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Sonia

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It Was Good; Not As Good As The Others By This Author . . .

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-06-25

This story was good; I didn’t LOVE it as much as her (this author’s) other later stories. It’s oblivious she got better with time at writing love stories. (And, yes, I know I’m reading her books backwards; I started reading her latest books first & now, I’m going through all her older books. And, unfortunately, this wasn’t her best. (My favorite still is Maddie & Nash’s story from her Lost & Found Series! Love those two with all my heart! 😍) But, anyway, I don’t exactly what it was with this story, but . . . Not my favorite of hers . . . Maybe it was that it wasn’t as funny as her others . . . (It didn’t have many “laugh-out-loud” moments) . . . It was definitely a bit more serious than all her later stories are, I think . . . Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind more serious love stories, but, I just wasn’t expecting it from this author based on her other stories I’ve read/listened to, I guess you could say . . . That being said, I am looking forward to reading/listening to the next book in this series: the single-dad/brother’s best friend romance! 😍👍🏻

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Love! Same As Others! 😍

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-31-24

I am a little sad this series has ended, honestly . . . Love the Hartley family! They’re so good people! But this just means I’ll get to start on a brand new series tomorrow (& on January 1st, too; seems like a good sign to start the new year on . . . 😉)!! Totally didn’t mean to finish this series THIS quickly, either, before the new year, but I just COULDN’T put it down; it was just TOO good!! 😊 The only thing that I didn’t quite like about the book was the audio version that went with it, sadly, particularly the male version (& why I gave a lower rating to the performance on Audible): little Charlie (Lawson’s (the MMC) cute, little son; we met him in the previous books in the series) did NOT sound like a little 6-year-old child AT ALL . . . Like at one point, Charlie was supposed to scared & crying at the same time, &, I kid you not, it just sounded like a GROWN MAN yelling . . . It took me out of a pretty emotional scene, to tell you the truth . . . I was like, “What the *HECK* (I’m trying not to cuss in this review 🥹) was that supposed to be?!” So, sadly, I think that the male version CANNOT do a kid voice very well . . . But that is my only complaint! (The last audiobook, before this one, did kids’ voices MUCH better, thankfully . . . It was just THIS one . . . 😑) Now, I’m anxious to see if the *FREE* bonus scene is gonna talk about the TRIPLETS that Hallie (the FMC) is gonna have at all . . . Yes, TRIPLETS!! I was like, “Whoa! Okay!” when I read/listened to that part! 😅 Oh, and bonus: we FINALLY got our first gay (or LGTBQ+) characters from Catherine! Yay for the representation!! 🏳️‍🌈😃

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Another 5 Out Of 5!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-26-24

AND . . . I LOVED this one, too!! (To no one’s surprise! 😉 I’m really LOVING this WHOLE series!! It’s amazing!! My God, I FELT for Roan (the MMC); he’s been through some BAD *stuff* (I’m trying not to cuss in this review here! 🥹) . . . At first, in the previous books in the series, I thought he MIGHT be on the spectrum, but I don’t think that’s it, exactly . . . Sadly, I just think the whole town hated him (don’t worry, this is not a spoiler; this was mentioned in the previous books) for something he didn’t do & that’s HARD!! 🥺But, ya know, he still could be—mildly, that is . . . 🤔 Anyway, now I CANNOT wait to start on Lawson’s book (the last book in the series) tomorrow!! (Good thing I have a 2 week Christmas break from work to read/listen to it! 😏) But, now, I wanna know if Candy (the MFC’s daughter) & Charlie (her BFF) DO get together in the end . . . I know they are technically “cousins” now, BUT they have NO blood-relation, so maybe?! 🤞🏼😅

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Wow!! Another 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ From Catherine Cowles!! 😍

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-20-24

I LOVED this one!! I am quickly going through Catherine Cowles books here! 😅 And I’m LOVING every single one so far!! (And trust me, I would have finished a lot quicker if I wasn’t working during the day … !! 🙃) I don’t usually like “Enemies-to-Lovers”; never been my favorite trope … Especially if the guy’s a total jerk at the beginning of the story for no apparent reason; it just makes it very hard for me to like him & even route for the couple in the first place … But with this, I was SOLD on Caden (the MMC) & Grae (the FMC) from the MOMENT Caden was introduced in the previous book of the series!! Now, I cannot WAIT to read Roan & Aspen’s (the couple in the next book) story!! I’m EXTREMELY intrigued by the “quiet, loner” brother & how he finally finds love! And even more so, with a single mom to an adorable little girl!! 😍 And, bonus: I’ll probably finish this next one in less then a week, now that I’m on Christmas break from work, officially!! 😆🥹

