Elsie Silver Girls, You’re Gonna Want This One Next

Ladies. Grab your wine. Light a candle. We need to talk about The Bribe by Devney Perry—because this book? She’s not just a comfort read. She’s a full-body experience.

I’ve read most of Devney Perry’s backlist (we’re talking like 70% here), and every book has left me either swooning or crying—or both. But The Bribe? This one hit something deeper. This is the kind of romance that crawls under your skin and stays there. It's got tension, warmth, danger, heartache, healing—and a sheriff so dreamy I had to sit up straighter every time he walked onto the page.

For the girls who love:

• Protective small-town heroes who actually respect boundaries

• Heroines reclaiming their voice after trauma

• Slow-burn tension that feels like foreplay for the soul

• A little “he’ll burn the world down for her” energy—but quietly

• Danger lurking in the shadows, adding just enough edge to the soft

• 
  

You’re gonna want to bump this one to the top of your TBR.

At first glance, Lucy (a.k.a. Jade, her undercover name) seems like your classic runaway celebrity: glamorous, successful, and desperate for anonymity. But underneath the polished surface, she’s barely holding it together. She’s been chased out of her life—by a stalker, yes, but also by fear, fame, and the feeling that she’s lost who she used to be. She isn’t just hiding from danger. She’s hiding from herself.

Watching Lucy peel back those layers and rediscover her identity is one of the most moving parts of the book. She goes from passive survival mode to full emotional autonomy—and the transition is slow, painful, but powerful. It’s not just a romance arc; it’s a reclamation of her voice, her music, her strength.

And Devney Perry handles it with so much care. No forced trauma porn, no rushed healing. Just a woman slowly realizing that she deserves safety, love, and a life that’s hers.

The quiet ones will ruin you, and Duke Evans is proof. He's the town sheriff, but he’s not the gruff, alpha stereotype we usually see. No toxic masculinity here. Just steady, grounded, emotionally intelligent masculinity. He’s cautious but not closed off. Protective but never controlling. He never forces Lucy to trust him—he earns it, moment by moment, with patience and respect. What makes Duke special isn’t just that he wants to protect Lucy from her stalker. It’s how he does it. He gives her space. He listens. He lets her fall apart without trying to fix her—and that is what makes him a hero.

Also? He burns for her. Quietly. Constantly. And when they finally give in to what’s been simmering between them? Fireworks. But also tenderness. And that combo is lethal.

Their connection is instantaneous—but the build-up is slow, careful, and so emotionally satisfying. You feel how much they both want each other, even before they’re ready to admit it. The tension is immaculate. There’s a weight to every glance, every touch, every moment of silence.

And what I loved most? Their love story is grounded in safety. It’s about two people building something unshakable in a world that’s anything but. It’s not flashy—it’s real. And honestly, that made it even more romantic.

The stalker subplot is more than a dramatic twist—it’s the emotional trigger that forces Lucy to stop hiding. It keeps you on edge, but never overshadows the romance. Instead, it intensifies it. You’re not just rooting for them to kiss—you’re rooting for them to survive, to find peace, to choose each other in the midst of chaos. By the last few chapters, I was glued to the page, heart racing, flipping through like a woman possessed. And when the reveal comes? It hits. It’s dark, but not gratuitous. Dangerous, but believable. The pacing? Chef’s kiss. Devney Perry knows how to wrap tension and heart together until you’re breathless.

If Elsie Silver and Devney Perry were sisters, Elsie would be the wild, fast-talking barrel racer who drops F-bombs during spicy scenes, and Devney would be the thoughtful, emotionally layered sister who makes you soup, locks the doors, and leaves a loaded shotgun by the front door—just in case.

They write totally different kinds of books—but if you love one, there’s a good chance you’ll fall hard for the other. Because both give you men who love out loud, women finding their fire again, and the kind of love that makes you believe in safety as a form of intimacy.

Rating: 5/5 stars, would absolutely marry Duke if Lucy wasn’t real (unfortunately for us, she is)

Spice: 2.5/5 – Sensual, slow-burn, emotionally charged, and so worth the wait

Tears: ALOT.

Swoon Factor: Off. The. Charts.