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Central Texas
Rough Country
Good fences do NOT make good neighbors, especially when that neighbor is a city boy with more dollars than sense.
Emery McAvoy is a walking disaster who should never be allowed to step foot on another ladder. Heck, I’d bet my favorite Golden Girls T-shirt that he rearranged his entire life because his ten-year-old daughter likes ponies.
It’s rather inconvenient, then, that he’s one of the hottest, sweetest men I’ve ever met. I regret looking him up on that dating app because now I have photographic evidence that he’s exactly my type.
Not that I’d ever fall for the city boy next door.
Rough Country is a grumpy sunshine romance that features a burnt-out city boy with a knack for trouble, a surly, brokenhearted cowboy with an enviable T-shirt collection, and a ten-year-old girl who loves horses, boots, and swirly skirts.
Emery McAvoy is a walking disaster who should never be allowed to step foot on another ladder. Heck, I’d bet my favorite Golden Girls T-shirt that he rearranged his entire life because his ten-year-old daughter likes ponies.
It’s rather inconvenient, then, that he’s one of the hottest, sweetest men I’ve ever met. I regret looking him up on that dating app because now I have photographic evidence that he’s exactly my type.
Not that I’d ever fall for the city boy next door.
Rough Country is a grumpy sunshine romance that features a burnt-out city boy with a knack for trouble, a surly, brokenhearted cowboy with an enviable T-shirt collection, and a ten-year-old girl who loves horses, boots, and swirly skirts.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 18, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
September 22, 2024
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.
“You’ve been giving me nothing but shit for weeks,” I said, undressing methodically, but with haste. “So now you’re going to be a good boy and take what I give you.” “Fuck you,” he said, snarling as he started pushing his jeans and underwear down to his ankles, kicking them off.
Oh boy, I had a really good time reading this. Kelly Fox might be one of my favorites. She seems to always hit the sweet spot between genuinely funny, stupid hot, emotional and sweet. The spice was definitely spicin’ in this one *fans self*.
Woody is grumpy and prickly and would rather keep his walls up and everyone else out than be vulnerable, but deep down he’s a sensitive sweetheart and needs to be protected at all cost. If a character is *too* hostile and difficult, this kinda dynamic often doesn’t work for me as it just gets annoying, but I thought it was done really, really well. I wanted to give him a hug. Also, prickly punk rancher who loves to hear he’s a good boy and wants all the hugs and kisses? Sign me up, every time.
Emery was pretty awesome too. I didn’t understand his background as much and it wasn’t a big focus in the story, but he was a great character anyway. He’s also a really good dad, and I enjoyed all the scenes with his daughter, Stevie. Emery is dominant and possessive, but equally caring and kind. He’ll bone you through the mattress and then cuddle and feed you after. Pretty solid deal.
Absolutely recommend this one.
I wrapped my arms around him, keeping him upright as I kissed the top of his head and then his ears. I made a moany complaining noise, and he tilted his face up, accepting my kisses like maybe he needed them just as badly.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Single dad
City boy in Texas
Grumpy punk rancher
Neighbours
Size difference
Mild enemies to lovers
Poet MC
‘good boy’
Possessiveness
Docking
Hookups to more
Multiple orgasms
Sex toys
Face-riding
Grumpy/sunshine
Small town
High heat
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Brief mention of death of parent (past)
Injured dog (hit by car)
Off-page leg amputation (dog)
Mentions of neglected animals and animal death (off page)
Mentions of past medical maltreatment of MC
Explicit sexual content
References to homophobia (past)
Past sexual harassment/blackmail
Alcohol consumption
Mention of SC being kicked out by homophobic parents (past)
Face-fucking
MC and child suffering anaphylaxis
MC and child hospitalized
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: Yes, brief
POV: 1st person, dual
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 36 and not specified
Kid’s age: 10
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 306
Happy ending: Yes
I sniffed, then huffed, then plonked my forehead on his wide chest. “I never stood a chance against you, did I?”
I chuckled. “You’re pretty needy for such an ornery cuss.” He bit at my pec. “Shut up.”
“Ewwwww. Why did you hafta go and fall in love with my friend, Dad!” “Whatever,” Emery said, giving my cheek a raspberry. “You love him, too.” “Doesn’t mean I wanna see y’all kissin’ and stuff.”
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...
“You’ve been giving me nothing but shit for weeks,” I said, undressing methodically, but with haste. “So now you’re going to be a good boy and take what I give you.” “Fuck you,” he said, snarling as he started pushing his jeans and underwear down to his ankles, kicking them off.
Oh boy, I had a really good time reading this. Kelly Fox might be one of my favorites. She seems to always hit the sweet spot between genuinely funny, stupid hot, emotional and sweet. The spice was definitely spicin’ in this one *fans self*.
Woody is grumpy and prickly and would rather keep his walls up and everyone else out than be vulnerable, but deep down he’s a sensitive sweetheart and needs to be protected at all cost. If a character is *too* hostile and difficult, this kinda dynamic often doesn’t work for me as it just gets annoying, but I thought it was done really, really well. I wanted to give him a hug. Also, prickly punk rancher who loves to hear he’s a good boy and wants all the hugs and kisses? Sign me up, every time.
Emery was pretty awesome too. I didn’t understand his background as much and it wasn’t a big focus in the story, but he was a great character anyway. He’s also a really good dad, and I enjoyed all the scenes with his daughter, Stevie. Emery is dominant and possessive, but equally caring and kind. He’ll bone you through the mattress and then cuddle and feed you after. Pretty solid deal.
Absolutely recommend this one.
I wrapped my arms around him, keeping him upright as I kissed the top of his head and then his ears. I made a moany complaining noise, and he tilted his face up, accepting my kisses like maybe he needed them just as badly.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Single dad
City boy in Texas
Grumpy punk rancher
Neighbours
Size difference
Mild enemies to lovers
Poet MC
‘good boy’
Possessiveness
Docking
Hookups to more
Multiple orgasms
Sex toys
Face-riding
Grumpy/sunshine
Small town
High heat
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Brief mention of death of parent (past)
Injured dog (hit by car)
Off-page leg amputation (dog)
Mentions of neglected animals and animal death (off page)
Mentions of past medical maltreatment of MC
Explicit sexual content
References to homophobia (past)
Past sexual harassment/blackmail
Alcohol consumption
Mention of SC being kicked out by homophobic parents (past)
Face-fucking
MC and child suffering anaphylaxis
MC and child hospitalized
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: Yes, brief
POV: 1st person, dual
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 36 and not specified
Kid’s age: 10
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 306
Happy ending: Yes
I sniffed, then huffed, then plonked my forehead on his wide chest. “I never stood a chance against you, did I?”
I chuckled. “You’re pretty needy for such an ornery cuss.” He bit at my pec. “Shut up.”
“Ewwwww. Why did you hafta go and fall in love with my friend, Dad!” “Whatever,” Emery said, giving my cheek a raspberry. “You love him, too.” “Doesn’t mean I wanna see y’all kissin’ and stuff.”
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...
October 14, 2024
I feel like I'm not going to have much to say about this one.
I liked it. It was sweet, a good introduction to this author for me overall.
Plot-wise? Meh...not much of anything really happened.
Woody is grumpy, understandably, after we learn he's been through heartbreak very recently and has had very little love shown to him in his life.
Emery is sweet, kind and caring, and voluntarily chose to be a single parent in his twenties. He's dominant in bed, but so soft and nurturing outside of it.
He moved from the city to small town Texas with his ten year old daughter, because that's what she wanted most.
He's fixing up the house he bought on the land right next to Woody's. They don't get off to the best start, but it's not that bad either.
Woody takes some time to soften, but he has a soft heart underneath his barbed wires.
They have a lot sex - sexy, but got to be a bit much near the end when I was honestly wanting this book to be done and over with.
So there was lots of good things about this book overall. I enjoyed Woody and Emery together, they had some good chemistry. I was, overall, pretty happy with this.
But...I was kind of over this by the 70% mark and just pushed through to push through. Not that I was going to DNF, exactly, but...if I didn't push through it'd be slowww going to the finish line.
There was some excitement near the end with some bees, but that was about it for excitement in the second half, to be honest.
