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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Quotes:
"And with that, she disappeared inside her house, leaving me with an ache in my chest."
“I want you to stay.” His voice was low and soft. “Stay for me.”
"Audrey wasn’t just my problem now. She was my everything. And she was going to be mine forever."
Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this one. I loved all the Bailey brothers and now I've got a whole set of brothers to live as well. The characters were perfect. The plot was amazing. The spice was beautiful. Hands down a wonderful book!
Tropes:
• Small town
• Suspense
• He falls hard
• Stalker
• HEA
"And with that, she disappeared inside her house, leaving me with an ache in my chest."
“I want you to stay.” His voice was low and soft. “Stay for me.”
"Audrey wasn’t just my problem now. She was my everything. And she was going to be mine forever."
Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this one. I loved all the Bailey brothers and now I've got a whole set of brothers to live as well. The characters were perfect. The plot was amazing. The spice was beautiful. Hands down a wonderful book!
Tropes:
• Small town
• Suspense
• He falls hard
• Stalker
• HEA
Josiah is a bit grumpy, but he is stable and has his life pretty together. Audrey is forced to move back home after having been laid off, but she is definitely the sunshine here.
This had a lot of small town charm (thieving squirrels, meddling aunts), a wonderful pet dog with lots of personality, a good dose of family drama, and some suspense.
I liked how once we got past the intitial getting together hurdles, the two of them were pretty solid as a couple. The drama and conflict for the rest of the story came from outside sources.
The steam was very low. Even the few scenes we had were short and rushed. But the storytelling was very good.
This had a lot of small town charm (thieving squirrels, meddling aunts), a wonderful pet dog with lots of personality, a good dose of family drama, and some suspense.
I liked how once we got past the intitial getting together hurdles, the two of them were pretty solid as a couple. The drama and conflict for the rest of the story came from outside sources.
The steam was very low. Even the few scenes we had were short and rushed. But the storytelling was very good.
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A great introduction to a new small-town series. The relationship is the perfect grumpy x sunshine and I loved that there was no age gap (they were both! in their 30s). The mystery had me hooked but the reveal fell really flat for me, especially because it seems the characters had already figured it out. So not a full 5 stars but a really good read :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Stalking
Moderate: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
mysterious
fast-paced
medium-paced
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is my first book by Claire Kingsley, but it certainly won't be the last because I enjoyed this book a lot. I totally love reading romantic suspense, so this was right up my alley. I definitely enjoyed the audiobook and the fact that there was also a separate narrator from the stalker's POV.
Growing up, being the daughter of a political figure in a small town, life hadn't been as glamorous as her family had portrayed to the town, and Audrey had to put on a show to keep up appearances. Which is also why she left town as soon as she could. Being back felt like a failure to her, especially seeing the people she had grown up with. Audrey wants nothing more than to get back on her feet and leave town again ASAP. But as time goes by, she realizes that she doesn't mind being in the small town now as an adult and that she didn't have to stick to the plans and visions she'd had as a teenager, and carving out a new path or plan didn't make her a failure.
After things went down badly with his ex-girlfriend, Josiah decided to never bother with love again. He had grown accustomed to living in solitude and had convinced himself that he was truly okay with it. Although his family still hadn't given up on him settling down, he didn't want to put himself through that hurt again. However, when Audrey shows up as a tenant in one of the houses his family rented, their interactions leave him wanting more. He does try to keep his distance from her the best he can, but his resolve crumbles when someone starts stalking Audrey, and the threats only keep getting bolder with every incident.
The romance between Josiah and Audrey developed at a good pace without things moving too quickly for it to feel rushed. The two slowly formed a sort of friendship at first, even if Josiah tried his best to keep his distance from her. Josiah feels a sense of protectiveness towards Audrey right from the start, and he can't explain why. He tries to convince himself that she isn't his problem but goes above and beyond to protect her when things slowly begin to escalate with her stalker. As the two start getting closer, things between them turn into more, and the two finally open up about their feelings and act on it. I liked that these two communicated openly and didn't leave any space for any doubts or miscommunications.
I liked how thoughtful Josiah was and how sweet he was with Audrey, being tough and protective so she could be carefree and safe. He forms a genuine bond with her dog Max, who seems totally smitten by Josiah. I loved how much they both adored Max and how much Josiah interacted with him, especially. Max was absolutely chaotic, and I loved him. The whole situation where Josiah kept asking Audrey's opinions on the house he was renovating was so cute.
I also liked the individual character growth both of them went through. Audrey with being back to town and starting over, and Josiah letting go of old hurts, learning to trust and love again. And I liked the part they played in said character growth of the other.
The suspense plot was really well done, and I was trying to figure out who could be behind these incidents along with Audrey and Josiah. Especially given the bits and pieces we got from the stalker's POV, which gave an insight into the motivations of this person. I thought I had it figured out, but I totally hadn't, and I liked that the book kept me guessing till the end.
I really liked the side characters and their interactions with the MCs. I also liked the town, the people Audrey worked with who had her back when time came, and the Haven's who were also so welcoming. Reading this also convinced me to start the Bailey Brothers series.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Growing up, being the daughter of a political figure in a small town, life hadn't been as glamorous as her family had portrayed to the town, and Audrey had to put on a show to keep up appearances. Which is also why she left town as soon as she could. Being back felt like a failure to her, especially seeing the people she had grown up with. Audrey wants nothing more than to get back on her feet and leave town again ASAP. But as time goes by, she realizes that she doesn't mind being in the small town now as an adult and that she didn't have to stick to the plans and visions she'd had as a teenager, and carving out a new path or plan didn't make her a failure.
After things went down badly with his ex-girlfriend, Josiah decided to never bother with love again. He had grown accustomed to living in solitude and had convinced himself that he was truly okay with it. Although his family still hadn't given up on him settling down, he didn't want to put himself through that hurt again. However, when Audrey shows up as a tenant in one of the houses his family rented, their interactions leave him wanting more. He does try to keep his distance from her the best he can, but his resolve crumbles when someone starts stalking Audrey, and the threats only keep getting bolder with every incident.
The romance between Josiah and Audrey developed at a good pace without things moving too quickly for it to feel rushed. The two slowly formed a sort of friendship at first, even if Josiah tried his best to keep his distance from her. Josiah feels a sense of protectiveness towards Audrey right from the start, and he can't explain why. He tries to convince himself that she isn't his problem but goes above and beyond to protect her when things slowly begin to escalate with her stalker. As the two start getting closer, things between them turn into more, and the two finally open up about their feelings and act on it. I liked that these two communicated openly and didn't leave any space for any doubts or miscommunications.
I liked how thoughtful Josiah was and how sweet he was with Audrey, being tough and protective so she could be carefree and safe. He forms a genuine bond with her dog Max, who seems totally smitten by Josiah. I loved how much they both adored Max and how much Josiah interacted with him, especially. Max was absolutely chaotic, and I loved him. The whole situation where Josiah kept asking Audrey's opinions on the house he was renovating was so cute.
I also liked the individual character growth both of them went through. Audrey with being back to town and starting over, and Josiah letting go of old hurts, learning to trust and love again. And I liked the part they played in said character growth of the other.
The suspense plot was really well done, and I was trying to figure out who could be behind these incidents along with Audrey and Josiah. Especially given the bits and pieces we got from the stalker's POV, which gave an insight into the motivations of this person. I thought I had it figured out, but I totally hadn't, and I liked that the book kept me guessing till the end.
I really liked the side characters and their interactions with the MCs. I also liked the town, the people Audrey worked with who had her back when time came, and the Haven's who were also so welcoming. Reading this also convinced me to start the Bailey Brothers series.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated