Rose's Food & Book Blog: Blog Tour - Just Once by Julianna Keyes

Tour Date: Nov 4-9

Title: Just Once

Author: Julianna Keyes

Release date: October 27, 2013

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Kate Burke is done making bad decisions. Thirty years old and belatedly determined to grow up, the successful travel writer and one-time party girl returns to work at the remote Ponderosa Pines Ranch to reassess her life.

Although her kitchen/cabin staff is lacking and the workload never relents, Kate’s main challenge is Shane Maddox, the ruggedly handsome and doggedly stubborn ranch foreman. Instantly at odds, they battle over everything from ceiling fans to bothersome bats—studiously ignoring the sparks they generate with each confrontation.

They can’t explain their explosive physical chemistry, but after a few frustrated weeks they can’t deny it either. Their solution? Just once. They’ll get past their inconvenient lust and move on.

Kate’s been trying to think with her head instead of her hormones, but is this just another bad decision in a lifetime of careless choices? Has she really changed at all?

Set in the striking and serene hills of southern Colorado, Julianna Keyes’ debut novel offers a sizzling and satisfying tale of unexpected chemistry and the power of second chances. Her characters will get under your skin and into your heart. Just once may not be enough for you either.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18454850-just-once

Amazon

Kate Burke returns to Ponderosa Pines Ranch a changed and older woman. She considers herself older and smarter than she was before. She doesn't drink excessively or have wild sex with men just because she can. Gone is the rich socialite and in her place is a woman searching for herself, a woman who needs a break from her life as a travel writer. She comes back after being gone for ten year. She's there to help out as kitchen/cabin manager. What she doesn't expect to find is Shane Maddox.

Shane has worked on the ranch every summer for years. He's rugged, he's handsome and nothing like the man Kate usually goes for. But no matter how much she and Shane don't get along from the beginning that doesn't stop her mind from dreaming about what it would be like when Shane takes her. Plagued with problems from the girls who work in the kitchen and cabins, she's forced to show then that she's the boss. All that does is cause the girls to rebel against her even more. To top things off, she has to fight her attraction to Shane.

Their passion is explosive, their lust for one another undeniable. Shane has a brilliant idea, to just make this a one time thing, but doing that is just once is easier said than done. Their attraction is easy but can they get past the differences in their lives to accept one another for who they are?

I enjoyed this story, it was a light read for the afternoon. It did have passion and lots of hot and steamy scenes with the two main characters that make you not only read about their attraction to one another, but feel it through the pages of your e-reader. While I did enjoy this story, I couldn't help but think it needed something more. Shane and Kate could've fought a little more at the beginning before they came to an agreement, the lives of the other characters could've panned out a different way. Sure we got so many answers in regards to Shane and Kate, but what about the other characters? I give it 4 stars because the writing was great and so was their attraction to one another. I just wish it had a little but more to it.

***ARC provided in exchange for a honest review***

Julianna Keyes is a Canadian writer who has lived on both coasts and several places in between. She’s been skydiving, bungee jumping, and white water rafting, but nothing thrills—or terrifies—her as much as the blank page. She has volunteered in Zambia, taught English in China, and dreams of seeing pink dolphins in the Amazon. This is her first book.