Thank you NetGalley and the publishers, Bold Strokes Books Inc., of “Lucky" for affording me the opportunity to read the book and review it.

There are more than a few instances of the characters being Lucky in this engaging and easy read lesbian romance from Kris Bryant. And the story as it unfolds is testament to the fact that sometimes good things really can and do happen to good people! If you are in the mood for an easy going fluffy lesbian romance, where hope and honesty triumphs, then this is the book for you.

The main characters, Serena and Gabrielle not only have fabulous names but they are multidimensional engaging intelligent women from different backgrounds but who have their own supportive networks of friends and family. It's a feel-good story. There are gorgeous dogs, kindness abounds and the bumps in the road are negotiated around and over.

I did get exasperated by Chloe and Jackie. Nothing more tedious than friends turning up at the most inopportune times. But then we probably all know these well-meaning characters in our own reality. I'm not usually a fan of so many lesbian characters featuring in one storyline, but it works here. Lovely read. 4+stars

Four Stars for this pleasant, easy reading romance by Kris Bryant. The two main characters are Serena Evans and Gabrielle Barnes. Serena has had a difficult life but through it all, she has remained a caring, generous, and kind person. Serena has cared for her younger half-sister, Faith since she was teenager because their Mother was addicted to alcohol and drugs. She lives pay check to pay check working at a bookstore, having given up on her dream to be a veterinarian. The day before payday, she used her last four dollars on a hot dog and on a whim, a lottery ticket. The pot is 42 million dollars.

Gabrielle is a talented architect who is in line for partnership at her firm. All she has to do is impress her bosses on her next project to beat out another architect, who has the advantage of being male. Not being a pet person (she especially has an aversion to dogs), she is less than thrilled that she has been assigned to design a pet daycare (Pet Posh Inn) for the latest lottery winner – yes, you guessed it – Serena. This is definitely a slow burn romance. Bryant excels as she navigates the two becoming friends and eventually more.

I really liked the supportive group of friends they each have and eventually share. Serena’s BFF, Chloe who would regularly drop off leftovers at Serena’s before her windfall and lending moral support especially when Serena had to deal with her mother. Gabrielle has a larger support group, including her family and her circle of friends. Her BFF is Rosie and also in her circle is Piper and Shaylie, from Bryant’s book, Falling. You get an update on the couple. I haven’t read Falling yet, but I wouldn’t call it a spoiler. If anything, it makes me want to read more about the couple. Piper befriends Serena, who seeks Piper out for advice.

I really enjoyed this romance. As to be expected there are a few bumps in the road for the couple, but have no fear, they do get an HEA. That’s not a spoiler? A spoiler would reveal that they don’t get an HEA.

How much luck does one need to win the lottery, find the perfect dog and fall in love. Ask Kris Bryant because she has written a lovely romance about finding all three of those things. Serena Evans has had a tough life so far. Her mother wasn't there for her growing up and she was forced to take care of her younger sister. All of her money goes to live. She takes her last bit of money until payday, buys a hot dog and a lottery ticket. A few days later, she is the winner of a 42 million jackpot. She can finally breathe. When she decides to build a posh doggy day care she mets Gabrielle Barnes who will design her project. Gabrielle is focused, driven, attractive and doesn't have time for a relationship because she is a workaholic. The only problem in this whole setup is that Gabrielle is afraid of dogs.

Lucky is sort of a follow up to Falling as the mains from the story are in this one. It was good to see those characters in this story. I have read a few of Bryant's romances and this one is a solid as the others that I have read. The story line is interesting, the mains are likable and have chemistry. Not only that but the story is well told and well written. When it comes to the sex scenes steamy and just the right amount. The angst that some live for is here, but not dragged out. It was appropriate. As I read, I sort of figured out what the angst would involve but I was kept guess and how. I thought Lucky for sure was a solidly written romance.

4.25 stars

There was no way I was going to miss reading Lucky by Kris Bryant. To begin with, I know that any novel written by Ms. Bryant is going to be good. She is a great author after all. The blurb also sounded really interesting, and made me want to read the story. However, nothing can beat the face of that gorgeous dog on the cover of the book. I admit it. I’m a sucker for a cute puppy face.

