Buying a lotto ticket with her two best friends didn’t change Zoe’s life. Only following her heart would do that . . .
Sure, winning the lottery allows Zoe Ferris to quit her job as a cutthroat corporate attorney, but no amount of cash will clear her conscience about the way her firm treated the O’Leary family in a wrongful death case. So she sets out to make things right, only to find gruff, grieving Aiden O’Leary doesn’t need—or want—her apology. He does, however, need something else from her. Something Zoe is more than willing to give, if only to ease the pain in her heart, a sorrow she sees mirrored in his eyes . . .
Aiden doesn’t know what possesses him to ask his family’s enemy to be his fake fiancée. But he needs a bride if he hopes to be the winning bid on the campground he wants to purchase as part of his beloved brother’s legacy. Skilled in the art of deception, the cool beauty certainly fits the bill. Only Aiden didn’t expect all the humor and heart Zoe brings to their partnership—or the desire that runs deep between them. Now he’s struggling with his own dark truth—that he’s falling for the very woman he vowed never to forgive.
When I first saw this series, I thought, "How fun!" Three best friends buy a lottery ticket, they win, and each makes some sort of life choice made possible through their winnings. Kit used her winnings to buy a home, Greer used her's to go back to school, and Zoe was supposed to use her money for a trip. However, six months after quitting her job at the law firm, Zoe still had not gone on that trip, and she appeared to be stuck.
This book was a lot more emotional than the previous one. Yes, there was lots of fun banter, and the camp antics made me smile, but getting to the root of Zoe's pain actually made my heart ache a little. I was shocked to learn she was in such emotional turmoil, because she always seems so confident and up for a good time, but there was a painful past buried inside her, which she really needed to deal with.
I loved the path Clayborn put Zoe on, because it brought Aiden into her life, and he was a most wonderful hero. I will admit, I was not sure about this grumpy guy, but the more I got to know and understand him, the more I loved him. He too carried a ton of emotional baggage and guilt, and thank goodness circumstances put him and Zoe together, because they each were what the other needed to move in the right direction.
Overall: This was a wonderful and emotional journey, which made me laugh a lot, sniffle a little, and ultimately, happy cry.
