This was another cute romance set in the world of the King Family Creamery. I liked the more outsider feeling of this world. Things were definitely buttoned up neatly at the end but this was still a fun read.

Ryan seems like a big teddy bear. When the new consultant for King creamery comes to town and is Ryan's neighbor. Maggie will assess the company and help decide what needs to happen to help the company continue. When an article claims shes going to be cutting jobs and closing the creamery. The townspeople start harassing Maggie. Ryan decides to help by using his popularity to help Maggie.
This is the third novel in the series and my first. I was able to read it as a standalone. This has some spice and wonderful romance. I really enjoyed this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was #3 of a series, but you can read them as a stand-alone also. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Make sure you read the trigger warnings in the front of the book, before you start reading it. I don't have any triggers, but I know some do. I would definitely recommend this book.

Nix does it again. How can one writer create such lovable characters? I adored everything about this story, particularly the kilt. How can anyone not love a man in a kilt? Read it today!!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook!

I will admit, of all the books in this series (of 3), this one was the slowest to get into. While Ryan and Maggie had a fast chemistry, either the pace or tropes were just not my particular brand of tea. The story does pick up further along in the book.

All in all this was a good book, and a continuation of the series and King family exploits. There is a good amount of former couples in this book, but can still be read as a stand alone.

I look forward to future novels in this series!

I liked this one, but had no idea it was part of a series on a family. I can understand why, the King family was great. I definitely need to go back and read some of the others!

I have the biggest sweet spot for Susannah Nix!

I could not have enjoyed this read more.. While not Andie and Wyatt from book #1, Ryan and Maggie have an equally memorable romance.

The slow burn made it just that much sweeter, they were a true compliment to one another. A happy ever after I was so thrilled to read!

Thank you to Harver Steet Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

King Creamery has hired a managing consultant to help ensure that they are as profitable as to continue operating well into the future. Maggie is the consultant they have hired and she is keeping a low profile in order to avoid the confrontation that usually results from her line of work. That is until her neighbor, Ryan, the stepson of the owner of King Creamery, draws Maggie out of her self-imposed seclusion. Though both have their secret baggage and are not "looking" for a relationship, they quickly end up falling in love and starting a relationship. It was a fun read but the cliffhanger at the end was the real showstopper. I can't wait to read the next book.

This whole series is super cute, and I always enjoy Susannah Nix books! This is a series that I recommend to all my romance loving friends!

Pint of Contention is sort of a denied love but an undeniable attraction situation, and one that is drawn out so unbelievably well.

It’s definitely encouraged me to go back and read the first books in the series as I reckon it will enrich my experience of this one either further.

The representation, the characters and plot were phenomenal!

Rate : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre : Contemporary Romance
Author : Susannah Nix

Thank you to NetGalley and Haver Street Press Publishing for an e - ARC of Pint of Contention for my honest review!

Pint of Contention is an adorable grumpy x sunshine romcom with small town romance and girl next door vibes sprinkled in. Upon reading the synopsis, I was hooked and unable to tear my eyes away from the pages. Intrigue built inside as I swiped through page after page to witness this relationship blossom from something so tense to something adorable.

In this novel, we meet Ryan the firefighter. An all round great guy who everyone adores in the town. His protective and familial nature sets him aside from others in the crowd and immediately draws the reader in. Despite him being slightly rough around the edges, Maggie adores him and who could blame her? I’d want a fireman next door to my place too!

What I also admire is the strong female presence of Maggie. I love the representation of a woman in a high position of authority, especially in romance novels (we love the empowerment!) and Maggie is an inspirational character. In the face of judgement and criticism, she is still holding her head high!

Something I wasn’t too keen on was the pace of this book, it took me a while to get into the novel. It started off very slow and almost stilted. I also felt like I was missing some of the plot. It became more character led than plot based.

Despite that, this was such a cute read and definitely a recommendation for anyone who loves grumpy/sunshine and fake dating!

Thanks to Author Collective , Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If it's one thing this author knows, it's how to write about the spark of chemistry between two unlikely lovers, and how to write the steamy stuff so it fogs up your reading glasses, and this book is no exception.

I am a big fan of this author's work but I wasn't sure when I started reading, whether I would come to like Maggie. I knew I would like Ryan - I mean he's a hot firefighter, so....

But Maggie definitely grew on me - I could sense her vulnerability from the beginning, and her essential goodness, which Ryan brings out in her.

It's the first of the Ice Creamery books I have read and it immediately made me crave mint chocolate chip so off I got to sink a spoon into a tub. I highly recommend you pick this book up if sugar and spice is what you are craving.

Did I drop into the King Family series on book three? Yes. I’ll go back and read the first two books in the series, but I’m here to say you can definitely read this as a stand alone if you get drawn in by the cover like I did.

Maggie is a self titled ice queen melting in the Texas heat thanks to her dreamy firefighter neighbor and his late night workouts and daytime kindness.

Ryan is his small town’s cinnamon roll hero and meets the one woman to test his self imposed no HEA rule by just being existing.

They give into the idea of a temporary relationship on the basis that neither are looking for love—uh famous last words friends. Love doesn’t care about concerns or fears and is here to trample their preconceived idea about the rest of their lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ryan’s character—he’s warm with layers that he only allowed Maggie to unwrap. He’s one of the few sunshiny characters I’ve met that is distraught by a darker secret and his emotional depth and growth made him pop off the page. Maggie’s strong independent personality is so refreshing and watching her utilize it in the end to make her HEA happen might have choked me up.

I throughly recommend jumping into Pint of Contention—this was swoony and spicy with characters you’ll love.

Absolutely yes! I really enjoyed reading this novel. The characters were fun, it held my interest, and provided an escape from reality. I would definitely recommend!

The third entry in the King Family series follows Ryan, who has always felt like a bit of an outsider in the tangled web of step- and half-siblings. He doesn't work for the family business, for one, but forged his own path as a firefighter. He also likes to work out in his garage, which attracts the attention of his new neighbor. Management consultant Maggie is only in Texas for a few weeks, but she can't help noticing her very muscular neighbor, who's always working out at odd hours. He seems friendly, but Maggie has no interest in making friends. Even very hot, helpful, intriguing friends. But her reasons for being in town may intersect with Ryan and his family in an uncomfortable way.

This was a sweet story and I appreciated that the two main characters were more mature (in their 40s).

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

This is the third installment of the King Family series. I've read a few other books by Ms Nix, but this is my first one of this series. I really enjoy her writing style and her stories never fail to pull me right in. This one was no different. This was a tender and sweet story with the main characters in their forties, which was a refreshing change from most stories in this genre. While I always enjoy a good young love story, this story was engaging in every way and just melted my heart. A grumpy/sunshine pairing with a fake dating trope made this a cute and fun read. Maggie has been hired by the Creamery in an effort to save them from financial ruin. She is basically there to determine which employees need to go. So, needless to say, it's not a good idea to make friends or get close to anyone. But given that attitude, the whole town seems to be turning against her, thanks to a newspaper article written about her. Ryan, her neighbor, is definitely attracted to her and won't let her grumpiness get in the way of becoming friends. He also has his own challenges that he is battling. It was really sweet to see their friendship grow and loved how they looked out for and protected each other.
Ms. Nix did a great job in developing the characters and bringing their personalities to life. Maggie and Ryan were so great together and had such intense chemistry, I immediately fell in love with them. Filled with emotion, drama, and romance, the story had me completely engrossed till the very end.
So glad I had the opportunity to read this!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I loved it. The romance between Ryan and Maggie was great. They complemented each other so well and I'm glad they got their happy ending together. This was the first book I've read in this series and now I plan on reading the others as well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

Maggie Silvestri, an executive consultant, has taken a contact with King Creamery to help them turn their business around before they hit financial ruin. She is used to keeping people at an arms length and not making friends with the locals. However, as much as she tries her next door neighbour in Crowder, TX is mighty hard to ignore. Must he work out in the garage with the door open at all hours of the night?

