The author did such a great job developing the characters, that I feel like I really know them, and not just the major two characters, but the minor ones too.

I loved everything about it - the characters, the plot, the emotion, the writing, and the ability that the author had to tell me a story that had me wanting this book to go on and on.

I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Standby Guy is the second book in Natasha Moore’s The Men of Lakeside series and while it was a good book, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first in this series. Best friends and neighbors explore more than friendship when one becomes an empty nester and the other decides he wants to be known as more than a rebound guy in this contemporary romance featuring a couple over the age of 40.

Katie Dixon is a widowed single mom bound and determined to having “my time” and enjoying life when her son heads off to college. Having started a list of things she wanted to do when her son was older, Katie soon realizes that she hasn’t dated in years and needs to learn how to navigate the dating waters once again. When her best friend Carter Colburn needs a date to impress a client and clean up his image, he agrees to help Katie get her dating mojo back in exchange for her help landing the client. Soon all their friends and family are excited about their “relationship” when there really isn’t one, but as lines become more blurred both Katie and Carter are having a hard time remembering where they stand with one another.

I went in to this book not sure about Carter and his “playboy” ways but I actually really loved his character. He was so dedicated to his family’s business and the law practice he ran, I honestly think he was just stretched so thin with work that he kept things easy with women because he didn’t have time to devote to a girlfriend. Kate on the other hand came across as selfish and loved making Carter feel bad for his choices, yet was determined to just enjoy flings with no relationship. It took me a good, long while to warm up to her which kept me from thoroughly loving this book. I loved their friendship and the fact they both where very involved in Kate’s son’s life, but for me there was something missing in their relationship.

I’m always thrilled to find a book with characters over 35 finding love so that was a huge plus for The Standby Guy and had I liked the heroine more, I would have been over the moon about this book. It was a good book, but my lack of enthusiasm for the heroine kept me from thoroughly enjoying it.

This was an enjoyable best friend/next door neighbours to lovers story. That had little angst, it was sweet and a quick read!I read it fast!It was heartwarming to see their relationship move from friends to lovers. I loved the secondary characters!Overall, it was a great read!

I was grateful to receive a free copy of The Standby Guy in exchange for an honest review. I found the story intriguing. It was a nice change to read about an older couple with real life experiences. I absolutely adored Carter and was amazed that it took him and Katie so long to connect. I'm glad they got their happily ever after. Definitely a good book, that I would highly recommend to friends and family.

“The Standby Guy” by Natasha Moore is the perfect example of a mature romance novel. The lead characters Katie and Carter are passed their 'prime’ and are 40 something year olds whose lives change after one kiss. The author was able to create a story showcasing that love can happen at any age and the transition to it was very natural. This romance novel definitely lean more towards being realistic than most and overall, it was a pleasant read.

A fun slow burn friends to neighbors romance. So sweet and charming. I can't wait to read the first book in the series.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Standby Guy is the second book in Natasha Moore’s The Men of Lakeside series and while it was a good book, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first in this series. Best friends and neighbors explore more than friendship when one becomes an empty nester and the other decides he wants to be known as more than a rebound guy in this contemporary romance featuring a couple over the age of 40.

Katie Dixon is a widowed single mom bound and determined to having “my time” and enjoying life when her son heads off to college. Having started a list of things she wanted to do when her son was older, Katie soon realizes that she hasn’t dated in years and needs to learn how to navigate the dating waters once again. When her best friend Carter Colburn needs a date to impress a client and clean up his image, he agrees to help Katie get her dating mojo back in exchange for her help landing the client. Soon all their friends and family are excited about their “relationship” when there really isn’t one, but as lines become more blurred both Katie and Carter are having a hard time remembering where they stand with one another.

I went in to this book not sure about Carter and his “playboy” ways but I actually really loved his character. He was so dedicated to his family’s business and the law practice he ran, I honestly think he was just stretched so thin with work that he kept things easy with women because he didn’t have time to devote to a girlfriend. Kate on the other hand came across as selfish and loved making Carter feel bad for his choices, yet was determined to just enjoy flings with no relationship. It took me a good, long while to warm up to her which kept me from thoroughly loving this book. I loved their friendship and the fact they both where very involved in Kate’s son’s life, but for me there was something missing in their relationship.

I’m always thrilled to find a book with characters over 35 finding love so that was a huge plus for The Standby Guy and had I liked the heroine more, I would have been over the moon about this book. It was a good book, but my lack of enthusiasm for the heroine kept me from thoroughly enjoying it.

3.5 stars

Natasha Moore has just wrote a slow burn friends to lovers romance that hits all the right places. “The Standby Guy” is funny, flirtatious and the characters are sweet and animated all the way through the book. This is the perfect pick me up book and I have to recommend to all book lovers out there

My first read from Natasha Moore and I was impressed! She kept me reading until the very end. I would highly recommend picking up The Standby Guy!

Two and a half stars.

