Engrossing friends to lovers romance. Lexie and Theo are best friends and business partners who fall in bed after a night of drinking. After which, they decide to have a friends with benefits relationship. Throw in a confused stepson, an almost ex-husband, a pregnancy scare and inconvenient feelings and you've got the makings of a great read.
Thank you Lisa Swift, Hera Books and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

Lexie lives with her stepson Connor, she is separated from his dad Daryl who left her and his business partner Theo to go and work in Japan. Lexie and Theo own a 1940's themed restaurant and are very good friends. After a drunken night where they end up sleeping together they decide to have a "friends with benefits " relationship. However things dont go to plan. What do you do when you end up falling in love? how do things pan out. Add in a soon to be jealous ex husband and you get a great novel of love friendship and family.
Loved this book
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

I first want to say thank you to Hera Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Friends With Benefits in exchange for an honest review.

Friends to lovers? Unconventional families? Creative theme restaurants? What more could you ask for? This books is sweet and sexy wrapped into one. The character descriptions are in depth and complex which adds to the story. It’s a book I didn’t want to put down.

The timeline of the story was a bit hard to follow. The time jumps were never quite clear and I found myself having to guess how long it was from time to time.

I do recommend this book to anyone who is looking for their next romance read.

What a delightful romantic comedy! The interaction between the main characters was sexy and full of chemistry, and the storyline was engaging. Loved it!

I was drawn to this book firstly by the cover. It's beautiful and made me want to pick it up straight away and start reading. I am so glad I read this book. It was wonderful.

Lexie is raising her stepson, connor on her own while her marriage falls apart and trying to run a business with Connor's godfather.

The characters in this novel are brilliant, strong, heart warming and made me feel like I wanted to sit in their 1940's cafe and have a catch up with them. Lexie....what an incredible character. I want to be more like Lexie.

The issues that were entangled in this novel were perfectly written and it's so relevant in 2020. Beautiful story that I was completely lost in for a couple of days.


Best romantic book I have read this year! Lisa Swift , you have written a gem of a novel!

This was a fun and enjoyable rom-com. It has relatable and likeable characters which cements your enjoyment of the book. The relationships and roles that play out are fully imaginable and have many layers.

A lovely story with likeable characters and many fascinating relationships. I loved the complex interplay of the parental roles and the son’s personal struggles with his own identity and how it was influenced by his father. I was expecting a light, fun read and it is certainly fun - but there is a lot more substance here than you might expect.

This book was so lovely to read. Lexie is such a lovely stepmom to Connor and I really liked the way this story was constructed.

I thought Lexie was a well rounded protagonist that you really rooted for and I enjoyed the way the story unfolded. I thought the author did a lovely job of developing the story and I really enjoyed the ending.

Thanks for sharing!

Another easy to read novel from one of my favourite authors. Families can be complicated and this one certainly is as Lexie single-handedly brings up the troubled teenage son of her soon to be ex husband, while slowly falling for a man she has always only seen as a business partner and friend. When the ex returns from working abroad, wanting his son (and Lexie) back, things turn decidedly nasty, especially when he discovers the secrets Lexie has been keeping from him. Can plenty of talking, common sense, friendship and love save the day? A story of relationships, why they break, and how to rebuild them.

4.5/5 I really, really liked this one. It filled my heart, made me cry a little and it was lots of fun.

We follow a found family situation. Lexi has raised her stepson, Connor, pretty much on her own. Connor's godfather, Theo, steps in as a fatherly figure more and more and the three of them make a pretty cute family. We get each of their POVs, among which I particularly liked following Connor's perspective.

The love between stepmother and son is palpable and it makes my heart ache. Lexi loves her son to bits, and is such a great parent to him. Connor is such a sweetheart and he's protective of his stepmother. He's experiencing a turmoil of emotions: he's discovering his sexuality, dealing with his absent father and dead mother and he's starting to become a young adult. I also adored how present Theo was in Connor's life, ginving him advice and a father figure.

We also see the relationship between Lexi and Theo unfold quite organically. They go from business partners and friends to lovers, and of course feelings arise. FYI, the story is very PG-13. I didn't buy the romance 100% but it was still fun.

It's important to point out this story leans more to the women's fiction genre than romance, since the romantic aspect is only one aspect of it and in my opinion takes a backseat to the family storyline.

Overall, this is an extremely heartearming story of a found family and I would really recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley and Hera Books for providing me with this ARC.

This book was a pleasant surprise. It was more than a romance, I really enjoyed the relationship between step mother and son. I was expecting a fluffy romance but this was a lot deeper

Thank you to Hera Books, Lisa Swift, and NetGalley for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely enjoyed this heartfelt story, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. Many times with contemporary romance, the author doesn't quite capture other issues without it coming off as being a little flat and superficial. That was *not* the case with Friends With Benefits. The character development worked so incredibly well as we followed Lexie -- a stepmother who also has to contend with an absentee father. There's a situation with an ex returning and Lexie falling for a man who has always been nothing more than a friend and business partner. I really enjoyed this, and I'd recommend it to anyone who is looking for an uplifting read with a very powerful message.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

Lexie Whittle thought she had the perfect life with a loving husband and a great stepson. Then her husband took a job overseas and left her and Connor behind. She struggles to pay the bills and be a single parent to Connor.. She is lucky to have her husband’s former business partner and Connor’s godfather Theo to help her by being a father figure for Connor. They become attracted to each other and decide to have a friends with benefits relationship. When the relationship grows and Daryl returns, Lexie is faced with a choice to make! Good book!



Thanks to Lisa Swift and Hera Books!

This was a great rom-com. I love the dynamics of unconventional families, friends, work relations, and adults trying to navigate life. This was a great read with well developed characters and a good storyline!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hera for an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Could Mr Right-Now actually be Mr Right?

Lexie Whittle thought she had life all sewn up, with a gorgeous husband, a beautiful home and a delightful teenage stepson. Until husband Daryl left to work overseas…and everything changed.
A year later, Daryl and Lexie’s marriage is over. Lexie is fighting to stay on top of the bills, juggling her job at the Blue Parrot 1940s cafe in Leyholme with being mum and dad to Connor in Daryl’s absence.

The only thing keeping her from meltdown is the support she gets from Connor’s godfather: Theo Blake, Daryl’s former business partner. Theo might be a jack-the-lad, drifting from one woman to another, but Lexie knows she and Connor can depend on him.

After one too many glasses of wine leads to them falling into bed together, Lexie and Theo begin a friends-with-benefits relationship. What starts as just sex soon becomes something deeper.

But when Daryl returns, Lexie is faced with an impossible decision. Will she be forced to choose between her feelings for Theo and the boy she loves as a son?

I enjoyed this book, I felt it was a slow starter and it took a couple of readings for it to get going for me. As much as I enjoyed Lexie's story I also enjoyed Connor's and felt that maybe more attention could have been paid to this.

I want to begin by thanking Hera, Lisa Swift, and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read Friends with Benefits before it's publication date. Friends with Benefits was a modern story about blended families. Lexie was young woman when she met Daryl while at a casino as she worked. Daryl's best friend & business partner, Theo, went and tried to flirt with Lexie first, but Lexie fell for Daryl. She didn't realize that when she started dating Daryl, she was also meeting his young son, Connor. Daryl was a newly widowed man who was desperate to fill the void left when his young wife was murdered right in front of him. He was filling the void left in his heart, but also in the heart of Connor. As the years passed by, Lexie and Daryl realized that things were not good between them. Daryl also had some business issues that he did not warn Theo about. Daryl proceeded to take a job in Japan and left everyone else behind. Connor felt a great deal of resentment towards his father, but Lexie and Theo stepped and made sure that he knew he was loved. Lexie and Connor have made themselves a family without Daryl. When Connor begins acting more like the teenager he is now, Lexie turns to Theo to help him. As Theo helps Connor, Lexie and Theo begin to realize that they can help each other and they become "friends with benefits." As it usually goes, can they stay just friends with benefits? Or does it become more? Daryl surprises everyone by coming back into the picture and he does not like all that he sees coming from the home he left. He loses his temper and brings Connor to live with him, now in Manchester, England. Things unravel at a break neck speed and once all is said and done, will the foursome be a foursome? Or will things be too broken to be put back together?

