I received an ARC of Sweat Equity in exchange for an honest review via Net Galley.

This was a cute story about home builder Maddie who finds her herself falling for her latest client Sy. Sy has just moved to Vermont to be the cheese maker on Maddie's best friend's goat farm.

This was a first read for me from author Aurora Rey and I found the story itself to be sweet with loveable main characters and side characters. Both characters were thoughtful, responsible, and respectful which is always great to see in an adult relationship. However, I felt like whenever the chemistry or spark between Maddie and Sy started to build, it got snuffed right out with either a very responsible conversation or a bit of cheesy humor (pun intended). Overall though, a light, fun read.

3.5 ⭐️

Sy has been burn out and decides moves to a small town in Vermont to learn to be a cheesemaker at a goat farm to help the owner and make a name for herself. She out of her element but she determined to make it work by buying a house that’s needs more work then she realizes. Sy meets Maddie who family been in the construction and renovation company for years she thinks Sy is crazy to buy a fixer upper but Maddie decides to help her and makes sure she won’t go over budget have Sy help as they spend time together their chemistry is hard to deny and they give in. This was low on angst but some problems did occur why do characters never talk and always assume something instead of asking is that’s always happening in relationships miscommunication that seems to be the case more then anything.

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

You can’t go wrong with one of Aurora Rey’s romance novels and this one is just right for an autumn/winter read.
It’s also a little different as its cheese meets DIY diy! A low angst cosy book to cuddle up with during the cooler seasons. A few heated love scenes but not so many that it overwhelmed the story line.
A great supporting cast who, fingers crossed, will feature in their own stories moving forward.

Sy Travino moves to a small town in Vermont to be fromager (cheesemaker) at a goat cheese farm. Excited to start she buys a fixer upper house so that she will be near the farm. It needs a lot more work than she expects. Maddie Barrow is part of a fourth generation family construction and renovation company. Maddie is instantly taken with Sy and is willing to have her help with what she can to help keep the costs down. This leads to spending time and getting to know each other.

I like the characters and the spice factor is nice. But I kept waiting for tension building or something to happen more than not communicating well. I am usually a big fan of the author but this time it felt most of the time I was following the pair as they got to know each other while waiting for something more. The ending didn’t make fiscal sense to me either. I’m a pragmatic reader. <spoiler> It would have made sense if Sy was buying into the goat farm to invest in a tasting room. But she is only an employee. Also she is getting the money over 5 years so Sy doesn’t have it to spend now.</spoiler> Overall an a nice, low angst romance, but a few things didn’t click for me. I own multiple books by the author and I will look forward to the next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

3.5⭐ Burned-out from the competitive restaurant scene, chef Sy Travino never thought she'd end up on a rural Vermont goat farm to help the owner build a respectable brand of goat cheese. But she bites the bullet and purchases an old house sight-unseen and jumps into the career move with all she's got.

Maddie Barrow, part of the family-owned construction and renovation company in the small town can't believe someone would be stupid enough to buy a house without getting an inspection and checking it out first. When she first meets Sy, she doesn't think much of the woman.

As Maddie helps Sy fix up her house, the two end up falling for each other. This felt more like a slice of life than anything. I enjoyed getting to know Maddie and Sy, but didn't really feel the chemistry between them. Low drama but enjoyable overall if you're looking for something cozy to read for an afternoon. 🙂 I really liked the end a lot.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I liked the romance but the miscommunication in the book was really annoying to me. I just wanted Maddie to say what she was feeling. They were cute though.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This was fun. It was set in Vermont, there was a lot of cheese in it, a really, really cute kitten, and, it wasn't super high tension book.

Sy is the cheese maker who buys a house sight unseen. It is beyond a lemon. Maddie is her new boss' best friend, and, a very good general contractor. And, when Maddie suggests that Sy put sweat equity into her house to lower costs (and Maddie will teach her). They get much closer, and, the romance begins.

There are bumps too of course, but, as I said, I felt like they weren't humongous ones. And, that was one of the things I really liked about this novel. It was some super HEA from the beginning, but, it also wasn't riddled with tons of tension. A really nice balance. Oh, and Henry is a half a star all by himself for sure too. Soooo cute....

Small town, hot butch chef, lesbians with power tools and loads of artisan cheese? Hell yes! This is one of those sink on the couch, glass of wine, cheese platter at your fingertips comfort reads and an excellent one at that.

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sy Travino did a thing. She got a job at a goats cheese farm in a small town in Vermont and bought a house that is closer to falling down than anything else. With a cheesemaking apprenticeship in the French countryside under her belt, what could go wrong? Oh yes, she has limited financial funds to make the ruin she bought into a home. Luckily her new boss’s best friend is the town’s best and only contractor. And she’s hot, very hot. Luckily she doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty.

Maddie Barrow is settled in her small town career in the family’s contracting business. She is the buildingbrain of the company and likes a challenge. What the newcomer in town offers though is far more than just a challenge. A huge job and too little finances to do it. Not one to back down, Maggie offers to teach Sy how to do a lot of the work herself. She might have another reason to do so too, Sy wakes up her dormant romantic feelings. What is she getting herself into? Because newcomers rarely stay in this town.

Aurora Rey takes you by the hand to Bedlington, Vermont. The cast of characters that make up this story feels like a welcoming family. Maddie’s family work together, they give each other a hard time but have such a strong that is a great foundation for Maddie to fall back on. Sy is the same, although she has just her mother who raised her alone and just moved thousands of miles away.

The connection that builds between Sy and Maggie never feels forced and although they have their fair share of communicational problems, they acknowledge that and work hard to be honest and forthcoming about their feelings. I never felt frustrated by how things developed and that’s saying something because a lot of books lean on miscommunication to create drama between characters. It’s refreshing to read about two women that work hard to strengthen the bond between them as adults and are open about things they find hard to talk about.

Maddie and her best friend Clover have a great relationship where they don’t let the other one get away with anything. The way Clover supports Maddie and coaches her through her feelings for and doubts about Sy is heartwarming.

Oh and did I mention the cheese? Sy’s love for creating cheese and flavor combinations had me salivating more than once wishing I could taste her creations myself. I’d love to go to the cheeseshop and pick up some Grumpy Goat products!

Sweat Equity is a great example of a small town romance, with two main characters to root for. Kick back, relax and, seriously, get some cheese while you read!

4/5 stars

Ah, this was exactly the book I wanted it to be. I was so happy to see this book on netgalley because I only just read Aurora Rey’s other building/renovation themed romance, “Built to Last” and absolutely loved it. While having a similar focus of renovating an old house and getting chemistry with your builder, this book was completely different to Rey’s other book. It had a definite butch/femme vibe which I love, with the more femme-coded character being the builder, which is definitely a dynamic I haven’t seen before. The characters were great, the romance was sweet and the small-town setting was loveable.

While I’m in Southern-hemisphere so the weather doesn’t match the vibe of the book, this would definitely be the perfect fit for autumnal weather. Also can I just note that the cover is beautiful and definitely fuels that autumn feel. This book definitely had a cozy and heartwarming atmosphere, so the perfect book to cuddle up with in front of a fire.

Sy and Maddie were both such loveable characters with interesting jobs, and for so differently into the small-town setting. They had great chemistry right from the beginning and their relationship progressed so genuinely and naturally. It really felt like two real people falling in love which was really fun,

If you are looking for a sweet romance with great background characters and a cozy small-town setting, this is the perfect book to pick up.

3 stars

I can only recommend it if you wish to kill time, be entertained but avoid tension or drama. The book has nicely developed, well-written characters. I liked the characters, I liked the setting, there just wasn’t a story in it. The mains meet, they’re attracted to each other, and nothing really happens for the majority of the book. I mean, they do have a relationship and declare they’re in love, but that’s it.

I’m not someone who wants high angst, high stakes, life or death page turner, but give a reader something. What little tension was put in the book, was a little bump that could’ve, and in the end was resolved by the mains communicating with each other. Otherwise, it’s just a couple of hours of cotton candy. There is no story in it.

I see the review seems harsh, but I can’t rate it lower than 3 stars. I do like some of the author’s other works, and I don’t think I wasted my time reading it. The books full of sweetness, just following the couple around have their place. Sometimes it’s just the kind of book you need. But it’s better to know it before you pick it up.

A pretty cute rom com with quite a bit of spice. Maddie’s personality didn’t work for me, boy was she needy and whiny during some parts. I would have taken off running from all her red flags. Sy didn’t seem to mind. Overall a fairly cute story.

Sweat Equity is a cute, light angst, romance set in rural Vermont. Sy, a cheesemaker, moves here to take a job as the Head Cheesemaker for a small goat farm and to get away from the burnout she had from working in the restaurant industry. In her rush to start, she buys a house that is in need of some serious work. Enter Maddie, the local contractor, who thinks Sy is crazy for buying such a run-down house without even knowing it. When Sy realizes how much it will cost to fix it to be habitable, Maddie takes pity on her and offers to show her how to do some of the work herself to save on the costs, hence the title. As they work through the various projects, their attraction comes through and they start a physical relationship, but that soon becomes more.

There was a lot of fun banter and internal musings, which kept the book humming along. The side characters including Maddie's siblings and the owner of the goat farm are fun, unique and interesting, and the relationship and interactions that Sy and Maddie have with them were realistic and sweet. The angst was pretty standard due to lack of communication, but thankfully was not drawn out too much,

I live in New England, so I really liked reading about someone with a unique profession set in rural Vermont - it made the book seem more homey to me I guess. I also liked the fact that Maddie wasn't a stereotyped butch just because she did construction - she was tough and strong but still had a feminine side, which was refreshing.

If you are looking for a sweet fall read, this is a great choice!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cute contemporary romance with a little bit of everything!
Excellent, diverse characters and a cute kitten!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️
🏚️🧀🐈‍⬛🛠️👩🏽‍🍳

Ohh, Swear Equity is a cute contemporary romance (set on a farm!) about a butch cheese maker, Sy, and a femme construction worker, Maggie. Maggie is hired to work on Sy's house, who purchased a run-down home without actually looking at it when she comes to work for Maddie's best friend, Clover, to make cheese for her business, the Grumpy Goat. The house is a lot more run-down than Sy anticipates, and she doesn't have enough money to do all the renovations professionally, so Maddie suggests she do most of the renovations herself and offers to help.

Cue the forced proximity, the back-and-forth flirtation between the two, and even throw in a stray kitten, we have a gorgeous wee contemporary romance.

I loved the flirtation between the two - it was clear that even though Sy came in with no idea about how bad her house was, and how Maggie thought it was weird that she would buy something without even looking at it, these two felt an attraction to each other the minute they laid eyes on each other. They are the perfect fit, and everyone around them also sees it.

I loved the queer representation - Sy is a butch lesbian, Maddie is a femme lesbian. Maddie's sister is a butch lesbian and her brother is a trans man. Clover is pansexual and poly, and there are some nonbinary side characters. Sy is also Latinx, on her mother's side.

The one thing that set this back from a five-star for me is the lack of communication trope that happens near the end. It's something I find weird in an already-established relationship, and I think this book could have done without it and still made a wonderful story.

Other than that, loved this book. Loved the spice. Loved the characters. I will definitely be reading more from Aurora Rey.

Thanks to Boldstroke Books and NetGalley. This review is left voluntarily.

This book has everything you could possibly want and even some stuff you didn't know you wanted. It has cheese, a rescue kitten, a home renovation, and some interesting spice.

Sy bought her house sight unseen in a New England small town. Maddie is just the woman to help her fix up the house while Sy starts working as a cheese maker at the farm owned by Maddie's best friend. Maddie is used to people leaving her and seems convinced Sy is just temporary, so she shouldn't get romantically involved. But their mutual attraction is too much to deny.

It took me a little but to adjust to the POV switches mid-chapter, but this is a fun romance perfect for the holiday season. The banter is cute, the families are sweet, and I love queer romances with zero homophobia. One of the personal plot points didn't get a clear resolution, and that kind of bothers me for how much of an issue it seemed to be. Overall, though, it was a cute and funny story. Would definitely read another by this author.

For me, this was a fun, light rom com with a side of HGTV which is perfect in my books! I enjoyed the cute back and forth flirtations between Maddie and Sy. They were obviously instantly attracted but both didn’t want to overstep their professional boundaries right off and struggled with a will they, won’t they for a bit but we all knew they would. That’s why we’re here after all!

I enjoyed the relationship they built together and also enjoyed the renovation aspect of the story as well. What a cute way to put these two women in the room together as Maddie tries to help Sy save some money by teaching her some skills to put in that sweat equity. Once they we all in they definitely went for it! It’s Spicy with a capital S!

