Her Rebel Heart

The Officers' Ex-Wives Club #1

by Jamie Farrell

The laugh-out-loud, heart-tugging standalone prequel romance in the bestselling Officers’ Ex-Wives Club series!

This sexy military pilot is about to meet his match in an unpredictable physics professor!

Kaci Boudreaux is every Southern mama’s nightmare, including her own. This former Miss Grits would rather tromp around in boots shooting off potato guns—and her mouth—than dress pretty and play nice with the boys. Especially her chauvinistic fellow professors, her ex-husband, and those military cargo pilots she accidentally started a war with.

Lance Wheeler is every Southern belle’s dream, except his ex-fiancé’s. After being left at the altar, he’d love to take his C-130 and fly far, far away. But since his bird technically belongs to Uncle Sam (as does he), a distraction in the form of a feisty fireball of a physics professor will do while he’s waiting for his next deployment with the Air Force.

He’s into her for the fun. She’s into him for the challenge. But when their secrets start slipping out, their hearts will be on the line. She needs roots. He wants to see the world. What will they do about needing each other?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Military Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Humor

555 pages, ebook

First published March 5, 2017

About the author

Jamie Farrell writes humorous contemporary romance. She believes love and laughter are two of the most powerful forces in the universe.

A native Midwesterner, Jamie has lived in the South the majority of her adult life. When she's not writing, she and her military hero husband are busy raising three hilariously unpredictable children.

Reviews

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her Rebel Heart is book one in The Officers’ Ex-Wives Club by Jamie Farrell. Books two and three are already out in this series. This is a full length novel but also sort of a prequel that lets us know how the Officers’ Ex-Wives Club came to be. I love Jamie Farrell’s books but she took this one to a whole new level of crazy. I have to admit, though, that it reminded me a lot of the next book in the series, Southern Fried Blues, which is one of my favorite books ever. So, yeah, I loved this one as well.

Dr. Kaci Boudreaux is a physics professor at James Robert College hoping to achieve her tenure in two years. Kaci is brilliant, sassy, southern to the core but more than everything else put together, Kaci is crazy! Underneath all that stiff spine and bravado, though, is a woman with fears, dreams and doubts. She just does a better job at keeping it all hidden.



Two years ago Kaci and her husband divorced. But now he has followed her to Georgia and is making her miserable. She doesn’t need him or any other man in her life. She’s off men for awhile.

Lance Wheeler is a pilot for the Air Force. He transferred to Gellings AFB because that’s where his fiance needed to be. But then she dumped him right before the wedding. So it’s on what should have been his wedding night while sitting in a bar when this beautiful blonde woman sits next to him saying she’s trying to escape her ex who is watching her. And what follows is the best kiss of his life, ever! But he doesn’t even know her name. And this was supposed to be his wedding night.

“That blonde was a bad idea. But he’d spent most of his life chasing good ideas. Maybe a bad idea was exactly what he needed.”



Thus starts the crazy start to whatever it was between Lance and Kaci. Kaci and her pumpkin launcher and her potato gun. Kaci and her pranks that could have ended up putting her in jail! But also, the sweet Kaci. The Kaci that somehow worked her way inside of Lance’s mind and heart. Kaci that would never admit to anyone she has weaknesses but admits her secrets to Lance.

“The woman who was supposed to be his distraction was rapidly becoming a fascination.”



Kaci likes her life here. She doesn’t want to get mixed up with another fly boy. She loves her job, her students, her research. Lance is scheduled for deployment soon. Then he planned to transfer, to see the world. But why does leaving suddenly not seem like such a great idea?

“She was simply a woman who wanted him, and he was a man going mad over needing her.”

I am just in love with this book. Lance and Kaci did everything wrong, they were flawed and imperfect, sweet and crazy and sexy and funny, and I loved them. The hilarity that is Kaci Boudreaux never stops. And Lance’s life will never be the same.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin]

I loved this cute cover and was hoping it would be one I’d love and buy but the main dude was a sleeze. Dnf’d at 13% because I couldn’t stand his nasty @ss mouth. Sorry, not sorry!!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Sometime · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, sassy, chick-lit, southern romance with a dash of military. I loved the h Kaci because she was a physics college professor. She was prone to quick judgements and often couldn't back up her outlandish statements. But she was sweet, and good intentioned and I wanted her to get her HEA.

Much of the story has a chick lit feel, it's about Kaci and her growth as a woman and a person. And there are moments that are played for laughs. The H was a hot military man and she tried to keep her heart away from him but she couldn't resist him in the end.

I liked the author's writing style and I enjoyed the southern charm of the story.

Safety h is divorced from a military man who was 13 years older than her. She has sworn to never get involved with another military man. This causes a lot of pushing away by the h to the H. They both insist they are only in the relationship for the sex, but we all know how that turns out. I wish that it hadn't gone on until so late in the book, but the ending was satisfying.

H is experienced but I never got a manwhore vibe from him. No cheating, no OW drama. Some OM drama as the h's ex keeps coming around and wanting a second chance, but she doesn't want anything to do with him.

[Cali Jewel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Crazy, Wild, Sassy and Wickedly Smart Small Town Military Romance. If you like your hero to be sinfully hot, crazy smart and way to much fun to be legal. Or your Leading Ladies so perfectly, imperfect it just makes you want to hug them better and never let go then this is most defiantly the story you are looking for.

Kaci is so unapologetic, and adorably real, Lance is so insightful and strong that they make the best kind of explosive combination. Emotional and Entertaining adventure as they figure out what the future may hold. Loved her best friend and all his squad mates, looking forward to also getting to know his sister. Third book out, but first in the series Love it! Must read book two now...

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun chick-lit style read. I love when I can sit down and in a few hours enjoy a great book.

This one has it all - Insta-attraction. A Crazy Chick that only a patient guy can deal with. A hunky of a man we all need one of. A fun, crazy romance with a slow burn.

This author is new to me and I devoured this book in one sitting. While I love the military theme and the fact that Lance has the patience of Job, Kaci really started getting on my nerves by the end. For me it was too much crazy antics, talking in circles, and her southern twang euphemisms. By the end, I was wondering how much more Lance could deal with. A wonderful HEA tho!

Very light on the hot steam and heavy on the attraction factor. Overall a fun story that will delight!


* An arc was provided for my review consideration

[A Klue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think “Jamie Pressly” (from the comedy TV show My Name is Earl) and y’all will have the perfect spittin’ image of Kaci Boudreaux, the smart, sassy, beautiful, blue-eyed, blonde bombshell who stole the show in this hilarious, heart melting, engaging, sweet yet occasionally steamy romantic read. You definitely don’t have to be born and raised in the deep south to appreciate her colorful accent and way with feisty words in gettin’ her message across, folks. No, siree, Lordy, this lady knocked the socks plum off Lance Wheeler, the still getting over his cancelled at the last minute wedding hero.

With back and forth banter that had me absolutely giggling out loud at times, I couldn’t get enough of Laci’s quick wit and at times impulsive antics that proved this girly girl could keep up with the best of them, especially this hot bunch of military flyboys. Whether they were arguing over “Bama vs Ole Misse” football or who could launch pumpkins the farthest, I was completely sucked into her circle of southern charm and finesse. If each book in this series is this entertaining, here’s to hoping I can get my romance book-loving hands on each and every one of them and that ya’ll will feel the same.

Romance safety gang: When Lance first met Kaci, he was still upset his fiancee had recently called off their wedding. You’ll like the reason he ended his first kiss to Laci and left. He soon realizes he almost married the ex for all the wrong reasons and was ultimately glad she left him. So there’s no mooning over a lost love, folks. Kaci’s been divorced from an older man for almost two years, but he’s begging her to reconcile. She’s not interested. Her roommate has a funny nickname for him, btw. There is quite a bit of relationship angst since neither seem to think there’s a good chance they can be long term.

P.S. Cat lovers’ especially will love Laci’s love and devotion to her long time feline friend, who will likely have you shedding a tear or two, regards of your pet preference.

Title: Her Rebel Heart, Series: The Officer’s Ex-wives Club (Book 1), Author: Jamie Farrell, Pages: 295, stand-alone but part of a series, smart/sassy/southern belle heroine, Air Force pilot hero, a few steamy scenes that do not hijack the storyline, no cheating, no OW/OM drama, HEA, relationship angst.

Book 1 - Her Rebel Heart (Kaci & Lance), 3/7/17, Pages: 295
Book 2 - Southern Fried Blues (Anna & Jackson), 8/29/13 & 1/7/14, Pages: 340
Book 3 - Moonshine and Magnolias (Shelby & Zack), 8/29/13 & 11/11/15, Pages: 123

(This review is based on advanced reader copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased, fair review. No compensation was provided to this reviewer, nor is there any affiliation between the reviewer and author/publisher/NetGalley.)

[Fizza · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
Adorable story, I loved it! It's a warm, lighthearted romantic comedy, in short my favourite kind of book. Kaci and Lance are perfect for each other. Kaci is still trying to deal with her obnoxious ex-husband, who happens to be her colleague. Whereas, Lance is trying to not think about the woman he almost married, she left him on their wedding day. That was the day of their fated meeting. Unfortunately their first counter didn't end too well...
But soon they meet again. Kaci is a physics professor. Lance is a military pilot. On surface they have nothing in common, but as they get to know each other, they realise that they're perfect for each other. They're both attracted to each other. They get on each others nerves and yet can't seem to stay away....
I think it's a great read. I listened to audio book and narration is perfect. I couldn't find a single flaw. I think that anyone who likes contemporary romance will enjoy this book.

