After being in a sort of a slump with the books I was reading Going Hard by Kelsey Browning, book two in the Steele Ridge series was a breath of fresh air. Grif and Carlie Beth's story took many common tropes and revamped them in a way that I had to forget what I knew about second chance small-town secret baby stories.
The first thing I loved was our heroine. Carlie Beth was different. Not in the way that was forced or pushed but relatable. It was so satisfying to read a book where, besides one instance which I loved, the heroine was a tom-boy from the first page to the last. Even as someone who is nowhere close to being a tomboy I loved that Carlie Beth was authentic and didn't suddenly become this beacon of femininity because she fell in love with her rich baby daddy who was accustomed to the attention of supermodels. Now, Carlie Beth was flawed. I didn't agree with all of her choices, actions, or even reasoning regarding revealing her daughter's paternity. However, she and Grif were still a couple I rooted for.
Speaking of Grif, who was quickly added to my book boyfriend list, perfectly fit into the theme of unique characters and plot lines. As someone who likes to dream of living a lavish life it was nice to read about an alpha that cared about his appearance, loved his fancy car and didn’t care about what other people thought about it. Especially in a romantic suspense novel, Grif was something new compared to the standard rough around the edges guy that I’m used to seeing- not that I don’t enjoy that too.
I do recommend reading the first book in the series as it sets you up for the characters that you will be encountering throughout the series. Going Hard pulled me into the town of Steele Ridge. I loved that as Kelsey Browning interjected other characters who have stories later on in the series I was intrigued but not pulled away from Grif and Carlie Beth’s story.
I was expecting the standard secret baby second chance romance that I normally read but I was pleasantly surprised with what Kelsey Browning was able to do. She flipped this common trope and gave me action, chemistry and an ending that surprised me. Romantic Suspense can sometimes have expected endings where you know the villain a couple of chapters in. Even when I thought I knew who it was I doubted myself, which just kept me glued to this page-turner.