So book number 59 in my Goodreads Reading Challenge (yes 59…I have smashed my reading challenge this year!) is Claiming Colton by Melanie Shawn.

Colton McCord was just a regular cowboy before the world made him famous after several stints on reality TV. And even though he turned on his charm for prime time, his real heart belonged to the one he let go because he loved her…

Bella Connor thought she’d never return to Wishing Well. Although it was her home, she could never forget how he broke her heart while at the same time changed her life forever…

The gorgeous blonde is back to settle her late grandfather’s affairs. The sexy all-American boy is ready to shoot his final reality dating show. Life kept them apart and now it was bringing them back together. Will Colton finally be able to tell her the truth and never let her go? Will Bella be able to let go of the past for a chance at a future they both deserve? (Thanks Amazon)

So, I decided to deviate from my lengthy TBR list and go back to an easy-read, small town American romance.  They never fail to disappoint!  Claiming Colton is the 5th book in the Wishing Well series but it is a standalone novel, so thankfully I did not need to have read the previous 4 books to enjoy this one.  I’ll be honest, I grabbed this one because it was a Kindle freebie (grab it here while you can!) and I’m glad I did.

This novel centres on Bella Connor and Colton McCord, childhood sweethearts who were torn apart by family and life when they were teenagers.  For over a decade, Bella has stayed away from Wishing Well, her hometown full of heartache and pain, and the place that she left carrying a life-changing secret.

Colton has spent the last decade caring for his sister whilst dealing with fame following his appearance on several reality tv shows.  However, he has never forgotten his true love Bella.

Bella and Colton find themselves thrown together upon Bella’s return to the small town as she attempts to settle her late grandfathers affairs.  What follows is a lot of passion (I hope you don’t mind a bit of sauciness in your novels!), and the uncovering of years of secrets whilst they each seek to work out what it is they really want from life.

This is a definite easy-read.  I really enjoyed it as a quick bit of escapism between other more heavy novels on my TBR list.  There are no surprises in this novel, but surprises were not what I was looking for – I wanted a good, passionate romance and that is what I got!  My only criticism of this novel is that I felt more could have been done with the reality tv show that features within the novel – there could definitely have been some mileage in this as a storyline.  However, all in all, a very enjoyable, light read.

Rating: 📖 📖 📖 📗