White Whiskey Bargain by Jodie Slaughter
The Hawkins and Meza families have been dominating the moonshine business in the Kentucky mountains for generations. When an outside force threatens their livelihood, the families draw up a marriage of convenience between Hawkins family leader Hannah and Javier the recently divorced son of the Meza patriarch.
Javier wants to make this marriage work and as he courts his new wife this business deal turns into a sizzling romance that is outfitted with a bit of danger, intrigue, and suspense. Slaughter does a deep dive into the world of moonshine, I liked that she didn’t glamourize the business and showed that success doesn’t always equal opulent wealth. The Meza and Hawkins families are very down to earth and not afraid to get their hands dirty. This is one of those romances that doesn’t have a “black moment” or turning point which allows the tension and conflict to come from outside the relationship.★★★+.5
Filthy Little Christmas by Nicole Falls
A late-night laundry run introduces assistant basketball coach Bryce to Yemi, a late-night radio host who isn’t afraid to start an exciting affair with her neighbor. I feel like this might be apart of a series so I will have to check Falls backlist to learn more about the fun couples introduced in this novella. I have such a hard time with novellas because they feel so short and I always feel like I’m missing part of the story. ★★★