Review: Cheyenne by Jennifer Peel

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

What happens when your motto in life has been to always love yourself more than anyone else could, but then you find someone who does it better? If you’re Cheyenne Fairchild, you do your best to push him away.

Cheyenne’s life has taught her to never depend on anyone, especially men. She’s done her best to keep every relationship short and every man at arm’s length. That is, until the mysterious Aidan Bates moves to town. Not only does he give earth-shattering kisses, but he has the audacity to save her life after a tragic accident. Now Cheyenne can’t stop thinking about him, and it’s driving her crazy. Worse, he won’t stop trying to help her.

While Cheyenne is doing her best to keep Aidan from working his way into her no vacancy heart, she finds herself embroiled in more than one Merryton scandal. One that rocks her best friend’s world and shows what Cheyenne is really made of. And one that she’s created in hopes of deterring Aidan. Unfortunately for her, she finds that it only brings them closer together.

Can Cheyenne let her defenses down long enough to see that Aidan is unlike any other man she has ever known? Or will she cling to the past and the walls she’s carefully constructed around her heart?

My Review

I've been so excited to read Cheyenne's story and see what her point of view would be like! We get to know her in the previous books of the Women of Merryton series, and she is quite a character. Beautiful, blunt, trash-talking, checker-out of baseball players' butts, and loyal friend. She's not close to many, doesn't care what anyone thinks of her, and dates for her own pleasure- but two weeks is her max. I think her friend described her well- she gets away with what normally only men can.

In this book we get to learn about Cheyenne's past and how the reasons for her parents' divorce in her childhood influence her attitude about men, relationships, and marriage. It was funny and also sad to see how she viewed her friends Abby, Jessie, Taylor, and Rachel, and her judgements about their lives and choices. They are a big part of her life and she has unconditional love for them, would do anything for them... within reason, of course- changing diapers is not going to happen ;)

She and Aidan have amazing chemistry, but both fight it and each other. They challenge each other (in serious ways and *hilarious* ways) and reluctantly form a kind of friendship that has nowhere to go but committed relationship- which scares her more than anything. Cheyenne struggles with new vulnerabilities, health challenges, and accepting help (and more) from Aidan. It was fascinating to see how she changes from one extreme to get to the point where she can accept and trust the love Aidan is offering her.  

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

Don't miss the first books in the Women of Merryton series!

Synopsis

Nestled in the picturesque Rocky Mountains, lies the quaint town of Merryton, Colorado. You will never find finer people or better friends. But try keeping a secret in Merryton and you will soon find that the good townspeople are better than any private investigator or undercover journalist. The men and women of Merryton are like living barometers, and when a storm is brewing in the life of one of their own, they are sure to get to the bottom of it--and forecast it on the Merryton grapevine.

Jessie Summers and her husband Blake just haven't connected since their baby was stillborn and they learned that Jessie couldn't have more children. And then Blake drops a bombshell-he fathered a child with Jessie's old roommate when they had broken up briefly.
It was before they married thirteen years ago, but it's still devastating to Jessie, considering she'll never have a child of her own.
But in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty, they discover that Madeline may just be what the doctor ordered to heal their broken hearts and mend their own tattered relationship.

Will they have the courage to look forward and find a greater love than they could ever imagine? Or will past hurts and the town grapevine tear them apart?

Synopsis

Determined not to repeat the same mistakes as her mother, Taylor Cole left her husband with their toddler in tow fourteen years ago and vowed never to return to Merryton. Now she is finally ready to face her demons and put the past and her ex-husband behind her, but to do that she and her daughter must return to the place that haunts her memories. A place where she lost not only the love of her life, but her childhood hopes and dreams.

When they move back, Taylor can’t seem to remain apathetic toward her ex-husband or his nine-year-old daughter. She discovers that maybe all wasn’t as it seemed so many years ago. And maybe—just maybe—she and her ex-husband need each other more now than they ever have before. But can the exes put the past behind them and find a way to forgive each other? Or will they let past mistakes and misunderstandings keep them from future happiness?

Return to Merryton and join Taylor and Easton on their journey, and catch up with old friends you grew to love in Jessie Belle.

Synopsis

Rachel Whitney’s life changed forever when Drew, the son of her twin sister, Sydney, was placed in her arms—and there he stayed. At twenty-two, she had no idea what she was doing, but in that moment, she knew that raising Drew was what she was meant to do with her life.
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Fiercely independent, Rachel makes her own way managing her family's insurance agency. Decidedly against introducing any men into her life, or Drew’s, she protects her heart against all romantic entanglements. But what she didn’t count on was a letter from her sister that leads a famous secret to her door eight years after her sister’s death. A secret with the same eyes as her son’s.
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Desperate not to get the courts involved, Rachel allows Drew’s previously unknown father, Andrew Turner, into their lives, and to her surprise, little by little into her heart. But for Rachel, taking that step could open her family to a firestorm of media attention that not even Merryton can protect them from. Is love worth the risk? Or will Andrew's fame and ambition ruin their chances?