Wednesday 29 November 2023

[Review] THIS CAN'T BE GOODBYE (Bower Boys, #0.5) by Kelly Siskind

Source: Received an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: November 29, 2023
Number of Pages: 147 (Kindle)

DESCRIPTION

She's the bane of my existence and the last woman I should want.
Then why does learning we can't be together damn near shred my heart?


Naomi James holds a grudge like it’s an Olympic competition.

She’s always in front of me in line for our coffees, going out of her way to annoy me—not advancing when she should, paying in pennies and nickels—all because I did something stupid seven years ago.

Even worse, the slope of her long neck and smell of her tropical perfume drives me to distraction.

Apparently, my body didn’t get the we-hate-Naomi memo.

She’s so aggravating, I have half a mind to quit frequenting my favorite coffee shop. Until I discover why she's harbored a grudge this long.

Now all bets are off, because hell . She thinks I said awful things about her, which I most certainly did not, and I can’t live with this misunderstanding. Or how often she invades my dreams. Or the fact that I’ve wanted her for seven years.

But just when Naomi looks ready to forgive me and admit she’s angry because she cares, any future together gets ripped away from us…

THIS CAN'T BE GOODBYE is a prequel to the Bower Boys series, complete with its own swoony HEA! Previously titled 5 Tricks to Seducing Your Enemy , it has been re-written to include both points of view and extra scenes. If you love small town romance, enemies to lovers banter, feel good sighs, and face fanning spice, you'll devour this book.

B U Y   L I N K S:
Amazon US
| Amazon Canada
(Available for purchase or in Kindle Unlimited.)


REVIEW

I remember reading THIS CAN'T BE GOODBYE back when it was first called 5 TRICKS TO SEDUCING YOUR ENEMY! If I remember correctly, it was originally released through Kelly Siskind's newsletter and I loved it so, so much! It made me so excited to start the Bower Boys series, and now here we are, full circle, with it being revised and re-released just in time to wrap up the series! 

I was so happy to get the chance to read this story again and to have even more of Avett and Naomi's story! Their banter was amazing and I looooooved their enemies to lovers dynamic! It was so lovely to see how their relationship transitioned through the story, and I loved seeing where they ended up...I also love the little teases to the first book in the series, 50 WAYS TO WIN BACK YOUR LOVER. This is such a wonderful introduction to Kelly's Bower Boys series and it'll definitely have you excited for more books set in the world of Windfall!

 Overall, I thought that THIS CAN'T BE GOODBYE was fabulous and the revisions that Kelly made to it made it even better! It's a great way to introduce yourself to the world of Windfall, a great spicy and sweet read if you just want something quick, and a fabulous way to go back and revisit the world of Windfall one last time like I did! While it's much shorter than the rest of the series since it's a novella, it's still a lovely story and I highly recommend it...and then if you haven't read any of the Bower Boys books yet....I highly suggest you just keep going. ;)

Star Rating: ★★★★★


 
What do you think?
 
Are you ready to travel to Windfall and get started with Kelly Siskind's Bower Boys series?


Wednesday 15 November 2023

[Review] 7 STEPS TO SEDUCING YOUR FAKE FIANCE (Bower Boys, #5) by Kelly Siskind

Source: Received an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: November 15, 2023
Number of Pages: 341 (Kindle)

DESCRIPTION

What’s worse than being fake engaged to a woman who despises you?
Falling head over heels for her.


Larkin Gray hates me with the fire of ten thousand suns.

We haven’t seen each other in twelve years, but she’s still furious with me for breaking a promise to her…and she’s even prettier than I remember.

But there’s no undoing the damage I caused.

Since I can’t make amends, I avoid her lethal glare at all costs. Until I stumble upon her lying about having a fiancĂ© to her ex, and I lose my ever-loving mind. Suddenly, I’m introducing myself as her betrothed and getting us invited to his wedding.

Predictably, Larkin is intent on making my life miserable, except this barbed banter is kind of fun. And the more time we spend together, the more we discover we have in common.

Then she kisses me to prove our relationship status and I damn near lose my heart.

I’m ready to go all in with Larkin, but she’s not the only one I hurt twelve years ago. Her intimidating brother has every reason to hate me too and doesn’t want me touching his sister. But my lips and tongue don’t count as hands. Right?

Trigger warning: Physical and emotional abuse. It’s also recommended that you read book four in the Bower Boys series, 4 HINTS YOU LOVE YOUR BEST FRIEND, before reading this heart-gripping story.

B U Y   L I N K S:
Amazon US
| Amazon Canada | Barnes & Noble


REVIEW

It’s hard to believe that with 7 STEPS TO SEDUCING YOUR FAKE FIANCE we’ve hit the final book in the Bower Boys series!

I have absolutely loved this series from the very first moment we entered Windfall, and it has been so fun getting to see these characters over and over again…and I’ve really loved that we’ve gotten to see the brothers all find love.

I’m a huge fan of companion series, and the sort of small-town setup that Kelly Siskind has created in the Bower Boys series is my kryptonite! I loved that we got to see our favourite characters come back, and I loved seeing the background characters and the town as a whole as it evolved throughout the series! I loved so many of the side characters and Windfall truly feels like a home away from home…and the Bowers feel like family! I’m going to miss them all so much, and you can bet I’ll be revisiting them again!

Jake was quite the mystery for the first chunk of this series since we didn’t see much of him and Cal at first (Cal’s book was the one before this one, 4 HINTS YOU LOVE YOUR BEST FRIEND) , but the more we saw of Jake, the more I wanted to know! I loved how he took care of his family and how we could see that underneath the pillar of strength he presented, there was a bit of darkness and angst that needed to come out! I really loved Larkin’s sass and her banter with Jake was phenomenal--I was constantly laughing, swooning, and smiling at their antics, and it was seriously so fun to see their story unfold…especially after being teased about the drama between them in the last book! I loved that we got a peek into how their story began and how it unfolded so wonderfully…also Jake was such a cinnamon roll and I was 100% here for it! I’ve loved every single one of the Bower brothers…but Jake definitely has a soft spot in my heart and I wanted to give him the biggest of hugs!

This book was packed full of soooo many wonderful tropes--we’ve got our cinnamon roll hero who falls first, a fake engagement, enemies to lovers, all the small-town vibes, and some absolutely hilarious brotherly antics!

Overall, I loved 7 STEPS TO SEDUCING YOUR FAKE FIANCE! Jake and Larkin were wonderful, and along with loving their romance, I really enjoyed the story! It’s been a pleasure getting to know all of the Bowers and their lovely hometown, Windfall! If you haven’t started this series, I highly recommend that you do…especially since Kelly is about to re-release an expanded and re-written version of a prequel novella, THIS CAN’T BE GOODBYE (previously 5 TRICKS TO SEDUCING YOUR ENEMY), in just a couple of weeks! If you’re a fan of sweet, swoony, enticing romances with a nice level of spice, I highly recommend the Bower Boys series…and Kelly’s other books too because she’s absolutely fabulous!

Star Rating: ★★★★★


 
What do you think?
 
Does 7 STEPS TO SEDUCING YOUR FAKE FIANCE sound like a book you'd like?
Have you started the Bower Boys series yet?