"Not In My Wildest Dreams" by Jamie Hollins. What a fun story that made me smile and chuckle and cheer for our delightful couple. Sean and Darcy have been friends forever and, unbeknownst to him, she has been in love with him that long. Sean is a playboy of sorts, rightly so. He's a sexy, hardworking independent man that pretty much has it all, well, except his soul mate (although he doesn't realize that yet). Darcy is quick witted and that friend that is always fun to hang with. Inside though, she is a bit insecure and vulnerable and longs for her best friend, Sean, to see her as a desirable woman. It was so enjoyable to watch Sean's eyes open up to what has been in front of him all along. Their journey is not always an easy one and Ms. Hollins certainly takes the reader through their ups and downs. This is a light and easy read that is uplifting and simply, a real feel good tale. (received copy from NetGalley for honest review)

I would like to thank Jamie Hollins and Netgalley for giving me this book for my honest review.
Review By Stephanie
4 Stars
This is the first book that I have read by Jamie Hollins, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But that cover was so pretty and the description sounded so good so I had to request! This is book two in the McKenna series but I knew it was a different couple and total could be read as a stand alone....but be warned around 50% I was so sad I didn't read book one because I loved Ewan and Quinn but at least I know I have an awesome book to read! I need to one click The Best Part of Me!
Ok more about this book....Darcy and Sean have been best friends forever but both wanted more secretly. Darcy knew she loved Sean but Sean wasn't aware of his love for Darcy. They began working together and were spending more time together and then one night out celebrating getting the contract Darcy had to much and finally blew and proclaimed her love for Sean and then ran.
The story follows the complex transfer of friends to lovers. I really loved both Darcy and Sean of course I wanted to punch both of them at different times through out this book but when push came to shove these two were awesome. I can't wait to read more from Jamie and more from the McKenna series!

Not in My Wildest Dreams is a sweet and fun friends to lovers romance that will have you smiling throughout the entire book. I freaking loved Sean McKenna! He is an easy-going, fun-loving guy who kept me laughing. He is a little bit goofy and a little bit of a lady’s man, and I know why his best friend Darcy Owens has been in love with him for eighteen years.

Sean has never seen Darcy as any than just his good friend. When he gets the opportunity of a lifetime to build a boutique hotel in Boston, he hires Darcy to be the interior designer. The two have lived in different cities for a few years, but this job now has them seeing each other often working together on a regular basis.

Sean begins to notice Darcy in ways he never has before, and things between the two friends start to get complicated when Darcy reveals her feelings. Sean doesn’t know what to think, but he does realize he desires his friend. He’s just not sure how this could work between them. Both are afraid because neither wants to lose their friendship.

Not in My Wildest Dreams is my first time to read anything by Jamie Hollins, but I immediately looked for more of her work after I was done. Lucky for me - Not in My Wildest Dreams is the second book in the McKenna series, and I have already downloaded the first book. Don't miss this charming friends to lovers romance!

4 1/2 Stars! Sean and Darcy have been best friends since they were 10 years old, when he came to her rescue while she was being bullied ... and Darcy has been in love with him ever since. She has watched him be with girl after girl in school and now woman after woman all the time wishing it was her. Now, 18 years later, Sean is a general contractor and has asked Darcy for her interior design expertise on a boutique hotel he is building. After a night of celebrating (getting the bid on the hotel) Darcy cannot stand by any longer and tells Sean her true feelings. Like most men ... he didn't have a clue! Then he takes a real good look at her and wonders why he never saw what was standing right in front of him all along. Then the roller coaster begins.

This story is sweet, funny and oh so sexy! ... I highly recommend it.

I received an ARC copy courtesy of Jamie Hollins through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I really didn't enjoy this title. The hero was not a hero to me, and while I understand that Darcy was his friend, Sean never really treated her like one, in my opinion. The scores of women he paraded in front of her should have turned her off long before the events took place. And, it was hard for me to believe he felt like she was "it" for him. This turned me off of their story.

The writing was strong, but the storyline really didn't work for me.

Not In My Dreams author Jamie Hollins, just may be my secret girl crush. How am I just now discovering her work. The McKenna series has become my new guilty pleasure. Not In My Wildest Dreams has enough testosterone to short circuit any woman's estrogen levels. Sean is a walking fantasy with his panty dropping smile and playboy charm. He can blend in with the boys as easily as he can hang out with the girls without missing a step. Darcy has the dirty mouth, sensitive heart and group of friends that some people only dream about. Yet her heart's desire has always been out of her reach. Or has it? What's a girl to do when the cause of her most embarrassing moments worms his way into her heart? Give in of course. There were a couple of tears along the way, but the smiles far outweighed them in the end.

I loved the first book in this series and was really looking forward to Sean and Darcy’s story.

Sean and Darcy have been best friends since they were 10, when Darcy came to live with her grandmother.

Darcy has been in love with Sean from day one. She’s still a virgin at 28 because she compares every guy to him and no one measures up or gets her fired up like he does. That’s a bit pathetic. She has watched him fawn over many, many women over the last 18 years. Darcy has a bit of a foul mouth, speaks her mind (except about her feelings for Sean), has a wicked sense of humor and has lots of insecurities. She was a total doormat when it came to Sean and just kept taking the small scraps he was handing her and justifying it however she could. She should not have put up with it for as long as she did.

Sean was a total douche for most of the story. He was supposed to be her best friend for the last 18 years but he knew nothing about Darcy’s life before she came to live with her grandmother. He is a manwhore, self centered and totally incapable of verbalizing or dealing with his own feelings and insecurities. I wanted to shake him so many times for being the ass he was to her on multiple occasions.

Sean is second in command at Rolland Construction. Darcy has her own interior design company. So, naturally, when Sean needs an interior designer for a big project his company is taking on, he snags Darcy for the job. Darcy is thrilled with being able to spend so much time with him.

We get both Sean and Darcy’s POV. Too much talking in their heads and not enough to each other.

I loved seeing Ewan and Quinn again. Still intensely dislike Lisbeth. Looking forward to Megan the Perfect’s story.

This story made me laugh (at their banter, at Darcy’s foul mouth and retorts), made me cry (when she finally draws the line in the sand), made me angry (with Sean‘s insensitivities), had me rolling my eyes at Sean several times, and had me yelling at Darcy to grow a backbone and demand more. That says a lot about an author’s writing skills to me. Having said this, I did not like this book near as much as book one. Too much angst and I struggled to like Sean, even after he figured it all out, because of the way he treated her for much of the book.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley

This was a lovely read with a good foundation story. Few discrepancies regarding Boston and the surrounding areas, but if you aren't a local, you won't realize. Darcy was a wonderful character from the beginning, kind and warm. Sean was funny and engaging. There was quite a bit more angst than I expected but it worked for the most part. This was the first book by Jamie Hollins that I have read, and I think I will go back and read the first book. I didn't feel that I missed out not reading the first book though.

I love when stories are set in where I am from. I hate when the authors get it wrong.
I tried to enjoy this book, but there was so many discrepancies when it came to Boston and surrounding places, that I found myself having a hard time enjoying this book.

3 Stars- Friends to lovers and all that jazz... This felt like it was a natural flow...they both were childhood friends and one had the itch before the other...Went a little longer than it should but over all was an ok- hit the mark read.

3.5 "Realistic best friend romance" Stars

ARC via NetGalley


Thank you!

Warning #1: Due to the holiday season and the lack of Internet access, I’m keeping my reviews short & sweet. Back to the normal speed next year. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, guys!

I didn’t realize this until much later, but Not in my wildest dreams is the second book in a romance series. Like most cases, it stands alone, but I did catch myself wondering more about the couple from the previous book (fans of the first story will be happy to know they’re featured in this one often) than the two people getting together in this story.

That’s not to say that Not in my wildest dreams wasn’t a good book. It was. But having read so many contemporary romances, and some really good ones about best friends falling in love, I have to say this read lacked a bit of chemistry.

Here’s a list of what I liked and what I didn’t about Not in my wildest dreams:

Positives: This was one of the most realistic stories about best friends falling in love I’ve read. Not only their friendship felt real— as people who knew each other since forever and had a good friendship, but didn’t walk around each other half naked or lay down together and stuff, because really, who has that kind of male friends? I’m not saying it’s impossible (I’m sure there are friends like that out there), but I don’t know many people who act like that. Their romantic relationship was also very realistic. They had normal-people problems, and that was a plus because it made it easier to relate to them as individuals and a couple. Same goes for the non-romantic plot. The whole deal with the hotel project was well-planned and interesting, and it made sense for the MC to be involved in it because of her relationship with the love interest. Like I mentioned before, the side characters intrigued me and made me want to learn more about them. I was especially interested in knowing more about the LI’s sister: the perfect human being who is clearly hiding a very unhappy life.

Could’ve been better: I would’ve liked the chemistry to have burned hotter, especially when in the LI’s POV. There were good romantic scenes between them, but it wasn’t angsty or sweet enough.

For a BFF to lovers story, what this book lacked on chemistry, it made up on realistic and relatable.

**Review on Amazon will be posted on release date**