Matching books and maybe employees!

Bookseller Cleo Davis wanted to buy the bookstore where she worked but she didn’t have enough savings. Cleo hoped the risk assessor from the Stephens bookstore chain would decide the store was a fit for the company and she would be able to manage it for them. Mark Stephens checked out the stores that the company was thinking of buying for his father but when he met Cleo Davis he wasn’t sure the store would be a fit since they weren’t about pushing everyone to buy books but matched customers with books they would enjoy reading plus being a center of community activities.

Cleo was all about making people happy to find a new book to read and make her town a home and Mark had to figure out how they could be together without changing companies.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A cute, quick read set at a small-town bookstore . Cleo loves working at Rook and is concerned a buyout by Mark's family's company.

I liked the uniqueness of the store and decorations that Cleo creates. The events she planned around Valentine's Day were fun, too. I would love to go to an event where I could make a new friend based on mutual literary likes.

Mark's change/growth over the course of the story was big, but didn't feel over the top. It was easy to see how and why his opinions began to change.

There was one side storyline with Mark's sister that I wish has been wrapped up, but I wonder if she will be featured in a future book.

A Valentine Proposal by Viv Royce a cute and sweet five-star read. This is such a great story, it’s the second story in the Little shop on Heart Street and it can be read as stand-alone as I haven’t read the first story and didn’t feel like I missed anything. This is a great story, you can read it quickly and it will suck you in and not let you out, it was deep enough that you could really grip it, but not so deep that you got stuck in the details. Cleo Davis was a great warm character, you could just pick her up and put her in your pocket to make sure she was all safe and well, the passion she has for books, comes off the page. Mark Stevens took longer to warm to, but when I did, well he warmed me plenty. This is a great story and I will be going back to check the first one out.

This was a cute story, very simple and clean, didn’t wow me though, felt it was very predictable and the ending left me feeling a bit cold!

This was just ok for me. I wasn’t happy with the ending. It was too abrupt. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

Cleo meets Mark when he arrives in town to evaluate the bookshop she manages - the same shop that his family chain of stores may take over. She doesn't want to work for a corporate machine, where every store is the same. Can she convince him to give the shop a chance and will the romance around her valentines promotion give them a chance to be together?

Swoon! Was a wonderful story - guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Cleo is the bookstore manager that had put her all into the story and created a unique and welcoming environment. Mark is part of a book store chain interested in purchasing the store and turning it into a clone of other stores in the chain. The very idea of such a thing appalls Cleo and she sets out to show him the benefits of her approach.

While Mark is participating in the various events that Cleo has planned, he becomes enchanted with her, and her with him. However, Cleo doesn't trust it and Mark takes an unusual approach to proving his heart.

I loved this book and loved the characters. I found myself invested in their story and wanting them to get their HEA ending. Put this at the top of your TBR list. The author is on my must read authors' list.

This light, quick, and clean read reminded me of a Hallmark movie in print form, with a meet cute, some playful banter, a few obstacles in the way of happiness, and an ending that will make you smile. I personally didn’t connect with the very internalized writing style, but it’s a sweet, heartwarming read.

The story follows Cleo, an employee at a book store that’s in the process of being bought out by a larger business. When the representative of that business, Mark, visits the store, he soon realizes that it’s unlike any book store he’s ever been in - and whether or not that’s a good thing has yet to be decided. As Cleo tries to win Mark over to the small town way of running a book store, sparks fly between them.

I enjoyed the sweetness of the story and the playful banter between these two. It’s a short book, just longer than novella-length, so there’s not a ton of depth to the relationship. I would’ve loved more focus on these two rather than some of the distracting subplots, though when they’re together it was pretty sweet. The subplots combined with the writing style detracted from the romance, but it’s a cute book and a nice, easy read. I received an ARC via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A Valentine Proposal is a cute, fluffy, fast read that will melt your heart. Mark and Cleo at first seemed like they were going to be enemies to lovers but there is also a touch of workplace romance as well. Cleo is very set in her ways that she will never expect people to love her for her again. Her parents have shown her that you can not depend on people no matter what you do to make them happy. I was really hoping by the end of the story she would have at least come to a better relationship with her mom and/or dad. Mark has an interesting relationship with his family as well. He works for his father and understands that their typical business model works but wants to incorporate small town bookshop visions into a small shop business plan. I love how these characters come together and not only fall in love but encourage each other to trust again in their lives. I can not wait to read the next book in this series after meeting Lizzie briefly.

Thank you to netgalley, Viv Royce and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Although trained as a lawyer, Cleo was unhappy working at her father’s law firm, so she left the firm to manage a small-town bookstore. She has been very happy living in the apartment above the bookstore and being active in her community. However, she is deeply concerned when the bookstore’s owner decides to sell the store to a well-known chain.

Mark works as a new business scout for his father’s chain of bookstores. While there are things that he likes about the job, he misses having time to do things that he loves like volunteering with children. Cleo’s bookstore is one of the stores that Mark’s father is interested in acquiring.

Mark and Cleo meet when he visits the store for the first time. Sparks fly, but neither is really interested in a relationship, and Cleo doesn’t like the changes that Mark indicates will come if the bookstore is acquired. Can they find room to compromise, and will they both let down their guard long enough to care about another person?

Another fun and lighthearted romance from Viv Royce. I really enjoyed A Family by Christmas (the previous book in this series, though each can be read by itself), so I was pleased to have the opportunity to read this one. I was not disappointed. I love these slightly shorter romances, they are well written and so easy to read. None of the excessive drama that I find in some romances, but still plenty of plot. I’ll certainly be on the lookout for further books in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Valentine Proposal, is a sweet romance novel. Meaning holding hands and kisses, nothing steamier. I enjoyed this small town romance. Both Mark and Cleo, come from the big city. They appreciate the small town feel even more because of this I think.