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Ugly Ducklings Finish First (Bitterthorn, Texas Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Stacy Gail (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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Metal Mouth. Queen Geek. Dr. Payton Pruitt heard it all growing up. But she's over it, and attending her ten-year high school reunion is the perfect way to prove it to herself. Even if there's only one person she's interested in seeing in Bitterthorn, Texas: Wiley Sharpe.

Now a respected lawyer, Wiley didn't live down to the label Most Likely to Be Slapped with a Paternity Suit. But recent acts of vandalism suggest someone still sees him as a heartbreaker, and the reunion seems a likely place to find the culprit. Instead, Wiley comes face-to-face with his old pal Payton—and is wowed not only by her transformation into a ravishing swan, but by the connection they still share.

Payton is pleased the playboy she used to tutor has grown into an honorable man, but she's too smart to fall for a guy with roots in a place she couldn't wait to leave. But while Payton is an academic genius, Wiley is the one with the PhD in pleasure, and he intends to use it to convince her to stay…

63,000 words
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  1. Book 1 of 4
    Bitterthorn, Texas
  2. Print length
    174 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Carina Press
  6. Publication date
    August 5, 2013
  7. File size
    589 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CC68FWK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Carina Press (August 5, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 5, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 589 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 174 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

About the author

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Stacy Gail

Stacy Gail

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A competitive figure skater from the age of eight, Stacy Gail wrote stories between events to pass the time. By fourteen, she told her parents she was either going to be a skating coach who was also a romance writer, or a romance writer who was also a skating pro. Now with a day job of playing on the ice with her students, and writing everything from PNR and cyberpunk to contemporary romance at night, both dreams have come true.

RECENT RELEASES:

HOUSE OF PAYNE: TALON (Aug., 2021)

PARTY GIRL (June, 2022)

UPCOMING RELEASE:

MEN OF PSI: LUKE, The Profiler (Nov. 2022)

Sign up for Stacy's NEWSLETTER for the latest on new releases: http://eepurl.com/RmNxH

TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@authorstacygail

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/stacy.gailauthor

TWITTER: twitter.com/Stacy_Gail_

INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/stacygailsworld

PINTEREST (storyboards): http://www.pinterest.com/stacygailauthor/

BLOG: www.thestacygail.com

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
48 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ginny
4.0 out of 5 stars Ugly Ducklings Finish First: Light, Fast, and Fun Contemporary Romance
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2013
Verified Purchase
* Original Review posted on Gin's Book Notes (ginsbooknotes .com)

The story is told from two characters points of views. Payton Pruit, a young doctor, who returns to her hometown of Bitterhorn, Texas for her ten year high school reunion to prove to all her past tormentors that she is no longer the victim that she once was and Wiley Sharpe, past high school jock and ultimate playboy turned local family law attorney.

There were times when Payton got on my nerves and I was like, "Get over it already" but then I would remember that she graduated when she was fifteen years old and all those insecurities of not fitting in were still haunting her. She grows a lot during the story, puts some of her demons to rest, and realizes that she has had a lot of misconceptions about her past and the people she has tried to leave behind.

Wiley is adorable, smart, and persistent. In high school he was the playboy jock who had to be tutored by a then thirteen year old Payton in order to pass his senior year. He remembers the past in a completely different way than Payton does and is determined to make her see things his way.

In the midst of all the reconnecting and healing there is a mystery to be solved and a bad guy to catch. I don't want to give any of the story away but some of my favorite parts were during the times that Wiley and Payton where trying to gather evidence. One of the characters, old Mrs. Bimmel, was hilarious!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, fast and fun contemporary romance with a side of drama thrown in. I had a great time reading it and look forward to reading future books by Stacy Gail featuring Bitterhorn, Texas.
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Jenny Schwartz
5.0 out of 5 stars Small-town, Sexy-times Romance
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2013
Verified Purchase
There's always a worry when you review a friend's book -- what if I don't like it? But I never have that worry with Stacy. She writes wonderful characters in the friendly, funny style that is just her.

"Ugly Ducklings Finish First" is the best combo of sweet small town romance and sexy, can't-resist attraction. There's quiet wisdom underlying the banter and fun: the importance of family, strength of community, the painful journey to maturity.

Most of all, it's a story about love. We're loved, even if we don't always realise it.
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Melissa N.
4.0 out of 5 stars Great easy read
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2013
Verified Purchase
This was a lite, fun read. The characters were easy to like and the story was interesting. The town of Bitterhorn seems like an interesting place and I would love to see more about them.
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Dessa R. Mawdesley
5.0 out of 5 stars great
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2019
Verified Purchase
good story
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Yazmin Rangel
4.0 out of 5 stars A fun, sweet and light reading
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2013
4.5 Stars

In Ugly Ducklings Finish First by Stacy Gail, Dr. Payton Pruitt used to be the ugly duckling with the most horrible nicknames, metal mouth, queen geek, baby brain, all because she was so smart she skipped a couple of grades and she was younger then everyone else in high school. She preferred to have her head in a book than to hear all the names they gave her. Until she was assigned as Wiley (Coyote) Sharpe's tutor to help him get passing grades so he could graduate. She lived to help him and for her studies, but the fact that Wiley was one of the popular kids did not help her be closer to him.

Wiley is now a respected lawyer, and he has worked hard to be where he is. But now his ten year high school reunion invitation has arrived and he is not sure if he wants to go. Not only does he does not want to hear again how he was voted the label Most Likely to Be Slapped with a Paternity Suit, which he has not been able to live down. But he also has some acts of vandalism that suggest they are from someone that knew him back then, which means he has to go if he wants to be able to find the culprit.

Payton convinced herself to go to the reunion only because she had a conference the following day in another city close by her hometown Bitterthorn, Texas. Now being faced with so many people that did not like her and only made her high school years miserable she believes that she made a mistake and wants to leave. But she will stay for a little while and then leave only if to vindicate herself and her old self-esteem with the woman she is now.

As much as Wiley is hating the reunion he wants to see if anyone looks like the culprit of the vandalism against him, but so far nothing and he wants to leave, until he sees a gorgeous woman all by herself and he knows that he is going to approach her. Payton can recognize the Wiley immediately, what surprises her is that he recognized her, but they were really close back then so it stands to reason that he would recognize some habits she has not gotten fully rid off.

The way that the sparks fly off when they are together, and even more on their first kiss, falling into bed will be easy. But convincing Payton to give him and the town a chance and to stay will not. She has been moving to bigger and better things in the past ten years, now Wiley will have to find a way to convince her that staying in a small town is not going back but better for her and everyone, especially them.

The intrigue of the vandalisms, the smarts of Payton and the determination of Wiley to protect her and fight for what they are feeling kept me going without being able to put the book down. Payton has a lot of issues she has to resolve if she is to be truly happy, but she will have to face and hear the other side of things and not just the one she believes that she knows. Wiley will have his work cutout for him on this one, but the love that he has grown to have for her is definitely worth it.

For a fun, sweet and light reading, don't miss Ugly Ducklings Finish First by Stacy Gail.
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