4 STARS

Quiet Love is a really cute friends-to-lovers romance!
Usually, the heroes in the books I read are all alpha males, so it was a nice change to see a more timid and beta male as the main character.
As for the story itself, the relationship between the MCs was realistic and, most of all, believable.
The only things I wasn't that keen on was how abrupt the ending felt and how unsatisfying the epilogue was - though I found the connection between the prologue and the epilogue to be interesting.
I'd definitely love to read more about some of the supporting characters.

I feel like I should have adored this book.
I'm such a huge sucker for the (best) friends-to-lovers trope, as well as roommates-to-lovers, so I should have enjoyed this way more than I did.
The thing is, there wasn't actually anything wrong with this book. The protagonists were likable, the story was cute, and there wasn't anything that annoyed or aggravated me. But, what sounds like a lot of pros, turns out to be the biggest issue I had with this.
I was bored. I wasn't invested, I didn't feel anything, and I didn't really care what happened between Daniel and Rose.

There were parts that I did enjoy and scenes that made me chuckle, but mostly I just had to fight the urge to skim - not always successfully.
I did not dislike this book, rather I felt indifferent towards it.

*I received an ARC of this book free from NetGalley on behalf of Barclay Publicity in exchange for an honest review*

Daniel met Rose the day he was born and they became lifelong friends, but at nineteen he fell in love with her and had no clue how to tell her. After a few years of falling harder and harder he decides to tell her, only his plan didn’t work out like he’d expected. As a matter of fact it didn’t work out at all, which led to his sabbatical after school. What he didn’t expect was that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

“That was undoubtedly the most knee-wobbling, heart-throbbing, near-orgasm-inducing kiss I’ve ever had. And it came from a person I never would have thought could kiss like that.”

Rose wanted the fairy tale happy ending, but after bad relationships and sucky first dates she was beginning to wonder if that was even a possibility for her. Then her best friend, Daniel, came back to town and moved in with her. After a misplaced touch here and an awkward moment there she began wondering what it would be like to be with her best friend, but always dismissed the idea as her needing a date.

“And then she moans – a sultry, smoky kind of sound – and I swear it’s the most erotic sound that’s ever graced a person’s mouth.”

Although they fall in love with each other at different times their love is a slow burning one meant to last forever. Quiet Love is a heartwarming friends to lovers book that will leave your heart content and a smile on your face.

The Why: There's always an upside to being patient.

Characters:
Daniel has been in love with his best friend, Rose for years. He's really shy and we get to that in his inner thoughts. So when a big photography gig that could change his life, he decides to leave. He regrets not telling Rose how he feels. But being away for two years he thought that his feelings for her couldn't get any stronger, but they did. Daniel was a sweet, but sexy guy that had no problem waiting on what he wanted. I loved Daniel because he was so sweet and though it pained him to see Rose date other guys; he was patient.

Rose goes on dates with guys that she later realizes she regrets. She's never really embarrassed and just makes a joke out of it, which is one of the qualities I really love about her. I wish it didn't take FOREVER and a day to realize that the guy she loves is in front of her the entire time. But she realizes this and keeps going. I kept pushing them together whenever things would get a bit sticky. But loved these two sweethearts.

Final Thoughts:
Being a lover of childhood friends to lovers trope, this was such an amazingly sweet and relatable story.

***I received an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review***

I was so excited when I heard that Helena had another book coming out to follow her debut novel, Sweet Bliss. I was even more thrilled when I found out it centered around Rose. I adored her in the first book, even though she had a smaller, secondary role. And I'm happy to say Helena did an amazing job of giving Rose the fantastic, sweet, happy ending she deserved in Quiet Love.

Quiet Love focuses on Daniel and Rose, who have been best friends for most of their lives. They have a beautiful bond, their friendship was survived the years ... and Daniel is in love with Rose. Like, truly, madly, deeply in love with her (thanks for that, Savage Garden, lol).

