I look forward to autumn all year long and this book had all of the fall vibes. This slow burn friends to lovers romance was just what my soul needed. Davis is the perfect cinnamon roll hero! There were times where Kelsey's stubbornness got on my nerves and her inability to ask for help, but overall, I liked her fiery personality.

The friendship between Kelsey and Davis felt real...you could tell that the friendship was most important to them, and they didn't want to ruin that. Most of the side characters weren't overly discussed in the book, so there were times that I had a tough time distinguishing who was who. However, I would love to read a story about Davis's brother Garrett.

I definitely look forward to reading more stories from this author!

Tricked in October (Pineridge, Book 2) by Starla DeKruyf
This was a cozy cute October Fall vibe read. Definitely was a super slow burn romance with a just a tad of spice thrown in. The cover is cute, and it was an easy light read.
Many thanks to Starla DeKruyf, NetGalley, and City Owl Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

hooked and hooked some more. Loved all of this and couldn't put it down. I was like oh my. I need to know more. Read it. I had to get the first book because of this one.

2.8⭐️

I feel like the whole synopsis and title is like what? There was no trickery (or even misconstrued trickery?) and there wasn’t really mistaken identity. This whole book was just like, Kelsey needs help but refuses to ask for it or accept it. There was an HEA and I was happy enough with the ending but I was mostly annoyed for the first like 60%.

This was a very mediocre romcom that I picked up because it was seasonal and had a golden retriever on the cover. What can I say? I'm a simple creature.

Unfortunately, this was a pretty boring book. Kelsey is a widowed mother of three with an alcoholic mother who runs a bar on the verge of bankruptcy. Her long-term best friend, Davis, is a star on an HGTV show called Renovation Dudes (which is essentially Property Brothers, down to the twins). Predictably, the two fall in love. It was a very eh romance and one that I have no interest in reading again. For those interested, there is explicit smut.

** Thanks to NetGalley, Starla DeKruyf, and City Owl Press for this ARC. Tricked in October is available now! **

I fell in love with Pineridge reading Eight Days of Christmas and was so excited when I learned that the second book would be focused around Fall. I love seasonal romances and this slow burn friends to lovers romance was perfect for the fall season.

I loved the build of the relationship from
Friends to Lover with Kelsey and Davis. I love that although this is focused around their relationship it also has a space for Kelsey finding herself through the troubles of trying to keep her bar.

Hoping for a number three in this series!.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

Really loved this read just as much as I expected, if not more! The cover is super cute and fitting. This is such a sweet friends-to-lovers romance with great autumn vibes and a little bit of spice. I couldn’t put it down!

Super cute fall read. Definitely a slow burn with some spice!

Kelsey and Davis are best friends turned lovers, both carrying their emotional baggage and scars.

If you’re looking for a cozy and easy read, this is a good one!

Thank you, NetGalley and the Publisher for the eARC!
Tricked in October is a cute romance between 2 friends. The cover of this book is what drew me in- a cute fall read!
This story was an easy read and I liked the main characters Kelsey and Davis. Their relationship is the classic friends for years and then it turns into something more.
One thing I didn't like was that I feel like the book just kinda ended. Wish there was some more before the story ended.

-DNF at 10%-

I wanted to love this book. I wanted to like this book. I am a person who gravitates to the cover & the summary.

A widowed single mother needs help before she loses her bar & pieces of her that she feels connected to. In comes the friend who ultimately leads to a friends-to-lovers romance to help save the day - as long as she lets him. But will she?

In order for me to want to read a book, I have to feel like I can connect with the characters. I have to connect with this writing and I was really sad that I couldn’t with either. This is my first book by this author and I would like to give more of her books a chance.

I know others loved the book so I think it’s a “me problem” and not the book itself. Definitely give it a chance!!

Thank you to NetGalley & City Owl Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A fun fall read. I enjoyed this as a break before all of the holiday books! Thank you for the Advanced Read!

I receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Starla DeKruyf!

It's actually a 3.5⭐️

I love small town romance, slow burn and when the MC is the owner of a restaurant/bar/coffee shop, so I really thought that I would love this book…

Unfortunately, all the plot with the alcoholic mom didn't make a lot of sense, how could she manage a lucrative business while drinking and passing out almost every night? Kelsey, the MC, is a widow of three children and I really wish I could just love her, but she is so stubborn and “not wanting some help even if I have to lose my house”. I would love if she had prioritized more her children over the bar, and I wished I could know more about the kids!

