Review: Caught Up (Liz Tomforde)

Caught Up
Series: Windy City, #3
Author: Liz Tomforde
Publication Date: October 10, 2023
Publisher: Golden Boy Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

Kai

I’m a single dad and starting pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team.
I’m stretched too thin, but I don’t want help raising my son.

Each of his previous nannies only lasted a few weeks before I let them go.
Now, my coach is putting his foot down by hiring the one person I can’t fire—his daughter.

Miller Montgomery is the last woman I should fall for. Too wild, too young, and too unattached.

Chicago is just a quick stop for her. I thought I’d be counting down the days until she left, but summer feels too short when I start thinking about forever.

Miller

As a high-end pastry chef who recently won the most prestigious award in my industry, I’m desperate to prove I deserve it. But with a new title comes new pressure, and I can’t create a fresh and inspiring dessert to save my life.

With only two months to get back on track, I should be focusing in the kitchen, but instead, I let my dad talk me into using my time off to nanny for his star player’s kid.

Kai Rhodes forgot how to have fun, and I’m eager to jog his memory. But when he and his son start to feel like home, I have to remind us both that my time in Chicago ends with the summer.

Besides, I’ve always been a runner, and the last thing I want is to get caught.


I was really looking forward to reading Caught Up and it did not disappoint. It was truly a special single parent sports romance. Here is what I loved about it:

  • Kai and Miller’s disastrous first meeting.
  • How they get thrown together with Miller ending up as Kai’s nanny.
  • The banter and sparks between them. The slow burn and tension were worth it.
  • Kai’s dedication to his son, Max.
  • Miller connecting with Max.
  • Kai’s relationship with his brother, coach, and the rest of the team. The family atmosphere was great.
  • Miller’s relationship with her dad was special.
  • Miller’s struggle with her career and feeling inspired and the lesson she learned from it all.
  • Kai learning to balance it all and have confidence in his ability as a dad.
  • The love, care, and support they made as a unit.
  • The whole buildup of the romance was good, and I especially loved the end.
  • The side characters from the first two books and all of the teammates we so much fun to have around.
  • The baseball. There were some fun moments on the field, in the dugout, and in the training room.

I only had one teeny tiny complaint…

  • When I got to just over 50%, the characters were just beginning to truly act on their attraction and feelings. That would have been at about 250 pages. That is a LONG built up. The book started to feel long, like it might lose my attention. Luckily, it was full steam ahead from there and ended it up being worth all 508 pages. Could it have been edited down? Probably. I do feel that I might have missed out on some important moments if it had been.

Review: When in Rome (Sarah Adams)

When in Rome
Author: Sarah Adams

Publication Date: September 20, 2022
Publisher: Dell
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis: 

Opposites certainly attract for the stranded pop star and small-town baker in this charming slice of romance from the author of the TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet.

Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her adoring fans, is burned-out from years of maintaining her “princess of pop” image. Inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.

When Noah Walker finds Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he makes it clear he doesn’t have the time or patience for celebrity problems. He’s too busy running the pie shop his grandmother left him and reminding his nosy but lovable neighbors to mind their own damn business. Despite his better judgment, he lets her stay in his guest room–but only until her car is fixed–then she’s on her own.

Then Noah starts to see a different side of Rae Rose–she’s Amelia: kindhearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. He can’t help but get close to her. Soon she’ll have to return to her glamorous life on tour, but until then, Noah will show Amelia all the charming small-town experiences she’s been missing, and she’ll help him open his heart to more.

Amelia can’t resist falling for the cozy town and her grumpy tour guide, but even Audrey had to leave Rome eventually.


Delightful. Simply delightful. Reading When in Rome brought me so much joy. I loved the small-town vibe Rome, Kentucky had going on with its lack of good cell reception, cute shops, and close-knit townspeople.

I adored grumpy pie hating pie shop owner Noah Walker and the ever-pleasant popstar Amelia “Rae” Rose. Those two had AMAZING chemistry and banter. This may have been a closed-door romance, but the passion between them was high.

The side characters in this book were perfect. Noah’s three younger sisters and his friend James were my favorite of them. They were all vibrant characters who managed to stand out in their own ways within Noah and Amelia’s story. I want and need all of them to get their own books and make this a series.

I even loved the little bit of drama that was thrown in to shake things up for Noah an Amelia. It wasn’t too over the top or too angsty. The drama made things even more exciting.

I didn’t want When in Rome to end. There really wasn’t anything I didn’t like about it. I can maybe see a few people complaining that the timeline was too fast, that Noah and Amelia’s relationship was too instant love, but nope. That’s not my opinion. When in Rome was the charming rom com I have come to expect and need from Sarah Adams. If this was an assignment, she would get an A+.

Mini Reviews: Rewriting the Stars (Kingsley), Taste (Harlow), & Fair Catch (Steiner)

I’m back with some more mini reviews this week for some recent releases.

Rewriting the Stars
Series: Bailey Brothers, #6
Author: Claire Kingsley

Publication Date: March 10, 2022
Publisher: Always Have, LLC

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

My thoughts:

I’ve been eagerly anticipating Rewriting the Stars since I binged the other Bailey Brothers books last year. Levi Bailey and Annika Haven’s forbidden romance wrapped up this series in a great way. I have said before that I haven’t been the biggest fan of the mystery woven throughout the series and, honestly, I didn’t love it in this book…until the end. It wrapped up in such a perfect way. Kudos to Kingsley for having me rethink that. I absolutely loved Levi and Annika together and her son Thomas as well. It was such a sweet romance. I also loved how both families had moments where they shined. I’m excited for the spin-off series that’s coming for the Haven brothers. I want them to redeem themselves in my eyes.

Taste
Series: Cloverleigh Farms, #7
Author: Melanie Harlow

Publication Date: March 7, 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

Taste was one of those fun, easy reads. Ellie and Gianni have this enemies like thing going on that’s been there since they were kids that brought an entertaining dynamic to the one-bed and oops baby tropes. I loved how it was different from other books in the oops baby trope. It spent most of the book on the buildup to the pregnancy and let me see how this couple came to be. I enjoyed that. I wouldn’t have minded a little more time with them together during the pregnancy. They were so cute together that I hated missing some of that time. Things ended in the perfect way though.

Fair Catch
Author: Kandi Steiner

Publication Date: March 16, 2022
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

I was not ready for the angst! This wasn’t the angstiest book I have ever read, but it did stress me out a bit. Zeke was Riley’s twin brother’s best friend but also someone she saw as an enemy. When they end up at the same college on the same football team and then roommates, things get sticky. Riley has the hardest time holding onto her grudge against Zeke and Zeke is trying to hide his attraction to Riley. Everything is messy and being the only female on the football team makes things even harder. Underneath all the angst and struggle was a sweet romance. It made the stressful moments worth it.

Review: The Reunion (Meghan Quinn)

The Reunion
Author: Meghan Quinn

Publication Date: February 22, 2022
Publisher: Montlake
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Wedding Game comes a new romantic comedy about the antics that ensue when three siblings come together for their parents’ fiftieth-anniversary party.

Martin and Peggy Chance believe love should last a lifetime. With their fiftieth wedding anniversary on the horizon, they’ve modeled a beautiful relationship for their three grown children. But to their dismay, that lesson hasn’t quite caught on—the three siblings just can’t seem to take a chance and find love in their own lives.

There’s Ford, the eldest, devoted to his work and resistant to romance…or so he claims. Cooper, the middle child, can’t get past his divorce—until he reconnects with a feisty baker from his past. And Palmer, the baby of the family, is the free-spirited world traveler who always pictured herself with someone other than a handsome small-town family doctor.

When the Chance siblings come together to plan the ultimate anniversary party for their parents, they’ll have to navigate romantic entanglements, sibling rivalries, and the definitive end of their childhood. Whatever happens, The Reunion promises to be a fun, flirty, wild ride.


Meghan Quinn is starting off 2022 just as strong as she ended 2021. The Reunion was an outstanding read. It stood out from Quinn’s past books. Rather than focusing on one romance, it focused on three. These three romances were intertwined with a theme on family and sibling relationships. It was a lot of pieces to one story, but Quinn made it seem effortless and did so while maintaining her signature style of writing and humor. I was very impressed.

Three relationships sounds like a lot to follow, but it wasn’t. Each couple had such a different dynamic. I loved getting all six POVs. Each character had a strong personality with unique quirks.  Their voices were very distinguished and easy to tell apart. I loved each of them and their relationships. It made it hard to pick a favorite couple, so I didn’t. All were equally good.

Ford, the oldest Chance sibling, is a workaholic who had taken over every aspect of his parents’ business. Larkin is Ford’s assistant who is the yin to his yang. She helps make his business and life run smoothly. It was easy to see how they would make a great couple before they were even a couple.

Cooper, the middle child, is trying to find his happiness after spending years in a job he hates and recovering from a divorce. Nina is a baker and a previous one night stand that Cooper can’t seem to move on past. He has a big hole to dig himself out of with her.  I loved their banter.

Palmer, the youngest and only girl, is returning home for the first time in a long time and is hiding that her influencer career has tanked. Beau is a doctor who was also Palmer’s childhood crush. Sparks reignite when Palmer ends up on Beau’s exam table. All I’m going to say about this pairing is that Palmer + wine = HILARIOUS.

These relationships were a major part of this book, but not the only thing going on. There’s also that sibling relationship thing I mentioned. Over the years, the three Chance children have distanced themselves from each other. Their reunion to plan their parents’ anniversary party is anything but pleasant as they try to work together. It was surprisingly entertaining to read about them going to “war” with each other over the party plans. It made me invested in finding out what was causing their divide. When I finally found out, I was even more impressed with how Quinn wove the romantic and sibling relationships together.

So, yeah. A lot going on this book. While it might not have worked well for me with another author, it was a smash hit written by Quinn. I loved the Chance family dynamics, all three relationships, and the humor the was infused throughout the book. I could have happily spent time with each couple in a book of their own, but the intertwining of the three in this book made for an explosive story. I adored it. Kudos to Meghan Quinn for trying something new and making it work in the best of ways.

Mini Reviews: Make It Sweet (Callihan), Like You Love Me (Locke), & The Sweetest Fix (Bailey)

Today I’m sharing with you three contemporary romance mini reviews for books that made my heart swoon.

Make It Sweet
Author: Kristen Callihan

Publication Date: February 23, 2021
Publisher: Montlake
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

Last year I read my first book by Kristen Callihan. I quickly devoured her entire backlist after that. To say I was excited for Make It Sweet would be an understatement. I had very high expectations for it, and it reached them with no problem. This book was a hit for me. I loved how gruff Lucian was and how sweet Emma was. The fact that they were at a similar place in life worked well. The way their relationship blossomed was exciting. They had so much chemistry. AND THE FOOD. The chemistry may have been hot, but the food was the seductress here. It made me crave pastries I’ve never tried before. Foodies are going to LOVE this book. So, yeah. I don’t have any complaints when it comes to Make It Sweet. Kristen Callihan truly made it sweet for the reader.

Like You Love Me
Series: Honey Creek, #1
Author: Adrianna Locke

Narrators: Ryan West, Lidia Dornet
Publication Date: February 216, 2021

Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

Adriana Locke is another author I started reading in 2020. I haven’t read her backlist, but I’m loving her new releases. I listened to Like You Love Me and it was such a fun experience. The narrators were fabulous and brought the story to life in the best way. I adored the story and characters. Sophie and Holden were childhood friends. When Holden returns to Sophie’s small town to help out his grandfather, they end up married in order to help each of the come out ahead. Their marriage may be real, but their relationship is fake…until it isn’t.  Like You Love Me was cute, sweet, and such a good time. I loved it!

The Sweetest Fix
Author: Tessa Bailey

Publication Date: January 22, 2021

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

My thoughts:

I am a fan of Tessa Bailey’s writing, so I hate to admit that I almost DNF this book early on. I am not a big fan of lying and a relationship built on a lie was hard for me to stomach. I pushed through because my friends that read The Sweetest Fix loved it. I’m glad I did because I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the good things about Reese and Leo’s relationship. Their connection was sweet, and their chemistry was off the charts. All the good moments outweighed the anxiety I got from the lies Reese was telling, so overall I enjoyed this one.

Review: Roommate (Sarina Bowen)

Roommate
Author: Sarina Bowen
Publication Date: January 12, 2020
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ+
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:
Wanted: One roommate to share a 3-bedroom house, split the rent, and ideally not be the guy I can’t stop thinking about.
I’m a man with too many secrets, so the last thing I need is a new roommate with a sexy smile and blue eyes that see right through me. Eight years ago, Roderick left town after high school. We’re not friends. I owe him nothing. But back then, I let one of my secrets slip, and he’s the only one who noticed.
Part of me knows I should run far, far away. But the other part wants him to come upstairs and spend the night. But if I let him in, I could lose everything.

Seeking: A room to rent in town. I’m tidy, have no pets, and I will feed you homemade bread.
I should probably add: Gay AF, and has no filter. It’s no wonder my new landlord is so wary of me.
A smarter man would ignore those hot glances from Kieran Shipley. The broody lumberjack wants more from me than another homemade pretzel, but if I push my luck, I’ll end up back on the street.
Too bad I’ve never been smart with my heart …


Being back in Vermont and on the Shipley farm was a pleasure. It’s a place where Sarina Bowen’s writing shines. (Although, it shines in all her settings.) In Roommate, we got to see another side to the Shipleys and farming. This time it was a Shipley cousin who gets a story.

Kieran Shipley was my favorite type of Sarina Bowen character: a little gruff, a lot quiet. Behind those qualities was a man who was loyal to his family despite their actions and a good friend. Kieran was someone who was searching for his place in the world but tried to do it without ruffling anyone’s feathers. I immediately liked him and wanted him to end up happy.

The newcomer to this small Vermont town was Roderick. Roddy had once lived nearby but had left to pursue his calling. Now he’s back, broke, and looking to start all over. Roddy’s character was a lot more upfront and comfortable with his sexual orientation than some of Bowen’s previous MM couples. I think he might be Bowen’s first openly gay character, and it took me a while to get used to that in terms of what I’ve been used to in the MM romances she’s told before. I liked that she went this direction. It made Kieran and Roddy’s story standout from her other MM romances. There were some of the same aspects in relation to Kieran’s story compared to her others, but Roddy’s was all his own.

Kieran and Roddy had a sweet romance. It was almost a slow burn. Their attraction and relationship built naturally. They took their time getting to know each other as roommates and co-workers before moving onto anything romantic. That worked well for both Kieran and Roddy’s histories.

One of the things that made Roommate fun was seeing those Shipleys and friends from past True North books. Kieran’s branch of the family was a new experience, but I loved how Griffin, Audrey, and Zara framed Kieran’s life. I loved their reactions to Kieran and Roddy. That being said, this book is a standalone and can be read without reading the True North series.

Kieran’s immediate family members weren’t my favorite. I had a feeling why and it was proven correct. I didn’t have much respect for them. That didn’t really change by the end, sadly. There were some things I appreciated about them, but they kind of just sucked.

I’m so glad Sarina Bowen took us back to the True North world with Roommate. It was a special story, and it deserved this magical setting. I loved how it was inundated with old characters who surrounded the new characters with love and acceptance. It was a joy to read.

Review: Loverboy (Sarina Bowen)

Loverboy
Series: The Company, #2
Author: Sarina Bowen
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

Secrets, desires, and exquisite pie. It’s all in a day’s work at The Company.