[January · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her Rebel Heart by Jamie Farrell
[aka Pippa Grant writing as Jamie Farrell] (2017)
Officers' Ex-wives Club #1
552-page Kindle Ebook story pages 9-551

Genre: Military Romance, Contemporary Romance

Featuring: Glossary of Military Terms, Introduction - Blurb, Author's Links, Series Bibliography/List, Air Force Pilots, Fictional Air Force Base in Georgia, Divorcées, Former Military Spouses - Wives, Enemies-to-Lovers - Bittersweet Encounter, Officer Not A Gentleman, Mississippian vs Alabamian, College Professor, Tricenarians, Vicenarians, Exes, Fear of Flying, Sugar, NCAA Football, Physics Department, Eglin AFB, Stuttgart, Germany; Sex - On Camera, Senior Cat, Romance Author, Old Woman/Younger Man - Over 5 Years, Harassment, Second Generation Beauty Queen, Friendships, Loss of Pet, C-130s, Sneak Peek at Southern Fried Blues, Pippa Grant and Jamie Farrell Bibliography, Author's Links

Rating as a movie: NC-17

Books and Authors mentioned: Top Guns by Ehud Yonay

My rating: ⭐️⭐️½🪖✈️👩🏼‍🏫🍬

My thoughts: 🔖Page 263 of 552 [Chapter] 11 - This is okay, the story is too corny to be good. I looked it up and Kaci says "sugar" 47 times in this story and I'm only through half of them, I could have sworn she was already passed 50. It's becoming obnoxious. Most people use multiple sentiments but she's just using it every time she speaks no matter if he likes or hates the person she's calling sugar.
🔖379 [Chapter] 15 - I didn't know books could be cockteases, but this one is. I may DNF, I'm sick of sugar.

This was a struggle to get through. It was okay at the start but all the sugars and blue balls scenes got annoying quickly. Soon I was reading just to finish. It's a nice concept but the writing style was too over-the-top and cheesy with one-dimensional characters. I am considering taking the other 2 books in the series off of my TBR list. I did an internet dive, and I couldn't discover why Book 2 has an earlier publication date than Book 1. I read the preview, and Kaci wasn't in it, so maybe Book 2 was written first and then Book 1 is written in a way that can link itself to Book 2.

Recommend to others: Maybe I think this is a story you either love or hate, depending on how sweet and corny you like your dialogue.

Memorable Quotes: She turned. A tall, lanky, dark-eyed man with barely-within-regs jet-black hair had his legs spread and his arms crossed while he stared her down.

Officers' Ex-wives Club (as by Jamie Farrell)
1. Her Rebel Heart (2017)
2. Southern Fried Blues (2013)
3. Moonshine & Magnolias (2015)

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half redneck stars!

Kaci Boudreaux is a physicist. She is also from Mississippi, a former Miss Grits, blonde and curvy. She has spent her entire life fighting other people's expectations and prejudices, especially her mother's and her ex-husband's. The trouble is, Kaci has spent so much time fighting and proving her worth, that sometimes she starts a fight when none is necessary. Oh, and she's scared of flying and peppers her speech with random Southern-isms and dropped 'g's. After years of following her military father from posting to posting Kaci is finally putting down roots and only needs another two years teaching before she is up for tenure. The last thing she wants is another military man to up and leave her.

Captain Lance Wheeler is a military cargo pilot. His great-on-paper fiancee practically left him at the altar and he is nursing his sort-of-broken heart at a bar when this little blonde bombshell with the southern drawl sits besides him and orders Tequila. Kaci is desperate to prove to her ex that she has moved on and the big hunk sitting at the bar looks like just the man. Lance only moved to Georgia for his fiancee and now he is itching to get deployed anywhere else in the US or the world. he certainly doesn't want to rebound with a half-mad career-woman with a penchant for blowing things up.

A few weeks later Kaci and her physics class students have entered a pumpkin chucking competition against a group of military pilots, guess who is on the boys' side?

I struggled with this book at first because although Kaci is a brilliant physicist (we hear), everything else we see about her screams that she is a fruit loop and not very bright eg not reading the rules of the pumpkin chucking contest and coming last in the pub quiz. To add insult to injury Lance is either running rings around her in their tit-for-tat exchange of pranks or rescuing her or just smirking because she has backed herself into a corner with her outlandish claims.

