The Fix Up: a fun banter and heartfelt grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity, enemies to lovers romance

The Fix Up is the third book in the Two Harts series by Sharon M. Peterson. Ellie Sterns is a twenty eight year old single mother who has a broken man picker. She recently inherited the cafe in which she works, the house where she lives with her six year old son, Oliver and the land it sits on. However, she quickly learns that she only inherits half of everything. The other half belongs to the previous owner’s grandson, Gilbert Dalton, a grandson no one knew existed. They discover they must live together on the property for six months in order to complete the inheritance. Gilbert is handsome; however, he’d be irresistible if he smiled which he rarely does. Both have different motivations as the cafe and house means a future for Ellie and for Gilbert, it means a past he wants to forget. She wants to stay and he wants to sell. Can they find a common ground?  As the months pass, they learn the heartbreaking secret and their mutual iciness starts to melt, could it turn into a sizzling chemistry? 

The Fix Up is Sharon M Peterson’s fourth book and she has established herself as one of my go-to authors. Full of heart and laughs along with real life drama and hurts, she handles a story that gives all the feels. Even though The Fix Up is the third book in the series, readers do not need to read them in order to understand each book; however, I highly recommend that readers do as each story is wonderful. That being said, I loved this story. This story is the ultimate grumpy-sunshine, enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance as when readers first see Ellie and Gilbert together, you can’t help to think that their relationship would never work. I loved the characters, especially Ellie’s son, Oliver. Usually featuring children in fiction can be hit and miss; Ms. Peterson captures the six year old beautifully and believably. There wasn’t a plot point or character that I didn’t care for, everything came together wonderfully. I laughed. I cried and I closed the book with a smile. The Fix Up is sweet with fun banter and dramatic with real emotions. I highly, highly recommend The Fix Up. 

The Fix Up will be available in June 17, 2025 in eBook and audiobook

A Slice of Summer: a clean second chance small town romance

A Slice of Summer is the second book in the Silver Falls series by Melissa McClone. Last Christmas, Taryn Lawson had a great time with Garrett Andrews, a LA trial attorney. Before he left town, he promised her he would keep in touch and she never heard from him again. Now, summer has arrived and her friend, Callie and Brandt’s wedding is here, Taryn is busy prepping for it as well as proving to her parents that she is capable of taking over the family bakery while dealing with slower customer traffic. The summer fair is approaching and Taryn sees it as her opportunity to showcase her specialty desserts and win back her customers. As the fair approaches, she is coming to need help to finish in time. The only one available to help is the one man who ghosted her. Garrett didn’t intend to ghost Taryn and wants to take his chance to make amends. Will they take their second chance of love? 

A Slice of Summer is a clean second chance small town romance romance with plenty of fun, sweet moments and drama and excitement. I enjoyed Taryn and Garrett as individuals and as a couple. I liked Taryn’s determination to do what she loves despite competition from a competitor and the doubts from her parents. I enjoyed Garrett and his siblings. It felt very relatable and produced a lot of laughs. Even though Taryn and Garrett rekindle their romance and agree to a long distance romance, I knew it wouldn’t end like that. I enjoyed Garrett’s grand gesture. I also enjoyed the continued slimy dealings of the town nemesis and getting his comeuppance. Will he make another appearance in future books? As a snake always wants to strike again. Overall, I enjoyed A Slice of Summer and I am looking forward to reading the next books of the series. If you enjoy clean second chance small town romance, I recommend A Slice of Summer. 

A Slice of Summer is available in paperback and eBook

Meet Me There: a clean young adult enemies to lovers romance

Meet Me There is the first book in the Ridgewater High series by Judy Corry. A horrible beginning to the first day of school, sixteen-year-old Ashlyn Brooks, runs into a dark Chemistry lab classroom and finds the room already occupied. Football Captain Luke Davenport sought a moment of peace in the empty classroom and was surprised by Ashlyn’s arrival. However, instead of revealing himself, he decides to prank Ashlyn by using a British accent. As they meet in the dark room, they both begin to share things that they wouldn’t tell anyone else. Ashlyn begins to fall for the sweet mysterious guy with a sexy accent. Luke began his prank as a way to take his mind off his mom’s death. However, the more he gets to know her, the more he regrets everything. Luke knows he needs to come clean, but will Ashlyn understand or will she hate him even more? 

