Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Clashing Hearts 
SERIES: A Hometown Jasper Novel
AUTHOR: Nicky James
NARRATOR: Nick J. Russo
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 9 hours and 42 minutes
RELEASE DATE: December 7, 2020
BLURB:
Easton
There is nothing I hate more than when some big-city outsider stirs trouble in my peaceful little town. When Mr. Arrogance himself waltzes in and thinks he can slap a price tag on my land, he doesn’t know what he has coming. I’m not just a hick cowboy who’s going to bend to his good looks and charmless personality. No, sir.
I don’t care how smart he looks in his fancy suits, all he cares about is money.
I just wish I’d known who he was before I kissed him.
Lachlan
The last thing I wanted was to get stuck in a small town with a plethora of quirky people. If the stubborn cowboy doesn’t see sense soon, I don’t know what I’ll do. Failure is not an option. I was sent to make a deal, and I’m not leaving until it’s done.
I don’t care how hot he looks in his low hanging denim, boots, and hat, he wouldn’t see a good opportunity if it smacked him in the face.
I just wish I could get the taste of him off my tongue.
City and country collide in this enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract, low-angst MM romance novel.
REVIEW:
Easton Campbell has his hands full. He’s got stables and riding school to run, a sister getting married, financial troubles, a father to look after and a young boy who is at loose ends due to a drunk and neglectful father. The last thing he needs is a city slicker trying to put the screws to him and make off with land. Generations of his family have lived on this land and he will not go down without a fight.
Lachlan Montgomery is the first born son of the head of a real estate development company. He’s got a younger brother, Christian, but his father has always been dismissive of him. His father wants to be the first to jump on this potential deal – making an offer that they can’t refuse. Lach is a city boy through and through. He’s happy with his penthouse, fancy car and designer clothes. He’s also quite the player and happy to run through all the fancy gay men in Edmonton too. But he will get this job done and make his father proud.
While East is out with his friends in Jasper, he sees a guy at the Lodge bar who also notices him. But when it’s clear that the guy is out for a one night stand, they share a kiss and Easton walks away. Of course that guy is Lach, and when he shows up at the ranch house the next day to meet with “the owner” of the Campbell stables, mistakenly thinking that is East’s father, he is told that the Campbell land is not now, nor will it ever be for sale and to get off his property. Lachlan Montgomery is now his nemesis.
Easton is furious! How in the world does Lachlan Montgomery know about his money problems? And then it appears that EVERYBODY now knows about his money issues and the potential offer for his property, thanks to a conniving “journalist” ex who is willing to print anything for a story it seems. And East’s best friend Knox if angry as well and comes to his defense more than once. If only there wasn’t this simmering attraction to Lach just below the surface, he could totally be done with this whole thing.
Lachlan continues to try to make his case. But he just doesn’t get it. So Easton takes him on a ride and shows him what the land means to him. He also sees what a good man Easton is – with his family, his employees, and Percy, the young boy who worships the ground he walks on. Percy’s dad is a neglectful drunk and Percy ends up at the Campbell ranch dirty and hungry far to often. Easton loves the kid and takes care of him whenever needed and despite numerous calls, nothing has been done about his living situation.
When Lach realizes that he’s in deep with East and that he will not be making the deal, he goes offgrid to his family and job 🙂 But of course that can’t last forever. And when his life comes knocking, he’s got some ideas about what he needs to do to make his life complete and happy. That can only happen with Easton in it 😉
Well I just so enjoyed this story! While at first it just kind seems like a sort of standard enemies to lovers story, I found the characters to be really compelling and the journey that Lachlan takes from self-satisfied prick to actual human being to be delightful 😀 It helps that Easton is exactly what he seems to be – a good son, a good man and someone devoted to his land and family. Both men are stubborn, but Lachlan begins to see what a huge heart Easton has and why he’s so dead set against leaving his land. I loved the side story of Percy and his travails and Easton’s protective love for the boy. The townsfolk are varied and interesting – and frankly I can’t wait to see how they appear in the following books of this series. Knox, East’s best friend is an especially prickly case. Josiah is another supporting character that I can’t wait to see in his own story. All of Easton’s family were so supportive and protective of Easton 🙂 I also appreciated the details around Easton’s medical condition and how sensitively that was handled. Best of all, I enjoyed how Lachlan and Easton tried to resist each other, but they just couldn’t stay apart, despite their best intentions 😀 Their chemistry was not to be denied and this was a thoroughly enjoyable romp through their anger, frustration and finally their recognition that they were so much better together than apart.
Nick Russo’s narration is so wonderful in this story! I absolutely loved his voice choices – for everyone! I think I loved Percy the most 🙂 His 8-year-old boy is just spot on. The rest of the characters in Jasper are easily distinguished and I loved especially his cadence for Josiah 😀 There is quite a large cast of characters – both male and female, young and old, and I had no trouble knowing which character was speaking at any given moment. East and Lach are such opposites, but boy are they a perfect couple in the most unexpected way. I can’t wait to listen to the rest of this series, but it’ll be hard to displace this couple as a favorite 😀
RATING: 
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