Winter Renshaw you did this!!!! You made feel every emotion possible. The ending was amazing and it wasn’t rushed which I loved. Give me more of this. 10/10 recommend to anyone that loves romance and lots of feelings

Nope. This just didn't make sense.

In love and kerosene, Annalise’s fiancé Donovan is killed in a car crash. After his death, she finds out that Donovan’s whole life was a lie and that he stole the money she gave him to renovate the house.  She's shocked and heartbroken and if that’s not bad enough, she gets a knock on the door from a man that looks identical to her dead fiancé, a man who claims he is the brother who she never knew about. For whatever reason Donovan was hiding the fact that he had a brother named Lachlain. Since Donovan is dead, they would never know why he was hiding that fact but the more Lachlain tells her, the more she realizes that Donovan was stringing her along for her money and probably would eventually have left her when the money ran out. Something he has done time and time again with other women. Annalise has gone from heartbroken to feeling betrayed and used, but still determined to rebuild the house that was supposed to be their home, if only to sell it, reclaim her money and go home.

Lachlan only returned to town after he found out about his brother's death so then he could donate the house to the fire department so they could burn it down. Lachlain suffered a childhood trauma in the house which we really don’t find out until really late in the story but honestly, he doesn’t seem all that traumatized. Yes, his mother died when he was young and his father checked out on Donovan and Lachlain for a long time after her death. His childhood was screwed up and his treatment by his father and brother was atrocious, but is that enough to warrant burning the house down.

Annalise has been struggling to complete the renovations by herself and she convinces Lachlain to help her renovate while she also tries to convince him not to burn the house down. The funny part is as soon as he starts helping with the renovation, Annalise has to go help a friend and she’s not helping with any more of the work. It just seemed really odd since the point of the story was that they were supposed to be working together to get the house in shape so she can convince him to sell it but she immediately stops helping and leaves it all to Lachlain. There really wasn’t a great connection between the two of them.

Thoughts:
You know that I enjoy all kinds of fantasy series. I believe in the vampires. I believe your story of werewolves. I believe your magical world, and your fairies and all the other things that make up fantasy stories. If I’m into the story, I’m very content to just go along with whatever you tell me, but the actual basis of the story has to make sense, especially when we’re talking the normal world of a contemporary story.

I picked up a copy of this story thinking that was very interesting premise about what would happen between these characters where she can convince him not to burn down the house but there were just things that didn’t make any sense to me. Actually, all of the story drama just didn’t make sense

There are two issues with this story that stand out. The first is the fact that everyone tells Annalise that she needs to prove that she gave the money to Donovan. In what backwoods are we not able to get copies of bank statements and checks? Yes the current bank account is in his name but she should be able to contact her bank in Chicago and get a copy of the check that was used as the deposit, or she can then start her her lawsuit, then get a copy of the bank statement showing that the initial deposit is from her check. She also kept records of all the things she bought for the renovations and everything was paid out of that bank account thereby proving that they were using the expenses on the house. They make it seem like there’s no way she would ever prove that the money she gave to Donovan was her’s and used for the renovation. She didn’t give him cash when she moved from Chicago and she would’ve had all her money drawn out in a bank check, more than likely in her own name unless she’s a complete moron. Maybe she is because she didn’t understand that you need to go to the bank when you open a new bank account and sign signature cards, etc. nor did she ask for copies of the bank statements so she could keep an eye on their spending. This whole drama made no sense, nor the fact that no attorney would touch the case and help her get her money back. Especially since Donovan was dead, and couldn’t claim that she gave him the money as a gift for renovating his house.

