Tag: Small Town

BOOK REVIEW: Small Town Swoon (Cherry Tree Harbor #4) by Melanie Harlow

March 2, 2024 / Jen / 0 Comments

Small Town Swoon (Cherry Tree Harbor #4)
by Melanie Harlow
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Only in the movies does the Hollywood heartthrob fall for the small town diner waitress.

So when Dashiel Buckley returns to Cherry Tree Harbor for a wedding, I'm determined not to let my massive crush on my best friend's older brother hijack my good sense.

(It happened once before. Do not recommend.)

But when my hand is injured, it's Dash who steps in at the diner. The moment he realizes I can't afford to fix my car, he takes care of it. And when he hears about the way my toxic ex treated me, he refuses to let it go.

Now it's not just his blue eyes and sexy smile that have me swooning, it's the way he wants to help me. Encourage me. Protect me.

I can't resist.

Our text messages heat up. Our phone calls melt all my defenses. "Just friends" turns into "just once," and "just once" becomes a distant memory. Night after night, he warms my bed, my body, and my heart.

But it can't last.

Our dreams have us on two different paths-Dash wants the lights, camera, action of Hollywood, and I'll always be a small town girl.

If only I could be his.

Review:

Small Town Swoon was a beautiful, heartwarming story about a Hollywood actor and his little sister’s best friend back home. She was a waitress at her parent’s diner, and it was set in a small town that had all the charm. With memorable moments, characters that will capture your heart, steam that was fabulous, and a happily ever after that will have you crying tears of joy, I can’t recommend this book enough!

Ari had practically grown up at our house and had been like another little sister to me.
Until one day she wasn’t.

First off, this book can easily be read as a standalone, but I can’t recommend the previous books in this series enough! You’ll definitely want to meet the rest of the Buckley brothers. They are beyond sexy, will melt your heart, and are so swoon worthy!

His eyes scanned the photos on the wall, and he laughed. “What happened there?”
I followed his line of sight to his headshot. “Oh, that. Uh, someone broke in and vandalized your picture.”
“Just my picture?”
I nodded, pressing my lips together.

Dash was desperately wanting to change what his next role entailed. He was looking for something deep and emotional, yet he struggled with hiding from his feelings. So his agent sent home to get in touch with himself. Back home was Ari, who had been in love with him forever. Before he left for Hollywood, there was a moment that made Ari hate him. Or at least she tried to hate him. Yet when she ran into him, all of her feelings came flooding back. And that scene will have you screaming with laughter and joy!

Was it wrong that I was getting myself off while thinking about my sister’s best friend, just like I used to when she was sixteen and sleeping down the hall?
Probably. But damn, it felt good.

I loved Dash with my whole heart. He was thoughtful, kind, and had this charisma about him that made it so effortless to like him. And being around Ari again, they got along so well. Their banter was fabulous. They knew each other inside out. So when Dash would help Ari time and again, it was so easy to fall in love with him. Yet all of those moments felt so brotherly to Ari. If only she knew the dirty thoughts he was having about her!

How do you think about me?
                                                I am not sure I should answer that question.
Answer it.
                             Next level it was.
Naked.
In bed with me.
Begging for my cock.
                                                Why would I have to beg?
Because I’m not done fucking you with my tongue.

I adored Ari. She was pure joy and made me smile so much. Plus she had this fire in her that seemed to burn brighter every time Dash was around. I loved that she wanted to help her parent’s diner. And I hoped that her fabulous ideas for menu items would be seen by them. So each time Dash was around Ari, I felt the butterflies she did. It was impossible not to be consumed by Dash’s spell. So when they finally did cross that line of friendship, I couldn’t stop smiling.

I put my lips at her ear. “Good girl.”

So with steamy phone sex, fabulous dirty talk, and a friends with benefits relationship, this book was so steamy. When you mix that in with heartfelt moments like braiding hair, fixing her house, or even attending one of Dash’s brother’s wedding, sigh. This book was so emotional too. And I loved that we got to alternate between the two of them.

I opened my mouth to say a hundred different things—I miss you, I wish you were here, I think I might be in love with you—but nothing came out. I was too afraid I’d make things worse, not better.

While there were struggles, I loved how this book felt more light-hearted. Yet I still cried all the tears. There were so many happy ones towards the end, and some of those moments it was impossible not to laugh while crying tears of joy. The grand gesture was one of the best. And the epilogue was everything! We got a fabulous look into the future, and it was more than I ever could have hoped and dreamed for! We also got peeks into Dash’s brother’s lives too. So if you love romance, definitely add this one to your list! This book had me smiling from that first page to the last and is easily one of my top favorites from 2024!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: Lovelight Farms (Lovelight #1) by BK Borison

March 1, 2024 / Jen / 0 Comments

Lovelight Farms (Lovelight #1)
by BK Borison
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Two best friends fake date to reach their holiday happily ever after in this first romantic comedy in the Lovelight series.

A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest with Instagram-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, Stella might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on her application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only…there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.

Review:

Lovelight Farms was a beautiful friends to lovers romance that was so easy to devour. The found family was everything, the storyline was adorable, and the characters warmed my heart. This book became an instant favorite and I’m excited to binge the rest of BK Borison’s stories!

I thought about a lot of things when it comes to Luka. Things you shouldn’t think about your best friend.

Stella and Luka were the bestest of friends. Ten years ago, Luka’s mom moved to the tiny little town where Stella lived. And it created the most adorable meet cute! From that moment on, they had been inseparable. But there was always that line that neither of them would cross. They were just friends. Even though Stella had been in love with Luka forever. So when Stella was forced to fake date someone, in order to save her failing farm, I couldn’t wait for the lines between her and Luka to get blurry!

But with Luka, it’s easy. The way we touch each other, the way we breathe and move together. It’s so easy.

I absolutely adored Stella! She had such a kind soul, and yet she was so nervous to ask Luka to be her fake boyfriend. Which of course he would do without a second thought! So when the two of them announced to their tiny town that they were dating, I couldn’t stop laughing. Small town shenanigans were at their best in this story! And as Luka and Stella pretended to date, oh my heart I was so nervous for Stella. She was getting everything she wanted, except it wasn’t real. Right?

He steps back, but his hand holds against my hip, fingers slipping away with reluctance. I look up at him in the dim light of my kitchen, and for a single breath, I see a wild, ferocious hunger. But he blinks and it’s gone. He’s my Luka again, the change so quick I think I’ve imagined it. Brown eyes soft, smile crooked, hair a wild mess.

Luka was such a fabulous book boyfriend! He was thoughtful, kind, and cared so much for Stella! Yet unlike Stella, I had no problem finding all the little clues that he liked her. So the moments when he agreed to go to ‘Thanksgiving’ with her dad, and everything else in between showing him step up….sigh. It just made me love Luka that much more!

It’s hard to think about the consequences when his palm is warm on the small of my back, dragging up my spine. He tangles his hand lightly in my hair and tugs gently, just once, a flash of something decadent in amber eyes when I make a small noise in the back of my throat. He likes that noise, I can tell. He wants to hear it again.

The tension between Stella and Luka was intense and left me desperately needing for them to do more than just have a look or a touch. It seemed like Luka could take Stella right there in her kitchen, and then you blink and he’s back to her Luka again. Just friends. The will they or won’t they played out fabulously in this story! With missed kisses, tension simmering, and pretending to date, there were so many favorite moments. When they woke up together *fans face*, after Thanksgiving, and so many more that were deliciously steamy!

The line defining fiction and reality is obliterated.

This book also made me cry. There were some tears here and there, but when found family became prevalent, I was sobbing my eyes out! And then again when there was a heart to heart. Lovelight Farms creeps up on you, and the emotions are so hard to ignore! So if you’re looking for a friends to lovers romance, I can’t recommend this one enough. It was steamy, heartfelt, and made me smile so much! I can’t wait to read Beckett’s story next!

It’s hard to think of Beckett as anything other than stoic, but I recognize the shades of loneliness in him the same as me and Luka. It’s another reason I’m grateful for this farm and the weird little family we’ve pieced together. We’re all a little less alone.

BOOK REVIEW: Runaway Love (Cherry Tree Harbor #1) by Melanie Harlow

July 27, 2023 / Jen / 2 Comments

Runaway Love (Cherry Tree Harbor #1)
by Melanie Harlow
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Yes, I’m a single dad who needs a nanny for the summer.

But hire the stranded runaway bride who shows up on my doorstep in a wedding gown with no references, no skills, and no experience?

No one is that desperate.

Except within twenty-four hours, down-on-her-luck Veronica Sutton manages to charm my kids, my family, and half the population of Cherry Tree Harbor into believing she’s perfect for the job.

And for me.

