Knotted (Trails of Sin Book 1) ~ Pam Godwin

I try to forget her.

It’s impossible.

Growing up together, Conor and I shared all our firsts.

First love, first kiss, first…

Not all our firsts.

We were sixteen the night she was violently assaulted while I helplessly watched.

I’ll never forget the sounds of her suffering.

Or my inconsolable agony when she left Oklahoma.

Years later, she returns to honor our teenage pact.

Except the boy she loved is gone, replaced by a ruthless cattle rancher knotted with secrets.

She doesn’t know my dark cravings or the trails of sin that lead to her.

I don’t deserve her, but one truth remains.

She’s mine.

 I was gutted at chapter three! I saw that this was a new Pam Godwin book about cowboys, so I signed up. But I wasn't expecting to be  destroyed at the beginning of this book. The journey that Jake and Conor takes is emotional and raw. They have to come back from this dark and twisted place and I wasn't sure they would be able to.

Jake and Conor are so amazing together, yet they were completely ripped apart. They were both destroyed by the tragic event when she was sixteen and then again when she left. Jake continues to break Conor and the only hope she had left of them being...well them. She is strong and resilient, yet has her triggers. Jake knows them and knows her, but Conor can't trust Jake anymore after he wrecked her heart. 

Jake is just trying to put everything back together, but he has to hold all his secrets in until the right time. He has to help Conor heal while dealing with their teenage pact. She's guarded, yet still so in love with Jake. The constant "will they," "won't they" reeks havoc on my insides. Completely angsty and dark, yet totally sexy.  UGH! This book was just so amazing and I cannot wait until the next one.

Endorsed ~ Marni Mann

My client’s younger sister is off-f***ing-limits. 

Getting my first big client signed to the NFL was the second best moment of my life. Escorting his sister back to her hotel was the first. Imagining what she would feel like, look like, taste like—none of it was as good as the real thing.

If her brother found out, it would destroy my career, so I ended things between us.

Eight years later, the girl who got away still owns me.

First I’ll make her forgive me, and then I’m going to make her mine.

He’s owned my body for far too long. 

It’s been years since he’s touched me, and my skin still remembers every brush, stroke, and thrust. I want to forget how good it felt. Almost as much as I want to do it again.

We can’t finish what we started until I make my confession.

I have a secret—and one that wasn’t mine to keep.

Before he can love me, he’ll have to find some way to forgive me. 

 

Samantha and Jack have this explosive chemistry! But she is the baby sister of his client and he's just getting started as an agent. Jack can't screw this up. Yet, he can't step away. Samantha feels this magnetic pull to Jack and after their one night, feels completely shredded that she read him all wrong. 

Fast forward 8 years, these two reconnect and it's like their spark never died. Hesitant as she may be, Samantha still can't deny that her heart belongs to Jack. Jack feels Samantha is the one that got away.  Jack is now ready to go after what he wants, but Samantha isn't ready to just let him back in. There is way more at stake now. 

This is a quick, sweet read. Samantha (great name by the way) and Jack are electric, but stubborn and damaged. Jack leaving her 8 years ago really did some damage. While Jack felt like he was doing the right thing, it had some major repercussions that I didn't think they would over come. I enjoyed the "are they" or "aren't they" going to try, angst, even though I may not have agreed how both of them handled things. The story was quicker than I would have liked, but it was still written well. The characters were relate-able and fun. I am looking forward to the next book in the series (but can be read as a stand alone).