Blondes have more fun? Pfft. Bad Girls have more fun. Rebecca Gabel was accused of being a bad girl and she discovered life was easier (and more fun!) to live up to the reputation than try to deny it. But now with a new comer who’s taking her up on her suggestions, Rebecca is a little out of her element. There’s talking the talk…and then there’s having to walk it.

Grant Iverson recently inherited land from his mother, so he’s arrived in Apple Trail, Arkansas to check the place out and see if there are any treasures hidden there. What he doesn’t expect to find is a woman full of curves and a mouth of pure sin, but whose eyes reflect nothing but curious innocence.

Title: SATISFYING HER TASTES
Author: Keri Ford
Series: Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas – book 5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Year of release: 2011, August 26
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via the publisher’s eBookstore

First line:
“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

Memorable Scenes:
- Scene at the pond > hot and kind of a turning point


QuickScore-Verdict:
Two people with totally opposite romantic goals (Rebecca wants to flirt it up and have some sexy fun, Grant wants to settle down and calm his cavorting ways) end up finding what they didn't know they wanted in each other. Bad boy wants to go good, good girl wants to go bad.

I loved this installment of the Apple Trail series and enjoyed Rebecca and Grant but it was not the best of the series for me. The middle part seemed to stay on the surface a bit...not going deeper into the layers of Grant, Rebecca and their budding relationship. The end however gave me what I was looking for, but it seemed as if I missed an important chunk of the story before the final few chapters.

Reading this book once again made me look at the trap of having too high expectations. I loved the previous books a lot and built my expectations of this book on them, which is why I think it fell a little bit short for me

Favorite Quotes:
Damn.
No. She blinked and dragged her chin off her knees. Not just damn, but day-um. Tall. Tanned. Tattooed. Shaved head down to a dark shadow over his head. Black grease smeared over his white tank that just barely—oh, what the hell—that wasn’t even coming close to hiding rippling, pouring, drool worthy muscles of his chest and abs and holy hell, look at those thighs in those jeans.

If being wrapped in and around this warm wall of rock was any indication, she would certainly forget for a bit and have loads of memories to take home.
Very, very good memories. Like how being pressed to his rippled, chiseled chest and abs caused her thighs to tingle and tighten. His rock hard chest was unforgiving against her sensitive nipples. His hips rocked against her pelvis. He didn’t merely kiss her with his mouth, he kissed her with his body. Where their skin touched, delicious tingling sensations chilled and heated her all at once.

She shimmied her shorts off her hips and gravity took them and his eyeballs from there down the curves of her legs to the ground.

Grant was coming toward her. Water splashed around his knees…then thighs as he walked toward her full of purpose. She shuddered, thinking of his purpose on that four-wheeler ride. Every. Long. Hard. Thick inch of purpose in his jeans that had been sandwiched to her ass through every bump and hole on the trail. She swallowed and dipped lower in the pond to cool off.

“You whimper. You cry. You get choked. You arch and your legs twitch against mine. Your hips rock into me hard enough I’m about to come in my shorts. Your head falls back and your lips thrust up. You are a sexy woman, Rebecca and not because of some damn rumors I’ve never heard of before. It’s all you. So yeah, shh and let me hear you. Listening to you get hot for me is one of the best things I’ve ever heard in my life.”

He never loses control and she always tests the rules.

Chief Deputy Mike Gabel is the man in charge in Apple Trail. No one gives him more trouble than a certain blonde. While her stunts are frustrating to deal with, it’s the constant way she keeps him trapped in knots.

Tiffany McBride has a reputation for being a troublemaker. She’s been betting and causing trouble since her parents died when she was a teenager. What looks like a young woman sowing her oats, is actually desperate measures to gamble for extra money to put food on the table.

When these two acknowledge their attraction, sparks fly…that is if Mike’s public position can survive Tiffany’s frowned upon reputation.

Title: MAKING HER NIGHTS
Author: Keri Ford
Series: Uninhibited in Apple Trail Arkansas, book 4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Year of release: 2011, June 15
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via Smashwords

First line:
Mike turned the wheel of his boat and rounded the final bend before Dutch Row Sandbar.

