First Comes Love

by Christie Ridgway

There's a saying around the town of Hot Water, California: "Wilder women don't wed." When the town was founded, the Wilders ran the local house of ill repute...nowadays they're still known for there naughty ways.

But Kitty Wilder has decided that it's time for all that to change!

Kitty Wilder longed for a little respectability, so eight years ago she finagled an "I do" out of local hero Dylan Matthews. The ceremony was only supposed tobe a tourist attraction sham, but a loophole made it legal ... a little fact she'd "conveniently" neglected to share until Dylan came storming back into her life.

How could he be married and not even know it? As an FBI agent, Dylan thought he'd seen it all, but this was outrageous. Kitty is still gorgeous, appealing, and even she deserves more than the toughened man he had become. But before Dylan can accept the powerful emotions he has for this unexpected wife he has to first face down the demons of his past...

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Chick Lit, Adult, Humor

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[KimKirt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repeat after me . . . "Wilder women don't wed and they don't run." Got it? Okay, so keep reading. Page 50 . . . okay, I said I got it. Page 75 . . . really, it sunk in. Page 100 . . . honestly, I may be forgetful but I think I remember that. Page 150 . . . do you want me to tattoo it on my butt? Page 200 . . . I wish that damn Wilder woman would wed or run already! Page 250 . . . Oh good lordy you can't be serious. Page 300 . . . slamming head against fence post.

Get my drift? I think I would have liked the book more if we weren't constantly reminded of that. Honestly, I may not be quick but I did figure that out in the first 50 pages and could have done without the repetitiveness. That's what finally did me in and I couldn't wait to finish this one just so I wouldn't have to hear about it anymore. Really thought the premise was cute, but the book just didn't do it for me.

Sorry! JMO!

[Maddie butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

One drunken night Kitty and Dylan decided to get “fake” married. But the morning after Dylan had taken off to LA to join the FBI, kitty had found the marriage License and registered it. In truth she really loved Dylan and was hoping maybe one day he would come back to her.
Eight years later after the FBI informs Dylan he’s married, he jumps on his bike and heads back to Hot Water to confront Kitty. Along the way feelings start to develop and the truth about why Kitty registered the marriage comes out.

This was a sweet tale of a romance about two people facing things from their past they can’t get over. I gave it a four start rating only because of the way the author played Dylan out. I understand she was making him out to be a person who blamed himself for something he couldn’t control. Cold distance but he came off little abusive and Psycho. Did she really have to put in there that he knew so many ways to kill people and every time kitty made Dylan mad he would want to murder or strangle her. Or use method number ___ to strike her down? Just bad taste in Portraying a character.

[Krissys Bookshelf Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Comes Love (Hot Water, California #1)
by Christie Ridgway





Kitty Wilder longed for a little respectability, so eight years ago she finagled an "I do" out of local hero Dylan Matthews. The ceremony was only supposed tobe a tourist attraction sham, but a loophole made it legal ... a little fact she'd "conveniently" neglected to share until Dylan came storming back into her life.

How could he be married and not even know it? As an FBI agent, Dylan thought he'd seen it all, but this was outrageous. Kitty is still gorgeous, appealing, and even she deserves more than the toughened man he had become. But before Dylan can accept the powerful emotions he has for this unexpected wife he has to first face down the demons of his past







My Review:

I thought the characters really carried this story and more than all of them Dylan was the one that kept me reading. Kitty was a little more than annoying mostly because of her naivete at her age started to get on my nerves less than half way in. I need characters I can like and relate to and see myself in or imagining in real life as someone I could like as a person. While Kitty isn't unlikable she was just too irritating for me to really be able to enjoy the rest of the book.



My Rating:

3 Stars



Reviewed By: Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews

http://kkmalott.booklikes.com/





Note: I received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review via California Girls

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chick-lit returns! Girl lives in a small town in California where her family has lived for decades and their family motto is something like "< Family> doesn't marry or run" or something like that because she comes from a family that started the town whorehouse, which doesn't exist anymore, but it is still included on tours of the "Old Town" part of town. In an act of defiance, the Girl jokingly marries the town heartthrob and mails in the official marriage papers, even though she said she wouldn't. They get drunk, but don't sleep together, even though the Girl thinks they do. Oh, and this was when the kids were like 18-19 or something. So 11 years later, the Dude returns to town to find out why the Girl sent in the papers, because she never told him she would. Shit happens, I don't remember what, but they end of really sleeping together and it turns out that this is the first time that she has ever done it because she takes her marriage vows seriously and thinks that she has already done it with this guy anyway and she should only sleep with him. Yeah, I think this book is one of those Christian novels. Blurgh. Bring on the slut factor! It's interesting to read these books sometimes and not know and when you are done, it just doesn't seem right. Something seems off. Whatever, boredom in Alice continued, so I read this in a day. It could have been worse.

