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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
The tension between these two was elite! I loved how their story unfolded.
So annoyed as per usual. The MFC was still immature even though she acted tough (which is never my favorite thing). And the amount of miscommunication grated my nerves.
I picked up this book because it’s supposed to be a surprise pregnancy romance, but I’m at 51% through with no pregnancy yet and I’m skimming a lot of it, so I’m out
⋆｡°✩ Spoiler Free Reviews ⋆｡°✩
I was kindly provided with this book (censorship is BS and I hate it but here we are!)
An eagerly awaited ARC and so glad I finally got to read it!
The plot - This is a divorced, second chance romance with small town lumberjack vibes. Very much workplace, boss X employee, pregnancy romance. Smut was 2.5/5 on the spice scale. Oh and it’s a HEA in a series of interconnected standalones.
Did I mention that a good 60% of the book focuses on pregnancy? Because I know some of you hate that. I loved how it played out, I loved getting the history and the groundwork first and THEN the shock, I loved the ending and the way it all tied together. Such a cute mf couple!
The MC - Chloe is what dampened my love for this book. I get that she’s Ms Independent, I get that SHE DON’T NEED NO MAN. But also? You lowkey do. You’ve got no clue what you’re doing (he’s an expert), you’re terrified of everything.. Just ask the damned man for help and show some humility. Screamed spoilt rich girl and was lowkey annoying.
The male counterpart - Gus was also an ass, my dislike of Chloe has nothing to do with misogyny, he’s also a prick for not communicating and expecting Chloe to jump back into his life because he said he’d change. But at least he did put in work. Points for effort, even if its minimal.
I was kindly provided with this book (censorship is BS and I hate it but here we are!)
An eagerly awaited ARC and so glad I finally got to read it!
The plot - This is a divorced, second chance romance with small town lumberjack vibes. Very much workplace, boss X employee, pregnancy romance. Smut was 2.5/5 on the spice scale. Oh and it’s a HEA in a series of interconnected standalones.
Did I mention that a good 60% of the book focuses on pregnancy? Because I know some of you hate that. I loved how it played out, I loved getting the history and the groundwork first and THEN the shock, I loved the ending and the way it all tied together. Such a cute mf couple!
The MC - Chloe is what dampened my love for this book. I get that she’s Ms Independent, I get that SHE DON’T NEED NO MAN. But also? You lowkey do. You’ve got no clue what you’re doing (he’s an expert), you’re terrified of everything.. Just ask the damned man for help and show some humility. Screamed spoilt rich girl and was lowkey annoying.
The male counterpart - Gus was also an ass, my dislike of Chloe has nothing to do with misogyny, he’s also a prick for not communicating and expecting Chloe to jump back into his life because he said he’d change. But at least he did put in work. Points for effort, even if its minimal.
Friends, we are here! We are getting the whole scoop and nothing but the scoop on Gus and Chloe! And it’s gooooooooooooood.
Pain in the Axe picks up where we left off - the sale of Hebert Timber to Chloe LeBlanc, ruthless business woman, spitfire, and Gus Hebert’s ex-wife. She is smart, principled, funny, and still nursing a broken heart, though she swears she is over Gus and their break-up from 20 years ago. Her revenge tactic is air tight - buy Gus’s company, force him to work for her, and break him like he broke her 2 decades ago. The only problem? Gus isn’t some washed up shell of a man - he’s still the strong, stoic, sexy lumberjack he was when they were kids. Only now he’s all man. And when stuck working together, they both realize that the spark and the heat and attraction is still crackling between them.
“Either you want to climb me like a tree, or you want to punish me.” Gus Hebert (page 54)
Um…yes. Yes, Gus. Absolutely.
There is tons of heat - the spice starts earlier in this book than in any of Daphne Elliot’s other novels! And let me tell you - as a woman over 40 married to a man over 40, I was living for the fact that our MMC and FMC are in their 40s and were real people. Chloe struggles with what so many of us struggle with - having a career and kids, being a strong woman who can do everything on her own and also sometimes wanting help. It’s such a weird tight rope that so many of us walk and to see it on the page so eloquently written and understood is why I love Daphne Elliot and her books. I get lost in the Maine Woods, feeling Chloe’s pain, frustration, loss, and lust. Not to mention, her house on the lake is GOALS.
“His proximity was causing some kind of hormonally-induced psychosis.” Chloe LeBlanc (page 54)
Same, girl, same.
Does this novel have all the spicy sassy scenes we expect and love in Daphne’s books? Absolutely: plenty of axe-wielding, wood-chopping, flannel-wearing candy? Of COURSE. But Pain in the Axe also delves into family dynamics and how they can trap us. This book explores grief - not just for those who have died but also the grief of expectation vs reality. The grief of relationships that weren’t what we had hoped, of the fallibility of parents and the disappointment of those truths. And the grief of letting go of who you wanted to be and the acceptance of who you are. And the beauty in this grief and discovery. This book is an exploration in personal evolution with steam and lumberjacks and the continuation of our crime mystery!
Thank you, Daphne. From this first-born daughter, thank you for delivering another novel that touches readers emotionally and gives us the characters and spice we love. I can’t wait for the next installment of the Hebert family!
PS The Clive Saga continues. And gives me the giggles. As someone involved in a very unsatisfying war with a groundhog named David, any scene with Clive is a scene that tickles.
I received an advance review copy for free from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.
Pain in the Axe picks up where we left off - the sale of Hebert Timber to Chloe LeBlanc, ruthless business woman, spitfire, and Gus Hebert’s ex-wife. She is smart, principled, funny, and still nursing a broken heart, though she swears she is over Gus and their break-up from 20 years ago. Her revenge tactic is air tight - buy Gus’s company, force him to work for her, and break him like he broke her 2 decades ago. The only problem? Gus isn’t some washed up shell of a man - he’s still the strong, stoic, sexy lumberjack he was when they were kids. Only now he’s all man. And when stuck working together, they both realize that the spark and the heat and attraction is still crackling between them.
“Either you want to climb me like a tree, or you want to punish me.” Gus Hebert (page 54)
Um…yes. Yes, Gus. Absolutely.
There is tons of heat - the spice starts earlier in this book than in any of Daphne Elliot’s other novels! And let me tell you - as a woman over 40 married to a man over 40, I was living for the fact that our MMC and FMC are in their 40s and were real people. Chloe struggles with what so many of us struggle with - having a career and kids, being a strong woman who can do everything on her own and also sometimes wanting help. It’s such a weird tight rope that so many of us walk and to see it on the page so eloquently written and understood is why I love Daphne Elliot and her books. I get lost in the Maine Woods, feeling Chloe’s pain, frustration, loss, and lust. Not to mention, her house on the lake is GOALS.
“His proximity was causing some kind of hormonally-induced psychosis.” Chloe LeBlanc (page 54)
Same, girl, same.
Does this novel have all the spicy sassy scenes we expect and love in Daphne’s books? Absolutely: plenty of axe-wielding, wood-chopping, flannel-wearing candy? Of COURSE. But Pain in the Axe also delves into family dynamics and how they can trap us. This book explores grief - not just for those who have died but also the grief of expectation vs reality. The grief of relationships that weren’t what we had hoped, of the fallibility of parents and the disappointment of those truths. And the grief of letting go of who you wanted to be and the acceptance of who you are. And the beauty in this grief and discovery. This book is an exploration in personal evolution with steam and lumberjacks and the continuation of our crime mystery!
Thank you, Daphne. From this first-born daughter, thank you for delivering another novel that touches readers emotionally and gives us the characters and spice we love. I can’t wait for the next installment of the Hebert family!
PS The Clive Saga continues. And gives me the giggles. As someone involved in a very unsatisfying war with a groundhog named David, any scene with Clive is a scene that tickles.
I received an advance review copy for free from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.
This was a cute read i liked the accidental pregnancy plot and the way the author wrote it. The fmc and mmc were previously married but separated and got divorced on bad terms. Years later the fmc is back in the small Maine town and has bought the lumber company the mmc ran.
I loved the fmc especially when she came in all ready to run and give it to her ex. Even thought they both don’t like each other because of the past they have that instant chemistry and have a one night stand. Before she found out she was pregnant i liked the time they were spending together and how it brought them closer. The pregnancy plot was later on and i liked how they both navigated it. The mini mystery plot trying to see who was trying to destroy the lumber business was also interesting. Overall a good read i liked that the characters were mature and in their late 30s early 40s.
Read for:
- Small town romance
- mystery subplot
- Accidental pregnancy
- Divorced mc’s
- Steamy scenes
I loved the fmc especially when she came in all ready to run and give it to her ex. Even thought they both don’t like each other because of the past they have that instant chemistry and have a one night stand. Before she found out she was pregnant i liked the time they were spending together and how it brought them closer. The pregnancy plot was later on and i liked how they both navigated it. The mini mystery plot trying to see who was trying to destroy the lumber business was also interesting. Overall a good read i liked that the characters were mature and in their late 30s early 40s.
Read for:
- Small town romance
- mystery subplot
- Accidental pregnancy
- Divorced mc’s
- Steamy scenes
2.5 Revenge Stars - ARC Review
I really couldn't wait to read Gus's book, after that huge cliffhanger from the first book. But sadly this one just wasn't for me.
I really couldn't wait to read Gus's book, after that huge cliffhanger from the first book. But sadly this one just wasn't for me.
4.5 ⭐️ I am going to eat up an accidental pregnancy trope, every single time, and this was no exception. Gus and Chloe were so cute, and had so much chemistry! Gus was obsessed, and I loved it!
One thing that is annoying me about this series, is it has this mystery sub plot, but nothing feels resolved. The first book had something happen that still didn’t get resolved in this book, and then same here, more things happened that clearly related to this subplot, but are being left unresolved and I feel like some of those things can be wrapped up without spoiling that whole thing. I hope some of those side things start getting wrapped up, because leaving those lose ends without any resolution is getting annoying to me.
One thing that is annoying me about this series, is it has this mystery sub plot, but nothing feels resolved. The first book had something happen that still didn’t get resolved in this book, and then same here, more things happened that clearly related to this subplot, but are being left unresolved and I feel like some of those things can be wrapped up without spoiling that whole thing. I hope some of those side things start getting wrapped up, because leaving those lose ends without any resolution is getting annoying to me.