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libervorereads 's review for:
Meant to Be Mine
by Lisa Marie Perry
***I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review, which was first posted on book blog Will Read for Feels.
When I first learned about Lisa Marie Perry’s new Guilty Pleasures series, I was happy to give it a read, especially after checking out the blurb to Meant to Be Mine, book 1. I mean, it ticks off so many of the boxes in the list of things I like in a love story: small-town romance, second chances, complex characters, a struggle with medical issues, and a battle with personal demons. You might say I was predisposed to like this. What I didn’t expect is how much I would like this. Not just because of the elements listed above, but because of its sassiness and sweetness, pain and pleasure, love and loyalty, friendship and a furbaby—all of which was woven together with alternating threads of intensity and humor.
Now, this is very much a character-driven story in that the entire plot line is charted by the two main characters’ journey to a headspace and heartspace in which they could be the people they needed to be and make the decisions they needed to make, both for themselves and each other.
Burke Wolf is a drug addict who’s been clean for years, but he continues to struggle with his addiction and the inner demons that helped birth it in the first place. He’s not your typical arrogant alpha hero, although when it comes to protective streaks, this guy could win a prize. He’s loved Sofia Mercer since they were kids, but his crippling self-doubt and concerns about her health have him thinking she deserves someone else, someone better than him. Honestly, I was torn between wishing I could ogle his bod for real, wanting to hug him, and being tempted to thwack him over the head. Definitely a hero to keep you on your toes.
Sofia Mercer has her own demons to fight, both emotional and physical. Emotional because she struggles with feelings of guilt and abandonment related to her family and upbringing, and physical because she has survived what would’ve been terminal heart disease if not for a transplant she had when she was 19, but just because she is better and stronger now, it doesn’t mean an end to her health woes. And because she has lived with illness all her life, she has a healthy dose of pride and a need to prove herself as something other than that poor sick girl everyone felt sorry for. I admired her strength and her YOLO attitude, but I also was pretty frustrated by her stubbornness at remaining insulated emotionally.
All of the above should tell you why I enjoyed reading about how these characters sniped at each other, couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and not so much fell for each other as, having fallen, decided to grab on to the life and love they could have together. The fact that Sofia runs a sex shop in a small town just adds an element of fun and sauciness to the mix. Plus, Eaves, Massachusetts, sounds perfectly charming, and now I feel like I have to add the Cape Cod area to my growing list of places to check out the next time I’m in the US!
Whether or not you’re a fan of small-town romances, I’d recommend giving Meant to Be Mine a read. It reminded me a little of Sarina Bowen’s True North series and a little of Nora Roberts’ Chesapeake Bay series, as far as the feels and ambiance went. But don’t get me wrong, just one book in, and this series has showcased a flavor all on its own, so I’m definitely keen on getting my hands on the next book, Yours to Take, which will be out summer next year.
When I first learned about Lisa Marie Perry’s new Guilty Pleasures series, I was happy to give it a read, especially after checking out the blurb to Meant to Be Mine, book 1. I mean, it ticks off so many of the boxes in the list of things I like in a love story: small-town romance, second chances, complex characters, a struggle with medical issues, and a battle with personal demons. You might say I was predisposed to like this. What I didn’t expect is how much I would like this. Not just because of the elements listed above, but because of its sassiness and sweetness, pain and pleasure, love and loyalty, friendship and a furbaby—all of which was woven together with alternating threads of intensity and humor.
Now, this is very much a character-driven story in that the entire plot line is charted by the two main characters’ journey to a headspace and heartspace in which they could be the people they needed to be and make the decisions they needed to make, both for themselves and each other.
Burke Wolf is a drug addict who’s been clean for years, but he continues to struggle with his addiction and the inner demons that helped birth it in the first place. He’s not your typical arrogant alpha hero, although when it comes to protective streaks, this guy could win a prize. He’s loved Sofia Mercer since they were kids, but his crippling self-doubt and concerns about her health have him thinking she deserves someone else, someone better than him. Honestly, I was torn between wishing I could ogle his bod for real, wanting to hug him, and being tempted to thwack him over the head. Definitely a hero to keep you on your toes.
Sofia Mercer has her own demons to fight, both emotional and physical. Emotional because she struggles with feelings of guilt and abandonment related to her family and upbringing, and physical because she has survived what would’ve been terminal heart disease if not for a transplant she had when she was 19, but just because she is better and stronger now, it doesn’t mean an end to her health woes. And because she has lived with illness all her life, she has a healthy dose of pride and a need to prove herself as something other than that poor sick girl everyone felt sorry for. I admired her strength and her YOLO attitude, but I also was pretty frustrated by her stubbornness at remaining insulated emotionally.
All of the above should tell you why I enjoyed reading about how these characters sniped at each other, couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and not so much fell for each other as, having fallen, decided to grab on to the life and love they could have together. The fact that Sofia runs a sex shop in a small town just adds an element of fun and sauciness to the mix. Plus, Eaves, Massachusetts, sounds perfectly charming, and now I feel like I have to add the Cape Cod area to my growing list of places to check out the next time I’m in the US!
Whether or not you’re a fan of small-town romances, I’d recommend giving Meant to Be Mine a read. It reminded me a little of Sarina Bowen’s True North series and a little of Nora Roberts’ Chesapeake Bay series, as far as the feels and ambiance went. But don’t get me wrong, just one book in, and this series has showcased a flavor all on its own, so I’m definitely keen on getting my hands on the next book, Yours to Take, which will be out summer next year.