Review: The One That I Want by Piper Sheldon

The One That I Want by Piper Sheldon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.  

I loved getting to know Roxy and Saunders.  They both had such interesting back stories and were perfect for each other.  Each of them had some baggage to unpack before they could finally be together, but I really liked the way that was handled.  I actually appreciated that this turned into a slower burn romance.  I thought it was going to be a insta-love kind of thing, but I should have known that Piper Sheldon was not going to let me down and that she was going to deliver a solid, mature romance book with substance.  I was not disappointed.

This starts out with Roxy and Saunders meeting at a night club in Denver, they are instantly attracted to each other.  Things start out passionate and heavy, but Roxy has turned her chaotic life around and always likes to be in control so they opt for a nice chat over ice cream before she heads back to Green Valley.  Never expecting to see or hear from her mystery man again, Roxy goes back to her uber controlled, buttoned up life coordinating events and working at Donner Lodge.  When Saunders bursts on to the scene to work with the Lodge on some outdoor corporate team building events, she is shaken and her carefully scheduled itinerary is threatened.  If Roxy wants the promotions she has worked so hard for and deserves she will have to learn to work as a team, and if Saunders wants to win the girl he's going to have to learn to let her in and deal with his demons and feelings.  

I loved the side characters in this.  Skip, Saunders' best friend and business partner was awesome though he's got some secrets of his own that I hope we learn about in the future.  He is always cleaning up after Saunders, but he finally calls him on his crap when he's made one too many messes for himself.  I loved that he finally stood up to Saunders and made him face reality.  The same goes for Gretchen, she was such a good friend to Roxy, but she and Roxy pushed each other away because they didn't want to deal with their feelings.  When they finally talked it out, they realized they each wanted what was best for each other.  I found that so relatable.  I also love their friend group and their support for each other.

I loved the comparison of Sandy and Danny in Grease.  She's conservative where he is wild.  He's impulsive where she is controlled.  In the end they both want to be together and complement each other so well.  I also loved the grand gesture scene at the end.  If you have seen the movie, you will get the references.

I'm looking forward to seeing more from the Scorned Women's Society, especially Gretchen and maybe Skip or Jack (maybe Skip and Jack? ;))  I really enjoyed this installment and the whole series in general.  

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