Who would have thought that a New York City Socialite would have to go all the way to East Merritt, Alaska, to experience a “different” kind of man - one who isn’t self-absorbed and solely concerned with “getting” his.

But after getting to know Valentine French a little better and realizing that she tends to march to the beat of her own drum, it’s easy to see that she has the means, the determination, and the passion for men, dating, and good sex to head into the Alaskan wilderness totally unprepared but nonetheless thrilled with the endless possibilities when it comes to the manly men East Merritt has to offer.

Valentine’s Alaskan experience is actually a social dating experiment - one that allows her to choose from a bounty of “real” men and share the play-by-play of her dates with the loyal readers of her sex advice column - Valentine’s Couch.

But never in Valentine’s wildest dreams did she think she’d find everything she wasn’t looking for in Logan Burke - the chief of police and one heck of a good looking, funny, honest, and caring man.

Valentine’s new writing muse is a quaint town full of unique and charming characters - ones who help her to experience everything that Alaska has to offer including what it takes to become an Alaskan Wilderness woman, and despite Val’s big city attitude, outfits, and sophistication, she seems to find her footing in this working town and ends up redefining what she wants from life and what she’s willing to share not only with her readers but also with the man who seems to constantly rescue her as well as treat her like she’s the most important person in his life.

Logan and Valentine connect right from their initial interaction and the easy banter and openness between them is definitely something that grows as they spend more time together and figure out exactly what they want to happen between them. Logan and Val definitely complement each other in significant ways - one being their willingness to try new things when it comes to sex and their sexual adventures clearly show the trust they have in one another even though they’ve only known each other for a few weeks.

Sex in the Sticks has low angst, high steam, and entertaining hijinks, and while readers will easily guess the potential problems that become points of contention for this couple who has lived quite the opposite lifestyles, it’s made quite clear that what Logan and Val are building is a relationship unlike any either has ever had and as long as they take two seconds to think things through and see the big picture, their misunderstandings and nondisclosure of pertinent details won’t destroy their feelings for one another or the hope that Val’s social dating experiment actually becomes her reality.

4 Poison Apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)

SEX IN THE STICKS is the first installment in Sawyer Bennett’s contemporary, adult LOVE HURTS erotic, romance series. This is thirty one year old New Yorker/ dating columnist Valentine French, and thirty seven year old East Merritt, Alaska’s mayor and police chief Logan Burke’s story line.

Told from dual first person points of view (Logan and Valentine) SEX IN THE STICKS follows disgruntled socialite and dating blogger Valentine French as she heads to the wilds of Ketchikan, Alaska in search of inspiration, something different and love. Enter East Merritt’s police chief and mayor, former Marine Logan Burke, and the man with whom Valentine will fall in love. What ensues is the building relationship and love between Valentine and Logan, and the fall out when Logan discovers the truth about Valentine’s visit to the great Alaskan wilderness.

Valentine French is a trust fund baby who spends her time shopping and blogging about her dating experiences in New York City (ala Sex in the City style) but our heroine is frustrated with the selection of ‘metrosexual ‘ men in the Big Apple, and struggles with the same old-same old dates night after night. When her equally metrosexual New York cousin Jeremy suggests spreading her wings and venturing to Alaska where the men outnumber the women fifteen to one Valentine jumps at the chance to try something new never expecting to fall in love with the town’s chief of police.

Logan Burke is a former Marine who found his place in East Merritt, Alaska and like most of the men struggles to find the one woman that calls to his heart. When feisty, New Yorker Valentine French drops into his quiet, podunk town, every man wants the woman that calls to Logan’s heart.

The relationship between Logan and Valentine is one of immediate attraction. Valentine finds herself in some awkward circumstances including drunken table-top dancing, and in need of rescuing on more than one occasion as she unsuccessfully navigates through East Merritt, Alaska. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense. Logan likes to talk dirty in the bedroom.

We are introduced to several locals including boarding house owner Sarah Billiott, and her adult daughter April; waitress and trouble maker Darla; The Wounded Caribou owner and former professional baseball player Ted Dawson, and a large assortment of men all vying for our heroine’s affections. With a limited number of women in East Merritt, Alaska, Valentine becomes the center of attention, and the recipient of some unwanted hostility.

