Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Sweet like Whiskey
SERIES: The Darling Brothers
AUTHOR: Emmy Sanders
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 307 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 24, 2024
BLURB:
The only thing worse than letting him in is the thought of letting him go.
Jackson
If there’s one thing I don’t need upsetting my quiet and comfortable routine in the small town of Darling, Montana, it’s newcomer Ash Alcott crash landing on my family’s ranch like some sort of blonde angel.
I don’t need his flirting. Or his smile. I don’t need the way he makes me question whether or not I’m truly happy being alone at forty. I certainly don’t need to be giving him riding lessons or appreciating the meals he cooks for the ranch.
The man is dangerous for my equilibrium. And he could up and leave at any given moment, tiring of this way of life. It’s happened before.
No, I’m better off ignoring the way he looks at home in a new pair of boots and how my family and the ranchers all adore him. Ash may have brought some sunshine into our lives, but it’s best he learn sooner rather than later…
Ain’t nothing sweet about being saddled with a cowboy like me.
Sweet Like Whiskey is a grumpy/sunshine, small town romance between a stubborn cowboy and the optimistic out-of-towner who’s determined to win him over. There’s ranch life, close-knit family dynamics, gorgeous mountain views, moonlit shenanigans in a hayloft, and one very HEA. It’s book 1 in The Darling Brothers series but can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
*sigh* This is just so lovely. As a fan of everything Emmy Sanders has ever written, I’m thrilled to get a new series from her that starts with this swoon-worthy romance between two men who appear on the surface to have not much in common but who are both looking for a safe place to land. Ash’s search is a bit more literal since he leaves his home and ex in Maine and heads off to stay with his bestie, Virginia, who had moved out to Darling, Montana some years before. He needed to get away from his life in Maine that did not fit him and a relationship that wasn’t working for him either. It’s a interesting landing in Darling, MT for Ash 😉
Jackson Darling, second son of the Darling clan loves his home and his land and his family. Maybe not so much having them all up in his business all the time but what can you do? He had a partner once. Otto said he wasn’t going anywhere. Then he did. Jackson is a big of a grumpy Gus, but once he sees Ash, well things change. Ash likes what he sees also from the get-go. Seems like maybe Marigold, Jackson’s mother, has a plan for her son 🙂
Ash fits in pretty well at the ranch and his food is a hit with the cowboys/ranchers. He comes to know the Darling brothers and their slightly eccentric parents who are divorced but live next to each other on the property. Ah learns a lot about cows. And goats. And whiskey. And milk. He loves the mountains and the land. And he thinks that he might go for it with Jackson, despite Jackson’s protestations 😉 Seems when Ash wants something, he is willing to work for it.
Jackson has been hurt before and he felt hollow when Otto left. He’s worried that Ash will leave too. Soon he realizes that Ash is nothing like Otto 🙂
UNGH! These two are so gorgeous. I loved the way their relationship developed. They clearly have a connection/chemistry/attraction. It take Jackson a little bit to open up though 😀 Ash is patient though. I really appreciated the depiction of a character living with chronic pain and how that affected their lives. Kudos to Ash for sticking up for himself and knowing himself better than all the advice 😉 The whole Darling family is going to be great to get to know better in future books. I loved the setting. And the donkey 😉 This is another lovely book that is low angst and a beautiful love story with a perfect epilogue! Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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