Come As You Are

I’m pretty stingy with my five star ratings, but Come As You Are deserves all the stars! Ashley and Madigan’s story is so sweet and endearing and emotional, I loved every bit of it

Beyond excited to read and acquire this title. I love a good redemption story and think this would make a great movie. I love the characters, storyline, and the presentation of the book. Many more thoughts and a full review to come.

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HE'LL WIN HER HEART ONE MIXTAPE AT A TIME.

Ashley Cooke will do just about anything to save her struggling ski hill. When she hires the men from a local sober living home for the season to cut costs, even she thinks she's gone too far. With her credit cards maxed, her cheating ex-husband intent on buying the mountain out from under her, and record-breaking snow in the forecast, she can't afford to be distracted by the six-foot-tall bearded and tattooed sober living home owner moving onto her mountain.

Recovering addict and ex-grunge rocker Matthew Madigan has devoted every minute of the last decade to the men residing at his sober living home. When he meets tightly wound and adorably flustered Ashley, desires he's put on the back burner for years start to simmer. Immune to his infamous albeit rusty charm, Ashley presents a challenge he can't resist. When she offers to give him skiing lessons in exchange for his help training her St. Bernard rescue dog, he jumps at the chance to ride next to her on the chairlift despite his debilitating fear of heights.

During bunny hill shenanigans, chairlift confessions, and steamy cabin serenades, Madigan teaches Ashley that a person's past doesn't define them, and Ashley shows Madigan that the men he helps aren't the only people who deserve a second chance. When sabotage threatens both the men and the mountain, Ashley and Madigan will have to decide if they're only having a winter fling, or if the mountain isn't the only thing worth fighting for.

My first read by this author and I'm already on my Kindle store about to purchase
The 7 Rules of Moving On.

Come As You Are by Jess K Hardy was just as I was anticipating....
Fun. adventurous, emotional, compelling

1. This cover is one of my favs.
2. I couldn't get enough of Ashley and Madigan..... Just hot!
3. I'm so happy to see this is book one in the A Gen X Romance Series'.. gimmie book two please!
4. This was a phenomenal small town romance with two amazing characters.

CAYA is sweet, funny, and so endearing.
I've never rooted for two fictional characters before as much as I did for these two.
Their chemistry was just everything I was hoping it would be.
Hardy is an incredible author who has a magical way of developing characters.
Overall, this was such a perfect read! I loved this from first to last page, and I couldn’t put it down.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Pinkity Publishing,
Thank You for your generosity and approving this eARC!

A gorgeous, low-angst love story with characters that feel real and have fantastic chemistry - my kind of book!

Jess K Hardy delivers a whole lot of butterfly-feelings of falling in love, with some extra sweetness because these two have both been through a lot in their lives already to reach this point. I was rooting for Ashley and Madigan from the beginning and was completely drawn in by their tentative steps towards each other and a relationship.

The dynamics between Ashley and her family and Madigan and his men really add to the love story and the maturity of the characters (both in actual age and in their behaviour) gives their love story a richness and a tenderness that is very touching. Add in the ski hill setting, with the chair lifts over the silent blanket of snow, the cabins in the woods and a cute rescue dog, and this is a feel-good read to restore your faith in love and humanity in general. I enjoyed every minute of it!

First off, I have to say how refreshing it is to read a romance where the characters are my generation. GenX is so often overlooked on the whole, and to read characters who are more like me is so great.

Ashley is a mid-40s single mom, with an overbearing mother, a jerk of an ex and a ski resort in dire need of saving. It's no wonder she's grumpy. Enter early-50s, tatted-up, muscular, former 90s grunge rocker Madigan and the gaggle of guys staying in his sober living home. Utilizing those guys to work at the resort could be the best idea Ashley's mother has ever had - or will it be the worst?

As the days go by, Ashley feels herself drawn to Madigan in strange ways. The guys are hard workers, and everything is going smoothly. But Ashley's yucky ex keeps showing up and trying to ruin everything, her mom does something really really stupid, and something not so great happens with the guys. Can Ashley and Madigan hold it together?

I could not get enough of this book. I didn't want it to end. the chemistry between Ashley and Madigan was *fans self* Being older and more mature, they actually did talk to each other when stuff came up. They worked out issues with each other without letting things get too far out of hand. They may have second guessed themselves, but they honestly were upfront and honest with each other when it really mattered. The sexy times are spicy, and different than any others I've read before. Madigan knows his way around if you know what I mean haha! But he's sweet in all the right ways.

There were so many GenX references. Music, themes, and even an 80s movie villainy vibe off Ashley's ex. I didn't want this book to end. I just felt ... good while I was reading it. Like I felt kinda seen. That's the mark of a great book in my opinion, and I am a huge fan here. I hope we can get more books in this universe. I'd love to see any of the relationships hinted at here in these pages. I hope everyone will give this book a chance. You won't regret it if you read it!

Woohoo!!! A romance where the characters are in my age group! Plus, the talk of boom boxes, mixed tapes, and'80's music put a HUGE smile on my face! Plus, I loved the romance between two people who are essentially starting over, finding their footing, falling in love, and having hot sex!

Ashley Cooke (46 years old) is doing her best to save Bluebird Basin Ski Lodge, the ski hill that her father once owned. Her ex-husband is determined to buy the ski hill from her, but Ashley is determined to save no matter what. When her mother suggest that she hire men from a local sober living home, she begrudgingly decides to meet with the owner as a means of cutting cost. The snow is about to fall, and she needs the ski hill ready.

Matthew Madigan (53 years old) is a silver fox and a former rock star and recovering addict. He is the owner of Little Timber, the sober living home, and is determined to assist the men in getting back on track. He jumps at the chance to get them some work, keep them busy and hopefully see their sense of self-worth and confidence grow.

Ashley and Madigan both thought romance was behind them. That was until they met. Madigan finds the beautiful and flustered Ashley to be attractive. Ashley tries to keep her eyes off the muscle bound, tattooed, bearded man who has charmed her.

We all know where this is going to go. It's all about the journey and what a nostalgic and steamy journey this was. I loved both characters and rooted for them. Both had confidence issues. Ashley's ex-husband cheated on her throughout their 16-year marriage, and it has affected her self-esteem. Madigan's years of addiction and prison time have also left him feeling less than confident. He hasn't had a real relationship with a woman since he has been sober.

Both characters are dealing with real life issues, and I enjoyed how the characters tackled them head on. There are discussions about addiction, grief, divorce, insecurity, intimacy, aging bodies/changing bodies and how it affects sexual performance, relationships, and love.

I smiled throughout this entire book. It was charming, uplifting, and sweet. I love books about starting over, under dogs, falling in love, and finding confidence. I also appreciated how the author showed how addiction affects not just the addict but those in their lives.

Jess K. Hardy came on my radar when I read Missing Charlie. When I was offered the chance to read this book, I jumped at it. I'm so happy I did. As I stated earlier, it was nice to see a book with the main characters being in my age group. Plus, I enjoy the author's writing and characters. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

The only thing missing in this book is John Cusak holding a boom box! Seriously, I loved this book and the '80s references.

Highly recommend!