Rose, on the other hand, is on a quest to find true love, and keeps looking in all the wrong places for it. She's notorious for going on a few dates and finding a fault in the guy, but that hasn't slowed her roll or stopped her from looking for Mr. Right.

When she starts to feel some new things towards Daniel, and begins to wonder if Mr. Right hasn't been sitting in front of her this whole time, well ... that's when things get exciting.

Friends-to-lovers books make me all kinds of giddy, and Helena really delivered a story here that is funny, sexy, and sweeter than a bowl of sugar. Daniel is such a great leading man. He's a bit on the geeky side, but he's also this sexy, charismatic, and fun guy. He's passionate—so, so passionate—about the work that he does, and that alone made me trip all over myself and fall for him as a character. His love for his work jumped right off the pages, and I think Helena did a stand up job of really bringing things to life in this book.

Rose is also amazing. As I mentioned before, I fell in love with her character when I read Sweet Bliss. She's hilarious, she's snarky, witty, but she's also determined and loyal to a fault. She has a soft side that she doesn't really let anybody see ... Except Daniel. Because Daniel knows Rose better than anyone else does.

This was a good, slow burn, and I loved it! I enjoyed that Helena kept it real and didn't have Daniel giving up who he was for Rose or anything like that. I also loved the fact that she didn't have Rose tripping all over herself within the first few pages. I like when an author takes me for a ride and prolongs the excitement of the story, and Helena did that with this book.

In addition to making me swoon numerous times. Quiet Love had me laughing out loud on multiple occasions. (Ahem, the towel scene!) This story is a perfect mixture of comedy and romance and will leave you wishing you could have another couple hundred pages to spend with these two.

Helena has a gift with words and I'm so thrilled that she shares it with us readers. If you're looking for a good romance book that's fun and easy to read, then this is definitely the story for you.

Five stars to this book!

2.5 “Best Friends falling in love” Stars

ARC via NetGalley.

Thank you!!!

This book didn't do it for me, which is so, so sad.

I thought the premise was really cute--best friends turning into lovers, with the little extra factor of one of them already being in love with his BFF for a long time.

These two aspects should've made this a win, but that wasn't what happened. Unfortunately, I knew I'd have a hard time getting into this story from page one. The writing just wasn't there for me.

I simply couldn't feel connected with the story at all, because I thought it lacked voice. It wasn't that I didn't like Daniel or Rose, but more that I didn't feel like I got to really know them. There was plenty of backstory (so much that it felt info dumpy), but the way the story was delivered didn't make me feel connected.

I also thought the pacing was too slow. There were a bunch of scenes I felt uncessary to the end goal: getting those two together, making Rose notice Daniel the way he'd noticed her years ago. I just kept waiting for things to move much faster than they did.

Having said all of that, I'm in the minority when it comes to this book, so maybe check out other reviews before making a decision.

Friends to lovers is one of my favorite of the classic romance tropes and Quiet Love does it so well! If you enjoy these storylines, you'll love following Daniel and Rose as they discover the romance that's been floating under the surface of their friendship for years.

Daniel has known for a long time that he loves Rose. When he decides that he can't stand by and watch her fall in love with someone else, he embarks on a two year journey to find himself. Daniel comes back ready to face Rose, but completely unprepared to be bombarded with all of the old feelings even stronger than before. They're back together as friends and roommates and soon Rose is finding her feelings drifting beyond the friend zone too!

Daniel is a sweet and wonderful book boyfriend and you'll love reading his thoughts, feelings and utter devotion to Rose. Rose is fun and hardworking and completely shocked to find that she's attracted to her BFF. Their relationship develops naturally and sweetly. It really is a Quiet Love! But, I want to loudly shout about how terrific this book is! If you like a sweet and wonderful friends to lovers story, you need to add this to your TBR list!