But then, around halfway I felt that the characters really relaxed and the story got going. I found Kaci's southern-isms quite endearing all her "don't make me bless you twice" and "y'all"s made me smile (and TBH I'm not a fan of accents in books). Lance was a bit too Peter Perfect, until he was incredibly insensitive. The resolution of the romance was well done, not too wham-bang and not too drawn out unnecessarily.

If you are looking for a lighthearted romance with a wacky, sassy Southern Belle who likes to shoot potato guns and a stoic pilot this could be the one for you. Kaci kind of reminded me a little of Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich's novels.

Oh, and its the prequel to a series about a club for former wives of military men which Kaci and her best friend set up. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.

I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

FTC DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED AN E-ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER THROUGH NET GALLEY. I VOLUNTARILY OFFER MY HONEST REVIEW OF THE BOOK, THOUGH IT IS NOT EXPECTED OF ME! RECEIPT OF THIS BOOK IN THIS MANNER DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR THE CONTENT OF MY REVIEW!

This is my first time reading anything by this author, but something about her book covers have always intrigued me, so when I saw this on Net Galley, I had to take a chance on requesting it! The great thing was, I was not disappointed!

Kaci and Lance made for very funny reading! I loved how Kaci kept pushing the boundaries as a physics professor, never letting the males in the profession keep her down. I loved how Lance accepted her just the way she was and didn’t try to change her. I loved the chemistry between them as they fought to keep from falling in love, and yet couldn’t keep from doing so. The one thing I really didn’t care for was how much push and pull the two of them did in their relationship, in trying so hard not to fall in love. I felt that if they had just been more honest with one another, it would have been a bit of a smoother ride.

The secondary characters were richly written as well, and I wanted to learn more about them at every opportunity. I loved the squadron crew best, but even Miss Higgs found her way into my heart!

This was well worth the read, and I’d happily recommend this book to others! I can’t wait to read more by this author!

[Heather andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes a girl just needs her cat, “he shouldn’t kiss me like that.” Miss Higgs kneaded her arm and heaved out a rusty purr. “I know, I know.” She kissed her cat’s head. “I’ll always have you.” Miss Higgs grunted. “And I’m not going to Germany either. That bird? That bird was a sign. God doesn’t want me in airplanes.” No answer from the cat." Lance is a touchy feely man, "Lance tossed a T-shirt over his head. “Go easy on those kids tonight.” He gave her an affectionate tap on the butt, then strolled out the bedroom door." I really liked this book.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute and fun read!
Kaci is smart and sassy, and a little over-the-top, but hers is a fun kind of crazy. Her "cursing" cracked me up, the silly phrases she used! I need to adopt some of them into my life.
Lance is a doll, although he had some issues he needed to work through.
Well, they both had their own issues that needed dealing with. But luckily nothing too heartbreaking or frustrating.
I enjoyed their banter and back and forth, it was very entertaining!
This was my first book by Jamie Farrell, but I'm anxious to read more.

[Jaime Fiction Fangirls · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Her Rebel Heart is the newest book in The Officers' Ex-Wives Club series, books #2 & #3 were released first, and is a prequel and therefore labeled as book #1. Each of these books can be read as a stand-alone but reading in order will make for a better experience.

I adore this series so much and honestly can't remember smiling so much throughout the entirety of book like this in a long time.

The book starts off with an immediate show of chemistry between Lance and Kaci and quickly moves into a pretty hilarious rivalry. I was practically in stitches reading about catapults, potato guns, boars and grand theft auto.

Kaci is a sexy, sassy southerner who can "bless your heart" with the best of them. She wants nothing to do with a military man; she's been there, done that and blew up the t-shirt; however, even she can't deny the way her body and mind react to Captain Lance Wheeler.

The first night that Lance happens upon Kaci in a bar also happens to be the day he was supposed to get married, until his fiancé broke it off. After sharing a steamy kiss with Kaci and running away because he didn't feel ready, he keeps crossing paths with the feisty woman who challenges him at every stop. Quickly they find themselves in a prank war, if you will, and hilarity ensues. Each time they meet you can practically feel the tension between them, both sexual and competitive, but they are fighting at every turn. Until, one day, Lance see's beyond Kaci's sassy ways and figures out her biggest weakness. Fearing that he'll expose her and possibly ruin her career, she strikes a deal with him so that they both can get what they want from each other. But favors turn to feelings and heartache is bound to follow.

