Come As You Are definitely gave off strong Hallmark movie vibes, but I absolutely loved the middle-aged protagonists with their struggles and past baggage. The pop culture references were spot on for me - bringing back lots of memories of the 80s and 90s.
I enjoyed that the book had a well-developed cast of secondary characters and would definitely pick up any stories for other men from Little Timber Sober Living Home.

I love reading books with characters that are in the 40s and 50s! the Perspective and life lessons add to the characters as well as the story.

TW for addiction

This is a funny cute rom com with some steam! We follow Ashley as she is trying to save her ski hill from being bought out from her from her cheating ex-husband. She goes out on a limb to hire someone who is a little on the cheaper side to potentially save some money. From their a romance ensues, grab your tissues and have a bathroom nearby, this will make you cry and having you giggling all the way to the bathroom so you don't pee your pants!!

WHERE IS THE NEXT BOOK, I need more in this series.

Ashley is having so many things on her plate, her late's father ski resort is struggling, her mother thinks everything will work on it's own, her ex won't stop calling and she needs new employees.

When she is presented with a solution to the last problem she isn't sure how hiring ex convicts who can't ski will help her turn it all around but she is willing to try.

Madigan is the owner of a rehabilitation house for ex convicts and addicts, he has dedicated his life to help those who need a second chance, just like he did.

When the initial meeting with Ashley doesn't go as planned, he has little hope of finding jobs for them but he life has a way of suprising him.

Ashley is willing to give them a change but no matter how attracted she is to their leader she won't act to it. Her romance track speaks for it's self and she can't risk losing the help she got. Though the more ski lessons they have together the harder it is to keep their distance.

I loved how they opened up to each other, spending time together and giving it their all, once they couldn't ignore their feelings any longer.

Both main characters are over 40 years old and their maturity was evident in everything they did.

The secondary characters were just as important, it was so interesting following their individual stories along the way.

I definitely recommend reading this debut romance either on winter as a seasonal one or for the summer to help you mentally travel to cooler places.


* I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

<i>I would like to thank Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Pinkity Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

<b>Come as you are</b> was a refreshing romance read as it features Ashley, a 46 divorced snow resort owner, and Madigan, a 53 year old guitarist, recovering addict and owner of a recovering house for ex-cons and addicts.

The story includes heavy topics such as grief, substances abuse and the difficult reintegration of ex-cons in society. Despite the difficult topics, it is a heartwarming read as, in its essence, it is a story about forgiveness, acceptance and second chances in life.

Older couple romance books are a rarity. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about it because love has no age, and romance books should not have too.

Bonus points for the 90’s playlist!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Come As You Are features Ashley, a 46 year old divorced ski hill owner trying to save her deceased father's beloved business from a corporate takeover headed by her slimy ex-husband, and Madigan, a 53 year old former rock star, heroin addict and now leader of a sober living house. 
When her bookkeeping shows the accounts are short, Ashley takes a chance on Madigan's community of recovering addicts and employs them at her ski hill for a reduced rate. This puts her in forced proximity with the complex,vulnerable Madigan and soon, Ashley can't seem to keep away even though she knows her business is her first priority. Madigan equally feels he must stay away and keep his men his first priority, but slowly the two build on their emotional connection. 
This book is achingly raw in all ways. There are themes of grief, recovering addiction, and self-forgiveness that resonate throughout the novel. I loved the leads, but I also loved the side characters including the men working on the hill and their past stories, Ashley's daughter and her mother. I also loved reading about main characters falling in love that are older than we typically see in the genre. 
Overall, this is a spicy, yet heartfelt rom-com that lovers of the genre will enjoy. Be sure to pick it up. I certainly will be picking up Jess K Hardy's next book.

Ashley Cooke is desperate to save her struggling ski hill. She reluctantly makes the judgment call to hire a group of men from the local sober living home to get things done and save some money. She needs to save her mountain and keep her scumbag ex-husband from getting his hands on it.

Matthew Madigan is a recovering addict and ex-rocker, and he's spent the past decade cleaning himself up and helping others through the difficult process of coming and staying clean. When Ashley inquires about hiring the men at his sober living home to get her ski place in better shape, he is all for the idea. These men all need to keep busy while they're working on their second chances at life.

