Wild at Whiskey Creek: A Hellcat Canyon Novel (Hot in Hellcat Canyon)
Wild at Whiskey Creek: A Hellcat Canyon Novel (Hot in Hellcat Canyon) book cover

Wild at Whiskey Creek: A Hellcat Canyon Novel (Hot in Hellcat Canyon)

Mass Market Paperback – November 29, 2016

by
Price
$7.99
Publisher
Avon
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062397638
Dimensions
6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
Weight
6.6 ounces

Description

Review Long’s second foray into contemporary romance (after Hot in Hellcat Canyon) continues to impress with sparkling prose, witty scenes of small-town California, and meaningful romantic conflict... this sweet tale surprises and satisfies. — Publishers Weekly (starred review) Long’s second foray into contemporary romance is a study in longing and angst... the journey... is exquisite, combining humor and intensity with consummate writing and storytelling and a musical leitmotif that ratchets up the sexual tension as effectively as Bolero. A splendid, delectable romance. — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “A sassy, talented, tough-minded gal who knows what she wants and a caring, by-the-book guy who always has her back finally give in to their feelings in this poignant, intense, character-driven story. The musical descriptions are so vivid... Beautifully done.” — Library Journal (starred review) “Julie Anne Long knows how to sink deep into a specific character’s viewpoint... Character-driven story at its best, Long’s latest combines emotional depth and oh-so-human absurdity with her usual deftness.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick) Praise for Hot in Hellcat Canyon: “Sizzlingly smart! Long’s fresh new contemporary voice rocks! — NYT bestselling author Susan Andersen Funny, sexy, heartwarming, Long moves seamlessly into the contemporary market. — New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde “Julie Anne Long’s writing glows with emotional intensity and strong, passionate characterization.” — New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz “Julie Anne Long’s books are sexy and adorable!” — New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis “Julie Anne long is a fantastic writer.” — New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz From the Back Cover Everyone knows the Greenleaf family puts the “Hell” in Hellcat Canyon—legend has it the only way they ever leave is in a cop car or a casket. But Glory Greenleaf has a different getaway vehicle in mind: her guitar. She has a Texas-sized talent and the ambition (and attitude) to match, but only two people have ever believed in her: her brother, who’s in jail, and his best friend . . . who put him there. Sheriff Eli Barlow has secretly been in love with Glory since he was twelve years old. Which is how he knows her head is as hard as her heart is soft—and why she can’t forgive him for fracturing her family . . . or forget that night they surrendered to an explosive, long-simmering passion. But when a betrayal threatens Glory’s big break, Eli will risk everything to make it right . . . because the best way to love the girl from Whiskey Creek might mean setting her free forever. About the Author USA Today bestselling author and Rita® Award winner Julie Anne Long ’s books have been translated into eighteen languages, nominated for numerous awards, and have appeared on dozens of “Best of” lists. NPR named her Pennyroyal Green series as one of the Top 100 romance series of all time. She currently lives in Northern California. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Everyone knows the Greenleaf family puts the “Hell” in Hellcat Canyon—legend has it the only way they ever leave is in a cop car or a casket. But Glory Greenleaf has a different getaway vehicle in mind: her guitar. She has a Texas-sized talent and the ambition (and attitude) to match, but only two people have ever believed in her: her brother, who’s in jail, and his best friend . . . who put him there.
  • Sheriff Eli Barlow has secretly been in love with Glory since he was twelve years old. Which is how he knows her head is as hard as her heart is soft—and why she can’t forgive him for fracturing her family . . . or forget that night they surrendered to an explosive, long-simmering passion. But when a betrayal threatens Glory’s big break, Eli will risk everything to make it right . . . because the best way to love the girl from Whiskey Creek might mean setting her free forever.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(62)
★★★★
25%
(52)
★★★
15%
(31)
★★
7%
(14)
★
23%
(48)

Most Helpful Reviews

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I can NOT recommend this book

While I have been a fan of JAL, I can NOT recommend this book. Who wants to read about an aimless waitress in a seedy dive bar, whose brother is in prison for meth distribution, her other brother is a thief , her sister has 3 babies by three different men, all the while her mother is encouraging her to marry a 63 year old property manager for a "starter husband" because their house is in foreclosure!
Our heroine refuses to speak with our hero for 2/3 of the book, followed by quick sex with little explanation of why they decided to make up. The hero was right when he said "you should make better decisions Glory".
Our hero kisses her and doesn't ever call her! JAL makes our hero a wimp. He is too afraid to talk to Glory Hallelujah (yes that is her name). They don't speak for a year? It takes the entire book before the H and H get together. There is no explanation on why they fall in love. It doesn't make any sense.
This book is so boring and filled with so many distractions from the town folks. I know all about the town folk and don't know why the H and H fall in love. We know more about the men at the gambling table than about Glory. We never learn the hero and heroine ages for starters. We never learn why Glory is STILL in this dead end loser town.This is NOT a love story.
The music references are too old (from the 60's and 70's) for this time frame. It seems more like the author's autobiographical memories.
I would reread Hot in Hellcat Canyon and save your money.
This book is a dud.
13 people found this helpful
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Disappointed

Julie Anne Long is one of my favorite authors! I always read her books and anxiously await her new boos! I almost always read her books within 2-3 days. However, this book is not quite up to her usual writing style. I have waited for this book to get better and it never has! I'm now, after reading off and on for almost a month, only on chapter 16.
It is clear that Glory and Eli have something very special, but they just can't see each other's point of view! I sincerely hope the next 6 chapters change my mind!
3 people found this helpful
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WONDERFUL STORY!!