Memorable Scenes:
- Mike's self-loving scene with Tiffany in the next room > wow Mike!
- that scene in Mike's backyard patio > Wow Mike and Tiffany...you give new meaning to the word scorching!
- the scene at the tree > Keri went and made me cry at the end of the book!


Mike Gable is Chief Deputy Sheriff in Apple Trail and the epitome of self-control. He’s the good, decent guy with the impeccable reputation.

Tiffany McBride is the wild child with a bad girl reputation. She’s defiant, proud, genuinely sweet and caring,

The romance in this book is of the opposites attract variety and I loved it.
The chemistry between Mike and Tiffany is instant, mutual and scorching. I enjoyed the circling around each other and waiting for the other one to make the first real move. And once that first move is made, it's on! The sensuality is hot and Mike is the perfect example of silent waters running deep. When he unleashed his sexy, naughty side I swooned and kept thinking: 'Go for it, Tiff! Go for it!'

Keri Ford is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary romance authors with her fluent and crisp writing and her humorous voice. With MAKING HER NIGHTS she's also added an emotional note to her style and that worked very well for me. It is definitely the hottest of the bunch yet and IMO the best in the series to-date when it comes to the balance between emotions, characterization, romance and heat.

MAKING HER NIGHTS is another excellent installment in the Apple Trail series, a series with which Keri Ford has managed to positively surprise me with every new installment. The humorous tone, the emotions that hit home, the sexiness, it all reeled me in and made it hard for me to be patient until the next book in this lovely series.

Favorite Quotes:
Her voice was breathless and the gasping sound ripped through him. Not that he needed her out of breath for her voice to wrap all the way down his spine.

No, he wouldn’t die from relaxing. That was for damn sure. The honey scent of her skin filled him anew. There would be no relaxing so long as she was here. There was a very good chance he’d die from all his blood leaving his body to throb in his c#ck.

She pinched his side. “You’re making it harder to walk away by being a dork.”
“Good, because I don’t want you walking anywhere.” He cupped her cheek and turned her face up to him. “After all these years, I’ve just given myself permission to have you and you keep trying to take that away.”

“I want to be sore in the morning.” And God, she would be. It had been months and months since the last time she was with anyone. But he didn’t know that. And she wanted him so out of control, so far beyond his limits that he would never hold back here. Not in this.
(...)
She couldn’t keep up with his movement. Her legs were giving out and desire was building until she was nothing but a ball of aching need ready to burst."

It’s been a White Picket Fence life for Nicolette. Charming, but tedious. She graduated high school, raring to go. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems though. The fear of being stuck in a rut, living a dull day-to-day life keeps Nicolette from settling on a career, despite her six years of college. When the chance arrives for her to housesit, she takes opportunity by the horns for a little playtime. She would experience life and find something that would make her happy.

Drew knows exactly what he wants. To run the family construction business. Too bad his dad doesn’t think he’s ready. They make a deal. Drew will help his cousin put up a new fence and after he’s learned hard work, the construction business is his. Drew's not sure learning how to string fence line together will see him suitable for a career of paper pushing, but he’ll do it.

When Drew meets the wanna-be-free-spirited Nicolette, his determined thoughts of what he’s always worked for begins to sway. Nicolette’s finding the fun in life. But their relationship is temporary. A week tops.

Title: IN THE HAY
Author: Keri Ford
Series: Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas, book 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Year of release: 2011, April 18
Format: eBook
Source: Received an e-ARC for review from the author

First line:
“You’re changing your degree.” Ted shook his head. “Again.”

Memorable Scenes:
- Nicolette's dancing skills > I might have snickered...and snorted
- Drew telling Nicolette exactly what he wants to do with her > *fans self* and Nicolette's reaction to it > made me smile in recognition
- Nicolette googling sex > burst out laughing and scared hubby to death


Nicolette 'Lette' Jones is free-spirited and restless. She decides to use her stay in a strange town to try out and do a few things she's never done before. What surprised me about this book was that Nicolette was a virgin. I loved how Keri Ford ingeniously incorporated that into the romance with her usual humorous note and voice.

