Member Reviews

What do you get when you take the city girl blogger into the wilds of Alaska? Valentine French isn't your normal spoiled rich, high society girl and she's had enough of the metro sexual men in NYC. She embarks on a journey to find a different kind of man and share her exploits on hey blog. What better place than Alaska, where the men definitely outnumber the woman. To say things don't go quite as she expected from the beginning would be an understatement. But she did find one bright spot, Logan, the local sheriff. And from there it's a fun, quick and at times smoking hot read. Excited to see if we'll have more from the sticks.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book so much! everything about this book is just wonderful! Logan is your hot sexy Chief of Police, who just happens upon newly arrived tourist, Valentine. He takes her to his town that he serves and protects. and the whole time I thought he can serve and protect me anytime he wants. this man is just hot! He and Valentine become fast friends and you learn Logan and very truthful and doesn't hold back. He also is quite the dirty talker (which will have your girlie parts quivering).

The only downside is I didn't want this book to end!!! Valentine is nothing like I thought she'd be and I really liked her a lot! A Must Read!!!

Was this review helpful?

When I see a new Sawyer Bennett book, I have to read it as soon as possible. I love her stories, and Sex in the Sticks was another great one! It has wonderful characters and a great storyline.

Valentine French is tired of the lackluster dating scene she's been encountering recently in New York City, so at the prodding of her cousin, Jeremy, she takes off for Alaska, hoping to find men to provide some fodder for her romance and dating blog. She encounters police chief Logan Burke, and although they don't connect right away, they become inseparable after Logan rescues Valentine when she becomes lost in the woods. When Valentines lack of full disclosure over her occupation, the dating blog, comes to light, Logan is angry and disillusioned. He doesn't even want to listen to Valentine, so she has to make a choice about what to do next.

This was such a fun book! I loved both Valentine and Logan, as well as the secondary characters. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two main characters and loved watching their relationship develop. I felt so badly for Valentine when things fell apart, but I admired her persistence and bravery in finally going after what she wanted. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Love this book...it's about a lady that lives in new York and is rich. She finally gets tired of all the guys that has money and thinks about themselfs more than the lady across from them. So she changes it up and goes to a very low key place to see which is better and while she is there she blogs about it. Not really thinking she will fall in love but once she does she really has to rethink her choices.

Was this review helpful?

Socialite and blogger Valentine French seems to have exhausted the dating possibilities in NYC. No, she hasn’t dated every man in the city but it seems she keeps dating the same type of man. On a whim she decides to let her cousin book her a little getaway where the men are as different from New York City as you can get. She’s going to Alaska where the man to woman ration works in her favor, that’s right, she going to find herself lumberjack. She going to serial date men in this little town and see what she’s been missing. While Val may be a welcome sight to most of the men in the town, there are a few who residents who don’t appreciate the Barbie Doll from the city. While the dates line up, Val finds she seems to be attracted to one resident in particular, local sheriff Logan Burke.
Logan Burke is quite happy with his humdrum life in his little town. Once a big city cop he decided to get away from the rat race and take life slow. And life was just that, slow…until Valentine, Val to her friends, blows into his town and turns it on its side and turns Logan inside out. While he knows their relationship has an expiration date, he can’t help but to imagine him and Val as a long term.
This book seemed a little different from other Sawyer Bennett books. I’d say it’s a little bit “tamer” than her previous books but just as steamy where it counts. This was a fun read visualizing Big City Val navigating her way through a town where a car service is foreign concept, wifi is spotty at best and bears could be right outside the front door. As Val is “dating” in this little town she’s also keeping her many readers up to date on this experiment. With that being said, we kind of had no choice but to sit back and wait for this experiment to blow up in her face. She and Logan click pretty much right away and before long they are dating exclusively. While Logan is aware of her reason for visiting his small town, he has no clue that their lives; their sex life in particular is being shared online (hence the whole waiting for things to blow up in her face). Without giving too much away, Val was hilarious….picking bar fights, dancing on tables. What I think I liked most about her was, although she was completely out of her element, she was okay with it…laughing at herself wasn’t a problem. Logan wasn’t what I expected him to be, he wasn’t as reserved as I thought he would be. He pretty much spoke his mind and went for what he wanted. I loved the chemistry between the two (even when there was tension). So yeah, this was a little different read from other books but a good read just the same.

Was this review helpful?

Sex in the Sticks, A Love Hurts Novel, Sawyer Bennett
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance, 

I'm a great fan of SB's novels, and I think the only one so far that wasn't a hit for me was Uncivilised. Now its been joined by this one. a good-ish book, well written of course but content? Romance? well, for me it was kind of meh...I can see others love it - well, I'm glad but it didn't hit the expected spot for me. 

