GRR Reviews Sweetly Scandalous (Willow Creek) by Jacqueline Winters

Sweetly Scandalous is badly named. It featured a sociopathic mother, a dark and broody son, a tormented girl, a new guy in town, and a whole lot of blackmail and conspiracy. It is NOT sweet at all. Once you get past the bad title, the novel, at almost 500 pages, sure has a lot of plot in these pages.

Allie Jordan was in love with Travis until he turned into a dark menace after his father's disappearance. Then one night... Travis was arrested, and Allie was left with a scar on her body. Now Allie kept an eye on Travis's parole date, ready to leave town before that happens. In the meanwhile, she's working as a receptionist/assistant in the hospital, working under Lesley, Travis' mother, whom everybody called Cruella behind her back. Allie kept her fantasies to romance novels, whom she reviews on her blog. When a new doctor, Nick Bryant arrived in town, he looked as if he stepped off one of Allie's bodice-rippers. But Nick came with his own wounds and secrets... he caught his wife screwing his best friend. Nick and Allie fell for each other, but forces are ready to deny them happiness. Lesley is determined to restore her reputation (tarnished by her son's arrest) by running Allie out of town so she can continue to control her boy, but Travis is one possessive SOB who wanted Allie by his side, and willing to kill. Then Nick's wife (she never finished her divorce) and Nick's sister came town, then came news that Travis got released early (and Lesley made sure nobody in town found out)...

While the title was "Sweetly Scandalous", the tone of the book was anything but sweet, but tense, as if something is going to break soon, full of tension. The plot was nice, and everything wrapped around at the end for a satisfying finish.

Category: Romantic suspense

Primary Plot: Woman almost destroyed by her ex by that one night (which he was arrested) fell for the new doctor in town, even as her dangerous ex may be paroled soon...

Tropes: small town, scars, triangle, evil ex, woman in peril, protector

Overall Rating:  5/5