Come As You Are is the amazing story of these two middle-aged people, battered and bruised by life, coming together to fight for second chances. This was a super sweet nostalgic romcom. I love that the protagonists are older. I love the chemistry between these two as things start to sizzle. Slowly, but sizzle they do! 🌶️

This is a wonderful story about second chances, picking yourself up and forging forward for the things you want in life. This brought so many memories back of the 80s and 90s! I absolutely adored this slow-burn romcom with all the feels! ❤️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you uto netgalley for the advanced reading copy of come as you are. This was so cute! I'm trying to branch out on my romance and ROM com reads and this is definitely one that needs a spot on a shelf!!

What an absolute delight it is to read a story about middle age characters.

Hardy really created something wonderful and true to life with this book.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Pinkity Publishing, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

My heart is still weeping with joy after experiencing this beautiful, endearing, and cozy romance! From the very first page, I was completely captivated by the tender emotions that flowed effortlessly through the story. It's a slow burn romance that weaves a mesmerizing tapestry of themes, including second chances at love, starting over, redemption, loss, healing, friendships, family, bravery, and forgiveness.

The book brims with poignant angst, witty banter, and adorable heartfelt moments that tug at your heartstrings. The chemistry between the characters, written in a wonderfully engaging way, ignites the pages with a steamy spark that leaves you yearning for more. Moreover, the wide cast of relatable characters feels like a warm embrace you never want to let go.

At its core, the story revolves around Ashely, who battles to preserve her family's cherished ski mountain, despite constant threats from her ex-husband to buy her out. Her mother's ingenious idea to save the lodge by partnering with a sober living facility brings her face-to-face with Madigan, the facility's owner. Their instant chemistry sparks a journey of love and growth through a transformative ski season, where Ashley, Madigan, the men from the facility, and her family learn the value of trust, forgiveness, and self-confidence.

The novel handles themes of addiction and therapy in a refreshingly healthy and positive manner, making it a truly beautiful portrayal. The male character's sensitivity and openness about his insecurities and fears, coupled with the characters' ages and their open communication, breathe a breath of fresh air into the romance genre.

Throughout the book, I found myself alternately laughing, crying, and swooning as I immersed myself in the tender and heartfelt emotions that enveloped each page. The emotional journey is expertly crafted, leaving you with a lasting impression of hope and love.

This book is an absolute gem that will undoubtedly touch your soul. If you're seeking a romance that will make you feel every emotion imaginable, then look no further. With its heartwarming moments and soul-stirring narrative, this book will leave you enchanted long after you've turned the final page.

This heartfelt rom-com is amazing! It was nice to read a story involving older characters, and the main characters are easy to fall in love with; it was a slow burn, but a fun read. The story was very steamy, had great banter, with new beginnings, and good chemistry amongst all the emotional moments. This book just has it all, so I will definitely be reading more Jess K Hardy. Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing Co-op Pinkity Publishing for the chance to read this.

Available November 1st 2023 and I can’t wait!


Post will be available later within 48hours.

"I've gotta admit, it's pretty strange to finally meet the woman you wrote a love song about thirty years after you wrote it."

Before I get into the themes of the book, let me tell you the swooniest part of this whole thing: the way he notices her. The way he sees her. Oh, but to be seen the way Madigan sees Ashley. I know he kind of trained himself to be hyper aware of everything, but he was so in tune to her, so aware of her likes and dislikes, what made her blush and what made her uncomfortable, even before she became his Most Important Person, even from the beginning. Even when they fought, he still had me swooning. Too often in romances I've read lately there isn't enough groveling, there isn't enough atonement for hurtful words. Just a general apology that usually ends up forgiven but leaves me wondering if they even knew what they were apologizing for in the first place. But Madigan made sure to kiss every wound he opened up until it healed over. (That goes for Ashley, too. Some really mature conversations happened in this book.) Gosh, am I too young to want a Madigan? Probably. But that isn't stopping me.

Ashley was a really fantastically written character, too. She was so brave and caring and had the heart of a fighter, and between her insecurities, her familial relationships, and her past, I feel like so many people are going to relate to her and find hope in her. But really, I feel that way about the whole cast. It's no secret that the stories of addicts don't always have happy endings. But to see a group of men struggling at different places but supporting each other and making it? This book was just filled with an abundance of hope, and I think that beneath the romance (which, again, is incredibly swoon-worthy), it's going to touch the hearts of a lot of people.

I read the first 50% of this book so quickly because it was interesting reading a romance book that takes place on a ski hill! I liked the addition of Little Timber, the rehabilitation program that had its members work on the hill. However, I got so bored in the second half and I’m not sure why. It just seemed all so predictable and I completely lost interest. I ended up skimming the last 30% of the book.

This is such a cute romance and the perfect romance about a couple in their 40's and 50's something you don't often see in romance novels!

Definitely recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for gifting me an arc of this book!

Surprisingly I enjoy this book immensely and I would highly recommend this book for those of you that are looking for a NA romance book with a more older age range. This feels refreshing, especially for me who often read high-school/campus-setting NA romance books.

4/5!!!

I went in blindly and fell in love.. I'm so happy I got the opportunity from Netgalley to read this for an honest review!
Having people in my family battelig addiction, I hope they will come out on the other side like Madigan and the guys at Little Timber. It was such a heartwarming and sweet story, and I truly want to read more about Ashley and Madigan, and their lives at Bluebird.

kay first of all it was really hard reading a winter book in summer with honestly melting temperatures! But I requested the ARC so that's on me lol (thanks netgalley!)
Nevertheless, this was such a good read. The topic covered, the entire idea and the story were interesting and very well executed. Also they are both middle aged (he is over 50 and she is in her late 40s), they have both lived lives and went through so much just to find each other in the end. Loved that! I wanted to say I am tired of reading about college kids but oops my next read is that but this was so refreshing okay! What is also refreshing is the men who came to work on her ski hill are all recovering addicts. That entire aspect was also handled so well and while we don't know a lot about the rest of the guys I cannot wait to see them get their HEA. The found family aspect and the glimpses of couples to come make me look forward to the rest of the series. Everything about this book felt so realistic and while I needed a little bit of something to make it 5 stars, I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend this one!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🔥🔥🔥
TW: Addiction, grieving the loss of a parent

Review:

This book took me by surprise! It was my first time reading a book where the main characters were over the age of 35 (FMC is 46, MMC is 53), so I wasn’t too sure how it was all going to go. But honestly, it went better than I ever expected!!!

I loved Ashley and Madigan from the start. While they both were fighting their own demons (some physically, others emotionally), they fit so incredibly well together.

Ashley and her mother own the family’s ski lodge, Bluebird Basin, and unfortunately they’ve been struggling since her father passed away. Ashley and her mother don’t get along and trying to work together is slowly driving Ashley up a wall!

Matthew Madigan is an ex-rockstar, recovering addict who now runs Little Timber Sober Living Home. In need of winter jobs for the men he oversees, he reaches out to Bluebird Basin to see if they can work together.

Ashley needs the workers, but is a little on the fence, especially since her mother went behind her back to set it all up in the first place. But the longer the season goes on, the more Ashley and Madigan can’t stay away from one another, finding the love they were both missing in their lives in each other.

Jess K. Hardy’s writing is easy to digest, the chapters flew by, and I promise you’ll want to get to the end! Oh, and did I mention the spice is HOT? 🔥🥵

Matthew Madigan could play me like an electric guitar anytime he wanted 🫣

I really thought I'd enjoy this book, since it has all the great parts of a contemporary romance - two people who appear to be opposites, who both needs to heal and be brave, a struggling family owned company, a cast of quirky but sweet characters, MCs who are both over 45.

But it, sadly, wasn't for me. I couldn't get past the writing, which consisted so much of similes and metaphors. And then when they had known each other for maybe two weeks, the unrealistic way of "I've been waiting for you to make up your mind" and "You are so different from all other people" and no, I couldn't believe it.

I didn't finish the book, so even though I have to put a rating on Netgalley, I won't on Goodreads.

/ Denise

I loved this book! It was so fun, I loved drama, and I loved the spicy times! Ashley and Madigan were so cute, and I loved how Madigan wasn't the "rough and tough" toxic masculinity type, but actually talked about emotions and being vulnerable in a healthy way. I also really enjoyed getting to know the guys! I hope we get to see more of them!

5/5 Stars. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heart wrenching, steamy, emotional and beautifully written. Come as you are had me completely invested in Ashley and Madigan’s stories. This book addresses some really heavy and complicating topics like grief and addiction but does so wonderfully.

If you’re looking for a heartfelt read about overcoming struggles, finding a second chance at love, becoming confident with yourself and just so happens to be full of 80s references I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Pinkity Publishing, and the author for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!