I guess Valentine had a lot to do with that. I just didn't really like her, found her shallow and almost vacuous, kidding herself her blog was "work".
She's a trust fund lady, has never know life without riches, luxuries there for the taking, spending - as she says $10,000 dollars on a weekend isn't that unusual for her. She wasn't unkind to those who didn't have her kind of money but there's no way she could understand them or their lifestyles. 

The blog: Well, as a blogger and blog reader I know that for many blogs are Big Business, a full time job and very important.
Valentines a bit more like me, a hobby blogger. I do it to get ARCs as I could never afford to indulge my love of stories without them, Valentine does it for ? Well, I'm not really sure. Seems to be she thinks of it as a job, but a non paying one.
Some of her comments verged on cruel, and that kind of thing can be funny, but needs care and when she's identifying who the other people are, but they don't know about it I feel its kind of nasty.
It felt as if she was somehow looking down on them, that she was hinting they didn't live up to what dating Valentine French was all about. It just made me think, what exactly does she feel is so attractive about her, why does she think she's such a catch. 

Logan, a great guy, loved him and the way the locals respected him.
When things went wrong between him and Valentine the first time he overreacted, IMO. Acted like a thwarted teen. Just ASK man, that's all you have to do. He of all people should know about that kind of situation and how the truth gets twisted.
The second time I had more sympathy for him, but somehow by then I'd got a bit bored with the whole thing.
You may love it, lots of others do but for me, well, it was just between 2 and 3 stars. 

Stars: two and a half, I did like a few bits but most of it I just didn't enjoy. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

Was this review helpful?

4.5 Sexy Sassy Stars!

This was such a fun flirty read. Our Heroine Valentine is the epitome of high maintenance and yet with her little quirks you just can't help but love her. She owns her high maintenance personality which was hilarious! 5 large suitcases for a vacation? check. at least an hour and a half to get ready ( hair, makeup, the works) check!

Logan is so lumbersexual! He's our perfect specimen of "Male" and he complements Val to a T! Sawyer has always been great at writing her Scorching hot Sex scenes and boy this book ...panties were melting all over the place!

I don't wanna spoil too much. Just trust me this book is funny, quirky, sexy and you will just fall in love with the small town charm.

***Arc kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

Was this review helpful?

Valentine is a bored blogger socialite from New York City, who decides (from her cousin's advice) to travel to Alaska to find a "real" man. She is tired of the men who hog the mirror and worry about their skin and hair more than she does. Packing lots of unpractical clothes and her toy dog, she heads out and meets a lot of guys clambering for her attention, including hunky cop Logan. Lots of fun misunderstandings and lots of hot sex too of course, leads the reader on a fun journey. The reason it lost a star though was that Logan irritated me a bit with his snits, and I also wish there would have been more details on the rest of the town. There is enough that I learned a little about them, but I wanted to learn more. Good book though, and one I highly recommend. Hard to put this one down, and hope there will be more from Alaska.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book so much. If you know the author you know she really has a way with words, characters and sex scenes and well this one is a totally different story for her nit it works so much. I Beyond loved it. I was only sad that it ended. It has ALOT of hot sex scenes but what I loved about this story is how different a story it is.

Valentine is our heroine and she is rich beyond imagination. She lives in NY and she doesn't work, she blogs about her dating/sex life for fun. For her its a hobby but she is bored out of her mind by the men and all the money and the same things happening over and over. So she complains to her bestie and cousin Jeremy.

Jeremy suggests she take a vacation to Alaska and not to city Alaska but the boonies of Alaska. Where is no car service and only one restaurant and no B&B's but a boarding house. So Valentine goes on an adventure and thats really what this book is. You discover Alaska and I loved it.

In Alaska, V gets into trouble and meets lots of hunks, one is Logan. the mayor and police chief and he is a hottie. He becomes Vals friend and then they have ALOT of fun together. The big issue in this book is Val never tells Logan about the blog where she has been very vocal about her adventures in and out of bed. :)

Yes this book was so fun. It was also sweet and romantic and I truly loved every second.

Was this review helpful?

