Book Review: Enemies Don’t (Fall in Love #2) by Leah Dobrinska

June 9, 2025April 26, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 293 pages
Author: Leah Dobrinska
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 9th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A heartfelt romantic comedy, loosely inspired by The Proposal.

Lost and guarded after getting out of a toxic relationship, Noli Kasper follows her older sisters to idyllic Cashmere Cove to get her life back on track. But when she’s pulled over on the way into town by a police officer who turns out to be her insufferable new boss, her dreams of an uncomplicated fresh start feel dead on arrival.

Collin Rattler has spent his whole life trying to live up to his cop dad’s expectations and reputation. Now, Collin has his sights set on earning the title of county sheriff—something even his father never accomplished. When early polls show Collin’s playboy habits are hurting his chances, his team makes a settle down with a nice, respectable woman for the year leading up to the election to prove he can commit. The problem? Collin doesn’t do relationships.

Yet when he lets slip his team’s preposterous plan to Noli, a woman he finds as self-righteous and enigmatic as she is beautiful, he’s not sure what’s more shocking—that she offers to help him or that he finds himself falling for her in the process.

Noli has her own reasons for saying yes to Collin’s fake-dating proposal. And when her past won’t leave her alone, she finds herself relying on Collin, a man she thought she despised, to see her through. But it’s all just a temporary, mutually beneficial arrangement, right?

Because enemies don’t fall in love…do they?

(Enemies Don’t is the second book in the Fall In Love series, which follows three sisters as they find love after moving across the country to the small town of Cashmere Cove, Wisconsin. This is a closed door romcom with plenty of sizzling chemistry and romantic tension, but no spice. Enemies Don’t is a standalone book, but it’s best enjoyed after reading Friends Don’t.)

SWOONY.

I liked this one a lot. After getting off on the wrong foot seeing Noli and Collin come together in a fake dating scheme brought out some fantastic banter and the forced proximity moments I crave.

I struggled with the time spread throughout the book. This book covers a whole year and chapters would jump to the next month or two with only a small nod towards what happened prior. I wish the time had been condensed a little more. There was still plenty of showing vs. telling, but I kept feeling like I was missing something.

Collin has lots of swoony moments though and I loved watching him fall in love. It’s tender and he didn’t even realize how much he cared. I loved when he and Noli had good communication lines and took the time to get to know eachother.

I also didn’t understand why Noli kept her secret for so long. If she had brought it up soon after realizing she could trust Collin I feel like it could have played off better. There’s a little dash of suspense to bring things all together and wrap things up well.

Looking forward to the next book!

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Violence: low
Content Warnings: An ex who is stalking and harassing Noli

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ARC Book Review: Seas the Dating Coach (Wilks Beach #1) by Laura Langa

June 6, 2025June 1, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 300 pages
Author: Laura Langa
Publisher: West East Publishing
Release Date: June 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Seizing the day is great—but snagging a dating coach is better.

All I wanted was to finally say hi to my longtime crush. Instead, I slipped on a puddle of coffee and landed in the arms of Finn Reynolds—the infuriatingly charming newcomer in town. When I tried again, I got utterly tongue-tied. Now I’m blushing, flustered, and somehow caught in Finn’s ridiculous proposition.

With plans to become our library’s next director, Finn has one major winning over the standoffish locals. If I agree to shift popular opinion in his favor, he’ll become my personal dating coach. I’m more fluent in fictional dukes than real-life flirting, but I’m also ready to step out of my shell.

As we navigate trial dates along the seaside and late-night pep talks, I start to feel more confident—more myself. And the way Finn looks at me? It’s impossible to ignore the sparks between us—or how sizzling those practice kisses are.

But Finn’s hiding a big secret—one that doesn’t stay buried for long. And the truth turns out to be a plot twist I definitely didn’t see coming.

Enjoy the playful banter and sizzling kisses of this dating coach, secret identity, small beach town, closed-door/kisses-only romance by grabbing your copy TODAY!

Seas the Dating Coach is the first book in the Wilks Beach Series, but can be read as a standalone.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

A SWEET READ.

For someone who is hit/miss on the dating coach trope I enjoyed this book a lot! I thought the banter and flirting were great and let me tell y’all, there were so many kissing scenes??? I love a a good heated kissing scene.

The relationship dynamics between Finn and Vivian were wonderful. I loved that they pushed each other to step outside comfort zones, lean on each other and find that strong bond of trust. I absolutely think these two have a HEA that surpasses the end of this book. There were multiple sweet and tender moments that made my heart squeeze.

I also really appreciated how the third act was handled as well as some of the background reveals between characters. Things could have easily gone sideways and blessed be, they did not. I love when characters communicate and trust the person they have gotten to know to explain themselves first before jumping to conclusions.

Laura Langa continues to deliver fantastic closed door romances.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Content warnings: a manipulative father

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ARC Book Review: Call of the Loon by K. Sinko

June 5, 2025May 31, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 286 pages
Author: K. Sinko
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 5th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s 2020. Tea Richards sold off all of her apartment furniture and watched her master’s graduation on Zoom, with no future job prospects and nowhere to go. Her mother is on the front lines working at hospitals to fight the disease, so going home to New Jersey wouldn’t be safe. Instead, her mother suggests joining her grandparents at their cabin up at Silver Falls in Minnesota for the summer, a place she has avoided since her last visit when she was eighteen. It’s the only choice she has, even if it forces her to finally face her grief. But at least there’s open air, blue skies, golden sunsets, and less people she’ll have to deal with.

Until the boy next door knocks on the screen door.

Archer Vincent has spent every summer at the lake helping his family run Wild Pines Resort, and this year is his first as the resort’s manager. But throw a global pandemic into the mix, and nothing seems to be going to plan. Especially now that Tea Richards is back for the summer, and even though he hasn’t seen her in years, his boyhood crush on her remains. Despite his best made plans to keep everyone at the resort safe, Archer can’t help breaking his own rules over and over again, all so he can get one step closer to the girl that got away.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

SUMMERTIME LOVE.

I loved how much this felt like SUMMER. It really made me want to run off and find a lake and sailboat to enjoy a hot day on the water. I love when a book can bring out such beautiful and engaging setting.

Having dual POV is always a bonus for me and I loved getting both Archer and Tea’s thoughts and mannerisms. I liked the instant rekindling of chemistry they had upon seeing each other and that they finally communicated a bit to be able to most forward from the past. I don’t love flashback chapters so it was great not to have those in this second chance romance. I felt like I still got the information I needed and it made the pacing much more smooth.

I just don’t think I was quite ready for a pandemic romance though. I don’t feel far enough removed from those years to be able to read about them. I do think the author wrote those aspects with care and mindfulness so that’s not an issue at all.

I love having heated closed door authors to read and K. Sinko continues to be a favorite. I always look forward to her characters, romance, and storylines.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: mild – moderate
Romance: vague/low explicit fade to black
Violence: low
Content Warnings; COVID pandemic, loss of a parent (recounted)

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ARC Book Review: The Friendship Fling by Georgia Stone

June 5, 2025May 20, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 385 pages
Author: Georgia Stone
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: June 3rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this delightfully charming and heartfelt debut love story, two lonely and wildly different strangers embark on a short-term friendship over one London summer—only to discover they may be something more by the time the season ends.

No one would ever call Ava Monroe a people person, which isn’t ideal for a barista in a busy London coffee shop. She’s sarcastic, blunt, and cynical, and her relationships are strictly no strings attached. With her best friend Josie soon leaving for a year, Ava knows she’ll be all alone unless she shakes up her routine. But she can’t risk bringing chance back into her carefully controlled life.

Then insufferably cheerful, country-hopping, undeniably gorgeous Finn O’Callaghan rolls into her coffee shop with a horrifying proposal —a strictly friends-only summer fling. Finn needs a local to help him complete his London bucket list, and Ava needs to reassure Josie she won’t be on her own. And it’s only for a few months.

To Ava’s surprise, their mismatched friendship of convenience becomes oddly tolerable, and as they work their way through Finn’s list and around the sun-drenched city, from rooftops and floating bars to nights at the museum, their adventures—and Finn’s company—start to feel . . . nice. Incredibly, terrifyingly, dangerously nice.

Still, rules are rules—Ava has good reasons for them—and as the days get shorter, Finn’s departure gets closer. Because that’s the thing about it always ends. Right?

Thank you Harper Perennial for the gifted copy.

CHARMING DEBUT.

Oh well this was a delight and I would definitely read another book from this author!! I felt like Ava and I were soul sisters so that really helped. Many of her characteristics were my vibe and personality which was fun to see in a book. I am not bubbly, neither is Ava. Give me more black cat book recs.

I really adored this that book went from strangers to friends to lovers. It is a SLOW BURN and we love slow burns. The plot is a little slow and I wanted something *else* for it but that was my only issue. I loved the strong friendships and positive communication throughout. The third act works for the book and did not make me cranky so this book gets all the points for that fact alone.

I loved that it was dual POV and getting to know both Ava and FInn. I LOVED Finn too. Both characters have great arcs about learning to step outside comfort zones, make boundaries for family and finding what’s next in life. It’s charming and sweet and a little spicy.

Overall audience notes: