry for her after her divorce.  It seemed like her ex had taken everything from her. Plus she had the family connection to the business. 
Jake is a stand up kind of guy. Walt has been his mentor since high school and Jake is determined to make him proud. Jake is tough when it comes to Baughman Home Goods but that is only because he is acutely aware of the men who depend on him for a steady paycheck.  Even when he snapped at Laura it was hard to be mad at him when you realize where he is coming from.
There are a lot (and I do mean a lot) of hot scenes in this book. From the moment Jake and Laura meet, you just know it’s going to be good.  The sexual tension between them was like a third person in the room during their first encounter.  It became very clear it would just be a matter of when they would act on that tension 
Playing with Trouble by Joya Ryan is a standalone satisfying romance. Ryan does a great job of creating devastating hot scenes between these two main characters. If you love contemporary romance with a lot of heat thrown in, this book would be a good read for you.

This was a fun, playful read. I really enjoyed Laura as the main character and liked that Jake was the "nerd turned hunk" that she fell for. Their playful banter was fun and I'm glad they worked out their issues (especially when it came to the store) to get their happy ending.

I give it 7 of 10 stars. I liked the story, I think it has so much potential. But there are 3 main reasons why I don't think it's a 5 stars book. 
First of all, because there are huge differences amongst chapters. The first one is SO huge that I found it kind of hard to catch the story. On the other hand, the last chapters felt too short. *sad face*
Second, I think the characters have so much inner world. This wouldnt be a "bad" thing if it didn't make dfficult to follow the story (like in the beginning when Laura was talking with Hanna on the phone while also thinking about her past).
And third, it was a little bit confussing with the "warehouse and shop" together or separted. Why did Laura wanted the whole thing when she didn't know how to run the warehouse?  It would have been clearer if they talked about what they wanted, so he would have gotten the warehouse and she the flower shop since the beginning. 
The author repetas a lot "once upon a time". I know this may sound silly, but for me, this was how tales, fairytales, started. It felt kind of "weird" to read it in the middle of a paragraph or at the end of a sentence. 
From the title, it seemed like the main male character was a bad boy, but it was totally the opposite: stable, responsible, mature and ready to have his own family. 
About Hanna, I felt like she could have appeared more. I liked when she and Laura had girl talks or when she borrowed her clothes and I totally missed her more at the end. She could have given Laura some advice or we could have known if she got the bar.
About Walt, I'll just say it in 3 words: I. Hate. Walt. What kind of father only talks with his daughter once in a whole month after she moved back? What kind of father denies advice to his daughter and doesn't show up to their meeting? And what kind of father doesn't tell his daughter that he sold their home, is planning to get a new one or that he started a relationship with someone? He seemed like he only cared what people thought because he talked more to people about her coming back than what he actually talked to her finally. Also, what kind of father doesn't support their kids while they're going through a hard divorce? It was kind of weird that he didn't go to visit her to California (even to her wedding?)
About Erica, I liked the relationship she had with her brother but it felt kind of strange with that she knew so much about Laura but they didn't properly meet. I missed a scene where the 2 girls met and got to know each other. 
About Gabe, I also missed an scene where they would have talked after their date. And did he notice that Laura and Jake where filtring during the date? I also would have loved to read the interview with Cal, it'd have been amazing if he'd have made things difficult for her (like asking for prices, references...) to make it harder for her to get the job. 
In my opinion, it would also be amazing if someone from California, Laura's past, would have showed up. Like her lawyer or even her ex-husband trying to get her back or the car. Talking about the husband, I didn't understand their relationship because at the beginning it seemed like it was almost an abussive relationship but she later said that it was all her fault. Why did he then take eveything from her during the divorce? She always talked sassy and filtry to Jake but it said she had to "re-build" her selfesteem. 
Abou the sexy parts, *wink wink* I liked them, in general. It didn't seem very real that Jake ALWAYS had a condom in his pants, like, why did he even had one in his working pants if he was always working amongst men? Weird. Also the "getting-naked" part was something so rushed or fast that I didn't notice when she took her pants off. And they doing it where they could get caught... That was good, but... In the street, the flower shop, the warehouse? Someone could have watched them. 
I didn't understand the part where Laura was packing but later Jake had all her stuff in his home, like what? She only packed her clothes? Or did he decorate like she had decorated the camper? 
I would also have loved that Jake would have "known" or noticed that Laura had that job in California, like he would have gotten mad at her for planning to run away... Again. And then they'd have been mad at each other... But in love. 
Also, Jake said they were struggling for the 5 grand Laura took from the bank but then they hire a woman for the shop?
I liked the end but it was a little bit confussing the part where Jake decorated and Laura was in the rain in front of the shop. He said he loved her but she didn't said she loved him back? And proposed, got the same flowers she had at her childhood home and the paint but she didn't reacted like SO excited. 
To sum up, I think the story had much more potential. 199 pages was actually pretty short for this kind of story and I was left wanting more. The main characters have a good development (inner and their relationships with each other) but I missed that the supporting characters didn't appear more.

