"Leave the Night On"
By Laura Trentham
St. Martin's Paperbacks

Contemporary Romance -- Release Date: August 1, 2017

ReaderToReader review for NetGalley download

Unrequited love can hurt, and no one knows this better than Wyatt Abbott. He's adored Sutton Mize since they were youngsters, but Sutton comes from wealth and high society, whereas Wyatt owns a service station repairing and restoring classic cars with his three brothers. Though Wyatt's pulse races every time he sees Sutton, she is engaged to another, and he realizes he needs to get her out of his heart.

Sutton cares deeply about what others think and only wants to please. The owner of a dress boutique, her biggest dream was to become a designer, but she remained in her hometown or Cottonbloom, MS to be close to her family. Now, about to marry an up-and-coming lawyer, she brings his Camaro to Wyatt to restore as a wedding gift.

Imagine the shock she feels when cleaning out the car she comes across receipts for expensive restaurants, where he has not taken her, and also discovering a pair of sexy panties belonging to none other than her best friend. Shocked and humiliated, she breaks off her engagement and her friendship and makes a pact with Wyatt. If he promises to act as her new lover, she will talk up his expertise to her father's rich friends hoping to revive the somewhat dying garage.

Wyatt is thrilled with the proposition and plans to show Sutton what real love can be. But can she recognize they belong together, especially when he's known to be commitment shy and she's on the rebound?

Steamy and sensual, this fifth novel in the Cottonbloom series digs deep into emotions proving opposites attract.

loved the book

This was the first book I'd read in this series, and my first Laura Trentham book, but it certainly won't be my last. I'm really looking forward to reading the other books in this series now as this was such an easy-reading enjoyable story.

Sutton and Wyatt both live in Cottonbloom, but Sutton on the rich side of the river and Wyatt on the poorer side of the river, and there has always been a them and us split in the town. Wyatt is one of four brothers who run a mechanic shop that is now moving more toward classic car restoration, and Sutton is the daughter of a judge and owns her own womens boutique.

Sutton brings in her fiancees car to be partly restored as a surprise engagement present, and whilst there clearing it out they find a pair of panties belonging to her 'best friend' who it turns out has been having an affair with her fiancee. Suffice to say the engagement is broken off, and the best friend dumped and, to safe face, Sutton impulsively makes up an affair between herself with Wyatt, which then turns into a pretend relationship as Wyatt helps her out, and of course turns into more as Wyatt has had a crush on Sutton since they were children.

This was a real heart-warming, family, small town story with some really great characters. I can't wait to read the rest of the stories for the other brothers now. Very enjoyable.

When she takes her fiance's classic cherry-red Camaro into the local garage and finds her best friend’s thong in it, Sutton Mize, daughter of a local judge, realizes she probably should not be marrying her fiancé Andrew and probably ought to re-look her friendship with the owner of the thong. Enter Wyatt Abbott, one of the four Abbott brothers who owns and works at the garage, who has had a crush on Sutton forever, to help her pick up the pieces. Together, Sutton and Wyatt devise a scheme to get back at Andrew and Sutton’s friend. They decide to “pretend” to be in a relationship for several weeks so it will look like Andrew wasn’t the only one in the relationship who strayed. However, what begins as a pay-back soon turns into something neither Sutton nor Wyatt can control as easily as they thought, while they each face facts they have been holding back while learning what truly is important to each other.

This is a cute but very predicable romance. Together, Sutton and Wyatt have incredible chemistry from the start. It was interesting to watch how each of them handled their agreement to the “phony” romance and to see how long it took for them to realize just how phony it was. It was also interesting to watch how everyone around them reacted to their newfound romance. This definitely gave a good picture of a town divided by lines of wealth, of have and have-nots. One thing I did not particularly like, however, was the way Sutton initially sort of held Wyatt off because, I thought, she knew he came from the “wrong side of the tracks” and was not part of her group. I realize this is realistic, but I still did not like it. The characters were developed, the story flowed well, the setting was well done. Nevertheless, there was not much of a plot, which was almost a given from the very beginning. This is a nice romance for a reader looking for one. There was not a lot of angst or mystery involved. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

I liked the story very much. It was a different than usual side of a typical southern story of America. The characters were relaxed, fun and not sassy or over the top like they sometime are in stories from South of America. Wyatt and Sutton were hot, fun, flirty and made sense togehter.

I loved this!! I haven't read the previous books in this series (something I'll be rectifying in the very near future!) but that in no way affected my enjoyment of this story. The writing was sharp and (as I've previously noted about Trentham) she effortlessly writes about small town Southern life with both affection and good humour. The characters were wonderful as well, and fingers crossed we'll be getting the other Abbott brothers stories in future books. I loved the humour and the heartbreak of the plot. Both of the main characters have been horribly hurt and it's only when they find one another and begin to trust that they truly start to heal.

All in all an amazing story and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend!

*ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review*

Leave the Night on by Laura Trentham is just as good if not better than her other books in the Cottonbloom Series. This book is about Sutton Mize and Wyatt Abbott.
Cottonbloom is separated by the river, with one half in the state of Mississippi and the other half becoming a parish in the state of Louisiana. The people living on the Mississippi side are referred to as “Sips” and considered to be the higher class side. The side of Cottonbloom that is in Louisiana they are referred to as River Rats and that side is the poorer, working class side
Sutton Mize is from the Mississippi side and her father is a Judge. Sutton is engaged to an attorney named Andrew Tarwater. Suttons father and Andrews father thought a restored Camaro Convertible would be a great engagement present. So Sutton takes the car to the Abbott Garage that Wyatt and his three brothers run since their Dad passed about a year ago. Wyatt helps Sutton clean out the car and as they are doing so they find receipts for expensive dinners and lacy black thongs with a red heart on them. Sutton recognizes the thongs not because they are hers but her best friends because she special ordered them for her from her boutique. Sutton starts to freak because her best friend who the black undies belong to is there to pick her up. Wyatt tells Sutton to go to the barn and he will get rid of Bree. After Bree leaves Sutton and Wyatt talk and catch up. They knew each other when they were younger and what Sutton took as Wyatt being mean to her was Wyatt actually having a crush on her.
Wyatt takes Sutton home at tells her to not let her cheating fiancé and friend run over her. Later that evening Andrew and Bree come over together. When Sutton calls them out Andrew says it meant nothing and he wanted to still be with Sutton. While Bree says she is in love with Andrew and is pretty rude to Sutton. So Sutton tells them she really doesn’t care because she knew what they were doing and she has been seeing Wyatt Abbott (which is a big lie). Andrew tells her that he doesn’t believe her and that he won’t give up on their relationship.
Sutton calls Wyatt that evening and asks him to come over. Once Wyatt gets to her house she explains what she has done. Sutton apologizes because she doesn’t want to cast him in a bad light. Wyatt explains he could care less and tells her he is just glad she stood up for herself and didn’t let Bree and Andrew run her over. So Wyatt and Sutton make a deal that they will pretend date until a Gala that will be held in three weeks.
During the three weeks that they date you learn so much about Wyatt and Sutton. Wyatt is so sweet and truly cares about Sutton. Sutton is also very sweet but is known to do what everyone expects of her. Since she has been with Wyatt she finds more of a backbone and stands up for herself. Also Wyatt’s family dynamic is awesome. I loved this book, it had dual POV, just the right amount of sexiness and romance. I also hope we get Wyatts brothers stories.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

Swoon! Leave the Night on is a superb little romance that touched my heart in so many ways! I have read a few of the authors previous novels and adored those as well, but this one had so many "feels" I could hardly stand it! What I specifically loved is that even though the couple didn't expect to find true love, they did. Sure we as romance readers expect this, but it's HOW they get their that makes us come back for more!

Recommended Read

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.

A real enjoyable novel set in the South with some great characters. I liked the chemistry between the unlikely couple and the hero, Wyatt is the perfect man -sexy, kind and a bit of a bad boy who owns a garage with his brothers. Whilst Sutton is a good girl from a very nice family. Together they are sweet and combustible.

Whilst it was predictable, I enjoyed the writing style.

Sounds like New York and New Jersey.

You know what happens when you assume, Wyatt.

Poor woman. At least she found out before the wedding?

Those two deserve each other.

Where is his mom? He hasn't mentioned her.

Andrew manscapes? Ew.

Bree, if he cheated on her, what makes you think he won't cheat on you?

Ford sounds like a donkey.

Take that, Bree!

What, are these two idiots a tag-team or something? She leaves, he shows up five seconds later.

A veggie pizza? Andrew should be shot for that alone.

Ford was and still is a bastard.

Their father should have kept at least a few pictures of their mom. For his kids.

They're both kind of touchy.

I think I'd like Maggie.

That's a shoddy lesson for her mother to teach her daughters.

She's a funny drunk.

Candy and popcorn? Hmm, I guess it's like kettlecorn.

Mack 1, Ford 0.

It sounds like Jackson has a crush on Willa.

She believes that turd over Wyatt?

Haha, yeah, they so can't tell their future kids the truth about how they met. Although technically that was the second time.

Oh, man. Poor guy! Nerves will do that.

Nice set-up for future books.

I loved this book it was the second one that I have read by Laura Trentham. I was not disappointed, this book had it all. Sutton Mize is known for lavishing attention on the customers who flock to her boutique on the wealthy side of her Mississippi town. Wyatt Abbott has harbored a crush on Sutton since he was a young kid. So what happens you will not want to miss what does. I love her writing style and cant wait to read more in the future.

I am a massive fan of Ms Trentham, and have read and loved all the cottenbloom novels. This is book 4, and it introduces us to the Abbott family, mainly Wyatt who loves restoring and fixing up old cars, has a bit of a reputation of being a 'Love Em and Leave Them' type, but under his bravado, he's a bit loss and lonely. When old crush Sutton brings in a car to fix up for her fiancé, he is reminded of his feelings for her and after she finds evidence of her fiancé cheating on her with her best friend, he's happy to give his friendship and support.

Sutton has always tried to do what is expected of her, even marry a man she's not sure she loves. In a moment of madness, she tells her ex she was seeing someone else...yep Wyatt.

What starts as a pretend relationship develops into so much more, but with the cultural divide in Cottonbloom, old fears and resentments, as well as other factors....the two of them are never quite sure of where they stand with each other. Trentham is brilliant at creating characters that you care about, she gives them so much depth that you can't wait to get the end to see how it ends, plus it's wonderful catching up with new friends and meeting characters that will be featured in the future

5*****