Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Molly Cannon

I found this to be a fun, sweet read.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
by Molly Cannon

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Forever (June 25, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 1455515760

Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description
Release date: June 25, 2013
 Here comes trouble...
Etta Green kissed Everson, Texas, goodbye years ago. A big city chef, she intends to return only long enough to settle her beloved grandmother's estate and then hightail it back to Chicago. But Grammy Hazel had other plans. In her will, she left Etta part-ownership of a B&B that's about to go bankrupt before it even opens. And what's worse--Etta's partner is Donny Joe Ledbetter, a handsome devil with some serious bad boy charm. Growing up, Donny Joe didn't give Etta a second glance. Now, she's got his whole attention.

A far cry from the shy bookworm he once knew, sexy, spirited Etta Green is nothing but trouble. Yet Donny Joe decides to play nice. After all, the quicker they open the B&B, the faster this exasperating--and irresistible--woman will be on her way. Donny Joe has never been a one-woman kind of man. But one crazy little moment of unforgettable desire may change his mind--if he can convince Etta to stay for good...

Review:
Etta is an intense chef who owns a partnership interest in a growing restaurant in Chicago. She is called home to the small town of Everson, Texas, when her beloved Grandmother dies. Etta learns that she and her older sister, Belle, have inherited Grammy’s property which is in the process of being converted into a B&B with the partnership investment and contracting efforts of Donny Joe Ledbetter, a handsome home town fellow with a reputation for trouble and women.

Etta and Belle used to stay with their Grammy during summers. Etta immediately blames Donny Joe for taking advantage of Grammy in setting up the expensive B&B renovations. He is rightfully offended and glad to know that Etta won’t be staying long in town. It’s not a good idea to just sell the property as the renovations aren’t complete and Aunt Beulah would be left homeless. The problem is that Etta is the one whom Grammy expected to manage the operations of the B&B and she wants to get back to Chicago.

Etta tries to figure out what to do as Belle disappears with her latest beau, leaving behind her shy, 8 year old daughter, Daphne. Daphne forms a bond with Beulah working on craft projects to help decorate the B&B. She also strikes up a friendship following Donny Joe to help him however she can. Etta has abandonment issues from her own childhood and is determine to try to shield Daphne and make things seem as stable for her as possible. Another problem is that Daphne realizes that her undisclosed father was someone from this town and she is trying to figure out who that might be.

The crackling animosity between Etta and Donny Joe soon turns to a different kind of tension. Donny Joe is believed to be the ‘love and leave ‘em’ type and figures that a romp with Etta will get her out of his system. Etta figures she won’t be in town long so maybe a fling is just what she needs. Fate has other plans but neither realizes that maybe their growing inclination for commitment might be shared by the other. Ahhh - if only they would accept their own feelings and communicate!

I found the package to be fun: the initial conflict tumbling into passion and growing into the undisclosed desire for commitment for both parties. I liked both lead characters and really was glad that they found each other. Daphne, Beulah and some other characters added interest and flare as well. There was intimacy but it was nicely handled. This felt like a summer read although they are initially busy planning for a Valentine Grand Opening. I would definitely like to read other stories by this author and I recommend this to romance readers who like a little antagonism that leads to passion and love.

I received this ARC from Forever/Hachette for an honest review.

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