Sidecar Crush

Bootleg Springs, Book 2

By: Claire Kingsley, Lucy Score

Narrated by: Stephen Dexter, Natalie Duke

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

"I tried to think of something - anything - to calm my raging hard-on. One wrong move and Leah Mae would rub up against it and that was liable to kill me dead on the spot.”

Model turned disgraced reality TV starlet, Leah Mae Larkin, crash lands in her hometown of Bootleg Springs to lay low while a scandal threatens her career. She can’t shake the feeling that her agent - and supposed fiancé - manipulated her into the role of made-for-TV homewrecker. Connecting with her roots is just what she needs, and Bootleg Springs is home to her father, moonshine, and her childhood best friend, Jameson Bodine.

Only there’s nothing childlike about Jameson - a man who turns scrap metal into art and isn’t afraid to throw down on a rowdy Friday night with his brothers and hellcat sister. He might not say much, but still waters run deep. Seeing the ring on his crush’s finger? He doesn’t like it, but he can’t wish it away. No more than he can wish away the trouble his family is in, with evidence pointing to his late father in the cold case disappearance of Callie Kendall. 

Jameson and Leah Mae are just two friends reliving their summers together, blowing off steam, and having fun for the first time in a long time. But Leah Mae is realizing what’s really important in her life, and it isn’t what she thought. 

And sometimes steam turns into sparks - hot as molten steel - and friends aren’t just friends.

©2018 Claire Kingsley (P)2020 Claire Kingsley

To the Stars and Back

Overall 3.5 stars
Performance 4.5 stars
Story 3 stars

Sidecar Crush was a really sweet and cute childhood friends to lovers, small town romance. This is book 2 in the Bootleg Springs series and though each book features a different couple, this series should be read in order. The audiobooks are wonderfully narrated by Stephen Dexter and Natalie Duke, and they do an amazing job again bringing these characters to life.

I loved the history and childhood friendship between Jameson and Leah Mae. They both struggle in different ways with confidence and finding themselves, but no matter what, they never stop supporting and caring for each other. It did bother me though that for almost half the book, Leah Mae is technically engaged to another man (even though you can see the expiration date right from the start). So I appreciated that the romance wasn't rushed between Jameson and Leah Mae and that they got to know each other again as adults without any other external drama. There is some push away and angst late in the story, but the ending couldn't have been sweeter. The Bodine family antics and Bootleg justice provided plenty of comic relief throughout, but I did feel that the overall pacing of the story was a little slow. There wasn't too much movement on the Callie Kendall mystery, but more hints were dropped about Cassidy and Bowie's story and I'm really looking forward to their book.

CW: chronic illness, mentions and discussion of missing person/unsolved disappearance, MC is engaged to someone else for a portion of the story (no mentions or on page scenes with OM/OW), death of parents (past), flashback/memories of toxic parental relationship

Jameson and Leah Mae - all the sweet sexy swoons

This book is filled with all the love, the emotions, and the connections. It is the perfect fun, heart warming, frolicking small town romance. I did not know I needed Bootleg Springs in my life until I read this series. Narrators Stephen Dexter and Natalie Duke add an even more beautiful dimension to the story. Jameson Bodine is a metal artist who lives in small town Bootleg Springs. He has 3 brothers and a sister. Lean Mae Larkin lived in the town until she was 12 and visited until she was 16 and Leah Mae and Jameson were best friends. When Leah Mae left she became a model and actress. She has come to Bootleg Springs to visit her sick dad and to hide out after becoming gossip fodder due to a reality tv show. While Leah Mae initially comes to the town with her agent/fiancée, things go south with them and heat up with Jameson. Jameson and Leah Mae are opposites lifestyles, second chance, childhood friends sizzling chemistry perfection and watching them stumble through to their HEA was fun and beautiful. Bootleg Springs is just the most hilarious, heart warming, sweet, nosy, eccentric small town that ever existed. This hilarious romance has a little bit of everything - sweet moments, fan your face steam, painful pasts, strong friendships, crazy families, quirky town folks, snort worthy moments, a mystery, surprises, and so much love. There is an overarching mystery plot line that runs through this series so the series needs to be enjoyed in order. I am loving Bootleg Springs and cannot wait to hear what’s next for the Bodine brothers.