And Stevie, as sweet as she was, was kind of a 'meh' child character overall. She was sweet and adorable, no doubt, but at times she didn't act like a ten, almost 11 year old at all. Way too mature. Which, sometimes I don't mind this with child characters if done well. Or if they've been through too much and they've had to grow up too much, too fast. Or if they had to take care of their younger sibling, etc.
But there was no real reason for Stevie to be so mature other than...the author not writing kids all that well, tbh.
Again, I liked Stevie still, but...I wish she had been more like a kid. The conversations she'd have with her father, and with Woody were borderline ridiculous to me. Especially her conversation with Woody about their relationship, almost like Woody was having a conversation with Emery's mother instead of his daughter.
It just came off slightly cringe for me. While she could have an opinion about her dad having a relationship, to be sure, she didn't have to be so invested and mature about it on top of that. All that "don't hurt him" talk? Like an 11 year old would be thinking of that? Come on.
I wasn't completely wowed by this, but it was solid overall. Woody was a lot to take at first, but I did come to like him, a lot, as he softened and lowered his walls to let in Emery.
I'll read more from this author in the future, but I won't be chomping at the bit to do so.
Still, this gets points for the hot sex, Woody and Emery being good, interesting characters, and the first half, overall, being pretty strong and an entertaining read, and some parts in the second half as well.
So I recommend this for that, and will pick up a Kelly Fox book in the future 😊
I liked it. It was sweet, a good introduction to this author for me overall.
Plot-wise? Meh...not much of anything really happened.
Woody is grumpy, understandably, after we learn he's been through heartbreak very recently and has had very little love shown to him in his life.
Emery is sweet, kind and caring, and voluntarily chose to be a single parent in his twenties. He's dominant in bed, but so soft and nurturing outside of it.
He moved from the city to small town Texas with his ten year old daughter, because that's what she wanted most.
He's fixing up the house he bought on the land right next to Woody's. They don't get off to the best start, but it's not that bad either.
Woody takes some time to soften, but he has a soft heart underneath his barbed wires.
They have a lot sex - sexy, but got to be a bit much near the end when I was honestly wanting this book to be done and over with.
So there was lots of good things about this book overall. I enjoyed Woody and Emery together, they had some good chemistry. I was, overall, pretty happy with this.
But...I was kind of over this by the 70% mark and just pushed through to push through. Not that I was going to DNF, exactly, but...if I didn't push through it'd be slowww going to the finish line.
There was some excitement near the end with some bees, but that was about it for excitement in the second half, to be honest.
And Stevie, as sweet as she was, was kind of a 'meh' child character overall. She was sweet and adorable, no doubt, but at times she didn't act like a ten, almost 11 year old at all. Way too mature. Which, sometimes I don't mind this with child characters if done well. Or if they've been through too much and they've had to grow up too much, too fast. Or if they had to take care of their younger sibling, etc.
But there was no real reason for Stevie to be so mature other than...the author not writing kids all that well, tbh.
Again, I liked Stevie still, but...I wish she had been more like a kid. The conversations she'd have with her father, and with Woody were borderline ridiculous to me. Especially her conversation with Woody about their relationship, almost like Woody was having a conversation with Emery's mother instead of his daughter.
It just came off slightly cringe for me. While she could have an opinion about her dad having a relationship, to be sure, she didn't have to be so invested and mature about it on top of that. All that "don't hurt him" talk? Like an 11 year old would be thinking of that? Come on.
I wasn't completely wowed by this, but it was solid overall. Woody was a lot to take at first, but I did come to like him, a lot, as he softened and lowered his walls to let in Emery.
I'll read more from this author in the future, but I won't be chomping at the bit to do so.
Still, this gets points for the hot sex, Woody and Emery being good, interesting characters, and the first half, overall, being pretty strong and an entertaining read, and some parts in the second half as well.
So I recommend this for that, and will pick up a Kelly Fox book in the future 😊
October 24, 2024
Loved this one. Perfect mix of swoon and spice. And the banter was bantering.
Emery and Woody ❤️
....
"What about the water? Am I about to die of dysentery?"
"You aren't gonna ask me what I like in bed?"
"You've been giving me nothing but shit for weeks... So now you're going to be a good boy and take what I give you."
"Fuck you."
"Stop finger painting back there." "Fuck me."
"I normally don't do this"
"Me either. Thank you for letting me hold you."
"Fuck baby. Your hole is so warm and soft this morning." "I wanna fill you up so badly, darling. When are you gonna let me breed you good and proper?"
"I thought I knew about soul connections and love, but I hadn't known anything at all until this exact moment."
"I looked up at Emery, and the warm affection in his eyes made me realize that I'd never really gotten that look from anyone." "Like maybe I wasn't that hard to love after all."
....
⚠️ possible spoilers in tropes and trigger warnings below
Tropes:
Country boy and city boy
Enemies to lovers
Neighbors
Single dad (from surrogacy, no baby mama drama)
Great banter
TWs:
Anaphylaxis
Use of epi pens
Hospital stays
Abusive ex
MC doesn't feel worthy of love
Emery and Woody ❤️
....
"What about the water? Am I about to die of dysentery?"
"You aren't gonna ask me what I like in bed?"
"You've been giving me nothing but shit for weeks... So now you're going to be a good boy and take what I give you."
"Fuck you."
"Stop finger painting back there." "Fuck me."
"I normally don't do this"
"Me either. Thank you for letting me hold you."
"Fuck baby. Your hole is so warm and soft this morning." "I wanna fill you up so badly, darling. When are you gonna let me breed you good and proper?"
"I thought I knew about soul connections and love, but I hadn't known anything at all until this exact moment."
"I looked up at Emery, and the warm affection in his eyes made me realize that I'd never really gotten that look from anyone." "Like maybe I wasn't that hard to love after all."
....
⚠️ possible spoilers in tropes and trigger warnings below
Tropes:
Country boy and city boy
Enemies to lovers
Neighbors
Single dad (from surrogacy, no baby mama drama)
Great banter
TWs:
Anaphylaxis
Use of epi pens
Hospital stays
Abusive ex
MC doesn't feel worthy of love
October 7, 2024
Yes to prickly animal sanctuary owner falling in love with his huge cinnamon roll single father neighbour. Kelly Fox manages to make you laugh and then proceeds to punch you right in the feels. Heartfelt and wholesome as always.
September 26, 2024
This absolute sweetness is just what I needed!
Emery buys a house in Texas because he’s burnt out from the city life. He is learning how to fix it up himself. When his neighbour keeps calling him stupid, for not knowing basic things, sparks fly!
Woody was such a black cat character and I was living for it. The way Emery peeled every layer to get to the cinnamon roll underneath was so cute!
Emery’s daughter, Stevie, was absolutely adorable. Single dad romances always have me in my feels🥹the bond Woody and Emery had was everything!
If you like low angst, single dad, cowboy romances, definitely give this one a go🫶🏻
Emery buys a house in Texas because he’s burnt out from the city life. He is learning how to fix it up himself. When his neighbour keeps calling him stupid, for not knowing basic things, sparks fly!
Woody was such a black cat character and I was living for it. The way Emery peeled every layer to get to the cinnamon roll underneath was so cute!
Emery’s daughter, Stevie, was absolutely adorable. Single dad romances always have me in my feels🥹the bond Woody and Emery had was everything!
If you like low angst, single dad, cowboy romances, definitely give this one a go🫶🏻
September 26, 2024
Made me sob a little but damn it this was HEARTWARMING
Shelved as 'dnf-or-hated'
November 1, 2024I'm going to be honest here, I'm not leaving a rating or a review because I could not get into this book, it's so boring, it took me almost a month to slog through 40% and I wanted to just mark DNF and call it but then I thought I'd read the last chapter and epilogue to see if it'd even been worth trying to go back and finish, but the truth is, and it absolutely might just be my mood, I don't want to, but maybe I'll try again one day.
Of course as always YMMV.
DNF @ 40%
Of course as always YMMV.
DNF @ 40%
October 16, 2024
This is a gem, an outstanding story !
This is a gem, an outstanding story !
I’d give it 10 Stars !!! Love this author!
Emery, 36, a city boy, a wide shouldered, hunk, with a 10 year old girl, Stevie, bought a 50 acre farm to live a clean air life. His neighbor is a grouch.
Woody/Lockwood, runs a sanctuary for exotic animals who have been injured or abused. He’s a cowboy, slim, strong and stoic, and brokenhearted. His brother Rowdy works with him.
We are in Tx hill country, where Emory is remodeling the farm and getting horses.
He’s determined to get it done.
We have issues like a ladder rescue, a broken dog, and more as we go along. More animals, broken fences, and a new pony who befriends a donkey !
We learn histories, the guys flirt, but Woody is afraid to try again.
The characters are realistic, Stevie is a great character on hr own, plus there is lots of action. We embrace these two men, their conversations, deep thoughts, and hidden depths as they hey fall hard for each other.
Sexy times are exciting, well described and include easy conversation with things not usually mentioned in books.
These two are erotic, scorching hot and amazing together.
Emery and Woody are strong to have overcome their sadness in the pasts and form a great family, faults and all.
When a tragedy occurs, Woody saves a life, nearly costing his own.
I highly recommend this heartwarming book. The wrap up is emotional, so have tissues handy ! I cried big tears a few times !
ENJOY !
======
This is a gem, an outstanding story !
I’d give it 10 Stars !!! Love this author!
Emery, 36, a city boy, a wide shouldered, hunk, with a 10 year old girl, Stevie, bought a 50 acre farm to live a clean air life. His neighbor is a grouch.
Woody/Lockwood, runs a sanctuary for exotic animals who have been injured or abused. He’s a cowboy, slim, strong and stoic, and brokenhearted. His brother Rowdy works with him.
We are in Tx hill country, where Emory is remodeling the farm and getting horses.
He’s determined to get it done.
We have issues like a ladder rescue, a broken dog, and more as we go along. More animals, broken fences, and a new pony who befriends a donkey !
We learn histories, the guys flirt, but Woody is afraid to try again.
The characters are realistic, Stevie is a great character on hr own, plus there is lots of action. We embrace these two men, their conversations, deep thoughts, and hidden depths as they hey fall hard for each other.
Sexy times are exciting, well described and include easy conversation with things not usually mentioned in books.
These two are erotic, scorching hot and amazing together.
Emery and Woody are strong to have overcome their sadness in the pasts and form a great family, faults and all.
When a tragedy occurs, Woody saves a life, nearly costing his own.
I highly recommend this heartwarming book. The wrap up is emotional, so have tissues handy ! I cried big tears a few times !
ENJOY !
======
September 19, 2024
Nice story of being loved
Not a bad story, all the right feels. It is nice to be loved and these two were cute.
My only remark is why in stories do they make kids out to be these older than their age, to smart for their age, well more educated than any 26yr old I know and so spoiled but oh so nice. Why can a 10 yr old kid be a ten yr old kid. No one in books has a everyday child, it amazes me.
Not a bad story, all the right feels. It is nice to be loved and these two were cute.
My only remark is why in stories do they make kids out to be these older than their age, to smart for their age, well more educated than any 26yr old I know and so spoiled but oh so nice. Why can a 10 yr old kid be a ten yr old kid. No one in books has a everyday child, it amazes me.
October 10, 2024
3.5 🌟 rounded up
A solid read with a few minor personal taste issues.
Emery (H1) is a single Dad who just uprooted his life in the city to live on the land in central Texas. When he bites off more than he can chew, he finds himself in a few precarious situations, which is where his grumpy, kind of judgemental but really a marshmallow, neighbour Woody (H2) comes to the literal rescue.
I didn’t care for the taunting and jealousy that Emery inflicted on Woody. And really it just kind of made me feel that Woody needed someone better than Emery, not someone who purposefully riled him up and intentionally flirted with men in front of him. Especially given Woody’s recent history. It felt a bit gross to me, and is really not something I enjoy in my romances. If this was a f/m romance I would have dnf’d SO FAST. But alas, I persevered and I am glad I did.
There was a lot of pushing away by Woody because he had recently been hurt, and I did feel bad for Emery at certain points for having to be rejected so consistently. That being said, it’s not like Emery was certain of what he wanted anyways, so I kind of understood where Woody was coming from and it didn’t frustrate me too much for this reason.
Once they’re together, these two were great. I really enjoyed reading it, and loved the dynamic between Woody and Stevie, they were super adorable!
Ultimately a good read.
Safety:
- No virgins.
- H1 doesn’t do relationship and is a manwhore prior to the events of the book. No recent history given that I can remember, other than he semi-recently went to Bora Bora and slept his way through the island (yuck).
- H2 hasn’t been with anyone in a few months, when his last relationship ended. He was supposedly in love with this man and struggling with the break up at the start of this book.
- No op drama other than jealousy mentioned above.
A solid read with a few minor personal taste issues.
Emery (H1) is a single Dad who just uprooted his life in the city to live on the land in central Texas. When he bites off more than he can chew, he finds himself in a few precarious situations, which is where his grumpy, kind of judgemental but really a marshmallow, neighbour Woody (H2) comes to the literal rescue.
I didn’t care for the taunting and jealousy that Emery inflicted on Woody. And really it just kind of made me feel that Woody needed someone better than Emery, not someone who purposefully riled him up and intentionally flirted with men in front of him. Especially given Woody’s recent history. It felt a bit gross to me, and is really not something I enjoy in my romances. If this was a f/m romance I would have dnf’d SO FAST. But alas, I persevered and I am glad I did.
There was a lot of pushing away by Woody because he had recently been hurt, and I did feel bad for Emery at certain points for having to be rejected so consistently. That being said, it’s not like Emery was certain of what he wanted anyways, so I kind of understood where Woody was coming from and it didn’t frustrate me too much for this reason.
Once they’re together, these two were great. I really enjoyed reading it, and loved the dynamic between Woody and Stevie, they were super adorable!
Ultimately a good read.
Safety:
- No virgins.
- H1 doesn’t do relationship and is a manwhore prior to the events of the book. No recent history given that I can remember, other than he semi-recently went to Bora Bora and slept his way through the island (yuck).
- H2 hasn’t been with anyone in a few months, when his last relationship ended. He was supposedly in love with this man and struggling with the break up at the start of this book.
- No op drama other than jealousy mentioned above.
September 15, 2024
4.5 stars, rounded up
At this point, I'm convinced that Kelly Fox can do no wrong for me. I love all her books, simple as that. Her writing always pulls me in, her characters always feel wonderfully real, so perfectly imperfect. The romance always makes me swoon, the spice is always just right, and the story always has the right amount of angst without it feeling suffocating or too much. Rough Country is no different and I didn't expect anything else.
Emery is a burned-out city guy, Woody is a broken-hearted country guy. While at a glance, these two shouldn't go together, they absolutely do. Neither of these men really know how to love or be loved and it was wonderful watching them grow closer and find what they needed in each other. The side-characters added another layer to it. I loved Emery's mom, I loved Kess and Rowdy (who will be getting their own book) and I adored Emery's daughter Stevie.
This is a beautiful story set in the Central Texas Hill Country and while I would've been perfectly happy if it had been a true standalone, I am glad that 1) we WILL be getting Kess and Rowdy's book and 2) we got a few sneaky cameo's and mentions of Kelly's other books.
Another winner for Kelly Fox! If you love her other books, you should definitely read this one. If you love MM contemporary romance with a lot of heart, you should also definitely read this. In other words, just read this. It's worth it, promise.
At this point, I'm convinced that Kelly Fox can do no wrong for me. I love all her books, simple as that. Her writing always pulls me in, her characters always feel wonderfully real, so perfectly imperfect. The romance always makes me swoon, the spice is always just right, and the story always has the right amount of angst without it feeling suffocating or too much. Rough Country is no different and I didn't expect anything else.
Emery is a burned-out city guy, Woody is a broken-hearted country guy. While at a glance, these two shouldn't go together, they absolutely do. Neither of these men really know how to love or be loved and it was wonderful watching them grow closer and find what they needed in each other. The side-characters added another layer to it. I loved Emery's mom, I loved Kess and Rowdy (who will be getting their own book) and I adored Emery's daughter Stevie.
This is a beautiful story set in the Central Texas Hill Country and while I would've been perfectly happy if it had been a true standalone, I am glad that 1) we WILL be getting Kess and Rowdy's book and 2) we got a few sneaky cameo's and mentions of Kelly's other books.
