Sometimes you’re just looking for a good time read where an author gives you two hot mc’s, some sizzling sex, and a few aww look at the adorable puppy moments. Lucky is one of those books.

Kris Bryant delivers again with her always smooth writing, letting everyone who’s ever dreamed the dream of hitting it big live vicariously through Serena. But just like with other books by this author, there are extra layers to characters and the storyline. Serena comes from a tough childhood and lives paycheck to paycheck until the breakout moment. The money understandably changes everything for her and it’s fun to watch her relish in the freedom that money can buy. But underneath, there’s also a world of hurt that she’s learned to cover up.

She decides to build and run a posh pet hotel in Vail and hires a firm of architects to design it. Gabrielle is the talented architect assigned to the project. Of course, sparks fly and the two are heavily jonesing for one another. There is some angst but again, this one’s a feel good story so no worries. Just keep reading and fantasizing about the what if’s. 4.5 stars.

This is the third book by Kris Bryant I have read. Her style is very heavy on character development and slow burn, which are two things I love in WLW novels. The premise of Serena Evans winning the lottery was not emphasized as much as I expected it would be. She basically wins the lottery, but since had been scraping by prior to winning, she doesn't go on a spending spree like many winners do. Instead, she invests her money and begins plans to open an animal inn where she can be surrounded by animals.

Gabrielle Barnes ends up getting the assignment to design the Pet Posh Inn for Serena. The two have immediate chemistry with each other, but both tamp down their feelings and desires to remain professional as the inn is developed. Both have had bad luck when it comes to relationships and so neither are in a hurry to jump into anything. When they finally do, it is well worth the wait.

Bryant develops both characters so well along with surrounding characters that keep the story moving. You want these two to get together, despite all of the obstacles that stand in their way. I did find the obstacle close to the end of the book to be a bit overblown, but it had a satisfying resolution.

The writing is just superb. This book is one I highly recommend. It is a good combination of sweet and hot.

I was provided with an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Kris Bryant is one of my favourite lesfic authors who has written many beautiful novels, all in first-person point of view. This is her first attempt at writing in third person and, even though this isn’t my favourite book, I think she did a very good job.

Serena Evans got dealt a bad hand in life until she won the lottery, now, with 40 million dollars to spend, she decides to build a pet daycare facility for the rich and famous. Gabrielle Barnes is the architect in charge of the project. Even though she cannot empathise with Serena’s vision, she needs this project to finish smoothly in order to get the coveted partner position. Initially, both women clash around the building concept but eventually, they realise that they might not hate each other after all…

I have to admit that the premise of this novel didn’t appeal to me that much. However, I normally read anything that this author writes and I was curious to see how she managed the point of view change. There’s nothing wrong with either first or third povs and it’s ok if an author prefers to write exclusively in first person but I’m glad that Ms. Bryant chose to write out of her comfort zone and was able to pull this off. I think it will open up the scope of stories that she could tell in the future and her readers are going to be grateful for it.

Ms. Bryant writes great chemistry between her characters and even better sex scenes. Having said that, I wasn’t too invested in the main characters in this novel, nor I found their chemistry intense as in other of Ms. Bryant’s books. Even though I can relate to Gabrielle because, apart from sharing the name, I can identify with one of her issues, that was the extent of my empathy with the characters. I found that they lacked depth compared to other characters in Ms. Bryant’s novels. I get that this is a light read but also was her previous book ‘Temptation’ and the characters were much more complex.

Anyway, if you are a fan of the lesbian enemies to lovers trope and are looking for a light read, this might appeal to you. 4 stars.

ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com

As always this was a solid read from Kris Bryant. The third person narrative really worked, and the writing was engaging. The chemistry between Gabrielle and Serena developed very naturally and was very visible, the sex scenes were very steamy yet sweet at the same time. The supporting characters were equally well written. Even the animals had character and added to the story. The angst level was just right. My one complaint is that the issues between the main characters were resolved too quickly in the end - I would have liked to have it drawn out a little longer.

All of you have thought about winning the lottery at least once, I am sure. In this book Bryant gives us just that with Serena as the lucky recipient. She has not had an easy life up until now but this win changes all that and she gets to make dream come through: posh pet day care.
The woman who is supposed to make that dream true is Gabrielle Barnes, a kick-ass architect who needs good results in order to make partner. One troubling fact: she has a fear of dogs after an attack when she was younger.
I really liked this book and the way it portrays the starting relationship in a realistic fashion, both characters were extremely likeable and I just love dogs in a story.
The conflict at the 80% mark seemed a little forced with a reaction to something that was completely out of proportion for me but nevertheless I was a happy reader when I closed this book.

***An ARC was given to me in exchange for an honest review. ***

This was a cute story about a young women, Serena, that has had a difficult family life. Father left and her mother was an alcoholic. Serena gives up going to college in order to bring up her younger sister, Faith. So she struggles financially in unpleasant and unfulfilling jobs.
And then, Voila....she wins the lottery. And she does what????? She decides to design and run a Pet Posh Hotel. That....is...her....dream.....come...true?? (Well it's Kris Bryant' s story not mine. ) So Serena hires an woman architect to design it. The remainder of the story is the attraction between the architect and Serena, the architects aversion to dogs, and the back and forth on the design. There is a little angst almost at the end of the book, that really stretched my patients with Serena. But there are wonderful family and friends to support and shake some sense into her. And all ends well.

This has been quite an interesting story, although I think the two protagonists have been somewhat undefined and some of the plot lines have not been developed well or at least I think if the author was not going to use them to create some drama and tension that completed the whole story, I don't know why she hinted at them.

<spoiler> I mean Gabrielle's phobia and especially Serena's mother. The first has been liquidated quite briefly in the end and the second, although it goes in and out briefly in the course of the story, has not made much sense to me.</spoiler>

But, anyway, that wasn't enough to spoil the story for me.

Because Serena has seemed to me a really positive, sweet character and despite her past, she is not spiteful or revengeful. And Gabrielle, although at first she appears to be a cold woman and only focused on her professional career, then it has not been so much.

And also this story has the bonus of showing us the protagonist couple of the book Falling written by this same author, it is always a joy for me to find characters from previous books.

In short it has been a pretty good romance.

What would you do if you won the lottery? Would you give some charity or family? Or would you build a posh pet hotel? Serena always loved pets, but never was able to have one due to her mother moving her and her sister from place to place. This will be her dream of having animals around her all the time and allowing visitors to Vail to bring their pets with them and have them stay at a hotel while they are skiing. Serena enlists the help of an architectural firm. Her architect is Gabrielle. Unfortunately, Gabrielle does not understand why someone would want to spend their lottery winnings on a pet hotel. Not to mention that Gabrielle is scared to death of dogs due to being attacked when she was young. Gabrielle is a professional and will do what it takes to give Serena her dream hotel because her being made a partner depends on this job. What Gabrielle and Serena do not expect is be drawn to each other because of the project.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've always been a big fan of Kris Bryant and with my Covid Reader's Block, I knew she wouldn't fail me!

Serena has had a tough life, that suddenly is about to change with her impulsive decision to buy a lottery ticket, that makes her instantly extremely rich! Gabrielle on the other hand is a workaholic trying to prove herself as a partner in her architect firm, and the project she works on is Serena's dream project..

Kris Bryant really knows how to develop very likable characters, and this book is no different! Serena and Gabrielle are 2 wonderful characters, they have a very strong connection, and 2 very different family dynamics that I really liked. Serena's family is the complete opposite of Gabrielle's. With Bryant, the supporting characters (including pets and their INCREDIBLY SMART NAMES) make a big difference to the overall story, so the dynamics between the parents added a lot to the plot. For bonus points, you also Come across Piper and Shaylie from FALLING :)

This is a book that I recommend reading on the beach, or on a pool because it is so smooth, so entertaining and full of wonderful characters and you will sit there getting all kinds of smiles and warm from inside :)

A very solid 4 Stars!

"I received and ARC for an honest review."

This is very sweet romance and I would say second chance at life. Sometimes all you need is a little luck, nothing more. In this book one person was lucky enough. She got the fortune, which she handled very well as responsible human would and got the girl. I iked the bit of drama, it made this book interesting. All concluded in happy ending.

Serena lives paycheck to paycheck. Her life as a kid wasn't the best either (as she basically raised herself as well as her little sister). Then, she wins a big lottery jackpot. The thing she decides to do is build an Inn for pets. That's where Gabrielle comes in. She's the architect that's assigned to make Serena's vision come true.

It's a rocky relationship here and there with a bunch of push and pull because of the two characters' issues.

There were also a lot of friends characters that gave the novel a really cool richness too. That was awesome.

I will say that Serena and Serena's mom (and Faith in there too) was interesting as a plot to me, and while I liked how it was explored a little, I would have loved it if it was explored even more.

But, it was a fun read. Oh, and it actually acknowledged that not every person in the world has to be a dog lover (Well, acknowledged it for a bit at least, it's a start).

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

This book has two main characters Gabrielle and Serena, however there are several secondary characters that enhance the understanding of each of the main characters and adds so much more to the entire story. Gabriella is an architect and works extremely hard in an all boys network to Prove her worth. She’s a workaholic and doesn’t let people see the real her except for her closest friends and her mother. She doesn’t date but does do one night hook ups with no attachment.
Serena is a down and out hard worker who takes care of everyone including her dysfunctional mother and younger sister. Often she doesn’t have money for food herself and one of her good friends make sure that she is fed. When she’s down to her last four dollars she goes to a store to buy her usual hotdog and A soda but changes her mind and doesn’t get the soda but buys a lottery ticket. For somebody who has been down and out on her luck her entire life moving from place to place never having anything permanent, never having money, she finally finds her self in a position to fulfill her lifelong dream which was building A plush dog spa. That is when our two main characters come together, and while there’s a spark , both women have such little belief that they are lovable and worthy of love that they keep pushing back on what could be a beautiful relationship. The two women are very different in most ways, Gabrielle has a wonderful and loving relationship with her mother, and Serena has a mother who is extremely dysfunctional.
This book is so well written and what I would expect from the fabulous author that Kris Bryant is. Because of the way she develops a story and includes the secondary characters as important parts of the build up for the main characters The end result is always a fabulous read. I highly recommend this book, be aware once you pick it up it’s hard to put down.

This book might be the best thing Kris Bryant has ever written. I fell in love with both Serena and Gabrielle. I would love a follow up with them in the future. If you are a fan of Kris Bryant, you will want to read this, ASAP.

You know all those stereotypical romcoms? That’s exactly what this book was like for me.

Serena has always struggled to get by, she never had a chance to go to college with an alcoholic mom and a sister 10 years her junior to look after. She buys a state lottery ticket on a whim with her last money. She completely forgets about the ticket, btu when she does the laundry she finds out she has won it. Not one for a life in the limelight and to just make it rain she invests in realising her dream of owning a pet day care centre. She lives in Vail, the rich and famous come to holiday there,most place don’t allow pest, so it’s a solid business plan. She contracts a firm in Denver to do the work. Gabrielle works at the firm and is n track to become the new partner, if only she can get the next big assignment right. Tasked with the daycare Gabrielle sets off to Vail. Let’s just say the ladies don’t instantly like each other, they notice some good independent woman qualities about each other. When Serena and Gabrielle start to connect outside of work is when they find each other and a better understanding of the other.

It’s a real slow burner this one, but I liked it, it seems authentic. The secondary characters are great, Kris Bryant always knows how to write great characters and amazing secondary characters. But form me it was a bit too cliched, like all the romcoms these days, nothing wrong with them, I enjoy those from time to time as well. However in books I like to see a bit more, there was some angst in the book but it was slightly rushed and forced, in a book I expect a bit more than what I got from this one from Bryant, I still liked it, but I expected more.

I got an ARC of this book.

I love dogs and having a cute dog on the cover was really nice. I decided, what the hell, and followed my grandmother’s general way of picking a book. Her way is literally any book with a dog on the cover. I do have an issue with the cover. The dog on the cover is not the dogs that were described in the book. There also was no cat in the MC’s homes (unless you count the one cat a friend had that was in one scene). So the cover doesn’t really make any sense to me.

So fun fact: asexual is a sexual identity label like gay or straight. It is not something you “appear” to be at work. It is not something you strive to pass as. It does NOT mean that you are not sexually attractive or that you don’t want sex. I am so annoyed. One of the main characters tried to “appear as asexual as possible at work”. I really shouldn’t have to read bad usage of a queer term in a queer romance novel.

Near the end there is a misunderstanding that leads the women to break up. This is not surprising or a spoiler, this is literal just romance novel pacing stuff. One of the MC confides to someone who convinces them to do whatever it takes to fix things. The chapter changes, it is weeks later. NOTHING HAS HAPPENED. They accidentally run into each other and things are magically fixed without anything being done. There was no resolution. There was no moving forward. Just “I miss you” and bam back together. It was so anti-climatic and such a let down.

By the end of the book I could not tell the two MC apart. There were so many friends mentioned in passing and that played small roles that I had no idea who was who. None of the characters were really distinct. They all blended together. There were a lot of cute queer families which I liked, but I couldn’t tell you who was in each one.

Overall, the book was bland and really wasn’t all the exciting. It wasn’t terrible, but there is really nothing here for me to recommend to someone.

I was really sad when I finished this one...I definitely wanted more...

It took me a bit to settle into the story at first. I’ve been reading a lot of 1st person pov lately and at one moment I had to go back and figure out who’s point of view I was seeing. Not a bad thing but that usually doesn’t happen to me. Maybe I had an off day...anyways...there were a lot of extra characters that were friends with Gabrielle and Serena which was definitely confusing for me to keep track of.

As for the story...I enjoyed it. What I look for in a story is romance, love and growth. There was a lot of personal growth with both main characters and the love between them blossomed at a slow rate that was very enjoyable to watch.

This one will be added to my reread list and I’m looking forward to reading more from Kris Bryant!

3.5 stars. This is my first time reading a book by this author. The writing is good, well-edited. The story does take a bit of time to get off the ground, but then moves along at a fair pace.

I don't do spoilers, so never fear. The two main characters meet after one wins the lottery and decides to build a pet lodging place, albeit a fancy one; the architect is the other main character. There are some bumps in the road for this pair, all building up to a sweet HEA ending.

There were good lessons to be had in the book, don't be afraid to keep trying; hope is a good thing and love wins. The only thing that stuck me as unusual is that there is very little reference to any male characters, only in passing. The architect's boss and her nephew popped up more often, but that was about it. I get that this is a lesbian romance novel, but shouldn't there be more men in their circle? All their friends were also gay, her lawyer was female, etc. Not a show stopper for me, but also fairly limiting.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Serena Evans, a lowly ex-book store employee and now newly independently wealthy, decides to open a pet hotel, "Pet Posh Inn".

Gabrielle Barnes is an architect, hired to design the Inn.

(There is a tie-in to a couple of the characters from Bryant's "Falling", but one need not read "Falling" first to get the tie-in, although I highly recommend reading it!)

Serena wins the lottery and predictably, her life changes. She isn't used to having money, but she is very accustomed to having the dream of opening a pet hotel for people who can't take their pets with them on vacation, and/or for those who just want to pamper their pets for the day. A doggy day care and spa.

All she needs is an architect to help her design it. Enter Gabrielle Barnes, who gets her chance to make partner in the architect firm where she works if the plans for Pet Posh Inn are acceptable to Serena.

(I have to confess I had a bit of a problem with Gabrielle's fear of animals and the way that Serena left her dog, L.B. in the car or with her sister when Gabrielle was around, but that's my feeling about people who don't like animals. If you don't like my dogs or can't be around them, it's time for you to find someone who doesn't have pets. I will never put my dogs second to anyone.)

But I digress. It took me a little while to get to where I liked Gabrielle. It took awhile to really like both of the main characters, but I understood Serena and her reticence to embrace her new life and her new love. The two characters didn't seem like they were in the relationship for the right reasons. Serena didn't want to ever be told what to do, but she wanted Gabrielle to tell her what to do. This was confusing.

But, this book is a romance with all the ingredients you would expect and it works well.

Serena Evans, in a thirty-year old, who works in bookstore and just scrapes by each month. She has been helping pay for her sister, Faith, to attend culinary school. Their mother has been unreliable throughout the years due to alcoholism and relationship issues. One day on a lunch break from the bookstore, Serena buys a hot dog and a lottery ticket at the local convenience store with her last four dollars. She miraculously wins the Colorado state lottery for $42 million dollars (half that for lump sum) She considers for a while want to do with her lottery winnings and how to spend her time after she quits her job at the bookstore. She rescues a sweet dog, L.B. (Lucky Baxter) from the pound. Then Serena decides to build a exclusive pet daycare center in Vail, where she lives. A lot of rich people vacation in Vail who would like to bring their pets along. The pets could be pampered while their owners are out on the slopes or hiking. Serena decides this would be a lucrative business and she loves animals. She hires an architectural firm to help her get started on her dream.

Gabrielle is the lead architect assigned to the project. She is vying for a partner position at Arnest & Max Architecture. She has been told that her next project, Pet Posh Inn, will be the deciding factor if she is to become a partner or not. Gabrielle doesn't reveal to her firm or to Serena that she is afraid of dogs due to an incident that happened in childhood.

The story details how their attraction builds during the design phase of the project. I liked both characters in this story as well as the secondary characters. Piper and Shaylie from "Falling" are a part of the story as a couple of Gabrielle's friends in Denver.

Positives about the book include character chemistry, the dogs, the setting in Colorado, and the slow-burn evolution to love. 4 stars.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars. Serena Evans never expected to win the lottery. Before winning the lottery, she was living paycheck to paycheck trying to support her sister and herself. Serena has had a pretty rough life with an alcoholic mother who never really was there for her and her sister. When she wins the lottery, she wants to build her dream, a pet daycare center. Her architect, Gabrielle Barnes, cannot understand Serena's vision at first. Gabrielle cannot help but try to understand as Serena has a big heart and seems to really care about animals. They also cannot help the attraction that was forming between them.

This book was pretty good. I enjoyed the relationship between Serena and Gabrielle. Gabrielle and Serena's interactions get better over time and I enjoyed watching their attraction grow. The drama in this novel made sense and it did not seem as dumb as in other novels. It was only given three stars as I wish I could see their relationship grow a little bit more and sometimes I thought the characters were not as well written as they should.