Reviews

Forgive and Forget by Charlie Cochet

bronwynheeley's review

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DNF @33%
all me.
I knew this wouldn't be for me. I had to try it anywhere, had to hope but yeah nah.

crtsjffrsn's review

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4.0

Joe Applin feels good about his life. His cafe, Apple'n Pies, is doing well. He has a great team working for him, and his business is booming. Yes, he doesn't have a man in his life, but that's okay. Considering what happened last time and how hard he had to work to get his life back on track, he's in no rush to find a relationship. Even if one of his staff thinks he's really overdue...

When the team discovers an injured man in the garden next to the restaurant, things take a turn. Tom--the name he takes since he can't remember who he is--is running from someone. He doesn't know who he's running from, but he knows he needs to find a safe place to hide. Joe offers to let Tom stay with him, despite his obvious attraction for the mysterious man. Joe figures the walls he's put up will keep things on a friendly level.

But there is a real danger following Tom. And if they find out where he's hiding, what will that mean for Joe? Or once Tom remembers who he is, will he go back to his old life and leave Joe behind?

--

Joe is one of those characters that just gets you right away. He's endearing and funny. As a reader, I couldn't help but cheering from him from beginning to end. And when Tom shows up, the two just create an even more endearing picture. These two are pretty great, to be honest.

I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. The story moves in the right directions at the right times, and it certainly kept me engaged right through to the end. It also makes it feel like a shorter read than it really is--but in the best way possible.

novel_nomad's review

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3.0

Super sweet romance that runs mad with the amnesia trope - but handled it quite well. Joe is impossibly shy about taking a risk in love but perhaps a hunky man in need is enough to break down his barriers.

jferrell526's review against another edition

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5.0

Lost

Joe found him in the garden. He can't remember who he is so they decided on Tom. Then the fun, mystery, and love commence. A great read!

walford's review against another edition

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2.0

Think I skipped about half of this (the blathering on).
Sweet story, which is what I was in the mood for, so I finished it.

rain_97's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

the_novel_approach's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 Stars ~ Charlie Cochet is a fan favorite, for sure. And, while her latest novel, Forgive and Forget—a book in Dreamspinner Press’ new classic romance line, Dreamspun Desires—is a pretty large departure from her much loved THIRDS series, I’m sure her fans will still flock to read it. And when they do, they will find that even though it’s a different recipe, it has many of the same ingredients as the popular shifter series, including humor, romance, action, mystery, and heroes with big hearts.

Joe Applin is pretty adorable. He is sweet as can be, kind-hearted, fun—albeit a bit of a homebody—and can obviously make a mean pie. Business is booming at his shop, Apple’n Pies, and Joe hopes to have enough saved soon to do a few renovations and add a little bakery like he’s always dreamed of. Things are pretty quiet in his little corner of Manhattan, and that’s just the way he likes it. That is, until ‘Tom’ drops into his life.

‘Tom,’ as Joe names him when the man’s amnesia becomes apparent, appears in the little garden behind Joe’s business one night, injured and completely unaware as to how he got there, or even who he is. Joe promises to try to help him, but over the course of the next few weeks they hit nothing but dead ends in their investigation. They do become very close, however, and Tom seems to sincerely enjoy the quiet life at the pie shop with Joe’s small circle of friends. One evening some thugs show up at the shop looking for Tom, and the mystery is cleared up amidst an action-packed sequence of events.

There were a few little quirky things that struck me as a bit odd…the characters—especially Joe, but his employees and others as well—seemed at times much younger than their assigned ages, but Joe sometimes acted much older. The story overall felt to me like it should have been set in the 40s or 50s with some of the dialogue and situations—I sort of wish it had been!—but then a current event type thing would be brought into it, and it would feel out of place. I think maybe it was supposed to be sort of quirky and campy, and I can definitely appreciate that in a story! But, the intention just wasn’t clear enough.

For the most part, I enjoyed this cute tale of romance and intrigue. Joe and Tom were really sweet together. I loved how Tom was just so clearly enamored of Joe, because he deserved love so much. There was one little twist, which wasn’t much of a surprise at all, but that I did enjoy when it was played out. So, yeah, it was a little bit all over the place in parts, but definitely cute!!

Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/review-forgive-and-forget-by-charlie-cochet/

teenykins's review against another edition

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3.0

As always I can't really add anything that hasn't already been said from Dani here

coty9816's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a romantic little mystery that left me craving pie.

spryfrog's review against another edition

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1.0

I've read Charlie Cochet before and enjoyed her THIRDS series, so I was surprised to see this cute, non-military offering and figured I'd give it a try. I love me some coffee shop stories, and pie's even better. On the first page, you know this is a goofy, cutesy book that's wading in tropes and owning it. I'm perfectly willing to dive into a tale of getting bonked on the head leading to temporary amnesia. Sure, I'll buy it - it's a romance novel. The book isn't taking itself too seriously, which is cool with me.

However, about a third or probably closer to halfway through I just lost interest. The dialogue, the characters, everything was just a little...too on the nose? Too straightforward? Coming off Hailey Turner's fourth installment of the Soulbound series, picking up Forgive and Forget felt like a step down in complexity and characters. Which it is. I think that's just a fact that's neither here nor there. There's nothing wrong with a simpler setting, cast of characters, and plot, but I wasn't able to find it satisfying here. I skimmed the second half to check out the end and called it a day.

In summary, that's what I'm rating it one star. Not because it was god awful, but because it couldn't hold my interest.