My first book by this author, but it certainly won't be the last! (Especially since everyone says this is the tamest of them all in terms of sex.) I enjoyed the chemistry between these characters, the relationship they built, and that the children were not an afterthought. All-in-all a very satisfying read.

This book was a very spicy butch/femme read and Dale and Mai had some sizzling chemistry! I found the book a little slow to start but after a few chapters the story started to hook me in.

I will definitely look for more by this author in the future!

A fun play on somewhat reversed stereotypical roles, initially confusing me thinking Dale was the butch(er) contractor and Mai was the femme-ish chef. Pretty sure I was wrong about that, and a good call by the author to mix it up a bit.
What I liked was the strong family role in this book. What challenged me was Mai and Dale being very adult about their sexual relationship, but being a bit juvenile with their emotional relationship

A very steamy, enjoyable read.
This book gets top marks for steamy scenes but what I enjoyed more was the relationships were very believable I especially enjoyed seeing the friendship develop between Mai and Dales sons and the love of cooking they shared.
An enjoyable read, ticks every box.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read anything else by Murphy, but thought this was ok. There was a lot I liked, but it fell short in other areas.

The MCs are Dale, a contractor living in her home town and Mai, a who is returning home to renovate what used to be the family restaurant and apartment above. Mai hires Dale to oversee the renovations and ends up living with her through a series of circumstances. Dale has three sons, Noah, who is in high school, Seth who ends up living back home again and her oldest Thomas, but Noah is the only one who really gets any decent story time, and he was one of my favourite characters. There’s a few other side characters in Dale’s dad and Mai’s sister and some people from the town, but most aren’t fleshed out that much. For all that Mai’s sister is mentioned as the driving plot for the renovation she doesn’t feature much and little is explained about her condition.

I liked both MCs and really liked that Mai was both a POC and butch, I also liked the issues raised around this and how she stood up for herself. Dale was also interesting, and I liked how she was portrayed as a strong woman who had raised three lovely sons.

The relationship between the MCs was a sticking point for me though. They are each attracted to the other but the first half of the book is just filled with mutual pining but no forward movement. There’s also a big time jump in the middle of the book and I found it hard to believe their relationship didn’t progress at all during that time. Once they do get together there’s a series of miscommunications that I just found annoying, you would hope that grown women would be more mature in how the dealt with each other, but not so here. The annoying thing was that this felt like it was just done to insert some drama. There’s also a side plot with a homophobic jerk that I felt could have been more strongly plotted.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters, and Mai’s relationship with Noah was also a highlight, but the main romance didn’t do enough for me, I would have liked to see the restaurant open and how that worked out for them all. This is the start of the series, so maybe that will be in the next book. Anyway, as the start of a series it was fine, and I’m interested to see what book 2 brings. 3.5 stars.

I thought this book was terrific. Two women have a distractingly awful first meeting, yet both were mildly attracted to one another. One of the many skills Murphy has as an author is developing characters that made two apparently different women come together. The two main characters were broken and some what desperate when they meet but slowly we get to see they have so much in common despite coming from different cultures and backgrounds. There are many obstacles in the path to togetherness that these two need to work through. Their ability to travel this road could either destroy or make their relationship solid. How they get to the end is a wonderful journey. I highly recommend this book.

Dale Miller is a single woman in her 40s raising her three nearly grown sons. She runs a contracting business which is only the 4th thing that was worthwhile from her deadbeat husband who walked out nearly ten years before. And, she’s still got a hard time thinking about dating again after her last girlfriend who abused her boys and left with thousands of dollars that nearly bankrupted Dale.