This book was wonderful. Complex characters that are actually strong. This is not one of those romances that claims the heroine is a strong indepedent woman who is actually a complete idiot who wavers about every decision she makes. Glory really is a strong character who has lived a hard life but doesn't give up hope. Eli is equally strong, and "quiet", but talks and says what needs to be said. What I liked about the characters is they knew their feelings, confronted each other, and there was no "big misunderstanding" that tears them apart and forces an awkward reconcilliation just to tie things up at the end. I would love to read a sequel to this book about this couple. I was a little nervous about reading it - I've actually had it a few weeks - because I've only read Long's historicals and I got tired of her last few in the Redmond series. However, this book is wonderful!! Really wonderful!! I think one of my favorite lines of the book . . . "So if you think you’re doing me any favors by deciding you’d better, oh, let me go, shooing me off like some wild bird that you’ve raised, or something . . . well that’s too bad. You’re stuck with me". Perfect.Truly a wonderful story.

The few, tiny issues I had with the story. 1. It's never totally clear about their ages. Not a big deal, but it would have been a little helpful in clearing up some of the timeline issues. Like, Eli graduated college and came home and then how quickly had to arrest Jonah? Because Glory was planning on leaving the same time, a year ago, but didn't. Again, not a huge issue but something I was curious about a few times.
2. What happened to Bethany? How did Eli let that go? She just wasn't brought up again. I wanted a little resolution there also.
1 people found this helpful
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Oh. My. Goodness!

My, oh my! This book was fantastic on so many levels I don't know where to start. As usual, JAL does a great job with character development, both the H/h are so fleshed out you feel like they are ready to walk off the page, and you really want them to. The pull between Glory and Eli is so intense you can practically taste it, it's there from the beginning and it builds up, and builds up until it gets unbareable. The plot is strong, the dialogue sharp, and it shines in what JAL does best: creating a strong sense of community, of belonging, of quirky supporting characters.
The previous installment didn't do much for me, I felt it lacked convincing plot lines, but this-this one blew me away. It is now almost a tie with my fav JAL, It Happened One Midnight.
I have to disagree with a previous reviewer, who may have skimmed and missed some things. The comment Glory's mother made about marrying an oldan to pay the mortgage was made as a joke to illustrate their desperate finances. Her sister's situation is not much different than many in rural areas across the country, and, along with her brother who is in jail, highlights how Glory is different from the rest of her family, but shows she loves them anyway. She was still there because she had to use her saved up money for the mortgage on the family home. There is plenty of dialogue and interaction throughout. And my 17 y/o daughter loves some of that music.
I love how everyone is human- some make mistakes and pay for them, some are funky, some weird, and some you just want at your kitchen table having coffee and a good gossip.
This book felt like a delicious cup of hot cocoa, spiked with some good stuff, sipped slowly in front of a fire. Indulgent.
1 people found this helpful
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This book made a contemporary romance lover out of me!

As a avid fan of EVERYTHING Julie Anne Long has written in the historical romance genre, I gave her first contemporary ("Hot in Hellcat Canyon") a try, even though I really, REALLY don't like contemporary romances per se. Well I found out, with that first book, that it wasn't so much that I didn't like contemporary romance, it was more like I hadn't read a contemporary romance that was written quite the way Julie Anne writes them. Still, on some level, I wondered if HIHC was a fluke. Well, I'm here to say that "Wild At Whiskey Creek" proved, once and for all, the universal truth that ANY book written by JAL is worth reading (and reading again....many times). I'm a city girl with no affinity for small town life, but believe me ... I would love a long weekend in Hellcat Canyon, if only to go to Open Mic night at The Misty Cat and to finally taste a Glennburger for myself! ;)

"Wild At Whisky Creek" is a heartwarming love story, with deliciously complex characters, just the right amount of angst, and the romance.... it's just wonderful! Suffice to say, Eli and Glory are soul mates who have been "secretly" in love for years, but haven't strayed far from the friend zone. They've been on different life paths, but when their paths finally converge, something happens to derail their relationship in a major way ... so much so that it looks like they will never get together. On the other hand, they so obviously belong together that, even if you didn't know that there would literally HAVE to be a happy ending (I mean, really what else), you just knew that these two people could never NOT be united for life. The best part is that you get to take that sometimes bumpy, often emotional, and always compelling journey, with these two beautifully written characters, to it's rightful conclusion. Trust me, you'll thoroughly enjoy the experience.
1 people found this helpful
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A five-star read

This is another brilliant happy-ever-after from Julie Anne Long. She combined her two passions in this unforgettable novel - writing and music. Five stars.

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