Hot Mess Express by Daryl Banner

BRIDGER
Peace and quiet. That’s all I’m looking for after two grueling tours in the Army.
Pete swears I’ll find it if I join him on a trip to Spruce, Texas to reunite with his old military pal Cody.
What I find instead is the human hurricane called Anthony Myers.
We start off on the wrong foot. And that’s followed by too many more wrong feet to count—or forgive.
That cocky, baby-faced, certifiable hot mess is loud, chaotic, and impossible to ignore.
He thinks he’s gonna run me out of this town, but I’ve dealt with worse,
growing up defending my vulnerable brother and mother against our drunk father.
I’m more than equipped to handle a small-town menace
who’s clearly got a chip on his shoulder for outsiders.
Besides, the more I encounter him, the pettier I’m inspired to be,
and two can play these games.

ANTHONY
This summer’s been a total train wreck.
But I just found my groove with Juni, my new bestie and drinking partner-in-crime.
The last dang thing I need is an uptight, rule-abiding muscle-head named Bridger ruining my fun.
I’m everything he can’t stand: wild, reckless, and in his face.
But that doesn’t give him the right to look down on me
with his annoyingly pretty blue eyes—like I’m nothing but the mess he can’t fix.
Now my peaceful hometown of Spruce is a warzone of a different kind,
and I just might be the one and only thing standing between him
and the peace he’s apparently so desperate to find.
Or maybe I’m the chaos he never knew he needed.

HOT MESS EXPRESS is a steamy, laugh-out-loud return to Spruce, Texas full of fiery clashes and undeniable chemistry, where the line between love and hate burns hotter than ever.