Grade: C-

[ies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sukaaa.. padahal iseng aja bacanya, semaleman malah kaga bisa berenti langsung abis hmpfh. Yang suka SAM wajib baca deh...

"Wilder women don't wed and they don't run"

Moto keluarga Wilder yang membuat Kitty Wilder ingin memberontak, dan kesempatan untuk memberontak datang padanya saat die berumur 18th. Ada tradisi lokal pada puncak musim panas, muda-mudi bisa mengikuti upacara pernikahan, kemudian aktanya di simpan sama si bride samapai si bride mau untuk mendaftarkan pernikahan mereka ke pengadilan. Just for fun aslinya, tapi Kitty yg masih muda, mengemban nama Wilder dan mabuk, mendaftarkan pernikahan maenannya sama Dylan Matthews ke pengadilan dan menjadi sah.

Keluarga Wilder terkenal karena "notorious" di Hot Water California. Nenek buyut mereka menjalankan rumah bordil dan menjadi si "madame" sampai beberapa generasi. Nah sekarang rumah bordil di Hot water sudah menjadi warisan budaya dan menjadi tempat pariwisata lokal maupun internasional di Hot Water, lagi2 di jalankan oleh keluarga Wilder, dan Kitty yg jd PR nya + meranin si "madame". [kocak deh kwkwkw]

Dylan Matthews, melarikan diri dari Hot Water dan bergabung dengan FBI selama 8th karena die merasa gagal menyelamatkan nyawa Alicia, istri temen baiknya Bram (ini hero buku 2). Rasa bersalah menggerogotinya, sementara semua warga di Hot Water menyanjungnya sebagai "Hero" karena berhasil nyelametin nyawa anak2 Alicia. Sekarang dia harus kembali ke Hot Water, karena tetiba atasannya menanyakan tentang "istrinya", Istri yg tdk tau die punyai, dia harus minta penjelasan kepada Kitty Wilder, istrinya di mata hukum (ngakak deh bacanya).

Matthews ini dari keluarga terpandang di Hot Water, jika Wilder adalah penjahatnya, maka Matthews adalah sheriff nya. Bisa kebayangkan, musuh abadi selama bergenerasi tiba2 terikat dlm sebuah pernikahan?

Kocak deh, si Kitty ini rada saklek dan si Dylan ini rada gila kontrol. Kocak banget pokoknya deh b2 ini... yg rada ngeganggu itu bapaknya Dylang sama emaknya Kitty hahahaah

lanjut buku 2 si Honor sama Bram XD

[Linda Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how the book opened and set the scene for this fun romance. Kitty feels her family history is weighing her down. She loves her hometown but is sick of the reputation of the women in her family and wants more. She doesn't realize just how much change is coming for her. Dylan was her secret. She married him all those years ago in an act of rebellion. She didn't expect him to come back and make demands. She has some demands of her own.

Dylan is an FBI agent and he left his hometown and tried hard to not look back. There are some very unhappy memories and he is not happy that his marriage he just discovered is forcing him back. He doesn't expect to feel the attraction to Kitty. He is not that happy with his career either and has to decide if he is willing to make changes and comes to terms with the past.

I really enjoyed this fun romance. I thought Kitty and Dylan were really cute together and had a great dynamic. It is all the things to want in a good romance. From beginning to end, it kept me interested. Their teasing and taunting of one another was all in good fun and sexy too.

I received a copy in return for a honest review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun book. Kitty really wanted to live down the "Wilder women" reputation and live a respectable life. When she "married" Dylan, she took advantage of the loophole that made it legal -- which he didn't know until eight years later. He came to town to get a divorce, and then leave town again. He didn't like his "hero" status, and had left town to avoid it. Kitty decided to use his reputation to help their Wild West town, and told him he could have his divorce after he helped out by playing sheriff to her madam. Thanks to their spending time together, they began to fall in love. But both had demons to overcome, and it wouldn't be easy. There was also a side story involving Kitty's mom and Dylan's dad -- also very good. In typical CR fashion, there were some truly LOL moments, and even a few spots that made me cry. I will definitely have to track down the next one in the set.