Lucky is a very well written contemporary romance. The story is told in third person, which is a not the usual POV that the author uses, but she did a great job with this style. The term “lucky” actually stands for a number of elements in the story. The main character, Serena Evans, is lucky because she wins the lottery and is now able to fully fund and run Pet Posh Inn. She has always wanted to work with and around animals, and now she can with her own business. Lucky also applies to her new rescued pet, a sweet dog named LB (Lucky Baxter). Of course Lucky may also apply to Serena’s love life after she meets Gabrielle Barnes, the architect hired to create the building for Pet Posh Inn.

This book has everything you need for a sweet romance. The main characters are beautiful and easy to fall in love with, even with their little quirks and flaws. The settings (Vail and Denver, Colorado) are perfect for the story, and the romance itself is satisfying, with just enough angst to make the book interesting. There is also LB and all the other animals you will meet in the tale. This is the perfect novel to read on a warm, lazy summer day, and I recommend it to all romance lovers.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

'ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for a honest review'

**'Within the first pages of a story readers can judge the relative skill of the writer simply by noting how they handle exposition..And characters should be individualised, but functional..'

3.5stars!
I had a difficult time in trying to decide how impartial my opinion should be after finishing this book. I did feel a little deflated because after reading Ms.Bryant's previous book (Temptation) which was so well written that my anticipation was one of anxiousness towards this book. Also expectations might play a role in how others respond to 'LUCKY' because of it's extraordinary premise.
Even though the blurb is just two and a half paragraphs, it does chronicle the most important context of what this storyline is really about with a little extra. For instance, the generosity and support from all their (both leading characters) close friends and families -- also their tense filled moments and many encounters.
Despite the slower paced in this third person storytelling, 'LUCKY' can be read as a compassionate story where both main characters constantly consider not only their own well-being but also the thoughts and feelings of others. Then in a different scenario, 'LUCKY' seems like a cross between intriguing and a tenable story that I do believe deserves to be read by her many reading fans.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Serena loves all animals but didn’t have best life growing up she basically had to be a parent to her sister Faith who a senior in high school because her mother is a alcoholic. She works at a bookstore when on spur of the moment bought a lottery ticket and won she finally able to open up a Posh Pet Inn that she always wanted.

Gabrielle enjoys working for ten years at Denver architect firm now she running to become partner there and to prove she right for it more then her colleague they have six months to prove it but when assigned to Pet Posh Inn she have to overcome her fears of dogs because a accident happen when she was young.

This was a delightful read the secondary characters were great how they were supporting. It was so cool to see Shaylie and Piper from Falling make a appearance.

This was a lovely read. It's classic lesbian romance mixed with a generous amount of canine involvement and just enough conflict to keep it from becoming saccharine. I have a dog named Elbie (different spelling) so that made it extra special. I really liked the lottery twist as it's such unusual content for lesfic. It was a great change of pace. I would be happy to recommend this book and read it again too. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Serena, 30, was a fan of all animals. They loved unconditionally and were also there when needed. The same could not be said for her mother. She often was drunk and disappeared on her and her stepsister when they were younger. Often times, Serena had to step into the role of mother. She put her life on hold to support her sister’s dream of going to culinary school. After winning the lottery, Serena was finally able to enjoy life with financial security and open up her very own Pet Posh Inn.

Gabrielle, 33, had her sights set on being made partner at the architecture firm she worked at and in which she enjoyed 10 successful years. But her male colleague was also competing for that very same coveted position. They each had 6 months to prove their worth to the partners on the current assignment given to them. Gabrielle was not too happy about being assigned the Pet Posh Inn project. She was not a fan of dogs since she was badly injured by one when she was a child. Fear of dogs, and Claire’s dog, Lucky, were obstacles Gabrielle needed to overcome in order to win not only the partnership, but Claire’s heart.

The characters, main and secondary, were likable with engaging personalities. The scenes in which the friends gathered to offer support or simply engage in playful banter were very entertaining and well written. I did, however, have one constructive criticism regarding a relationship that should have been explored a little more because of its effect on Claire’s life and especially after she won the lottery. This was the relationship between Claire and her mother. When her mother came back for Faith’s graduation party the scene was passively described instead of being actively written. This was a critical moment in their relationship and we really didn’t get to see that emotional confrontation. This was a little disappointing, but other than that, this was another very entertaining story by one of the best writers in this genre.

