REVIEW: Fearless Enough by Kelly Elliott

In Fearless Enough by Kelly Elliott, When Blayze Shaw finds out his father is sending him on a quick run to pick up someone who’s going to write an article about his famous family, he’s not impressed. But when he’s told it’s Georgiana “Georgie” Crenshaw, his first love, he knows nothing good can come of it. Blayze is proud of his dad’s career in the PBR as well as how they’ve grown their cattle ranch to be one of the best in business today. But he doesn’t want anyone butting into his personal life. Especially not the one woman who broke his teenage heart. Georgie somehow works her way under his defenses again, though, leaving Blayze to wonder if maybe the years apart have helped heal old wounds enough that they can rekindle what they once had.

‘I held Georgie in my arms as she melted into me. God, it felt so good to hold her. She was where she belonged. I truly believed it in my heart and soul.’

Being a freelance writer has suited Georgie well over the years–and she’s made a name for herself in the world of fashion. But her other interest has always been sports. And that’s where she’s focusing her writing at the moment. The assignment she’s presented with gives her pause, though. Georgie doesn’t find out until late in the game that she’s to interview the Shaw family. Specifically, Blayze. The boy she fell in love with on his ranch in Hamilton years ago. Determined to do right by both her employer and the family she still adores, she steps foot on Montana soil once again and is captivated, just like always. Even the antagonistic back and forth between her and Blayze doesn’t get Georgie down. It’s when her job interferes after her heart begins to get involved all over again that she wonders if she’s in over her head.

‘What was it about Blayze in full-on cowboy mode that made my heart swoon and my head go fuzzy? It reminded me of the younger boy I fell for.’

A sigh-worthy second chance romance that kicked off the Love in Montana series with a whole lot of heart and heat, Fearless Enough reintroduced us to Kelly Elliott’s beloved Shaw family so we can follow the next generation, all grown up and looking for their HEA.

“I’m going to kiss you now, Georgie.”
“Oh, God,” I breathed out. “That’s what you said the first time you kissed me.”
And then he was there. His mouth pressed to mine.

Fearless Enough brings us back to Hamilton, Montana, the rustic setting for Kelly Elliott’s Meet Me in Montana series. But this time we get up close and personal with the original casts’ children–who have grown up strong as well as proud of their family history and the love they’ve all witnessed at home. This first book focused on fan favorite Blayze. He was such a charmer and flirt when we met him as a kid that I clearly remember thinking, ‘Oh…he SO needs his own story in the future.’ And I’m pretty sure I also mentioned that in my review of his parents’ book, as did many other readers. (Sorry not sorry, Kelly! lol)

Of course, there was no way at that time to know how Blayze’s story would play out. Or that he’d actually meet his dream woman when they were kids, leading to a turbulent second chance romance later on that would capture my heart. I loved how Elliott wove in a few flashback scenes at the perfect moments to really drive home how much Blayze and Georgiana cared for each other, even when they were young. Both made mistakes that drove them apart until they met again in this book. It was the process of them learning who each other was as an adult and ever so slowly letting down their guards that was wonderful to watch.

Blayze was still quite the charmer and had that heart-stopping mix of charisma, kindness, mischief, and a touch of bad boy that his father, Brock had. (Okay, all of the Shaw men have those traits.) And it was a potent combination that Georgiana couldn’t deny when it came to Blayze. She might have been a bit more strait-laced than the rough-and-tumble Shaws, but she could hold her own around them which made the ensemble scenes so much fun. There were some bumps in the road for the couple. But it had that same honesty to it–showing Georgie and Blayze as flawed but *good* people–that I look for in Elliott’s work.

QOTD: Have you ever come across a secondary character in a novel that you just *knew* should have their story told some day?

Book Info:

Publication: March 21, 2023 | K. Elliott Enterprises, INC | Love in Montana #1

Fearless Enough is a spin-off novel from New York Times bestselling author Kelly Elliott’s Meet Me in Montana series. Readers will head back to Hamilton, Montana, for a family reunion like no other!

Blayze Shaw could sum up his life in one word, fulfilling. He grew up in the shadow of his famous father, Brock Shaw, a multi-year PBR champion, but chose not to follow in his dad’s footsteps. Instead, choosing to work on the family’s cattle ranch in Hamilton, Montana. Everything in his life was exactly how he wanted it, and he was the happiest he’d ever been.

When a woman from his past resurfaces and is given the task of diving deep into his world for the answers he isn’t willing to share, Blayze’s perfect world is thrown into a tailspin. He wants to dislike her, but the more time they spend together bickering back and forth, the harder it is to fight his feelings.

Georgiana Crenshaw is chasing a career as a sports reporter and has something to prove to the top dogs at the network where she works. She hasn’t made it this far simply because of who her father is. Georgiana has succeeded solely due to hard work and determination. She dives in when given a chance to show she has what it takes to get the promotion she desperately wants. Told it will be the interview of a lifetime, Georgiana shows up at the airport with a go-get-’em attitude. Only when her father tells her who she’ll be interviewing does she have a moment of doubt.

But honestly, how hard could it be to interview an arrogant, self-centered, obnoxious, too handsome for his own good flirt, who gave Georgiana her first kiss behind the barn on his father’s ranch?