SEX IN THE STICKS is a story with humor, fun, heartbreak and romance. The premise is lighthearted and moving; the characters are colorful, realistic and energetic; the romance is captivating and passionate. Sawyer Bennett’s SEX IN THE STICKS will intoxicate and fascinate romance readers with her new series.

Copy supplied for review

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Sex In the Sticks by Sawyer Bennett was incredible!

Every single book this author has written has instantly become some of my favourites. This book is definitely of those.

Val and Logan are one of my favourite Saweyer Bennett pairings. To me, they seemed to fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Yes, on the outside they may appear quite the opposite from each other, however, as you keep reading, you realize that they are actually quite similar.

I highly encourage everyone to go and pick up Sex in The Sticks today! You will definitely want to read this novel!

5/5 Stars!

Seeking to find a man in a state of Alaska that is totally is out of place from New York is one that Valentine French is experimenting for all to read in her blog. What she least expected was the many encounters of the insanely hot Chief Logan Burke. A man of many roles who is well known around town and one that seems to be the only one giving her the feels she has not had from another. This is a story of exploring the different types of fish in the sea and in turn also finding more of herself.

The start of this series was just ok to me. Finding love in a place you least expected has it challenges and had pushed Valentine to being open minded in living in a place where everyone works hard and has survival skills she has no real use for in the East Coast. Vice versa, Logan sees a fashionable woman so out of place but something about her has him constantly drawn to her.

The story was a bit predictable but the determination to win each other when one was in the wronged was a plus for me. To add, the sparks between the chief of police and the columnist was off the charts in more ways than than just the physical. You cannot helped but be swooned by Logan just by his many gentleman like actions.

This latest release from Sawyer Bennett’s new Series Love Hurts, is a short, sweet, sassy, sexy, and sometimes funny read. This is one of those books you have to take at face value, and not think it’s going to blow your mind like The Hard Truth About Sunshine, or fire your panties up like the Wicked Horse series. If this is your first time picking up Sawyer Bennett, then this is for you. It’s just a cute little love story, placed in a smaller than small Alaskan town. Valentine. a big NYC blogger, comes to Alaska to write a blog series on Alaskan men and how they measure up again their NYC counterparts. Arriving by boat to this small town, with no car service, she meets and is instantly smitten with the local Sheriff, Logan. Of course Logan is interested, but so is half of the town, and he needs to play it cool/safe, and just be her friend. But of course, we all know how that works out in these books. *wink wink*

I will read anything Sawyer writes, and it’s a great premise. Here’s where I had trouble. Valentine’s personality is very BIG, and I often have issues with these characters that are over the top. As I got into the book, I felt like she relaxed a little into the quiet life in a small town. She did chill out a little, but that wide eyed city girl routine only takes you so far, after you’ve been in town for a couple of weeks. I liked Logan, single Sheriff, Mayor of the town, basically in charge of it all. He’s quiet observance of Valentine in the wild, is funny and kind of cute. I was really getting into this story and feeling pretty good about it..until something happened in the storyline, that made me so I had to put the book down for 24 hours to get over myself. I am not going to spoil it, but it just hit me wrong in my book heart. My faith in Sawyer and her story telling ability, made me move on, and I wasn’t sorry I did.

This is not a complicated web of feels, it’s just a cute, feel good book. The reader gets their HEA, and we see Logan and Valentine head off into the deep of blue of Alaska together. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a no brainer, sweet and simple love story between two opposites. I will say this though, if you have read a lot of Sawyer Bennett’s books this might be a miss for you. She has set the bar pretty high with her other books/series. I liked it, but I didn’t LOVE it.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Talk about being out of element, Valentine French has grown tired of the New York dating scene and when her cousin suggests a new locale she travels to Alaska to find her guy. Bringing her whole arsenal of things. Think Carrie Bradshaw in the wilderness. Only she's out of her depth and knows it but she's optimistic in exploring a new dating scene.

Valentine is pretty much my total opposite in all aspects except her anti high society part. Which is ironic since she is total city girl and a high maintenance one at that. She may not be the type of person I'd hang with but she has heart. Logan moved to the outskirts to be more solitary. He enjoys his job and life, settled where he is. As a cop helping others he does it well when he he comes to Valentine's rescue. Definitely different from all the metrosexuals and a more solid guy. Clearly these two are opposites.

