Review: Set the Night on Fire: A Cottonbloom Novel

Set the Night on Fire: A Cottonbloom Novel by Laura Trentham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

At the end of the last book we found out that Ford Abbott (the second oldest Abbott son) has sold his quarter of the family business to fund his gambling debts. He sold the share to a wealthy divorcee called Ella Boudreaux. Mack, the oldest Abbott, is furious and has a stand-up row with Ella in the middle of a swanky party and vows to do everything in his power to bring the business back into Abbott hands.

Ella Boudreaux left an abusive marriage, she knows everyone thinks she's a gold-digger but the reality is somewhat different. She bought the share in the Abbott garage in memory of her older brother who loved cars and taught her to drive when she was just twelve years old. She's determined to carve out a new life, alone, in Cottonbloom starting with the Abbott garage.

I had really high hopes for this one, the start of it kind of reminded me a little of Sutton and Wyatt's story and I was hoping for a rich woman meets surly mechanic romance with a soupçon of Pride and Prejudice thrown in for good measure. Of course the reality was somewhat different.

Mack is floundering, he and his brother are at odds, his two younger brothers are happily loved up, his mother (who he hasn't seen since he was young) has resurfaced, and even the bolthole of the family business has been contaminated by Ella buying Ford's share. He's lonely and troubled that his relationship with Ford has broken down so badly, and maybe a bit guilty as well. He takes all of his frustration and guilt out on Ella, but this sophisticated little society woman has a steel core and won't stand any of his bluster. At the same time as he is fighting her with every fibre of his being he is also very slightly turned on by her feisty attitude and refusal to back down.

I liked this, I like the small town vibe, the family business, a woman building a new life for herself without having to put others down in the process. But it wasn't without fault. I felt that Ella's constant references to her saintly brother were repetitive and became tiresome. Similarly, she jumped to ridiculous conclusions about Mack and his motivations. I thought she was being ridiculously obtuse and determined to think the worst, no matter what Mack did or said. Luckily, Mack made it all better. He was a big gruff intimidating man who finds recipes on Pinterest and makes art from metal.

If you like second chance romances with couples who have faced adversity and come through it stronger, small towns and BBQ then this is the romance for you.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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