The second issue was Lachlain‘s desire to burn down the house. Now maybe when he still thought of his childhood house was falling apart since his father didn’t take care of it. You might think it must be a shack and you need to just burn it down but you'd be wrong.   And no matter what kind of childhood trauma he might’ve suffered in that house, the fact that it’s been renovated and the foundation was now solid, the kitchen was redone with custom cabinets and new bathrooms.  To me, once Lachlain installed custom made cabinetry in the kitchen, the question of burning it down was moot. Who would put that kind of money into a house and burn it down. Even if this is some backwoods town, a four bedroom, two bath house which has been newly renovated should get at least $300,000.00. The fact is that Lockland was just flitting around Europe for the last decade, wouldn’t it be better to sell the house and have $150,000.00 to live off of rather than doing odd jobs here and there off the books. In fact, that would be the best revenge against his father and brother, to live carefree with the profits of the house. Again, this makes no sense that she had to fight him about selling the house. I could see his initial thought of burning it down made sense when it was falling down, but once he saw the improvements, it was stupid to still discuss burning it down.

And I have to ask, was I the only 20-year-old worried about health insurance because Annalise’s job is thinking up baby names for a living. Yes, you heard me. People would pay her to think up the perfect names for their baby.  WTF?  And Lachlain is just wandering Europe and working odd jobs off the books. Neither one of these guys had a regular job, steady income or health insurance and a 401k. No one seems to be worried about those kinds of things? Really?

While the elevator pitch for this story held a lot of promise, the actual written story didn’t make sense and left me saying “What?” way too many times.

What a story. Lies, betrayal, serious drama, and in the end healing. Anneliese and Lachlan are both dealing with betrayals and struggle to find their way after they are thrust together. There is hope, loss, and lots of growth as these two come to terms with betrayal at the hands of his brother, Donovan. Twists and turns pulled me in with these two and left me wanting more.

A small town romance.

My heart just broke for Anneliese .., if she didn't have bad luck, she'd have no luck at all. Then there's Lachlan ... he endured so much pain and suffering in his childhood, now wonder he didn't trust anyone. This is a light and easy romance with a couple of twists and a little bit of steam.

Anneliese is such a trusting sole and her world came crashing down after the death of her fiancé. After Donovan was killed in a car accident, Anneliese finds out that he was lying to her and cheated her out of her money. The only way she can recoup any of her money is to finish renovating his childhood home and then sell it. But then Donovan's brother Lachlan (who she didn't even know existed) shows up demanding his house ... so he can burn it down. Lachlan has been travelling overseas for the last ten years ... anything to get away from his father and brother. But when he hears that they are both deceased, he goes back home so he can set fire to his childhood prison and that will hopefully heal his demons. But when he meets the beautiful Anneliese, he agrees to her plea to help her finish the renovations and then sell the house ... or still burn it if she can't change his mind in that time.

I received a copy courtesy of Montlake through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Why why why have I waited so long to try this authors work?!
Love and Kerosene had such an interesting blurb that I knew I needed to try it and I'm so glad I did. I love Annalise and Lachlans story. What started out as a bit of gate turned into friendship which blossomed into more and I love those kind of stories. There was a heartbreaking back story to Lachlan that hit me right in the feels. I did wonder if I was gonna find the romance a bit cringe with Lachlan being Annalise dead fiancé's brother but the story developed so beautifully that I loved the progression and was rooting for them. I will definitely be reading more by Winter

Anneliese was engaged to Donovan until his death in an accident. He swindled her into investing into his childhood home. Now his brother Lachlan is the inheritor of the property since his death. Anneliese needs to sell the property to get her money back so she and Lachlan are at odds over it. The two have an attraction that can't be denied and is hot. A good read.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

This book was a slow burner and I won’t lie, I was hoping it would be dark and passionate, not light and sweet!
It did become a tad predictable but still a good read. I’ve read other books by Winter Renshaw which is what drew me to this book. Unfortunately this one just slightly missed the mark for me.

It was quite a pleasant surprise as I wasn’t expecting to tear up on the ink and paper lol
Lachlan and Anneliese were pure love. It was quite an emotional, angsty, sweet and heart warming story that undoubtedly has gone to the list of my top 5 reads this year. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

After Anneliese’s fiancé Donovan passed away, she realized that she never knew the man she was planning to marry. She now finds herself in financial difficulty as she trusted him with her savings so that he could renovate his family home for them to live in only to find out that the home is owned by the brother she didn’t know he had and that isn’t the only secret that is about to be revealed.

