I fealt like the story went a bit fast in places and fealt like some bits were missing even after reading the updated version.
However the story was good to see the realtionship between the 2 grow gave you a loveley feeling and the kids were awesome I loved the interactoons and really fealt connected to the characters which i feel is often hard to do.

i would read another book by this author...

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The beginning was so good!! The banter was good, the plot was good, the characters were good! I liked their relationship, mystery and scandal. However, it kind of fell apart towards the end. There were some plot holes that were never answered. The bantering vanished and it felt a little rushed. Overall, it was a good read! I would read more from this author.

When I first started this book, I was hooked! I thought the banter was great and they had great chemistry, and I loved how they fell into the fake engagement even though they were in a very real relationship. That is not typically how fake engagements start in the books I’ve read, and I loved this had a different element. I loved how we got a side story of the sons love interest and budding relationship. I also loved it because it had an element of mystery and small-town government scandal.

Then it all went so wrong at about 50%.... He made a mistake when his past came to haunt him, she walked off flipping him the bird and he said “I’ve got to make it right” but then we get no resolution. The next chapter they are back to being business as usual. There was no closure to the scandal, it was a big side story, and we had zero answers to what really happened. I was ultimately left with more questions than answers.

This didn’t affect my rating, but I was also disappointed with the spice level. The first make out session had more heat and descriptors than the actual spicy scenes.

this book felt like it had an extra layer to the romance genre. it was so much about trying and finding who you are and accepting that person with your whole heart. you live your own truth and that you can do so no matter what you have been through to get there. and if you are a good person, you dont need to be everyone's perfection. you come as you are and that is enough. and in doing so you will often find someone loves you just as much as that person you really are. when you let facades fall you can be find just as you are.
our two main characters sparked off eachother really well. they didnt try to force or change anything. and they new whatever it was to come they could both face it. but sometimes doing so together isnt so bad either.

The book started off really well. I felt the banter was really good and it held my attention. As the book continued, I felt the dialogue was lacking and there should have been more. The conversations did not make and it seemed like there was something missing. I got half way through the book and became confused. It was clear the season were changing but there is nothing said to indicate that. The MMC states at the end of one chapter that he's going to make things right with the FMC but the next chapter makes no mention of it. The writing felt rushed which lead to lacking character dialogue and a confusing timeline.