Meet Me There is a clean young adult enemies to lovers romance novel with cute, sweet and fun moments. There was drama and real life situations. There were a few tears as the characters talked about their issues and struggles. I enjoyed this story from the very beginning and it kept me hooked until the end. I enjoyed Ashlyn and Luke. And while I do not enjoy pranks and my heart broke for Ashlyn as she is the subject of pranks, I liked that Luke learned the important lesson of how the recipient feels after a prank and sought to redeem himself. I enjoyed the secondary characters and I will be continuing the series to read their stories. Overall, I enjoyed Meet Me There as a fun high school romance with teenage antics and real situations. If you enjoy clean young adult enemies to lovers romances, I recommend Meet Me There. 

Meet Me There is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Wild Love: brother's billionaire best friend romance

Wild Love is the first book in the Rose Hill series by Elsie Silver. Ford Grant has recently been named as Forbes’ World’s Hottest Billionaire; however, all he cares about is getting his recording studio up and running. He is thrown for a loop when a twelve year old girl shows up on his doorstep, claiming to be his daughter. Now his days are filled balancing his business and dealing with a moody teenager. Adding to his plate, Rosie Belmont, his best friend’s sister, arrives in town. After living in the city and an unfortunate incident at work, Rosie comes to Rose Hill to recoup and refocus. She pleads with Ford to give her a job and he vows to keep her at arm’s length. However, their daily interactions, flirty banter, he is finding it harder and harder to stay neutral. Can they resist the fire between them? 

Elsie Silver’s books have been praised on BookTok and I was excited for the chance to read her books. Wild Love was a disappointing introduction to Ms. Silver’s body of work. From the start, Ford and Rosie were annoying and I had no interest in their love story. Brother’s best friend is a great trope; however, I did not see the chemistry between Ford and Rosie or even a sense of history between them. I didn’t mind the addition of the daughter to the story; however, how she was conceived, while a reality, didn’t quite seem to fit. Overall, I did not like this story and have no interest to revisit Rose Hill. I will not be continuing this series. However, I will still give Ms. Silver’s other series a chance. Other reviews have said the Chestnut Springs series is better. Unfortunately, I do not recommend Wild Love. 

Wild Love is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Then Came You: a move to a small town for a fresh start and a possible new romance

Then Came You is the first book in the Compass Cove series by Jeannie Moon. After a series of family loss, Mia DeAngelis needed a change for herself and her nephew, Ben. They move in with her grandmother in the magical small town of Compass Cove. She takes a job as a librarian at a local college and settles into her new community. Adam Miller is a retired NFL quarterback who has returned to Compass Cove for a fresh start as he takes the coaching job at the college. When Ben shows up at practice one day, Adam meets his gorgeous aunt and there is an instant connection despite their resistance. Even though their family and friends see them together, Mia is hesitant as her mother’s expectations interfere. Can the magic of Compass Cove bring them together or will their doubts keep them apart? 

Then Came You is a fast paced, page turner filled with sweet moments and heart stopping drama. From the opening chapter to the closing page, I could not put this book down. I read well into the night as I wanted to see Mia and Adam together. The drama between Mia and her mother felt so real and raw. I cheered for Mia as she fights for her own life and decisions without interference from her mother. I loved Adam and knew he was the one for Mia. I also enjoyed Mia’s nephew Ben. I laughed at the scene when he reveals that he saw Adam kiss Mia and how grossed out he was. It was such a child thing to say. Overall, I enjoyed this story and I look forward to continuing the story. I highly recommend Then Came You. 

Then Came You is available in paperback and eBook

Teased by Fire: an enemies to lovers romance

Teased by Fire is the first book in Teased by Love by Molly O’Hare. Olive’s life is about to be turned upside down. When her best friend, Miranda, lands her dream job and moves out, she needs a roommate. Miranda has a great solution: her older brother, Hank. Hunky firefighter is the bane of Olive’s existence and causes her great anxiety as she is a homebody who enjoys as little human interaction as possible. She does her best to avoid running into him until he discovers her secret career and offers to help her with some hands-on research partner and she finds it hard to turn down the offer. Hank has held a torch for Olive for years; however, living with her opens his eyes to a side of her that she had successfully kept hidden. Can Hank convince Olive that life is a lot more fun with a little spice and fire? 

I was looking forward to a fun romance with banter and plenty of spice and the blurb for Teased by Fire certainly had promise. The beginning was fun as Hank teases her, which shows the history they share and Olive has a breakdown with him moving in and really having no reason to keep him from doing so. However, their spicy scenes were very cringey and at one I even murmured “yuck.” I didn’t care for Olive or Hank. They both seemed too immature for seemingly adults. Olive seems too neurotic to be considered quirky. I was disappointed as I love romance novels about firefighters and Hank wasn’t very believable as one. The only character I enjoyed was Hank’s Maine Coon cat, Dog, which was hilarious and added to the scenes she was in. Overall, I did not enjoy this book and I will not be continuing the series. I do not recommend Teased by Fire. 

