Relentless

Aspen #1

by Cindy Stark

Out of a job and heartbroken, Lily Chandler is looking for a safe place to stay until she can get back on her feet. She’s used to living in a city with a pulse, but she’s desperate enough to move with her best friend to a small town, where green fields outnumber the townsfolk.

Once she arrives, she discovers all is not as it seems with her friend who has a vendetta against the whole town, but most especially with a love ‘em and leave ‘em sexy cowboy. If her friend can be trusted, he’s the biggest player in town. The only problem is, his pretty green eyes and caring manner are hard to ignore.

Luke Winchester’s done looking for love. It’s been years, but he can’t shake the cruel lies started by a cold-hearted woman, and most of the single ladies in town won’t give him a second look. Until he meets beautiful Lily, who seems more than a little interested in him, and she sets his heart beating again.

Unfortunately, the path to love is worse than a muddy back road. The woman who ruined him is Lily’s best friend, and her spiteful accusations have turned vicious. Lily is as loyal as they come, so Luke will have to fight relentlessly if he hopes to show he’s a man worth loving. And he’ll need to prove it before she lands another job and leaves town.

From bestselling author Cindy Stark, Relentless is the first book in the Aspen series full of enthralling heroes and the strong women who love them. If you enjoy heartwarming romances with a side of sexy set in a charming small town, you’ll love these stories.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Westerns, Contemporary, Ebooks, Erotica, Chick Lit

157 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 2012

About the author

Cindy Stark lives with her family and a sweet Border Collie in a small town shadowed by the Rocky Mountains. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary romances, and she loves to hear from readers.

Connect with her online at:
http://www.CindyStark.com
http://facebook.com/CindyStark19
http://twitter.com/CindyStark19

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Thank you!

Reviews

[Cheesecake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily the new girl and Luke.
Not really a 4star but it just hit the spot. Romantic, good communication between MCs, nice setting, strong h, sweet-natured H.
Lily and her bff Hannah get laid off at the same time. On top of that Lily had lost her cheating fiancee to her slutty sister. So she is a bit gun shy when she meets Luke, and it doesn't help that Hannah says he is a womanizing man-ho... but is he really? Nothing is as black and white as I was expecting.
The plot is simple but not as predictable as I was expecting. I really wasn't sure how things with Hannah would be resolved they aren't really, but that worked for me .
Very short satisfying read. I will def read more by this author.
safety a safe read. The H briefly dated Hannah back before he left for college, but it wasn't serious and they never had sex. Hannah should really get professional help! As far as I can tell she doesn't star in any of the other books in the series.

[The BookChick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such as sweet story. I liked Lily and Luke a lot but hated Hannah the harpy. She was such a vile a vindictive person (and for NO reason). My only complaint with the book was that I wished that there was a resolution to Hannah and her lies so that Luke could have been publicly vindicated.

[Ingie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A simple, sweet and bland Novella - just 2 tiny stars.

Twenty-five-year-old Lily moves along with her friend Hannah to her friend's tiny hometown. They live temporarily in a small house on Hannah's parents' farm. The very first day is Lily running on the local hottie cowboy, Luke. The guy who broke her friend's heart when they were teenagers. Luke flirts immediately with Lily and Lily can't help but get really interested. Lily hear some bad things about Luke from her friend, but what is true? What did he do to Hannah long ago? If Lily must choose, will it be the best friend or the divine guy as her heart started to pound for?

I can't help but "roll my eyes" at times. Is this written for fools? I see, feel, know, and so on without every detail written  on my nose. Everything become "big" for the heroine but it's hard for me to "feel" with here, even though it's a real matter for the hero and heroine. Sigh! So in the end it raises for the better and I get really involved in this little story after all.



It's really kind of cute and sweet but it's a little too simple for my taste. The hero is a goodlooking green eyed cowboy. He is friendly, polite and sexy - Oh well! For his sake, their horse-riding, a cowboy hat and the hottie on the cover, I give this novella approved but not more.