This is the first book I have read by Sawyer Bennett and it won't be the last! It is about Valentine French and Logan Burke. She is wealthy but still down to earth. Although she hasn't ever had to do without her wealth or ever lived somewhere other than major cities with people to do things for her. She is sick of dating men that seem to only care about themselves and their image. She also writes a blog about her dating experiences (and sexual experiences) that has a pretty decent following. Logan is a Sheriff (and Mayor) of a little town in Alaska. He is very involved in his town and genuinely cares about the people that live there. I honestly loved them both!! Valentine made me laugh with a lot of her antics and with just her personality. Logan was just lovably from the get go and I loved how he treated other people. They do run into some issues together but once they actual learn to communicate it all works out. Their chemistry together? Off the charts!! This book was a great read!

Was this review helpful?

I liked this book and most of the characters in it, but wow did I struggle with Valentine for about 95% of it. Her complete lack of empathy and awareness of the feelings of the people around her was mind boggling. Valentine was a “dating columnist” (which is a fancy way to say she went on dates and snarkily blogged about them afterward) who needs a break from the 'meterosexual' men that she finds in New York City so she packs up and flies to Alaska where she proceeds to judge the people around her and then blog openly about the shortcomings of the men who take her on dates. She doesn't have the courtesy to edit out the name of the tiny town she is staying in or change ANY details to protect the men that she's writing about, she just totally violates their trust and then she acts surprised when Logan finds out what she's done and is hurt and angry that she's oversharing about him on her blog. Although I did wind up liking her because she worked so hard to fit into the town and did completely lose her snobby-city-girl persona, but I absolutely hated that she was totally oblivious to the fact that not everyone wants their private lives and intimate information blasted on the internet. And to be honest, I sided with Darla during their cat fights because Valentine was not only very obviously using the men in that tiny town for her own personal entertainment with no intent of starting a relationship with one of them, but we knew that she was then blasting them in her blog just to get kudos and likes. And yet Darla was the one who was supposed to be the evil b$%@h in that fight? Yeah, not so much.

Even though he was one giant romance book stereotype (gorgeous, rugged, super tall, and OF COURSE he has a humongous *ahem*), Logan was also a pretty great character. He was a little rough around the edges, but he wasn't a jerk or bully (aka what most authors would call being an 'alpha' as if that label makes being a total jerk okay) he was just a seriously good small town guy. I loved his interactions with the people in his town because even when he was snarling at Ted, he felt guilty about it and as a reader I just knew he would make amends with his friend because that's the kind of character he was and the kind of love that he has for his little town.

All in all this wasn't the worst book I have ever read, but it wasn't the best either. If you can get past the fact that Valentine and Jeremy are both incredibly shallow and obnoxious in the prologue and first chapter, and Valentine's lack of common courtesy for her blog victims, the story itself is actually okay. East Merritt is a town full of fun characters who have interesting back stories, and watching Valentine often fail at, but never give up on, learning the ways of Alaska was pretty entertaining.

I requested and was graciously granted an ARC via NetGalley and was under no obligation to write this review.

Was this review helpful?

So cute! So sexy! A very enjoyable couple of hours spent reading this one. I even caught myself smiling and laughing. Adorable. Reminding me a little of the Anne Heche tv show, "Men in Trees"

Was this review helpful?

I continue to be astounded how this author can consistently create characters who are so unique, interesting, authentic and likeable. And this book is certainly no exception, I would honestly love to have dinner or a drink with most any of the main characters in this book. They are preople you know, just a little more interesting!
The fact that we get transported to a small, remote village in Alaska creates a great backdrop for this book. It could easily have slipped into a clicheed "city girl meets the wilderness" theme. While that is actually what sets up the story, it is the relationship between Valentine and Logan that drives it. And what a ride.
This author has shown herself to be a master of delightfully readable and well crafted tales. This book is one of the best. I suggest everyone treat themselves to a few days in Alsaka!

Was this review helpful?

****I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.****

I really enjoyed this book. In the beginning I was kinda not sure I would like it. It started out with Valentine being all miss priss and I can't stand the rich girl vibe. But she does something really fun and totally changed my view of her. She moves to Alaska to check out the dating scene there instead of all the metrosexuals in NY she is use to. It's funny and witty. I LOVED Logan!! Poor Val puts herself in some scary and really funny situations. It's kinda insta love, but I am ok with that. This is one of those books you pick up and start reading and your kids are like we are hungry...oh crap I totally lost track of time! Yeah you know the kinda book I am talking about ....the ones you look down and see that you are 80% in and are like noooooo it's almost over!!!! I smiled a lot and made me feel good. I totally could have read more about them, was sad to see it end. I am hoping maybe she will do a spin off and we will get to see and hear from them again.

Was this review helpful?

OMG I'm moving to Alaska, After reading this book I think every women will want an Alaskan man. Witty, funny and a fast read.....I couldn't put it down......another great one by sawyer Bennett.