Katie Dixon has been a single mom to her son Sean ever since her husband was killed in a road traffic accident when Sean was still at daycare, helped by her husband Tim's best friend Carter Colburn who happens to live next door. Over the years Carter has been like a father to Sean and Katie's best friend, they pop in and out of each other's houses and regularly eat together.

Now Sean is off to college and Katie is about to indulge in some me-time and maybe cross off a few things from her bucket list for when Sean left home.

Carter is struggling to run his own law practice and help out at his family's reclamation business after his father's heart attack. Given the opportunity to take his law practice to the next level by winning a prestigious new client Carter is astonished to find his reputation as a ladies man has preceded him, his new client wants to meet Carter's girlfriend as a character test. Only problem is ... all of Carter's female friends and exes are too busy or won't return his calls or just wouldn't give the right impression. In desperation he turns to Katie who promptly volunteers, crossing a line he has drawn for himself, after all this is his best friend Tim's widow.

I loved the premise of this but I just did not like either of the characters. Katie was wet, a neurotic mom who can't let her teenage son go without calling and texting him constantly. She was too saccharine sweet and drippy. Carter on the other hand was a weird character, self-sacrificing when it came to his family, Katie and Sean but dismissive of other women generally. I just don't see how it is even possible to run your own law firm and work several hours every day at your family's business. Also Carter's jealousy seem out of kilter and borderline scary to me. Don't even get me started on the two of them misinterpreting each other and downplaying the relationship.

I finished the novel but it wasn't for me and I wish I hadn't bothered. Judging by the average reviews I am in the minority so maybe I'm just being a Grinch.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet, sexy romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

Admittedly, the friends-to-lover trope isn’t usually one I enjoy (more on that later), but I was drawn to this book because it’s about a widowed mother who just sent her only child off to college. I AM a fan of romances about older people.

Katie Dixon lost her husband 15 years ago, leaving her to raise her only son all alone. Well, not exactly alone. Her husband’s best friend, Carter, has been there for everything. He even lives next door and comes over every afternoon for a cup of coffee. He’s been a de facto father, and Katie’s best friend.

Now Katie is starting a new chapter in her life. With her son off to college, it’s now time for her to do all the things she put off while raising a child. She has all the things written in a journal she carries with her. It just so happens she’s able to cross two of the things off her list while also helping Carter, who needs to look like a stable, respectable man - instead of the playboy he is - for a wealthy potential client.

After a candlelit dinner pretending to be a couple, several glasses of wine have Katie confessing her plan to get back into the dating game. Alcohol-fueled courage has her locking lips with Carter before the night is over, and the next thing they know they’ve been “outed” as a couple. Everyone in their small town has always thought they had a thing going on anyway. But Carter isn’t one to settle down with a family (or IS he???), and Katie’s not about to tie herself down to someone and give up her “me time.”

This story could have been compelling. Every parent faces the possibility of a new life once child rearing is done, and a man who reaches the age of 40 is bound to look around and wonder if his playboy lifestyle has really netted him the life he truly wants. But instead of exploring the tough issues, it just droned on and on about the same three things: how it was now Katie’s time, how Katie didn’t want a relationship with Carter to ruin her friendship, and how Carter didn’t want a relationship with Katie to ruin his friendship. Blah blah blah.

My reason for not liking the friends-to-lovers trope is that usually the reader has to endure an overwhelming amount of internal monologue bemoaning the hero/and or/heroine’s reluctance to “ruin their friendship” by becoming lovers. This never rings true to me. Shouldn’t you be best friends with the person you spend your life with??? And having to read all that malarkey this time was disappointing. There were SO many other issues that really DID matter this time: Katie’s concern that making a commitment to someone would mean the end of her experiencing all the things she had been looking forward to, and Carter’s reevaluation of his life and whether or not he could have a family of his own with Katie, just to name two. Those are compelling, heartfelt issues!

Instead, the author chose to dwell on the low-hanging fruit every other author picks of “we don’t want to ruin our friendship.” For me, it made the book feel more like a young adult novel, and not one about people in their 40s. And I’ve read plenty of those. I was hoping for smart and sophisticated - this book is, after all, about two 40 year old professionals. I felt like I got marginally silly and sophomoric that never dealt with the actual issues at hand.

Otherwise, I did enjoy the writing, and I liked the ending (even if I do wish it had been fleshed out more than it was). I was never tempted to quit reading, so there’s that. This was my first Natasha Moore book, so I’ll give her another try. But this one left me a wanting more.

* thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC-Entangled: August for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Katie Dixon has seen her son off to college and now she has decided to look for her notebook that she started years ago of things she wanted to do he left home. A single mom her husband died a few years after they were married and she had Sean. She has been raising her son alone except with the help of her neighbor and friend Carter. Carter is the middle son of three brothers and the second book in this series. The two of them have spent a lot of time together over the years but nothing romantically. That is until she finds out that he needs a date for an important business meeting. This also gives her an opportunity to mark something off her list. The dinner goes well until they decide to walk in the garden afterward, and then a passionate kiss between them is taken and posted on the towns Facebook page. Now they continue to date for real or not is what needs to be found out. Between the two of them, it is Carter’s character that drives me crazy at the beginning of the book and to the halfway point. Katie, I got or understood some of her reasons. I will also say you get some update on the people from the first book which was good. The last half of the book is much better and of course, the ending is good as well.