Drew Hamilton is steadfast, determined, laidback and quiet, but it's the quiet ones people! He is a naughty dirty-talker and that’s just the way I like them!

IN THE HAY is my favorite Apple Trail book so far. The humor I love so much shines through in the entire book and is paired with some genuinely emotional stuff. LOVE that! I laughed out loud several times while reading this book but I also got a little teary-eyed at the end.

What I love about this series, besides the humorous writing, the subtle yet sexy sensuality and the wonderful characters, is the small-town feel and how everyone is connected in some way: Nicolette and Drew are cousins to former main characters in this series and hero and heroine of the second book make an appearance in this book too. With each book you get to know more people in Apple Trail and start to feel like they could be living right next to you. I also met the main couple from the next book and I can’t wait to read their story. Going by what I read in this one, it’s going to be explosive.

Keri Ford's writing is like a scalding bubble bath. It seeps into your pores and makes you feel all fuzzy and comfy and hot, very hot. This book just made me happy! It was funny, endearing and steamy! I will not be able to see or hear the word pineapple and not think back to this book. Thanks for that Keri!

Favorite Quotes:
She gripped the edge of her enchilada plate and sent it flying across the table to crash into another chair where an explosion of melted cheese, sauce and whatever else was in that thing flew into the air and rained to the floor. Satisfaction bloomed in her chest and pulled out a smile. Now that she enjoyed and could do again.

That burning hot kiss in the bar had lit her head on fire and singed down to her curling toes.

His thumb rolled over her nipple and, oh, God, just like that. She arched off the ground against his body, wanting more.
Not knowing what to do, she combed her fingers through his short brown hair as he took her in his mouth. Teeth nipped her and she tugged at his soft strands, wanting to voice something, anything to get him to do that again, but words were gone. She existed only in a state of tingling need, craving his touch.

“I can’t work with you saying this dirty stuff in my ear.”
He tried to look offended. “I haven’t said one dirty thing.”
Her hand flicked up I the air. “It’s not what you’re saying, but how.”
He grinned. “You’re hearing things. If I wanted to be dirty, I would just say I want to reach under that short skirt you’re wearing and see if you’re wet and waiting for me.”

He leaned against the barn door and watched her walk out of his life. An itch to call her back crawled up his throat, but he swallowed it down. There was no room for a woman like her in his life now and she deserved what he couldn’t give.

If Shellie Chambers has to hear one more condescending comment from her mother about life or men, she might scream. She packs up and takes a trip to see her long-missed high school friend, Riley. He’ll know exactly what she needs to loosen up. But instead of the girl-chasing jock she remembers from their youth, Riley’s gone country, keeping up a farm of his own.

Riley Hamilton has settled down on a farm his uncle left to him. Not the life he ever envisioned, but after getting a girl pregnant in college and then watching helplessly as the baby was aborted, he learned the hard way it was time to settle down. Shellie’s reentry into his life reminds of his wild past and it’s a fight to ignore the tempting woman Shellie has become.

Title: ON THE FENCE
Author: Keri Ford
Series: Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas, book 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Year of release: 2011, February 21
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via Smashwords

First line:
There was no way around it. Catching Mr. Right was damn hard work.

Memorable Scenes:
-the four-wheeler scene > wow!
- bathroom scene > double wow!


Shellie Chambers and Riley Hamilton are childhood friends. The last time they saw each other was 6 years ago but when her mom is driving her bat-shit crazy, Shellie seeks refuge with the friend she knows will pull her back from the ledge. But devil-may-care, good-times Riley has transformed into responsible and controlled Riley while Shellie is determined to have a little fun.

I did not take very extensive notes on Shellie’s character but do remember she was another female character I really liked. Keri Ford has a knack for writing likeable heroines I easily connect with and having read the third book in this series I know this is something that this isn’t just a fluke of the first two books.

I met Riley in the first book of the series and was immediately drawn to him. He’s careful and intense. One little thing I did miss was a little more background on the change in Riley as I would have loved to know the cause for the change was, but that's me nitpicking.

Like THROUGH THE WALL this book was pretty short so both the stories in this series were fun and quick reads and left me wanting a little bit more when finished. However by bringing the characters back in the next books keeps you connected and I like those little peeks into how they’re doing.