As it turns out fire fighter Ryan McCafferty is not only easy on the eyes he is sweet, caring and despite her best efforts he in insists on welcoming her to town and being an all around good neighbour. When rumour starts spreading around town that Maggie will need to cut jobs in order to save King Creamery the sweet old town of Crowder quickly turns on her and she becomes enemy #1. This all comes to a head at the local supermarket but as luck would have it Ryan steps in to save the day.

He comes up with a plan to help keep her safe – the plan – fake date to send a message to the locals that if they mess with Maggie, they mess with Ryan. Simultaneously this should keep the bachelorettes of the town at bay as Ryan has no interest in a romantic relationship.

Ryan McCafferty is one of the most eligible bachelors in town. While he is technically the stepson of George King owner of King Creamery his occupation as a fire fighter and his last name means he is free of the pressures his siblings who all work for the family patriarch face. Some would say it is about time he find a girl to settle down with, get married and have kids. However, Ryan carries a secret one only George King and his biological father knows. As luck would have it his father never gave him much or really played a big part of his life but there is a good chance Ryan may have inherited the ALS gene from his father. Ryan decided a long time ago not to put the burden on his family and subsequently that the gene would end with him, he would not marry nor have children. What he didn’t account for was Maggie and the way her presence affected him.

This is the third book in the King Family series. In my personal opinion you could easily read this as a stand along but having read the previous 2 books definitely provides some family details. As with Susannah Nix’s other books this one is HOT, the chemistry between Maggie and Ryan is off the charts for a solid 3/5 spice rating. I loved that this book has an older female lead with a slight age gap, it is refreshing to read a passionate love story between two mature characters with previous relationship experience. I loved their grumpy (she)/sunshine (he) personas and the fun banter. I look forward to reading the next instalment in this series.

Pint of Contention is book 3 in the King Family series. It’s a fun small town, grumpy/sunshine romcom. The grumpy is Maggie a successful corporate consultant brought to town to save the King Family’s business. She moves from job to job and doesn’t have the time for a relationship. The sunshine is Ryan a fire fighter and all-around good guy. He’s loved by everyone in town, but he’s stays away from relationships due to a potential health problem.
The first half of the book was a lot of flirting and sexual tension, but it was a little slow. Things did pick up after they got together. Over all it is an enjoyable romcom

"You have to be willing to take risks in order to build something special."

Welcome to small town Texas, where the weather is hot, and the men can be hotter!

This is my first time reading one of Susannah Nix's books, and boy did perfectly recreate what it's like to live in a small town in the Lonestar State.

Maggie has always taken care of herself, putting so many walls up to protect herself from hurt while still trying to help others with her business. Her decisions and plans may have cut over 1,000 jobs across the country, but she always works hard to find ways to save as many jobs as possible at the failing companies she contracts for.

Ryan, a native Texan, who is keeping a huge secret from his family, all in the name of 'saving' them from hurt. He even stopped dating after finding out that he could possibly have the genetic mutation for ALS, all because he doesn't want to put someone he loves through the hurt and pain of watching him get sick and then lose him.

Ryan is a huge protector, which comes out when Maggie is confronted by townspeople after a newspaper article takes a business proposal out of context, making Maggie out to be a big, bad bully intent on destroying their livelihoods and their small town.

"Everyone's convinced you're eager to put the whole town out of work, when you're not even willing to get three bullies in trouble they brought on themselves."

Ryan devises a plan to fake date Maggie to protect her, and to keep the people in town from throwing women at him to date. Soon, the sparks that had already been simmering between them grow into a full on blaze.

"Sex is overrated anyway." "If that's what you think, you've been having sex with the wrong men."

"I'm going to give you what you want, but you're not allowed to move. That's the deal. If you move, I stop. You understand?" That's a good girl."