The Bluff

Title: The Bluff

Series: Graham Brothers #2

Author: Emma St. Clair

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Humor

Publisher: Emma St. Clair

Source: author provided ecopy, own paperback copy

My review:

Emma St. Clair has done it again. Done what, you might ask?

She has given me another great book to gush about. The Bluff is just as good as The Buy-In, if not better!  While The Bluff could be read as a standalone novel, I HIGHLY recommend reading The Buy-In first.

Who wears high heels on a street with more potholes than pavement, anyway? SHE does.

Before starting The Bluff, I reread The Buy-In, which was highly satisfying. The Bluff starts where the Buy-In leaves off. I think when the final book comes out (The Pocket Pair), I will reread both books before diving into the third. Yes, I love the first two books that much!! I am not much of a re-reader, which really tells you something about these books!

You're the living embodiment of a fictional bad boy, ready to steal hearts and make ovaries explode.

One of the things I love about this series is that we get to see the main characters in all the books, but then they shine in their starring roles. The Bluff features James Graham, the grumpy boss, and Winnie Boyd, the sassy heroine who likes to play it safe. The only problem? James is anything but safe.

A woman in jeans shouldn't be any man's Kryptonite.

There is so much to love about this story. The chemistry between Winnie and James when they start to work together, Winnie pushing all of James' buttons, their text messages, and their witty banter. Their love/hate relationship had the perfect tension, expertly written.

Whirling on James, I give his impressive chest a shove, which moves him exactly nowhere. Because he's a Marvel superhero, not a mortal man.

While there are many swoon-worthy moments and lots of humorous scenes, there are also moments that will pull on your heartstrings. I loved everything about this story. This is a small-town, closed door romance. I can't wait to read Chevy and Val's story!!!

Thank you to the author for providing an ARC of the book (which I didn't read because I needed to read it in paperback form 😂). I was not required to provide a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

★★★★★/5

Synopsis: 

I won't be winning any employee of the year awards. But only because my boss is the grumpy boss to end all grumpy bosses. Did I mention he doesn't trust me to do my job?

Challenge accepted.

Not only am I going to help James launch a successful brewery, but I'm going to find out what makes him tick ... and what makes him go boom.

All this has nothing to do with the fact that the man is unbearably, unfairly, unignorably (is that a word?) attractive. Or that he lost his mom when he was young, same as me.

The more he pushes me away, the more I'm pulled into his orbit. It's a battle of stubborn wills, and I don't plan to concede anytime soon.

Except the more time I spend around James Graham, the more I start to lose the one thing I refuse to give to any man ... my heart.

The Bluff is an enemies to lovers, grumpy boss rom-com set in the fictional small town of Sheet Cake Texas. You'll find plenty of laughs and sizzling chemistry in this closed door romantic comedy. It's the second in a series, but can be read as a standalone.