An advance copy of this book was received from the author. Receipt of this copy did not impact the content or independence of this review. This book received a 4.5 rating. BFF Book Blog also uses a set of icon ratings. This book received additional icons for: sweet, steamy, romance, hero, heroine and butterflies.

I love the friends to lovers trope. Daniel and Rose have known one another literally from birth. Their history is long and eventful. I felt for Daniel for having to keep his true feelings from Rose because of timing. Now two years later they become roommates.This is where things get truly interesting for Daniel and Rose. I think the title fits the book perfectly because what they experience is a quiet love. I enjoyed watching the journey of their friendship shift to new territory.

Kindle Edition edit
Review **You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**

Quiet Love is the second book in the Chapters of Love series by Helena Rac. I had no idea that the first book was going to be part of a series (or if I did, I didn't remember that part.) But I do remember that I absolutely loved Sweet Bliss (Which is currently on sale for 99cents!) Quiet Love totally had me swooning. I loved this friends to more story so much. I liked it even more than the first book!

Quiet Love is Rose and Daniel's story. I really really enjoyed these two characters. Rose is great and Daniel is all mine. Seriously, I loved sweet quiet Daniel. He is Quiet Love. Rose and Daniel have been best friends forever. I loved that Rose and Daniel had no airs about them. They were who they were, and they totally loved that about each other. They make great friends and a great couple. I loved how genuine their story felt. It was mature and didn't have a whole lot of unnecessary drama for the sake of drama, which was a nice change of pace. (don't get me wrong, I like watching drama unfold on tv or in books, but I am so low key in real life that it was super refreshing to see level headed characters.) These are people I would totally be friends with in real life.

Quiet Love is a great, and really satisfying romance. Helena Rac has hit my sweet spot with romances twice in a row now. That is really great for me. I can't imagine anyone not swooning over Daniel. He is just someone I want to hug. I liked Rose too but Daniel was the star for me. I loved the whole thing. This romance was a great read for me. Check out Quiet Love and the Chapters of Love Series by Helena Rac. I think it will put a smile on your face.

Helena Rac's Quiet Love is more than a quiet contemporary romance. Daniel has been in love with his best friend for five years, but hasn't been able to work up the courage to tell her. When he comes back from his 2 year trip around the world and lands on Rose's couch, he may not be able to hold it back anymore. While Rose believes real love is waiting for her, on a dating app no less, she doesn't realized it's been by her side the whole time.

I love that this story is about finding forever with someone who has always been there. The snark and sass keep it from treading into sappy waters and the passion between the two friends raises the sexy factor from sweet to seductive. I think the story would have been just as intriguing if it focused on either Rose's point of view or Daniel's. The narration from both Daniel and Rose's point of view was a little redundant, or chatty, but the story itself is still clear.

Helena Rac is an author to watch because she's definitely on her way to becoming the next Lori Foster, or Megan Hart if she makes her romances any sexier!
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

Quiet Love is a tale of unrequited love, and a love that sneaks up on you. Sometimes you find love where you’re least expecting it.

This is the story of two lifelong best friends, Daniel and Rose.

Daniel has been in love with Rose for years. The problem is, Rose has no idea. Daniel keeps waiting for the right moment to tell her how he feels, but that moment never seems to come.

Believing Rose will never see him that way, Daniel focuses on his career and goes on a trip around the world for two years – hoping being away from Rose will cure him of his love for her. But things don’t really work out as planned when Daniel returns and realizes no time away will make him stop loving Rose.

Rose is looking for the one. She’s convinced it’ll be love at first sight; an automatic spark that will let her know she’s met the man with whom she’s supposed to spend the rest of her life. So imagine her surprise when she starts having feelings for Daniel when he returns from his two-year long trip. She’s confused by this, and isn’t quite sure what to do.

I love the friends-to-lovers trope. I think it may be because I believe the best relationships happen when you start out as friends. This is the case with Daniel and Rose. Their lifelong friendship forms a strong and solid foundation for their relationship to grow.