I LIKE - just a tiny, tiny bit.

[Katinki · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a terrible book.

Boring. Cliched characters who lack any notion of depth (except for the over the top "friend" who was just ridiculous). Cliched plot (or maybe it's just a lack thereof altogether. Meh writing (at least it's 3rd person). Silly ending.

Okay and minor rant.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, USE A FUCKING CONDOM.

See, in this book, the female protagonist (if we dare to call her that) decides that no, it's a-okay to have unprotected sex with a guy she doesn't really know that well AND who is rumored to be a major player. Are the rumors real? No, but SHE DOESN'T KNOW THAT FOR 100% CERTAIN AT THAT POINT IN THE BOOK. STUPID STUPID STUPID.

Safe sex is the best and sexiest kind. Wanna know why? YOU DON'T DIE FROM IT.

[Talltree · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure what I was expecting when I downloaded this book, but it wasn't what I got- it was so much better! This was my first time reading anything by Cindy Stark, but it will certainly *not* be the last. I purchased this for free last night on a whim when I couldn't sleep. Based on the cover and the short description, I anticipated a nice "fluff" read with a good bit of sexy thrown in. This is a classic case of "do not judge a book by its cover". I was surprised and pleased to see an actual plotline, and one that played out extremely well. The novella was just long enough, and the characters developed fairly well. I am giving it 4 stars, simply due to the fact of Lily's friend, Hannah. Lily was 30 years old in the story, so I am guessing Hannah was around the same age, yet she acted sooooo immature and young- I often had to remind myself how old she was- she acted and responded like someone in her late teens or (very) early 20s, actually throwing tantrums, holding years-long grudges, and spreading viscous lies. If there would have been a little more background on her character, I might have been able to overlook this, but as it is, it is kind of a nagging point in my mind. That said, it was an entertaining read, and don't be surprised if Luke makes you want to find a sexy, RELENTLESS cowboy of your own. ;) Finished in one sitting.

[katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Great sweet short romance, and who doesn’t love a cowboyyyyyy!!!

Considering the length of this story I found that Cindy has added all the goodies in. Relentless has lies, romance, betrayal, deceit and of course a small town with gossip and smexy moments to of course.

The characters were likeable and the storyline intriguing. Recommended for an afternoon read or someone wanting to fluff that inner romantic.

PST don’t cha just love the cover *** purr **...

I’d love to have seen more and it to have been longer but found that the story written was well put forth.

3 1/2 stars ;)

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick little read... if you like sexy cowboys and sassy girls who fall for them... this book is for you...

After losing their jobs, Hannah and Lily decide to go to Hannah's home town of Aspen, Utah. An itty bitty place where everyone knows everything about each other. When Lily meets Luke, she feels an instant spark, and wants to find out more. The only thing standing in her way is her friendship with Hannah. Luke is Hannah's ex.. and Lily has been warned that he. is. trouble and she should stay far away from him. As Luke and Lily get to know each other and experience a traumatic event together, the truth unravels, and the force of love takes over.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased Relentless as part of the Aspen Trilogy ~ Books 1-3.

Luke Winchester, sexy handsome cowboy bad boy wants to go after Lily Chandler, a visitor to his small town of Aspen, Utah. One small problem is that she is Hannah's best friend, the same Hannah that eight years ago spread lies and ruined his reputation.

He gets Lily alone, sparks fly until Hannah arrives ~ WOW is Hannah Relentless in sticking to her lies and spreading new ones...

Relentless was packed with emotional problems, fun cowboys and a sweet girl making it an enjoyable quick read.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was okay for a quick read. I liked the connection between Lily and Luke. There were definite sparks there. I liked the small town feel and the way the characters interacted. The only thing that I really didn’t like was Lily’s friend Hannah.