I really can't say enough about how much I loved this book. As a northerner, sometimes the overly-sweet southern speak can be overwhelming (I won't even get into all the Alabama fan worship) but it's also part of what makes this book, this whole series, so much fun. It's sexy without being explicit but definitely not lacking in the passion department. Jamie Farrell has a way of weaving this incredible world with characters and places that I don't just want to visit, I want to move to and immerse myself in. As a matter of fact, I'm so ready to stay lost in Gellings Air Force Base that I'm headed for a re-read of the second book, Southern Fried Blues.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaci and Lance's story shows that you never know when you will meet the person you are meant to share your life with. The leading lady is uber smart and extra sassy and has a hard time letting people help her, she has been fighting the system too long to give up easy. The leading man is super sexy and everything that she should avoid but can't. There are lots of laugh out loud moments and you really want to hit her ex for his misogynistic attitude. Look forward to more in this series.

[niki_reads_romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

new favorite!

Oh man. This book was FANTASTIC. As a military spouse, it was so spot on. I know the author is also a MilSo, and it definitely showed in the correct use if terms, and the accurate portrayal of spouse life. The other absolutely fabulous thing about this book… my husband and Kaci are remarkably similar. LOL Though hubs isn’t a redneck or firmer beauty queen, he does have his degree in Physics and Math, and has his own potato cannon and catapult and oh my for I laughed so hard. I cannot believe that it took me so long to read this book!

[Winnie Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with every Jamie Farrell book, Her Rebel Heart is an absolutely funny, quirky and light-hearted read. It will be sure to lift your spirits if you are feeling down, and make you laugh throughout the entire book. I absolutely adore strong-headed sassy heroines and Kaci definitely fits the bill. And Lance is definitely a great hero for her. I really loved this book and give Ms Farrell both thumbs up for the amazing read.

** A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I giggled. I grrrred. And I belly laughed out loud. I fell so hard for Kaci Boudreaux that Captain Lance Wheeler could have been a total waste and I would still have loved this book. But he isn’t. Lance is kind, patient, and a total stud. His only shortcoming as far as I can tell is that he is a Bama fan. Honestly for a good time read Her Rebel Heart.

[Book Gannet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was starting to think there was something wrong with me. So many books I’ve ready lately have seemed underwhelming, eliciting little more than a shrug from me. Then I read this book – and thank goodness I did, because it reminded me why I love reading so much. I’ve always enjoyed Jamie Farrell’s books when I’ve read them in the past, and this one didn’t let me down.

I love Kaci. She’s super smart, extremely sassy, loves blowing things up and can’t admit when she’s wrong. She’s an academic and a redneck and never takes the easy road in life, which makes her far from perfect, but I loved her. She’s so vibrant, with a personality that explodes from her first moment, and it’s safe to say she is never boring. She’s not always right either, but there were times I was wholly on her side even when she was wrong, because the other side deserved it. She’s unusual and a fighter and completely and utterly her own person and I adored her for that. I was less fond of the way she kept running from Lance, even when she was just attracted to him, but I guess nobody’s perfect.

I liked Lance. Compared to Kaci, he’s kind of quiet, but I found him okay for the most part. His buddies, though, I wanted to push out of a plane – parachutes optional. I don’t care if they’re realistic, their dude-bro attitudes made me want to unleash all of Kaci’s projectile stash on their heads. Lance is a more reasonable version of them, which meant I could bear him, but I much preferred him when he was away from them. I really liked how he saw and liked Kaci for all that she was. He seems to be the only person who dares to push her and sometimes she really needed that.

I love their relationship. It’s combative at times and always competitive, but always with a thread of humour running beneath it. They have good chemistry too and I loved when they spent time together alone and showed just how well they understood each other – the spud gun scene was awesome.

I did find the ending a little rushed, though. From the conflict right through to the resolution, detail is a little sparse, and I think a bit more groveling should have been necessary. However, it is definitely one of the more original romantic gestures I’ve read, so points for that.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this. It’s playful and fun, with a smart heroine and a supportive hero, plus catapults, spud guns and canons. If you like your romances larger than life and a little out of the ordinary, then give this a go. It certainly left me smiling.

(ARC provided by the author via NetGalley.)

[Becky Burciaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaci, a Physicist and an ex-officer's wife, is one redneck who is smart and sassy with a mouth on her that will have you snort laughing throughout the book. With her Southern twang, Kaci's idioms were full of: "Sweet baby Jesus", “Sweet baby Jeremiah the bullfrog.", "Sweet baby (replace with any absolutely hilarious noun).", "Bless your heart", "Don't make me bless your heart twice." "Hush on up now."...and many more phrases that were pitch perfect in fitting her Southern personality...but not cheesy, or over the top. Lance, a Captain Flyboy, is her counter balance, a man who believes in her and accepts her in all her shining brilliance. He was the patience and understanding that had been evading Kaci since her father died.

I've read all the books in Ms Farrell's Misfit Brides series...enjoying each story, but Her Rebel Heart surpasses that series with its banter full of sharp wit, dialog that's smart, whipping you back and forth in how quickly it moves and changes. And not to forget the story itself, it is fresh and tantalizing, capturing your emotions early on...the pumpkin catapulting into the cornfield incident was part of the zany goodness that transpired throughout...or course, the potato gun shooting for closure is nearly a tie for the hilarity factor.

This is the second book I've read with the topic of discrimination of women in the field of academia and tenure track, in certain male dominated fields, as part of the story. Ms Farrell handles the subject matter with compassion and forthrightness...surely a topic that needs further exposure.

Now that I've been introduced to the ex-officer's wives club, I'm looking forward to reading more, I'm sure the next stories will leave an impact as this first book has done.

This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

Lance is so swoon worthy and so so patient with Kaci. Kaci is a force to be reckoned with and I love everything about her character. I also adore how this book showed real women working in science.

[Roo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Potato shooting, pumpkin catapulting and more

Fun book, some twists, lots of humour, very quirky, and it made me cry too.

[Briana Bailon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️/ 1🌶️

Imagine a story that had, “Top Gun” vibes, a slow burn romance with enemies to lovers, a strong female lead, and the occasional pranks that occur, then you should read this book! This story followed, Lance and Kaci as they met one night, sparks flew between them, and then suddenly Lance up and left Kaci all alone. Weeks later, the two meet again, but this time under different circumstances and not each other’s biggest fan. Lance was a military pilot, and essentially the last kind of man Kaci wanted to be with since she’d not only sworn off men, but also never to be with a military man again! Kaci was divorced and done with being a military wife so she wanted to focus on her physics research and career. As luck would have it, Kaci and Lance kept bumping into each other, and suddenly the animosity between them grew as well as the sexual tension. This story had enemies to lovers but with laughable pranks and all the southern charm courtesy to Kaci and Lance. Lance had his work cut out for him when the feisty southern woman couldn’t seem to escape his every thought.

Kaci and Lance were very much enemies at the start of this book, but little by little the two of them started to feel more than that. I will say, with Pippa’s writing, she never fails to write laughable moments like when Kaci and Lance found themselves in a mini prank war against each other. To think, this all started because of a pumpkin chucking competition, yup you heard that right. With Kaci and Lance getting off on the wrong foot, the two of them immediately didn’t like each other. There was also that lingering tension that kept building between Kaci and Lance as they found themselves around each other. I thought the way the enemies to lovers part of the book was good, and entertaining.

As much as Lance was an attractive man, he was the type Kaci refused to be with…a military man. For all the times that Kaci was adamant on staying away from Lance, girl was having some vivid naughty daydreams about Lance haha. I can understand why Kaci initially didn’t want to be Lance, but with the way they were throughout the book it was clear to me that there was lots of passionate chemistry between them. In addition, even Lance wasn’t all too sure if he wanted to be in another committed relationship considering he got left by his ex-fiancée. Lance wanted a fun distraction before his deployment, and with the way Kaci never backed down, he grew more fascinated by her. Aside from the sexual tension that Kaci and Lance had, I did find it sweet the way Lance would do something nice for Kaci like surprising her with a bouquet of red roses in her office.

This was a lighthearted, cute romance with a dash of “Top Gun” vibes but more so on the humorous side. I liked Kaci’s character in that she wasn’t your typical, “blonde and beautiful”, but she was also an intelligent women working as a physics professor so yay to a strong female lead working in STEM. Kaci dealt with men in her field often times underestimating her or even judging her based on her gender. Thankfully, Kaci was a force to be reckoned with, and was more than capable of shutting those naysayers down with her in depth knowledge and southern charm. Lance was a cocky flyboy, who wanted a little fun before his deployment, but found a true partner in Kaci. I liked the premise of the story with Kaci being a divorced military wife and Lance obviously before in the Air Force, and I enjoyed aspects of the story, but all together I didn’t necessarily feel connected to the characters. I still think this was a good story, but I wasn’t feeling a sense of connection as I would have hoped for before reading this book. Regardless, I would still give this book a shot to read if you want an easygoing, sweet romance with a women in STEM, a flyboy who falls for the sassy women, and definitely some laughable conversations between Lance and Kaci.

[Tamara Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story but I have a few complaints. Let me start with the "redneck" vernacular as opposed to the southern vernacular. This was quite over-the-top for me with euphemisms and slang that simply didn't fit the story line, and I say that as a born-and-bred southern belle. We southerners just don't use that much "redneck" or "southern" slang so this was problematic from my perspective. Additionally, as a female academic, I understand the difficulty that we face in the heteronormative patriarchy, and I completely understand the anger that comes with this struggle. This could have been teased out in much more detail in the story, so this left me wanting. As a women, as a female academic, and as a southern belle, the heroine was just too much for this story line and it didn't either sit well with me how she was depicted, or it didn't resonate with me. Unsure.