Was this review helpful?

5 Stars to Sex In The Sticks (Love Hurts #1) by Sawyer Bennet.
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Read: March 27, 2017
POV: First-person dual
Standalone
Series: Love Hurts
Genres: Romance, Erotic

Valentine and Logan.......

What an amazing, fun and sexy read this was! This book was not my first by Sawyer Bennett so I knew I would like it. I didn't just like it, I loved it! Sex In The Sticks had everything I love in a book.

The main characters were very well written and personable. Valentine and Logan were complete opposites. From their way of life to their way of thinking they differed. But from the first moment they met, the sexual tension and scorching chemistry was abundant. And no matter how polite and innocent Valentine and Logan's interactions were, you always felt the chemistry. I actually appreciated that the author made us wait a bit until they acted on their attraction. And that moment was incredible.

Logan is the town sheriff/mayor in New Merritt, a small Alaskan fishing/logging town. I really adored Logan. From the beginning he was easy to like. He was polite, considerate, generous, had a great sense of humor and was a complete gentlemen. But when Logan turns his 'sexy' on, watch out! I was not prepared for how he turned from a gentlemen to an erotic, dirty talking, sex god!

I'd like to introduce you to Logan Burke, my newest book boyfriend. ;)

Valentine was a wealthy woman. With the exception of her non-earning blog, she did not work. She shopped and socialized, but not much else. Despite Valentine being a stereotypical New York City socialite, she was actually a likable character. I didn't find her pretentious or snobbish at all. Yes she expected things a certain way but when she was told otherwise, Valentine accepted the circumstances with class and grace. Did she make poor choices? Unfortunately, yes. But Valentine owned her mistakes; took responsibility for them and tried to make them right.

The blurb does a great job of summing up this book and letting you know why Valentine is in Alaska. That said, I won't repeat anything.

In addition to being entertained, I thought this book was well balance. There was a bit of angst, humor, emotional moments, frightening circumstances, groveling, grand gestures, and steamy, sexy erotic intimacy. I really hated when this book was over.

One more point I'd like to add is how much I loved the secondary characters. Each had their own place in the book; making it even more entertaining.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series which is unrelated and due for a summer release.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this novel via NetGalley. My opinions are honest and unbiased.*

Was this review helpful?

Valentine is fed up with New York metrosexuals and is looking for a real man. She's wealthy and writes a popular column on love and sex mainly to embarrass her highbrow family. When her cousin tells her about a place in Alaska where the women are scarce and the men are men she decides to go on an adventure. Although Alaska is much more primitive than she expected her cousin was right there are a surplus of hot brawny men. Logan the local Police Chief and Mayor is fascinated by Valentine and when they get together sparks fly. Red hot romance!

Was this review helpful?

This book fell a little short for me because of the heroine. I normally love Sawyer Bennett's books esp the hockey series......have read them all! This book is about a blogger going into the Alaskan wilds to compare the "real" men to the metrosexuals in NYC. Valentine came off as entitled, selfish and childish.....even though she is 31. There were parts in the beginning part of the book where the author tries to present Valentine as a more down to earth society heiress because she doesn't care what type of wine she drinks, she writes about sex and ignores her pompous parents. But all of that makes her seem more self-absorbed.
She comes to Alaska to write her blog in secret.....even when she meets an upstanding guy. And that's the part I hate. I can't stand stories where the heroine is a journalistic type and tries to secretly write an expose regardless of the innocent people involved. It is just too conniving esp when hearts and emotions are at stake.
The chemistry between the two were scorching! And by 60-70% of the book Valentine was easier to handle and by the end of the book, I was really glad I read the book! Logan on the other hand was just great! He was definitely an upstanding guy and very real.

Was this review helpful?

I loved Valentine and Logan. Valley as friends and family call her, goes to Alaska to meet and date men, on the advice of her cousin and closest friends Jeremy, because she tired of New York's men. She is a hot commidity there due to shortage of women. She is attracted to Logan, but doesn't know if it is reciprocated, and goes on 2 dates which do not go well. Finds herself in another tragedy, which Logan again saves, and discovers that he is attracted to her, they are combustible together. Series of misunderstandings happen, along with love affair. They do get their HEA, can't wait for next book. Hoping it is April's. Great characters in book!!

Was this review helpful?

4.5 stars!

Love this author to pieces! Great to get away to a different setting and a twist on the friends to lovers. Sexy lead characters. Interesting secondary characters. Great romantic story! I'd go back and visit Alaska anytime with this bunch.

Was this review helpful?