If you're a fan of snarky, funny banter between your main characters, you will LOVE this book. I read it in one sitting and received lots of laughs and a satisfying Happily Ever After as my reward. It was fantastic.

These two are complete opposites, but complimented each other well. On the outside the H is one person that I personally wasn't a fan of, but once we delved into his character more my appreciation grew. I wasn't a huge fan of Ashlynn because she had to sit on the sidelines in love with Kelly while he played the field. The story was well told, but I wish she had tried to move on from him. It's a sexy, sweet story overall.

This is the 3rd book in the McCullough Mountain series. This was not as good as the first two books. Kelly is the typical womanizer and Ashlynn is the stereotypical tomboy virgin. I thought the author could have broken the mold on these two characters to make them more well rounded and believable. I enjoyed, as always, the catching up with the previous characters in the book. I will read the next book in the series and hope that it will be as good as the first two.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Irish Rogue by Lydia Michaels:

Thanks to NetGalley and Bailey Brown Publishing for letting me read this one in exchange for an honest review.

What I thought about the book:

This is the third book in the McCullough Mountain series.
Here we get to meet the sexy and flirty bar owner Kelly that basically is what you can call a womanizer and daddys little good farmer girl and her name is Ashlynn.

The book contains following themes: high school crush, characters with low self esteem mostly because of how others has and sees them as, lust, some denial, some steamy scenes, marriage and IVF.

I thought this book was good and I liked to get to know Kelly more.
The story was good and it was easy to follow during the reading.
I liked that Lydia Michaels write about how there are other ways to be a parent.

Despite the good themes and that we get know more about Kelly this wasn't my favourite book so far in this series. It was good and I liked it but I can't help but feeling that something was missing or perhaps it could have been the back and forth or other "dates".

I recommend this one if you have read the first two books in the series that is called Almost Priest (my favourite so far) and Beautiful Distraction altough you can read it as a stand alone too but I feel like you would miss out on things then.

I give the book ⭐⭐⭐,5 of 5 stars

Bad boy meets good girl. In this case opposite do attract.

Kelly is a bar owner renowned for his womanising ways. He doesn't commit and enjoys his one night stands.

Ashleigh is the epitome of innocence. She runs a farm shop and lives an isolated and lonely life.

She has always had a crush on Kelly who appears to be unaware of her existence. Until now. She visits his pub on a regular basis and he hardly acknowledges her. She decides to use on line dating and when his friend shows interest, he starts having feelings that he doesn't understand. He has never been in love before and there is this pull and push between them. He becomes very protective of her and a romance in on the cards, but despite projecting being a happy go lucky chap, he has insecurities. This side of him is not apparent, but Ashliegh can actually see his true persona. Can she convince him that he is fine the way he is?

It's a good storyline, but a little long winded. The McCulloughs is a close family and fun to be around. Ashleigh and Kelly are opposite and somehow make a good couple.

I've been making my way through this whole series. I enjoyed Kelly in the other books as the funny carefree player.

Ashlynn makes an appearance in one of these books. I enjoy a good virgin romance with a bad boy - it always has great chemistry and a mix of situations.

However, I found Ashlynn's character a little too typically small down bumpkin who is all about church and starting pure - one who doesn't care about her appearance and is tomboyish. I wish she didn't fit that mold.

meanwhile, Kelly was given a different character behind the carefree bad boy which I wish wasn't the case. I wish his free sexuality wasn't such a big deal for his character

The storyline did interest me and kept me reading I did appreciate the look into pregnancy issues and toxic toxic masculinity. so although I didn't love the character's back stories I did appreciate the direction they went in

Kelly McCullough is definitely a rogue, always getting the girl, yet when Ashlynn Fisher says no, to a casual date, Kelly is confused. Ash is saving herself for marriage yet has loved Kelly since grade school, believing him to be a hero, even when he doesn’t see himself that way. Yet chaste kisses soon become not enough, threatening one of them to go against their ideals.
I found this book to be quite different from many of the contemporary books of late, which are pushing the fake-romance. The notion of someone holding onto their virginity and having her partner respect her choices, was very refreshing. Despite being polar opposites with Ash portrayed as the wallflower and Kelly, as the lothario, together they made it work. Each saw something special in the other, that no-one else had. Whilst Kelly had oodles of charism, his image became something that he could hide behind, so it was lovely to see how Ash saw straight through that and saw him for his true self. A great read!
Whilst this book is one of several in the McCullough family saga, it can be read as a stand-alone story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The virgin trope can sometimes work well, but it requires thoughtful writing regarding the motivation of the characters, otherwise it can be a minefield of gender stereotypes. Kelly is the guy who's slept with everyone in town and Ashlynn, the 24 year old girl (yes, girl) who is developmentally stuck at 16, when she promised her dad to stay a virgin until marriage. Ashlynn is so rigid in her beliefs, so self-righteous, so quick with the whore label for other women and for the guy she supposedly loves, that I couldn't find anything to like about her. The writing style is well-paced, you want to know what happens next, but the characters lacked complexity and I didn't feel any real chemistry between them aside from being told that the player must fall head over heels for the perfectly pure, innocent, naive, childlike girl-woman, who he puts on a pedestal, but repeatedly refers to as "little."

Again, for me I read these books out of order this is the third book. This story is about Kelly the bartender and it turns out to be a really very tender book about two people who fall in love and truly give themselves to each other. When Ashlyn finally gets into his heart, soul, and mind he is determined to make her happy.
This story though also has the throws of the beginning of marriage and how you must work things out as a couple for the marriage to work, or begin to work. Not just one but both. A really good story and not just a happy touchy-feely story, but a story of arguing about picking up clothes, doing the dishes, and why they are not pregnant. There is a lot going on but it is true to life and if you can make it you will last. A very good book.

I am loving the McCullough family and with each book fall harder for each and every one of them. 𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗨𝗘 is Kelly’s story and the sexy bartender does not disappoint.

Kelly is a player, he is in it for a good time not a long time, or so it would seem. There is a lot more to the lady’s man than meets the eye and it takes a very special woman to see past his roguish facade. Ashlynn is an interesting woman. She is independent, strong willed and determined. She is also a grownup tomboy with a strong Catholic faith.

Kelly and Ashlynn are polar opposites and as the saying goes, opposites attract and these two are the embodiment of that. I enjoyed watching them both come to terms with their feelings for each other and overcoming their insecurities to get the happily ever after they deserve.

I’m giving 𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗨𝗘 the judy.ann.loves.books stamp of approval, TBR and Enjoy!