Another winner for Kelly Fox! If you love her other books, you should definitely read this one. If you love MM contemporary romance with a lot of heart, you should also definitely read this. In other words, just read this. It's worth it, promise.
September 27, 2024
This book is entertaining, snarky, prickly at times, and definitely "feel good". Woody is the grumpy next door neighbor who was born in central Texas and does abide by city folk who move into the area and almost get themselves killed because they don't know what they are doing. When good-looking Emery, a single Dad, moves in next door, Woody knows it is his duty to educate the man - and keep a close eye on him with his binoculars.
Emery moved to the property because he needed extended time from work, his daughter was interested in horses, and they would be closer to his mother. He didn't expect his curmudgeonly neighbor to get him all hot and bothered. It doesn't help that Woody is probably the most attractive man he's ever seen and just his type. Although Woody certainly isn't a ray of sunshine something in him just calls to Emery.
This book has supportive friends and family, low-angst, high heat, and a beautiful forever love.
Emery moved to the property because he needed extended time from work, his daughter was interested in horses, and they would be closer to his mother. He didn't expect his curmudgeonly neighbor to get him all hot and bothered. It doesn't help that Woody is probably the most attractive man he's ever seen and just his type. Although Woody certainly isn't a ray of sunshine something in him just calls to Emery.
This book has supportive friends and family, low-angst, high heat, and a beautiful forever love.
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September 18, 2024First off, I always appreciate that even when trying to create a standalone story, an amazing author writes great side characters who just beg throughout the story for their own book... which means we get even more of Texas Hill Country when Kes and Rowdy get their book... but I digress, we need to start with Emery and Woody and Emery's adorable daughter, Stevie - they are all sweet and wonderful and I absolutely love how devoted to Stevie that Woody is - even without exploring a relationship with Emery - it's absolutely lovely to read!
Emery and Woody are amazing opposites and it was lovely to watch the two men navigate their pasts and their beliefs to find common ground and chemistry!
This book was another lovely read from Kelly Fox and I can't wait for the next one!
Emery and Woody are amazing opposites and it was lovely to watch the two men navigate their pasts and their beliefs to find common ground and chemistry!
This book was another lovely read from Kelly Fox and I can't wait for the next one!
September 22, 2024
French Bread
Crusty on the outside but soft in the middle explained Woody perfectly. I really enjoyed this grumpy/sunshine romance set in Texas Hill Country. Emery was so sweet and patient with Woody and little Stevie just made everything sweeter. I loved the development of this little family and cannot wait for the next book!
Crusty on the outside but soft in the middle explained Woody perfectly. I really enjoyed this grumpy/sunshine romance set in Texas Hill Country. Emery was so sweet and patient with Woody and little Stevie just made everything sweeter. I loved the development of this little family and cannot wait for the next book!
October 8, 2024
Rough Country is a neighbors, grumpy/sunshine, single dad romance.
This book is really cute and sweet but it also gets deep and romantic! I loved it. I usually love Kelly Fox romance novels because she gets deep in your soul and when her characters connect, it's the most adorable and relatable thing.
This book at first comes across as your average MM romance but let me tell you, I kept going back to reread some of my favorite scenes. I just adore these two.
September 26, 2024
4,5 stars
Rough Country by Kelly Fox is about Emery and Woody. A sunshine city boy single dad and a grumpy, sweet on the inside cowboy. Their story was so good, I loved it. It was sweet, sexy, full of feels and very well written.
Rough Country by Kelly Fox is about Emery and Woody. A sunshine city boy single dad and a grumpy, sweet on the inside cowboy. Their story was so good, I loved it. It was sweet, sexy, full of feels and very well written.
November 4, 2024
Emery is a 36 year old cis white gay man. He’s tall and muscular. He’s the more “sunshine” of the duo but he’s not bubbly. He’s a single dad to a cis white 10 year old girl named Stevie, who is his bio kid via surrogate. Stevie has a vague personality consisting of the traits “female lady girl child” and sometimes “plot device.” Emery has moderate patience and is kind of stubborn, and works hard for anything he wants. He moved from the city to the country due to words from his favorite poet.
Woody is a late-twenties cis white gay man. He’s wiry and skinny and likes to wear graphic t-shirts like Golden Girls, and his late mother’s bracelets. He’s a successful poet and bought land on which he started an exotic animal rehab and sanctuary. He raises bees. He’s cranky, grumpy, stubborn, and loyal. He resists Emery for a while but doesn’t mind giving in. His ex-boyfriend used to own the house/land that Emery owns now. Woody got his heart broken by this ex and has been unlucky in love. He has PTSD related to the dentist from when he was a kid and the dentist bypassed pain control because Emery was gay. He’s close with his cousin Rowdy who is also gay and was disowned by his parents. Woody’s dad was abusive.
Not a fan of:
—I was kind of taken an aback when Emery’s daughter was under the impression that only girls could wear bracelets. Her dad is gay. He should have taught her better than that. After all, sex with men is “only for girls” too.
—I was also taken aback when Woody, an adult gay man with a varied sexual history, had no clue what docking was.
—The swear jar thing with Stevie got old kind of fast. It happened up to like 3 times in 2 pages. It got to be very excessive.
—Use of “man bun.” It’s just a bun, babe.
—It lost tension and got really sappy near the end. But this is a country boy meets city boy romance with a hint of homophobia so that’s not shocking I guess.
—split a dialogue paragraph wrong (put the quotation mark at the start and end of the first paragraph and only at the end of the second one).
Quotes: (most are explicit, please skip if that bothered you)
He was right about another thing, though, and I was loath to admit it.
This thing with Woody . . . it was different. It was more. And it bothered the hell out of me that he was ignoring me.
I may have had all the power in the world while we were naked, but he held the cards in every other sense of the word.
“Because I told him he couldn’t fuck anyone else while we were fucking.”
He set down his drink. “That’s not how hooking up works.”
I glared at him. “I know.”
“So, if you aren’t hooking up . . . what the fuck are you doing?”
“Hooking up with a slight undercurrent of he’s mine and no one better fucking put their hands on him.”
Grabbing his scrawny shoulders, I powered my hips forward, taking what I could from his wiry body.
He cursed and spit like an angry cat, then got real quiet when I wrapped my hand around his narrow neck.
I peeled his hand off of mine and pressed it palm down on his trim stomach, intensifying my thrusts as I did. “Can you feel that, sweetheart? My cock pushing up through your body like I own it?”
He shot me a covert leer, then said, “Some colts just need to be fixed, else they’ll be mean to everyone.”
Fuck you, I mouthed over Stevie’s head.
He was wearing pajama pants and a stretched-out T-shirt, looking every bit like someone’s dad and nothing like the kind of man who’d hunted me down and fucked me against a tree.
I slid my tongue into his willing mouth, tangling with his tongue, devouring him whole as I held him in place with my hands on his narrow hips.
Having him under my control again made my cock come alive. I rubbed up against him, loving the way he met every kiss and thrust. Skinny little cuss had been playing hard to get this past week, but I’d love to see him try to deny how much he wanted this.
That’s not what this was, of course, but I’d felt crazy possessive of him from the beginning. I’d certainly never demanded exclusivity from a fuck buddy before, nor had I ever hounded them with daily texts.
You’re cock-fucking him in a barn, Em. Stop trying to wife him up.
I imagined what it’d be like to write like this, in exactly this position, but with Emery spread over me, his cock warming in my ass as he softly kissed my neck, murmuring encouraging words as I composed love poems in his name.
His was a particularly bad case, even though he didn’t seem to have more than two or three hundred stings. He’s on the lighter side, though, and since he was carrying her and running, it sped up and intensified the envenomation.
The doctors called me a hero, but that was just because the venom hit me harder than most on account of I was so skinny.
“You’ve been smiling for days, Woody. Limping like an over-fucked bottom and smiling for days.”
“But he’s all about making sure that the animals are healthy. Surely they see the conflict of interest there.”
“It’s not the conflict of interest, Emery,” he said with an annoyed gesture. “It’s that he’s gay and doesn’t have the years or the dollars that the Goodnights have. It’s just him on that land. And he’ll never admit it, but he’s prickly because he’s actually so fucking sensitive.”
“You gonna let me come inside you?” he asked, trailing his fingers along the furrow of my ass. “Fill you up?”
We kissed, and he wrapped his long wiry legs around my waist.
After carefully pulling out, I pushed his knees back and watched the evidence of my orgasm slip from his used hole. Leaning in, I kissed a line up the back of his thigh as I used my thumb to press the cum back into his languid body.
“Oh, hey Woody. Look at that,” I said, taking in my plain white T-shirt hanging loose on him. So loose, in fact, that his deliciously distracting collarbones—and fuck me, hickeys—were visible.
We didn’t find any additional bees, but we did discover a number of places where we could fuck up against a tree, a rock, or, in one particular stroke of genius, the middle of my hemp crop.
I would’ve stayed in this position for the rest of the night, but Woody, who was filled and covered with cum started squirming under me.
Content warnings and tropes
—city guy moves to the country next to grumpy country neighbor
—gay rep (Emery, Woody), bi rep (Doug, who has a wife named Marlene),
—size difference
—reference to dentist PTSD (Woody was purposefully given inadequate pain control as a kid because his dentist suspected he was gay)
—reference to attempted exchange of sex for a scholarship (Emery as a teen had someone imply he’d only get a scholarship is sex occurred first)
—explicit sex scenes (including anal, oral, hand jobs, docking, rimming, nipple play, rough sex, outdoors sex, trying to stay inside after climax, manhandling, bossiness, mild d/s dynamic, mild mention of breeding kink)
—anaphylactic reaction to bee stings on page (Stevie who is allergic, and Woody who got stung 300 times)
—the broken (working exactly as intended) American healthcare system where you almost die and immediately have to worry about losing everything due to hospital bills (even with insurance)
—past heartbreak (Woody)
—single dad
—mild possessiveness
—Woody basically cries his way though the last 80 pages or so
—one year later epilogue
Other:
—first person dual POV
—cheating: no
—OP romantic drama: no
—breakup:
—kids: yes (Emery has a 10 year old daughter he had via surrogate; there’s never been a second parent). The kid is basically a plot device with little personality. Not the worst but definitely not a full character
—sexual roles: Emery exclusively prefers to top, enjoys being more dominant in bed, and enjoys giving affection after sex. Woody doesn’t specify his preferences but only bottoms for Emery and finds he likes giving up control during sex. No official D/S relationship but it does have that vibe to a degree. Emery likes to give mild aftercare after rougher sex…or any sex.
—HEA: yes
Woody is a late-twenties cis white gay man. He’s wiry and skinny and likes to wear graphic t-shirts like Golden Girls, and his late mother’s bracelets. He’s a successful poet and bought land on which he started an exotic animal rehab and sanctuary. He raises bees. He’s cranky, grumpy, stubborn, and loyal. He resists Emery for a while but doesn’t mind giving in. His ex-boyfriend used to own the house/land that Emery owns now. Woody got his heart broken by this ex and has been unlucky in love. He has PTSD related to the dentist from when he was a kid and the dentist bypassed pain control because Emery was gay. He’s close with his cousin Rowdy who is also gay and was disowned by his parents. Woody’s dad was abusive.
Not a fan of:
—I was kind of taken an aback when Emery’s daughter was under the impression that only girls could wear bracelets. Her dad is gay. He should have taught her better than that. After all, sex with men is “only for girls” too.
—I was also taken aback when Woody, an adult gay man with a varied sexual history, had no clue what docking was.
—The swear jar thing with Stevie got old kind of fast. It happened up to like 3 times in 2 pages. It got to be very excessive.
—Use of “man bun.” It’s just a bun, babe.
—It lost tension and got really sappy near the end. But this is a country boy meets city boy romance with a hint of homophobia so that’s not shocking I guess.
—split a dialogue paragraph wrong (put the quotation mark at the start and end of the first paragraph and only at the end of the second one).
Quotes: (most are explicit, please skip if that bothered you)
He was right about another thing, though, and I was loath to admit it.
This thing with Woody . . . it was different. It was more. And it bothered the hell out of me that he was ignoring me.
I may have had all the power in the world while we were naked, but he held the cards in every other sense of the word.
“Because I told him he couldn’t fuck anyone else while we were fucking.”
He set down his drink. “That’s not how hooking up works.”
I glared at him. “I know.”
“So, if you aren’t hooking up . . . what the fuck are you doing?”
“Hooking up with a slight undercurrent of he’s mine and no one better fucking put their hands on him.”
Grabbing his scrawny shoulders, I powered my hips forward, taking what I could from his wiry body.
He cursed and spit like an angry cat, then got real quiet when I wrapped my hand around his narrow neck.
I peeled his hand off of mine and pressed it palm down on his trim stomach, intensifying my thrusts as I did. “Can you feel that, sweetheart? My cock pushing up through your body like I own it?”
He shot me a covert leer, then said, “Some colts just need to be fixed, else they’ll be mean to everyone.”
Fuck you, I mouthed over Stevie’s head.
He was wearing pajama pants and a stretched-out T-shirt, looking every bit like someone’s dad and nothing like the kind of man who’d hunted me down and fucked me against a tree.
I slid my tongue into his willing mouth, tangling with his tongue, devouring him whole as I held him in place with my hands on his narrow hips.
Having him under my control again made my cock come alive. I rubbed up against him, loving the way he met every kiss and thrust. Skinny little cuss had been playing hard to get this past week, but I’d love to see him try to deny how much he wanted this.
That’s not what this was, of course, but I’d felt crazy possessive of him from the beginning. I’d certainly never demanded exclusivity from a fuck buddy before, nor had I ever hounded them with daily texts.
You’re cock-fucking him in a barn, Em. Stop trying to wife him up.
I imagined what it’d be like to write like this, in exactly this position, but with Emery spread over me, his cock warming in my ass as he softly kissed my neck, murmuring encouraging words as I composed love poems in his name.
His was a particularly bad case, even though he didn’t seem to have more than two or three hundred stings. He’s on the lighter side, though, and since he was carrying her and running, it sped up and intensified the envenomation.
The doctors called me a hero, but that was just because the venom hit me harder than most on account of I was so skinny.
“You’ve been smiling for days, Woody. Limping like an over-fucked bottom and smiling for days.”
“But he’s all about making sure that the animals are healthy. Surely they see the conflict of interest there.”
“It’s not the conflict of interest, Emery,” he said with an annoyed gesture. “It’s that he’s gay and doesn’t have the years or the dollars that the Goodnights have. It’s just him on that land. And he’ll never admit it, but he’s prickly because he’s actually so fucking sensitive.”
“You gonna let me come inside you?” he asked, trailing his fingers along the furrow of my ass. “Fill you up?”
We kissed, and he wrapped his long wiry legs around my waist.
After carefully pulling out, I pushed his knees back and watched the evidence of my orgasm slip from his used hole. Leaning in, I kissed a line up the back of his thigh as I used my thumb to press the cum back into his languid body.
“Oh, hey Woody. Look at that,” I said, taking in my plain white T-shirt hanging loose on him. So loose, in fact, that his deliciously distracting collarbones—and fuck me, hickeys—were visible.
We didn’t find any additional bees, but we did discover a number of places where we could fuck up against a tree, a rock, or, in one particular stroke of genius, the middle of my hemp crop.
I would’ve stayed in this position for the rest of the night, but Woody, who was filled and covered with cum started squirming under me.
