This book sounded interesting when I read the blurb on the back but I found that I just could not get into the story. I even came back and tried it again, but alas it was not for me. I did enjoy Evans first book so I’m chalking this up to a fluke and will continue to read her work.

A very interesting read though the romance parts were slightly too cheesy. I would have loved to see a more complex crime story - seems like a lost opportunity for writing a great sapphic crime novel.

Really good book. The main characters were really well written and the secondary characters were some of the best written that I have seen in a long time. I really liked the relationships between all the characters. The descriptions of the lake and the town were so vivid, I could picture every scene the author described and felt. This book was a great introduction to a series that I hope is coming soon. I would definitely recommend this book and this author. And, I look forward to the next book from this author.

This story was a great and pleasant surprise for me, I know that it is a re-edition and that probably some of you already knew it, but for me it has been exciting to discover this story now. And even more so to know that it has a continuation and I will be able to continue to hear from the McCall community shortly.

Both the two main protagonists and the rest of the inhabitants of McCall are worth knowing, interesting characters that perfectly complement the story. The way Sam and Sara meet and begin to relate is curious and funny. The two are quite cliché butch/femme but they complement each other perfectly and it couldn't be any other way. They are also stubborn women with clear ideas, who will clash on some occasions but always with mutual respect and admiration. And the McCall community played a pretty big role in the relationship between the two of them.

I am looking forward to reading the continuation.

This is a story about Sarah Brighton who moves to McCall Idaho to start life over after her restaurant in Savanah burns down. Sarah used to go to summer camp in McCall and it’s her happy place. Sam Drapper is the town water patrol chief.

The story centers around the town and the nearby lake and the closed diner. The diner was owned by Sam’s dad Gus, until he died.. Sarah buys it and plans to turn into an upscale pub.

I liked everything about this book , the setting on the lake was great to read about since I grew up on a lake too. Both main characters had wonderful chemistry with each other and tons of witty snark. And lots of hotness to boot. Overall this was a feel good book.

And for my cheese loving book friends who might read this review, -there is spray cheese in a can. I hope you check it out. This one is highly recommended.

Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This was an easy fun read. The main characters were relatable and had great chemistry. I loved how they communicated and how much humor they shared no matter what challenges they faced. Sam was so compassionate. There also some steam. The author did a great job with this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books.

**Book Review: McCall by Patricia Evans**

"McCall" by Patricia Evans is a heartwarming romance set in McCall, Idaho. Sara Brighton, a culinary star from Savannah, returns to her childhood haven after her restaurant burns down. There, she meets Sam Draper, head of the Lake Patrol, who initially resents Sara as another tourist but soon finds herself drawn to her.

Their relationship blossoms as Sara helps Sam professionally, and Sam teaches Sara to drive a ski boat. The romance faces a challenge when Sara decides to transform her late father’s diner into a gastropub, risking their connection and community ties.

Evans beautifully captures the themes of love, second chances, and small-town life, making "McCall" an engaging read about finding happiness and reconciling with the past.

Chef falls for the local lake cop in a tiny mountain town. It’s cute and definitely has some spice!

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

Sara Brighton’s future lies instantly wide open when her restaurant burns down. She packs up everything and travels to the one place she remembers she has ever been truly happy. McCall is the tiny lake town where Sara and her sister Jennifer have spent ten years at summer camp. With insurance money in her pocket, Sara rents a tiny cabin at the shore and has her eyes set on an old closed up diner in town. Oh, and she buys a boat. Driving it can’t be that hard right?

Sam Draper is a cop for the McCall lake patrol. Out on her rounds on the water she comes across a drifting boat. The sole occupant is a gorgeous topless woman with a head wound. Sara annoys the hell out of Sam with her feisty comebacks. But Sam is seemingly unable to ignore Sara is the most beautiful woman she has ever seen. To make things worse the aggravating woman wants to buy the diner that belonged to Sam’s dad. After his death Sam never stepped foot in there, not able to cope with the grief and memories. Now Chef Sara wants to turn it into a gastro pub. Really? Here? In tiny town McCall?

It took me a while to get emotionally invested in the story. The first chapter describes the fire that burns down the restaurant but there are minimal emotions and descriptive imagery involved. It was like, her life’s work burned to the ground, so what?! After she arrives in McCall it gets better.

Sara’s feistiness, Sam’s tough-butch-with-a-tiny-heart attitude are sweet and hilarious. Their banter is seriously funny. I love a couple that can tease and laugh with each other. Oh, and did I mention the hotness of this book? There is some serious chemistry going on in the many spicy scenes!