Great romance. Lots of steam, be warned.

Less mystery, more romance than the first book. Cute but not as funny either. A good solid listen but I’m hoping the 3rd in the series is as funny and engaging as the authors other works.

Love Claire's books!

Love Claire's stories and characters. Everyone should experience true love with someone special at least once!

Sidecar Crush

The second book in Lucy Score and Claire Kingsley's Bootleg Springs series, Sidecar Crush focuses on Jameson Bodine and his childhood best friend Leah Mae.

It was fun to step back into the small town of Bootleg Springs with it's eccentric town members and the crazy and hilarious Bodine family. Getting to know Jameson better and learning about the sculptures he creates was my favorite part of the book. I enjoyed getting to see him reconnect with Leah Mae too.

The town is almost a character of its own and it is fun to get to know it and these characters better. Lucy and Claire did really excellent world building and I also like the breadcrumbs we get for the overarching series mystery.

Wow, that first kiss!! I love this love story!

I love this story. The quiet guy isn’t always my favorite romance novel Hero, but there is something about Jameson Bodine. The way he respects boundaries with Leah Mae, the way he questions himself, and way he falls for her, all make him such a great lead. Leah Mae is a relatable character in that she gets lost between her childhood dream and where she wants to be in life. I think it’s easily to relate to a character that feels a little stuck in between. I love their slow growth and slow burn, but when they are in, they are all in. I will tell you, the first kiss in this one is one of my favorites ever. Swoon. So good! This story brings you deeper into the culture of Bootleg Springs and it is pretty fantastic. Jameson and Leah Mae’s love story is one of the good ones!

Stephen Dexter brought such a fantastic tone to Jameson. Soft, polite, caring, and very much the shy and quiet artist. Natalie Duke made Leah Mae so stinking sweet and lovable. Their voices for all other characters was so fantastic. With such a large cast, you still knew who was speaking each and every time. I can’t wait to listen to the rest of the series!

Loving this series!

The Bodean’s are the siblings you always wanted! Jameson is the shy sweet kid that turned into the sweet quite man anyone would want. The series just keeps getting better, ready for book 3! The narration is great!

Sweet Love Story

Loved the shy adorable gentleman that was Jameson Bodine. The love story between Leah Mae and Jameson, was a sweet fairytale. Love and trust from their childhood, only to come back years later and finding each other again. Jameson is the best kind sweet country boy charm, humble and gorgeous with a hot sexy side and Stephen and Natalie rocked the story.

Jameson and Leah Mae

So let me say that I LOVED this book when I read it but listening to it is a whole different experience. Stephen Dexter and Natalie Duke did a fantastic job bringing Bootleg Springs to life. It was fun to listen to Jameson and Leah Mae reconnect and realize what started out as a childhood crush is becoming something more along with a mystery of a missing person in town and new information coming to light. Totally recommend listening to this series.

Awesome book

One must read these books more than once because you’ll pick more information up. I need the other two books because I Gotta know what happens!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I have adored every book that I've read so far by Lucy Score. Each book has been brilliant and different in its own way but these two authors together..., I think I've found my next binge read series and another author to read.

Sidecar Crush is an adorable small-town romance trope.
Hot scenes. Swoon-worthy moments, funny moments, loveable main characters, side characters that I can't wait to read more about. And not forgetting to mention, Jameson Bodene, a hero that will melt your heart and your lady bits.

I haven't read the first book in this series and I'm pleased to say that this book, although it's the second book in the series and all the characters are interconnected in some way didn't give any spoilers away at all.

I'm looking forward to more of the bodene brothers, the antics within this small town, and more swoon-worthy romance.

I listened this book in audio and would highly recommend.

loving the audio book

5*
Jameson & Leah Mae were best friends until her mum decided to divorce her dad and move away.
The town can't believe she's returned for a visit to see her dad after his illness, everyone is pleased to see her.
Her fiance Kelvin isn't so happy about the visit and the changes in Leah Mae.
I loved how Jameson knew Elle Mae and recognised her light had gone from her eyes his determination to relight it was amazing. I loved how Elle Mae became herself again.
Amazing authors and absolutely brilliant series.
Loved the narrator's.