My dislike of the scorned best friend had nothing to do with her being the ‘bad guy’ in this story. The problem was that readers weren’t given a really clear reason as to why she was the ‘bad guy’ and what caused her to act the way she did. She seemed to be full of hate for no apparent reason. Luke had spent as much time growing up in the same small town that Hannah did. They had a lot of the same friends and frequented the same places. You would think in all that time a mere rumor, based on a blatant lie would have been cleared up.

Basically, if anything else, except for the scorn of Hannah, had caused Lily to fight her attraction to Luke it would have been a much more enjoyable story. *sigh*

[Anna Marie Leffew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lies affect more than the person telling them

Lies.. the affect they have on others when they are told. This story reveals just how much one person's lies affects the entire town.
I enjoyed this story and the truth that lies behind it. It is well worth the read. The characters are so well defined and so real. It keeps you tuning the pages to find out what happens next. I highly recommend it.

[SheLove2Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Short, western contemporary. No major drama...would be a good rainy day read.

[NotTheTea · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐
🐎👠No matter what, Hannah is Lily's best friend. Everyone just can't expect Lily to betray her without knowing all the facts. Maybe tell your version of the story if you really want her to trust you instead of getting offended and giving her the cold shoulder?

🐎👠If only it was that easy to get a job.....

🐎👠Damn! Forget cold shoulder he's downright rude.

🐎👠Seriously Lily can believe that Luke is not a rapist like her best friend claiming him to be but Luke can't believe that she wasn't using him? I mean obviously she's lying otherwise she wouldn't be so furious with Lily ffs! Lily really drew the short end of the stick here. And why on earth did Luke never try to reprieve Hannah's accusations? Rape is no joke for god's sake!

🐎👠Whoa they're seriously doing a cat fight 😳 talk about dramas.

🐎👠Seriously it's not Lily who needs to apologize WTF.

🐎👠I was really invested in this story but didn't like how it turned out. So it frustrated the hell out of me.

[Will Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

While there isn't any over the top heat in the spice department, and there isn't any overwhelming suspense, there is some action. And there is definitely some angst going on between the MC's. Despite the few shortcomings, it's a good romantic novella with some great characters and it all ties into a wonderful series while each story is complete. I'm definitely a fan of Stark's.

[Marie Lapointe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, You'll Absolutely Love This

Some serious drama going on here. You cannot go wrong reading Cindy Stark's novels. She has a way of creating characters and drama that keeps you interested throughout the book.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lodging in her roommate’s family home after the girls both lose their jobs seemed like a good idea at the the time. However being loyal to her friend when she is attracted to the man her friend hates is difficult. I enjoyed this story but would have liked an epilogue.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet quick read. Not much on the steam side but still an enjoyable read!

[Quinn Fforde · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great small town story

[Radd Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hannah storyline never resolved. You don’t ever find out her motive behind spreading the rumors. That annoyed me.

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dramatic

Excellent storyline, want to know more about Hannah ! Little town drama is always entertaining. Glad this is book one cause there's some interesting characters.

[Kiela Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet!

[Dalene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review at A Date with a Book

After reading the holiday story of this series, Cowboys and Angels and loving it, I found that I had the first book on this series on my Kindle TBR pile and quickly read it. And just like the holiday story, this book was a quick read as well. Even though this is a novella, it definitely has enough substance to make a complete story, but definitely wanting more of the author’s work.

This author sure knows how to write a romance story. I loved Lily and Luke. Having heard briefly about them in book three, I was excited to learn about their story. The obstacles that were created were real and added interest to the story. The best friend, the mom, and the circumstances of Lily ending up in Aspen. And wow, who wouldn’t fall in love with Luke.