Now let's handle the hero in this story. His temper tantrum outbursts were all of the ick that I've seen in my experience dealing with emotionally immature men. That the heroine was so quick to forgive these outbursts wreaks of toxic dependency and I didn't like how this was meted out in the story. Granted, lots of folks find it difficult to resist a person in uniform, but that doesn't give license to the uniformed to act like an arrogant putz. The approach of this hero character through this lens had/s me questioning if military personnel really behave like that. Four of my five sons were US Marines, and all three of my brothers were US Air Force, so I have lived experience with handling the approach my sons demonstrated. This party-boy, let's-screw-all-women, commitment-phobic mentality really paints such a bad image of military officers in heightened leadership roles. All that said, I realize this is simply a story - I would have liked to see it handled with a little more care, but I also do appreciate that the hero was willing to acknowledge his mistakes post-outburst. Perhaps the outbursts were more due to immaturity rather than military personality??? Something to consider.

From a rating perspective, this book seemed more along the lines of YA in case you're looking for sexy steamy goodness.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Bless your stars

Well that was exhausting.

The beginning of the book was borderline nauseating with the non stop southernisms that the FMC is constantly spouting off with. (There is a difference between sprinkling in Southern colloquialisms that make sense in context for flavor and dumping in the whole damn spice cabinet.) I can guarantee that your average Southern woman is not inner monologuing about pig sweat.

I had a whole diatribe worked out but looking back over my notes, I am just too mentally tired to get into all of it. So the short of it is, the MMC is just fine, (we really don't know enough about him to feel more or less inclined towards the guy) and the FMC has real, "if you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best" energy except everything she does is just the worst. She has a very toxic worldview on showing weakness, her mouth constantly writes checks that the rest of her can't cash, is a sore loser, and constantly pushes others away.

Character and relationship development was next to non-existent. I was excited for a hot minute when the FMC acknowledged that she was the worst and contemplated therapy but alas nothing ever came of it. The FMC did have a personality 180 when the MMC was about to deploy by turning into a weepy, stage five clinger and I lost the rest of what very little respect I had left for her. (it wasn't a lot)

The "romance" resolves itself after he comes back from deployment and shows up to apologize and ask for another chance. I ask you, why does he need to grovel? She was the one making unhinged declarations of love after only two months because she decided he was going to be her replacement emotional support animal after her cat died. They were barely dating at this point and she demands that he comes to Germany with her all because she is too scared to fly by herself and then throws a fit when she learns of his impending deployment But I guess his heart grew fonder or some such nonsense while he was deployed and there you go, you got a HEA.

[Erin Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 star Review Her Rebel Heart (The Officer's Ex-Wives Club #1 by Jamie Farrell

This was a new author to me and what a great book to have as my first read, I laughed so much I cried.

When hot and sexy pilot Lance Wheeler is left at the altar, what's a guy to do? Drown his sorrows in a bar and Kaci Boudreaux a smart and sassy physics professor who comes along and joins him at the bar to have a few drinks.

When fate brings them together at a later date, it is not only the pumpkins that are flying but also sparks of attraction and competitiveness.

There were so many times that I snort laughed reading this book, I simply could not put it down. Full of laughter there were some tugs to the emotional heart strings as I read and although the quirky and colourful language left me a little lost on occasion (I'm Australian) I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

Will Lance's wanderlust break these two up before they can get together? Or will Kaci finally find the man of her dreams and achieve the happily ever after she has been looking for?

The secondary characters were awesome and I cannot wait to find out more about them.
Apparently this is the prequel to this series so I will be getting the others as soon as I can.I will be looking at other books written by Jamie Farrell as this was such a good read.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed. 

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Hot Mess and a Steamy Pilot walk into a Bar…

Fun story with two strong-willed characters Kaci and Lance. Kaci is a hot mess and Lance is a steamy AF pilot. Many times I found myself laughing out loud, sometimes due to this couple’s antics and other times due to the best friend Tara. Tara needs her own story, she’s a hoot.

A physics professor, Kaci is fiercely independent, stubborn and enjoys encouraging young women’s minds toward STEM occupations. She’s also quick to lose her temper and likes to blow things up. On the rebound from failed engagement, Lance is extremely patient, a good listener, has an innate sense of fair play, and enjoys his job with the military and mentoring the younger pilots. She wants roots and he wants to travel. They seem like they wouldn’t go together, but they inevitably throw sparks off each other.