It’s not that I can’t see the appeal–those baby blue eyes? The endless legs? That mouth made for trouble? But I’ve got enough on my plate, raising two kids on my own and keeping the family business alive. I don’t have the time or the inclination to fall for an outspoken city girl.

So I should have kept my hands to myself.

Holding her in my arms was a big mistake. Even worse? Spending the night together. She ignites a possessive fire in me that I’m finding hard to snuff out.

But the most unforgivable? Growing attached to the sound of her laugh, the scent of her skin, and the way her body wraps around mine in the dark.

At the end of the summer, she’ll be gone.

And if I’m not careful, she might run away with my heart.

Review:

Runaway Love was a heartwarming romance that was sexy, sweet and so much fun! If you love adult romance that is steamy, set in an adorable small town, and has the grumpy sunshine trope, then this book is for you! The story was smile inducing and I’m looking forward to reading many more of Melanie Harlow’s books!

We’d never really stood a chance.

Veronica Sutton discovered on her wedding day that her fiancé had cheated on her, so she ended their relationship with a bang! After being lost and unsure of where to go in life, since her fiancé paid for and owned everything she had, she found herself in a diner. It reminded me so much of the very first episode of Friends where Rachel walked into the coffee shop in her wedding dress. In this story, Veronica walked into the diner in her wedding dress and discovered all of the small town charm within those walls. Veronica was so easy to talk to and be friends with, and the towns people helped her find a lead on a job. To be a nanny for Austin, a single dad. And I have to say that the picture those first few chapters created felt like a movie was playing out in my head! I was completely hooked!

“Like this?” The kids imitated her pose, and I felt like a total pervert for fantasizing about having sex with her while she was giving my children a yoga lesson.
“You are a terrible person,” I muttered to myself. But I kept watching.

While Veronica was a ray of sunshine, Austin was the storm clouds. I loved Austin! He was such an amazing dad, had the kindest of souls, and was also so lonely. His kids were his whole world, and he never seemed to do anything for just him. Even his job, which was working for his dad, was because he felt like he owed his dad. For helping him out when he was younger and had two babies to take care of alone. So Austin definitely put his dreams aside, to help those he loved instead. There were other sides to Austin we got to discover, and he cracked me up! I loved all of his dirty thoughts about Veronica. But Austin tried to restrain himself. He wanted to have a strictly platonic working relationship with Veronica. He the boss, her the employee. Except Veronica was way too charismatic for that, and it was impossible for him not to soften to her over time.

I sighed contentedly, my eyes drifting closed, surprised at how comfortable and easy this felt. Wasn’t this kind of intimacy supposed to take more time?

The story alternated between Veronica and Austin, and I loved both of their voices. Veronica was kind, generous and made his kids so happy. Whereas Austin was more serious and always so careful in life. He definitely held himself back and never put his needs first. But Austin was sexy as hell. And when he was forward, oh my heart, I swooned. Just from the first time they kissed, it was hot and intense. And while I knew they wanted to have boundaries, I was cheering for more. They were playing such a dangerous game and I was counting down until that line was crossed! And when it was crossed, their moments together were steamy and so seductive! Even if they were stating it could never happen again, I wanted to whisper to them who are you kidding! Because it felt like they were meant to be together. Yet it is one thing to be physical, and a whole other level for being deeply intimate with someone. And while they seemed to be starting to form a friendship, Austin had such reservations because of his past. So I had tears in my eyes while the fabulous angst between them played out.

I repeated the words I’d said to Morgan.
It’s not like that with us. It’s casual. Temporary. Just for fun. We are not dating, and there are no feelings involved.
And when my heart tried to argue, I repeated them again.
And again.
And again.

Towards the end of this story, I had happy tears while laughing. And then even more happy tears in the epilogue! Runaway Love was heartwarming, emotional, sweet and sexy. And while I’m not usually one for kids in a story, from the moment Adelaide and Owen tried to give Veronica insight into how their dad ticks, they had me in the palm of their hands! Austin’s kids were so open, honest and hilarious without meaning to. And I adored Austin’s family too. Xander his brother, their dad and sister. They loved one another so deeply! And they were so welcoming and kind to Veronica. I fell in love with this story, the small town, Austin’s family, and Austin and Veronica. So I’m definitely counting down until each sibling gets their own story. Up next is Xander and I can’t wait!

PS When she said that they were an Aries and Virgo and would never work, muahahaha that’s what my husband and I are and we’ve been together forever!

PPS This book made me want to try a Pioneer Woman cookbook, and I just borrowed one from my library!