This started slow for me but picked up halfway. I wasn't a fan of Valentine's being judgy through her blog the way she acted around town. I felt like there would be a proper way to do without disclosing everything and being snippy with her words. I've seen articles with snark to make it more readable and gain audience but these are actual people who are nice. I would be upset to to find out about it especially if I was the guy she was seeing. That said they did have their moments together I liked.

Alaska is not the typical setting but has appeal for me anyway. That was an upside for me. The premise behind was cute and charming but I grew tired after a few blog entries. It's probably just the heroine that bugged me the most. A pretty ok start to new series by Sawyer Bennett it had cute and good moments. With quite interesting secondary characters and entertaining times in between.

The best way to describe Sex In The Sticks is that it is a combination of the T.V. shows Sex In The City and Men In Trees, both shows I loved back in the day by the way. I LOVED Sex In The Sticks. It was the perfect combination of self-discovery, sweet, sexy, funny and romance. Now I grew up a tomboy but my daughter is a girlie girl and when I was reading certain things that happened to Valentine, I pictured my daughter and this will make me a bad mommy but I laughed. I love the woods and wilderness, well minus snakes, but my daughter is your princess drama queen to put it mildly.

Valentine is a city girl, she is rich and lives in NYC, she ends up in Alaska after deciding the men in NY weren’t making the cut. So she goes to Alaska and from the very start she realizes things are way different than what she is used to. The Sheriff, Logan, helps her out more than once and a friendship between them begins to form and the sexual chemistry could set off explosions for miles if lit. Logan doesn’t want to just be a conquest for Valentine, he wants her as his but mix ups, his hot headed temper and stubbornness almost ruin it for good. Now Valentine isn’t innocent either but I wanted to beat Logan a couple of times throughout the book.

Sex In The Sticks is the first book in this series and for me it was the perfect set up. I laughed more than once, my heart would hurt at other times, but the main thing is I just didn’t want to put this one down. I love Sawyer Bennett as an author and am excited to read more of this series because I have a feeling this is going to be one I read again and again and again!

What a treat! I absolutely loved this book!

Valentine is rich and runs a dating blog to keep herself busy. She has discussed with her audience all sorts of intimate things regarding dating. As she expands her horizons by going to a small town in Alaska to compare dating in New York City with Alaskan hunks, she changes her destiny when she meets Logan, chief of police extraordinaire!

Logan is everything you would want in a man... except his temper. He does get upset and goes ballistic without listening to the reasons behind what is happening. On his behalf, I have to say the man has never been in a real relationship. He avoids complications and entanglements. Needless to say, Valentine is one complication he never saw coming.

Their love runs hot and heavy. They are both so independent and avoiding entanglements. Only a love affair like theirs can survive the wilds of Alaska!

I am voluntarily reviewing this book. It is an awesome story! Thank you to the author for sharing a copy.
1 like

I really liked this! It was light and funny and the scenes between Logan and Valentine were steamy :) I do think Logan was a bit harsh to Val there towards the end. I get why he reacted that way, but he was jerky. Otherwise, he would have been a perfect book boyfriend. The secondary cast of characters were awesome and I can see quite a few books coming in the future for this series. I'll be looking forward to them.

*thanks to InkSlinger PR for sharing a copy of this with me*

4 Stars

It's been a while since I've read one of Sawyer Bennett's books, but I'm so glad I picked this one to get me back into her books. This is Sawyer at her best, with a hot, swoon worthy hero who is an Alaskan, mountain man cop, and a New York socialite who is in need of a real man, not a stuck up suit that New York tends to offer.
When we first meet Valentine, my first thought is that she's going to be one of those stuck up socialites. She is anything but, yes she has money and is used to the finer things in life, but she also has a kind heart. The reason for the sudden trip to Alaska is to help with Valentine's blog. She wants to find a real mountain man and see if there is a difference between them and New York's men that's when she meets Logan.
Logan is the sheriff and one hell of a mountain man. When we first meet him, you can't help but swoon! He's every bit the alpha mountain man, and a complete sweetheart! Every time Valentine and Logan are near each other the chemistry between them is sizzling. You don't get much drama in the book, which was actually nice for a change, plenty of laughs and if you're a sap like me, maybe a couple of tears as well. Another great read from Sawyer and I can't wait to see what will happen in the next book of this new series!

I haven't read many books by Sawyer Bennett but so far whatever I have read was so good.This one isn't an exception!

Sex in the Sticks is a lightning,refreshing and sexy story!I have a smile all the time while I was reading it!The beginning was a little bit slow but overall I enjoyed everything about it!

Logan is a sexy alpha male with a dirty mouth!Val is perfect,I enjoyed her more than I expected!

If you are looking for a fast paced and entertaining read this is perfect!

Oh my goodness--LOVED!

Valentine French is about as fish-out-of-water as a heroine can get--and yes, we've seen the whole socialite stuck in the wilds bit before, but somehow here Ms. Bennett made it feel new and fresh again. There were so many LOL moments, so many awwwwwwww moments (seriously, how many warm coats does Logan own? Totally not complaining, though, because...So. Sweet.), and so many [fans self] moments...I need more from this series. Like, yesterday!

I'll admit Val was a bit much while in NYC, but fortunately she didn't stay there long enough for me to give up on her, and then Alaska managed to work its magic on her. Well, Alaska and Logan. ;)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I love Sawyer Bennett but I found the heroine in this story completely unlikable and it ruined the story for me. Of course it was well written and the plot engaging and fun but I just couldn't do anything about the main character. So oblivious to her actions and how they could hurt others and then BAM she dos a one-eighty almost overnight.
Overall the story was good and I enjoyed it as much as I could given my feelings.

4 Alaskan CROWNS

Sawyer Bennett’s first book in the Love Hurts series is everything readers have come to expect from her books, lovable characters, entertaining stories, and steamy chemistry.

Val and Logan are from opposite sides of the track. Logan is the Alaskan Chief of the town, is knowledgeable in all things related to the wilderness, and is caring, even for NY outsiders. His kindness continuously puts him in the path of Val, and with each encounter, their chemistry grows until it explodes one steamy morning. Logan’s counterpart, Val, is everything he isn’t. She is pampered and rich, and she has zero ability to survive in the wilderness. Like Logan, readers will love her tenacity to acclimate to this new town and the people in it. And while she writes about her experiences without the knowledge of the town, it is never down in a malicious way, and once she becomes invested her choices and decisions change, making what she does at the beginning forgivable.

The chemistry between these two is great. The way he takes care of her, the way she embraces the new lifestyle, and how the come together make this story more than just a lust driven story. Don’t worry, though, in true Sawyer Bennett fashion, the intimate scenes between the two are HOT!! She never disappoints in this area.

Readers are going to really enjoy this new town Ms. Bennett has created. It is filled with quirky and endearing characters who I cannot wait to read more about, and it has that home town feel that small town romance lovers will appreciate. Additionally, the author provides the perfect balance of emotional and physical intimacy to make their relationship authentic, yet sizzling. The conflict of the story is one that readers will see coming, but readers are going to enjoy how Val handles it and the resolution of the story.

Sawyer Bennett has created another world that I cannot wait to visit again. It will be exciting to see who the next story is about, revisit Logan and Val, and to see how this little town is going to change as the series unfolds. It is certainly another book worthy of one-clicking.

Valentine French is a rich, New York socialite who is tired of dating the metrosexual males who are more concerned about themselves than the people around them. Her cousin suggests trying something new, and she ends up in Alaska. The scenery is different, the people are different, the way of life is different. But, in this new experience is Logan Burke, resident police chief/mayor/savior/sexy man.

Their relationship development was so cute and sweet and I loved the characters. Of course, nothing is easy and perfect so their relationship is tested. Can they overcome their differences? Super sweet, sexy, addictive read!!

I love Sawyer Bennett book! They tend to be gritty, thrilling and you can't help but fall in love with the leading characters and be invested with them from the get go. But Sex in the Sticks is a different sort of a tone, than the Sawyer Bennett books I have read in the past; they are light hearted and sweet.

The main character Valentine is a wealthy high profile blogger on the lookout for love with a real "man", she was sick of all the metro-sexual men that New York City has to offer, so of all places she could have gone to (and trust me I could name a few), she goes to Alaska! I just had no strong connection with Valentine, and that really detracted, from the book for me. Now don't get me wrong, Valentine is a sweet character, but I just found her unrealistic. Logan on the other hand, was totally believable and (in my head) totally delicious! His only downside, is he can hold a grudge…FOREVER!!!!

