Unwrapping: Review of ANYTHING BUT SWEET by Candis Terry

As a huge fan of Candis Terry’s Sugar Shack Series, it was a no brainer for me to sign up for the Tasty Book Tour promoting Candis’s upcoming new release, ANYTHING BUT SWEET. On Wednesday, the lovely lady will be joining me for an interview so be sure to come back then to meet her.  

***eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest and unscripted review. 

Blurb for ANYTHING BUT SWEET: 

A man who doesn’t like change . . .
The Wilder family is something of a Sweet, TX institution: between their yearly BBQ blow-outs and their Hardware and Feed store, they’re an institution—an institution that ex-marine Reno Wilder has tried to preserve, in honor of his lost loved ones. But it seems like he’s the only one who’s got any respect left for traditions when a new TV makeover show rolls in to renovate Sweet to bring in more tourists. Everyone is pleased except Reno—and this cowboy is determined to keep everything just the way he likes it.

A woman who wants to change everything . . .
Inquisitive. Stubborn. Smart. Drop dead gorgeous. That would be makeover show host and designer, Charlotte Brooks—the woman Reno has declared war against. And yet, he can’t seem to keep away from her, or to get her off his mind. Charlotte isn’t afraid to back down from a challenge—of any kind—and she’s promised to prove to Reno that change can be sexy, hot, and very, very sweet, if Reno and Charli learn to let go of their pasts and grab hold of a future full of promise.

 

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Charli Brooks is the host designer of a reality makeover show and the folks of Sweet, Texas rallied for a chance to have her and her crew come to their charming, yet somewhat bedraggled, town in hopes that she can bring it back to life. Charli loves a challenge and when that challenge presents itself in the form of a tall handsome cowboy who wants nothing more to get her to stop her attempt to change his beloved town; she pulls out all the stops to prove him she can only make things better. 

Reno Wilder is a truly tortured hero. He’s suffered through more losses than any person should ever be confronted and so he doesn’t like change. Change represents loss, loss of memories, loss of love, and forcing him to move forward, something he’s dead set against doing. So, when a bubbly, energetic powerhouse of gorgeous female arrives in a Hummer to turn his life upside down, he pushes back as hard as she gives.  

Charli falls in love with Sweet, Texas and Sweet, Texas falls in love with her. She’s made to feel like one of the community and for the first time in her life, she feels like she’s found a place she can call home. More so, she hopes she can convince a tall, grumpy cowboy that he wants her to call it home with him. How long can Reno hold out against the charm and conviction of the Fancy Pants female that has wiggled into his heart? Charli hopes not too long. 

ANYTHING BUT SWEET by Candis Terry is everything I hoped it would be from this author who had me falling hard for a new generation of contemporary romance with her delightful and emotion-filled Sugar Shack Series. Candis conjures characters that pull you in with their hopes, their dreams, their torments, and their pasts, some of which will break your heart. 

I love how she brings forth a subject that touched me deeply as someone who knows the heartbreak of it – child neglect and abandonment. When I read the lines, - “Just because a woman could give birth to a child didn’t make her a mother. Just because a man could get a woman pregnant didn’t make him a father. – I had to set my reader down for a while. It touched me so hard. It’s the truth. I’ve always said, “a womb does not a mother make.” It’s love and hard work that makes a parent. ANYTHING BUT SWEET is a story about a family who took in a little boy left on his own by a mother who didn’t care. He found himself enveloped in the love of a family who didn’t care that he wasn’t their son or brother by birth, it only mattered that he was there. It’s this sense of family love that draws Charli to the Wilders. They’ve suffered their losses, their relationships don’t always work out the way they want, but their love for each other stays strong. Charli understands the loss of a parent who loved her and left her with only a father who holds back his affection, so when she encounters this sense of belonging in the Wilders, she wants more. She wants Reno, his family, and his town filled with the most amazing characters to grace the pages of a book, for her own. 

The torments of the past aside, ANYTHING BUT SWEET is filled with laughter, joy, wild nights, and a few tear inducing moments that will keep you well satisfied and turning the pages. From the first moment when Charli Brooks climbs down from her yellow Hummer, on through drunken good times, references to country rockin’ songs and sweet temptations of the flesh that pull the dimples from Reno Wilder’s cheeks, clear to the happily-ever-after ending that I almost didn’t think Candis would pull off. Then again, as in those reality shows, it all comes down to the end reveal, right? 

I highly recommend ANYTHING BUT SWEET by Candis Terry to any and all lovers of a good romance. This is a must read if you love tortured heroes and sassy heroines, sweet family interactions, and sexy men. I can’t wait for more from the Wilder brothers and Sweet, Texas. 

Happy Reading Everyone!

Y’all come back on Wednesday for an interview with Candis Terry and a blog tour giveaway that will have you hollerin’, Yee Haw!   

ANYTHING BUT SWEET by Candis Terry, Avon Romance, release date – June 25, 2013 in print and ebook formats. **click on cover for purchasing info.