Play It Safe by Kristen Ashley

Play It Safe by Kristen Ashley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

No connections. Play it safe. These were the rules Ivey lived her life by.

Until she hit Mustang, Colorado, a perfectly imperfect town where the citizens were welcoming and one of them included the tall, beautiful, macho man rancher cowboy, Grayson Cody.

On the run for a decade, Ivey knew she was supposed to play it safe. But she was tired of being on the run. She wanted a normal. She wanted real. She wanted a home.

And she wanted Grayson Cody.

And Grayson Cody wanted Ivey.

No one who looked at them couldn’t see they belonged together. There was one man in this world for Ivey and one woman in this world for Grayson Cody.

So they fell in love.

But just as quickly as they fell together, they were betrayed and torn apart. Separated for years, Ivey was certain her life would not include her rancher cowboy. Until the town of Mustang reached out to her when Gray was in trouble. Even though she thought he broke her heart, she charged in to help. Then Gray and Ivey discovered they were betrayed and, not only that, Gray had an enemy who would stop at nothing to defeat him.

It seems like every time I finish a Kristen Ashley book I find myself really wanting to move to Colorado! No joke.

Grayson Cody. Oh man how I wish you were real. Gray was the epitome of a sexy, sweet, down home cowboy who stood up for what / who was his and didn't take shi*t from anyone. I loved him and there's nothing more I can say that won't turn this review into a love letter from a reader (me) to a fictional character (Gray) and I'd rather not have everyone on GR think I'm (too) crazy!

Ivey Larue. I loved her and I felt her pain. It had to be so hard to grow up the way she did. I was rooting for her HEA from the first line on page one. And even though I knew it was coming, when the asshat (who made me want to  him) who tore them apart showed and did the damage, I wanted to scream and cry for her. Even though that situation eventually led her to a good "happy limbo" place, I was still pissed and was ready for her to get back to Mustang, and especially, to Gray! I really liked Lash and Brutus and I was glad that Ivey had them in her life, and that Gray was ok with them staying there after the were reunited. Even though he staked his claim
 
With all the supporting characters and side plot lines, this was one busy book. I had a hard time putting it down, as is the usual occurrence with KA for me. I think Play it Safe has become one of my top favorites though. While there was drama and heartbreak, the love and relationship between Gray and Ivey was mostly drama free. They had their one blip due to outside circumstances, but once they talked it out, that was it. They were together and nothing and no one was coming between them again. Even though they, as a couple, had to deal with crap situations, they did it together. Even though the 'bad guys' were dealt with pretty smoothly and they never came back for that one final hurrah, or I guess that the finale wasn't as major as it usually is, I was ok with that. I was just really happy the h/h got their much deserved HES. And true to form, KA wrote one fantabulous epilogue that had me tearing up with happiness! I loved it! 

View all my reviews