When foul-mouthed, tattooed, vegan Marie Diaz-Austin accepted a summer internship on a ranch north of Santa Barbara to work with underprivileged and special needs kids she was expecting hard work. She wasn’t expecting the gorgeous, but conservative rancher, Will Thrash who wants nothing to do with left-wing hippies like her.While they both may be stubborn when it comes to climate change, they’re much less rigid about considering a summer fling. Although they hate each other’s politics, they can’t deny their immediate and growing attraction to each other. But when the stakes are raised and they’re forced to make a choice what will give? Their principles or themselves?

The Stars in the Sky, book two of Leslie McAdam’s Giving You series, may have just snagged “favorite” status away from book one, The Sun and the Moon. I said may have. While all of her characters are original, hilarious, fun, sexy, and sometimes too smart for their own good, Ms. McAdam gives us unique storylines in each book. And I absolutely loved this one! Her rich descriptions of central California coast ranch and farmlands made me feel as if I were there. Since this is an area I am very familiar with, having grown up nearby, her ability to convey the sounds, the smells, and even the feel of the air, had me feeling more than a little homesick.

From the moment Marie tells us she drives an ancient Mercedes sedan that’s been converted to biodiesel, is powered by leftover vegetable oil from Chinese restaurants, thus leaving the aroma of kitchen grease in her wake, I loved her. Marie is the tall, curvy, different-hair-color-daily, tattooed, eyebrow pierced, vegan, liberal, wild child we first met in The Sun and the Moon. (If you haven’t read it, go forth and snag it immediately as it is excellent!) Marie’s idealistic, crusading nature is most likely due to the influence of her parents; Mexican father, German mother, who worked the farm fields until earning their teaching degrees. She followed in their footsteps, became a preschool teacher, and now at the age of 31, is pursuing an advanced degree in Counseling Psychology. Thus, her summer internship at Headlands Ranch, where she has just arrived. She’s always been the party girl, never allowing herself to get too deep into a relationship. She cares deeply about her causes but is reluctant to commit to a man. She’s stoked about the summer because she can devote herself to teaching without distractions.

Headlands is a fourth generation farming family, now run by William Charles Thrash III, who is most definitely NOT the stuffy old coot his name implies. As a matter of fact, this man is a young Clint Eastwood, and the Marlboro man all rolled into one. He’s six and a half feet of hot, muscled man in Wranglers, dinner plate-sized belt buckles, cowboy shirts, and boots. He’s also Republican to the core, drives a monster truck, and God help those who don’t hold the same values. He eats meat, loves country music (particularly George Strait), and holds absolute disdain for the crusading liberal, vegan, hippie who just landed on his ranch. No matter how freaking sexy and adorable she is. But that sexy and adorable gets under Will’s skin darn quick.

The power play between these two is so much fun to watch! Neither one wants to compromise their beliefs, but the sexual attraction is too strong to deny. When Will offers Marie an interesting arrangement everything changes.

His grin was now a full smile, not a half smile, and honestly, it was dazzling, like before. “Let’s try this. I’ll give you a choice. We can continue arguing politics all summer—and I think we’re a match for each other and I’m looking forward to the arguments, darlin’—and I don’t lay a hand on you. Or, we can continue arguing politics all summer, but I can f**k your hot body whenever you want.

Soon, Marie discovers Will isn’t quite the complete jerk she thought he was. He respects her beliefs, even though he doesn’t always understand or agree. His generous heart, his compassion with the kids, his willingness to cater to her vegan diet… All of it leads Marie’s brain to go into overdrive. She’s very good at thinking a subject to death. But her insight into the psychology of her actions is amazing. Will may still be the gruff cowboy but he’s mature and reasonable. As time goes on she realizes their similarities outweigh their differences. What I loved about Marie is that even though she has her freak outs she recovers quickly. Many times with the help, via very entertaining text messages, from her best friend Amelia.

Once again, Ms. McAdam has written a thoughtful and intelligent novel full of insights into life and love. And this is my absolute favorite aspect of her stories. Well, okay…the sex is damn hot so that’s a favorite, too. She’s a master at witty dialogue and fast-paced action, humor, and characters who connect with each other on so many levels. I can’t wait for the next book in this fantastic series!

Leslie McAdam is a California girl who loves romance, Little Dude, and well-defined abs. She lives in a drafty old farmhouse on a small orange tree farm in Southern California with her husband and two small children. Leslie always encourages her kids to be themselves – even if it means letting her daughter wear leopard print from head to toe. An avid reader from a young age, she will always trade watching TV for reading a book, unless it’s Top Gear. Or football. Leslie is employed by day but spends her nights writing about the men you fantasize about. She’s unapologetically sarcastic and notoriously terrible at comma placement (that’s what editors are for!).Always up for a laugh, Leslie tries to see humor in all things. When she’s not in the writing cave you’ll find her fangirling over Beck, camping with her family, or mixing up oil paints to depict her love of outdoors on canvas.

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