She’s been working 12 and 14-hour days since that gal took off, trying to built up the business, so she didn’t lose her own home. So, when sexy, butch celebrity chef Mai Li wants to hire Dale to rebuild the ruin of her parents’ restaurant in their small Ohio town, Dale knows she can’t mess this up. It’s the kind of job that would put her squarely in the black. But, Mai is an unknown quantity, and she could stiff Dale just like everyone else seems to–even if she’s cute. And sexy, and living in Dale’s basement? Yes, to save funds for the rehab, Mai was sleeping in the shell of her derelict building–until the roof caved in. So, Dale offered her spare room which morphed into her living room couch when one of her kids has to move back due to a bad breakup. And Mai and Dale are way past attracted to one another. Mai’s ex also spent her money like water, while not recognizing the issues she faces with daily racism. In short, neither of them wants to get burned.

It’s a bit of a slow burn, and the interplay between Mai and Dale’s protective sons and father is nice. Mai isn’t built for casual and Dale is afraid to commit, but they find a way to make a life plan together.

Going home is rarely fun for people in romance novels but for Mai Li it is particularly sharp. She left at nineteen (or twenty, I can't remember now) after coming out to her mother meant that her mother no longer acknowledged her existence. Growing up she was mocked for not being white as well as for being gay. She wouldn't have come back if her relationship and her cooking show hadn't imploded. Now she has nowhere to live except her family's old house which is in more disrepair than she expected. And she can only get one contractor who is willing to meet her.
Dale is a single mom to three sons, only one still at home. She's been barely holding it together financially since one of her exes wiped her out. Getting Mai's job will definitely help keep the wolf away from the door. When the roof at Mai's place collapses, Dale invites Mai to move in. They are both fighting their feelings (for somewhat ridiculous reasons but people in real life are often ridiculous) but finally admit that they might have a chance at an HEA.
There was just a little too much sturm and drang in this story for me to really fall in love with either character but I have a feeling that Brenda Murphy will become an author I keep an eye out for because both Dale and Mai were fairly well-rounded and I did like much of their relationship building.

Three and a half stars
This book came out August 17th
ARC kindly provided by NineStar Press, LLC and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

A really wonderful premise with two well thought out characters which falls a bit flat on towards the end, on the square is a great read for anyone looking for a quick romantic book that doesn't linger too long on heavy topics but instead handles them appropriately and realistic to the world now.

I found the careers of both Dale and Mai refreshing. The concept of a once contractor and a famous chef working towards restarting her parents restaurant is such a great premise. I wish I could of read more about Mai's operating the restaurant and the challenges that come with that endeavor. I couldn't connect with their romance per say, I love a good enemies to lovers story but I like to find a string to connect the love/hate. I couldn't find the fine line here that would of crossed these two and I so wish I had. If I had.

The latter half of the book explores their sex life, which I felt didn't move the story along- especially given some big revelations and 'axes' thrown in their relationship which could have been explored more.

Author Brenda Murphy is a wonderful writer above all else and has the great ability to describe scenes without having anything dragged out for the sake of hyperbole.

I didn't really connect with this read personally, however I look forward to other releases from this author.

Loved, loved , loved this book. This is the first time I read a book from the author, and I was not disappointed. The book was a triple threat, great cast, great story and hot sex scenes. The chemistry between Dale and Mai was palpable. It was a slow burn, but when they finally got together, it was fireworks. They both had been burned badly by past relationships, so it was nice to see them become friends first before anything else. Kudos to the author for this amazing book I stayed up all night to read. I will definitely be looking for other books from this author.

Received a generous arc from the publisher and author via netgalley.

I really wanted to like this book. It has all the elements I usually enjoy in a book. I normally love fiction that involves food. But I couldn't get into this book.

I wanted to like this book. I got it as an ARC on NetGalley.
Mai and Dale are women in their 40's, who act like they are teenagers. They have so little development in the book, kinda sad. We spent 200 pages on them, and still don't know their political views, hobbies etc.
Did not realize this was erotic fiction, so perhaps that's not for me.
Also why is Yvonne in a wheelchair?
I just was confused by this book. I did like Dale's son Noah.

I love cooking romances and this one didn't disappoint. Beautiful writing, a realistic and satisfying romance, and some good food descriptions as well.

On the square revolves around a divorced woman, Dale, with 3 grown sons and Mai Li, a celebrity cook returning to her home town to re-open her parent's restaurant. When Dale gets the construction job of rebuilding the restaurant and finds out Mai Li lives in that dangerous place she takes her into her home.
So, my thoughts... I'm not completely sure. It started out promising but then there all of sudden big time forwards and from the moment they have get together it seems like we're moving from sex scene to sex scene. (Btw, very steamy scenes, no complaints there). I just lost a bit of the connection I thought I was getting in the beginning of the book. So if you're not expecting a romance with a lot of angst or romantic scenes than this is a good read because the writing flows easily but if you're looking for that romance you can float away on while enjoying a nice sunny day off, this isn't it.

*** An ARC was provided by netgalley in exchange for a honest review ***

This book touches on some very heavy subjects, but I think it doesn't do enough with them, makes too light of it.

Dale married her high school sweetheart and has 3 kids with him when he split a decade ago Dale was finally able to admit to her true feelings. Dale is a lesbian and a contractor who presents more on the feminine side. When her eldest son books her a new job she has to be up earlier than usual and she arrives late. Arriving late to a disgruntled former tv chef, someone who used to live in town. Mai is set on reopening her parent's restaurant and living upstairs with her sister. While struggling financially to make it fit she sleeps in her car, when Dale discovers this she invites her to stay at her house. They fight their attraction for a while until they see each other in a nearby town. A relationship starts with some major struggles. I won't go into too much detail but there is a lot of hatred going on in their small town. How the subjects of homophobia and racism are handled are quite good, but I believe it could bring a little more substance to the story. Once the women get together it's more about their somewhat kinky endeavors in the bedroom than anything else.

As mentioned the book could have had a bit more depth, the beginning is there, it just doesn't follow through. I also would have liked to see the renovations finished sooner in this book, maybe Mai opening the restaurant already and dealing with restaurant life. The book is pretty decent as it is, but to me, it seems like it could have been so much and easily could have been one of my favourites if it were just a tad "more".

A contractor, Dale, meets a chef, Mai, when the chef hire her to restore her childhood home. A series of events leads to Mai living with Dale’s family and teaching Dale’s son to cook.

Dale: A contractor whose husband left her with their three children. She has since come out and has had a few relationships with women. One of the longer ones ended with her partner stealing almost all Dales money almost bankrupting Dales business.

Mai: Having led a cooking show on TV and having a relationship with a colleague she finds her partner cheating on her. She realize she’s mostly been used for her money and that the relationship wasn’t at all what she wants long term. Mai wants a family, and living with Dales family she gets a taste of her dream.

Pro:
Beautifully written love story – The feelings jump off the book and they connect to the readers. The progression of both the story, but also the character development is excellent.
Retaking your life after bad relationships – Both MCs have a history with bad relationships which have scarred them severely. I feel like Murphy allows the characters to remain true to their history and work through the issues in a realistic way.
Standing up for yourself and each other – The book deals with racism and homophobia, and it gives the reader an insight to how privilege can show itself in a small community. Murphy shows how isolating and immobilizing it is.
Leading MC over 40 – Refreshing to read a story with mature characters, with children, breakups and tough careers.

Con:
-

I believe this is my first adult lesbian romance where the characters are older than college students. While I'm not one who generally enjoys small-town stories, I quite liked the romance in this book. The beginning was not so great because I got confused with the characters and the first page did not make sense to me. But after that, it was easy to read.

The book was also quite hot, oof. Definitely suggested if you're looking for adult lesbian romances.

[CW: racism, homophobia, hate violence, ableist language from main characters and friends, light BDSM (consensual)]

General contractor Dale Miller's (42, lesbian) ex-girlfriend took all her savings. Tight on money, Dale knows that she needs this business deal when celebrity chef Mai Li (~39, mixed race, lesbian) contacts her to renovate her old family house. Then Dale learns that Mai has nowhere to stay for the time being, so she offers her own basement as temporary lodging. With the both of them being burned in past relationships, Dale and Mai have to figure out if being together is something they both want.

The primary reason of me picking up "On the Square" was its Asian main character Mai Li. Though never explicitly stated, Mai is of Chinese descent. She refers to her paternal grandfather as "Yeye" (爺爺) and her younger sister calls her "Jiějie" (姊姊). Mai's mother was mixed race, and I inferred from context that Mai is also Black. I have never read any f/f contemporary romance featuring an East Asian lead until now, and I am very happy with the representation Murphy provided.

Too often, authors shove a BIPOC into the story for the sake of <i>diversifying</i> the cast without acknowledging that their life experiences are different from white people. But Murphy did not do that. She clearly knows what she is writing about, and I love how she didn't try to pretend Mai's life is easy. With a more masculine presentation, Mai doesn't just suffer from homophobia and racism growing up, but still has to deal with them at the age of almost forty. I also love how Mai is clearly not tolerant toward people who discriminate.

The range of representations in this book is beautiful. In addition to our two lesbian leads, we have queer teens and sapphic adults as side characters. Mai's younger sister is disabled, and the remodeling of their childhood home includes considering accessibility as well.

As a romance, the ultimate downside of the story was that the idea of Dale and Mai being together did not really click with me. They have too many issues to work on before they are ready for a happy ending. But the story is cute, and I really enjoyed the family dynamics involving the Millers and Mai.

For stories with a single mother as a main character, I often wonder if the mother falls for someone because she genuinely feels something for them or they are good with her kids. There is such a fine line between these two. I kind of feel like Mai is perfect as a mom for the boys but am not sure that she is the one for Dale.

The pacing is a bit chunky with conversations unintentionally left hanging. I had to reread some of the passages to make sure I didn't miss anything. A lot of the angst, while very low, stems from Dale and Mai not communicating, so I admit it is a little annoying at times. But both characters are very likeable and I enjoyed seeing them figure out what's best for them. And honestly, with all the amazingly wonderful side characters, especially Dale's youngest son Noah, "On the Square" is a fun and mostly light-hearted romance that does not gloss over the non-idealities in life.

Judging from the preview of book two "Lockset" at the end of this book, we are going to have a Korean lesbian main Eun (은) soon. It is also possible that a few other side characters from "On the Square" will have their own books in the "University Square" series as well. I am very excited to see what Murphy has in-store for us in the future.

I'm a big fan of the Rowan House series, so I was anxious to get my hands on this one. And it did not disappoint. It's a classic butch/femme pairing, but I loved the twist that the butch is the chef and the femme is a contractor. I couldn't picture either of them in my head, but if you read the acknowledgements at the end you'll learn that Dale is inspired by Cate Blanchett.

Brenda Murphy's writing style is smooth and very readable, and I found that I was sucked in immediately and didn't want to put it down. The plot flows along nicely and dialogue is natural. There were a couple of unanswered questions for me, so I'm hoping they're answered in the next installment. I enjoyed the whole huge family dynamic and can't wait to know more about Mai's sister and how the restaurant is eventually opened.

Thank you NetGalley, NineStar Press and Brenda Murphy for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
When Mai Li and Dale Miller meet, it’s as far from love at first sight as you can get. If anything it’s hate at first site. When Mai Li calls a contracting copy for help renovating her new restaurant, she expects a middle aged man. Instead she got a no shit taking, gorgeous woman who’s not afraid to tell her no.
Once we start to see more of Mai and Dale together, the chemistry is undeniable. I will say this is a steamy romance. The intimate scenes don’t leave much to the imagination and will leave you fanning your face.
This is book one of what will be a series and I’m looking forward to reading more of Branda Murphy!