A lot happens in this story, but I feel like none of the subjects are completely used for what they could be. Like the mention of Sara’s dyslexia. I feel like that could be explored more because it caused a lot of problems in her past, but it is just glossed over. The same goes for Sam’s reluctance to set foot in the diner and share her history with Sara. It seems like Sara has to get the knowledge from everyone else in town.

McCall is a fun and steamy story to lose a couple of hours in. I mean, who wouldn’t want to take a boat trip on a gorgeous lake with two beautiful women?

After Sara looses her restaurant to a fire, she uses the insurance money to go to the small town she was last happy.

Sam Drapper is not thrilled to meet Sara, especially after the butch cop catches Sara boating with no license. Even if Sara is really pretty.

But after Sara saved the day for a charity pancake breakfast, Sam agrees to help Sara get her boating license, and they soon become close.

But then Jen, Sara's sister, suddenly arrives.

Good, solid romance. The characters are good, the situations charming and while there's a third act breakup, it's mercifully short.

I loved the initial dynamic between Sam and Sara, the challenge, the banter. It made me invested instantly and brought some sparks right from the start. The setting and the atmosphere was well written, I could sometimes picture myself on the boat in the dim light of late afternoon. I liked the relationship building, with some one on one time and the growing closeness. Sam’s background was touching and it was nice to see her make peace with her grief. Side characters comes to complete the painting, make it a well balanced book. I especially liked Jenifer’s story. There was some reasonable amount of drama without it being charicatural and I realized after that Lily’s character was in another book from the author. I might give it a try.
Overall I really had a good time reading the book. There was just one thing that disturbed like every time I read this writing style : the mixed POV within chapters that often make me have double take.

There were things I liked about this book and a few things I didn't. For one, I really enjoyed how Sam and Jen had interactions and spent time together without Sara. It's rare especially in a romance to see one of the two MC's spend time with the other MC's family without them being present. So I really liked that relationship between Jen and Sam. I didn't really like the dynamic between Sam and Lily, however. I think that even though it was only an internship for Lily that Sam was still her superior in some capacity and the fact they both completely dismissed that seemed off. As well, when Sam tells Sara she's not seeing "anyone she can think of", I think that was kind of demeaning to Lily. It was the perfect opportunity for Sam to tell Sara about Lily and explain how they were over and she's only interested in Sara now. Instead she brushed it off and acted like Lily didn't exist which rubbed me the wrong way. However, Sara and Sam's handling of the situation later down the road was excellent. I thought it was a mature response from both parties and especially liked that Lily and Sara could get along. Overall, this book was a pretty well written and a sweet romance, 4/5.

I read and enjoyed Return to McCall (Mar 2023) and knew from reading it that it was a sequel. I’m very happy to return to the setting of McCall, Idaho and get the introduction to characters I remember from the book. Seemingly these books have been previously released and now are getting published by Bold Strokes.

Sara Brighton moves cross country after the restaurant she owned in Savannah, GA burns down. She chose small town McCall, ID as her destination because she used to attend summer camp there and it was a happy place for her. The insurance settlement and selling her property, gives her the resources to buy a place and think about a new kind of restaurant she can put her chef skill towards. She meets, and initially clashes with Sam Draper, who is Captain and head of the Lake Patrol division of the police. Sam is a tall, strong, butch and the chemistry sparksare high with femme Sara.

The two connect over Sam teaching Sara boating skills. Sam also helps Sara get a better feel for local cuisine. Her previous place was fancy and seafood based. I like that they are mature enough to talk even when there are challenges. Sara’s sister comes and stays which adds another storyline. The time frame is months not days or weeks which is nice and lets Sara settle into town. The book has layers, humor, compassion and plenty of heat. If you like strong butch/femme stories you’ll enjoy this book even more. Now I’m going to have to read Return to McCall again so I can continue to spend more time with the characters.

McCall is a small lake town in Idaho about a two hour drive up a mountain from Boise. That is where Sara Brighton returns when her restaurant in Savannah burns down. McCall is the last place that Sara recalls being truly happy while attending camp in her youth. When Sarah arrives in McCall she proceeds to buy an old fishing cabin on the lake and quickly after she purchases a boat that she doesn't know how to drive. She actually knocks herself out on her first trip onto the lake when she hits her head due to some wave action. Fortunately, or maybe initially unfortunately, Sam Draper from Lake Patrol spots her unmanned boat drifting in the current and sees Sara lying in the boat with her shirt off using it to stop the bleeding from her head wound. Their initial and subsequent meetings aren't very pleasant, and Sara forms a dislike for the Lake Patrol officer.

