Who’ll be the next Mr. Charming?

Odds favor Cole Kinsella, owner of the Salty Dog Bar & Grill. The bachelor is certainly handsome and charismatic, especially to his newest employee and former high school sweetheart, Valerie Villanueva.

Except…Val’s in the running, as well. Because why can’t a woman be the most charming? As the rivalry revs up, so do the stakes.

Each desperately needs that prize money, but do they need each other more?

Titles in the Charming, Texas series include – Winning Mr. Charming —♥— The Charming Checklist —♥— A Charming Christmas Arrangement —♥— A Charming Single Dad —♥— A Charming Doorstep Baby —♥— Once Upon a Charming Bookshop —♥—

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

 

Title:  Winning Mr. Charming
Series:  Charming, Texas #1
Author:  Heatherly Bell
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Publication Date:  May 25, 2021
Rating:  4.5 stars

Winning Mr. Charming begins the Charming, Texas series with two former lovers getting a second chance to get it right this time around.  Or will they be too stubborn to recognize the unique opportunity they’ve been given?  It could go either way for a while, folks.

There was a time, especially during their senior year in high school, that Val believed she and Cole were meant to be together forever, that their plans for a year off traveling before starting their adult lives was a done deal.  She was wrong.  Cole blindsided her with the already accomplished fact of his military enlistment beginning immediately, needless to say, that they parted ways very badly.  Cole determined and driven by his own demons, Val heartbroken and now determined to never give that deep trust to anyone again went their separate ways – and life moved on for them for fourteen years.  Now they’re both back in Charming, Texas.  And life just got interesting as those old sparks continue to fly and perhaps, ignite a young love that never really died.

I enjoyed Winning Mr. Charming so much, and it’s an excellent beginning to the new series.  I feel the need to say that if Val and Cole had really talked back then so much might have been different for them — and then I remembered the teenage years when talking was often the last thing a couple took seriously.  Their choices, yes, still there were consequences to those decisions that they’ll have to deal with even today.  Because… they still aren’t talking, neither knows why winning that Mr. Charming contest is so important to the other or that the prize money is desperately needed for good reasons on both sides.  Oh, they’ll learn, when it’s almost too late… again.

I had fun with this couple.  Their story is lighthearted for the most part, a bit deeper and serious when needed, and throughout the competition, their antics are close to hilarious to the point of snort-giggling on my part far too often (maybe one day I’ll remember to look away from the book when I take a sip of coffee, nope, probably not).  I adored so many of the secondary characters, Val’s grandmother is a charming (what my grandmother would call) hoot and I loved her circle of friends.  I had a blast which is the entire point.  Now the wait for the next story in the series to release.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Available in paperback (Mass Market) or your favorite e-reader, mine is the Kindle.