There is a lot of waiting in this book. Waiting for Daniel to tell Rose how he feels. Waiting for them to take their friendship to the next level. Waiting for Rose to realize how deep her feelings are. This would have been a little annoying if it were for the fact that they were each hesitating because of their feelings. It wasn’t a misunderstanding, or miscommunication. They were actively not communicating to each other about their feelings. Again, this would have been annoying, but I empathize with both Daniel and Rose. But being vulnerable is difficult. Showing or expressing your feelings is scary, especially when you are unsure what the outcome will be. Rose and Daniel have the added complication of a lifelong friendship – neither one wants to do anything that would destroy or hurt that friendship.

In the end I’m happy with how this story progressed. Quiet Love was a funny, sweet, sexy, heartwarming story, and I’ll definitely be reading more by Helena Rac in the future.

If you’re a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope served with a side of unrequited love, then you’ll love this book.

Daniel has been best friends with Rose since they were born. He’s been in love with her for years. The only problem? She has no idea, and he’s not about to tell her and ruin their friendship. The solution? Leave Chicago to travel the world, pursue his dream of becoming a photojournalist, and try to forget the red lips that he could kiss for hours. If only she’d let him…

Rose knows true love is out there somewhere; she just has to try hard enough to find it. That’s become more complicated, though, since her best friend Daniel has moved in with her after being away for two years. Somehow thoughts of him keep getting in the way, making her morning showers a little too hot for comfort. If only he’d see…

In Helena Rac’s second novel, best friends become roommates and discover through sloppy towel tucks, stargazing adventures, and a very sexy photo shoot that sometimes love can be found in the most unlikely place: right in front of you.

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I read this book in a couple of hours and I loved the way that Daniel loves Rose. He loved her at birth, he loved her with a child's love and now he loves her as an adult. He loves her from afar and then that all changes when he moves in with her as her roommate. At times, I wanted to smack them both and say "WAKE UP" and then he finally told her!! It was so awesome!! Pick this book up and read it. If you love childhood to adult romance stories then this is the book for you!!

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

If ever a book had a perfect name, it was this one. Quiet Love by Helena Rac is a beautiful friends to lovers story. It is both endearing and frustrating. You smile at their growing attraction, finding the moments of love and realization to be sweet and earth shattering, and their hesitation to be oh so very frustrating. Rac does a fantastic job of sharing a slow burn story that consumes two people who have known each other since their first days on Earth. When their spark is realized, it becomes consuming, burning bright in a love that will not easily be doused. Love is quiet as it consumes them and changes everything.

This story is one of the best friends to lovers stories I have ever read. You see everything unfold in dual POVs, a glimpse that allows the reader to see the transition in feelings and the growing love that blooms between Rose and Daniel. It is perfect. The story takes a cautious step at the beginning, both characters terrified of what these romantic feelings might mean for their relationship, but when the moment comes and everything changes, they learn that friendship fueled by fire, lust, and love is the best the world has to offer. I loved the way they circle each other. We understand their deep friendship and connection, something the reader never doubts. You see Daniel’s feelings that have been tested time and time again. As the story picks up momentum, things escalate in the best way, leaving the reader content and happy for Rose and Daniel.

Helena Rac has mastered the friends to lover story. Rose and Daniel are two brilliant characters, two people with so much to offer and a love to last a lifetime. I adored this book! It was well paced, beautifully written, and authentic to who Rose and Daniel are. It addresses the fear of lifelong friends who become more and shows the beauty that can happen when the choice is made. Do not miss this one!

My Rating:

4.5

Favorite Quotes:

Do you ever wonder if a person was meant to cross your path for a reason? I sometimes feel as if Rose wasn’t just meant to cross mine; she was meant to be there when my path started.