I definitely enjoyed this book. If you’re looking for a new author in romance with fresh ideas, definitely a must read. I recommend this book for all romance readers.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read. From the beginning of the story I could not connect with Hannah- she is seriously crazy and I'm hoping that the author isn't going to try and redeem this chick in a later book because I just can't see it. HATED her.. The h on the other hand was a likeable character. She had some iffy tendencies but I thought they were brought out by Hannah so they can be overlooked.. What I don't get is how come she never knew her friend and roommate was insane? I would have liked a little more back story about just what was said years ago.. Luke.. Ahhhhh now he was a great H. I usually dont like when the H will discover/express his love for the h first but who could resist him? (Even though the double earring thing threw me off a little. Not a turn on personally) The sex scene was hot and this h was literally a kick butt h.. She actually fought for her love and I thought that was an awesome thing. I just wish it had been longer..

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lies are the hardest things to out run & this is one story filled with them. Yet, none are true & they have taken on a life of their own. Hannah is the one that started the rumors about Luke out of anger over 6 years ago but she cannot let it go she truly believes them now to the point where when her & her friend Lily have to move home to her family's farm, which she has to after they lose their jobs. She is not happy about moving home, she gets caught up in the meanness of those lies. To the point where she wants Lily to hate Luke too. Which will be really difficult. Because the moment Luke & Lily meet sparks fly like the 4th of July. Out of respect she plans on staying away from Luke. Yet, Hannah's story of what happened is not adding up. This is a very well thought out storyline. With characters who have real personalities & depth to them. The story has a nice flow to it also with no boring spots that I could see.

[Tonileg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lily Chandler ends up in a tiny town in middle of nowhere America. She has always been a city girl, but with no job and little money she follows her roommate and best friend Hannah to her tiny hometown. Lily needs time to figure out where she is going and a new job. As soon as they enter the city she meets Luke Winchester, a hot rancher with a lot of history with the town and her bestfriend.
Lily is in a bad position because she is staying with Hannah's family and she was friends first so she has to be loyal, even though it turns out that Hannah is a big lying hot mess of a woman.
100 pages maybe less because there is an exert of an other book at the end.
2 stars

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relentless is based in small town Aspen and tells the tale of Lily Chandler and Luke Winchester as they try to overcome the small town gossip and rumours spread by Lily's best friend Hannah.

Cindy Stark's writing style makes Relentless an enjoyable quick read. This is a great romantic story that has very likeable characters and from the first chapter it is easy for the reader, like Lily, to be charmed by Luke Winchester and the rest of Aspen town folk. As the electric sparks fly between Lily and Luke, there is plenty of humour, resentment, revenge and sexy cowboys to keep the reader entertained.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1 Luke and lily.
This is technically the second book in series which is about Luke Winchester.
Lily loses her job and with her BFF decides to more to her BFF hometown of Aspen.
What lily doesn't know is hannah is vindicated and lier.
Before Luke left for college he dumped hannah because it wasn't serious. Hannah started lies saying Luke raped her and by the time he came back it was impossible to get people to believe him.
Lily is a good huge of character and she feels straight away something isn't right with Hannah's story.
Lovely slow building love story. Loved cat fight between hannah and lily. Great HEA.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable novella. Considering the length, I thought the two main characters were well developed; the antagonist less so. The ending was too abrupt for my tastes. Personally, I'd rather see a story end with the characters hopeful about the future and the potential for true love without it being declared after only a few days. That said, I really enjoyed the story, the connection between Luke and Lily, and the love scene. The barroom cat fight was a nice addition too. I'm not sure if I'd read it again, but I'd recommend it to friends.

[Kerrigan Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of all Cindy Stark's stories, this one has to be my favorite. (and that's saying something!) Ms. Stark has a way of weaving a fantasy that you want to superimpose yourself into so that you can live the experience. Her imagery and setting is poetic and evocative and her characters are unforgettable. I fell in love with her misunderstood Hero right away and then, like Lilly's, my feelings just got deeper from there. This may be a Novella, but it reads like a full length novel leaving you utterly satisfied at the end.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a quick read, I liked the slice of small town life but I was a little taken aback by where Hannah's animosity with the town and her family came from. Lily was the typical big city girl in a small town. Luke had some surprising depth. Fun, but I think I would have got a little more out of it if Hannah's oddness had been explained more.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal