OK, fellas, this will be a short one. Embarrassingly so, since I pride myself on somewhat modestly-sized reviews, but I don’t have much to say on the matter, so…

Phebe Brooks is in a tough spot: not only has she had her heart broken, but her cheating ex is also well on his way on destroying her financially, too. That’s until she manages to fall back in time, and meet sheriff Rafe. He’s got all that she needs in a man, and then some. While they try to stop a great robbery they fall in love – but how long does Phebe have till she returns back to her own time? And how can she keep on living after that, now that she’s tasted what true love is like?

I’m not gonna bitch on the insta-romance thing, or the whole “quick, let’s write down a sex scene because we don’t want to write a big story and the page-count is rolling”. Obviously, this being a short read, a novella, it was bound to be that way – and I was looking forward to some fast and sexy western romance stuff, anyway, so that was considered a bonus. No, my problem was something entirely different, something I must admit I HAVE bitched about before.

The freaking fact this book is a part of a series! Why?! Why not inform the potential reader beforehand? I even checked its Goodreads page – I’ve been burned before, so I’ve learned to double-check these things. But there was no parenthesis, no brackets, nothing that would indicate that this wasn’t a standalone story. (and no, I refuse to check on the whole book list of the author when I want to request an ARC, I’m supposed to be non-biased on this and if I take a peek I’ll lose that – I only check whether something is already part of an ongoing series or not)

The result? A whole bunch of WTAF moments, and questions that were answered by other characters in the most unappreciated of ways. By the time one of the female friends of Ms. Brooks mentioned about her own man coming from the past, it was too late. I instantly got online, checked the author, and lo and behold! Won’t you look at that? A SERIES! How did you miss that, Lydia? Oh, that’s right, you didn’t, it just wasn’t there for you to easily see.

All in all, a fast and hot read, but one that leaves you with a sour aftertaste if you haven’t read the previous ones. So unless you plan on reading them before you get started on this one…. I wish you luck!

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***