These are likeable characters and their story not only provided entertainment, but made me want stand up and cheer for her Physics Club gals. Love it when the heroine is funny and smart but has human foibles as well.

I received my advanced reading copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Angel Hatfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lance should have been getting married but five days before the wedding his fiancee- Allison- called everything off including them. Allison said her life was going in a different direction. Lance was at the bar with a beer in front of him but lance didn’t know how to embrace being single again as he had been out of the dating scene for three years. . Then a petite woman stood next to Lance and ordered a shot and offered to drink his beer and Lance told her to go ahead. But he did recognize this woman next to him was out to make someone jealous and the woman admitted it and said she was off men right now. But Lance felt more normal around her. Then Lance was kissing her but it felt wrong as he didn’t even know her name. He apologized then left the bar. Four weeks later Kaci was at the festival with her students who were all ladies of the Physics club at James Roberts college. Kaci’s team should have won as the third pumpkin should have broken in the air but instead it went farther than her team's pumpkin had. Then Kaci recognized the guy who had kissed her at the bar and left. He was military and a pilot. Kaci should have known. Lance recognized Kaci also but she had accused his team of cheating . Tara was Kaci’s roommate and more level headed that Kaci. Tara stopped Kaci from going to redneck at times. Kaci’s ex husband was Ron and he dumped her because she wouldn’t drop everything and start a family. Then Ron showed up at Kaci’s office and said e was in therapy and wanted Kaci to go to one session with him. But for Kaci that was a no. Then there was a trivia night at the bar and Kaci and Tara went and Lance was there also and Tara andKaci lost to Lance and his team again. Then Ron came up to Kaci and asked if Lance was bothering her and Kaci kissed Lance. Lance and the other pilots were known as the flyboys and they had a mascot which was a stuffed wild boar named Gertrude and Tara and Kaci stole her. Then Lance’s pilots stole Kaci’s jeep. Kaci was invited to a conference in Germany to give a speech on her research in physics but Kaci was terrified to fly. Kaci’s father had been a pilot and died when his plane went down. Lance turned out to be everything Kaci needed : he believed in her, he challenged her and he accepted her. But he was being deported and hadn’t told Kaci.
I liked this story a lot. It made me laugh out loud at times. The plot was great and the writing was good. Kaci cracked me up .Lance was a good guy but he should have told Kaci sooner that he was deploying. But then neither of them had wanted to be anything but fun with each other. But things don’t always go as planned. I was happy Lance tried to help Kaci get over her fear of flying. Also that kaci did actually go to her conference and had more lined up in the future. I loved the characters of this story and the ins and outs of the story and I recommend this.

[Serenechaosnyc · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book. At first, I was a little put off by how Kaci acted- she was gruff, a little over the top tough and apologetically so. She first meets Lance when she accuses him of cheating at a pumpkin chunkin event (yes, we're starting there. ha). But anyway, as she thaws a little, you kind of see the type of person she really is- loyal and under everything, really sweet but just really afraid to get hurt.

And Lance? The playboy fighter pilot who just wants to escape into military life after being left at the alter. He wasn't ready for Kaci but boy did he make the interactions with her fun. There were plenty of laughs, plenty of swoons and a couple of tears here and there, as they fought their way past their, well, pasts, to their happily ever after. A fun book and made even more fun by the audiobook, which was narrated by Karen White. I thought overall, she did a great job narrating the many viewpoints in the book though she really excelled as Kaci.

[Laura C. Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Jamie Farrell book I've read and I liked it a LOT. Lots and lots of Southern Snark and I do love snark!
Lessee, there is a military officer who was left at the altar and a female physics PhD (yessss!) who is somewhat recently divorced. I liked a lot of the side issues about this book such as the struggles of women who are in STEM occupations and have a hard time being taken seriously (especially by the female lead's patronizing and over-needy ex-husband who keeps trying to gaslight her into thinking she needs to go back to him).
I can't even keep track of how often I laughed while reading this book. I also cried while reading this book. The main characters' relationship moved along at a nice slow tempo instead of jumping in the sack at 23% of the book.
I recommend this book. It is very refreshing and fun and was a pleasure to read.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read these in reverse order. Book 1 is definitely much better than Book 2. Lance and Kaci face a lot of twists and turns because of the circumstances in their lives and differences in the directions they seem to be heading. But it's all portrayed in a more hopeful, less depression fashion than the prior book. The challenges are real for both of them, as are the obstacles to being together. But they both face their individual fears and challenges, which allows them to move forward in their own lives and together.

There was so much great writing and great wisdom from the characters in this book. Loved it!

Hopefully there will be more books in the series and they will be more like this book than the second book.