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.

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