Golden Trail

The 'BurgGolden TrailKristen Ashley

Sep 21

Written by Ally Talley

The ‘Burg #3

By Kristen Ashley

~ Can be read as a standalone ~

TheStory

Eighteen years ago, Rocky left Layne without a word of explanation. Now, when the two reconnect to take down a dirty cop in the town’s police department, they are thrown together in a fake relationship. But Layne still harbors bad feelings (and secretly some not so bad feelings) towards Rocky for bailing on him all those years ago. While Layne grapples with those feelings, he still has his two boys to think about before inviting Rocky into their lives.

TheReview

Well, the beginning of this one was definitely slow. I would say about the first 20% or so really drags. But then it picked up and established itself as a good book at about that mark.

I was so worried I wasn’t going to like Rocky in the beginning because she seemed so basic - family money, wears pink, grew up to be a teacher. But she surprised me completely by actually having depth (that didn’t seem forced by the author) and being a little awkward and funny. It just took a while to warm up to her.

But her and Layne together? Slay. They were equally sweet and sassy. Surprisingly, the fake dating part actually made sense (in the RomCom type of way). Their personalities matched well and given that Layne was totally lying to himself about not wanting Rocky back, I liked it. Plus, they fight so good. I seriously loved their arguments and their banter.

The mystery as to why Rocky left Layne really gets put on the back burner compared to the rest of the story. Which drove me absolutely nuts. It felt like the biggest thing for them to be discussing. I get it. Big reveal. Surprise. Truth outs. And blah blah blah. But I felt that it should have been more prominent given that it messed with both their lives so much.

The crime stuff, which is the reason Rocky and Layne had to fake a relationship, comes in two parts, technically. You’ve got the dirty cop but also the shady youth pastor. However, those two parts create a complicated tapestry that essentially becomes the focus of the book. It reads a bit more like a detective mystery than a romance, although the romance is still there for sure.

Frankly, I was more invested in the crime stuff than the romance, but that’s because that part was written so well and it forced you to want to know what was going to happen with it. Then you can just appreciate Layne and Rocky as they ebb and flow in their romance throughout the book.

The book had a really good ending. Totally normal and expected. Being real… I won’t remember anything about it in two weeks but it was a fun read. For giving Rocky some unexpected depth, presenting a fake dating plot with reasonable believability, and providing me with an enjoyable experience despite being about as memorable as a grilled cheese sandwich consumed during a good conversation… decent 4 star rating accepted.