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LOVED It!! 😍

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-15-24

Okay, I honestly didn’t expect to like this book SO much, but I did!! I’m NOT kidding; I read/listen to it all in like 3 days! (Normally, “Age Gap” romances aren’t my favorite trope, particularly with such a big age gap; it’s the “power imbalance” for me, I think . . . But Brooke Montgomery CAN write them so there are sweet & actually romantic . . . Not so creepy seeming; “Dear John” & “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”, anyone? . . . 😅) Plus, Waylon’s (the MMC) just SO sweet & respectful; I know I fell for him, too!! 😉 The only thing is I could’ve done without all the darker themes, though . . . (If you read all the TW’s at the beginning, you’ll know.) But I DO appreciate that the author was willingly to go there & talk about them in a romance novel; it’s just that I wasn’t expecting it to be THAT dark, especially if the other books in the series were not . . . Also, I REALLY wish the Audible version would NOT take SO long to be published . . . I would have read/listen to this A LOT sooner if Audible wouldn’t take SO long . . . 😒 (I like to read WHILE also listening since I’m a naturally slow reader.) But, in the end, would HIGHLY recommend if you like “Age Gap” romances! 👍🏻😊

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This Is How Friends-To-Lovers SHOULD Be Done!! 😍😍

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-12-24

This is how the Childhood Friends-To-Lovers trope SHOULD be done!! 😍😍 (Looking at you, Bridgerton, S3 … 😒😅) As you can probably tell, I LOVED it!! SOOO good!! 😃 THIS is WHY the “friends-to-lovers” trope is my favorite! 😍 The only thing I kinda thought was going to happen (& would have been interesting, honestly … ) (& I don’t really consider this a spoiler since it didn’t happen in the end), but at some points, I started thinking that Maddie (the MFC) couldn’t get pregnant, either because something her jerk (lol; I’m trying not cuss in this review 😅) ex- did to her OR because of some medical issue, but this turned out not to be the case. The thing that made me think this were some comments and facial expressions that Maddie made whenever children or pregnancy were mentioned, but it never occurred that way, so … Another thing I would have liked is Nash (the MMC) having a cute nickname for Maddie, other than just “Mads” … All of Catherine Cowles’ other romantic leads (well, all the ones I’ve read/listened to so far) seem to have cute nicknames for their “leading ladies”; why couldn’t Nash?? I DID like, however, that Nash is the only one who called her “Mads”, but still … I was hoping for a cuter nickname than just shorting her own name (which was already a nickname in itself, btw … 😕) But, those were my only 2 “complaints”!! Would otherwise HIGHLY recommend if you’re into the Friends-to-Lovers trope!! 😊👏🏻

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5 Out Of 5!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️😍

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-09-24

Wow, I LOVED this one!! I recently got introduced to Catherine Cowles through her newer series, ‘Sparrow Falls’, & really liked that one, too. So, now, I’m going through all her older series to see what I’ve been missing!! And, like I said, I LOVED this 1st book in her ‘Lost & Found’ series!! (I chose this one 1st ‘cause I knew it had a connection to ‘Sparrow Falls’ with Holt (the MMC of THIS book) being friends with Anson (the MMC of Book 1 of ‘Sparrow Falls’). It also might have helped that the “Second Chance” trope in romance books is my 2nd favorite trope!! (My 1st is the “Friends-To-Lovers” trope, so it looks like I am all set for Book 2 of this series, as well . . . 😉) The ONLY reason why it took me so long to finish this book is because I was working during the week (& finishing up another book for my Book Club, besides . . . ); otherwise, I would have probably finished it in like 3 days, I loved it THAT much!! 😍❤️ BUT, I FINALLY finished it today since I’m home sick from work, anyway . . . And reading/listening to romances ALWAYS makes me feel better! ❤️‍🩹🥹 Anyway, would HIGHLY recommend if you’re into “Second Chance” romance like me! 👏🏻😉

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WAY Too Many Characters, Too Confusing . . . 🫤

