Love Me Today by A.L. Jackson

Narrated by Andi Arndt and Joe Arden

Contemporary Romance with Suspense.

I love romantic suspense, grumpy/sunshine, and especially single dad or guardian tropes. So Love Me Today by A.L. Jackson fell perfectly into that category. I was going to Montana for a book signing and was trying to read as many authors there as possible. I’d had Love Me Today in my library for some time, but I’m not a fan of the male narrator, so I’d been trying to find time to read it instead. But I caved and listened. I hope my thoughts aren’t skewed by my narrator dislike, but it’s not always easy to separate.

I loved Paisley. She’s fun and carefree, a little messy and a little reckless. Caleb is as grumpy as they come, with the highest walls I’ve ever seen. He’s the guardian of Evelyn, the most adorable, sweet, horse-loving five-year-old ever. They live on a farm with horses but he needs a trainer for little Evelyn.

Paisley is desperate for a job. When she’s referred for one training a little girl to ride, she couldn’t be more excited. So excited that she accidentally backs into a Range Rover on the way to the interview—and the gorgeous driver is NOT happy. Guess who the driver is? Yep—Caleb, her potential new boss.

Little Evelyn and Paisley bond immediately. And as much as Caleb dislikes Paisley at first, he can’t deny Evelyn anything after what she’s been through. But his distaste quickly morphs into something else.

“And I knew, if I had the ability to love today, it would be her.”

Caleb fights an inner battle with himself the entire book. Paisley might find him hot, but what an asshole.

“Fallen angel. That’s what he was. A dark one who’d been booted right out of paradise for being a giant dick.”

There’s an element of suspense in this book that I loved, and the twist came as a total surprise.

Now, here’s where I couldn’t 100% tell if it was the writing or Joe Arden’s overacting, but I found some of the language to be so flowery and over-the-top. Things nobody actually thinks or says—and they all kind of say the same thing. Like this one: “Torment gripped me by the throat. A slither of vipers sent to slay.” And this: “Agony clawed at my throat, pacing like a caged animal searching for a way out.” That, combined with a nickname of Reckless Angel (I love nicknames, but they’re meant to be short—this one was just silly), made parts of it feel overdone. The writing is beautiful for poetry or even romantasy, but it felt a little much in contemporary romance. Still, I loved the story so much, and both narrators’ portrayal of the little girl was so good, that it didn’t take away too much for me.

“Reckless Angel. Told you to stay away from me.”
“The problem is, I don’t think you meant it.”

Anyone into horses—or who rode as a kid—would love this book. It’s a slow burn, but not really, because the chemistry burns hot from the start. Evelyn was the real star of Love Me Today. I love little kids in books, and Amy made this one so cute you couldn’t help but fall in love.

Likes:

I loved Paisley. She was such a capable mess. She felt real.
Evelyn was the cutest little girl and stole the book.
The spicy scenes were HOT and he was a good dirty talker.
I loved the town.
Great intro to a new series.

Dislikes:

Overly flowery language—it almost felt like a fantasy novel.
A little over-the-top dramatic.
The nickname Reckless Angel.

The Narration:

Andi Arndt was amazing. She can basically do no wrong. Joe Arden overacts already, so the dramatic moments and flowery prose were exaggerated, making them even worse. I will say he did the child’s voice amazingly well, but if anything, this cemented my dislike for him. I recommend reading over listening to this one.

The Down & Dirty:

I love a single-guardian book with adorable kids, and A.L. Jackson didn’t disappoint. Love Me Today had a great story, and I loved the spice, the suspense, and the twist. I especially loved the little girl who stole the story. I absolutely loved Paisley, the female lead, which is what made me really enjoy Love Me Today. Did I have a few issues? Yes. Will I read more in the series? YES.