Growing up, I was the rough guy from the wrong neighborhood who couldn’t catch a break. Posy was the pampered girl I tried to impress. But all she gave me was a single kiss before I had to skip town.
Now I’m back, and the tables are turned. Posy runs a struggling pie shop. I’m the VP of a secretive billion-dollar security company. 
Not that I can tell her.
There’s a murderer on the loose in New York, and he seems to spend a lot of time at Posy’s shop. It’s my job to identify him before he can harm a hair on her pretty head.
Going undercover as Posy’s new barista wasn’t my idea. I don’t even drink coffee. But now I have to call her “boss,” and do everything the curvy perfectionist asks of me. I’d forgotten how much we infuriate each other, and that she somehow fills me with both irritation and desire in the same breath.
There’s nobody more skilled at stealth ops than me. I can bring this killer down. Right after I take a cold shower. And just as soon I figure out how to make a skinny peppermint latte with milk poured in the shape of a kitten…


I normally shy away from romantic suspense novels, but there’s nothing that would keep me from reading one from Sarina Bowen. Especially since I read and loved the first book in The Company series, MoonlighterLoverboy was as good as Moonlighter, if not better. It had an even larger suspense aspect to it while still maintaining the contemporary romance feel I love in Bowen’s books.

Gunnar and Posy had a great enemies vibe going on. They hated each other from their early adulthood and those feelings carried over to meeting again. It was more a fake enemies thing because the two couldn’t get enough of crushing on each other. I loved how they were thrown together in Posy’s pie shop. The whole situation was fun and engaging. I loved how their relationship built as the drama and suspense built.

That drama and suspense was so interesting! Like I said before, I’m not usually into it, but I loved how it was set up in this story involving the company and Posy’s shop. There were so many little twists to keep track of. It was fun. My only maybe complaint about it was that it took longer for Gunnar and Posy to interact because of the set up. That set up was actually a lot of fun, though!

Overall, Loverboy was another fantastic read by Bowen. It had a swoon worthy romance, hilarious moments, and an engaging suspense plot. I loved Gunnar and Posy, plus all the supporting characters. I am really hoping Max finally gets his book next.

Mini Reviews: I Promise You (Madden-Mills), The Bribe (Nash), & Take A Number (Daws)

Today, I’m sharing with you three mini reviews for new releases I’ve read recently.

I Promise You
Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
Publication Date: October 12, 2020
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Sports Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

This is the last book in Madden-Mills’ sports romances set at Waylon University. This time it’s newly starting quarterback Dillon McQueen’s turn to shine. His character was so much fun. He started off with a cocky flare, but I liked what was layered beneath. Dillon was a good dude who seemed to be a little misunderstood. I liked his pairing with Serena. She also had some great layers to unravel. She had an ex to move on from and insecurities to deal with. Their love story and characters might have felt a a little cliche at times, but it was the romance was entertaining. I especially loved that first scene. It was a good way to finish up the series.

The Bribe
Series: Calamity Montana, #1
Author: Willa Nash
Publication Date: October 15, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

I’ve been waiting for this book since I read a preview of it in the One More Step Anthology. It was just as good as I was expecting. I loved the small town vibe and all the characters. Lucy and Duke were adorable together. I even enjoyed the suspense aspect that managed to surprise me. The Bribe was everything I’ve come to expect from Devney Perry — or I guess I should say Willa Nash. I wish she would have kept it branded Devney Perry because it didn’t seem like a departure from her regular romance brand.

Take A Number
Series: Wait With Me, #4
Author: Amy Daws
Publication Date: October 15, 2020
Publisher: Stars Hollow Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

I binged the first three books in this series about a month ago. I was so excited to see this fourth book coming so soon. I have to admit that Dean has not been my favorite character in this series, but I looked forward to getting to know him better. He proved himself to be not as arrogantly disgusting as I expected. His romance with Norah was actually a really great fake relationship. It was everything I liked about the trope. The only thing I wasn’t a big fan of was Norah being described as OCD at the beginning. It sounded like she had some traits of OCD, but then it kind of just got put off as being controlling after that. I needed some clarification. Otherwise, this book was a lot of fun.

Review: Kiss My Cupcake (Helena Hunting)

Kiss My Cupcake
Author: Helena Hunting
Publication Date: August 11, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

Blaire Calloway has planned every Instagram-worthy moment of her cupcake and cocktails shop launch down to the tiniest detail. What she didn’t plan on? Ronan Knight and his old-school sports bar next door opening on the very same day. He may be super swoony, but Blaire hasn’t spent years obsessing over buttercream and bourbon to have him ruin her chance at success.

