William Philip Stover is an author who is new to me & it was the first time I read a M/M romance.
That's why I looked forward to read this book, but at the same time it made me a little anxious.

The Beautiful Things Shoppe is set in a small, idyllic town and has a friendly community with people who take care of each other.

Danny is a big Teddy bear comes from a wealthy family, but due past trauma's he wants to make it on his own. He wants people to like him for who he is, not for what he can give.

At first Prescott came across as this snobbish antique dealer who had a stick up his ass, but soon I discovered it was a mask to hide his insecurities.

When it turns out they have to share The Beautiful Things Shoppe they don't like each other.  They are constantly fighting & making negative remarks about the things the other person sells in the shop.
But when they start to fight for the same cause, they get to know each other  better and discover that it isn't always as it seems.

Danny and Prescott are quirky, unique people and polar opposites, but when you look further, you'll see that at the core they are very much alike.
Once they were together they are the most adorable couple ever.
The heat in the story is very minimal, but the sweetness & fluff really make up for that. I didn't miss the sex scènes in this story at all and I enjoyed the sweetness.

I love it when a book has little life lessons in it, in this story we see Prescott and Danny constantly judge each other by appearance, by how they act.  Something what we in real life often do too. 
This story shows us it's wrong to judge a book by its cover. It learns us that it's wrong to make assumptions and to look past the outside

If I this book would be on a shelf in a bookstore next to other books, the cover would immediately draw me in. It is simple and beautiful, but at the same time it screams "READ ME".

I enjoyed reading this story, it made me laugh and swoon. While I prefer M/F romance I won't decline reading another M/M romance.
If you enjoy reading M/M romance with low heat, but filled with humor and romance than you can't miss out on this book.


I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review

Audiobook review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5++
Story – 5

Loved the story, loved the audio performance!

I enjoyed the first book in this series but I really loved this one. You don’t need to read book one, The Hideaway Inn to enjoy The Beautiful Things Shoppe; it’s fine as a standalone. This story is a great opposites-attract one.

Two men, who couldn’t be more different, must share a retail space. Prescott sells high-end antiques and Danny sells kitsch, ephemera and nostalgia. The two of them mix like oil and water in the beginning but it isn’t long before they begin to feel something different than disdain for each other. Once they are united in the common cause to save a historic building, they grow even closer.

The story kept me totally engaged and brought back memories of going “junking” with my mother and sister. The things that Danny sells are so similar to what we looked for while prowling through flea markets and antique/junk stores. I think that Philip William Stover did a fantastic job with this story.

Now for my comments on the audio performance. I loved the audiobook so much. I would never have thought to pair Kale Williams and Michael Dean. I love both of them and have listened to several books they’ve each performed individually. I’ve mostly listened to serious/romantic suspense stories from Kale and romcom and erotica from Michael. The two of them together performing this romantic story just blew me away.

I need to note that I’m not usually a fan of dual narration. Having said that, Kale and Michael were an absolutely brilliant match up for this story. I’m in awe of how smooth the transition went between them; I was never pulled out of the story like I have been with some dual narrations. I’d recommend this audiobook for their performances alone but the story is also wonderful.

This wasn’t a super long audiobook but I listened to it straight through because I just couldn’t put it down. I don’t know if there are more books coming in this series but I’ll be onboard to read them if there are.

A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me by the publisher, and a copy of the ebook was provided through NetGalley, but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

I am a big fan of the author, and was hooked from his first book Evolution of Love (reissued as There Galapagos My Heart). Stover has a way of creating very charming stories that are fairly non-explicit but full of all the feels, plus some very satisfying HEAs. In this second book in the "Seasons of New Hope" series, we meet Prescott J. Henderson and Danny Roman, co-owners of The Beautiful Things Shoppe, stocked with beautifully crafted antiques and neoclassical furniture ..... and little blue Smurfs and Nyform trolls.

Stover's plot is well-woven together with a background of the diverse, welcoming community of New Hope, numerous interesting secondary characters (as well as brief glimpses of Vince and Tank from the first book in the series - The Hideaway Inn) and loads and loads of really interesting details about a wide range of interests - from Danny's scholarly interest in fine art to Danny's joyous love of popular culture.

Danny and Prescott are opposites in so many ways. Danny gives off a "mixture of cruise director, children's television host and Sexiest Bear of the Year" while Prescott "looks like he's about to start his first day of prep school in his blue blazer and khaki pants." Prescott and Danny bond over the possible destruction of two buildings in town - one a mid-century modern bank that "looks like something from an episode of The Jetsons" and the second a Victorian home that is "a stunning example of nineteenth-century craftsmanship in the Second Empire style."

And once they finally find some common ground, they slowly move into a tenative relationship where each man still harbors hurts from past relationships. Danny also keeps a HUGE secret from Prescott (which he doubles down on) by hiding the fact that his family is incredibly wealthy, as in Bill Gates level wealth. There are reasons for doing so, but dude, keeping a secret like that never ends well.

Sure, the villain of the piece is pretty clearly defined, the predictable Huge Misunderstanding tears our MCs apart and the HEA is also predictable, albeit happy and well-deserved. But, overall, Stover does a great job with the setting and the quirky natures of our MCs and their lovely love story (along with shed-loads of useful information.) The Beautiful Things Shoppe is a feel-good story from top to bottom. 4.5 stars.

The Beautiful Things Shoppe was a better story than the first book in this series, The Hideaway Inn. The main characters were more likeable and a better fit as a couple.

There are a few tropes in this story: enemies to lovers, opposites attract, forced proximity, and The Big Misunderstanding. I don't have strong feelings either way about these tropes, so my opinions in this review are based solely on The Beautiful Things Shoppe.

Prescott and Danny butt heads from page one. Their bickering is childish, and they act much younger than their age: mid-thirties, I believe. The author drills in their differences to the point where it began feeling over the top. I get it, they are different.

I did enjoy the antique shopping trip they take together. This is when their attraction to and affection for each other come through.

The Big Misunderstanding is where the story lost me.. Danny's motivation for keeping secrets from Prescott didn't make sense to me. I feel like there were other ways he could have kept some of his identity from Prescott without outright lying.

Overall, The Beautiful Things Shoppe was a decent read with the right amount of cuteness and sweetness to keep me reading until the end.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Lovely book though it made me feel cold every time Prescott walked across the bridge to work. I enjoyed following Danny and Prescott as they grew to learn about each other and that they were more than the stereotype they presented as. Uncle Arthur and the other characters were fun. Great plot and setting.

The Beautiful Things Shoppe by Philip William Stover

New Hope, PA is a special town with a strong LGBTQ+ community. It is the perfect place for Prescott to open his antique store and for Danny to open his vintage toy store.

Unbeknownst to them, their mutual friend has purposefully rented the same store to these two men, intending for each to have half of the space.

Naturally, this simply will not do: Prescott thinks Danny is a slob and Danny thinks Prescott is a snob. Both men believe that sharing the store will be disastrous for their respective businesses, but they have no choice. They’re going to have to work together if they want to succeed.

While this odd couple/opposites attract trope would have been enough, Stover has added another layer to the dynamic. I can’t give specifics because I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll simply say, mumble mumble appearances mumble. I found this to be a rather clever enhancement that not only provided more depth to the protagonists’ personalities, but curiously enough, it also added to the conflict.

This book is a bit of a slow burn. Both men have been hurt in past relationships, so even after they stop bickering and start seeing each other in a new light, they’re reluctant to jump into anything because of their respective pasts.

Speaking of the bickering, it was absolutely hilarious to see Prescott and Danny clash over Chippendale furniture and Smurfs. This helped keep the book relatively light. There are genuine feelings, but very little in the way of angst. That said, the characters could have benefited from listening to each other instead of assuming the worst, but then again, there wouldn’t be much of a plot.

I would recommend The Beautiful Things Shoppe. Even though this is the second book in the series, it functions really well as a standalone. The protagonists from the first book make appearances, but you don’t need to read the first book in order to understand or appreciate this one. I am already looking forward to returning to New Hope in the future.




I received an ARC of this book from Carina Press/NetGalley

I found this one really hard to get into. Unfortunately, the writing style really wasn't for me; I found it overly simplistic, which gave the main characters an almost child-like quality which felt uncomfortable. I didn't warm to either protagonist, who both felt rude and unlikeable. The sense of place is great and Stover has a talent for setting the scene, but unfortunately this one just didn't do it for me.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly January New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

I struggled with this one. I was initially drawn to it because I love the tropes (small town romances, enemies to lovers, opposites attract) and I've been to the real-life town of New Hope, PA multiple times. On the surface, both Danny and Prescott are well-rounded characters with deep backstories. However, I absolutely detested the way they talked to each other for the first half of the book. I get that they were at odds, but the things they said to each other were just petty and childish and really nasty. They were thrown together in the store by circumstances outside either of their control, but they took it out on each other like children. The love story was sweet once it finally got going around the 50% mark, but it was quickly derailed again by misunderstandings that sent them right back to sniping and being nasty to each other. I really wanted to love this one, but it wasn't my cup of tea. I'm drawn to the idea of the small town enough that I'm planning to pick up the first book in the series just to see if it was only this set of characters that I wasn't drawn to.

4.5 stars

Okay, I feel the need to start this review with something that may not mean anything to many people. But for those that know, you know. I was ridiculously exhilarated that there is mention of paczki in this book. OMG, I love paczki! And I almost never talk to anyone outside of Michigan that know what the heck that even is. To be fair, I haven’t been to the east coast. But I have lived in California and visited Washington, so I know paczki are not a thing in those places. It really did my part Polish, southeast Michigan heart good to read about a favorite treat of mine.

On to the actual story now! One of the things that drew me to this book was the cover. Seriously, it’s gorgeous! And the description in the book of the exterior of the store only made me love it more. I want to go to New Hope just to sit outside this shop under the awning. The author really brings the shop to life and makes me feel as if it’s another character in this story. On that note, I also somewhat feel the town itself (not the citizens of the town, but the actual town) is another character.

Danny and Prescott are both wonderful people. They seem so different, but they’re much more alike than first meets the eye. Overall, I felt more of a connection to Prescott. His insecurities, especially when talking to others, were so well written and really had me feeling his discomfort. On the other hand, I found myself drawn to Danny’s open personality. Just as Prescott was. There is a comforting presence about Danny, even more than his friendliness, that made me love him. It also is what made me expect more from him. I’m just not a fan of secrets. Although, he had a good reason (in the beginning) to keep his secret.

It was fun to have Prescott and Danny be instant enemies. And even more fun to watch them try to fight their attraction until it’s no longer possible. The elders in their town seem to know what they’re doing when throwing people together over and over. Everyone can see the chemistry Danny and Prescott have, and the reader can feel it coming off the pages.

While I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The Hideaway Inn, this book can definitely be read as a standalone. But, if you have read the first book, there are plenty of sightings of old favorite characters from that story. I’m becoming quite the fan of this author and will continue to look for more of his stories.

Philip William Stover is a new author for me and to be honest I didn't really know what the book was going to be about.
.
The cover attracted me to a story that I did not expect to find and a group of lovable characters from the first dialogue.
.
It is not the first lgtbq book that I read but if the first I find that has so much soul, I do not know if it is the correct expression, some stories take the characters from zero to one hundred but Stover really shapes them and makes them come out of their pages.
.
In a beautiful context, a dream town where the community is a true family, Presscot and Dany must share the antique shop The Beautiful Things Shoppe, with conflicting tastes they are the perfect condiment for this enemies to lover RomCom.
.
I loved every story and how they ended up blended, Dany and her burger Crocs, the smurfs and Star Wars was the perfect match for Presscot and his exquisite taste for the history of every object from the last century.
.
It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed reading this book. The Beautiful Things Shoppe is the second book in this series of The New Hope but it may be a stand alone.
.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Harlequin Carina Press to let me read this beautiful book #TheBeautifulThingsShoppe, I'll be looking forward to read more book from this author

The Beautiful Things Shoppe // by Philip William Stover

I was very excited to receive this book because reading about small towns with little shops where everybody knows each other is a bit of a guilty pleasure since I read so many books about wars and intrigue. I liked having multiple points of view and being able to understand each character's feelings about themselves, each other, and the world around them. New Hope is adorable and I immediately felt immensely protective of the little town and its inhabitants. There is a lot of diversity in this book, which I personally am not used to in my reading to this extent (I know, I know, I'm working on that), which was very interesting to me. But the interactions between the characters felt so awkward so many times throughout the book. Also, the trope of characters misunderstanding each other as a main theme in the book is not a favorite of mine. It's really frustrating to me to follow along in their struggles when they could just fix the majority of their issues by having one serious conversation. In the end, the book was very heart-warming though. This is book 2 of Seasons of New Hope. I didn't know it was a series but that did not take away from the experience at all. I do want to give the author another chance and will be reading book 1 in the future.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed how this was a feel good story. I’m not entirely fond of the narration type of this book. Something didn’t draw in me in with the characters for me which is always a really hard sell for me.

The Beautiful Things Shoppe was a good story, but difficult to start. The characters are fairly unlikeable in the beginning, and it makes it hard to empathize with either of them. In the end, it was an interesting read though. And I did eventually warm up to the characters.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this book. I hated the beginning of this book. I almost DNF’ed it, that’s how much I didn’t like the beginning of this book. The enemy shopkeepers, forced to work together, just was written in a way that made me HATE Danny and Prescott. The way Danny and Prescott spoke to each other, just why? It made me angry. I would never treat anyone the way they treated each other.

But, I was one book away from meeting my reading goal for the year and I had invested a good amount of time trudging through the first 30% of it, I was determined to finish it.

I’m glad I did.

As soon as they got over themselves and started to get to know each other as the collectors they were, I liked them as characters. Prescott had gotten to know the people of New Hope and had fallen in love with the town. Danny found himself listening to Prescott as he sold his antiques and he started to understand Prescott.

They were complete opposites. Danny liked the vintage, toy, oddball collectibles. Prescott searched for historical pieces. They ended up working together, along with the town, to save two historical landmarks of New Hope. Of course, small towns means interfering do-gooders, pushing Danny and Prescott together. Which I loved!

Now, don’t expect a fiery romance scene in this book. But there were some toe-curling kisses exchanged and some very sweet moments between Danny and Prescott. I got a little teary eyed at how sweet they were.
So, like I said, love/hate. I detest the beginning 30% of this book but loved the last 50% of it.

DNF. I got stuck near the beginning when a minor character was described as having affluency and wealth, or something like that. That's both redundant and not a word. Hopefully good editing will fix that. Also, both main characters were kind of shallow and annoying.

There is a very sweet gay romance in this book, but it is hobbled by the writing style. Instead of letting the characters interact naturally, they instead tell you how they feel. They tell you what they are going to do. There's no fluidity. The story reads as very stilted. Again, the story is charming and cute, but the flow is incredibly choppy to read. I feel as though another pass with an editor would've helped this book immensely.

This is the second book of Philip William Stover's that I have read and the second in the Seasons of New Hope series. New Hope is a small town with a diverse and quirky population and I love all the supporting characters. If you'd like to read my review of the first book in the series, it's here and on my site

In the second installment of the series, Prescott J. Henderson has moved to New Hope to open the store of his dreams. Prescott has a background in fine arts and his joy revolves around antiques. He has wanted his own shop for a long time and New Hope seems like the perfect place to do that. When he arrives, he realizes that his new retail space is actually shared! Not only does he have to share the space but it couldn't be with anyone more different.

Danny is almost the polar opposite of Prescott. He's quirky and outgoing, a self-proclaimed nerd, and interested in the colourful and ridiculous collectibles the populate the world. Even as he realizes that Prescott is gorgeous and is interested... there's more to Danny that initially meets the eye. He has a secret and a past that leaves him not willing to take any chances on people.

It takes a project for these two men to work on together to bring them together. When a couple of the buildings in town are threatened by developers, Danny and Prescott pick up the battle. They work well together... Danny's outgoing nature and Prescott's nerves kind of "fit".

Just when things seem to be going well between the two of them... things derail. Danny has to learn to trust... learn that not everything is what it seems and there's hope for him.

As always, there are some great supporting characters in this book. New Hope is just the kind of town that I would like to live in, to be honest! Read this series if you love m/m romance but need good, solid, writing and wonderful characters.

This is a cozy winter read that I quite enjoyed. The outgoing, playful Danny seems like an impossible match for his new shop co-owner Prescott, but through building their store and working to save local landmarks, the two realize they complement each other in ways they could never have expected. It is an enemies to lovers story that caught my attention quickly, and I did not want to stop reading.

I liked the richness of the characters and want to read more stories set in the town.. While this is the second book in a series, I think this works as a standalone. Now I need to go back and read the previous book.

There are some minor typos

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review.

I enjoyed this story of a small town and two men who are radically different but ultimately find ways to connect and build a life. I liked the contrast between Prescott, who takes over half of the shop with fine arts and fine furniture, and Danny, who fills the other half with collectible toys and fads of wide-ranging interests. It was also good to re-visit characters from the first book in the series, I look forward to more from this author.