Scan barcode
alisonrcscheide's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, and Infertility
romcombc's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There are SO many things I love about this book that I don’t even know where to start. The characters, the banter, the heat, and the heart, Taco Bout Love is an engaging read from beginning to end. I am REALLY hoping Lily Kate decides to make this into a series because the DiMaggio and Donovan clan have earned free space in my mind from this point on (translation - I can't STOP thinking about the people - mostly the men - of Fantasie, Maine).
Ready for a refresh start and much needed distance from New York, Chloe Brown had her sights (and hopes) set on the small town of Fantasie, Maine. Blowing into town on a wing and a prayer with a dream in her heart, to start a dessert taco food truck, Chloe only makes it as far as a designated parking spot before her newly purchased old truck dies for good. Taking a moment to scroll through the insanity that she just experienced moments prior: nearly running over the “town psychic”, learning of said town psychic as she is about to receive a ticket from a gorgeous, yet grump Sheriff, getting out that ticket by a stranger who has just given her flowers to deliver and an impromptu meetup for drinks later, Chloe is at her wits end. By the time another gorgeous (what is with this town) man approaches her – the owner of the designated parking spot where her truck is currently “resting”, she’s had it. She just wants to get to her bed and breakfast to check in! Still licking her wounds after escaping one disaster of a relationship, Chloe has no desire to deal with the male species, no matter how good this guy looks, and is determined to get as far away from their instant attraction as she can. Unknown to her, Lucas had other ideas the moment she got out of that disaster of a truck. Lust at first, Lucas has been dying to scratch an inch and what better way to do it than with the random stranger that is just passing through town. Determined to get to know Chloe more, Lucas quickly realizes the chemistry between them is more than he bargained for. For Chloe, this overly welcoming town and Lucas are the last thing she needs – she is on a mission to prove to can take care of herself but what happens when the people you know the least choose to love you the most?
What I like about it: As I said before, there are so many things I truly enjoyed about this book. For starters, Chloe and Lucas chemistry was insane! The exchange between them alone was so heated that you didn’t know if you would survive the moment when they finally gave in! Next up, the “background” characters of the town. I use quotes because honestly they were front and center in most of the book. If it wasn’t Ruby’s passive aggressive crocheting, it was Chuck getting rich off Luca’s insecurities, or Finn, Matt, Noah, the list goes on. Noah and The Doc cracked me up, especially Noah. I adored Lily and Josie and would be lucky to have these two women in my corner! I REALLY hope Lily Kate writes a series for this town so we can continue to follow the stories of DiMaggio and Donovan clan. I would also love to meet Grandma! A woman who can make a grown man pale just by the mentioning of her name has all of my respect!
What I loved most was the twist towards the end. I definitely didn’t expect the direction the story took and think I read the last 20% faster than the rest of it (and as I already couldn’t put it down, that says a lot!). To be clear, the entire book was amazing but the direction change is what really set it apart and blew anything predictable out of the water.
Back to the heat, the spice of this book was fire hot. The build up was already intense so when it finally happened, it was explosive. The only thing I would say is a few of the scenes (because there are many) gave a little of a “one trick pony” feel to Lucas which, with the wall incident, I don’t believe it is true but there was some repeating versus variety. It didn’t take away from the steam but by the third or fourth time, you already knew what to expect.
As I always like to pop the hood and look deeper, I loved how Chloe’s character was written and the internal struggle that she experienced with healing from the pains of her past and trying to embrace her future. Through each conversation, you saw her work more and more towards understanding why – why she stayed so long, why things happened the way they did, why she left. She was so focused on doing everything at the opposite end of the spectrum that she didn’t initially take the time to truly see that it wasn’t her or the situation, it was Paul and what he represented. Being a part of the town, a part of a family helped her understand what it should be like to love and be loved. Her transformation both mentally and physically was the real meat and potatoes of the book. Lucas being such a big part of that by simply listening, supporting, and nurturing was fundamental to not only her growth but their bond.
I will give a disclaimer that there is a domestic violence storyline in this book. I applaud Lily on how she wrote Hannah. She didn’t make her out to be a helpless victim. Speaking through her character, Lily wanted to make sure she spoke to the availability of options, that Hannah (and other women) could escape, start over, and reclaim her life. Hannah was strong, she was determined, and she still had power no matter what Carl did. Society has demonstrated time and time again the fear and violence of domestic abuse and Lily didn’t shy away from adding those factors into Hannah’s story, she kept the emotional energy as real as possible and as true to form as one can in a fictional story.
Taco bout Love was a beautifully written tale of how enchanting a small town can be, especially with half of the community is related! I really do hope she keeps this series going, I would love to read Noah’s story!