It’s funny how quickly perceptions can change. All of a sudden, things down there cool like it’s the middle of winter and my furnace is broken. The sparkly blue eyes seem too blue, like he’s got some weird fake contacts. They’re kind of scary looking, to be honest. Those arms that I was swooning over a minute ago now look like bulky, juiced-up slabs of ham. The man bun looks too sleek, kind of oily. And the beer– I bet it’s Bud Light.

I might have been a bit temperamental at times– or, as my mom liked to put it, ‘determined’ to get what I wanted. That had a nicer ring to it. Right now, I’m determined to put this guy in his place.

Rose, there are trillions of stars in our galaxy. There are even more planets. There are billions of people on Earth. And then there’s you. You’re my star. You’re my whole universe. I love you the way I’ve never loved anyone in my life, and always will.


My Review:

Quiet Love was a sweet, angsty, humorous, and deliciously steamy friends to lovers romance. Packed with quirky and endearing characters, I enjoyed Ms. Rac’s clever humor and witty writing style. The main characters of Daniel and Rose had been neighbors and friends from birth, although Daniel had been quietly besotted and longing for more than friendship for several years but too cowardly to confess his feelings. Rose was oblivious to his predicament and each time he finally worked up his courage, the timing was always wrong - I was ready to do them both bodily harm when at 65% into the book he was still dithering. Once they finally connected I worried about needing a new kindle, as I feared mine was melting – I gasped and clutched for libation to prevent dehydration. Snap, crackle, pop! This was my first experience on the Rac, but it certainly won’t be my last, she has a new fangirl.

Quiet Love was so fun to read that I read it in one sitting. Daniel and Rose have been friends since birth, literally. Since they were 19, Daniel has been in love with Rose, but holds his feelings inside. After a two year photography trip around the world, Daniel is back and sharing an apartment with Rose. The close quarters end up making for some buried feelings coming to the surface.

I would like to thank this author for giving me such a sweet friends to lovers story with as little angst as possible. Lately, that is all I seem to get in this type of story and while it is entertaining, it is getting a bit old. There was definitely an opportunity for a huge angst ridden and anger filled time apart, but it never happened. Thank you! As I said, i adored this book. Both characters were great and they just fit well together. Their HEA made so much sense to me.

I'm not going to spoil anything. Just go read it. I didn't realize this was a second book in a series, so it does well as a stand alone. I'm going to have to go back and read the first book, Sweet Bliss.

Wow, I soooo have a new book boyfriend and that is Daniel! Quiet Love is such an amazing story about Daniel and Rose and the possibility of friendship becoming much more. Best friends forever, Daniel and Rose have been through it all, but the problem is that Daniel’s been in love with Rose for years and she doesn’t know it. After earning a photojournalism degree, Daniel takes two years to travel the world and hopefully get over his feelings for Rose. While gone, Rose starts her own event planning business and remains unlucky in love, never finding Mr. Right. After Daniel’s return, he realizes he’s more in love with Rose than ever – complicating their new status as roommates. Torn between telling her the truth or moving on, Daniel starts to notice changes between them, and wonders if Rose feels the same. After an accidental touching of a body part, Rose also starts wondering if there isn’t maybe more between them.

With the exception of some of Rose’s dating nightmares, every character in this book was so likable. It took no time at all for me to become completely invested in the characters and the story. Rose was a fantastic character – beautiful, smart, funny, spirited – but Daniel just blew me away. Daniel was sexy in a subtle way, smart, talented, well-traveled, romantic, sweet – I could go on all day.

I immediately rooted for Daniel and was crossing my fingers that Rose would wake up and realize what an incredible man she had right there all along. The author perfectly kept me guessing “will they or won’t they” making this a complete page-turner. Quiet Love is full of romance, humor, frustrations, sad moments, and amazing sexy situations. Any fan of contemporary romance shouldn’t skip Quiet Love. This was my first time reading Helena Rac but it definitely will not be my last!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Barclay Publicity for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A tribute to whoever came up with the idea of this cover, whoever shot it, and generally whoever was involved because the main reason why I picked up this book was its cover. The plot came later.

