Welcome to Whynot, North Carolina, population 3,872. It has one stoplight, one bar, and the one-and-only Trixie Mancinkus.
Eleven years ago, Trixie graduated Harvard Law, turned down a job offer from one of the most prestigious law firms in Boston, and headed home to Whynot to open her own firm. Not only did she leave behind the big city, but she also left her boyfriend of three years. And just so we’re clear… that would be me.
So what am I doing in Whynot at this very moment? It seems Trixie needs help with a legal case and for some insane reason, she called on me for assistance. I’ve been in town for five minutes, and I’m every bit as out of place as I feel. Trixie is all sweet, southern curves to my tailored suits and high-priced haircuts. It’s a culture clash of north versus south and about the only thing we have in common is our physical attraction to each other.
But I have a new motto since coming to Whynot: When life hands you lemons, all you need is a little sex and sweet tea to make things better.
Goodreads
I received an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 3 Stars
My best friend has this saying: anytime we go out to eat, and the food didn’t completely knock our socks off, but wasn’t inedible, he looks up at me and says, “It’ll make a turd”. Certainly an inelegant way of putting things, but it makes sense. I feel much the same way about Ain’t He Precious – it didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t bad either. It can be easily compared to food that isn’t awful, but is just…edible.
The romance between Trixie and Ry was really adorable and sweet. However, there was no angst, no real longing or pining. After a day in the same town, they just sort of rip each-other’s clothes off and that’s that. For me, this was the biggest let down. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love angst, tension, and fighting – the build-up is what makes things so amazing when a couple finally comes together. Not only was the romance too easy for my tastes, the sex scenes were almost non-existent – instead of writing about their intimate moments, Poe cuts the scene off right before getting to the good stuff.
I also didn’t completely understand the need for the narration by Pap. At the beginning, middle and end, there was a chapter written from his perspective. While I did like him as a secondary character, these short chapters just seemed unnecessary, and I honestly wanted to just skip them.
Dislikes aside, Ain’t He Precious was a light and easy read that managed to bring a few smiles to my face. Of course, this should come as no surprise considering Juliette Poe is actually NYT Bestselling Author, Sawyer Bennett. The woman knows how to write a romance. As this is the first book in this series, I can only hope that it improves in time. Bennett is certainly a talented author and has actually set up a clear sequel that I am interested in reading.
My Takeaway: While not a life-changing book, Ain’t He Precious is a short, sweet romance that will manage to put a smile or two on your face. Although I did find it a bit flawed, I have high hopes for the series moving forward.
As The Book Ends 