Author: Jiffy Kate
Genre: Romance
Published on: November 30, 2017 (self-published)
The day Tucker Benoit left his father's farm in French Settlement to pursue his love of music was the best day of his life.
Or so he thought...
After years of booze, girls, drugs, and gigs, Tucker finds himself back where he started. Only this time, he finds solace on the farm that once isolated him from the world.
Now, the only thing hindering his much-needed R and R is the smart and sassy Piper Grey. The fire between them is palpable and lands them between the sheets more often than not.
But when a blast from Tucker's past shows up out of nowhere, he's forced to re-evaluate his life. The future never looked more uncertain and his heart never felt more torn apart.
Suddenly, staying on the road doesn't seem like such a bad idea after all...
After finishing the two books that make up Micah Landry’s and Sheridan (Dani) Reed’s story, I was eager to read Piper Grey’s. She is Dani’s best friend. Although Piper had a rather small role, she piqued my interest. I found her intriguing, and her name is cool to boot. Taming Trouble is book four in this southern romance series. I skipped the second because it's a prequel, and I was more interested in Micah, Dani, and Piper. The protagonists of Taming Trouble are Tucker Benoit and Piper Grey. It takes place in French Settlement, Louisiana. Tucker is a notorious bad boy and womanizer. I kid you not, Tucker earned himself the crude but amusing nickname Tucker the Fucker. He doesn’t do serious relationships.
Tucker used to be an aspiring singer. Failing to make it big, he returned to French Settlement to regroup. There, he struck up a friends- (or rather, enemies) with-benefits relationship with Piper. They couldn’t stand each other, but their chemistry was blazing. Taming Trouble starts after one of their trysts. They wake up after a drunken night at a club. It turns out a bandmate of Tucker’s filmed the latter’s drunk proposal and posted the video on Twitter. Tucker finds the situation amusing, but Piper is not thrilled. She runs away in a fury.
The video goes viral in less than a day. Tucker doesn’t mind it that much. A weird thing is that no one else he knows finds out about the video. It doesn’t even make a blip on the Landrys’ or the Benoits’ radar. That was all but impossible to believe. Haven’t they ever heard of social media? Anyway, the video has virtually no repercussions for Tucker. As for Piper, it’s another story. Her tyrant of a boss learns about the video and blackmails her with it. Piper has no choice but to do anything he asks or he will end her career.
Tucker and Piper continue to hook up, but less frequently. At one point, Piper thinks Tucker may be avoiding her. Not long after, Tucker’s life changes forever. One of Tucker’s conquests from his tour days shows up at his doorstep. She’s Sophie, who reveals that she became pregnant with his child. The girl, Sammy (short for Samanie) is four years old now. And that’s not the biggest news. Sophie is terminally ill, which is why she tracked down Tucker. She believes it’s time for Sammy to meet her father.
Tucker takes some time to assimilate the news. Part of him is angry that Sophie kept Sammy to herself all those years. Knowing that Sophie will not get to watch Sammy grow up tames that anger. Tucker feels that what’s happening to Sophie is not fair. When he meets Sammy, he knows she’s his daughter. Sammy turns out to be quite a bright child. She’s very attentive, self-sufficient, and inquisitive. Sammy takes great care of Sophie, who’s deteriorating quickly. Tucker feels sad at this. Sammy’s had to grow up too quickly so she could care for her mother.
Most of the rest of the book is about Tucker learning to be a parent. The whole prospect was sprung up on him without warning. Tucker is afraid he’ll mess things up. Caring for Sammy also means he pretty much stops talking to Piper. I don’t fault him for that, but Tucker could have handled things better. Even though Tucker and Piper don’t talk about personal stuff, a child is a huge life change. At least Tucker doesn’t try to raise Sammy by himself. He has a loving family and great friends. I looked forward to see how they reacted to Tucker becoming a father. Sammy is an adorable little girl. I found her scenes with Tucker and Sophie endearing. I don’t envision having children any time soon, but with Tucker and Sammy I sort of got a peek of what that feels like.
Now, I got Taming Trouble for Piper. Although she is a protagonist now, she hardly feels like one. Piper barely shows up in the book. Compared to Tucker, she has way too few chapters written in her POV. I’d have liked to see more of her. Maybe in another book? Other than that, I enjoyed this installment in the Finding Focus series. It’s one of the best romance novels I’ve read. And yes, it’s a romance novel, but it’s a great read for men. I’m not ashamed to admit I read this. I wouldn’t read books with shirtless dudes on the cover, though. No way. Taming Trouble is an entertaining, heartwarming read. You won’t regret it.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
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