From axe throwing (his place) to frosting contests (hers), Blaire and Ronan are constantly trying to one-up each other in a battle to win new customers. But with every clash, there’s also an undeniable chemistry. When an even bigger threat to their business comes to town, they’re forced to call a temporary time-out on their own war and work together. And the more time Blaire spends getting to know the real Ronan, the more she wonders if it’s possible to have her cupcake and eat it too.

As two neighborhood shop owners battle for business, they prove opposites attract in this outrageously funny romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of Meet Cute.


I hate to admit this, but I am so tired of bakery romances that pit bakers against each other. There’s just SO MANY of them! They have lost their luster for me. Which is why I was SO HAPPY that Kiss My Cupcake had a different type of war/enemies thing going on. Instead of rival bakers, it was rival neighbors with different types of businesses having it out. That changed the dynamic and made this enemies to more romance all the sweeter.

And sweet was exactly what Kiss My Cupcake was. I wouldn’t say it was true a slow burn romance, but it was probably as close as to one as we’re going to get from Helena Hunting. There was a lot of angry sweet build up and getting to know each other of the characters before anything brought them closer together. I loved the banter and tricks they played on each other. There were also some adorably hilarious side characters to go along with everything. All of that was exactly what I would expect having read Hunting’s previous books and knowing the humor she instills in her novels. It made Kiss My Cupcake so much fun to read!

If you’re looking for a light, fun, foodie contemporary romance, Kiss My Cupcake is one that will bring a smile to your face.

Review: The Enemy (Sarah Adams)

The Enemy
Series: It Happened in Charleston, #2
Author: Sarah Adams
Publication Date: August 20, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

It’s been twelve years since I’ve seen him. Twelve years since he won our war of wits by outsmarting me with a tactic I didn’t even know was allowed. But tonight…I resurrect the battle.

Ryan Henderson is back in town for our best friends’ wedding, and I plan on showing him exactly how much I don’t care about him—or the almost kiss he ruthlessly dangled over me after graduation.

A lot has changed since our feuding days. I’m a successful bakery owner now, and I plan to rub every delicious detail of my life in his ugly face.

Just one problem: his face is gorgeous.

He wasn’t supposed to look like this or pursue me like a sexy guided missile. I must stay strong until the wedding is over and Ryan scurries back into whatever alternate universe he escaped from.

His interest in me is nothing but a continuation of the games we played in high school…right?

But the longer he stays, the more I wonder if I’m wrong and his tender smile and heated attentions are genuine. Maybe it’s not a game.

Ha! Who am I kidding? This is Ryan we’re talking about. Of course it’s a game. A game called war. And this time, I will win.


About a month or so ago, Kayla and I buddy read Sarah Adams’s The Match. We both found it so adorable that we immediately decided we needed to buddy read the next book in the series. I’m so happy we did that because I found The Enemy to be just as charming as The Match. They were both set in the same city and had some favorite side characters tying them together, but the majority of The Enemy felt like a whole new world that was fun to discover. The Enemy one stood strong on its own.

What was so great about The Enemy? An incredibly fun wedding aspect brought crushes sworn enemies June and Ryan back together over and over after over a decade of not seeing each other. The animosity between the two ramped up in the best of ways. There was also some hilarious doughnut shop, restaurant, and friendship stuff that went on. What made this book truly magical was the chemistry between June and Ryan. Everything that went down between them was entertaining. Their relationship was the sweetest of sweetest slow burn romances. That chemistry was always there, but they took on their past and got to know each other better at a believable pace. There was also a TON of humorous moments — especially when it came to our adorably self-conscious heroine. It was all just so charming and adorable. I couldn’t get enough of it and stayed up WAY too late finishing it.

I’m actually sad that I sped through this book the way I did. I couldn’t help myself, but now I want more. I don’t even know if there is more coming because I haven’t seen a third book listed, but I REALLY hope there is. I want more of these delightful It Happened in Charleston books!