4 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I’ve wanted you every minute of every day since I met you.”

Built to Last is the third instalment in the adult contemporary romance series, Park Avenue Promise. Each follows separate couples so you do not need to read them in order but it can help with side characters - I personally have not read books 1 and 2. Written in dual first person POV, the story follows Harper and Reid, a contractor and designer who clash during the restoration of Harper’s friend's Brownstone of Park Avenue (which also happens to have a sentimental place in her heart).

See Harper is hired by her best friend to take on a contract job for their childhood dream house and said friend also wants to use this project to kickstart her new production company and Harper is oh so happy to help out, especially if it gets her away from her overbearing family attempting to take down the family development business she is keeping afloat. What she wasn't expecting was that the designer of the project, known for his own previous tv show, would threaten the classical feel of the building with a push for functionality.

Yet as they two continue to bicker and fight a connection grows and suddenly they don't appear to be too far apart in what they want...except can they build a future when the past seems to want to draw them back to square one?

This book surprised me in such a good way.

Harper has spent her life trying to please her family to no avail because she refuses to be the picturesque bride/mother her mom dreams of. On top of that she has spent years trying to save her family's business after her father's death reveals the questionable things he was doing with the money for the family (the IRS was none too pleased). I enjoyed seeing her stand up to her family and make her position clear even as they try to tear her down. She struggles because she wants their acceptance but her morality keeps her from giving in.

Reid does not start this story on a positive note with Harper but dang does he try to grovel afterwards. He has an air of confidence and comes from privilege but as time progresses we realize there are costs to his life and he has a few secrets I really felt for. I liked seeing him come to support Harper and truly work with her rather than against. She resists him a lot and he refuses to back down.

In terms of spice we get a couple scenes so I would place it at 2 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. It is a medium burn romance with angst initially as they are rivals. The romance unveils well and once they are together it was a BLAST because they worked so well together. The spice is detailed and explicit and I like how their first moment has a fun twist to it.

The story itself takes a bit to pick up but then gradually forms into a story I was not expecting and I loved it. I felt Harper's resistance initially did slow down the story for me but once Harper and Reid become a team we see a lot of movement. The banter of friendship also adds to the story and there is some ex drama for Reid while Harper handles family drama... until the end. I wanted to smack a certain character for holding something in for so long but I give them credit for speaking up eventually. There are fun twists and turns in the story that keep you on your toes - especially around the changes to the Brownstone. The ending is sweet and brought things all together...I just wanted more of Harper and Reid together.

Overall, I had fun with this! I am definitely curious about the rest of this series!

Thank you to Get Red PR for this arc!

I am a huge fan of Lexi Blake’s books and love that she writes different genres and tropes. This is a contemporary romance taking place in NYC and is the third book in this series. 3 girls, best friends go into business together to renovate a mansion while on a reality house remodel type show. Harper is a builder having learned from her dad, and she is the contractor for the house and show. Her bestie Ani is directing the show, and Ivy helps with the backstage duties and is a great hacker. Jefferson and Reid are brothers who have been brought in to help design the house for the new owners. Sparks fly between Reid and Harper, at first contentious but soon much more. Love these characters and loved the storyline. Just what I needed.

it didn't hook me from the start and usually when that happens i won't be interested. i dnf'ed this about 20% through. i couldnt get into it.

The final one on of the trio of best friends, Harper finds her one. I struggled with this story because of how much I hated Harper's family. Instead of a supportive family, she was always not enough because she didn't come with a twig and berries. Her father and uncle made grave mistakes with their family by letting them live above their means. I am completely baffled by a family that doesn't understand the IRS and thinks they can just not pay taxes.

The majority of the story, I wanted to rage and beat on the people hurting Harper. The number one target would be her mother. What a sorry excuse of a human being. I loathed her. Every word out of Harper's mother's mouth were sharp and designed for maximum damage. I cannot understand treating a child borne of one's body in this manner. I wanted Harper to walk away from all this toxicity. She has created her own family through friends. The stark contrast between Harper's mom and the other "moms" makes it that much more painful to witness.

Reid's past is not pretty either. I am not won over with his treatment of Harper either. Their interactions turn me off. Reid's words and actions are hurtful. I felt ill at easy for them. I don't know that I would like a relationship like theirs. Nor do I believe it will last, even after the reveals plus the ending. Basically this is a story of non ending family drama and dysfunction.