[LaurLa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a much more complicated story than the blurb would lead you to believe. Both MCs were dealing with some very complex feelings when it came to their hometown and their place in it and their own feelings for each other only compounded everything. Or clarified. Dylan's growing feelings for Kitty allowed him to start connecting again which then allowed him to be more open to the rest of the town residents and their feelings for him. And of course Kitty's feeling for Dylan made her yearn to live up to her Wilder name which of course she couldn't do until she accepted what that really meant to her.

I really enjoyed the world in this book. I loved the Old Town premise (I've always loved reenactment museums). And even though Dylan and Kitty (and even Samantha) were going through a lot trying to figure out their stuff, reading about it was fun. I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitty Wilder is sick of her unconventional life. All she wants is to be normal, but in Hot Water, California, she will always be one of the infamous Wilder women. Kitty has decided this will be her last summer playing the madam in the living-history district and five weeks is all she has left, but then "he" walks back into her life. As Kitty comes face-to-face with her "one silly mistake" again, she knows that she has a lot of explaining to do.
Dylan Matthews is furious. He has just found out that for the last 8 years, he has been married. Unfortunately for him, he's back in a place he doesn't want to be, to try and figure out exactly how this happened.
All Dylan wants is to get out of town without a wife, but Kitty has other plans for her husband. She ropes him into playing the sheriff in the living-history district in exchange for an easy divorce, but of course, things don't always go as planned.

[Robin Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute story from Ms. Ridgeway….
Dylan and Kitty (think Gunsmoke), Dylan is an FBI agent and Kitty runs the local family business Burning Rose Brothel. Kitty just wants just wants to be well Kitty. All Kitty wants is a simple life with marriage family a minivan just plain normalcy.
This was a fun story because Dylan and Kitty are married. With that they also both have past issues that need to be dealt with. Ms. Ridgeway made the sparks fly between these two from the beginning added along with that the amusing amount of bickering/banter that they have makes for a rather interesting story.
The characters are likeable because they have real flaws which make them so much more endearing. I liked that about them. There was plenty of hot chemistry. There was a weird bonus…their parents were or are having an affair. Dylan’s dad is the local judge and of course Kitty’s mom is the madam. It just added to this quirky fun story.

[Julia David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dylan left Hot Water 8 years ago. The whole town thinks he is a hero, he doesn't. He was able to save 3 children, but not his best friend's wife. Before he left town, he and Kitty were married. It was supposed to be a pretend marriage, but Kitty made it legal without him knowing. Now he is back to get a divorce because he really isn't marriage material. Kitty has heard her whole life that Wilders don't get married and so she knows that she will have to end her marriage to Dylan. But, she doesn't want to do that. She wants to have the whole experience, marriage, mini van, children and respectability. She knows she will never have all of that while living in Hot Water. Is that what they really want, or can they have something great together?

[Wiewi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"wilder women do not wed and run",,, kitty wanna break that motto, she registered her wedding with Dylan matthews and make it legal. Eight years later, Dylan found abouth the wedding and he back to Hot Water to confronted Kitty. But something about Kitty make him curious and passionate.

i really like this story but it's little tainted because the affair of samantha and D.B Matthew. how come your mother have affair with your father in law ended up pregnant and planning to get married. it's means your half sister/brother gonna be your husband half sister/brother too. it's just not make sense to me.

[Alyssa Edmonds · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a weird book.. I’m not sure if I’m looking forward to the next in the series. This book started off really slow and boring, it got better in the middle and then slowed right down again. A really weird and boring ending too that didn’t really make a whole lot of sense. While it focused on Dylan and Kittys story, it didn’t stop repeating itself. How does one make someone happy? Make love in a caravan while in the woods on a test drive? What?! While thats fun and exhilarating, it was very random and didn’t seem to follow the storyline. 🤣🤦‍♀️ No idea what I just read. I’m shocked I finished it really.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful story about a small town girl, Kitty Wilder, whose dream is to overcome her family's shady reputation and FBI Special Agent Dylan Matthews, also from the same hometown, who is a hero but feels guilty for the one he could not save. Through a quirky hometown tradition, they were married 8 years ago, but Dylan doesn't know that until he learns about it through a background check. He returns home during an ordered vacation, and discovers at the end that Kitty and the home town are where he really belongs.

[Sheila Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is so exciting to read new stories that make you laugh and enjoy the back in forth between characters destined to discover that they are meant to be each other's forever! A hot FBI agent who discovers he's married to the girl he didn't realize he had left behind and the girl who just wanted minivans and happiness to escape a family notoriety make their struggle their strength s! This is such a feel good story and the characters worth investing your time in that this book is a "keeper" to read over and ove especially on those days you need a pick me up!!