Content warnings and tropes
—city guy moves to the country next to grumpy country neighbor
—gay rep (Emery, Woody), bi rep (Doug, who has a wife named Marlene),
—size difference
—reference to dentist PTSD (Woody was purposefully given inadequate pain control as a kid because his dentist suspected he was gay)
—reference to attempted exchange of sex for a scholarship (Emery as a teen had someone imply he’d only get a scholarship is sex occurred first)
—explicit sex scenes (including anal, oral, hand jobs, docking, rimming, nipple play, rough sex, outdoors sex, trying to stay inside after climax, manhandling, bossiness, mild d/s dynamic, mild mention of breeding kink)
—anaphylactic reaction to bee stings on page (Stevie who is allergic, and Woody who got stung 300 times)
—the broken (working exactly as intended) American healthcare system where you almost die and immediately have to worry about losing everything due to hospital bills (even with insurance)
—past heartbreak (Woody)
—single dad
—mild possessiveness
—Woody basically cries his way though the last 80 pages or so
—one year later epilogue
Other:
—first person dual POV
—cheating: no
—OP romantic drama: no
—breakup:
—kids: yes (Emery has a 10 year old daughter he had via surrogate; there’s never been a second parent). The kid is basically a plot device with little personality. Not the worst but definitely not a full character
—sexual roles: Emery exclusively prefers to top, enjoys being more dominant in bed, and enjoys giving affection after sex. Woody doesn’t specify his preferences but only bottoms for Emery and finds he likes giving up control during sex. No official D/S relationship but it does have that vibe to a degree. Emery likes to give mild aftercare after rougher sex…or any sex.
—HEA: yes
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2024
🍑 Book Review!
🍑 Title: "Rough Country" by @authorkellyfox
🍑 Series: Central Texas, book 1
🍑 Quick story time before getting to the main review: a few weeks ago, I was thinking about all the different *schmink* I've read and trying to think if I had read any of this *specific type of schmink*. I couldn't remember if I had or not, and thought, "Oh man, that would be super hot if I found a book with this."
🍑 Enter, present day: Kelly Fox, and Emery. Who does the EXACT THING I HAD BEEN THINKING ABOUT. I don't know how you read my mind Kelly, but it's like you plucked it from my brain 🤣 and yes, it melted my Kindle.
🍑 On to this book .... We have Emery, who is a burnt out single dad who is forced into a sabbatical (of sorts) by his business partner/best friend. He buys a fixer upper ranch next to Woody, a reclusive, prickly, bossy, exotic animal rescuer. Emery's daughter Stevie loves to visit Woody's animals. There is even a zonkey named Tim and a 3 legged dog named Bandit.
🍑 The way I absolutely melt when the grumpy character finally starts pulling back the layers and you realize JUST how big of a cinnamon roll they are 🫠🫠🫠 Woody had very good reasons for why he acted like he did, but seeing Stevie and Emery break though those barriers was just 🥰. A prickly man who is super soft for animals and a 10 year old who decided he's her friend and there's nothing he can do about it?! Ugh, yes please.
🍑 Add in the Daddy Emery commands, Dawn & Rowdy's lack of boundaries, the HURT and the COMFORT....man, this was an excellent book. Highly highly recommend, especially if you've read Kelly's Rebel Sky series. There are a couple of cameos from our favorite throuple!
Pick up if you love:
🐕 Saving animals
🍑 Eating....peach (I'm trying not to get banned here)
😱 Dom/Sub dynamics
🎉 Communicaaaaaaation (eventually)
📗 Poetry
🥪 Dates on the front porch
🍑 Title: "Rough Country" by @authorkellyfox
🍑 Series: Central Texas, book 1
🍑 Quick story time before getting to the main review: a few weeks ago, I was thinking about all the different *schmink* I've read and trying to think if I had read any of this *specific type of schmink*. I couldn't remember if I had or not, and thought, "Oh man, that would be super hot if I found a book with this."
🍑 Enter, present day: Kelly Fox, and Emery. Who does the EXACT THING I HAD BEEN THINKING ABOUT. I don't know how you read my mind Kelly, but it's like you plucked it from my brain 🤣 and yes, it melted my Kindle.
🍑 On to this book .... We have Emery, who is a burnt out single dad who is forced into a sabbatical (of sorts) by his business partner/best friend. He buys a fixer upper ranch next to Woody, a reclusive, prickly, bossy, exotic animal rescuer. Emery's daughter Stevie loves to visit Woody's animals. There is even a zonkey named Tim and a 3 legged dog named Bandit.
🍑 The way I absolutely melt when the grumpy character finally starts pulling back the layers and you realize JUST how big of a cinnamon roll they are 🫠🫠🫠 Woody had very good reasons for why he acted like he did, but seeing Stevie and Emery break though those barriers was just 🥰. A prickly man who is super soft for animals and a 10 year old who decided he's her friend and there's nothing he can do about it?! Ugh, yes please.
🍑 Add in the Daddy Emery commands, Dawn & Rowdy's lack of boundaries, the HURT and the COMFORT....man, this was an excellent book. Highly highly recommend, especially if you've read Kelly's Rebel Sky series. There are a couple of cameos from our favorite throuple!
Pick up if you love:
🐕 Saving animals
🍑 Eating....peach (I'm trying not to get banned here)
😱 Dom/Sub dynamics
🎉 Communicaaaaaaation (eventually)
📗 Poetry
🥪 Dates on the front porch
September 19, 2024
I’ll start by saying this has to be one of the top books I have read this year! (And I read a lot)
A Single dad romance that’s written fantastically and just hit so so good, the intimacy was beyond what I expected. Passion was palpable and delicious.
The taunting between the two main characters added a layer of hilarity to the big emotions displayed in this story. I love a frenemies to lovers but more than that I love a big size difference. This is a fantastic grumpy sunshine story.
I cried so many tears for Woody.
I adore that this book did not shy away from expressing the emotion that comes with emotional trauma and the care another has to take to allow those emotions to come to light. The patience that Emery has, it’s beautiful to witness… to see men allowing themselves to break down theirs walls and vulnerable to one another was so emotional for me as the reader.
Stevie a sassy 10 year old girl, confident in herself pulled from her very aware and articulate dad. I love that this little girl was straight talking and sensitive. This little girl is raised right, she was an adorable character to the story, allowing Woody to show his vulnerable side with a fear judgment.
Grandma Dawn is so hilarious and amazing, supportive of her son and embracing all his decisions in life with enthusiasm. It’s beautiful to see how close she is with her granddaughter and I love the way she lovingly meddles in Emerys love life in only a way a mum can. She’s straight talking and can shoot the sh*t with the guys. I hope to see her in future books.
I cannot wait for Rowdy’s story he’s just a sweetheart!
A Single dad romance that’s written fantastically and just hit so so good, the intimacy was beyond what I expected. Passion was palpable and delicious.
The taunting between the two main characters added a layer of hilarity to the big emotions displayed in this story. I love a frenemies to lovers but more than that I love a big size difference. This is a fantastic grumpy sunshine story.
I cried so many tears for Woody.
I adore that this book did not shy away from expressing the emotion that comes with emotional trauma and the care another has to take to allow those emotions to come to light. The patience that Emery has, it’s beautiful to witness… to see men allowing themselves to break down theirs walls and vulnerable to one another was so emotional for me as the reader.
Stevie a sassy 10 year old girl, confident in herself pulled from her very aware and articulate dad. I love that this little girl was straight talking and sensitive. This little girl is raised right, she was an adorable character to the story, allowing Woody to show his vulnerable side with a fear judgment.
Grandma Dawn is so hilarious and amazing, supportive of her son and embracing all his decisions in life with enthusiasm. It’s beautiful to see how close she is with her granddaughter and I love the way she lovingly meddles in Emerys love life in only a way a mum can. She’s straight talking and can shoot the sh*t with the guys. I hope to see her in future books.
I cannot wait for Rowdy’s story he’s just a sweetheart!
September 13, 2024
Grumpy/sunshine 💙 city boy/country boy 💙 secret cinnamon roll 💙 found family 💙 size difference 💙 single dad
I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book.
EMERY is a very rich man, burnt out by his finance bro job. Inspired by his favorite poet to move to the Texas hill country, EMERY is determined to fix up his place and move his daughter in.
WOODY is recovering from a broken heart. Deciding to protect said heart, he's built up walls of steel covered in barbed wire. All he wants is to run his sanctuary and write. Now, he has a reckless city mouse idiot move in next door and is busy keeping him alive and competing to be the snark king of the hill country.
Emery and Woody neither one knew how to love or be loved - but it was a joy to watch them tumble and stumble into it. The absolute dummies. Stevie, Emery's daughter, adds a whole other layer of learning to love and be loved - Woody and his cousin Rowdy have never really had a great family, and Stevie is such a sweet girl and loves them both so easily.
I loved these MCs. Woody was such a secret cinnamon roll, a real mad-sad boy. Emery was such an alpha dad type. I just loved them so much.
To be clear: I've read all of Kelly's books, and ROUGH COUNTRY has moved up to tie with the number one spot in my favorites. This story has great characters, wonderful story lines, amazing found family, and such sweetness. My lord, the sweetness. The spice was perfect, and the drama was on point, too.
I loved this book and can't recommend it enough. I loved Emery and Woody so much. ROUGH COUNTRY comes out on the 18th!
I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book.
EMERY is a very rich man, burnt out by his finance bro job. Inspired by his favorite poet to move to the Texas hill country, EMERY is determined to fix up his place and move his daughter in.
WOODY is recovering from a broken heart. Deciding to protect said heart, he's built up walls of steel covered in barbed wire. All he wants is to run his sanctuary and write. Now, he has a reckless city mouse idiot move in next door and is busy keeping him alive and competing to be the snark king of the hill country.
Emery and Woody neither one knew how to love or be loved - but it was a joy to watch them tumble and stumble into it. The absolute dummies. Stevie, Emery's daughter, adds a whole other layer of learning to love and be loved - Woody and his cousin Rowdy have never really had a great family, and Stevie is such a sweet girl and loves them both so easily.
I loved these MCs. Woody was such a secret cinnamon roll, a real mad-sad boy. Emery was such an alpha dad type. I just loved them so much.
To be clear: I've read all of Kelly's books, and ROUGH COUNTRY has moved up to tie with the number one spot in my favorites. This story has great characters, wonderful story lines, amazing found family, and such sweetness. My lord, the sweetness. The spice was perfect, and the drama was on point, too.
I loved this book and can't recommend it enough. I loved Emery and Woody so much. ROUGH COUNTRY comes out on the 18th!
September 13, 2024
“Expensive suit, perfect chocolate brown hair, thick brows, square jaw, full lips—he looked like he used to be a football player, or maybe some sort of comic book superhero.
Either way, he was clearly in charge and very much my type.”
Emery needs a new start after becoming burnt out from the business he has been building for years. So naturally he is going to follow the words of his favorite poet and move to the Texas Hill Country with his young daughter. There he encounters an ornery neighbor who is out to point out everything he does wrong or is just plain stupid.
Woody can’t believe his new neighbor, he doesn’t understand why this hot shot city boy had decided to buy the fixer up next door when he obviously doesn’t know what he’s doing. It’s rather inconvenient since he secretly thinks Emery is kinda sexy.
Y’all, Kelly did it again! Another amazing book that had me laughing and crying within a few sentences from each other. I swear the only known addiction I have is coffee but I be jonesing for Kelly’s books. I absolutely loved the back and forth between Emery and Woody. Also I hadn’t known a Zonkey was a thing like soo cute!
Emery’s patience with Woody is everything, no matter how hard Woody fights the inevitable. Stevie is a sparkle loving, swirly skirt wearing cutie that is adamant about the household swear jar and will most definitely get every dollar she can out of the grown ups around her!
If you like grumpy/sunshine, cowboys, and secret cinnamon roll MMC’s you’ll love this book and if you have read her other work you’ll enjoy the cameos as you read!
Either way, he was clearly in charge and very much my type.”
Emery needs a new start after becoming burnt out from the business he has been building for years. So naturally he is going to follow the words of his favorite poet and move to the Texas Hill Country with his young daughter. There he encounters an ornery neighbor who is out to point out everything he does wrong or is just plain stupid.
Woody can’t believe his new neighbor, he doesn’t understand why this hot shot city boy had decided to buy the fixer up next door when he obviously doesn’t know what he’s doing. It’s rather inconvenient since he secretly thinks Emery is kinda sexy.
Y’all, Kelly did it again! Another amazing book that had me laughing and crying within a few sentences from each other. I swear the only known addiction I have is coffee but I be jonesing for Kelly’s books. I absolutely loved the back and forth between Emery and Woody. Also I hadn’t known a Zonkey was a thing like soo cute!
Emery’s patience with Woody is everything, no matter how hard Woody fights the inevitable. Stevie is a sparkle loving, swirly skirt wearing cutie that is adamant about the household swear jar and will most definitely get every dollar she can out of the grown ups around her!
If you like grumpy/sunshine, cowboys, and secret cinnamon roll MMC’s you’ll love this book and if you have read her other work you’ll enjoy the cameos as you read!
October 7, 2024
Spicy Single Dad Romance
I so wanted to give this book four stars. It was such an unexpected find and I really enjoyed it! Emery and Woody were fun and so sweet together and the spice was extra spicy! Plus I’m always a sucker for a single dad trope. But in the end I just felt like I was missing more of a connection to the characters. We got a little taste of their backstories and especially with Woody we got a bit of his trauma and why he is the way he is, but I still felt like I was disconnected from them both. I needed more of a deep dive into them and their backstories to really be able to appreciate the hurt / comfort in this book.
I loved how Emery supported Woody and was so comfortable with his prickliness. Woody was a nice counterpoint to Emery and he was super sweet with the daughter. But even their most heartfelt moments felt slightly stunted. The dialogue sometimes felt like it was missing a few lines and the details about their facial expressions or reactions didn’t always fit to the tone of the moment.
In the end this book still had a great story and a great group of characters. I’m intrigued by the next couple so I might check it out but even with the problems I found in this book, I can definitely see returning to it someday for a reread.
Tropes: Grumpy / Sunshine, Hurt / Comfort, Opposites Attract, Dual POV, Found Family, Irritation to Lovers
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5
Relationship: MM
I so wanted to give this book four stars. It was such an unexpected find and I really enjoyed it! Emery and Woody were fun and so sweet together and the spice was extra spicy! Plus I’m always a sucker for a single dad trope. But in the end I just felt like I was missing more of a connection to the characters. We got a little taste of their backstories and especially with Woody we got a bit of his trauma and why he is the way he is, but I still felt like I was disconnected from them both. I needed more of a deep dive into them and their backstories to really be able to appreciate the hurt / comfort in this book.
I loved how Emery supported Woody and was so comfortable with his prickliness. Woody was a nice counterpoint to Emery and he was super sweet with the daughter. But even their most heartfelt moments felt slightly stunted. The dialogue sometimes felt like it was missing a few lines and the details about their facial expressions or reactions didn’t always fit to the tone of the moment.
In the end this book still had a great story and a great group of characters. I’m intrigued by the next couple so I might check it out but even with the problems I found in this book, I can definitely see returning to it someday for a reread.
Tropes: Grumpy / Sunshine, Hurt / Comfort, Opposites Attract, Dual POV, Found Family, Irritation to Lovers
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5
Relationship: MM
September 18, 2024
Starting a new Kelly Fox book is always an adventure, especially when it's a "standalone" unrelated to other series. Mostly unrelated, that is, since there's always a chance of at least a cameo or two from another book/series.
Rough Country is a bit different from her other work in that it's not centered around an ensemble cast, and it's fairly low key in the angst department. It's emotional, of course, but not gut-wrenching, and it is probably about as purely romance as anything she's written since Sanctuary, her first MM title.
As always, it's steamy, but to my mind, the steam is in a good ratio to the romance and plot. Emery is a single dad, after all, so he and Woody can't just do whatever they want whenever they want, though they do get a fair amount of assistance from Em's mother, who is a lovely character.
As a native Texan who grew up visiting relatives in the Texas Hill Country, Rough Country feels like home to me. Like I could easily drive from Aunt Pearl's old place to Woody or Emery's and have a nice visit.
For once, I can actually say that you do not have to have read any other Kelly Fox book to enjoy this one, though I am betting that cousin Rowdy will get his own book.
Rough Country is a bit different from her other work in that it's not centered around an ensemble cast, and it's fairly low key in the angst department. It's emotional, of course, but not gut-wrenching, and it is probably about as purely romance as anything she's written since Sanctuary, her first MM title.
As always, it's steamy, but to my mind, the steam is in a good ratio to the romance and plot. Emery is a single dad, after all, so he and Woody can't just do whatever they want whenever they want, though they do get a fair amount of assistance from Em's mother, who is a lovely character.
As a native Texan who grew up visiting relatives in the Texas Hill Country, Rough Country feels like home to me. Like I could easily drive from Aunt Pearl's old place to Woody or Emery's and have a nice visit.