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-09-24

Well, maybe 🎶 I’m the problem. It’s me. 🎶 ‘cause I just didn’t “get this book”. I thought it had WAY too many characters making it hard to follow the plot, if there even WAS a plot . . . 🫤 It took 2 months for me to finish because I just could not “get into it”. In the end, through, I felt like I HAD to finish it because it was for a Book Club (needless to say, I did NOT pick it this month) (we also skipped November ‘cause of Thanksgiving; that explains the 2 months we had). Anyway, I kept asking myself, “Wait, who was this character again?” And then some of the chapters were just too LONG for me . . . I’m not kidding, the last chapter (before the epilogue was about 40 minutes long (at normal, 1x speed on the Audible version of the book)! Now, normally, I don’t mind long chapters IF the book is entertaining or interesting . . . “IF” being the key word here . . . AND almost all the characters had nicknames, too, on top of it, that you had to keep track of, as well . . . I think this book really had to be read in like one seating for it NOT to be confusing to follow, which if you have a job five days a week, is pretty much IMPOSSIBLE to do . . . I DID like some of the characters, though (which explains my 2 star-rating ⭐️⭐️ that I gave it in the end), especially Chonna, and Dodo, the “deaf & dumb” (THEIR words, not mine). I felt SO bad for him, especially . . . I just wanted to wrap him up in a hug and teach him sign language so that he could communicate properly . . . 💔🥺 But, anyway, I just don’t quite get the “hype” of this book . . . Maybe it just wasn’t for me . . . 😉

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I LOVED This Book . . . “More Than Bees 🐝 Love Honey 🍯”!!! 😉😍😍

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-27-24

Okay, NOW I am a fan of Catherine Cowles!! As I said in my last review of a book of hers, I wasn’t quite sure with her first book that I read/listened to, but now I AM A FAN!! I finished this book in 3 days!! I am NOT kidding!! (Although the fact that I’m currently on Thanksgiving Break from work right now helped A LOT, too!! 😅) I’m SO gonna go through her “back catalogue” of her books now!! I absolutely LOVED Luca (Sutton’s (the FMC) son)!! God, he was SO sweet!! LOVE that kid . . . “more than bees 🐝 love honey 🍯”! 😉 He has become my favorite character, FOR SURE (along with Grandma Lolli, of course; she is HILARIOUS!! If you know, you know! 😉 I SO want her as a grandma!!)!! Also, Sutton!! Ahh!! Catherine Cowles does single-moms WELL, I’ll say that! That woman was STRONG!! 💪🏻😍 And Cope (the MMC)!! 😍🥵🔥 My God!! I WANT my own hockey 🏒 player now!! 😅 The only thing that I didn’t like as much is the “gym spicy scene” (if you know, you know 🥵) . . . Now, don’t get me wrong; that scene WAS HOT 🥵, BUT the thing I didn’t quite like is that Cope didn’t ask for consent before tying her up (he asked for consent before the 1st time they have s*x, but NOT before tying her up the first time) . . . That just didn’t sit right with me . . . Asking for consent before doing something “new” with your partner should ALWAYS be the thing to do, even IF she (or he) seems “into it” . . . Plus, it’s s*xy as h*ll to me!! 😉 I liked the way the “tying up s*xy scene” was done with Thea & Shep (Book 2 of this series) A LOT better!! Oh, and also, I felt a little uncomfortable by how mad Cope seemed in the hospital scene . . . Like, “I know you’re upset that Sutton got hurt (don’t worry, she’s okay & everything), but, man, it’s NOT healthy AT ALL to be THAT mad at the DOCTOR trying to HELP HER” & then, his anger issues never seemed resolved (or corrected), either . . . Anyway, those 2 are my only complaints of this book: Cope should have for consent before tying Sutton up & Cope should NOT have been that mad/upset at the doctor, or he should have gotten help for his anger issues by the end of the story . . . For now, though, I’ll just go back through her older books while I wait (somewhat impatiently) for Arden & Linc’s story (the next book in this series) to come out next year!! 😉👍🏻😅

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LOVED This One More Than Book 1! 😍❤️

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-22-24

Okay, I am hooked on Cathrine Cowles now! Unfortunately, I wasn’t so “hooked” on her first book I read/listen of hers, the 1st book in this series. There were just a few things that didn’t quite add up or just came out of nowhere . . . Like, for example, there was a s*x scene that involved a little bit of “tying up” (if you know what I mean 😉). Now, normally, I don’t mind a little bit of “playing” in a romance novel IF the woman is into it, BUT in the 1st book, this “spicy, play scene” came out of NOWHERE! No explanation as to where/why this “playing” 1st started . . . BUT with this book, this “play scene” was explained SO much better!! The twist at the end was also very good, too; I didn’t see it coming, TRULY!! The ONE thing I DO wish kinda happened was that the stuff with Brenden (Thea’s, the MFC, ex-) was a little bit more drawn out at the end, instead of just a little paragraph length explaining what happened to him. But that was my only little “complaint”; it was like the author was left to wrap up that part of the story too quickly after briefly “forgetting about it”. 👍🏻 That’s what it felt like to me, anyway. But I probably would’ve honestly finished the book this past weekend if I wasn’t at a wedding; I liked it that much! 😍 And now cannot WAIT to start on Sutton & Cope’s (the next book in the series) story tomorrow! ❤️💞

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