Undone by Shannon Richard (Country Roads #1)

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publication Date: July 2nd 2013
POV: Alternating - Third-person, Past tense
Smut-O-Meter: 5 out of 10
My Rating: 4 out of 5

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Things Paige Morrison will never understand about Mirabelle, Florida:

Why wearing red shoes makes a girl a harlot
Why a shop would ever sell something called "buck urine"
Why everywhere she goes, she runs into sexy-and infuriating-Brendan King

After losing her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend, Paige has no choice but to leave Philadelphia and move in with her retired parents. For an artsy outsider like Paige, finding her place in the tightly knit town isn't easy-until she meets Brendan, the hot mechanic who's interested in much more than Paige's car. In no time at all, Brendan helps Paige find a new job, new friends, and a happiness she wasn't sure she'd ever feel again. With Brendan by her side, Paige finally feels like she can call Mirabelle home. But when a new bombshell drops, will the couple survive, or will their love come undone?

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This book was super sweet! It was almost an HEA from start to finish. When Paige, a 25 year-old Phillie girl loses her job and her boyfriend in a matter of months, she decides to move to small town Florida where her parents have retired. She has trouble fitting in until she meets 28 year-old Brendan, hot mechanic and shop owner. Things start looking up. Brendan helps get her a new job that she loves, she meets a lot of new friends, and after only a few months they move in together. It was just smooth sailing for these love birds. I have said it a thousand times, but I hate unnecessary conflict in contemporary romances, so this book was really a dream come true for me.

Brendan and Paige had great banter and I really enjoyed both of their POVs. But I think the dialogue was sometimes a bit cheesy. And the fact that they are mature characters made it much more obvious than if this were a YA. But it wasn't enough to disrupt my reading experience. Brendan is the usual, absolutely perfect boyfriend. He never does anything wrong. Paige did get mad at him twice though, but both times were a major overreaction in my opinion. Paige was fun too. Pretty artsy and free-spirited. She was enjoyable but definitely more of a handful than Brendan.

Tragedy does strike the happy couple eventually and it put me in a bit of a rut. I don't like tragedy either. It made me kind of depressed for the rest of the day. It wasn't nearly the saddest thing I have read lately, but I am overly empathetic and sometimes more rubs off on me than I intend to allow. I seem to only have this problem with contemps because it feels more real.

The book ends on a very hopeful note and I am very glad that the series continues with other characters from the small town getting their own HEAs. I look forward to continuing the series.

"You're the warm sheets next to me every morning, and the bright colors in the dryer when we do laundry. You're the toothbrush next to mine on the sink. You're the first sip of coffee in the morning, and the last sip of win at night."