Ready for a refresh start and much needed distance from New York, Chloe Brown had her sights (and hopes) set on the small town of Fantasie, Maine. Blowing into town on a wing and a prayer with a dream in her heart, to start a dessert taco food truck, Chloe only makes it as far as a designated parking spot before her newly purchased old truck dies for good. Taking a moment to scroll through the insanity that she just experienced moments prior: nearly running over the “town psychic”, learning of said town psychic as she is about to receive a ticket from a gorgeous, yet grump Sheriff, getting out that ticket by a stranger who has just given her flowers to deliver and an impromptu meetup for drinks later, Chloe is at her wits end. By the time another gorgeous (what is with this town) man approaches her – the owner of the designated parking spot where her truck is currently “resting”, she’s had it. She just wants to get to her bed and breakfast to check in! Still licking her wounds after escaping one disaster of a relationship, Chloe has no desire to deal with the male species, no matter how good this guy looks, and is determined to get as far away from their instant attraction as she can. Unknown to her, Lucas had other ideas the moment she got out of that disaster of a truck. Lust at first, Lucas has been dying to scratch an inch and what better way to do it than with the random stranger that is just passing through town. Determined to get to know Chloe more, Lucas quickly realizes the chemistry between them is more than he bargained for. For Chloe, this overly welcoming town and Lucas are the last thing she needs – she is on a mission to prove to can take care of herself but what happens when the people you know the least choose to love you the most?
What I like about it: As I said before, there are so many things I truly enjoyed about this book. For starters, Chloe and Lucas chemistry was insane! The exchange between them alone was so heated that you didn’t know if you would survive the moment when they finally gave in! Next up, the “background” characters of the town. I use quotes because honestly they were front and center in most of the book. If it wasn’t Ruby’s passive aggressive crocheting, it was Chuck getting rich off Luca’s insecurities, or Finn, Matt, Noah, the list goes on. Noah and The Doc cracked me up, especially Noah. I adored Lily and Josie and would be lucky to have these two women in my corner! I REALLY hope Lily Kate writes a series for this town so we can continue to follow the stories of DiMaggio and Donovan clan. I would also love to meet Grandma! A woman who can make a grown man pale just by the mentioning of her name has all of my respect!
What I loved most was the twist towards the end. I definitely didn’t expect the direction the story took and think I read the last 20% faster than the rest of it (and as I already couldn’t put it down, that says a lot!). To be clear, the entire book was amazing but the direction change is what really set it apart and blew anything predictable out of the water.
Back to the heat, the spice of this book was fire hot. The build up was already intense so when it finally happened, it was explosive. The only thing I would say is a few of the scenes (because there are many) gave a little of a “one trick pony” feel to Lucas which, with the wall incident, I don’t believe it is true but there was some repeating versus variety. It didn’t take away from the steam but by the third or fourth time, you already knew what to expect.
As I always like to pop the hood and look deeper, I loved how Chloe’s character was written and the internal struggle that she experienced with healing from the pains of her past and trying to embrace her future. Through each conversation, you saw her work more and more towards understanding why – why she stayed so long, why things happened the way they did, why she left. She was so focused on doing everything at the opposite end of the spectrum that she didn’t initially take the time to truly see that it wasn’t her or the situation, it was Paul and what he represented. Being a part of the town, a part of a family helped her understand what it should be like to love and be loved. Her transformation both mentally and physically was the real meat and potatoes of the book. Lucas being such a big part of that by simply listening, supporting, and nurturing was fundamental to not only her growth but their bond.
I will give a disclaimer that there is a domestic violence storyline in this book. I applaud Lily on how she wrote Hannah. She didn’t make her out to be a helpless victim. Speaking through her character, Lily wanted to make sure she spoke to the availability of options, that Hannah (and other women) could escape, start over, and reclaim her life. Hannah was strong, she was determined, and she still had power no matter what Carl did. Society has demonstrated time and time again the fear and violence of domestic abuse and Lily didn’t shy away from adding those factors into Hannah’s story, she kept the emotional energy as real as possible and as true to form as one can in a fictional story.
Taco bout Love was a beautifully written tale of how enchanting a small town can be, especially with half of the community is related! I really do hope she keeps this series going, I would love to read Noah’s story!
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse
chloelj27's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to Lily Kate, LK Publishing and Lily Kate for kindly accepting me as an arc reader in exchange for an honest review.
I was really drawn to this book after reading the synopsis and thought the premise was good. The first half of the book was great - we got to know an amazing community of characters as well as Chloe and Lucas’ characters as individuals and a couple. I found the second half of the book to be more rushed unfortunately, so lost some interest.
I loved the variety of secondary/side characters, although there was a lot of names to remember. The interactions and the sense of love in the community was heartwarming and a joy to read. As Chloe and Lucas go, I liked their characters, but both frustrated me at times. While I was rooting for them to be together, I felt the connection to be rushed, which in turn felt a little forced at times.
I enjoyed the plot of the book, although it did feel a little repetitive at times. Personally, I liked the writing style, however some of the terminology used (especially the spicy scenes) was rather cringe in my opinion and it started to frustrate me how many times Lucas called Chloe “baby”!
