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bribreez 's review for:
Barn Burner
by Anastasija White
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*Thank you to WordSmith Publicity for providing me an ARC, all opinions are my own.
4.75⭐️/ 4🌶️
From the moment I read the synopsis for this story, it was an immediate yes for me, and I needed to read it right away! This was my first time reading a book written by Anastasija and she did a wonderful job creating her characters, and hooking me on from the beginning! With the amount of hockey romance books I’ve read, something about this story stood out to me, and felt unique. Evangelina and Drake started off as enemies/ next door neighbors who didn’t start off on good terms, but slowly became more with each other. I would say for any fan of reading hockey romances, you’ll want to check out this book as it brought so many great tropes from, fake dating, sports romance (hockey), next door neighbors, he’s a cinnamon roll, she’s feisty, and there’s a cute dog in the story as well! Much more happens in this story, and I throughly enjoyed it!
What do you get when you have a troublesome ex boyfriend who won’t leave you alone and doesn’t take no for an answer?… you ask your handsome hockey player neighbor to pretend to be your fake boyfriend! Evangelina had enough of her ex boyfriend constantly trying to come back into her life, and further causing pain and misery to her so, when the brilliant idea came to her to find someone to fake date her it seemed like the perfect plan. Even better was when Evangelina had the perfect candidate to ask, her new neighbor, Drake Benson, an NHL professional hockey player to be her fake boyfriend! Woo! Drake not only fit the part, but was genuinely a nice, kind person (*despite the rocky meeting he & Evangelina had in the beginning). Both, Evangelina and Drake fake dating each other worked out perfectly! One, it would help get rid of Asher (Evangelina’s ex) and show Drake’s ex girlfriend that she misses out on all the things Drake had to offer.
Evangelina was a strong, feisty woman who could hold her own ground, and was an overall amazing character. Right off the bat, I liked seeing that as much of a strong woman Evangelina was, she equally had her own shares of vulnerability. Based off the experience Evangelina went through in her past especially with her ex boyfriend, Asher, it left her in a horrible state of mind and feeling unlike her normal self. Through therapy and working on herself, Evangelina was able to get back into a semblance of a routine, opened up her dessert shop, and seemed on better terms. All seemed well until Asher appeared once again to mess up the harmony that Evangelina had managed to make for herself.
Drake Benson was THE MAN! Not only was Drake an incredible hockey player in the NHL, but this man was…A TOTAL BOOKWORM! Drake loved to read, and (sigh) the way he spoke about books and how he wished people wouldn’t interrupt his reading time made him not only relatable, but also made me want him as my boyfriend so we could have reading dates! As if Drake wasn’t amazing enough, I just adored the way he was a gentleman, but also a bit of tease with Evangelina. Drake was in a new place after being traded to a new team, and while he was trying to find his footing, he often felt alone, without much companionship. Somewhere along the way, Drake found a someone to spend his time with binge watching, “One Tree Hill”, talking about different things, and friendship with Evangelina. Drake was basically an amazing, kind, genuine character that I really liked a lot!
This book wholeheartedly had my attention all the way through! The way that Evangelina and Drake were together was so natural, easy, and it made their chemistry believable and not forced. I found myself not only throughly invested in the story, but also feeling so relaxed while reading that I could easily re-read this story again in the future. The best way I can describe what this book felt to me was like comfort. I felt comfortable, happy, lighthearted, and excited reading about Drake and Evangelina. Obviously not everything in the book was lighthearted, the lighter moments in the book made me feel happy and at ease. This book had become a comfort read for me, and part of my favorite hockey romance books I’ve read!
The fake dating was obviously bound to lead Evangelina and Drake to more than just pretending, it revealed how much they truly liked one another. Like any fake dating trope, it all started off with helping one another out with their dilemma, and promising not to fall in love… HA! YEAH RIGHT! Not only did the lines get blurred between pretending to date, but Drake was already thinking of how to make his relationship officially real with Evangelina! Part of what I loved with the fake dating in this story was getting to read just how much Drake was so deep in his feels about wanting Evangelina, getting protective over her, wanting to share all the moments they spent together but make it official. Even Evangelina started to see that from the beginning, Drake wasn’t like the other jocks she knew from her past. Drake was such a wonderful man already, but make him your boyfriend and BOOM! THE BEST BOYFRIEND EVER FOR EVANGELINA! Plus, it was just meant to be since Evangelina and Drake made perfect sense together!
You know, before reading I wasn’t quite sure how spicy this book was going to be, and yet, I was still surprised by the praise and dirty talk in this story! We all know that moment in the book when the male lead character says, “good girl”, we all collectively get weak in the knees and are screaming for joy… oh wait, that’s just me?…. BECAUSE YES INDEED I WAS SCREAMING FOR JOY! Drake was a cinnamon roll boyfriend, but then seeing him in those spicy scenes, and MMMMMMMM YASSSSS! WOOO! Drake revealed another level to his great prowess and Evangelina was FULLY LIVING HER BEST LIFE WITH DRAKE! Drake was the praise king, praising Evangelina and (sigh) I was getting hot just reading those scenes! Needless to say, while this story had equally swoon worthy and romantic moments, this story also packed some heat to make your jaw drop and feel enthusiastic for Evangelina and Drake! Drake was all about making sure to please and put Evangelina’s pleasure first and foremost, and I LOVED IT!
This story truly had many wonderful parts to it from the romance, spice, lovable characters, and NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP! Angie (Evangelina) and Drake started off fake dating, but as they spent more time together, not only were their true feelings revealed, but also the level of communication. I loved the way that Angie and Drake communicated with one another, and when they realized they wanted to make their relationship official, they talked it over and made it happen! The moment things became official was even sweeter and fantastic because, I got to see Angie and Drake fully enjoying themselves and embracing the love they clearly had for each other. I was invested and enjoying seeing Drake and Angie together, but also seeing them overcome the obstacles that came their way.
Overall, this was an amazing hockey romance that I truly adored wholeheartedly! I’m most excited to read more books by Anastasija and seeing more of the wonderful stories she’s created! Anastasija did a fantastic job writing Angie and Drake’s story that I truly loved them both! I loved the fake dating, the romance, spice, humor, and the feel I had all the way while I read. I felt comforted while reading, and I can definitely see myself rereading this book again in the future. Angie was a lovable character who had her fair share of vulnerabilities, but managed to work through even through the more difficult parts in her life. I especially loved Drake and how even as an incredible hockey player, he was not only thoughtful, a total cinnamon roll, an avid book reader, but… JUST AMAZING OVERALL! Drake will have you wanting wishing he was your real life boyfriend! I’m really intrigued to see how the rest of the series will play out. I have nothing but words of good praise, and love for this story, and I’m so happy with the way this story made me feel! A must read for any hockey romance fan or just a romance story that’ll have you loving the characters and their journey.