I chose to not finish this book at 49% because it was just feeling like a chore to read. There is too much inner dialogue that feels disingenuous and way too much of Maisey’s inner dialogue being a talking vagina.

I won’t be reviewing this on my page because I do think some people will enjoy this I just couldn’t get through it. I did post about the book in a currently reading post linked below though.

She's a people pleaser, he's Flint...

Maisey is a recently divorced single mom, to a very bratty Junie (why did that kid have so much say over who her parents bang? Especially her mother? Just No.). Maisey was on a tv show as a fixer upper with her ex, she did it to please her husband, who cheated on her.

Flint Jackson is a grumpy school teacher who resents Maisey for moving to Wit's End (a hobby ranch he wanted donated to the town). He's back in Hell's Bells and has all these misconceptions of Maisey, which he takes out on her.

There's a bear named Earl, a town full of meddlers and a grumpy sunshine with a teen calling the shots on who can date.

An entertaining read full of emotions and characters having to adjust to some changes, growing pains and life events. As always, Pippa brings humor and crazy hi-jinx to the page and memorable animals who add so much to the story. Earl the Bear, Gingersnap, and Helen Heifer are hilarious.

Maisey is trying to redeem herself as a mother after putting her selfish now ex-husband first over being there for her teenage daughter, Juniper/Junie. More than their share of scandals have them headed to Wyoming to the hobby farm she inherited.

Maisey, Juniper and Flint all have some learning and adjusting to overcome what they’ve each experienced. The humor in this read is less over the top compared to Pippa’s previous books, but it definitely has plenty of humor to go along with some heart melting emotions.

I received a free ARC from the author via NetGalley; and I am voluntarily leaving an unbiased review.

Oh Pippa!! You really gave me all the small town, grumpy feels!!!

Flint, Maisy, and Junie will melt your heart and remind you that sometimes you have to work hard on yourself before you get your happy ending!

Besides a sweet second chance romance , this is more importantly a book about a woman who gets to find herself and reconnect with her daughter in a place she felt safe and loved in childhood as a teen.
Flint also does some growing and cracking open that closed off heart!

Hell’s Bells - this is my new favourite small town romance and new favourite Pippa Grant book!

I adored everything about Maisey and Flint, from the moment he rode up to meet her on his noble steed Parsnip on the ranch, while she and teenage daughter Junie were freaking out and trying to chase away Earl the bear using cougar noises on a phone causing the horse to buck him off (and the humor just got better from there), to the poor deceased cow Gingerbread that Junie insisted required a funeral so he helped with, straight to him being a cinnamon roll soccer coach and math teacher for Junie while Maisey fought against using the hobby farm to help the local student population, like her uncle used to, learn the ranching ropes.

This small town, single mom, opposites attract, enemies to lovers, cinnamon roll, forced proximity, neighbors romance is another brilliant Pippa Grant rom com that is not to be missed - 5 brilliant stars and a top recommendation from me! I think this is my new favourite of her books (and I’ve adored everything I’ve read from her)!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Montlake, and this is my honest feedback.

Absolutely loved this book! When Maisey and her teenaged daughter Junie move to the small town where she used to visit her black sheep uncle, they are looking for a fresh start. Maisey’s been recently divorced, her mother is in prison and she has been judged harshly because of all of it back home. Flint is the local high school teacher and rents a home on Maisey’s land, and their first meeting is less than ideal. The two of them butt heads over just about everything, but their attraction to each other is immediate.

The bickering and the chemistry between these two is just chef’s kiss perfect. I loved the small town vibe of this book, and there were so many great side characters that added humor to the book with their interactions. Junie and Maisey were the typical mother and teenager along with all the eye rolls and attitude that go with it, and made me chuckle as I completely related. I was sad to see these characters go when the book ended, and could have read much more from them all.