For once, I can actually say that you do not have to have read any other Kelly Fox book to enjoy this one, though I am betting that cousin Rowdy will get his own book.
September 18, 2024
Oh my gosh Kelly has done it again. She hit me with the perfect mix of hurt humour, love and spice in only that way that Kelly can. I laughed so hard at this one, even when he was being 100% grump Woody had my face aching. How anyone could hurt this man is beyond me. He may have taken a while to let down his defences but my god when this man loves he loves wholeheartedly.
At first I really didn't see how it would work between Woody and Emery but it becomes clear quite quickly that these two are made for each other. Both need to learn how to be loved and Woody needs to heal but they just make each other better in ways i dont think i can fully explain without spoilers. Again Kelly brought in some awesome side characters. I'm so happy that Kess and Rowdy will be getting their own book as I loved Rowdy so freaking much. I also loved Emery’s mom and his amazing daughter Stevie. Stevie kinda gave me Evie vibes and i really really wish that she can age up and have her own story at a later date ( kelly if you read this ill ship you over british treats to make this happen). As always i loved the little cameos and i cant wait to see what comes next.
I received a copy in return for my honest review
At first I really didn't see how it would work between Woody and Emery but it becomes clear quite quickly that these two are made for each other. Both need to learn how to be loved and Woody needs to heal but they just make each other better in ways i dont think i can fully explain without spoilers. Again Kelly brought in some awesome side characters. I'm so happy that Kess and Rowdy will be getting their own book as I loved Rowdy so freaking much. I also loved Emery’s mom and his amazing daughter Stevie. Stevie kinda gave me Evie vibes and i really really wish that she can age up and have her own story at a later date ( kelly if you read this ill ship you over british treats to make this happen). As always i loved the little cameos and i cant wait to see what comes next.
I received a copy in return for my honest review
October 11, 2024
Solid read! Love the initial friction turning into actual friction between Emery and Woody.
I wasn't a super big fan of how all of Woody's problems were essentially expo dumped to us by his cousin at the hospital since I feel like we could've had that sprinkled in a little more throughout the story. Like we get small pieces of his trauma with Shane, why couldn't we get the same with his issues with his mom, or the financial stuff with the reserve, or even the intolerant people of the town? It was boring to have all of that come out after Woody had lashed out at Emery, especially since we'd barely became aware of them in the first place. Having that interaction take place between Woody and Emery instead of coming from Rowdy could've been a great opportunity for deepening their emotional connection.
There was definitely a lot of sex in this book. Like a lot. Not bad if you're looking for spice, though I personally started skimming after the second time two sex scenes consecutively occurred.
Stevie was cute and nothing was wrong with her other than seeming a little wise beyond her actual age.
Rowdy was also a good character, screaming to be an MC in a future book, so I'm happy that the sequel will focus on him.
I wasn't a super big fan of how all of Woody's problems were essentially expo dumped to us by his cousin at the hospital since I feel like we could've had that sprinkled in a little more throughout the story. Like we get small pieces of his trauma with Shane, why couldn't we get the same with his issues with his mom, or the financial stuff with the reserve, or even the intolerant people of the town? It was boring to have all of that come out after Woody had lashed out at Emery, especially since we'd barely became aware of them in the first place. Having that interaction take place between Woody and Emery instead of coming from Rowdy could've been a great opportunity for deepening their emotional connection.
There was definitely a lot of sex in this book. Like a lot. Not bad if you're looking for spice, though I personally started skimming after the second time two sex scenes consecutively occurred.
Stevie was cute and nothing was wrong with her other than seeming a little wise beyond her actual age.
Rowdy was also a good character, screaming to be an MC in a future book, so I'm happy that the sequel will focus on him.
September 12, 2024
Loved it 😍
The story telling ability of this wonderful author had me wanting to pack my bags to go and explore the Texas Hill Country and hopefully “accidentally on purpose” bump into Woody and Emery. These two wonderful men are the perfect sunshine/grumpy couple. Circumstances have city boy Emery moving to the Hill Country and becoming the neighbour of the cranky and surly Woody who is very much less than welcoming when they first meet. It takes some time before Emery discovers the sensitive and vulnerable man beneath the protective hard shell the Woody uses for protection. A hard shell that slowly but surely crumbles beneath the loving attentions of Emery. I loved the sizzling chemistry between them which not only meant plenty of steam but also plenty of tenderness especially as Woody craves affection. Their HEA has a minor blip along the way but nothing that isn’t overcome with helpful friendly advice and communication.
This is a very enjoyable read and had me hooked from the first page. I adored Stevie, loved Woody’s t-shirt collection and the cameos from other Hill Country residents. I’m very much looking forward to Kessler and Rowdy’s story.
The story telling ability of this wonderful author had me wanting to pack my bags to go and explore the Texas Hill Country and hopefully “accidentally on purpose” bump into Woody and Emery. These two wonderful men are the perfect sunshine/grumpy couple. Circumstances have city boy Emery moving to the Hill Country and becoming the neighbour of the cranky and surly Woody who is very much less than welcoming when they first meet. It takes some time before Emery discovers the sensitive and vulnerable man beneath the protective hard shell the Woody uses for protection. A hard shell that slowly but surely crumbles beneath the loving attentions of Emery. I loved the sizzling chemistry between them which not only meant plenty of steam but also plenty of tenderness especially as Woody craves affection. Their HEA has a minor blip along the way but nothing that isn’t overcome with helpful friendly advice and communication.
This is a very enjoyable read and had me hooked from the first page. I adored Stevie, loved Woody’s t-shirt collection and the cameos from other Hill Country residents. I’m very much looking forward to Kessler and Rowdy’s story.
September 26, 2024
Rough Country is the newest release by Kelly Fox and as usual the author does not disappoint. This is a somewhat Standalone story though we do get glimpses of some favorite characters as it is set in her usual world. I’m actually hoping for Woody’s story somewhere down the line.
In Rough Country we have Woody, a cowboy with a small secret who has decided that love isn’t worth the pain it eventually ends up as and has for the most part shut the world out. Cue Emery moving in next door. And not only next door, but into the house Woody’s Ex had owned. There is instant tension, both the good and the bad type as Woody wants nothing to do with the hot neighbor next door who knows nothing about living in the country. After some touch and go moments between the two, they slowly become closer and realize that depending on and loving someone might not have guarantees, but having people who love and care about you is infinitely better than living life alone. The risks are worth the reward. As usual, a wonderful story with some tears and a lot of laughter that shows that somehow people find the person they were meant to be with, even if it's not always a smooth road.
In Rough Country we have Woody, a cowboy with a small secret who has decided that love isn’t worth the pain it eventually ends up as and has for the most part shut the world out. Cue Emery moving in next door. And not only next door, but into the house Woody’s Ex had owned. There is instant tension, both the good and the bad type as Woody wants nothing to do with the hot neighbor next door who knows nothing about living in the country. After some touch and go moments between the two, they slowly become closer and realize that depending on and loving someone might not have guarantees, but having people who love and care about you is infinitely better than living life alone. The risks are worth the reward. As usual, a wonderful story with some tears and a lot of laughter that shows that somehow people find the person they were meant to be with, even if it's not always a smooth road.
September 14, 2024
Love this author - she seems to have a never-ending supply of amazing and varied characters and stories living in her head, each better and more interesting and entertaining as they come. While Emery and Woody may have had a rocky start, sometimes, that's half the fun, isn't it? The way these two worked through each other's defenses, worked through their own hurts & insecurities, not to mention the minefield that comes along when a child's involved, they had their work cut out for them, but they eventually got there, with some help. Stevie is a riot, as is Rowdy. Okay, fine. I love all of the characters surrounding these two men - except for a select few - and I adore the animals, too!
While I'm reading, the corresponding movie plays in my mind; there was one scene involving a cake that was particularly riveting, hilarious, and made even better by the visual playing in my head; the red & pink stained knife, wielded by Dawn - cracked me up and had me crying! I can't wait to see where the series goes from here.
While I'm reading, the corresponding movie plays in my mind; there was one scene involving a cake that was particularly riveting, hilarious, and made even better by the visual playing in my head; the red & pink stained knife, wielded by Dawn - cracked me up and had me crying! I can't wait to see where the series goes from here.
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