What starts off as a hilarious first encounter turns in to so much more when Jay and Gabby break down the walls surrounding their hearts and embark on a romance that is filled with swoon worthy moments. But like most things, not everything is smooth sailing and sparkles, especially when Gabby's oldest son is not embracing this new romance. Adriana Locke proves once again that she understands family dynamics and intertwines the best of storytelling with honest interactions and a boat load of emotions. This might be a HEA but it is also a brilliantly portrayed family drama. Bravo - this deserves more than 5 stars.

This is a small town, neighbors to lovers romance with a grumpy hero and a feisty, single mom heroine written in Adriana Locke’s signature style with “heart, heat and humor.” If you are an Adriana Locke fan like me, this one is a bit weightier than a lot of her books. It deals with some tough topics including divorce, loss, and grief so make sure to read with care. Not to worry though, this has plenty of humor from the hilarious meet cute involving a towel, a faulty porch railing and a snake to Gabrielle’s DIY adventures. I was invested in the plot from the beginning wondering why Gabrielle ended up back in her small hometown to what happened to make Jay such a closed off grump. In addition to an interesting and engaging plot, this had such complex characters. They were real and relatable and struggling to live life instead of just survive it. I also appreciated the main characters were a bit older in this one. Gabrielle was 38 with a mom bod and Jay was at least 40 so they had a bit of life experience under their belts. Gabrielle was such a great mom despite her own pain and suffering and Jay couldn’t help but play hero despite trying to keep everyone at arms length. The side characters were also great additions to the story. Little Carter stole the show in that regard. I also enjoyed the camaraderie of the girl squad including Cricket, Della and Scottie. I’d love to be friends with them and attend their monthly cocktail date. The small town setting of Bittersweet Court in Alden, Ohio was a great backdrop for the story. I could just picture the street with the quaint houses and the neighbors going about their days. This is a well written story and the pacing was good despite the fact that the relationship between Gabs and Jay progresses a bit faster than it should in real life. This is a quick read (but with a complete story) so the author has to move the relationship along quickly but that wasn’t a problem for me. There was a lot to work through in this story but it was done with love, care and grace. In the end, I enjoyed this emotional and heartfelt story and was pleased with the very satisfying HEA.