I really like Keri Ford's voice and style. It's easy, fluent and fun and every time I read her stories she puts a smile on my face. In the span of 8 chapters Keri Ford gave me a wonderful character-driven story with likable and developed characters, subtle humor and enough sexual tension to set the pages on fire.

Favorite Quote:
And at that moment, Riley’s hand dropped to Shellie’s thigh. His large palm covered the top of her leg, his long fingers rested between her thighs, and she completely lost her train of thought. He wasn’t doing anything suggestive or dirty under the table, but it was just that his hand was on her, warming her and zapping her words before they could even reach her tongue.

GIVEAWAY-reminder:
By commenting on this review or one of the other posts this week (every comment is an entry) your name is thrown in the hat to win the following prizes:

- one autographed print copy of Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Vol.1 --open to international residents
- eCopies of Through The Wall, On The Fence, In The Hay. --open to international residents (Winner's Choice)
- 2 Apple Trail Jars --US residents only

This review is the prequel of my APPLE TRAIL WEEK that will run from today until Friday May 27th. There will be reviews of the first 3 Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas series, guestposts by the author Keri Ford with a vlog on Wednesday and of course there will be prizes...lots and lots of prizes, graciously offered by the lovely Keri Ford. I hope this review will whet your appetite for the coming week and you'll come back tomorrow for one of Keri Ford's favorite excerpt from this series and to find out what the prizes are and how you can win them (one hint: start commenting on this review *wink*).

Stephanie Faulker doesn’t want wild and raunchy, just a little spice. She’s been hearing her neighbor’s nightly sexcapades through her bedroom wall and she wants a turn!

But Parker Madison isn’t so easily swayed. He wants Stephanie all right, but not just in the bedroom. He wants commitment and long-term, not a quick roll.

Short-term does not lead to long term. Or can it….hmm…we’ll have to wait and see what these two can do!

Title: THROUGH THE WALL
Author: Keri Ford
Series: Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas, book 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Year of release: 2010, December 20
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via Smashwords

First line:
Summer in the south was like living in a sauna 24/7.

Memorable Scenes:
- breakfast scene > This scene made a lasting impression on me.

Neighbors, friends and coworkers Stephanie Faulkner and Parker Madison are about to take their friendship to another level at Stephanie’s instigation. She wants Parker and isn’t taking no for an answer.

The star of THROUGH THE WALL for me was the heroine Stephanie Faulkner. Most of the time it’s the hero who stands out for me in the stories I read and in this book, while Parker isn’t too shabby, Stephanie definitely stole the show. She’s smart, sweet and determined.

Keri Ford was a new-to-me-author, once again found via Twitter. I saw a mention of her debut at Turquoise Morning and once I read the blurb I was a goner. Contemporary romance with a friends-to-lovers trope? I didn’t know how fast to hit that buy-button and I’m so very glad I did because it led me to a lovely read.

One thing that really stood out to me in THROUGH THE WALL was the humor that was there from the very start. I really like Keri's voice a lot and she made me instantly like Stephanie. As far as tropes go…you say: friends-to-lovers and I immediately say: Yes, please! And Keri Ford's THROUGH THE WALL is one of the better ones I've recently read with this trope.

My first taste of Keri’s Ford’s work has certainly left me wanting more. THROUGH THE WALL was a quick, enjoyable and well-written story even if the ending was rather sudden. Still, in the short span of the story Keri Ford managed to put her Apple Trail series on my radar and I'll definitely be looking out for the future books.

Favorite Quotes:
She licked the last bit of salt from her now empty plastic cup and eyed the fine piece of hardened, tanned flesh prowling through the crowd. Yes, prowling. Parker took long strides, his eyes always searching and looking around; his mouth perfectly kicked up in this little grin that made the butterflies in her belly smile.

Parker breathed and continued working at talking himself out of it. A few moments of fun. Catch a bit of ass and apparently, possibly, spank some of it, too. Not how he’d wanted Stephanie Faulkner all these years. She was supposed to be a slow and torturous unwrapping. Hours spent learning each creamy, soft inch of her skin. Time taken to see what set her off and what made her beg and ache for more.