I think if this book had kept a more steady pace without things being rushed, I would have been able to enjoy this more as it definitely had a lot of promise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Toxic relationship, and Miscarriage
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
sleeplesschapters's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Slow burn.
Small-town romance.
Dual POV.
Spicy (but not very).
Quirky characters.
The town of fantasy and its citizens are quirky and adorable. Very Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) vibes. I look forward to getting to know more about them in future books. Lucas grated on me in the beginning, but I liked him more and more with each new bit of info we learned.
Now for the things I didn’t love… The book dragged on a bit in the middle and I felt a little bored. The Hannah/Carl stuff felt a tad out of left field. I wish had have gotten a little more about Josie and Finn.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this cute romance.
Tw- domestic abuse, infertility, pregnancy loss, kidnapping, gun violence
* I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.
Small-town romance.
Dual POV.
Spicy (but not very).
Quirky characters.
The town of fantasy and its citizens are quirky and adorable. Very Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) vibes. I look forward to getting to know more about them in future books. Lucas grated on me in the beginning, but I liked him more and more with each new bit of info we learned.
Now for the things I didn’t love… The book dragged on a bit in the middle and I felt a little bored. The Hannah/Carl stuff felt a tad out of left field. I wish had have gotten a little more about Josie and Finn.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this cute romance.
Tw- domestic abuse, infertility, pregnancy loss, kidnapping, gun violence
* I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage, Infertility, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Domestic abuse
hellowildflower's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and LK Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book before release.
I really enjoyed this book and really struggled to put it down. It had a lot of my favourite tropes, and a lot of fun characters.
The first half of the book did seem a little rushed and Chloe seemed to be too aggressive towards Lucas at first which made me a little uncomfortable with how desperately he pursued her.
Once we get into the story more and they’ve spent more time together and had a few deeper conversations I started to become more invested in the relationship.
A very enjoyable read, but please check for trigger warnings before reading as there are quite a few topics that could be triggering.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Infertility, and Miscarriage
amystks's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
Thank you to Lily Kate, LK Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this eARC. I was given this eARC in return for this honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast paced, spicy, strangers to lovers romance. The premise of Chloe Brown leaving New York behind and travelling to Fantasie, Maine is understandable and she begins to learn that in the small town of Fantasie, everyone knows everyone else’s business. Lucas is also a massive grump on the outside but the softest person on the inside.
The writing was to my liking and the spicy scenes were placed in good positions throughout the story.
This would have been a 5 star book if they didn’t fall for each other instantly!
I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast paced, spicy, strangers to lovers romance. The premise of Chloe Brown leaving New York behind and travelling to Fantasie, Maine is understandable and she begins to learn that in the small town of Fantasie, everyone knows everyone else’s business. Lucas is also a massive grump on the outside but the softest person on the inside.
The writing was to my liking and the spicy scenes were placed in good positions throughout the story.
This would have been a 5 star book if they didn’t fall for each other instantly!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Miscarriage
readingwithjamie's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This book has Taco in the title so of course I had to read this one and see what it was all about. It is a dual POV which I absolutely love.
Taco Bout Love is based in a small town called Fantasie, where all your dreams come true.
Chloe Brown is looking to get as far away from NYC as possible and start fresh. She planned to only pass through Fantasie, but her newly acquired vehicle had other plans. While stuck in Fantasie, Chloe meets a lot of the residents, which includes grumpy Lucas Donovan. Mishaps happen and Chloe and Lucas end up learning about each other and becoming closer.
This book was very satisfying. It has that charming small town vibe, where everyone knows everyone. The families involved made me crack up with their banter, it reminded me of my own. The only issue I had was the ending, it wasn’t my favorite and I felt like that conflict was just kind of thrown in there. Other than that I really enjoyed Lily Kate’s writing and would read another one of her books.
I definitely recommend this one if you like small town romances, grumpy-sunshine, rom-coms, enemies to lovers trope. Please also check trigger warnings as there are some discussions in this book that could be triggering.
Thank you to LK Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Overall: 4
Spice: 1
Taco Bout Love is based in a small town called Fantasie, where all your dreams come true.
Chloe Brown is looking to get as far away from NYC as possible and start fresh. She planned to only pass through Fantasie, but her newly acquired vehicle had other plans. While stuck in Fantasie, Chloe meets a lot of the residents, which includes grumpy Lucas Donovan. Mishaps happen and Chloe and Lucas end up learning about each other and becoming closer.
This book was very satisfying. It has that charming small town vibe, where everyone knows everyone. The families involved made me crack up with their banter, it reminded me of my own. The only issue I had was the ending, it wasn’t my favorite and I felt like that conflict was just kind of thrown in there. Other than that I really enjoyed Lily Kate’s writing and would read another one of her books.
I definitely recommend this one if you like small town romances, grumpy-sunshine, rom-coms, enemies to lovers trope. Please also check trigger warnings as there are some discussions in this book that could be triggering.
Thank you to LK Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Overall: 4
Spice: 1
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage
More...