Sara proceeds to purchase the space in town where Sam's adoptive father ran a diner prior to his untimely death. This further causes a divide between Sam and Sara. The story proceeds to describe how they eventually become friends and significantly more. Having never read a Patricia Evans book I was highly impressed by her smooth, descriptive writing style which incorporates nature, good food, and sizzling scenes. This is the type of book that my favorite author Gerri Hill has developed an excellent reputation around. I will certainly be reading more Patricia Evans books, especially the sequel Return to McCall now that she is a Bold Strokes Books author.
 
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story made me laugh out loud, pulled at my heartstrings and kept me turning the pages. McCall is the town, but the story is about Sara and Sam! Small towns have personalities of their own and McCall is no different. Take a fiery, independent femme and put her at odds, with an independent, self-assured butch, mixed that with a cast of characters from the small town, as well as a well written storyline and you have a winning combination. This is my first experience with a Patricia Evans book, but it definitely will not be my last.

I didn't realize as I was reading this that this is a sequel prequel to the book Return to McCall. I think, or perhaps they're just being reprinted or something?

Anyway... it takes place before Return to McCall, so, I'm glad that I read it first.

Sara's restaurant burns down in Savannah and she has to figure out what to do next with her life. She loved it in McCall when she was at summer camp as a kid, and so she picks up and drives all the way there to start over. There she buys a house and boat, and then has to be rescued by Sam from the latter. They start a back and forth. Especially when Sara decides to buy the closed diner that had been owned by Sam's father.

There's a lot of back and forth in the book. And, I thought that the characters weren't always likeable. Or rather, the two main characters weren't. There were also too many names (all short) starting with S. Sara, Sue, Sam. Not great. Especially since the two main characters fell into this problem.

On the other hand, I wanted a whole 'nother novel just about Mary. She was such an amazing character that I needed more with just her. Same with Sara's sister Jennifer and Sam's deputy Murphy. Such interesting characters and stories I wanted more of.

I love a good butch/femme book and this fit the bill. Well written and easy to read and follow along.

Thanks for the opportunity to read it!

A well written book that kept me entertained throughout. A butch/femme story with well developed characters and a good flow. I’ve enjoyed treading it and can recommend it. This seems to be a re-release, it appears that the sequel is already out as well.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this awesome funny book

when saras restaurant burnt down she took it as a sign to move on and where did she go.... her favourite place in the world... where she had spent the best times in her childhood ....mccall idaho

and with the insurance payout plus with everything she sold off that she couldnt take with her she packed up and headed out.... her parents who lived in memphis had always made it clear not to come home so to mccalls she went....

sam draper is head of the lake patrol division and the day that sam met sara well its a sight they are both never going to forget..... but its when sara wants to buy the diner that sams dad owned that things got difficult between them...

have to say i loved the chemistry between sam and sara and what a journey they had.... some very laugh out loud moments and some very poignant moments as well

all in all a great story and think i am gonna love the rest of the stories this author comes out with

Delicious, sweet f/f smalltown romance
In search of a sweet romance I picked up this book on a whim. And ding, ding, ding. We have a winner here.
This romance had my romance motor purring on several cylinders:
Sara after she literally burns her bridges (or rather her thriving restaurant) in Savannah relocates to small-town McCall in Idaho and Evans perfectly catches the vibe of town and surrounding nature - a joy to read.
Femme Sara meets hot butch Sam, local lake cop, and sparks are flying. I loved the enemies to lovers vibe at the start and the hot flames the sparks result in all along.
And then there is food, excellent food to discover and savor throughout the book with a good pinch of fun when hotshot chef Sara‘s hoity-toity dishes and Idaho-down-to-earth tastes collide.
There are some serious topics added to this wonderful mixture and uthey lend depth to this excellent read.
To sum it up: I very much enjoyed this romance and look forward to read more not only about McCall (the follow up Return to McCall was oddly published already in 2023) but by this author.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.

Sara Brighton, chef, looking for a fresh start after her restaurant is destroyed by fire. She decides to return to McCall, Idaho because she has good memories. Captain Sam Draper, head of the Lake Patrol division. Their meet cute is pretty entertaining as Sam finds Sara in need of help. After several misunderstandings, they find a common ground. This debut read is sexy with several nice story lines. Sara's sister Jennifer is in need of sisterly love and a sense of purpose. There are other secondary characters that are very important to the story especially since this is the first read in the series. I really liked the romance between Sara and Sam. And boy does Sam know how to romance. I look forward to reading another book by this author.