I did love the ending and I am happy to have anticipated it. The ending is sweet and lovely. This contemporary romance is recommended to readers who enjoy enemies to lovers theme.

The characters in this story are so much fun. This book is a funny, sweet and emotional all the things a good romance book should be. I really enjoyed it.

This book was amazing. It was well written and the plot was definitely interesting. Lexi Blake is dead my new favorite writer. Built to last for me was emotional and heartfelt story.

Building a romance.
What a wonderful way to end a series. Harper and Reid really had the grumpiest of grumps down. No ray of sunshine here. They butt heads in such a heated, smoldering fashion. There was a great naturalness that came from their relationship. I enjoyed the way their relationship came together and how all their connecting friendships tied in. Their budding romance didn’t get lost in the existing friendships. The story was still solely about them growing together and helping each other reach new self-awareness and happiness.

Really loved the idea of an enemies-to-lovers renovation project! I was a little disappointed that the main focus was on the project rather than the romance, but it was still interesting. I also loved how her friends played a part in it, but I didn't have to read their books to understand their relationship and enjoy their characters. I found Harper to be a little more deeper of a character than Reid, but still enjoyed their chemistry!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the Advanced Reader copy! 💕

A fitting ending to a fun series!

Harper and Reid's story is an antagonists-to-lovers story with another "reality" TV twist--this one's a home reno series rather than a dating show. It's about friendship and found family and of course, finding your HEA with the one person who is meant for you.

Restoring a Guilded Age brownstone has long been a dream of Harper's--but she didn't quite anticipate all the challenges it would bring, primarily from her day job (working for her family's construction company) and the annoyingly hot designer she's been forced to work with to do it. And all that's before they open up the mansion walls and see the disaster that is the building's electricity...

But there's more to Reid than meets the eye, and the secret he's hiding could bring everything crashing down around them (though hopefully not the house? That, at least appears to be in good repair at last) Harper needs to find the courage to fight for herself and her relationship with Reid to find the HEA she deserves--the HEA that the 3 BFFs have been working toward their whole lives.

Spoiler alert: she does!

The third book in the series, Built to Last builds upon the stories that came before and they all should really be read in order to get the greatest impact.

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Built to Last is the third book of Lexi Blakes Park Avenue promise series and follows Harper Ross and Reid Dorsey. An enemies to lovers romance that gives total romcom vibes. Lexi Blake is a master of mixing spice, banter, and characters that you can’t help but to fall in love with.

Harper is a CEO of her family’s construction company and has the weight of her entire family and their backwards way of thinking upon her shoulders. Read is an interior designer who used to have a design show with his brother. We have heard of grumpy crossed with sunshine or what about grumpy crossed with grumpy. That’s what Harper and Reid are to one another but yet there is an indescribable and unmistaken attraction that the two share. However, both of them are hardheaded and want to have their way. Harper feels that her dream of her storing this brownstone is falling through the cracka. Harper believes that reads designs take away from the historic value of the home while Reid is doing and continuing changing and adapting to what the owner of the home wants. They have two completely different styles and you could see how they would naturally butt heads.
.
Lexi Blake delivers a lighthearted and snarky banter, romance that we can all sync our teeth into.

Built to Last is about the last friend of three who made a pact in high school to remain friends forever and to make it big in Manhattan.

In previous books, we’ve met Ivy and Ani. Now, it’s Harper’s turn. Harper Ross is the CEO of her family’s construction company. She’s worked hard to keep the company afloat after the family mismanaged funds. She wants to work on renovation Banover Place, a Gilded Age property. But she’s clashing with the designer on the project.

Reid Dorsey is the designer on the Banover project. He and his brother Jeremiah used to have a renovation show but it got canceled after his accident.

Harper and Reid clash at every turn especially after Reid left a not so great first impression. As their story continues, the two enemies warm up to each other and become more than friends. As they’re working on their project together, something threatens its success and they have to find a way to save it.

I really loved this book. I felt you could see Harper grow through out this story. Where she discovers that she can live her own life and not feel like she has to take on all the responsibilities of her family. You can see her character develop and mature.

And I’m excited to see the conclusion to the series and the friends all get their happy ending

*~* Most Likely to Hook Me to a Series *~*

I didn't read the first two books in this series, so I know that I missed out on a lot of backstory between the characters, however, I still really enjoyed this story.
Harper and Reid both had quirks and passion that made their tension so delicious and their story so sweet. I loved the friendships that Harper had with the ladies and the layers that Reid had with his hobbies.
I think I want to read the first two books and then come back to this one and I'm sure I would love it even more but it was a solid read.

Thank you to Net Galley, Blue Box Press, and Lexi Blake for an eARC of this story.

t starts off a little slow, but it comes around. It's a cute little enemies to lovers romance. Lots of banter and snark, and I really liked that. I think the plot was predictable, but not in a bad way. It was a cute and fun read. Although this can be read as a standalone, the side characters do come from the previous two books so it helps to know their stories while reading this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Built to Last” – or how to fall in love one sarcastic insult at a time 🛠️💘
Enemies-to-lovers renovation edition? Sign me the heck up. This was like Fixer Upper meets You’ve Got Mail, with a dash of New York sass and a whole lotta sexual tension over floorplans.
Harper is the queen of power tools, sass, and ambition, trying to build her father's legacy one brownstone at a time. Reid is the polished, bougie designer with just enough brooding energy to make me roll my eyes and fan myself at the same time. Together? Instant chaos. The bickering? Chef's kiss. The tension? Basically another supporting character.
Do I care that I saw every plot twist coming? Absolutely not. Sometimes you want the grilled cheese of books—warm, predictable, and exactly what you needed.
Bonus points for:
🏡 Found family energy
📺 A home reno reality show I’d 100% binge
🖤 A hero who learns to love messy (emotionally and structurally)
👷 A heroine who swings hammers and never backs down

I truly enjoyed how this story blends ambition, friendship, and romance into a rich and heartfelt package. The writing is warm and engaging, capturing the complexity of chasing success while learning to open your heart. It left me feeling inspired and invested in every page.

🍿 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: I love the Park Avenue Promise series and knew I was in for a treat with Built to Last. Lexi Blake knows how to blend humor and serious topics perfectly and this was no exception!

🤩 𝚃͏𝚑͏𝚎͏ 𝙱͏𝚎͏𝚜͏𝚝͏ 𝙱͏𝚒͏𝚝͏𝚜͏: The strong female friendships are one of the best parts about this book, and I love that this time we got Harper’s story. Reid Dorsey has some serious Mr. Darcy vibes (and note that last name! 👀), and while he is a bit of a jerk to start, we quickly learn he is actually a sweetheart. The romance was fiery with tension and the crescendo is a little spicy without being over the top. Just the way I like my romance!

🎧 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃: Kitty Bang has narrated all 3 of the books in this series and while it would be nice to get a different narrator for each (different MC’s and all) she does a really great job. Her pacing does feel off throughout which bugged me a tiny bit, but it wasn’t horrible. Plus, her narration for the characters is just so dang good.

💭 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴: I loved that Blake tackled some major topics in a way that ultimately made me cry, and this was definitely an emotional read to say the least. Every character feels fully developed and each of these ladies is unapologetically themselves which makes for some empowering reading. You don’t need to read this series in order, but I would recommend it to get maximum characterization.

T͏h͏i͏s͏ B͏o͏o͏k͏ i͏n͏ 5͏ E͏m͏o͏j͏i͏’s͏ o͏r͏ L͏e͏s͏s͏: 🔨🏪😂🥃🥺

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 🌶️

I didn’t read the other books before this one. So this one can most definitely be read as a stand-alone. After reading this one though, I need to go back and read the other girls story. That’s how much I really liked/enjoyed this one. Harper and Reid Are both grumpy and it fit them perfectly. I loved their banter and always love a story that will have me giggling. There is so much more to their story, but you will have to read it to find out.

this book was okay, i liked the premesis but it didnt give what i wanted. the book felt too insta-lovely and the story was boring at times

This opposites-attract romance set against the backdrop of a luxe Park Avenue renovation delivers both style and substance. Harper and Reid are a delightfully fiery pair—equal parts stubborn and talented—with chemistry that builds naturally from tension to tenderness.

The setting is vivid, the banter snappy, and the slow-burn romance satisfying. While the conflict resolution feels a bit rushed, the journey is fun, full of ambition, friendship, and just the right dose of emotional depth.

A feel-good read perfect for fans of smart, career-driven love stories with a HGTV twist.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this early

In Built to Last, the emotional final installment of the Park Avenue Promise series, Lexi Blake delivers a powerful story of healing, forgiveness, and enduring love. The journey is heartfelt and deeply human, filled with Blake’s signature warmth, wit, and emotional complexity. A moving conclusion to a series about friendship, resilience, and love that stands the test of time.