The family storyline for Sy was another interesting part for me. I don’t think I’ve read anything like it before and it was interesting how the author navigated it. I really loved Maddie’s family and the way her family was so sweet and supportive and welcoming. There was lots of queer rep in this book which is awesome. It didn’t feel forced or anything either, just stated as fact like it should be. I’m hoping for future stories featuring some of the other characters and their love lives, especially Clover who was such a wonderfully supportive friend and employer. How I wish everyone had a boss like her!

I was a little surprised how late in the book the tension and falling out came but it was a minor blip that quickly resolved itself since most was due to poor communication or assumption. I would happily return to this universe and love to hear more about what is coming next for Maddie and Sy. I would definitely read more by Aurora as well, I enjoyed her slice of life approach to romance that was cozy and low stakes but in the best way. I also enjoyed that there was lots of insight into the characters thoughts and motivations.

I received an advanced digital reader copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This was delicious. Short and sweet and fun to read. I may have swooned. More than once. The characters were great, and not just the main ones. I love romance novels with good communication and this was definitely one of them.

This is a story about Sy Travino who is a chef and cheese maker. She moves from New Mexico to rural Vermont to take a job as a boutique cheese maker. Maddie Barrow works for her family construction business and is best friends with Sy’s new boss Clover.

I loved the banter and dialogue between Sy and Maddie. Maddie gets talked into renovating Sy’s new house which is totally run down and needs extensive work.

This is the first book I’ve read with two butch MCs. Both are in top physical shape with physical jobs. Maddie is a bit more femme when she’s in the mood for it. Their relationship starts out slow and builds and gets very hot. There is some angst at the end but it seems realistic and not stuck into the story for extra drama.

I really like Rey’s writing style and humor and can’t wait to read more of her books. Definitely recommend for everyone looking for a fun romance.

ARC received for a voluntary and honest review.

Good, light bright start.
I loved the banter with the family.
I noticed in the last book I read, and this, that the author has a habit of speech then follows the next sentence with the internal thought, but I keep reading it as continuous speech. “As a thank you. For today. For your infinite winter wisdom.” And because I like you and want to spend more time with you and maybe—probably, definitely—want to kiss you.
I’m having to do quite a lot of rereading, as the reply by the other character naturally ignores the bit they are not aware of….. Currently an observation rather than a complaint.
I like the fact you are shown on the page them falling for each other. They are also second guessing the other but it is well,done, not the instalust to instashecantseemelikethat I’ve come across in other books. This comes over as endearing rather than eye rolling. Yet we are only 30% in. I guess seeing the chemistry on the page and seeing the interactions means it feel cute rather than insta. Yet it’s not slow burn.
As the interactions go on, there is even more thoughts interspersed with speech, also thoughts that read like they were said out loud, but they are not, no speech bubbles. I can honestly say I’m in danger of giving myself whiplash as I do double takes. Was that said out loud? No! However this is close to the characters reaction to their thoughts. Not the (in my opinion, overused) “Where did that thought come from” line, but rather the feeling of thoughts entering your head that perhaps aren’t appropriate to where the relationship is acknowledged to be….
Although I continue to enjoy the banter between the mains my enjoyment is beginning to be affected by the lack of tension. I am not sure where the jeopardy is going to come from. The writer must have decided that too as some was introduced. At first I was a bit concerned as the issue seemed manufactured (ridiculous I know, it’s a book everything is manufactured, but I’m sure you know what I mean). Anyway, the writer didn’t drag it out and actually the discussion didn’t lead to a stupid fight and continued the banter that has been such a big part of the book so far. There were some ramifications of the tension but I would describe this as a low to no angst book. 3.5 that would have been up to 4 but for 2 things. The enjoyable banter could have done with the angstish bit earlier as all was going so well for the mains, that when I put the book down I didn’t have an urgent compulsion to pick it back up, because nothing was changing. I enjoyed when I did pick it back up but no urgency. The second issue isn’t just this book and this wasn’t the worst but there seems to be a trend with books just now that dildos are referred to as if male appendages, constantly in the intimates scenes. My issues isn’t the use of but in some cases the way it is written, it is like reading a male is in the sex scene. Not a fan.

Sweat Equity follows Sy, who moves to small town Vermont to make cheese, and Maddie, whose family's construction company takes on remodeling Sy's house. The two hit it off from the get go, but both have past insecurities that cause trouble along the way. While the storyline is cute, there were a few things that didn't get answered, and others that just had me questioning their need.