Author: Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin
Series: Townsend Harbor Series book #1
Category: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
"'Maiden, mother, virgin, whore. They don't write our stories anymore..." Cady began. 'Vampires, lairds, pirates, earls - we're taking smut back for the girls.'"
It’s fall, and nothing feels like a more cozy setting than a bookstore in a small town. Add in a taxidermized raven, a mysterious phone caller with a sexy voice, and some light breaking and entering, and you've got the perfect book for autumn. It was a joy to read and review this book!
Cady's life had been overwhelming after her aunt recently passed, leaving her a bookstore she doesn't know if she legally owns. Though she had friends in good places, she was also considered an outsider in the town, having only been there since she was 16. Some nefarious town residents had it out for her, and Cady needed to decide who to trust.
Fox was the bright spot for Cady, although he considered himself the villain. With deep scars due to his military background, he was desperate to be close to Cady but so afraid of hurting her or asking her to deal with his demons. Fox was the most honorable kind of quasi-stalker, determined to keep her safe, which included safe from him.
"The fact that she was head-to-toe covered still didn't save him from being nine kinds of pervy fuck-knuckle for staring at an unsuspecting woman through his PVS-7 Focus Range Night Vision tactical binoculars. But how else was he to gather intel on her interior layout and monitor every person who dared to approach the shop day or night?" - Fox
Fox and Cady had explosive chemistry, sign me up for Fox's brand of phone sex, please! Though Fox pushed her away time and time again, Cady was no meek woman. She was kind to a fault but wasn't afraid to fight for what she wanted. Fox didn't have a prayer in the world once Cady decided he was hers, the bewildered man thought he was in charge when he was at the mercy of her love.
"'Your truth isn't mine. You don't get to tell me what my truth is.'" - Cady
The small-town vibes set in the PNW were a perfect setting for this bookstore. I adored all of the gossiping kooky residents, almost as much as the idea of my very own "bare naked book club". Townsend Harbor had secrets, and while some were small and predictable, others gave the story enough of a twist to keep me guessing.
Tropes and Themes: Small Town, Grumpy x Sunshine, Damaged Hero, Friends to Lovers, Mystery, Military Veteran.
Blurb
Cadence “Cady” Bloomquist knows two things for sure: First, shelving books at her shop, Nevermore Bookstore, totally counts as cardio. Second, staying late every Thursday night to take a certain mysterious customer’s order is not the same as waiting by the phone for some man.
Until.
Until the calls with the man who identifies himself only as “Fox” last for hours, and become the highlight of her week. Which leaves her to wonder, if his jagged velvet voice can kindle her fire over the phone, what sort of alchemy might it inspire if they met in person?
There’s nothing Roman Fawkes wants more than the brilliant, beautiful bookstore owner, but Roman Fawkes knows it can never happen. Secreted in his mountain hideaway high above sleepy little Townsend Harbor, his hermit’s existence shields him–and those around him–from the pain of his past.
Until.
Until one of their weekly calls is interrupted by a break-in, and Fawkes is powerless to protect the woman who has become his one link to the world. Orchestrating a trap for the fool who dared harm her, Fawkes finds himself not just ensnared, but beguiled by her. Now so close to Cady, he discovers she’s fallen for “Fox”, and yet he’s unable to reveal her heart’s desire is closer than she thinks.
Can Fawkes resist the temptation to get between Cady’s covers, knowing they’ll never have a happily ever after?
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