I have liked a few Joya Ryan books in the past and I liked the sound of this new book, so I didn't hesitate to request a copy. Again, this wasn't all that for me and I wound up being very frustrated at how much time was wasted on sex scenes. I'm all for sexy times in books, but I want to see equal attention being given to actually building up the relationship between the couple too. I didn't think that we saw enough of that here. It's a bummer because Jake and Laura had an incredible hate-to-love dynamic going on and I feel like if more time had been spent fleshing out their relationship, this book could have been really really great. I wasn't all that fond of the main characters here either, unfortunately. I found Laura to be a little self-centered at times and I really did hate how she went ahead and made spending decisions without consulting Jake. Jake was decent enough, but again, not fully fleshed out, but he had the potential to be a good character. Overall, Playing With Trouble was a miss for me. There is something as TOO MUCH sexy times in a romance novel.

When Laura comes home after a divorce she plans on stepping right in to the family business. She doesn't expect to find her Father not there.
Jake has been running Laura's family business for years as her Father is setting to retire. 
Her Father tells them that Jake will continue to run the back while she can run the flower shop which has to be built back up again, and the best person will win the rights own it.
This causes some sexual tension as well as some angst between the two of them. 
It is a great story that brings you the reality of life that nothing comes easy, and as usual Joya leaves it with our imaginations at the end. Something I love

** I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I'm always a sucker for the broken hearts finding their mend in a contemporary romance but in this one, we have some chatting to do about Laura and Jacob.

Laura Baughman decided after her divorce to regroup and head back home to Oregon. She hadn't been there since after graduation but more importantly, has been haunted and guilt stricken for not being there for her mother's death. Her mother meant everything to her which coming back home has her facing unresolved feelings and emotions. After everything that had gone wrong, the one thing that she was looking forward to was taking over her mother's flower shop but was surprised to find it no longer was business. 

Well, it had been 10 years that passed and her dad had left out a few things. Their family business that was once shared with her mother no longer existed but a new chapter started with someone who had become the son he never had, Jacob Locke.  He partnered together to start a business that brought more success than he could've ever imagined. The problem is,  Laura has come back to claim what is rightfully hers but where does that leave Jacob? Well, to solve this problem, her dad gives them both thirty days to prove who could handle it all and that person will get everything. 

Now, let's dive into Laura and Jacob. I have a few things to say about them. Now they both have issues, which always makes these types of books either great or predictable. Their backstory had me wanting so much more than what I got but it was redeemed in the end. 

Laura, is the kind of gal that makes bad choices in men, as a result each situation takes away a part of her that's make her unable to trust them. She is the type who tries to push on to make dreams and goals but comes in contact with those guys who step on it and make her feel like she isn't good enough. This becomes dangerous because she is protecting her heart and doesn't' want to get too close because she is afraid it is going to be broken. Jake, is a good guy but because he has been broken by women looking to leave for bigger and better, he has a way of sabotaging his relationships and not even know it. He just goes about it the wrong way. 

In theory, these two are perfect together but the way their relationship evolved made me a little frustrated. I wanted to see more of them breaking down their walls to get to there they did in the end. I would've hung onto every word. I would've sung it's praises more rather than accept it's predictability.  For me personally, I loved each of the characters and what they brought to the story but I wish the plot could have been developed more in terms of them coming together emotionally.  That aspect of the them I feel cheated because I felt bombarded with the steamy scenes that for me weren't necessary compared to what I got from them in terms of the type of evolving relationship that they had. They could've been greater than what they were. Now, if that was the intention of the plot to build that tension and disconnect to get to the end, than that's another story and I'll accept it.

Overall, it was a nice story that drew me in and it's always good to get those broken hearts that have a chance for fate to bring them together. I wish more could've been explored and less on some of the other stuff. All in all, a fun, light book that I think you'll enjoy.

Can you really go back home again? After 10 years and a divorce Laura returns home to Yachats, Oregon to reconnect with her father and to help him run her mother's small flower shop. Imagine her shock when she discovers that she has to work alongside Jacob, her former geeky high school friend, who now sports a rock-hard body and a combative attitude. This is a classic enemies to lovers storyline that includes hot tempers, hot bodies and really hot and crazy sexual escapades while Laura and Jacob vie for control of her family business. Their contemptuous relationship is highly entertaining and watching them stumble over each other's surging hormones kept me grinning throughout their rocky romance as this pair discovers that opposites really do attract. Great storytelling with plenty of interesting characters and small town charm makes this book by Joya Ryan romantically appealing. I read a complimentary copy provided by NetGalley and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.

For this book 3 out of 5 stars.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with and ARC of this book for my honest review!
Now I will explain why I’m only giving 3 stars. Although I liked this book, I do have very conflicting feelings about it too. For me personally it wasn’t ‘full’. I wanted to know more about the MC and this book was so fast paced it was a bit too much, if you know what I mean. In some parts I just felt like some trying to tell me a long story but only having a limited time to do it. So I feel like the full potential of this story wasn’t explored enough. But you know, maybe that’s just me.
Knowing all that, I have still enjoyed this book very much. It’d hooked me from the start and I just couldn’t put it down. Well since my schedule is very hectic at the moment I was actually kept picking it up to be exact. Because I really, really, really wanted to finish it!
I would recommend this book as a free-time-don’t-think-too-much-about-it read. It probably won’t teach you much about life in general, but it is a fun and a steamy read and just great for a relaxing evening with a book.

Although after reading this I have started thinking more about my priorities in life, family, university and work. I might have learned something from it after all!

This romance novel had a slow start, which could have been appreciated if the author was using the time to build a relationship between the lead characters. Instead, I was totally bored in the beginning, and only mildly bored in the middle, and couldn't wait for it to be over by the end. Yeah it has its cute moments, but reading romance novels should never feel like a chore. Period.