Neat by Kandi Steiner

 

A Review of Wendy

A Perfect Neat Stars
* * * * *

 Spoiler Free

Shakespeare knew what he was doing when he presented to the world, Romeo and Juliet. He gave us the perfect love story with all of the challenges young love can have. What made it so perfect was this universal conflict of two families being arch enemies with their children falling for each other. Now in the original story, it was extremely tragic. But the idea of family conflicts with love was presented for others to understand and use for future generations of writers.

Kandi Steiner's Neat took this premise and made it her own.

Well, Kandi Steiner hooked me as a reader with her book, The Wrong Game. Then I read On The Rocks and fell hard for the Becker Brothers, their family and their ties to Scooter Whiskey. I learned of the heart and care these brothers had for each other, their mother and the Whiskey their lineage started with the Scooters. Now, these books may have links with family and location but they easily stand alone. You can read them without the other...but I will share, I enjoyed the linking.

Logan Becker has had a secret for a very long time. Since he was a young boy, he always thought Mallory wasn't like other girls. Other girls were boring or had no spark. Other girls were ok but didn't have that sharp way of looking like they were interested in everything like Mallory. Anf Mallory didn't act anything like all the other Scooters.

But Logan's long-time interest in Mallory had been a well-kept secret because Beckers and Scooters were not families that were friends. Long ago they were partners, started the distillery. But when the original Scooter passed, he left out any ownership to the partner Becker causing bad blood between the families. It then became even more ugly when the brothers' father passed under questionable circumstances at the distillery.

Now the brothers work for the Scooters as a way to hold onto the legacy and honor of the Becker family.

Mallory Skooter has been running from the family business from the start. She was nothing like any of her family; Mallory marched to her own drum much to the dislike of her father. She was an artist through and through and for years she was able to thrive in the environment of others like her. She was years into multiple art degrees at university and then the school closed. This allowed her father to manipulate a situation Mallory had a difficult time turning down. In her mind, she knew it was a deal with the devil but the offer was too close to her heart to turn down.

Which brings Logan having to be the boss of Mallory. Logan has been the lead tour guide next in line to take over the manager position when the current one retires. Logan has been working towards this goal for years. He is well-liked by all of the other tour guides and has instituted a consistent level of excellence noted in all of the reviews from the customers. Logan was a systems fella, a reader, and watcher of documentaries. He was a Becker so he did have the rep of a player like his brothers but mostly he was the peacekeeper, not a fighter like the others.

Now he has his secret crush sitting right in front of him. Mallory is not happy to be there and came dressed not to impress and with attitude. She looks just as beautiful to Logan as usual but with the gum-snapping and bored responses, Mallory was proving to be nothing like what Logan thought she was...

We get a step-up of two people who assume one thing about each other and through the course of their arc, are surprised by who they actually are. We see both of them learn of the way families have impacted their lives, how dreams and desires have sometimes clouded judgment. Best of all, we have a love story which develops in steps, growing and becoming something real over time. We feel all of the passion and want between these two. They are opposites yet fit perfectly.

The banter, the interaction between brothers and families feels real. The undercurrent of the mystery regarding the two families continues but never distracts from the love story. It adds to the tale causing us to become more invested each time another Becker Brother book comes.

Kandi Steiner has a massive winner with Neat. It goes down easy with just the right kick...making you want more.

A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

About Kandi Steiner

Kandi Steiner is a bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.

An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. She started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.” She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.

When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys live music, traveling, anything heavy in carbs, beach days, movie marathons, craft beer and sweet wine — not necessarily in that order.