I enjoyed reading this story of a current British blended family. It showed that stepparents aren't always the mean person in the story, sometimes it's our blood that hurts us the most. Ms. Swift had a way of writing that did not allow me to put my reader down. I wanted to know how the story was going to resolve itself. Connor was such a mature young man, who could probably teach a lot of adults about being true to themselves and to their families. Lexie was an amazing stepmother, but more importantly, person who loved Connor like her own child, but never let him forget his mother. Theo was an amazing friend to all, even after Daryl completely screwed him over. Daryl was a great villain in the story. He was manipulative, but also ended up repenting and truly trying to change, The only issue I had, and it was a small inconsequential issue really, was that Theo's age changed a few times in the story. At one point he tells Connor that he's 31, then he says he's 34. Nothing huge, but definitely something that stuck out in my mind. Overall though, I give this story a solid 4 stars. Thank you again to Hera, Lisa Swift, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this before it was published.

Another great book by this author. I always enjoy her work and this was no exception.
The characters were well written and likeable and the story put a smile on my face

This book was perfect. When I requested it on Netgalley, I had just expected a fluffy romance, but this was so much more than that. To really point out how unprepared for this I was, I thought this was a second chance romance, so I spent quite a bit of the book thinking that Daryl and Lexi would get back together. Thankfully, they didn’t!

In any contemporary, you really need a handful of characters that are loveable. They all have to be memorable, and they all have to have a distinct personality. Lisa Swift did an amazing job of that! I absolutely loved Lexi as a character, and Theo is right up there with her. Telling the story from alternating perspectives was definitely a smart choice, because it really allowed me to connect with every character.

Although I shelved this as a romance, the romance isn’t even the reason I loved this so much. No, it was the relationship between Connor and Lexi. I loved how, even though she wasn’t his mother, they had such a close bond. It was touching, and I’d read another three hundred pages about them alone. Even better was the relationship Connor developed with Theo! I loved watching him develop a family, and how they all dealt with their own unique problems.

I stayed up late reading this, so I apologize if this review isn’t the most coherent. What I’m trying to say, is that I loved this book, and if you like contemporaries, you should read this.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lisa Swift for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was both beautiful, heartbreaking, and inspiring. Lexie Whittle has been dealt a rough hand, and yet she keeps playing the game – never backing down from the challenges her soon-to-be ex-husband enjoys throwing at her. But no matter how challenging or dark her life has become over the past few years, two things have remained wonderful: her stepson, Connor, and her best friend, Theo.

This book warmed my heart and kept me wanting more. I wanted to know what else Lexie would be thrown. I wanted to see how she overcame it. And I wanted to see her and Theo happy and together. Definitely one worth adding to the TBR stack for 2021!

There is way more to this book that what initially meets the eye! It covers some sensitive subjects such as single parents, mental health and sexual orientation. I love the way that Theo and Lexie handle the complexity of a teenager. I read it in one day and thoroughly enjoyed it! That much so, I would have loved an epilogue!

A friends to lovers romance for Lexie and Theo, but when she has to make a choice, will Lexi choose Theo or her step-son? A great read and I liked the sound of the cafe they run.

*3.75 stars.
Well written and I loved all the character developments that happen throughout. It dragged on a little bit at some points of the book but overall a cute romance and enjoyable read. Especially loved the relationship between Lexi and her stepson.

A romantic story of love finding it's way through a complexity of family dynamics.

A widower remarries, but they separate and start the divorce process.

The stepson is closer to his stepmother than his estranged father.

The godfather develops a truly committed deep loving with the stepmother.

With a happy ever after ending in this romance with a marriage, commitment and a baby to look forward to together for future happiness.

This book was a lovely surprise. As a daughter of a single mother, it was lovely to see such a strong woman like Lexi and her love for Connor. It was a lovely surprise about seeing not only Lexi’s romance development but also Connors, with realising he is also bi and going through this. It was lovely the way his family helped and support him. I liked the story with Theo and his family, would love to have seen even more into this.

Ultimately I really enjoyed this book and felt it was a very quick and easy read.

There was only one other book I have read this year that took my heart and it twisted it the way this one did - and it was MAGNIFICENT!!!

