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2.89 AVERAGE
2.89 AVERAGE
emily_loves_2_read's review
4.0
Not Betting On Forever
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (Rounded to 4 ⭐️ for rating)
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 8/8/22
Author: Natasha Moore
Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC
Goodreads Rating: 3.09
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Single mom Melanie Hayes should absolutely, completely, and totally not be attracted to her next door neighbor, Nick Campagna, her sister’s ex. And now, with Lakeside’s Battle of the Businesses in full swing, Nick’s also Melanie’s competition. With a coveted piece of land on the line, Nick isn’t backing down. Maybe he is attracted to Melanie. But as real as this feels, Nick knows this is one game he definitely can’t win. They’ve known each other long enough that it’s definitely not love at first sight. But attraction can happen in an instant. And this is one wager where winning is nowhere near as fun as playing the game…
My Thoughts: This trope is one of my favorite, small town romance with a side of forced proximity, and throw in a single mother. I do love that the author zoned in on an older couple as our MC. The story is narrated in a dual timeline, I love these because you get both sides of the romance. This was a bit of a slow burn to begin with. The characters were developed well, had instant connection, hot chemistry, sexual tension, and witty banter, all of the elements for an excellent romance novel! I think the one thing I would have changed is to not have Nick be an ex-husband of Melanie’s sister, that is just so taboo, you would not go there. There’s a good amount of supporting characters for this story and sometimes it was a bit much. The author’s writing was charming, creative, had a unique plot, and was easy to follow. Overall, this was a good book and I would recommend picking up when it releases on the 8th!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (Rounded to 4 ⭐️ for rating)
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 8/8/22
Author: Natasha Moore
Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC
Goodreads Rating: 3.09
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Single mom Melanie Hayes should absolutely, completely, and totally not be attracted to her next door neighbor, Nick Campagna, her sister’s ex. And now, with Lakeside’s Battle of the Businesses in full swing, Nick’s also Melanie’s competition. With a coveted piece of land on the line, Nick isn’t backing down. Maybe he is attracted to Melanie. But as real as this feels, Nick knows this is one game he definitely can’t win. They’ve known each other long enough that it’s definitely not love at first sight. But attraction can happen in an instant. And this is one wager where winning is nowhere near as fun as playing the game…
My Thoughts: This trope is one of my favorite, small town romance with a side of forced proximity, and throw in a single mother. I do love that the author zoned in on an older couple as our MC. The story is narrated in a dual timeline, I love these because you get both sides of the romance. This was a bit of a slow burn to begin with. The characters were developed well, had instant connection, hot chemistry, sexual tension, and witty banter, all of the elements for an excellent romance novel! I think the one thing I would have changed is to not have Nick be an ex-husband of Melanie’s sister, that is just so taboo, you would not go there. There’s a good amount of supporting characters for this story and sometimes it was a bit much. The author’s writing was charming, creative, had a unique plot, and was easy to follow. Overall, this was a good book and I would recommend picking up when it releases on the 8th!
aprilalwayswithabook's review
3.0
I appreciated reading a romance about people my own age that didn't act like they were geriatric (the FMC was 42) but also, they were kind of boring? It was okay, very sweet. Hallmark-y. Could have used more spice. Obviously the early 40s widow is next, and I know that one will be sweet too, because she seems super super sweet. (ARC from Netgalley)
kateslovedreads's review
4.0
*this review is my complete and honest opinion an ARC provided by Netgalley*
Not Betting on Forever initially grabbed my interest with the ex-brother in law relationship idea. I thought it was kind of uncommon and something I’d never really read before. However, I enjoyed how Melanie and Nicks relationship progressed. I love how their relationship developed from neighbors to friends/temporary lovers to eventually a couple not caring about anyones opinion. This was very much a slow burn romance and I wasn’t mad about it because when you get to the romance it’s so worth it. The main thing being the description of little things, such as “Nick pulled Melanie into his arms and murmured her name. He cradled her head in his hands and claimed her mouth with his heat and tongue.” or “He cupped her face and rained kisses while he spoke.” This might seem trivial to others but to me these little descriptions made the book. I loved having all the little details. The only thing I wanted more from this book, was for Nick to pursue Melanie some instead of just Melanie constantly making the first move
(Side note: I guess we kind of got it at the end)
Nonetheless, I still really enjoyed their banter, the competitiveness, and how everyone’s relationship improved toward the end.
Rating: 4.3/5
Not Betting on Forever initially grabbed my interest with the ex-brother in law relationship idea. I thought it was kind of uncommon and something I’d never really read before. However, I enjoyed how Melanie and Nicks relationship progressed. I love how their relationship developed from neighbors to friends/temporary lovers to eventually a couple not caring about anyones opinion. This was very much a slow burn romance and I wasn’t mad about it because when you get to the romance it’s so worth it. The main thing being the description of little things, such as “Nick pulled Melanie into his arms and murmured her name. He cradled her head in his hands and claimed her mouth with his heat and tongue.” or “He cupped her face and rained kisses while he spoke.” This might seem trivial to others but to me these little descriptions made the book. I loved having all the little details. The only thing I wanted more from this book, was for Nick to pursue Melanie some instead of just Melanie constantly making the first move
(Side note: I guess we kind of got it at the end)
Nonetheless, I still really enjoyed their banter, the competitiveness, and how everyone’s relationship improved toward the end.
Rating: 4.3/5
kaysbooktalk's review
2.0
I have to admit I was kinda disappointed with this one but it was still a cute read. When I saw the cover and read the storyline I was immediately hooked but the actual book itself fell a little short for me. Melanie and Nick were adorable together, I loved the BOB games, the bets, banter, all of it but I did have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact they were in their late and early 40’s
mamas_gotta_read's review
3.0
The idea behind this book was cute, but I just didn’t love it. The story seemed to DRAG, especially in the first half, but a lot of the story elements also lacked a lot of depth. I can’t really say I loved either MC because I never felt like we got to know them all that well-their descriptions and backstory were definitely lacking. The events in the story were just kind of chaotic-it was so weird to me that everyone had a negative opinion on these two grown ass adults beginning a relationship. I’m glad they got a HEA, but the story ended very abruptly-I would’ve liked a bit more.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Entangled Publishing. All opinions are my own.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Entangled Publishing. All opinions are my own.
bethanysallbooked's review
2.0
Lately I have not had the best luck with romances, but I keep trying.
This one started off weird because Nick used to be married to Melanie’s sister, which just kind of gave me cringy vibes anyway. The part of the book I liked is that they are older, making this forever single lady think maybe in my 40s I’ll get a chance at love.
Overall, even though they were older, they both lacked emotional maturity and danced around issues too much. A real lack of communication, but don’t worry they get together in the end.
Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This one started off weird because Nick used to be married to Melanie’s sister, which just kind of gave me cringy vibes anyway. The part of the book I liked is that they are older, making this forever single lady think maybe in my 40s I’ll get a chance at love.
Overall, even though they were older, they both lacked emotional maturity and danced around issues too much. A real lack of communication, but don’t worry they get together in the end.
Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
pagesmarkedbychels's review
2.0
Thank you so much Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this book! In return for the early copy, here is my honest and unbiased review.
Now, this is a bit rough because when I read the blurb for this book, I thought I would enjoy it so much. It has the tropes that I've been super into lately and it brought all that. I mean, it certainly gave me those tropes but personally, it was not for me.
I got 20% into this book and things were already confusing, and I had hoped it was because I was only 20% into it and it would gradually get better, but it didn't. I just could not for the life of me connect with the characters and don't even get me started with all the other characters. I felt as though I had characters thrown at me from left and right and it was just so much to comprehend.
I don't want to lie and say that I read the rest of this book with my total interest because I certainly did not. My attention span was at 50% completing the rest of this book and all I got from it was the fact that Nick Campagna is a try-hard and Melanie Hayes was a bit of a mess. Their overall relationship was just way too messy for adults over the age of 25 for me.
So, while this review is short, I expressed the reason for that. This book was just not it for me, sadly.
Now, this is a bit rough because when I read the blurb for this book, I thought I would enjoy it so much. It has the tropes that I've been super into lately and it brought all that. I mean, it certainly gave me those tropes but personally, it was not for me.
I got 20% into this book and things were already confusing, and I had hoped it was because I was only 20% into it and it would gradually get better, but it didn't. I just could not for the life of me connect with the characters and don't even get me started with all the other characters. I felt as though I had characters thrown at me from left and right and it was just so much to comprehend.
I don't want to lie and say that I read the rest of this book with my total interest because I certainly did not. My attention span was at 50% completing the rest of this book and all I got from it was the fact that Nick Campagna is a try-hard and Melanie Hayes was a bit of a mess. Their overall relationship was just way too messy for adults over the age of 25 for me.
So, while this review is short, I expressed the reason for that. This book was just not it for me, sadly.
mkenzees_bookshelf's review
3.0
I’ll keep this one short and sweet. This was an okay read for me. It felt a little too cheesy at times and I didn’t really feel any connection with the characters (could totally be a me thing). I kept getting lost in the story trying to keep up with all of the characters that were included.
If you want a semi-easy read, that’s filled with small town gossip, then I would pick this one up to end summer with. However, if you aren’t the biggest Hallmark movie fan I would skip!
Read if you like:
If you want a semi-easy read, that’s filled with small town gossip, then I would pick this one up to end summer with. However, if you aren’t the biggest Hallmark movie fan I would skip!
Read if you like:
bethelizabethuk's review
2.0
This book is a light easy read but not one I would necessarily think to recommend. It’s slow going and not a lot seems to happen. That being said the romance part moves extremely quickly. I struggled to root for them though because they were both so immature. I also found Mel a bit annoying. She constantly states that they’re only having a fling and then gets angry when Nick treats it as a fling. There are a lot of side characters to keep track of as well. I did enjoy the hallmark feel of the small town though.
I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
krunkjess's review
2.0
*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: August 8, 2022
Appreciate that our MCs are mature in age and experience compared to most, but the dialogue doesn’t always reflect that. This is a bit slow and quite frankly just too immature considering their age. I struggled to find a lot of the interactions believable and also with the forbidden love trope/attraction between former in-laws.
Appreciate that our MCs are mature in age and experience compared to most, but the dialogue doesn’t always reflect that. This is a bit slow and quite frankly just too immature considering their age. I struggled to find a lot of the interactions believable and also with the forbidden love trope/attraction between former in-laws.