4.5 stars ⭐️. A brilliantly executed, superbly written romance with lovable protagonists who had layers to them.

Heroine Anneliese was such a positive person. Sweet but with a spicy edge and a very good friend. Even after the betrayal of her ex, she picked up herself and moved on. I liked her unique profession too.
Lachlan was a character shrouded in mystery that you can’t help but drawn to. Honest to fault, brash and a vagabond because of his past. I loved him.
Infact both of them had that mysterious aura around them.
The story had that somber undertone from the beginning itself and what a fantastic writing style!
There were many moments where I loved the insightful dialogues because they resonated with me so much.

The obscure words and meanings introduced in the beginning of each chapter was cherry on top. Infact I got many new such words from this book.

Overall a very enjoyable romance with depth, angst and emotion.
Closed door scenes (which was kinda disappointing tbh).

And I ADORED the epilogue…. Sigh.

Recommended.

When Lachlan comes home to settle his brothers affairs after he dies,, he gets more than he bargained for. Anneliese is trying to make the best of the situation she has been left with and is thrown for a loop when her fiancé’s brother, who she didn’t know existed turns up saying he owns her home. They come to a truce and agree to share the house and the work it will take to fix it up, but they both have very different reasons for being there. He wants to destroy the home that he left at 18 after a very unhappy time and she wants to sell it to get back all the money she lost. She is devastated by what she learns about her fiance and he has a lot of unhappy memories of how his father and brother treated him after his mother’s death. It feels like the parts of her fiance she loved were actuality based on Lachlan’s personality, kind, talented.. loving, not Donovan’s. He can’t understand why his brother would have treated this amazing, beautiful, kind soul the way he did. They become close, but it seems like they want such different things. They both need to let go of the past in order to have a future together.

Love and Kerosene
Winter Renshaw, author

I always enjoy Ms. Renshaw's stories and this one was no different. A slow burn novel, this is about two young people who by happenstance own the same home. One legally and the other has soaked all their money into renovating it.

Lachlan can't wait to burn his family home to the ground but his deceased brother's fiancee,' Anneliese wants to keep it, as she'd given Donovan her life's savings to renovate it.

Who will win the battle over the house? Read this enjoyable book. There's lots of pain to filter through, betrayal from an unsuspecting person, angst and romance.

I recommend this novel. I was gifted an advanced reader copy from Netgalley, the author and the publisher in exchange for the review.

Heartbreaking story of love and loss

It's a fact of life that there are just some people who are so toxic to the people in their orbit that their passing cannot be mourned. Lachlan knew his brother well enough to know that he didn't deserve the grief Anneliese was feeling. Not that he'd ever say anything directly, but he didn't have to. Once Donovan is dead, he can no longer protect his secrets and one by one they start to reveal a truth that was harder to bear than his death.

I was completely enthralled with this story from start to finish. There's so much emotional depth, and even though Lachlan and Anneliese are on opposite sides of the issue of what to do with the house, they aren't adversarial about it at all. Their friendship grows slowly, which was simply beautiful to watch.

There is a jaw-dropping secret that is hinted at from the beginning, and once it comes out it's so much worse than anything I was expecting. It makes it so easy to understand why Lachlan feels the way he does.

As a logophile myself, I adored the opening of each chapter with an unusual word and its definition. A vast and inventive vocabulary is a hallmark of an accomplished author, and this author demonstrates an admirable use of language throughout.

The HEA is thorough and the years-later epilogue was very sweet, indeed. If you love romances that will bring you both tears of heartbreak and tears of joy, this is the book for you. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

This was my first Winter Renshaw book, which I read as an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. The book follows Anneliese and Lachlan, two connected individuals with challenging events in their pasts. It is/includes:
• An element of forbidden romance
• Forced proximity and ‘one bed’
• Dual POV
This was a bit of mixed bag for me. I liked the concept of the story as well as the characters’ back stories (revealed throughout) which were effective for the plot and the characters’ actions. I really liked the addition of a word, with its definition, starting and setting the tone for each chapter. It was a good way of connecting the structure of the book to the plot. The first half of the book, for me, was more successful as the pacing felt right.
However, there were a few things I struggled with. Firstly, the second half of the story felt rushed. Things are revealed and resolved very quickly on multiple occasions. Secondly, I wanted more tension (and thus chemistry) between the main characters.

