I loved this book! The author has done it again. Written a story that captivated me from the first page. I didn't want to put it down. It was the perfect Valentine story in the Love At The Chocolate Shop series.Dustin Decker was a former bull riding champion, forced to quit the rodeo circuit after being sidelined by a knee injury. Now he's working as a wrangler at a local ranch. He first comes across as arrogant and cocky, struggling to define himself after the loss of his career, but you quickly discover there's more to the man than meets the eye.Nevada Parker, sister of Dakota who works in the chocolate shop, is staying in Marietta for the time being while she works on her dissertation. She's always been ahead of her class, extremely intelligent, a bookworm, which earned her the hurtful nicknames "nerd" and "freak." So she's focused on her education and earning her PhD was going to be the icing on the cake. After that she would be able to pretty much get a teaching job anywhere.When the book opens, Valentine's Day is approaching, something Nevada hates with a passion. She'd had her heart broken on that day in the past and now she wants nothing to do with it. The last thing she needs is some other guy letting her down. She'd barely survived the last time. When she learns of the Valentine Quest, however, her interest is piqued. The grand prize is an all expenses paid trip to Fiji! Oh, how she'd love to win it for her brother, York. It would be the perfect gift for his leaving the military, which was coming up soon. But to compete, she'd really need a partner. Although single people were allowed to enter, some of the tasks called for two people.Dustin entered the contest for strictly selfish reasons. He could totally picture himself in that tropical setting, lying on a sandy beach surrounded by a bevy of bikini clad women all vying to keep him company. And there wasn't any doubt in his mind he could win. So when he realized he was going to need a partner, he agreed to join forces with Nevada. He had to admit he was intrigued by her. While she wasn't his normal type, she was pretty, her curves were in all the right places, and she looked kind of cute in those red glasses she wore occasionally.While things proved rather awkward between them to start they soon found themselves having fun. They actually looked forward to seeing one another every day. Pretty soon they were opening up and telling each other things they'd never told anyone before. And the first time they kissed? Neither one of them could believe how right it felt between them. Ridiculous when they stopped to think about it. Dustin's childhood convinced him he was better off single and Nevada certainly wasn't looking for anything permanent. Was she?Love has other ideas for these two and what ensues is a wonderful, heartwarming romance that entertains from start to finish. I loved the way Dustin discovers himself as the story progresses. Nevada causes him to see himself from an entirely new perspective. His insecurities begin to melt away when he's with her and for the first time in his life he begins to believe he's more than just the face in the mirror he sees every day. Nevada too begins to emerge from her shell as she slowly begins to trust Dustin. She knows she's falling in love with him but dare she take that leap of faith and give him her heart?If you're looking for a sweet, clean story that will leave you feeling warm and cozy on the inside when you're done then you don't want to miss this! Highly recommend.