Overall I liked the book, but it didn't WOW me like the authors books normally does. And even though I personally struggled with 1 one the characters, I did enjoy all of the rest of the characters.

I give Sex in the Sticks 4 stars.

This ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

I'll admit that the primary reason I wanted to read this was the Alaskan setting. I'm an Alaskan, born and bred, and I like to see what writers do with the setting here. And by here, recognizing that the state is huge and the different regions vary greatly.

So, on that point, I was very pleasantly surprised. I've lived in SE Alaska, so I'm familiar with the climate, small town AK life, and all of that. It was pretty dead-on with the details with one small exception, but I'm willing to give Bennett a pass for not knowing that there aren't moose in SE AK except in some areas on the mainland. The very smallest of quibbles, so this aspect gets a 5-star rating for me.

The main characters, however, I don't rate as highly. Val was not discreet at all when blogging about her adventures, and combined with her stereotypical NYC rich girl persona, it made her harder to like. Logan was a bit better, but to be honest, I preferred the secondary characters.

The sex scenes were supposed to be hot, and maybe they were for some readers, but I felt like something was missing. Definitely I could have used a stronger emotional connection between Val and Logan, but also the way it was described seemed a little cold for me, a little too much tab A/slot B.

This was my first Sawyer Bennett title, and I'm willing to try more just to see if she does any better with the characterization and sex scenes. Overall, it was just okay for me.

First, it really bothers me when the cover does not match the male character’s description in the book. The book says “…his dark, almost black, hair..curls over the tops of his ears and hangs halfway down his neck in a shaggy mess…doesn’t look like he’s shaved in days.” He’s also supposed to be 37. The cover is not even close! There’s no way cover dude is past mid 20s. And what the hell is he holding in his hand?!

Valentine French comes from wealth, and is a trust fund girl without a paying job. This is tossed in our face frequently. She only writes her blog to embarrass her family. I almost stopped reading before I even got through the prologue. I disliked Valentine from the beginning. She is supposed to be 31 and graduated from Columbia, yet she comes across as immature and dumb for the entire book. She’s extremely self-centered.

Logan is former military police, Seattle PD, now Chief of police and Mayor of this small Alaskan town. I initially liked his character but soon didn’t. He totally blew that whole blog thing out of proportion and really treated her like crap over it.

The plot was predictable and the sex scenes were almost laughable in some spots. Yeah, we get it, he was huge and she had awesome oral skills. I actually skimmed parts of these scenes they were so bad and rolled my eyes and shook my head during others.

I have read other books by this author that I have enjoyed. This was a big miss for me.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley.

Rich socialite blogger Valentine French has had enough of metrosexual men who are only interested in their jobs and their cell phones and how they look. So she takes to the woods of Alaska on a friends recommendation to see how "real" mean live.

She's immediately inundated with dates as there is a disparity in the women to men ratio in the little town of East Merritt. The women hate her because she's got all the guys in her thrall, but the only one that is really gets her interest is Logan Burke, the sheriff.

It takes a almost disaster in the woods for the two of them to hook up, but when they do --it's hot and very "mouthy". It all has Valentine thinking she might stay in Alaska for a while, until a secret is revealed and everything just goes south.

I really enjoyed this story. It was fun and light-hearted. Even though Valentine had plenty of money, she wasn't uppity or condescending to the people in the little town when she easily could have been. And Logan was very manly and he knew his way around a woman. These two definitely fit together, in spite of it looking like they shouldn't, and I loved how everything got resolved in the end.

So if you are looking for a sweet, light, opposites-attract sort of romance, you might like Sex In The Sticks.

ARC provided for review.

Reading the first couple of chapters I wasn't sure if this one would be for me - however, once Valentine left Manhattan she became a much more likable character! Funny rom-com like situations and insert a hunky Sheriff/Mayor in Logan made this a great story and an enjoyable read.

Solid 4 star romance with no cheating or OW drama. Just slightly over the top characters and situations that made me smile and hope for a HEA! Oh, and it was HOT too :-)

Recommend.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book via NetGalley.