Maren Laughlin’s life just took a left turn. When she rejects her boyfriends proposal, she quits her decades long job as a park ranger and moves back to her childhood playground to check in on her inheritance, a decrepit bait shop in Northern Wisconsin. Josiah Cole runs the resort that abuts Maren’s bait shop. A childhood best friend of her brother’s they used to hang out as children but life moves on and he’s now divorced, with two great kids. He’s happy with his life but when Maren moves in next door he starts catching feelings. She’s beautiful, funny, and his kids love her and their friendship is just so easy. Despite her brothers warnings, Joe and Maren are in the middle of a relationship without even trying.

I love these adult novels by Erin Hahn. She describes Joe and Maren’s relationship as just so easy to fall into, and this book was exactly the same. I started reading, and before I knew it I had developed feelings for these characters in part because of the easy flow of the story, but also because of the setting and the kids. This story was a joy and I relished reading Maren and Joe’s story.

There isn’t a great romance novel if there’s not a hint of conflict and we do have a couple of storylines that create that dynamic for our duo. Maren’s brother is Joe’s best friend, and he doesn’t hesitate to warn Maren off of catching feelings for Joe. He’s also a bit of a dope to Maren and gave the reader a person to get frustrated at that wasn’t our hero or heroine. Joe also isn’t the swinging single guy, he comes as a package with his two kids who added a lot to the story- as well as a dumb ex- spouse that the reader could also focus some energy on hating. It was only Maren and Joe’s feelings that were easy breezy, these conflicts gave the story a lot of heart in their conclusions.

I’ve read the other two novels in this stand alone series. I say stand alone and series in the same sentence because Maren’s two best friends were the heroines from the previous two adult novels by this same author. It’s always nice to see how other characters you’ve read have advanced their storylines and I welcomed that brief peek. Despite their reoccurance, you can read this novel as a stand alone and not miss a thing but I bet when you’re done, if you hadn’t read the other two novels you’re going to want to pick them up and catch up!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

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Lorelei Jones was a Country superstar when she chose to sing a song at a concert that offended the country music industry and her fans and fiancéturned against her. The only person who stood by her side was her friend Craig Boseman, ex-bassist for her ex-fiancé. Craig “Huckleberry” Boseman had always had a soft spot for Lorelei especially after their one night together. After a five year absence, Lorelei comes back to Nashville and asks her friend Huck, now a music producer, to listen to some of her new songs and they reconnect in life and love.

I’ve always enjoyed novels by Erin Hahn. Her writing is so easy to read, the rhythm and flow of her words totally appealing, especially in a book with music at its center. Lorelei was a character who was also very easy to like. She and I have the same politics, so that helps, but she’s also someone who took a stand even though she lost everything by doing that. Craig or “Huckleberry” as Lorelei calls him, is just an average guy with a lot of talent for writing hit songs. He was one of Lorelei’s best friends and it was easy for them to pick up where they left off, but both of them had feelings for each other that couldn’t be ignored. Their transition from friends to lovers was not without its hiccups but it too had an easy flow that fit with the style of writing by Ms. Hahn.

Living in Nashville and reading novels set in Nashville are always kind of fun. It’s interesting to see someone’s take on my city and in this case I think the author viewed downtown through slightly roses tinted glasses, but you could tell she loved what she was writing and I really appreciated that. I also really loved the romance that was told through lyrics a wonderful way of styling this novel and really making it feel authentic. I really didn’t find a note wrong with this novel and if I could sing a lick, I’d be howling at the moon. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest.

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Child superstar Shelby Springfield left her stardom behind when she moved back to Michigan. Flipping houses with her dad, she’s approached by her ex, now a producer, to star in a home makeover show with her childhood co-star and friend Cameron Riggs. Cam was her first love and the guy she always turns to when she needs help… and he always gives her that helping hand. This time is no different despite having his own thriving career at Nat. Geo. Will the two of them finally have time to commit to each other?

This was such a great story! Cam and Shelby were two of three child stars on a popular tv series and the producer of their show, Lyle, was the third. Lyle is the perfect evil foil to making Cam the good guy in this story but in Shelby’s eyes Cam was always in that good guy role. When Cam commits to doing the pilot with Shelby their friendship takes center stage. You can feel how close they are and how much they mean to each other, even all these years later. You can also feel the chemistry through their flirtations and it was totally fun to read.

Both Shelby and Cam had issues from their childhood that needed to be faced in this novel for their relationship to move towards commitment. Shelby had a stage mom that was in it for the money, selling out her only daughter creating a story filled with lies, just so she could capitalize on it and make a buck. Cam lived on the west coast with his mom when he was acting and never had a great relationship with his father and brother. Moving back to Michigan is the chance for them to revisit these relationships and hopefully come out the other side with a healthier outlook. Of course, not everything goes as planned.

I loved this poignant look back at first love. Cam and Shelby’s chance at redemption was a wonderfully fun story but their was also a lot of depth in both these and other characters in the novel. In my mind the best novels are filled with heart and this stories heart was overflowing emotionally. I really enjoyed reading this novel. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase!* Built to Last

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.