Hot Mess Express

Spruce Texas Romance, Book 9

By: Daryl Banner

Narrated 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.

M/M enemies-to-lovers
Reckless party boy & stoic military vet
Small-town

Have you listened to all the books in the Spruce Texas series?
Football Sundae
Born Again Sinner
Heteroflexible
Wrangled
Rebel At Spruce High
Summer Sweat
Hopeful Romantic
Mr. Picture Perfect
Hot Mess Express

©2025 Daryl Banner (P)2025 Daryl Banner

! BRILLIANT !

❗️Brilliantly Written ❗️ ❗️Storytelling at its Best ❗️
My main takeaways : 1) Anthony's character development very well crafted ! 2) The fictional town of SPRUCE is WORLD BUILDING excellence !
3) The continuous storyline , with its quaint southern town setting , memorable characters, interesting plot twists and developments enhances the reading / listening experience!
This series just keeps getting better and better !

Anthony is hilariously immature

Anthony gets his story now. Worth the read. Lots of characters from previous Spruce books make appearances here. Maybe the next book will focus on TJ McPherson. He’s the only single guy not with anyone we know of.

Take a little trip to Spruce, Texas

I love the little town of Spruce, Texas and all of it's inhabitants.

Bridger and Anthony are the perfect for each other couple. Bridger is your typical military man and Anthony is a hot mess. They compliment each other and their story comes together realistically.

I also love when Daryl narrates his own stories. I feel like it gives the story additional depth.

The narration diminished the story

The Author is a superb writer who should leave narration to those more able to bring it to life.

Love the continuing story

Amazing story and beautifully written characters! I love keeping up with all the stories in Spurce Texas. Please keep them coming!