An ARC was given for an honest review.

Serena Evans had an unfortunate upbringing, her mother was an alcoholic, they had no money and she was left to care for her half sister and had to put her career on hold. Thirty and employed in a bookshop with a mean boss, Serena's luck changes when she wins the lottery.
Gabrielle Barnes, architect, is gunning for partner at her place of work when she's given the job of designing Serena's new petcare business in Vail. To secure her place as partner, Gabrielle must come up with a winning design for her bosses but Serena is proving to be her most difficult client.
It's such a pleasure to read Kris Bryant's books, she just knows how to write lesfic so well. Her characters are always likeable , usually there's loads of angst and she knows how to write a good sex scene,  unfortunately the angst level was a little low from what I expect from Bryant but there was still great chemistry between Serena and Gabrielle. I enjoyed this book, it's not Bryant's best but definitely still worth reading.

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. I love Bryant's books and this one was great. I love the idea of the Pet Posh Inn, it was a great idea and I loved each step of the design process, it was pretty amazing. I loved Serena but for some reason could not connect to Gabrielle throughout the book which is why my rating is only a three. The secondary characters all of Gabrielle and Serena's friends were amazing and continued to move the plot forward with some laughs and heartwarming scenes.

I loved this novel! I liked that their story was a slower development, I liked how the characters were described in details and that there was a solid build-up in their relationship.

Kris Bryant has written a fantastic book! I love Gabrielle and Serena. This book is about Serena wining the lottery and all the changes that come into her life, including Gabrielle. The book takes place in Colorado and has an honest, emotional story that weaves in overcoming our individual trauma and letting ourselves move beyond into a loving experience of life. The book doesn’t spend to much time on the past, but rather the present and taking action, like Gabrielle going over to her friend’s to finally face her fear. It’s graceful, funny, and warm a terrific read!

It’s funny how some things I always notice in books while others don’t really register. I’ve read quite a few books by Kris Bryant and never paid attention to the fact they were all written in first person. I probably never would have realised this one was different if other reviewers hadn’t pointed it out or if the author hadn’t mentioned it in the acknowledgements, crediting Melissa Brayden for pushing her. Lucky is such a smooth read, it never felt like Kris Bryant was challenging herself. So yeah, Ms Bryant, not only can you say you did it, you can also say you did it remarkably well.

Serena Evans’s life so far has been really tough. She grew up with an alcoholic mother, had to forget about higher studies so she could be there for her half-sister and is still reeling from breaking up with her toxic girlfriend. On a whim, she buys a lottery ticket with the money she would usually spend on a Diet Coke and promptly forgets about it. Then wins an insane amount of money.

Gabrielle Barnes is in the running to become the new partner at the Denver architect firm she’s worked for for a decade. The pet hotel project she’s been assigned in Vail is her chance to prove herself. She won’t let anything get in the way of her dream, neither her dog phobia nor the phenomenal chemistry with her sweet and sexy client. Until said chemistry turns into irresistible attraction.

I’m going to keep this review short: this book is delightful. I don’t have much else to write about it. It’s a pretty straightforward story told very efficiently, evoking pretty straightforward feelings. It’s well-written as are all Kris Bryant’s books. The characters – both main and secondary, including the furry ones – are wonderful (I loved coming across Piper and Shaylie from Falling), there’s just the right amount of angst and the sexy scenes are really hot. It’s Kris Bryant, you guys, no surprise there.

So be kind to yourself, buy this book, get a cold drink or a mug of tea depending on the weather where you are and let yourself enjoy the warm, tender and fluffy bubble you’ll be surrounded by in no time.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I’m a huge fan of Kris Bryant, so much so that I will buy her books without reading a sample, it’s just automatic because her books are warm and I love the characters that she creates. But this book fell flat to me. There was no emotion and no passion. The MC’s were more concerned about the project than getting to know each other. I think that Gabrielle’s friends and family were more interested in Serena than she was. They just didn’t connect for me. I still love Kris Bryant and will continue to buy her books in the future.

Who among us doesn't fantasize about winning the lottery?

