Loved reading this winter themed book in the middle of summer. Made me feel like the holidays are close! I really loved seeing Ashley and Madigan's relationship develop throughout the entire book. They both learned to love and value themselves because of their relationship with each other. This book made me laugh and cry at many different scenes. It's my first time reading characters who are over 40 and I really liked it!

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would! I absolutely loved this and it's most definitely my favorite book I read this year. I love madigan so much. I laughed out loud and cried. Every character's story hurt my heart, and I love that "he who shall not be named in bed" got the shit scared out of him!
Received as an arc through Netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This book was so cute!!!

Huge pro in my book was the main characters were older (Madigan is 53 and Ashley is 46) and not college students or in their 20’s. Such a refreshing

Ashley is running their family ski resort with her mom after her father passed away. They desperately need help for the season when Madigan shows up. Madigan runs a sober living facility and his men need work. Very reluctantly Ashley hires them and pretty soon her whole world changes for the good.

This book was so very good and heartwarming. It had you really rooting for these characters.

4.5/5 stars and will be buying a physical copy for my shelf!

Firstly, I need to get this off my chest, I found it incredibly annoying that Ashley’s mum was constantly referred to as Maude Alice, not mum, Maude Alice.

Now that’s out of the way, Come as You Are was an enjoyable read. I really loved Little Timber, and Madigan’s work with his men was a beautiful story, and I would gladly read more books about the men that arrive there and how their new lives unfold.

I loved this aspect; I also really enjoyed the skiing and the book's setting; what I didn’t get on with was Ashely or her mother, Maude Alice, and sometime Madigan. All these characters are supposed to be in their 40s plus but didn’t read that way, they seemed a lot more immature. Ashley and her mother didn’t have a good relationship and were just awful towards each other, and I didn’t like the instalove that happened between Ashley and Madigan.

A good book, but not great. It was and easy and enjoyable read, I just wanted more from it.

This book was amazing. It really surprised me. I never read a book like this, so well written and with fictional characters with a lot of maturity.
I adore the found family in this book and the way that communication was always a part of the characters and the book.
The plot and story of this books was so good and it talk about serious problems that a lot of people go through in life and how difficult the process is for both of the person and their families.
Ashley throughout the book gained her confidence and learner that it was best to let go of things that were in her past and that she could let her guard down and be vulnerable with someone.
Madigan, on the other hand was a mature person thanks to everything he had been through and learnt also that he needed to let of his mistakes in the past and understand that he didn't need to carry the burden alone, and also that he needed to stop being so hard on himself.
This two made each other better persons and their relationships was everything they needed.
I really adore this book with all of my heart.

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Come As You Are
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Book 1 of the Bluebird Basin series
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Jess K. Hardy
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Spicy Romance
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 1st November 2023
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 28th June 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.75/5

“But someone wise once told us—it might have been you, in fact—that hiding from life is not recovery. The freedom is in embracing life fully, the good, the bad,” Clay pointed at Kev, “and the ugly.”
Putting his cup back on the dresser next to Clay’s, Kev rolled his eyes.
“You’ve gotten pretty good at accepting the bad and the ugly,” Clay said, “but sometimes I wonder if you’re still afraid to embrace the good.”

This was a sweet and snowy romance that is sure to melt any frozen heart. Although the two main characters, Ashley and Madigan, meet at the beginning of the book and immediately have a spark lit under them, the actual romance itself is an intense slow burn that set my cheeks aflame.

One thing I loved about this novel is that the main characters are actually mature adults. Ashley is 46 whilst Madigan is 53. Yet the author doesn’t write as if having sex at this age is a weird and wonderful thing and belongs younger generations, she creates a congruent and mature romance where each character has baggage, insecurities, growth, and a fabulous chemistry that could cause an avalanche.

Come As You Are is also genuinely amusing. I loved the banter between Madigan and the men he looks after. The relationships between Ashley and her surrounding network are much more tense so Madigan definitely provided some light relief.

I would describe this book as medium paced but with high stakes. Ex-rockstar Madigan needs to keep himself and his men sober, and Ashley needs to stop her sleazy ex-husband from buying Bluebird Basin, the ski mountain she owns, which is easier said than done whilst her finances are in disarray.

Also here’s an appreciation comment for the pictures of the gent who inspired Madigan the author put in the goodreads reviews!

The topic of addiction is a deeply explored theme in this story and I thought it was done really well. All of the men are reaching for redemption and yet it’s acknowledged how difficult it is not just for the ones with the addiction, but for their families and loved ones too.

I’m excited for this to be a possible series?!

Thank you to the publishers & netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

—Kayleigh🤍
@ Welsh Book Fairy🧚‍♀️✨

Madigan, Madigan, Madigan, OOOOF. What a steamy, sensitive, MMC. He runs a sober living home after his own addictions while being a literal rock star. He apologizes, forgives, and gives world-rocking orgasms. What more can we want in a MCC?! I love Ashley’s brave, strong, and determined care for her family business. Both MMCs are in their late 40s/early 50s, so this appeals to a wider romance audience as well. Ashley is also finding true love after divorce. Cannot wait for book 2!!

Thank you Net Galley and Victory editing for providing me with a copy of this book for a honest review.

If I had to describe this book it would be: Come as you are is a story about giving yourself a second chance. In this story we follow Ashley as she’s struggling to make ends meet at her family’s ski hill. She employed through her mom, Madigan a recovered addict and his men to help through the season. Through ski lessons will feelings bloom? And will Ashley and Madigan save the ski hill?

Ashley was quite a good main character, but Madigan stole the show for me. He was so caring and nice and so open about his feelings that he blew me away.


I loved also the growth of Sam in particular. And Kev, Davis, Maude Alice and Clay also stole the show for me, the whole cast was great to follow through and the banter they brought, especially Kev, was chef’s kiss.

I loved the setting as well, as a mountain lover this was perfect. It really made me long for winter in the middle of summer.

This was such a nice story of moving on, giving yourself a second chance and letting yourself love again.

I recommend this if you’re into found family, mature relationship, great banter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pinkity Publishing for providing the ARC.

This book had a really interesting premise and I was happy to see Gen X get represented in a romance, since I feel that most romance books are about people in their late 20s-early 30s. It was refreshing to get a side of romance not often seen.

That said, I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, mostly due to their personalities. I thought Ashley was too uptight and when she did "let go" it wasn't believable. I thought Madigan was acting very naively for someone in his 50s. It just didn't sit well with me. Additionally there were some cringey dialogue choices that I really didn't jive with.

Overall, not a bad book, but also not my favorite.

I love that the characters of this book are ex cons and ex addicts, I have a lot of those in my life so it was nice to see that representation. I enjoyed the romance between Ashley and Madigan and in the background between other characters. It was fun to read about a ski resort, I’ve never been skiing so that was new to me. The sex scenes were steamy enough without being over the top. The characters were older than the typical books I read, in late 40s/early 50s, older than me in my early 30s, so that was interesting for me. I liked the characters a lot and would be open to reading more books about them, if the main characters were a different couple, that would make me more likely to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this arc. This story is incredible! It offers second chances and the character development was amazing throughout! It's a fast read and the spice didn't disappoint. There's representation for recovering addicts. I hope to see some other Blue Basin Romances in the future!

I flew through this book! OMG it was so romantic and cozy and it truly gave me all the feels! Matthew and Ashley had such great character development and amazing chemistry together! This book was great!

This book was really good. I really enjoyed the storyline it was done very well in my opinion. I liked the main characters however I feel like they could’ve had a little more depth to them. Sam was the main character to me and I want another book of him and Izzy please. Overall it was really good thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ashley and Madigan are the perfect combination with steamy scenes and plenty of chemistry.
But what I loved most about this book was the way it shows people's prejudices can make them miss out on some of the best opportunities and relationships in their lives.
I really also liked the way the author explored the mother/daughter relationship between Ashley and Maude Alice and how, once the parent you were close to is gone, how you maintain a good relationship with the one that is left.
It's an honest book, often funny and very entertaining. I'd love to read more from this author.

I love when I find new authors especially when I enjoy their book. This I found that I quite enjoyed and i seriously liked the characters being older seeing as we don't see that much in books. It was well written to have captivated me in the story. There was spice but it went great with the story. The characters were great and real in a sense, their growth was there. I enjoyed it.