This book​ was very enjoyable. I loved the plot and also both main characters. Although due to their past and trust issues they fought the attraction that surfaced between them.​

I really loved the word foreplay. Each chapter starts with a new-word explanation. I truly love that, as it was quite unique. ​ I loved the attraction and the immediate interaction of both main characters, although trying to forget the past, they would feel like they have known each other for years.
​The story was very emotional with a great entanglement and HEA.

This book had me hooked from the first few pages. Anneliese is trying to rebuild her life after her dead fiancé left her broken hearted and penniless. She is now trying to keep working on renovating his childhood home, which they had started doing together before he did in a car wreck. When she see someone that looks just like him standing at her door demanding she leave his house she is speechless. She had no idea that her fiancé had a brother nor did she think that she would really get along with him. Lachlan had one plan in mind, to burn this old house to the ground. He had loved his mom with everything he had but when she died his life was never the same. His brother and dad were horrible to him and when he left at 18 he never looked back. Now he is back after finding about his brother passing. Will he be able to get Anneliese to see things his way and let him have the house burned down? I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a great read.

"If my life was a story, you'd be the plot twist."

When Anneliese Nielsen first sees Lachlan Byrne, it feels like she just saw a ghost - specifically the ghost of her late fiancé, Donovan. Turns out that he is Donovan's brother - a brother that he never mentioned. Like a lot of other things that Donovan never mentioned. Lachlan has come to claim the family home that Anneliese moved into with Donovan. He wants to burn it down along with all the painful memories it holds, then get the hell out of town again. Anneliese wants to fix it up and recoup all the money she's ploughed into it. When Lachlan makes a proposal that could go either way, she has no choice but to accept it. They didn't bank on getting along. They didn't expect to start relying on one another. And, they definitely didn't plan on falling for each other.

"I know you said this was a bad idea...But you're wrong. Being with you is the only thing that makes sense to me."

This was a lovely story. I enjoyed the way the relationship between Anneliese and Lachlan grew. Their connection, their joy in being with each other, the way they didn't like being apart, and the way they looked forward to coming home to each other. I adored how each chapter started with an unusual word and definition - I found this super fun - and the significance of unusual words in the story. Lachlan's background kinda broke my heart. He deserved so much happiness in his life, and I loved that he found it with Anneliese, who was such a kind person and really deserved someone special in her life, too.

I love Renshaw’s romances and I am always looking forward to her upcoming releases. Love and Kerosene was an enjoyable weekend read but the gorgeous cover deceived me! I thought this would actually have some spicy scenes, but unfortunately it barely had one. I also wish the characters spent more time together, as I just wasn’t convinced by their romance before we got to the epilogue. 3.5 stars

I just get soo hooked on WR stories!!!! Annaliese and Lachlan’s story was a good slow burn, so much feeling and just a page turner for me. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened with these two!! Loved seeing these two fall in love despite the circumstances that was lingering. Definitely recommend this story, it was a breeze to read and I wanted more!

Love and Kerosene was so sad but I loved watching the two main characters heal from their past and the things they experienced. Overall I thought this was a good book and I would recommend it.

“If my life was a story, you’d be the plot twist.”

Love and Kerosene simmers with a delicious slow burn between Lachlan and Anneliese as two broken souls with different views of the world start at odds with one another, find a way to work together, then discover love along the way as they heal from past hurts.

Lachlan was so mysterious, his thoughts an enigma, hiding pain beneath the surface of his carefree exterior. Anneliese suffered betrayals guided by misplaced trust, yet she tried to find the strength to move on from a life that was never meant to be. Lachlan and Anneliese truly saw one another into the depths of their souls and shared such a beautiful connection.

Winter Renshaw took a unique approach in this book, including a bit of suspense as the events played out. I loved how each chapter started with a big beautiful word and its definition as it alluded to the story to follow. A few surprising plot twists combined with a deeper and more somber look at grief created quite the emotional read. But everything came together beautifully in the end and showed how finding the courage to move beyond the grief and pain of the past while recognizing what the truly important things in life are can lead the way to a life even better than imagined.

** Special thanks to author Winter Renshaw, Montlake and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Available October 11, 2022. **

I downloaded this one on a whim and I am so glad that I did because I absolutely loved Lachlan and Anneliese! I wish I had more time to read these last few days because this book hooked me in and I wanted to see how their story ended.

