Church and Dixie have been orbiting each other long before there were any Saints of Denver. Riveted finally brings them together and there’s no shortage of fireworks or turmoil along the way.
The Saints of Denver series is coming to a close, but not before we learn what it will take for Dixie Carmichael and big bad Church to figure out how much they mean to each other. Riveted hits the road to give these two lovebirds the time and space they need to sort out their feelings and find the courage to take a chance.
I know I’ve been anxiously awaiting Church and Dixie’s story for what feels like ages, and I’m happy to say that the wait was worth every anxious second.
About ‘Riveted’
Everyone else in Dixie Carmichael’s life has made falling in love look easy, and now she is ready for her own chance at some of that happily ever after. Which means she’s done pining for the moody, silent former soldier who works with her at the bar that’s become her home away from home. Nope. No more chasing the hot as heck thundercloud of a man and no more waiting for Mr. Right to find her; she’s going hunting for him…even if she knows her heart is stuck on its stupid infatuation with Dash Churchill.
Denver has always been just a pit stop for Church on his way back to rural Mississippi. It was supposed to be simple, uneventful, but nothing could have prepared him for the bubbly, bouncy redhead with doe eyes and endless curves. Now he knows it’s time to get out of Denver, fast. For a man used to living in the shadows, the idea of spending his days in the sun is nothing short of terrifying.
When Dixie and Church find themselves caught up in a homecoming overshadowed with lies and danger, Dixie realizes that while falling in love is easy, loving takes a whole lot more work…especially when Mr. Right thinks he’s all wrong for you.
‘Riveted’ book review
We met Church and Dixie a long time ago, and we’ve all known that it was going to take circumstances beyond their control for Church to let the curly-haired dose of instant sunshine warm the cockles of his lonely heart. Thank everything that is holy that those circumstances finally pushed our sullen soldier to open his heart and let the love in.
Church has always been the quiet one, the man of few words, and until those final chapters of Charged where we got to see what was going on in his head, I thought he was just afraid to let Dixie see the scars on his soldier heart. I really thought the wounds he was trying to heal were somehow war related, not life scars. Our first glimpse into his soul showed just how little he valued his own life and that was scarier than any danger Bright or Avett could have ever been in.
Riveted took our two favorite employees of The Bar and forced them to talk through their issues. No more innocent workplace flirtations or making silly passes at each other. Life was finally ready for these two to nut up or shut up. Thank goodness that when push comes to shove, neither Church nor Dixie is capable of truly shutting up. They found their rhythm together on the long road home, and each of them is stronger for it.
There is nothing better than watching two beloved characters finally give in to the chemistry that has been swirling around them for such a long time. Church and Dixie are as much a part of the Marked Men world as they are the Saints of Denver. No matter where they are or how many miles separate them from the family they found in Denver, that will never change. Meeting Church’s not-so-nuclear family opened up a whole new world for our favorite tattooed author to play in, and I truly hope we’ll meet new people in Lowry sooner rather than later.
If there’s one thing I always count on when reading a Jay Crownover book, it’s the maelstrom of emotions that will be swirling long after the epilogue has run out of words. Church and Dixie’s story was no departure from that experience. I can not stop replaying those terrifying climactic moments and soaking up the love that Dixie and Church were sending each other as their world was almost torn asunder.
We have one more adventure to embark on before the Saints of Denver close up shop. Salvaged will bring us back to Denver and will hopefully be the balm to soothe the hurt of saying goodbye. Leveled, Built, Charged, and Riveted have each told unique and enchanting stories that have captured my heart within their pages. I am definitely not ready to say goodbye, but thankfully we have a few more months and a few hundred more pages before the end becomes reality. I am grateful to know that when the end does arrive, it will be chock full of everything that makes a Jay Crownover story the kind you can revisit as often as you’d like. I’ve laughed, gasped, yelled, and cried alongside each of these characters, and am eager to read anything and everything that comes next.
Riveted is available now wherever books are sold. Grab your copy today at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or find it at an indie book store near you.