Kris Bryant did an incredible job on her first foray into third person. In my opinion, Kris, EJ Noyes, and Harper Bliss are the masters of first person present tense, and I do believe "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". That said, the writing felt just as smooth and natural as if she had been doing it her whole career. And how brave to step outside a comfort zone.

There are so many things I loved about this book. Susan X Meagher has already written a much-beloved lottery story in Almost Heaven, which skews more to how the poor family relations react to the winning. Lucky focuses on Serena's vision to improve her life by opening up a "doggie daycare for the rich and famous", and she worries about every little detail being perfect.

Serena and Gabrielle both come to the story with plenty of baggage. They meet when Gabrielle is assigned as the architect on The Pet Posh Inn. A childhood incident leaves her with a fear of dogs that almost hinders her ability to properly design the space. Serena grew up with an absent mother and felt charged with raising her ten-years-younger sister, sacrificing her own education and personal goals.

Each main character has her own amazing set of friends, a hallmark of a Kris Bryant book, that completely shine without detracting from Serena and Gabrielle. Fans of last year's Falling will appreciate Piper's reprisal in Lucky.

The relationship building is slow and deliberate, making the eventual payoff worth the wait. And yes, we readers are rewarded with the emotionally-charged, super hot sex we've come to expect in every Kris Bryant story. The angst comes in later than expected, but is completely believable based on earlier events in the story and not from manufactured miscommunication. The final chapter and epilogue are perfectly satisfying and may even bring a tear.

My least favorite part of a Kris Bryant book? Waiting till the next one is released.

Serena Evans would not consider herself a lucky woman. She works in a bookstore and does her best to support her younger sister Faith, a high school senior about to head off to university. A spur of the moment decision to buy a lottery ticket changes Serena’s life forever. Her dream of building a Pet Posh Inn for visitors to her hometown of Vail, Colorado brings her to the Denver office of Arnest and Max where she meets architect Gabrielle Barnes.

Gabrielle is battling the glass ceiling of partnership in her firm. She has one more chance to prove she is worthy of the position she has worked hard to achieve. Building a daycare centre seems like a fun and easy opportunity to impress the partners at her firm. What she didn’t expect were the constant design changes requested by her attractive client.

Lucky is a slow burn coupled with a long distance romance. There is attraction between Serena and Gabrielle but both come with a fair bit of baggage that makes each wary of taking their attraction to the next level. I liked the contrast between Serena’s difficult relationship with her mom and Gabrielle’s warm and welcoming family. I would have loved exploring events from Serena’s past in more detail and felt this was a lost opportunity. Gabrielle’s workaholic personality paired with her dog phobia make her as wary of Serena as Serena is wary of trusting someone with her dreams and her heart. I liked how both had friends new and old to lean on for advice. I’m not a big fan of characters from other books intruding on the book I’m reading but the addition of Piper and Shaylie from Falling as some of those new friends for Serena was a nice touch.

Good first attempt at writing in third person for Bryant. I do think romance novels are more suited to first person point of view but it was nice to see what motivated/held back each woman from realizing they could overcome their differences and trust issues and fall in love.

Nicely done.

ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.

Lottery, dogs and a sweet romance. I can't think of anything better than that. This is Kris Bryant 1st attempt at writing in 3rd person and I didn't see anything different. The flow was smooth as usual. The premise of the book is that Serena comes from a poor family and her upbringing was horrible. She ended up raising her sister Faith. On a whim she buys a lottery ticket and wins. Winning the lottery is life changing for anybody but for Serena is was especially life changing. She decides she wants to build a Posh Resort for animals in Vail CO for all the visitors so they can bring their pets. Enter Gabrielle the architect. They didn't get along well in the beginning but this was her big chance to make partner. The problem is that Gabrielle is afraid of animals with good reason. There is immediate attraction in this slow burn romance. The sex was hot and I fell in love with them both. Both of their friends are amazing and try to help this romance along. You also see a visit from one of my favorite couples. I love when previous couple show up. This is a Kris Bryant must read. You won't be sorry.