A new author to me, Jess K Hardy knocked my socks off with this fresh new romance between two flawed, mature people. It has an original plot I haven’t seen before, centers around a ski mountain lodge and a group of recovering addicts in a realistic but positive way.

Ashley Scott is struggling to keep her family’s ski mountain lodge afloat when her mother hires Matthew Madigan and the residents of his sober living house to work during the ski season. Ashley’s narcissistic ex-husband is in the wings trying to buy out her mountain for cheap to impress his employers. Stir well and you have a recipe for disaster. It also was funny, sweet, and painful watching Ashley and Madigan navigate the rules of dating in today’s world while carrying lots of baggage from their old worlds.

This book wasn’t perfect, but it was smart and refreshing and this author will be on my radar going forward! Run, don’t walk to read this wonderful story! Many thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I gave it four stars!

This was so good. I was hesitant because I hate the gen x romance tag line, but I love my hags. It was so great seeing them both open themselves up to love again. I also love the found family in this.

I received an arc through netgalley.

What could an opinionated single mom, who had recently taken over the helm at her family’s ski resort, have in common with a sexy silver fox, mountain of a man who runs a sober living home? More than you could possibly imagine! “Come As You Are” is a charming story about the importance of family, trusting your heart to love again, and giving everyone a chance at a brighter future. I love Ashley and Madigan’s story of second chances, falling in love and coming together to create a magical place where dreams are made. Small town romances are always full of sweet and tender moments, special first dates and quiet nights by the fire.

Ashley has her work cut out for her as she desperately tries to run her family business in a way that would have made her late father proud. He was the heart and soul of the ski resort and she wished she could ask his advice just one more time. Her mother’s spur of the moment decision to hire men under Madigan’s care was way over the top, and if it wasn’t for her desperate need for employees, she wouldn’t have even considered it. Perhaps it was Madigan’s mesmerizing blue eyes and kind nature that sealed the deal for her. He was all man from his sexy grin, to the love he showed her dog Murphy, to the passion he has for the men he was helping. Madigan sounds like the perfect man for Ashley but she didn’t make it easy for him to win her heart.

.

I started this book at 3:00PM and I finished it at 10:15PM of the same day. I had it in my hand while I was making supper. While I folded laundry. I used text-to-speech so I could listen while I was driving and taking my dog for a walk. I was HOOKED.

Maybe it was the age of the characters. Maybe it was the mountains and the ski hill. Maybe it was the humanizing of addicts and ex-criminals. Maybe it was the mixtape. Maybe it was the St. Bernard. But there was *something* about this book that had me hooked and kicking my feet by page 22 (I literally made a note at page 22 that this was a highly potential 5-star read).

I will recommend this book to everyone that is looking for a light and captivating romance. Is there spice? Yes. But this is one of the few books that I can say the spice truly added to the story. There is character growth that happens within those scenes, they aren't just spice for spice's sake.

I really enjoyed this one! I haven't read any of Jess K Hardy's other books but I will definitely be checking them out after this one. Seeing the cover showing "Generation X Romance" intrigued me - that's my generation, and having characters around my own age and not early 20's (as most are these days), was more up my alley than everything else I've been reading.

I loved having the characters that were just a few years older than me instead of basically teeny boppers, who've experienced life and lived before internet, before so much technology - and darn it, who loved mixtapes! I also loved the ski hill aspect. My family had a cabin (sort of time-share aspect, but not totally, at Whistler Blackcomb) when I was a little kid, so going back to that locale brought me even further back to my childhood. I loved that main character Ashley was able to take her mother's advice and give the guys from the sober living home a chance and give them all jobs at the ski hill for the season, and that she enjoyed having them all around... and fell for the father of the home, sober former rockstar of the 80's, (Matt) Madigan. They were such an adorable pair! He helped her deal with her ex husband who was trying to be a bully.

It's just a great story overall, with so many feel-good moments. I definitely recommend it, especially to other Gen-X'ers like myself! There aren't really that many other romances with characters in the late 40's and 50's out there, but this one is fantastic. A solid 4-star read (potentially with a second read, I might bump it up higher than 4, but a solid 4 with a first read through).

I received an advance copy from Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op (Pinkity Publishing), and this is my honest feedback.