I really struggled to get through this one, it’s just same old same old perfect gorgeous woman meets perfect bodied woman who’s been hurt before and shies away from new potential relationships, well I’m bored of it so I feel like it took me months to get through it ;). sexy perfect characters, a story we’ve read hundreds of time before but we keep coming back for more (do we need help!), written really well and happy ending, do I really want to read book 2 and 3? not sure on that one!
Recommend for an average romance.....

This is the first book in a trilogy by three different authors, about three best friends from Pine Cone, Georgia. Clay (an artist/tow truck driver), Trip (a veterinarian) and Grace (a police officer). This is Clay's story. She meets River when River runs off the road and wrecks her car in the middle of town. River owns a gallery in New York City, but comes to Georgia to sell her Aunt's gallery that has been left to her. She didn't expect to fall in love with a town from the south, and certainly didn't expect to fall for the sexy Clay who comes to her rescue more times than she can count. Clay never expected to fall for another girl from the big city when she's barely recovered from getting her heart broken the last time. Are their worlds too different for the two women to have a real chance?

This was a light and sweet romance, set in a perfect little town. This story really only lacked a little bit of substance/depth to sink your teeth into - but how can I give a book anything less than five stars when it was a breeze and absolute joy to read. Such a feel good story. Missouri Vaun is an incredibly talented writer - I love everything she writes. She writes flawlessly, its so easy to get lost in beautifully described settings and a wonderful cast of gorgeous and brilliant women, each of them unique. 

It's an interesting situation where a trilogy is written by three different authors - I feel like there was a little too much time setting up and diving into the stories for the other ladies but I'm interested to see how the rest of the trilogy winds up. I love all the ladies, and I'm excited to see them meet the women of their dreams!

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the idea of three main characters (Grace, Trip, and Clay) in southern rural Georgia, who are lifelong friends, each taking us on a separate journey to finding love. And who better than Missouri Vaun, D Jackson Leigh, and VK Powell to take us? For me this was the quintessential contemporary romance – two opposites-attract characters stumbling upon each other and each making sacrifices to further the fledgling relationship. This Missouri Vaun installment focuses on Clay, who is a talented artist with a broken heart cum tow-truck driver, who falls for a gallery owner. I can’t wait to read about Grace and Trip’s stories next.

This book, the 20th work I’ve read by this author (9 using the Vaun name and 11 using the Braddock), is about Clay Cahill and River Hemsworth.  Both of whom have a point of view in this book.  Based off of a vague off-hand comment about a third party, there is a good chance both of the characters are near at or over 30 years of age (there was a comment about another character being ‘near us in age, thirties’ (hopefully I didn’t misread that)).

The book opens with River doing what you aren’t supposed to do – be on the phone and drive at the same time. And you know why you aren’t supposed to do that? Well River found out first hand, when she nearly rear-ended some horses (in a horse trailer), swerved to avoid the truck, and slammed into a hair-saloon.  And that’s the introduction of the reader to River.  That phone played a lot of key pivotal plot points in this book (seriously, first the accident, later a pivotal moment when the phone was left, unlocked, near another person as if they wanted that other person to read the phone (WTF was that about?)).

The second major character appeared when she wandered up to check on River. To provide help, and stuff.  River, dazed as she was, still seemed to vaguely respond to the rather obvious (to those who knew her) flirtatious advances of . . . Dr. Trip.  Dr. Trip was a major character but not the other main character.  

Trip’s advances were intercepted/stopped/redirected when another major character appeared on the scene. The quite attractive woman began asking River questions about the accident.  I do not recall, now, if she also flirted, but it was obvious she was also a lesbian.  This would also be a major but not main character.  Grace the police officer.  

By the time another lesbian was introduced (after several other women bounced around asking if River needed help), I was beginning to think two things: this small town in Georgia was filled entirely with women, and there was a good possibility that all of them were lesbians.  I was wrong on both counts, but that’s the impression the beginning gave me.

That ‘another lesbian’?  That’d be the tow-truck driver.  Who River drooled over.  Considering that River was kind of out of it, dazed, had literally slammed her head into her steering wheel, and had been given a drink that had more sugar in it than liquid, it’s possible River did in fact literally drool.  The tow-truck driver was Clay – the same Clay I already mentioned in the first paragraph as being the other main and point of view character.  

Clay helps River – both with her car and to get her to her B’n’B (how is that worded again? I know its Bed and Breakfast, but I forget the little BnB short-cut).  They seem to hit it off.  Until River mentions she’s from New York, and owns a gallery there.  It’s hot. It’s the deep south.  A distinct chilly sensation developed, though, noticeable to River after she revealed this information.   