As a huge fan of friends to lovers stories, after being sidetracked by the nice cover, I couldn’t simply pass this up. And the story started off sweet enough with the hero Daniel’s words giving us a timeline of his feelings so we knew what we were getting into and when.

Daniel and Rose had been friends ever since they were born. Literally. They were a few days apart and were placed next to each other at the hospital, their mothers became fast friends and voila, the two were almost inseparable their entire lives. At least until Daniel left for a two year long trip around the world to pursue his dream of photojournalism.

When we start the story we know Daniel’s already fallen for Rose, but the fun part is seeing Rose struggling with her feelings for Daniel. After Daniel’s been back from his trip-and this is around the time the story starts- they’re two years more mature. Plus, they’ve been away from each other having built a life for themselves, not being college students anymore. So the timing was perfect. The trigger too, for Rose’s feelings. I could see that she saw Daniel in a new light, especially after he transitioned from the shy best friend to the confident man.

The story’s told from both their points of view so we know exactly what’s going on and when. Even though I haven’t been a fan of this kind of storytelling, I can see that sometimes it’s the best choice. Besides, I did read my fair share of first person narration and enjoyed it when done right. Which was the case here also. I liked to listen to Daniel speak about his love for Rose, something that progressed slowly but firmly. And his dilemma over whether to tell Rose and take a chance or possibly ruin their friendship was realistic and, at times, painful. Rose here was the one who took the story a step forward though because without her struggle about seeing her best friend in a new light, I believe Daniel might not have taken that step.

This was a sweet story. It gives you exactly what it promises. A friends to lovers story that is nice and sexy. If you enjoy this theme like me I’m sure you’d enjoy this book too.

I’m adding four spoonfuls of this story into my hodgepodge.

What a sweet and charming book. I don't mean that in any condescending way either. I mean that in the best way possible! Daniel and Rose are life long friends. They grew up together and know each other better than anyone else. At 19 Daniel realizes he's in love with Rose but how does he tell her without ruining their friendship. Well, he doesn't, he decides for the greater good of love and friendship it's time for him to move on.. Fast forward a few years and Daniel is back in town and moves in with Rose. It's at this point Rose realizes Daniel might be the guy who gives her the happily ever after she is desperately seeking.

This is such a wonderfully, well written book. The author has a way with words that make you want to read more and more.

Daniel and his „quiet“ feelings for Rose made my heart hurt, he is such a great and sweet guy.

I feel like I‘ve fallen in love at first sight more than once, except each time it was with the same person. Her.

It seems as though the harder I try to get her to notice me, to really see me, the more she becomes blind to it all (…) She‘s still looking for those fireworks, for a guy who will sweep her off her feet. Little does she know that I want to be her fireworks.

But watching Rose slowly seeing Daniel with other eyes was so much fun too.
And I loved the way she supported Daniel.

„Quiet love“ was sweet and sexy and I enjoyed Helena Rac‘s writing style.

Quiet Love was a beautiful and sweet story about two best friends who were destined to be together. Daniel and Rose were best friends literally forever, since they were in their hospital cribs. Daniel fell madly in love with Rose when they were teens but he had never enough courage to say a word about it, so he decided to move on, move away, live his dream of being a photojournalist. When he came back home, he moved in with his best friend, Rose and this is where their journey started.

I loved their relationship, when they were friends and when they finally became lovers. All of it was beautiful and sweet and romantic and sexy. There was a moment when I felt frustrated because Rose was so blind and Daniel was so quiet, but everything came in the right time, and when love was finally added to the equation, their story was perfect.

This is my first book by Helena Rac, I loved her writing style, it was fun and fluid and sexy. I loved all the characters, the main and secondary, and every plot twist was amazing. I LOL and screamed—out of frustration but everything was fine, don't worry—and I was left with a huge smile with how this book ended. It was amazing.

100% recommended. Now you go and fall in love with Daniel and Rose.