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitty Wilder has heard all her life that "Wilder Women Don't Wed"! Wanting respectability Kitty takes her one chance and weds Dylan Matthews. Upon a whim she registers the marriage and keeps it a secret for more than 8 years until Dylan is considering marriage and learns he already is to Kitty. Returning to Hot Water, Dylan is determined to find Kitty and end the marriage, yet when he sees her again he is stunned by his reaction to her! I highly recommend this book and anticipate a good series in Hot Water, California.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would’ve enjoyed this more if it hadn’t been for the side story of the parents screwing too and that ending, which seemed lacking. Ugh! Another book that appeared to have a cute story line with potential but in the end didn’t quite make it. Still, though I guess it was a decent enough read I suppose but thinking about it now, because I felt it lacking in some ways it makes me not like it. So 3 stars cuz it had some nice things. I wanted to like this but in the end it didn’t quite get me there. Next please!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story about a young woman who secretly married (secret even to the groom) only to have the angry groom show up 8 years later wanting a divorce. Naturally, they are attracted to one another, and various conflicts and emotional storms ensue. Mucking things up are parental issues and guilt issues that both area feeling, as well as the town history that paints one as a brazen outlaw of sorts and the other as hero material. Never the twain that meet, right?

[Suzie Quint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any one who grew up in a small town will recognize how the heroine feels trapped by her family history and the way she believes the town perceives her. And she'll do anything to break out of that cage. The hero also has issues with the towns perceptions, but unlike her, the town sees a hero in him--a role that haunts him because he knows it's not real. Together they heal each others wounds. Another fun, heartfelt story from Christie Ridgway.

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book that had me laughing out loud especially at the part in the market. It was a great story about a guy that finds out that he is married and returns to his hometown to find his wife.
I loved Kitty and Dylan and how they were both trying to fight against the towns opinions. While trying to fight the attraction between each other. Its a great story and cannot wait to continue onto the next book. xxx

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well-written, sweet book. Kitty Wilder lives in Hot Water, CA, and she is trying to live down her family's history of running the local house of ill repute. Dylan Matthews left town to become an FBI agent, but after eight years away he has to return to deal with a legal entanglement. The first in a two book series, it can be read as a stand alone book. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read Review

4.5 stars
I really liked this book. It was cute, fun, sweet, and quick. Kitty was a little flaky but I still loved her and Dylan was pretty much just awesome. I liked the whole "reenactment" angle. It reminded me of going to civil war reenactments when I was younger. Anyway, this was my first Ridgway book back in the day and I love it as much now as I did then.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a cute story. It was two love stories and a little convoluted but I laughed and kept turning pages. I would of liked it more if it wasn't so predictable. Hot FBI agent normally makes me give an extra star just because. I thought the hero was kind of shallow and pushy. The story did take on a theme of redemption and being forgiven.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet little love story. I loved the setting of Hot Water, CA. The town's historical reenactments are wonderful to read about, and make the setting really come alive. Kitty and Dylan are both great characters, and I was rooting for them to get together, I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Karen Alonzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I got this book for free. The "man must overcome his 'too guilty to love' complex before losing the girl" plot doesn't have a lot of twist turns, but the light-hearted moments and entertaining side characters make it worth the read. It's fun and definitely better than several books that I DID pay for!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this romantic and very funny story. Kitty Wilder had been abandoned by her mother and raised by her Aunt Cat in a small town of Hot Water, California. She had always felt like she had to overcome her family’s history but could she? It was apparent that when FBI agent and homegrown hero Dylan Matthews returned home to comfort Kitty, she needed a good story and here it was.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ridgway really has become a go-to for me for excellent contemporary romances. This book is another fabulous read.

One of the things I like best about her novels is the slow pace of the relationship. She really takes the time to show her characters falling in love.

[Marie]

I once read a book very similar but instead of historical tours, there were ghost walks. The new guy in town lived in a haunted house where the ghosts acted up everytime he and a woman were together in a room. It's by Erin something.

[Bunga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lumayan lucu dan heboh. Terutama pas mereka roleplay jadi Sherrif dan Madam. Hehehehe... Tapi klo boleh jujur, saya lebih tertarik sama secondary pair-nya, judge D.B.dan Samantha Wilder. Complicated ngebayanginnya. Bokapnya si Hero nikah ama Emaknya si Heroine. Unik gitu ya.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked it