I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hello abs! Tough Love will introduce you to Mia and Nate. Both have given up on love and just want to live their best life. Not sure why since Mia is barely 30 and Nate is a handsome man but whatever. At one point in their lives, they had a lightbulb moment where they realized that they hate their job. And I mean HATE their job.

So when Mia and Nate meet one another - well, let's just call it Fate. When it's actually all do to Mia's wonderful Gran. Man, I loved Gran. She was a spitfire and I love how she stood up to Mia's horrible parents. Holy crap, they are completely self centered assholes who don't deserve Mia or their other daughter. They deserve to rot in hell (just saying).

Back to Mia and Nate. They try really hard to conceal their feelings for one another but anyone with eyes can see the chemistry and spark from a different planet. So it didn't take long for things to heat up between them. Unfortunately, that just means the drama comes hard and fast as well.

I'm not going to lie. I wanted to throat punch the both of them for acting stupid. It frustrated me and I'm sure it will frustrate other people. Thankfully they somehow get their heads removed from their asses and they found a way back to one another.

The ending was cute though.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book to read for review*

This book is about Nate and Mia. Both of whom are brought together by Mia's grandmother. Nate, because he lives in the same town and has taken the elderly woman on as a friend and someone to watch over. And Mia because when her grandmother gets ill, she quits her stressful job to go stay with her for a time.

The grandmother is pretty happy about this, as she is really hoping her favorite handy-man could officially become a grandson to her, if she can get these two stubborn children together.

Nate has a dark past, Mia has been unsatisfied in her life and is looking to make a change. It is a tale I have read before, and I have read it done better.

Being completely honest, I was pretty bored by it all. It was hard to get myself through it and I ended up skimming a lot near the end. I couldn't keep my focus on it.

This was a generic contemporary romance and it is perfectly pleasant. It just wasn't for me.

3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book.

Mia Anderson isn't happy with the path her life is taking, and an upcoming thirtieth birthday pushes her to make some changes. She makes plans quit her job, go on holiday and stop 'wasting' her twenties, but her grandmother, Dorothy, becomes unwell and Mia temporarily moves to Alpine Ridge to help her out.

She meets Nate, a retired doctor who has been looking after her grandmother in the absence of her family. Dorothy is determined to set up Nate and Mia, and goes to extreme lengths to get them together.

This story addresses difficult themes, including cancer, strained family relationships and consent. It explored growth and acceptance from two different perspectives.

Mia and Nate and so good together, although the first sex scene was uncomfortable and unnecessary. I enjoyed the chemistry throughout the book, and I was on their team right from the get go. Mia's grandmother Dorothy was easily my favourite character, filled with wisdom and tough love.

I did have a few issues. I didn't see the point of the best friend. She didn't add anything to the story and I didn't learn enough about her to like her. I also didn't think the strange relationship with Mia and her sister was necessary, the relationship with the parents was messed up enough. Nate's story wasn't detailed enough, and I wasn't satisfied with the explanations as to his retirement and his current living situation.

Overall a good read, with lots of chemistry.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this story, it hit close to home *trigger warning for cancer* , but the romance is true. Mia is unhappy in her current life and enjoys going back to Alpine Ridge to help her Grandma. Nate is in Alpine Ridge hiding from his old life and basically the world. Together through a series of events and interactions they slowly fall for each other. I loved how real the relationship building is, not just wow I love you!, but real growth.

This is a story of how two people come together through loving another, and help each other grow. If you are looking for a wonderful romance, with characters that are very real with flaws and all, this is the HEA story for you. I really hope we get more stories from Alpine Ridge, the characters are so lively that you will be wanting more.

As my low rating suggests, I did not like this book.
Let me tell you my reasons for it.

First of all I was not able to connect to any of the characters (save maybe Dorothy) and I felt as if most of them didn't bring anything worthwhile to the story. Even Mia's best friend seemed a pointless character most of the time: she was brought in at random times and then <i>pouf</i> she disappears to be not mentioned again.

My major issue though is about Mia and Nate relationship: it was rushed and there were too much pointless drama to it. The whole 'Mia sober-drunk' episode for example made no sense at all to me.
And it wasn't the only thing with no sense whatsoever.

Truth is I did not feel any kindship to this couple and toward the end I just skipped through the pages.

3 1/2 Stars

Although I liked Mia and Nate ... I just didn't love them. I liked the way Mia didn't question looking after her grandmother and how she stood up to her parents, but I didn't like how she jumped to the conclusion that Nate raped her, when she didn't remember a thing because she was drunk ... but seemed sober - it just didn't make sense.

I liked that Nate was a hunk with a good heart, but I would have liked more build up to why he lived in the bush. And I would have loved to kick Mia's parents where the sun doesn't shine ... who treats their adult children like that? Mia's grandmother was a gem!

I received an early copy courtesy of Wicked Dreams Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Wicked Dreams Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I enjoyed this book, not to say that it didn't have issues. But overall a very emotional read. I loved the grandmother Dorothy. Mia's parents were horrible beyond measure. Mia and Nate are a little older, which is a nice change. They both have angst not that I understood it but that's ok. What I truly didn't get was the first sex scene?! What the heck?? 3.5 stars

DNF at 32%. I tried. I really, really tried. I love this author and genuinely adored her previous series but I cannot get on board with this book.

A story about a woman, Mia, who goes to look after her gran after a health scare where she meets Nate, her grandmother's gorgeous (much younger) friend and romance ensues.

The first thing that put me off is the writing. The writing comes off as amateur. I truly struggled to get through this.

Secondly, after briefly meeting TWICE, we, as the readers, are meant to believe that they have this deep, significant connection where they understand each other and their emotional baggage. What?! Really? How is that believable?

The dialogue is so cringe-worthy. There is actually a line where Mia says something about putting a dish somewhere so that she won't be tempted to eat everything. Then Mia and Nate locks eyes and apparently Mia's cheeks grow hot. How did we go from commenting to food to sharing secret, "flirty" glances? I don't get it. There is no banter, no anything between these two. It's just not believable!

I truly wanted to enjoy this and I thought about pushing through but I just don't want to subject myself to such.

What an emotional story. I was on the verge of tears more than once reading this book! Mia is almost 30 and realizing her life is not what she wants. She is living the life her parents want for her. Then her grandmother gets sick, and Mia is there to take care of her.
Nate is her grandmother's neighbor and someone she did not know she needed.

Their relationship was just as intense as the story.

An amazing read for me.

This book is all about following your bliss and not what others are expecting of you. Both Mia and Nate have spent a lot of time doing what others expected of them. Mia has always been a Daddy's girl and has spent her life trying to live up to his expectations. She has been a lawyer in his firm (working extremely hard) and is about to take her first vacation in years - but when her grandmother needs her Mia comes back immediately to help and ends up quitting her job. Nate was a doctor until something happened and he "retired." Since then he's focused on his personal fitness and helping out his adopted community in the Cascades.

Mia's grandmother has been trying to match up Mia and Nate for a long time - but neither has been interested. Now, while Mia is reinventing herself and caring for her grandmother - they begin to connect. Mia and Nate don't do a great job of communicating with each other. Actually - not a great job is a stretch. They really suck at it. Mia has a lot going on in her life - and Nate has a lot of guilt to overcome. Mia is a star baker and a natural born caretaker. But she is also fairly self-focused. I think she comes by that naturally - as her family is really only interested in themselves.

I give this book a solid 3.5 stars - it deals with tough subjects like cancer, grandparent loss, and parental estrangement. What didn't work for me was the lack of detail about Nate's background. We only find out even a little bit about it at the very end of the book. I understood some of it - but it didn't feel like we really got the whole picture. I also think there were some extraneous details that either needed more or could have been left out (like the smarmy clerk at the grocery and Mia's relationship with her sister). Overall - some aspects of the book felt unresolved to me.

But, I'd still recommend it as a sweet, emotional read!

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Good book! It was definitely sad but also funny! I loved her grandma! The storyline flowed well! All and all it was a goid book! Not my all time favorite but still worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

I have a few issues with this book. The first being when Nate and Mia have sex. Like what the actual? Mia is drunk but appears sober and then accuses poor Nate of rape???awful. This book is all over the place and honestly the only likeable character is Dorothy.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

Mia and Nate were so much more than I’d expected them to be. Both trying to find themselves, both afraid to take a chance, much less a leap into what could be love, and both trying to hide their fear of the unknown. It takes Mia’s grandmother meddling to get them near each other, and then some more pushing to make them both open their eyes. This was such a great story of learning to love yourself, even when that means cutting people or things out for the sake of your sanity. And that’s exactly what Mia had to do...and is what Nate had already done. So the two of them finding their way to each other and then forward together as just perfect. And their story felt real. It wasn’t all tied up with a pretty bow. It was sad and ugly and hopeful and still exactly how it should be because the bitter brought the sweet that Mia and Nate both so richly deserved in their lives.

This is a quick, enjoyable read. I thought it was going to be all steamy romance, but there was way more to it. I love it when there is a witty and caring grandma involved! If you are in need of a HEA, with a bit of dysfunctional family thrown in....and muscles of course, this is a good one!

I absolutely loved this book! It’s one of the ones that you just can’t put down. Mia and Nate are perfect together. From the start, I loved Mia’s character and knew she was such a sweet soul with so much to learn and so much love to give. Her Grans reminds me of my own Grandmother, even the relationship I have with her. I love how this book captivates a “real” love-story that was perfect from the start. If you want a page-turner, with some tears and laughs, this is your book! I will be checking out more from this author.
Thank you Netgalley & Wicked Dreams Publishing for this ARC!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I can summarize my feelings about this book with one word: Meh. I didn't dislike it per se but I also didn't particularly love it. I do like both protagonists but I didn't feel like they really got to know each other. Their feelings are largely based on their initial (physical) attraction to each other instead of them really knowing the other person.
Spoilers ahead!
What I did take an issue with is the first time they have sex. I am absolutely baffled about the thinking behind this storyline. Mia is apparently very very drunk when she takes the initiative to sleep with Nate, which he doesn't know. After he finds this out he is horrified. I cannot fathom why Mia immediately comes to the conclusion that he basically raped her. I just don't understand why such a sensitive topic would unnecessarily come up. She was drunk which does mean that objectively she could not have given consent but Nate DIDN'T KNOW that she was drunk. While she ultimately forgives him and this is resolved I just don't get the point of it. The whole thing just left me with a lot of weird feelings.
Lastly I was a bit confused by the epilogue. At that point Mia and Nate have been dating for almost a year but it seems like they have never clearly communicated about where this relationship is going. Mia thinks this really isn't all that seriouse to Nate while Nate has apparently been thinking of proposing for quite some time. Why have they never spoken about where they want to go in their relationship? I think it would have been a better ending to just have him propose in a cute way instead of having them almost break up. It wrapped up the story in such a weird way.