Slow Hand

This contemporary romance features Nikki (our heroine, leading a lackluster life in Georgia) and Wade (our successful lawyer hero in Montana). Nikki’s long-absent father’s death and a letter from a Montana law office causes her to fly to Sheridan, Montana to settle her father’s affairs. That’s when this story gets very interesting. Due to previous disappointing relationships with cowboys, Nikki is not favorably disposed to cowboy types and bristles at Wade’s too-friendly, “down home” flirty attitude. It is immediately apparent that a “slow hand” is exactly what Wade is going to need to gentle Nikki to his way of thinking. What follows is a steamy courtship, interspersed with misconceptions, volatile emotions and antics that caused bouts of hilarity for this reader. I thoroughly enjoyed this western-style romance.

Slow Hand was my first book by Victoria Vane, and now I’m hooked. Her writing style was fluid, she described the settings so well that I could picture them perfectly, the voices of her characters showed character development, they had realistic and often hilarious dialogues, and they were sufficiently put through the emotional wringer and allowed the necessary room to “find themselves”.

I liked Nikki, but my feelings for her throughout the story would end up looking like a sinus curve. In the beginning, I liked her vulnerability and seeing her at her lowest point. I was able to get a good feel for her character – cynical, lonely, crappy job, no father, estranged from her mother and a screw up for a sister. There was no mention of any friends or close ties to anyone or anything where she called home. In her personal life, she’d made numerous mistakes, six in total according to her. The last one was the most devastating. She’d been dating Clint for six months before she found out he had a wife and kids. When she met Wade, she acknowledged their instant and intense connection and chemistry, but learning to trust him ended up being the major hurdle of this story.

Wade. Sigh. I want him in the worst way. That charmingly sexy cowboy lawyer was pretty much the perfect male specimen. While he’d been dealt his fair share of disappointment in his love life, which also damaged his relationship with his brother Dirk, he did want to fall in love again and settle down. I loved his cheeky side the most. He was so good at making her feel at ease, lowering her defenses and making her laugh.

This couple had undeniable chemistry, and not all of it was purely sexual. Nikki managed to open up to Wade about her past, and when she didn’t think she needed comfort, he was always there for her. There were a few sexy times before their first time at the halfway point. Despite the amazing sex they shared, Nikki was of two minds about where they were headed, and her fear lasted up until around the 91% point. Their last sex scene broke my heart because it underscored the hurt, anger and frustration they were both feeling. My heart broke for them in that moment because they were both at fault and responsible for the impossible ultimatum. I was frustrated with her, but I understood the importance of their separation for a few months. The indecision, the heartache, the realizations, were all worth the wait for the ending. The person who made the first move towards reconciliation was perfectly chosen and executed. I look forward to grabbing a copy for myself and eagerly await the next book in this series.
*Complimentary copy provided via NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review*