Monday Book Review: TOTALLY FOLKED by Penny Reid

 

About the Book:

One unforgettable night leads to an unlikely shared connection, and unlikely connections never go unnoticed by the good folks in Green Valley, Tennessee. . .

Jackson James follows the rules. He has to. He’s a sheriff’s deputy in a super small town with a super big personality. However, strict adherence to the law during the day has been enjoyably balanced by rakish rules at night. Jackson, typically happy to protect and serve (and serve, and serve), starts questioning the value of wayward evenings when getting laid starts to feel more like being waylaid. Could it be that Green Valley’s most eligible—and notorious—bachelor longs for something (and someone) real?

Mega movie star Raquel Ezra follows only one rule: always leave them wanting more. Studio execs, reporters, audiences, fans, lovers—no one can get enough of the smart, savvy, and sexy bombshell. But when “generous offers” begin to feel more like excessive demands, years of always leaving has the elusive starlet longing for something (and perhaps someone) lasting.

When Raquel abruptly returns to the quirky Tennessee hamlet, her path crosses with the delectable deputy with whom she spent one unforgettable night. Unfortunately, scandal and intrigue soon follow. Raquel and Jackson must decide which is more important: following their rules? Or, at long last, finding something real.

TOTALLY FOLKED is a standalone, contemporary romantic comedy novel and book #1 in the Good Folk: Modern Folktales series.

 

 MY TAKE:

Have you read any Penny Reid books? If not, you need to get acquainted with the wonderful, quirky, smart, comedy-prone, fast-paced, fabulous author and her books.  Her Knitting in the City series is to die for - or at least to curl up on the couch for a weekend and read non-stop, not leaving except maybe to use the bathroom or refill your wine glass. But I absolutely love her Winston Brothers series, which she cleverly spun into a whole universe for other writers to play in. Except I didn't realize she'd reserved some of the characters for herself - but boy, am I glad she did.

Jackson James is a deputy sheriff in Green Valley, with big shoes to fill and big expectations to meet, considering that his daddy's been the sheriff forever. No one expects more out of Jackson than he does of himself, and in the Winston Brothers series he comes off as a bit of an uptight prick, especially when he's trying to arrest the heroes of those books...

Like the rest of the Green Valley stories, TOTALLY FOLKED is told in alternating first person POVs between Jackson and Rae, otherwise known as Raquel Ezra, mega-movie star and Hollywood sex symbol. Which may seem contrived, unless you've read the previous books and know one of the Winston brothers met (and eventually married) a Hollywood star when she was filming on location in the State Park where he was a ranger.

Their love affair is an emotional rollercoaster with so many levels you'll want to flip back to page one as soon as you hit "the end", just to experience the ride all over again. Which you should totally do. Unless you haven't read the other previous books. In that case, you should totally START WITH BOOK ONE AND READ THEM ALL.

You can grab TOTALLY FOLKED on AMAZON