agrippinaes 's review for:

The Bitterroot Inn by Devney Perry
3.0
I thought this was, in places, quite a sweet story. Maisy has been a character I liked in previous books, so it was nice to see her story continue. It might sound a bit weird, but I actually really liked the minor plot of her doing up the motel. I have a real thing for people doing stuff up like this, I don’t know why but I find it really satisfying to read.

I also loved Maisy’s relationship with her son and family. They were such a lovely, supportive unit, and I found it really heartwarming. The hero, Hunter, was quite interesting. I found him quite sweet and sexy and I genuinely felt his affection for her. They had good chemistry and I liked watching their relationship develop further.

The side plot is usually one that I avoid,
Spoilersomeone seeking custody of a child from their main caregiver
, but I thought this one was more interesting than the usual types. I never really felt like there was any danger of it going against the heroine - the story was obviously skewed in her favour - and I think that meant I enjoyed it more. It meant the conclusion to it had to be different, and it was.

I normally enjoy romances based on some element of deception, but this one felt a bit iffier to me. I might have preferred it if it wasn’t for the fact that Hunter
Spoileris stated from the start to have been watching Maisy for years
. Also, the central conflict between the two of them at the end, when it is revealed, is simultaneously...overdone and underdone? If that makes sense -
Spoiler so he tries to tell Maisy that he’s the stepbrother of the father of her baby, a villain from a previous book, but she won’t let him, because she’s worried it will upset her and make her not want him around anymore. Which it does, when he finally reveals it at a climactic moment. Which is fine! What he lied about was a big deal, I’d have been devastated too. But, it felt a bit unfair to get angry with him for not telling her when a) he tried to and she refused to let him and b) his revelation helps her to keep custody of her child. Then, it felt like she took ages to forgive him when it was really obvious she was going to and that section felt a bit dragged out. She was also, to me, quite wishy-washy in her annoyance. She’d be worrying about forgiving him whilst acting like he was already forgiven and I just...didn’t like it.


Overall, there was nothing really bad about this book, I just probably wouldn’t reread it and I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first 3 books in the series.

I would recommend it if you like small-town romances with some drama and a lot of secrets.

Content Warnings:
SpoilerPTSD, harassment, kidnap of a child, traffic collision, mentions of murder as self defense (in past).

Separate warning for a custody battle.