Title: Acting Happy
Series: Texas Desires #2
Author: Rylie Roberts
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kenzie Stanton’s constantly matchmaking mother won’t take a hint. At twenty-eight years old, she’d learned rainbows and fairy-tales don’t exist. She swears if she ever gets back on her feet, and out of the hot water her ex landed her in, she’ll embrace a new life that’s relationship-free. When a tall, handsome man with sexy eyes and a smoking-hot body shows up in her family’s store, she has no trouble ignoring him. Until his kindness and genuine nature truly test her resolve.
The tabloids describe Ty Bateman as a cynical, take-charge, run-over-them-before-they-run-over-you kind of guy. In truth, the life of extreme celebrity has turned him into a tainted, jaded man—being virtually imprisoned behind the windowless walls of his home to avoid the clicking cameras of invasive paparazzi and the overzealous media will tend to do that to a person. When the time comes for his yearly weekend with his childhood friends, he decides to buy a secluded mountain cabin and take an extended vacation from his overwhelming reality. Rejuvenating his soul and making decisions about his future are his top priorities until he spots a blonde beauty in short-shorts carrying groceries out of the only store in town.
Kenzie and Ty are both hiding out in the mountains…but for very different reason. Reality can only wait so long before it comes knocking on their doors. Even if Ty can break through Kenzie’s barriers, he’s not entirely sure his hurt beauty can withstand the mental brutality of his world. For these two damaged souls, is the possibility of failure too much to try for a life of more than acting happy?
"Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2) by Rylie Roberts is a fun, sweet, heart catching read." ~Melissa (Goodreads Review)
"Do you love heart happy read? Something that is fun, flirty, and just makes you giggle like a schoolgirl with her first crush? If you answered yes, then you absolutely must read Rylie Roberts' newest release..." ~Emily (Goodreads Review)
"I finished in two days. I can't wait for the third book! This group of friends are amazing." ~Sandra (Goodreads Review)
"I loved this whole story and enjoyed how there were funny scenes, some suspense, and most of all, lots and lots of super hotness!!!!! ~Geri (Goodreads Review)
“Holy hell! I’ve never seen that around here before.” The commotion caused Ty to press the brakes, looking back at Cole whose whole attention was focused on the grocery store that had just come into view on the left.
“Sit down, you fool,” Connor yelled. Ty was forced to pay attention to the unusually heavy traffic, coming to a stop in front of the only streetlight in town. He turned his head to finally see what Cole had let out one of those catcall-style whistles at. She turned their way, confusion clear on her face.
The world kind of stopped for Ty, and for the briefest of moments, their gazes connected. His heart seized for one, then two, beats before resuming with a violent thunderous thump. Ty could hear Connor slapping at Cole’s leg, but he became transfixed on the face of the angel in front of him. The earth settled back under his Jeep and he amended his thought. That was if angels actually frowned.
“Who the hell is that?” Ty asked as if the guys would even know. She was gorgeous in all her tall, tanned summer good looks. She turned away, that casual gait stiffening as she walked behind some older woman, carrying several bags. Ty just sat there staring. She wore cut off blue jean shorts that he suspected might show a little ass when she bent over, a form-fitted pink tank top, and her long blonde hair was piled in a high ponytail hanging down her back. Her legs looked to be a mile long and she was muscular and fit. He could see the definition in her arms and legs as she moved. For him, she was stunningly beautiful and so out of character from anything he’d seen in this little backwoods town before.
“Hey, gorgeous. Look this way!” Cole yelled and whistled again. That had everyone in the area looking at them. Well, everyone, but her. She kept her eyes straight, ushering the older woman to her car when she had stopped her progress to stare at the crazy man making all the ruckus in the back of the Jeep.
“Sit your ass down and act right,” Connor yelled from the front seat. Ty registered the honk from behind and reluctantly looked up to see the light had turned green. He was holding up traffic. He did a quick left turn into the small grocery store parking lot and watched as the beauty shut the trunk of the car and walked around the corner of the building, completely out of his view. At least she hadn’t gotten inside the car because his buddies would think he was nuts chasing down that car just to meet her.
“Damn,” Ty said, parking crooked in the first open space he found.
“I swear to God, man. This whole town’s looking at us,” Connor said, not using the door, instead jumping out of passenger seat. “Get your ass out of there.”
“Sh*t, man. I might be in love.” Cole did about the same thing, jumping free of the open Jeep, and slapped Connor on the back as he strolled past, heading for the front doors of the store. “You might’ve just seen the future Mrs. Cole Willis.”
Acting Happy is a wonderful romance with some really great characters and smooth writing that make reading this story a truly enjoyable experience.
I loved the male lead, Ty. He is sweet and caring yet also strong and a bit jaded with his life. The way he is around Kenzie...it will make you easily fall for him. Kenzie is hiding her issues, and secrets create tension and drama any time they're introduced in a story. It's what kept me eagerly flipping the pages as I waited for things to fall into place for the two of them.
Ty and Kenzie have a lot to work out, but you sit there through it all rooting them on as they just feel so right together. The pages seemed to fly by thanks to the great writing that kept me engrossed in the story.
Acting Happy was a 4-star read for me, and I'd recommend it to any romance fan...I'm sure you'll fall for Ty just like I did and really enjoy his and Kenzie's story as it unfolds. Even though this is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. I hadn't read the first book when I picked this one up, and enjoyed Acting Happy regardless :-)
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