I liked the “Renovation Dudes” plot, and I wished I could read more about the show… The romance was okay, I like the “friends to lovers” type of romance, and I loved Cooper!!

If you like cute small town, friends to lovers, celebrity romance with dual POV, I think you'll like this book!!

This was a very cute October vibe story with a cute romance that I enjoyed. It was a great light read that is perfect for this season.

Definitely more of a 3.75⭐️

I thought enjoyed this! I enjoyed the characters and the chemistry they had for each other. I liked the angst and it was a really cute autumn read. Very stars hollow vibes!

I think the reason it’s not completely a 4⭐️ is because I feel like there was moments parts were missing. So when they were at the fair, it says her friend was annoyed with her because of the rumour that was passed around… but this conversation didn’t exist. Changed the pov and everything. Again with her relationship with her mum. It didn’t seem to make sense how she was an alcoholic but she managed to still keep a full business afloat when it seems nearly every night she was drinking. And there argument just didn’t go anyway. It just seemed like there could be moments where that made sense. That she was struggling then she was happy, the whole point of the book was for her to save it… which didn’t happen.

Either way I’m glad it turned out and I did laugh throughout and read it really quick. Just felt like there could have been more!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for my honest review

This was a weird one for me, because I did semi-enjoy it and the slow burn. But unfortunately Kelsey didn't grow on me very much and her actions and behaviours just didn't make sense to me. Her entire life is centered around other people chipping in to help with the bar, her kids, jobs around the bar. But then she refuses to accept help financially as she's too independent. It didn't make sense. The chemistry was great, I think a few things just need to be ironed out really.

I was drawn into this book by the beautiful cover- the autumn vibes felt very fitting for this time of year. Tricked In October is a friends to lovers romance. It was an okay read but sadly lacking in some areas.

This book is a solid 3.5 stars for me. I liked the storyline and the characters, however I felt it was a bit lacking. The ending seemed abrupt and could have been developed a bit more.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Tricked in October by Starla Dekruyf is a short second chance romance where the two characters are two best friends who fall for each other.

After years of hiding their feelings for one another, they are finally able to act on those feelings and get a much deserved HEA . Thank you sooo much to the author and publisher for sending me an early galley of this book! I thoroughly enjoyed the heck out of it.

Friends to lovers is an elite trope and I’m never going to tire of it. Tricked in October was the perfect read to get me into the Autumn season.

Kelsey lost her husband a year ago, leaving her with three young kids, a bar to run, and an alcoholic mother to look after. She can’t afford to run the bar and is already in a lot of debt, so throughout this book, she has a lot of decisions to make about her and her children’s future. Davis, along with his twin brother, are the stars of a show called ‘Renevation Dudes’. They couldn’t be more different, Davis is desperate to find a way out of his contract as he hates being in front of the camera, where as his brother loves being the centre of attention. I think Davis definitely has some insecurities about how confident his brother is, especially with women.

‘But now I love you in a new, unique way that I never thought I’d be lucky to.’

Kelsey and Davis were friends in high school, before Kelsey met her late husband. So in some ways, this book has a sort of second chance romance vibe. Davis begins to help out and fix a few things at the bar, which leads to Kelsey to realise that maybe she has some feelings for him that are a bit more than friendship. Tricked in October is told from a dual perspective, so there is a fair amount of mutual pining, whilst they pretend they feel no different. There isn’t really a proper mistaken identity, it’s more of a small misunderstanding.

If you’re after a sweet, friends-to-lovers, slow burn romance, then this is for you!

This was a sweet friends to lovers romance with some great autumn vibes! I loved the setting and all the cute little details that made it feel like I was right there in Colorado.

Unfortunately I connected more with the setting than with the characters. Kelsey is stubborn and refuses to accept help even though she complains about needing it - something I find extremely frustrating! Davis is okay, but not someone you get particularly attached to and in the end both characters fall a bit flat.

I also found it a bit strange that this story contained both a fatal helicopter crash and a deadly snowmobile accident, it was a bit too much. The fact that Kelsey didn't grieve her late husband whatsoever 10 months after his death also felt a bit unrealistic.

I'm not sure what to say about the "mistaken identity" and romantic scenes, but if you don't take it too seriously it's quite fun 😉

Rating: ⭐⭐💫