Right, so – those are the characters. Main and major (minor would include the new vet that works at Trip’s place, Dani something; and the new police deputy who works for Grace, Jamie something; and Bo – the never-do-well who works at the place Clay works; and ‘Grandpa’ who gave Clay a job; and . . .  others).  But what’s going on? Why is the New Yorker in Pine Cone Georgia, and why the cold shoulder from Clay?  

Well the book description, if you recalled to read it (which I hadn’t – what it’s a Vaun book, of course I was going to read it sight unseen without an idea what it was about, but I’ve read the description now that I’ve read the book) tells you the answer to both questions I ended the last paragraph with.

Clay is an artist who had a bad experience in New York. River is in Pine Cone because the aunt she never really had anything to do with (family issues) died and gave River her car, house, and art gallery.   That’s why River is in Pine Cone – temporarily; and why Clay’s there (she lives there). 

I had a few issues with enjoying the book: there was no separation for the point of view changes, one paragraph could follow Clay, one could follow River, and there was neither rhyme nor reason for when the change would occur – though it was always obvious a change had occurred.  Problem two: occasionally I lost track of who said what, though that was probably more my fault than anything (lost track as in they would talk, and I’d miss out on which person said what when and how).  Problem three: wined was used once when whined was intended (yes, I noticed that one specific mistake, heh).  

The last problem is more major, but I got around it well enough.  And that’s how the book ended, or near enough the end part.  When the book suddenly turned into a crime drama for no explainable reason.  When that crime drama started . . . well, I kind of groaned loudly and figured that I’d end up giving the book a much worse rating than I had been thinking up to that point.  I liked how everything unfolded, though, so . . . it probably has some negative impact on the rating but not as severe as I’d been thinking.

The characterization was good, the romance was . . . solid enough, the plot was interesting. I was intrigued and entertained.  Good quick easy read . . . that I found to be slightly lessor than the most recent books that I’ve read by this author. Part of that is because of the issues I had, and mentioned, part of that was the part where a few things seemed a little heavy handed (I knew instantly that trouble was going to happen when one person left their phone with the other – it’s like a blinking red light when that happens, blinking arrow, blinking obviousness – and then trouble did in fact occur).

Rating: 4.31

June 5 2018

2.4 stars. I didn't connect with the characters. Their connection is purely on a physical level at first and it didn't feel to me that it went past it as much as I wanted to. Furthermore, a lot of things are too convenient in this book, the gallery owner thing, the small town background, etc. They were made for each other quite literally because the author made them so and it's glaringly obvious.

The book is also extremely predictable and uses a lot of common plot devices that I lost interest in the story because I could predict 90% of it. The main conflict, the redneck, everything was so standard that I just couldn't enjoy this read.

It's technically well written though but that's pretty much the only thing that is going for this book. Can't recommend.

River Hemsworth, New York gallery owner, finds herself the heir to aunt Eve’s home, car and gallery in the rural town of Pine Cone. On arriving in Pine Cone she crashes her car and needs to be towed by the only tow-truck in town owned by the androgynously attractive, Clay Cahill. They’re drawn to each other but River is only there to offload her inheritance and Clay has no interest in anyone from New York.

Lovely romance that oozes Southern charm. You can taste the fried green tomatoes and feel the heat in the air. It’s the ensemble that creates the atmosphere so keep those secondary characters coming. Excellent to know this is the first of the Pine Cone books so I have the promise of romances for Grace and Trip to look forward to in the next instalments.

3.75 stars. A nice story with likable characters and supporting characters. A bit predictable but it is a plot formula that works. I like the authors love for food and the small town setting. I'm looking forward to the stories of Clays best friends, of Trip and Grace. The other two books in the Pine Cone series will be written by Jackson D. Leigh and V.K. Powell.

First time I’ve read something from this author but won’t be the last. Really enjoyed this book, spent a pleasant day in the sun reading it. Looks like there may be more coming from this Southern town.

I enjoyed this book but it felt weak in some way, it's well written and the story is quite enjoyable. Yet I thought its in the easy forget side. I didn't feel the love nor the sad story, I wanted to know more about clay I thought there's so much more to this character and I wanted to see her go thro the recovery. Her way back was like a snap of a finger. I missed the development of that side. 
I was given a free copy in return of honest review

This is the first story in a collaborative series called “A Pine Cone Romance” about three women, Clay, Grace and Trip, who have been best friends since school living in Pine Cone, Georgia. Vaun takes on Clay while D Jackson Leigh will write about Trip, the vet, and VK Powell gets Grace, the cop. (I’m going to have to read some Powell before her instalment is released. Any recommendations?) Powell’s and Leigh’s characters are part of “Take My Hand” so it will be interesting to see if their individual voices are retained in spite of different authors.