The book got off to a slower start but then it picked up and kept going until the last page turned over.
The characters were lovable and relatable. Connor with self discovery, Theo and Lexie with discovering each other, they just became this little wholesome family. Sure, they had their issues as well, but you learn something from it, right? I think these guys did. They had a lot of growth, both as individuals and together.
Connor was written the best, I found. I love that after his "self discovery" he didn't just jump face first into it, I love that he was giving himself that time to figure out what it means, and where to go from here.
On a side note, I never wanted to punch anyone as hard as I want to knock Daryl's teeth out.
My heart legit threw up during his Big hissy fit. He uses his child as a weapon against Lexie. Not only that but when he got his chance with Connor again, the first thing he does is break it? I mean, Connor had a point there.
I hate(d) him so much.
The thing I did find a bit unrealistic was the big turnaround point at the end, the big a-ha. Someone like Daryl, with the mindset that he had would not be that easy to convince. Not in that short amount of time.

The Plot is in the alternate POV of Lexie, Theo and Connor - but mainly Lexie. I never found myself confused by it, in fact, in this case, I loved it because I found it was filling the information in that we may have missed with someone else.

This book made me giggle, made me cry and most importantly, filled my heart with a TON of joy, and it is one that I am 100% going to buy when it gets released. I am also going to look into Swift's other work. If her other books are like this as well, I will be a long standing fan of hers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest Review.

Hmmm... This was a little surprising and different! I was expecting to read a romantic, sexy comedy but this book’s genre is women’s fiction: stepmother who catches second chance at love with new blooming friendship turns into a sexy, intense relationship and her teenage son who discovers his sexuality, suffering from growing pains,losing his mother and dealing with lack of interest of his own father

This was quite different emotional dysfunctional family story meets friends to lovers romance with steamy love making scenes.

We’re introduced so many amazing characters. Lexie is an adorable, tough, smart heroine whose dreamy life completely changed after her husband left to work overseas and their perfect marriage gets over. Now she stays with her teenage son Connor. They already formed an intimate bond. Lexie sees him as her own son and Connor is true sweet pie! You want to hug him tight, soothing him down.

Daryl’s absence ( the bastard husband who left our gorgeous, sweetheart heroine) is vacated by Theo Blake who is former colleague of Daryl ( even his name is irritating) and The Godfather of Connor. He and Lexie starts getting closer, starting a friends with sexy benefits relationship.

But the bastard decides to return back for good which brings out more angst, tears and heartbreaks into the equation. Poor Lexie has to make Sophie’s choice: she should choose between Theo who is not only her boy toy but love of her life and Connor who is like her own son.

It was different, sexy, emotional, riveting women’s fiction reading. I loved both POVs and conclusion of the story. Normally I was expecting an entertaining romcom which made me a little disappointed but I still enjoyed this reading with the connectable, well crafted characters so I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 motherhood, steamy, high chemistry, poignant, intense stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This was a wonderful read for me. I particularly love the dual plotlines for Lexi and Theo's relationship as well as young Connor's coming-of-age story. It's a heartwarming story that tugs on your heart strings but there were still some funny parts that made me smile. You just can't help but love Connor's character and his unwavering loyalty towards his family. While it wasn't my favourite book of the year, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to my friends and family.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. At first it took me a little while to really immerse myself in this book. I came back to it a week later and I can safely say I appreciated it a lot more the second go. It reads fairly quickly and takes you on a rollercoaster of feels. I loved it!!

I expected this to be sweet romance story however it had quite a bit more depth than the chick-lit I thought it would be.

Connor is a mature 14 year old who is living with his step mom Lexie. Lexie’s good friend Theo also happens to be Connor’s godfather. Lexie & Theo’s friendship has a long history & continues to develop into something more.

Connor’s dad (Daryl) returns, comes back into the picture, & also wants to reconnect with Lexie. Who will Lexie choose? Her new love interest Theo? Or her ex-husband Daryl? Connor’s character also shows extreme growth throughout the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A good story about friendships which makes them lovers. It’s then what do you decide when you to make the choice between family and love.

