3.5 Stars

I usually love or hate Maisey Yates books, so I am surprised this one fell somewhere in the middle for me. Ultimately, I enjoyed the story – Mallory and Colt have a one-night stand, and then fate keeps throwing them in each other’s orbit… oh, and then a baby enters the mix (not a surprise or secret pregnancy!)

This book was pretty darn hot! The characters start off with a literal *bang* and it was super fun. I enjoyed that they both were on the same page with their “one night only” arrangement but fate had other plans. There were so many forced proximity moments that made the book extra fun. I thought the addition of a baby would make things weird for the plot, but Yates pulled it off well.

Both Mallory and Colt had a lot of trauma, and it was worked through well on Colt’s side. Sometimes, he was a real jerk, but Mallory was tenacious and strong where she needed to be. I actually teared up at some points!

What ultimately wasn’t working for me were Mallory’s clingy tendencies. They rubbed me the wrong way enough that even when she left for, like, a page to be independent, it just seemed petulant. I also thought the book was way too long. Yates has a tendency to make her characters extremely introspective, which means pages, and pages of their repetitive thoughts and feelings. I think that’s why I usually prefer her shorter Harlequin Desires.

Overall, this was a solid Yates read! There are way too many characters in Gold Valley at this point, though. It’s time to start fresh!

**I received a free copy of this book in order to provide an honest review**

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