River Hemsworth, New York gallery owner, finds herself the heir to aunt Eve’s home, car and gallery in the rural town of Pine Cone. On arriving in Pine Cone she crashes her car and needs to be towed by the only tow-truck in town owned by the androgynously attractive, Clay Cahill. They’re drawn to each other but River is only there to offload her inheritance and Clay has no interest in anyone from New York.

The alienated-relative-leaving-everything-to-the-lesbian is a common theme so while the story line doesn’t set it apart from other romances it still has a lot going for it. Vaun has an amazing ability to describe the environment without going into long, descriptive passages. I can see the streets, feel the weather and know what the houses look like and that give me a greater sense of immersion in the story. Vaun’s characters have a tendency to talk it out which appeals to me because I love effective dialogue. 

I enjoyed reading this. It was a light, easy and quick read with a little bit of angst and a moment of life-threatening drama.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

A very good romance with an interesting plot and likeable characters. Recommended to all romance fans especially for those who love small town romances. I'm looking forward to the other two books in the Pine Cone Romance series by D. Jackson Leigh and VK Powell.

Clay Cahill needs a break from the life she thought she wanted in New York and takes refuge in Pine Cone, Georgia. She has settled into life with her hometown high school buddies who are quite interesting in their own ways. Even though she is in the company of friends, she knows it is not enough. River Hemsworth has found her passion and just wants to settle her deceased aunt's estate and return to her "real life". To her surprise, the quick trip to Pine Cone does not go according to plan. After a car wreck, the unexpected happens and additional decisions need to be made that involve more than settling her aunt's estate. This is a fun and entertaining read. The scenes about shoes and driving was funny and sexy.

3.75 Stars. I’m a Missouri Vaun fan so I was excited to get this book. I’m used to mostly reading her fantasy of futuristic books, but I learned she can write good traditional romances too. This is book 1 in the Pine Cone Romance series. What is different about this series is it sounds like a new author will write each book. It looks like D. Jackson Leigh and VK Powell will be writing the other two books.

This story is about three best friends who live in a small southern town called Pine Cone. This first book is about Clay, a budding artist and tow truck driver. The other two friends include Trip, a veterinarian (I’m guessing Leigh will write her story) and Grace, a police sergeant (it would make sense that Powell would author her story). I really like this idea about three quality authors each writing characters who are all friends.

It is not like this book is anything we haven’t read before. A woman from the city goes to a small town to take care of property a relative left her; only to find herself falling in love with the setting and its people. Even though this premise has been done many times before, I still enjoyed this read. I liked the community of Pine Cone and found myself quickly liking many secondary characters, not just the two mains. When it came to the mains Clay was the brooding but sensitive butch character. And River is the fiery city girl. I found myself wanting to shake Clay a few times, but I still really liked both mains.

When it came to the romance I would say it was pretty good. There was definitely some chemistry and sexual tension between River and Clay. There were also some sweet romantic moments that warmed my heart a bit. While there may have been an insta connection or insta lust, the romance moved at a good pace which made it believable for me. It went full speed at the end, but I’m okay with Vaun wanting to give us a good HEA.

Since I found myself already warming to the secondary characters, I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series. It will be really interesting to see how either Leigh or Powell writes their characters compared to how they were in this book. I think this is going to be a fun series.

After suffering a devastating heartbreak, in New York City, artist Clay Cahill retreats back to her little town of Pine Cone Georgia. Determined to lay low and heal her heart Clay settles easily back into small town life with the help of her best friends, Tripp and Grace. But when beautiful, sophisticated River Hemsworth shows up in Pine Cone to settle her deceased aunts affairs, Clay knows shes in trouble.

My best friend is constantly telling me to read more romance. So here ya go I read a romance! Romance is not my favorite genre guys. I always find it so cliche and sometimes a little nausea inducing. This book does not break the mold. Is it a tad cheesy? Ya. It is going to win literary awards? Sorry but probably not. Was it a quick, cute read? Ya it was.

For the most part this was a cute book. River was a good main character and I would have loved to have gotten to know more about her life in New York. Clay was a tad angsty but I'm not saying I wouldn't hop on that motorcycle if she came to pick me up.

I really liked how the author made me feel the small town mentality. I really wanted to make a joke about how there was so many gay people for such a small town but then she beat me to it in the damn book! I love that she can poke fun at her own novel.

Over all it was a quick, easy, cute read. Would I read it again? Probably not. Would I recommend to a friend? Yep, especially if they were looking for a good beach book.

I received an ARC copy of this book by the Publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I loved the book.  I was hooked from the first page.  I liked the main characters of Clay & River, great storyline and loveable characters.  I will certainly be looking to read more by this author.

5 STARS