Thanks to Montlake Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

After a very public divorce and a scandal involving her mother in jail, Maisie is ready to escape the limelight of her ex's DIY show. Her Uncle Tony left her his hobby ranch in Wyoming and she's ready for a new start. What she's not ready for is rogue bears, dead cattle, her teenage daughter's silent treatment, and her new tenant always coming to her rescue, whether she wants him to or not.
Flint Spencer is no stranger to being the stranger in town and feels it's his duty to help out, albeit grudgingly. There's just something about his new landlady that gets under his skin. But he's not allowed to let that affect him. He's already been through his own troubles dating the parent of one of his students, so Maisie is strictly off limits. Or is she?
I like reading about this strong FMC, wanting to take care of herself and others without the help of a strong man. And Flint is a complicated damaged hero with a troubled past that everyone in town has formed an opinion about and aren't afraid to share it. He learns a lot about himself by his interactions with Maisie and June. This book was full of humor too between a cow funeral, a secret root cellar, and many other funny scenes. I enjoyed this fun grumpy/ sunshine single parent romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

This book had everything that I enjoy from a Pippa Grant book- the laughs, the banter, and a little steam, thrown in with a funny small town and a scary but sweet bear! I also loved that Maisey is a former (misunderstood) fixer upper tv star, which is fitting as she wants to fix everything, just like Flint. I would say both of these characters have a hero complex, but that’s part of what makes them great together.

I was frustrated with these two and the things that they let keep them apart, but at the same time could understand where they were coming from as well. A little forbidden, a lot slow burn, with Maisey and Flint both trying to be better people for each other (and Maisey’s teenage daughter), this is a great small town standalone romance that will leave you with a smile!

I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this book but I love it so much. It's instantly a new favorite of mine. I love that no matter how much she liked Flint she knew that she had to put Junie first. Maisey is just such a wonderful person and all she wanted to do was rebuild her life with a community that accepted her and she got that. She figured out how to help everyone and it was just so sweet. Flint was always there to make sure that she was taken care of and I love that so much. He loves Junie so much and I cried at the end when he called her the daughter of his heart.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This was a sweet, funny romcom about a newly divorced mom Maisey who takes her 16 year old daughter Junie to a small town where her uncle used to live, before he passed and handed his ranch down to her.⁣
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They try to escape the tabloids of her husbands cheating scandal, since they essentially have an HGtv fixer upper type show together in hopes to start over. ⁣
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Maisey is judged immediately by Flint, the grumpy ranch handle who lives on the property, except of course he’s rugged and hot.⁣
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There’s a cow named Gingersnap. A bear named Earl. And an entire town of people who rally around and befriend Maisey and Junie. They soon fall into a comfortable routine helping people in the town, starting out at a new school, and occasionally having run ins with the real bear and the human bear Flint. ⁣
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Flint eventually decides Maisey may not be as bad as he originally thought, and she’s quite pretty, so he tries to prove to her that he may finally be up for a relationship, after the rumors of his own scandal.⁣
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This was sweet and cheesy and funny and filled with some really great side characters too.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5⭐

Pippa Grant returns for a standalone rom-com full of charm. As single mum Maisey and her sassy eye-rolling sixteen-year-old daughter Junie move to Hells Bells, Wyoming to start over after inheriting a ranch and life in a small town where bears are prevalent is definitely a shock.

But Maisey is determined to make it work and rebuild her relationship with Junie. That's if the pair survive the bears long enough.

And this is where Maisey meets grumpy and gorgeous Flint Jackson. Who is not only her new tenant, but her daughter's math teacher and soccer coach. But both Maisey and Flint have emotional baggage and know they should keep their distance.

Yet, their connection is undeniable and the banter on point and I loved how much respect and understanding the pair had for each other.

And with the small-town community to add another layer. Not to mention Junie who just shined. This was a deliciously delightful story, full of well-rounded real characters and lots of laughter. And I would happily recommend it to all.

This book was fun to read, but it got a bit repetitive and lacked character development. I was a bit bummed when the book ended so abruptly, because I'd love to see how her and Flint's relationship evolved over time. I thought Junie was annoying, but overall, it was a cute read with some humor.

I loved the small town vibe and the residents although I’m curious if Earl the bear is a pet or a human-accustomed wild animal. I enjoyed following Maisey and Juniper’s relationship as they developed a new normal away from Maisey’s ex. I did find Maisey’s thought process a bit frenetic but maybe that is the case being a single mom. The barrage of questions and scenarios Maisey thought about as she considered consequences to any action she took exhausted me. I also felt the ending was rather abrupt. There was the huge build up of emotional torture as the MC’s figure out their feelings. But once Maisey and Flint declared their feelings for each other, we reached the end. I would have liked a “glimpse into the future” on Maisey and Flint as a couple.

This is definitely one of those books I didn’t ever want to put down!

The banter and tension in this book was so good, I didn’t even realize it was a slow burn! Flint and Maisey have great chemistry, and spend a good chunk of the book flighting their desire for each other. Maisey’s internal dialogue was hilarious, and I really appreciated that we had dual POV, so we got into Flints head too. He was such a marshmallow for both Maisey and Junie once he realized his feelings.

I loved Junie, she was one of my favorite characters in the book. Al the side characters in Wit’s End were fantastic. This book checked a lot of boxes for me, and I really hope the author writes another in Wit’s End!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I started this, I honestly thought it was going to be a DNF for me. Flint read like an old man and I was confused about the situation that happened that led to Maisey leaving her home.

But this whole book really surprised me. It was a little too slowburn for my taste but it was humorous and I laughed out loud multiple times. As a parent, this was super relatable and I ended up really enjoying it!

This was a first for me by this author but I’ll definitely be checking out what else they have written!

Pippa has done it again! She has a gift for bringing you into the worlds she creates and leaving you waiting for the next! I really appreciate the care that she takes in character development that leaves the reader feels the journey that the couple goes through and adds a side of shenanigans. I highly recommend reading this story. (Really, you should read them all if you haven't already!)

I typically don't gravitate toward single-mom romances, but since this one featured a teen and not a super young one, I was willing to give this a go. Liked it enough to look up other Pippa Grant books and as an avid contemporary romance reader and a hockey romance reader, surprised I haven't picked up anything from her prior. Again, likely because those single-mom romances tend to put me off. (Nothing against the heroine, it's just too much positivity to reflect my real life as a struggling single income mom and I prefer other ways to escape to an HEA)

Not My Kind of Hero (Kindle Edition) by Pippa Grant
What a fantastic read - I was hooked in the first chapter. Maisey, her daughter Junie and Flint, all won my heart. I have not laughed so much while reading in a long time. There is angst, tears, an a&& of an ex-husband, a mother problem, animals, wonderful new friends, self-discovery, some steamy stuff and this gets us to a very HEA.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Funny Page-turner Romantic Steamy Tear-jerker Easy-to-read Entertaining Informative Great world building Happily Ever After Unpredictable Wonderful characters.

Maisey and her teenage daughter moved into the house that maisey inherited from her uncle. After divorcing her cheating husband she is focusing on her daughter. And thinks moving to a new town and fixing up the property she was left is what her and her daughter need. And the last thing she wants to deal with is the tenant Flint that lives on her property. Maisey is trying to be the best mom she can, and feeling like a failure. Flint decided that relationships aren’t for him. He’s a teacher and likes his job, because he likes the kids and wants to see them succeed. And he’s happy where he’s at. You feel for both Maisey and Flint. Who are both good people. And deserve a hea! This was an enjoyable entertaining read!

I loved this book! Lots of fun and swoon moments balanced with more serious struggles. It was great to see both Maisey and Flint figuring out who they are on their own and slowly letting more people in, and the tension between them was so good! The will they, won’t they felt real, all the reasons why not made total sense. I love this town and everyone in it, great read!

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*