⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5

Joe Rouger is a man who is looking for a woman to complete him and bring him back to life. After 18 years of a loveless marriage and several years on his own he is ready to spend the rest of his life with someone who makes his heartbeat and blood to boil. A chance sighting on vacation with his brother’s family for the July 4th holiday has him thinking he may have found the woman to do this. Little does he know that his life will change once he figures out that the woman he happened to hear and see on that vacation would turn out to not turn his life upside down, but she’d come to be the woman he’s been looking for.

Bernice Armstrong is a woman who has given up on a life of her own. She’s a southern belle who comes from a very rich family in Savannah, Georgia. Her family is like royalty in Savannah. Her daddy feels that he has to protect his family from any outsiders thinking that they are all after his money. Bernice and her sister Eunice decided years ago when they were younger that their lives were better off on their own and out from under the father’s thumb and watchful eye. They may not live under his roof anymore, but that does not keep him from controlling their lives, and that of their niece that they raised after she lost her family in a tragic accident.

I loved this story for so many reasons. One main reason is that this is a story of a mature Alpha man and woman. The main characters, Joe and Bernice are in their 50’s and yet they are able to find love and have a steamy, powerful relationship. Another reason is that Bernice is a sassy, brassy, southern belle. She doesn’t take anyone’s disrespect or crap. She will put anyone in their place if she feels that they deserve it. Even with her upbringing of respecting her elders, she has finally found her voice and the steel she needs to stand up to her father when he tries to run Joe off.

I give this story a 5-star review and recommend it to any reader who is looking for a love story of a mature couple with a side of suspense, and the wild family members who make these characters who they are. You won’t be disappointed. What a sexy cover too!