Glad I kicked off my 2021 romance reading with this one. Two friends decide to scratch an itch together and keep on scratching. Things get more complicated because they are also business partners who think they want different things out of life, they have a teenage boy who depends on both of them, and her ex returns to add another wrench. Oh and let’s not forget the feelings they seems to have developed that just might be more than friendly. An engrossing read with a lot of heart. Conner is the best thing about the book, such a sweet and at times frustrating teenager. The ending was both too much and not enough with some over the top drama that was also way too easily resolved.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Never judge a book by its cover. Or by its title, apparently.

Going in, based on the synopsis and the title, I was expecting a cute, steamy friends-to-lovers and friends with benefits romance. I would be happy to get just that, but this story took me by surprise and what a lovely surprise it was!

'Friends With Benefits' is a heart-warming, heartfelt love story, but it's also a story of a found family. I loved the message of this book and when I set it aside after finishing it, I was left with feelings of contentment, joy and satisfaction.

I won't repeat the premise, as it's recapped very neatly in the summary. But I will recap myself what I enjoyed about this book most:

❤ found family trope - it's one of my favourites and here, the message is that the standard nuclear family is not the only way to be a family and sometimes, people you can depend on without question grew to be your family in ways no genetic code can guarantee

❤ while romance between Lexie and Theo is part of the plot, it's not the main focus of the story (at least not for me) - Theo and Lexie support each other through major events in both of their lives, grow together and basically raise Connor (Lexie's stepson) together - I would actually say that the main focus is the family they create

❤ one of the subplots focuses on Connor and his realization that he's bisexual - and I loved how this story was handled (mostly) because how Lexie and Theo reacted was to me a pretty perfect scenario of how I would wish my own parents to react to my coming out

❤ Theo definitely is on an emotional journey throughout this book and has some growing up to do - what I appreciated here was how Lexie was incredibly supportive while not allowing Theo's insecurities to poison their relationship; in a gist, she called Theo out on his BS when necessary and took care to take care of her own emotional well-being

All in all, I adored this book plenty! It IS an uplifting, feel-good story and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys sweet, romance and family focused stories.

Trigger warnings: biphobia (as in, a family member reacts badly to coming out and there's plenty of hurtful biphobic remarks)

This was so not what I was expecting! The cutesy cover makes you think it's going to be your average chicklit novel, but this was contemporary fiction at its finest.

The characters are all so adorable & Connor is the cutest teen ever. Covering a multitude of different emotions & sensitive subjects. It will make you laugh, make you cry & hit you right in the feels.!

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 5 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

This book was a rom-com with a lot of substance! I fell in love with the three main characters, and even with it’s fair share of “JUST TELL EACH OTHER HOW YOU FRIGGIN’ FEEL!” moments, I was hooked all the way through the story. It never got boring and I never stopped rooting for my faves to get together. Loved it!

Lexie Whittle thought she had life all sewn up, with a gorgeous husband, a beautiful home and a delightful teenage stepson. Until husband Daryl left to work overseas…and everything changed.
A year later, Daryl and Lexie’s marriage is over. Lexie is fighting to stay on top of the bills, juggling her job at the Blue Parrot 1940s cafe in Leyholme with being mum and dad to Connor in Daryl’s absence.
The only thing keeping her from meltdown is the support she gets from Connor’s godfather: Theo Blake, Daryl’s former business partner. Theo might be a jack-the-lad, drifting from one woman to another, but Lexie knows she and Connor can depend on him.
After one too many glasses of wine leads to them falling into bed together, Lexie and Theo begin a friends-with-benefits relationship. What starts as just sex soon becomes something deeper.
But when Daryl returns, Lexie is faced with an impossible decision. Will she be forced to choose between her feelings for Theo and the boy she loves as a son?

For all intents and purposes this is a romance story. However, it comes with a twist in shape of her step-son who she has been the primary carer for since her husband chose to go and work overseas. As a step parent this book resonated with me and I enjoyed the fact it stepped out of the realm of 2.4 children happily married. It addresses the issues some step parents have and that the love for that child is no less intense for a step parent than it is for a biological parent. Everything Lexie does is with Connor in mind unlike his father. I devoured this book and cannot recommend it enough I really really enjoyed it.