COWBOY CHRISTMAS JUBILEE

Fleeing California, Jinx Jacobs winds up in Holiday, Texas, when her motorcycle breaks down on the way to New Orleans. Though she's a loner, she becomes entangled with the local sheriff’s deputy, his young daughter, and a town tempting her to give love a chance.

Realizing her sleazy boss (and ex-boyfriend) is involved in dealing drugs, Jinx takes the money he owes her and begins a motorcycle trek from California to New Orleans, where a friend has a bartending job for her. During her ride, she discovers a huge stash of gift cards in her bag, the kind that her ex used to launder money from drug deals. When her bike breaks down in Texas, she’s aided by Cash Walker, a local sheriff's deputy who definitely feels like she’s hiding something but is attracted to her nonetheless. Soon Jinx has a job, a place to stay, and a connection to a growing number of people in the town and to the Walker family. She’s falling in love with Cash and his daughter, and for the first time in her life, she feels like she just may have found a place to call home and people she can trust. Yet when Jinx’s past comes knocking, Cash is quick to question his feelings for her. Some weak development mars the book. Jinx and Cash fail to communicate on almost every level other than in bed and through his daughter; a detail about Cash owing money to a curse jar every time he swears is overused to the point of grating; and the characters can be uneven. Yet author Crush’s sophomore effort still manages charm, humor, a vast array of quirky Texas characters in a community readers will love, and a couple they'll root for anyway.

Readers will enjoy returning to Holiday, Texas, with another fun, flirty title.