Tess in Boots by Courtney Rice Gager

Synopsis:

Tess Dougherty plans every aspect of her life right down to the last detail. But she doesn’t plan on running her boyfriend off by bringing up the topic of marriage before he’s ready. And she doesn’t plan to lose her job on the day she’s set to receive a huge promotion. So when her perfect world unravels, Tess makes a new plan: disappear.

Tess packs her bags and leaves her city apartment for a remote vineyard in North Carolina. At first, she’s put off by the slow pace of small-town life in the South. She’s especially irritated by Thatcher, the vineyard’s smart-mouth, dimple-faced farmhand. But she soon begins to appreciate the area’s charm, and Thatcher’s charm, too. She even swaps her trademark heels for a pair of cowboy boots. As Tess spends more time getting to know Thatcher, she finds herself loosening her grip on her old life little by little. Unfortunately, things on the vineyard aren’t as simple as they seem. There’s a secret here, and when the truth comes to light, Tess is forced to reconsider every plan she’s ever made.


My Review: 3.5 Stars

Let me start out by saying I know there are a lot of people who are going to disagree with my rating on Tess in Boots and that is totally fine. I really, really wanted to love this book because so many of my friends have read it and absolutely loved it! But alas... there were just a few things that kept me from really loving this book.

Tess has to have every aspect of her life planned out. She is overly organized and everything has to be perfect. When her longtime, non-spontaneous boyfriend, Logan, calls in the middle of the day to say they are going to go out to dinner she just KNOWS he's going to propose to her! But when he presents her with a "congratulations on your promotion" cake, Tess ends up giving him an ultimatum... propose by the end of the summer or we're over. Logan shuts down and says "we'll discuss this later" and takes her home. The next day he leaves for his business trip without another word to Tess.

While Tess is trying to deal with the aftermath of her non-proposal/ultimatum, she gets thrown into another loop. The promotion she was supposed to get will not happen. In fact, she ends up losing her job! She decided it's time to disappear and the answer comes in the form of her twin brother, Jake, who's wife has just inherited a Vineyard from her Uncle Carl. They are in need of a Marketing Director to get the Vineyard back up, running and turning a profit.

Soon after arriving at Carl's place Tess meets Thatcher. She tries her best to stay away from him but there is just something about Thatcher that draws her in. She gets to know him and the more she does, the more she likes. In fact, she just might be falling in love with him! But there's just so many secrets and no one is giving away any information. No matter how hard she tries, everyone is keeping their lips sealed.

Tess has a hard time adjusting to the slower pace life but it eventually grows on her and she gets to the point where she just doesn't want to ever leave. She's finally getting to figure out who she is as an individual and what she really wants out of life. But just as she's getting to where she wants to be, life throws her yet another loop and confuses her all over again. Who does she really love? What direction is her career going in? Should she take the easy way out? Or should she reach for higher and better... even if that path is harder?

All in all this was a cute read. I did enjoy it but like I said earlier, there were just a few things that kept me from really loving this book. The secrets for one thing. They got old after awhile and I ended up rolling my eyes when I discovered what some of them were. Also, I had a hard time connecting with Tess. I am not sure what it was but I did have a hard time with her. I ended up skimming over some parts just to be done with it. Sad... I know. Maybe it was my mood? The last thing that bothered be was the book just ended! And for those of you who know me, know how much that really bugs me! I wanted just a little more... I need closure! Lol. *sigh* Oh well!

This was my first book by Courtney Rice Gager and I will definitely be adding her to my authors to watch list. :)

This casting was a bit on the difficult side for me. I was about halfway into it before any kind of description for Tess was mentioned! So this one might not be perfect but it's who I eventually saw while reading. :)