Teased by Fire is available in paperback and audiobook

The Light on Farallon Island: a woman flees to the islands with a secret and finds more danger

The Light on Farallon Island by Jen Wheeler is a story of one woman who flees to the Farallon Islands with a secret in 1859. Thirty miles off the coast from San Francisco, the Farallon Islands are known as the Devil’s Teeth, Lucy Riley seeks their remote location as she seeks a new start as a teacher to the children of the lighthouse keeper. However, Lucy carries a dangerous secret along with a name that isn’t hers and a past she is trying to run from. As she joins the island’s community, she discovers there is a reason for its nefarious name. Lucy must find the courage to confront her past as she seeks to protect her new life on the island. What is she trying to hide? Will she find the life she is looking for? 

This story was not what I expected. The descriptions of the seas and the island were amazing. I could feel the choppiness of the water and the precariousness of the island’s cliffs. However, other descriptions were too brutal and unnecessary, especially the scenes of animal abuse. I didn’t care for Lucy, her secret or why she is trying to hide out on the island. There were too many elements to the plot that it was frustrating trying to figure out how they are tied together. There were elements of the characters that I felt were totally unnecessary and didn’t add anything. I felt the characterization of a Christian man as abusive and overbearing to be tired and overdone. Overall, I did not enjoy this story. I do not recommend The Light on Farallon Island. 

The Light on Farallon Island is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Other Side of Now: love and lives are never truly lost

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison is a story of how love and lives are never truly lost. Meg Bryan, as Lana Lord, has the leading role on a hit TV show and is living the life of a Hollywood star and appears to have all she ever wanted. However, underneath the layers of her onscreen persona, she feels empty. After a meltdown at her thirtieth birthday party, she takes a trip to Ireland, a place she and her best friend, Aimee, dreamed of going until a tragic accident claimed Aimee’s life. When Meg arrives, the townspeople are so nice and treat her as a friend. Confused and blaming jetlag, she looks into the mirror and sees her old face and on her phone, there are pictures depicting a life completely opposite of the one she has been living. Not sure how or why it has happened, Meg recognizes her chance to reconnect and repair what she broke. 

This story is the first book by Paige Harbison that I’ve read. Tagged as a “hilarious and heartfelt novel,” I was looking forward to a second chance story to lead a different life. The prologue was great and set the scene of Meg and her friendship with Aimee and adds a sense of mystery as it ends. Unfortunately, the story fell flat and I was bored and confused. I didn’t care for Meg. The constant name dropping as if Meg needs to remind us that she’s famous was annoying. I liked how grief was discussed and weaved throughout the story. However, the story is way too long and just bogged down. Overall, I didn’t like this story and I felt it wasn’t as hilarious and heartfelt as I expected. However, if you are a fan of the film Sliding Doors (1998) or stories with magical realism and a what if aspect, you may enjoy The Other Side of Now. 

The Other Side of Now is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

Remembering the Cowboy: a clean, Christian second chance romance

Remembering the Cowboy is the first book in the Blackwater Ranch series by Mandi Blake. Camille Vanderbilt is heading home to Blackwater, Wyoming. She is determined to find her old best friend, Noah Harding, who suddenly ghosted her after high school and has been able to avoid her since then, despite their small town. Unfortunately, on the road there, she gets into an accident and wakes up with memory loss. Noah lives a simple life as a firefighter and working on his family ranch until he arrives at the scene of an accident and realizes that Camille is the accident victim. When Camille runs into Noah in town, she knows he’s someone important to her but she doesn’t know why. As they spend time together, they find the old flame is still there and Noah is determined to do it right this time. 

Mandi Blake is a great author for clean, Christian romance with sweet moments and drama. From the opening chapter to the closing page, I could not put it down. I loved Camille and Noah throughout the story. I loved Camille’s determination to find her feet on her own and deal with her memory issues without using others’ help as a crutch. Noah is a great man who loves completely and is loyal to his family and their livelihood even at the cost of his own heart. Their moments together were sweet and filled with love and tenderness. I loved the secondary characters, especially Camille’s cousin, Jenny, who didn’t have much page time but was influential in the story. I look forward to reading the future stories in this series. If you enjoy clean, Christian romances with cowboys and a small town, you will enjoy Remembering the Cowboy. 

Remembering the Cowboy is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook