Title: Wrong Side of the Tracks
Author: Jessica Prince
Series: Hope Valley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Gypsy Bradbury was never destined for great things. Or at least that’s what she’d convinced herself of. Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, she had learned that hoping for more was a waste of time. Then Marco forced his way into her life and gave her a glimpse of a future brighter than any she could have imagined. But if her past taught her anything, it was that if something seemed too good to be true… it probably was.
The promise of a quiet, simple life was what drew Marco Castillo to Hope Valley. After experiencing war and death first hand, he was looking for something easy. Then he met a woman with guarded eyes and the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. The only problem was she came with more baggage than a 747.
There is nothing easy about Gypsy, but Marco knows without a doubt that the promise of her is well worth the effort. She’s the strongest, bravest woman he’s ever met, and when the life she’s fought to build for her and her family is threatened, Marco is determined to win that battle for her. Whether Gypsy wants his help or not.
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“Get dressed, babe,” he ordered, tossing my bra and panties to me before slipping back into his boxer briefs.
I sat up, holding the sheet to me as I looked at him in confusion. “What? Why? I figured we’d take a little nap, then kick off round two. Neither of those things requires getting dressed.”
His cocky smirk set off the butterflies in my belly as he pulled on his jeans. “As much as I’d love a round two right now, it’ll have to wait. I’m taking you to the diner for lunch.”
I froze in the middle of re-hooking my bra and looked up at him in panic. Reading my expression loud and clear, Marco moved back to the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight as he bent toward me and gave me a chaste kiss. “If it helps, don’t think of it as a date. Think of it as a meal shared by two people who really enjoy having sex with each other.”
I tipped my head to the side incredulously. “You’re saying we’re friends with benefits?”
He seemed to give that some thought as he tugged his T-shirt over his head. “No, not friends with benefits. I’d say we’re way more than friends, wouldn’t you?”
“Well, yeah. But what does that make us?”
“Don’t worry about labeling it,” he responded, lifting the weight that had been resting on my shoulders. “For now, let’s just enjoy each other and do what feels natural, yeah?”
“Yeah.” My lips slowly spread into a smile. “Okay. I can do that.”
“Good, girasol.” With that, he stood tall, grabbing my wrist and hauling me from the bed. “And what feels natural right now is getting some food in my gut before it eats clear through to my backbone. You want a round two, I need to refuel, so move that sexy ass of yours.”
Shooting him a playful glare as I went about getting dressed, I warned, “You want a round two ever, you should probably stop being so damn bossy.”
He stepped close just as I finished zipping up my jeans. His voice was low and full of sex as he said, “Baby, you hurry up so I can eat, and I’ll bring you back here and show you the type of bossy you won’t be able to get enough of.”
Well, all right, then.
I am so happy that Marco got a HEA! Ever since he was briefly the OM in Gina and Killian’s book in the Civil Corruption series, I was hoping that we hadn’t seen the last of Marco. I was thrilled when he showed up in JP’s Hope Valley series and I’ve been waiting for his and Gypsy’s story!
Poor Gypsy is the stripper with a heart of gold. She’s the guardian of her five younger siblings, doing what she can to make ends meet and keep her family together after her parents took off. She’s kept Marco at a distance, even though there’s an attraction there. When the local drug dealer infiltrates the strip club, Marco declares himself To be Gypsy’s protector at work and at home. But in Gypsy’s experience, everyone leaves, and she’s fiercely guarding her heart so what’s left of it doesn’t break when Marco leaves too.
The dude has his work cut out for him with Gypsy, but he shows her over and over again just how in he is with her and her siblings. Marco has a story himself, and it takes a while before we get to know his background. And all the crappiness that they’ve both had in their childhoods leads to this beautiful relationship where he gives her more than she ever thought she deserved and she gives him the family he’s never had.
For JP’s Civil Corruption fans, there is a nice chapter where we get to visit with the band, and the drama unfolds a bit more with drug dealer Malachi Black. (And as usual, the hero gets a chance to play hero in this story, like with the other Hope Valley books.)
Rory and Cord’s story has to be next (right?!?!) which I’ve not so patiently been waiting for. And we just met McKenna and Bruce, but I’d love to see more of their relationship in a boom.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Visit Hope Valley
a series of interconnected, standalone romances
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Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited
Amazon US | Amazon Universal
Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited
Amazon US | Amazon Universal
Born and raised around Houston Texas, Jessica spent most of her life complaining about the heat, humidity, and all around pain in the ass weather. It was only as an adult that she quickly realized the cost of living in Houston made up for not being able to breathe when she stepped outside. That’s why God created central air, after all.
Jessica is the mother of a perfect little boy–she refuses to accept that he inherited her attitude and sarcastic nature no matter what her husband says.
In addition to being a wife and mom, she’s also a wino, a coffee addict, and an avid lover of all types of books–romances still being her all time favs. Her husband likes to claim that reading is her obsession but she just says it’s a passion…there’s a difference. Not that she’d expect a boy to understand.
Jessica has been writing since she was a little girl, but thankfully grew out of drawing her own pictures for her stories before ever publishing her first book. Because an artist she is not.
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