Lachlan wants nothing to do with his past or the house that he never wanted to see again however he also realizes that his original plan would hurt the one person who had no responsibility in the events of the past. Now he finds himself helping her complete the renovations as they realize that his brother’s action may have brought them together but that is only part of the story.

Anneliese and Lachlan take us on an emotional journey as they much face the truth about the past and about the man who a part of their lives. Despite everything that she is going through Anneliese shows her strength and resilience and Lachlan proves to be the man that she has always deserved.

I loved this book!! From strangers to quickly becoming enemies to then learning how to heal and forgive together, Annaliese and Lachlinn were everything in a relationship that you could ask for. The storyline was also really unique to the romance genre which meant I couldnt put it down.

4 stars - If you’re looking for a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance with small town vibes definitely give this a go!!

It was an unexpected love story about a nice girl, a run down house and a handyman brother. I like her writing style and how open and nice Anneliese was, she was just genuine a nice person who thought she found love and was pretty disappointed, that everything changed on a whimp or better after a death. Like I said I really liked this book, it was not overly dramatic but had everything I it.

I was fully expecting Lachlan and Anneliese’s story to be super dark and intense. I braced myself already. But it was so sweet and heartwarming. I enjoyed their story and it's a better book than what I've read on NetGalley.

This was Donovan & Annalise’s story. Two people find love in the embers of their painful pasts in this slow-burn romance. This was an emotional & intriguing read. Loved these two. Great book. And am voluntarily leaving my review.

Love and Kerosene is definitely a unique title. Falling for your dead brother's girl...not as unique but can be troublesome.

While I liked this book, I am not in love with it. I enjoyed it. It was cute. I just couldn't connect with the characters. I wanted to. I wanted to be drawn into the story but not this time.

This book was a cute slow burning enemies to lovers story. The characters both are struggling with past hurts and find healing through the friendships they have found in each other. They may be opposites in many ways but they find a common ground and a mutual respect for one another. This is a light read with some heavy topics. It was an enjoyable story though I found the storyline to be a bit far fetched and unlikely to happen in real life. I liked the characters and thought the author did a good job describing the setting.

Love and Kersone was an angsty and emotional slowburn that captivated me from the start.

Lachlan was a mysterious storyteller with an adventurous soul while Anneliese was a kind-hearted and quirky wordsmith of sorts. These two broken souls crossed paths rather unexpectedly as each embarked on their own journeys of healing and forgiveness. My heart squeezed for them when a few twists along the way caught them by surprise. The soul-deep connection they formed made the budding friendship to evolving attraction that much more of a delicious slowburn.

Lachlan and Anneliese's story had a great mix of suspense, angst, emotion, and twists that kept me rooting for a well deserved second chance for both of them. I wasn't expecting the plot twist of their lives to tug at my emotions like these two did.

When Anneliese lost her fiancé, Donovan, all the lies of his life were brought to the surface and he truly wasn’t the man she thought he was. One secret he hid was that he has a brother, Lachlan, and that they look a lot alike.
I loved the progression of Anneliese and Lachlan’s relationship. From strangers to quickly becoming enemies to then learning how to heal and forgive together, which eventually led into something more. There was a strong connection between the two of them.
I liked the somewhat different storyline, too. It was refreshing to read something that is a little different.
If you’re looking for a slow burn, small town, enemies to lovers romance check this one out.

This was a great book. Different in a lot of ways from other romance novels. I enjoyed the plot twists and the heartfelt emotions. I loved that the hero and heroine both had issues to be worked themselves and could help each other through the roughest parts.

An angsty, emotional read, this story will swallow you up and not let you free until you finish, even then you will be thinking about it long after. Really enjoyed the emotions and depth to the characters.

Winter Renshaw pulls you in when you're reading her stories, I just can't put them down! The characters, the angst, the SLOW BURN, and the storyline were top notch for me! Definitely another great addition to my bookshelf.