I love when Kris Bryant comes out with a new book! This book is just so sweet. Serena's life was not easy. Having to grow up fast with an alcoholic mother in order to survive and take care of her younger sister, she had to put her wants and needs in the backseat. On a whim she bought a lottery ticket and wallah she won $42 million dollars! Taking advice from her friends, she decided to build the Pet Posh Inn in her hometown of Vail, Colorado. Gabrielle, the architect she hired, was on the fast track to becoming partner at her firm, and was less than thrilled with having to design a space for animals. Gabrielle really struggled with relating to this property due to her debilitating fear of animals, especially dogs. As the two learned more about one another, their feelings grew. I enjoyed their relationship build as it seemed really relatable. I loved all of the supporting characters and getting to visit with old friends from Kris's other books. L.B. was wonderful as was Dozer. Thank you Kris Bryant for another wonderful read!

The premise of Lucky instantly drew me in - low income girl hits the jackpot in Colorado’s state lottery and her dreams come true. The road to Serena’s dreams coming true is actually more difficult than it appears in the one word title though, and that is what makes this book so good. As we get to know Serena, we find that winning that jackpot definitely will make her life a whole lot better. She understands the value of a dollar, or lack thereof, and you can’t help but root for her to get everything she so deservedly wants and needs. As plans for investing her money formulate, she discovers that winning the lottery is much more than just the money. It’s what brings Gabrielle into her orbit, and the possibilities of something that no amount of money could buy her. I’ll admit, it was difficult for me to like Gabrielle at first with her walls up around her heart and the majority of her focus on her career and only a couple close friends. In truth, the tone of the book is often melancholy with both women struggling to find the best versions of themselves, but when they do manage those perfect moments and eventually their happy ending it’s as if the sun shines with rainbows and unicorns. The climb to the pinnacle that is their true love is so worth the journey through the melancholy. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 Stars. How can you not get excited when a new Bryant book is out?! I’ve been looking forward to this read for a while. For one its Bryant, who is easily on my list of favorite lesfic authors, and secondly was the great premise. Winning the lottery, who doesn’t dream about that coming true? I do have to be honest that this book started slow for me but once Bryant really hit her groove, the rest of the book felt good.

This book is Bryant’s first try writing in third person. While I think she was very successful in it and it seemed like it came pretty natural to her, I could not help being a little bummed anyway. I’m all for authors trying new things and taking chances but to have my two favorite first person authors, Bryant and EJ Noyes, both write in third for the first time ever this month, was like NO! I love a good first person story and Bryant and Noyes are the masters at it so it was a little painful not to have a new first story by either of them in the same time period. Again, Bryant seemed very capable of writing in third to me, I just hope she won’t abandon first since we need all the great first person authors we can get.

This is a slow-burn romance with average to low angst. What was interesting here was when Bryant had the two characters meet, it really wasn’t “OMG she’s the one!” Instead it was just two new people meeting for the first time. The attraction really became present as the characters spent time together and slowly built a connection. I liked this way of doing it. It felt realistic, more real life since not everyone falls in love at first sight. Also, for me it made the ending of a possible HEA feel like a bigger payoff. Yes the angst near the end was a little forced for my tastes but by the end of the book I had a big goofy grin on my face so it was successful in my book.

I mentioned this already but my biggest issue with the book was just getting into the story. Usually, Bryant has this pretty big hook that gets you immediately interested in the book. For instance getting lost in Alaska or a plane crash, something that really sucks you into the story but this book didn’t really have that. We do get to the lottery part, but after the character won we fast-forward the timeline a bit so we lose some of the excitement of winning. There was also an issue with one of the main’s mothers. We hear a big argument had happened, but we didn’t get to see it. That family conflict is something that shapes the main character to who she is as a person and I wanted to see it play out. While I had no problems reading the book, I just wasn’t hooked. I didn’t really notice when everything changed, but I was so happy it did. Eventually the book clicks and just feels more classic Bryant. By the end of the book I was a happy camper, it just took me a minute to get there.

I also have to give a quick shout-out to secondary characters. Bryant is really good about writing best friends and friends of friends. She’s very good at making them whole characters that are meaningful. Her secondary characters always enhance the story which is so important. For fans of Falling, Piper and Shaylie both appear in this book. Actually, Piper has a decent size roll in this book and we get a good update on them as a couple. I love when authors give some love to past characters.

While this did take an unusual amount of time for me to settle into this Bryant book, I was definitely happy in the end. I had a smile on my face and that’s a big thing for me especially during these times. If you are a Bryant fan or a slow-burn romance I think you will enjoy this too.