Katie is sad to see her only son off to college but sees the opportunity to finally have some me time. After being widowed, she put off her needs to focus on Sean. Luckily she had the help of her husband’s best friend Carter, who helped bring him up and supported her whilst being her best friend. Carter can’t understand why he can’t find a date to impress his potential new client, and begs Katie to step in which also ticks a few boxes on her to do list. Things are about to get complicated. I really enjoyed this story. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this second book in the Men of Lakeside series. I love that the main characters are more mature than in standard contemporary romances. Katie and Carter are 40 years old, but they are both starting new lives. With her son off to college she's rediscovering herself, and he no longer wants to be the guy women turn to pass the time in between serious relationships.

I liked that they supported each other, and got along well. I like that they were truly enmeshed in each other's lives before now. Of course, there are moments of frustration, but that's true in real life as well.

I would have liked for more time with Katie's son, Sean. Some of the things he talked about with Carter I think would have made more of an emotional impact if we'd seen them earlier. And Carter really should have opened his eyes earlier, but then we wouldn't have had such an enjoyable story.

Overall I enjoyed this book more than book #1. I'm looking forward to the youngest brother's story!

I don’t know what it was about this one, but it didn’t light me up like I hoped it would. It had some good, entertaining moments and the concept was something I enjoy, but I had some issues that took away with it.

This felt a bit “high-schooly” to me and while I love and mostly read YA, this was not supposed to be YA and just felt immature when the characters are 40+. At one point Katie saying to her mom, “Mom, I’m an adult now, talk to me.”

The village page I found was really irritating and it seemed like a neighbourhood of busybodies with no concept of privacy. The fact that someone takes a picture of people kissing and outs them publicy and everyone is nonchalant about it was odd. Or how everyone feels it their business to comment on other people’s relationships and announce when they are having a fight and what not was very irksome. Does no one have any sense of privacy?

I wasn’t a big fan of Katie. She had some major mood swings and was a rollercoaster of emotions. She seemed very sheltered and almost a “goody-good”. I felt bad for Carter because she treated him like crap, but he also came across as a bit of a push over and just took it. I feel like the whole pretending-to-date thing and all of the “he’s only pretending”, “she’s only pretending” baloney got to be a bit monotonous.

The whole idea of her “me time” was to tackle things on her “list” that she had been wanting to tackle for years, yet it really only seemed like she wanted to tackle the random sex and “finding her mojo” which was the newest thing on her list. Sure, she got a tattoo, but she didn’t do anything else (other than her dinner with Carter). I feel like the story could have been a bit more interesting if there were other things she was doing instead of just trying to get laid.

It was a quick, easy read and despite the issues I had, it had some good parts and I can see it appealing to others - but it just wasn’t for me.

The story of Katie and Carter, who have lived next door and been best friends for years. But now that her son has left for college it is her time, and she wants to start living life again - part of this is starting dating again, and where will Carter fit in to her plans?

An enjoyable read - looking frorward to the rest of this series!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary and honest review.

I enjoy an older couple story. And this one fit the bill - Katie and Carter are next door neighbors and best friends. Katie is trying to find herself now that her son is 18 and moving out for college. In fact, she has a whole journal of things she wants to do. Carter was best friend's with her deceased husband. He vowed to always help take care of Katie and Sean. And he has. Now he needs date, but doesn't want to take Katie because he doesn't want to be put in a position where he might develop feelings for her.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I did think there were a few slows spots though.

the men of lakeside series continues with the standby guy. carter colburn and katie dixon have been best friends forever. he was her late husband's best friend, and after tim's death he helped her raise their son, sean. but now sean is off to college and it's time for katie to tackle her list of things to do. it's her time to put herself first, finally.

except, she's not quite sure how to go about that. especially when it comes to sex and dating. and since carter has always been a serial dater, maybe he's the one who can help her with getting her mojo back. and since he's in need of a pretend date to make it seem like he's a standup guy to win over a potential client who has old-fashioned ideas of what makes a good person.

the thing is, they cross a line they can't uncross when they explore these things. and suddenly all those feelings that they'd both been repressing for years are all out there. it's like they are the last to know that they are perfect for each other. but watching them figure it out is an enjoyable ride.

**the standby guy will publish on february 5, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (august) in exchange for my honest review.

Wonderful friends to lovers romance

I love the energy in the world Natasha Moore has built in her Men of Lakeside series. Katie and Carter in The Standby Guy are a wonderful couple in their 40s who have spent their adult years living next door to each other raising Katie’s son Sean. It was heartwarming to see their relationship move from friends to lovers. I loved the secondary characters that continue to appear in the books in this series they add so much to the stories.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.