Anneliese is blindsided when her fiance dies and leaves her with no money and a falling apart house they were supposed to be fixing up. When his brother (who she did not know existed) shows up wanting to burn the house down, sparks begin to fly. I loved their relationship and how real these characters felt. I have not read any other books by Winter Renshaw before but I know I will be in the future!

Anneliese is happy in life she has her dream fiancé a beautiful house they’re restoring in his home town but everything suddenly comes crashing down and she’s at a complete lost especially every day discovering the man she was about to marry was not the same man she was or thought she was in love with.

Lachlan comes back to his childhood town after being away in Europe for so many years. He left for a reason and hates the idea of being back. He thinks his new tasks will be simple and he can get back to his life until everything starts unraveling and what he least expects catches him by surprise. Falling in love was not in the cards!

Love the small suspenseful parts and the twist and of course you instantly can’t avoid falling in love with Lachlan.

My heart barely survived this emotional rollercoaster called Love and Kerosene by Winter Renshaw. It was moving, inspiring, poetic and heartaching to the extremes. Lachlan and Anneliese went on an intense trip of forgiveness, redemption and resurrection of souls. The author's words hit my heart hard and fast. A memorable romance in every sense.

What can be worse for Anneliese than being stuck in a small town and a crumbling house after death of a cheating fiance who stole all your money in name of renovating his childhood home? The never-mentioned-before lookalike brother knocking at the door letting her know that he is claiming this house and burning it down. Well, unless she can convince him to finish the renovation and sell the house to recover some of her money. Lachlan unsettles her but she has no other option than accept his help in the work in turn of allowing him to stay at the house. Will it be a new beginning for two broken souls?

Oh my heart! Lachlan is everything dreamy, swoony, brooding, raw and gorgeous you can want from your book boyfriend. He has been running away from an ugly past. Coming back to his home town was just a step to find closure and then leave for forever. He has so many layers and I cannot stop exploring them all. What's better than a broken man becoming whole and finding love? I cannot imagine. Anneliese threw all his plans out of the window. Now this woman just astonished me at every turn. She has a big soft crazy beautiful heart. She loves deep and unconditionally. She let in everyone so easily even after being duped and taken advantage of so many times. She is the exact opposite of Lachlan's closed off heart. They both suffered through heartbreak. Lachlan was just detached and angry and resentful when he reached the town. Anneliese showed him that he can stop his past controlling his future. They started as enemies who were fighting over the future of the house. But slowly they found an easy friendship that was like a balm on the wounds in their hearts. Those moments gave me all warm cozy feels and I smiled for them. And the friendship turned into something more intense, more explosive and more consuming. This was definitely a delicious slow burn with angst intensifying everything. The author managed to capture all messy, raw, devastating but beautiful emotions perfectly through her captivating writing. And I savoured every moment. That ending was brilliantly crafted and I could not think of a better happily ever after for them.


I reviewed an early copy voluntarily through Netgalley and Montlake

What a lovely story of second chances and new beginnings from Ms Renshaw.
I instantly settled into this book, with the easy writing style and really likeable characters I desperately wanted them to connect and find something real together.
A lovely gentle slow burn….quirky Annalese get shocks and surprises from all sides. Her encounters with Lachlan, aren’t without their challenges as they tentatively enter an agreement with the hopes of a mutually beneficial outcome. Little did she know that this nomadic, intelligent and brutally honest guy might just hold the key to all her happiness.
I did find Annaliese a little too forgiving and accepting of people and taking everything at face value. I would have liked more emotion from Lachlan as we learned his reasons for escaping his childhood home. What I did love were their moments of conversation and their shared experiences as they got to know each other.
Endearing characters, great storytelling, intelligent quirks, no real surprises, slightly lacking in heat and romantic chemistry for me….but still a great escape.

When Anneliese's fiancée,Donovan, dies, she finds out he was not the person she thought.
Now she is alone and broke but she is determined to finish restoring Donovan's childhood house, as they had planned. That's is until Donovan's brother, Lachlan, shows up to claim the house.
Until they streak a deal, they decide restoring the house together. And the more time they spend together, the more they connect.
I liked this book a lot. The story, the characters,all of them, and the twists I didn't see coming.
It's my first book by this author but I will read a lot more of her books, for sure.

Lachlan & Anneliese’s Slow-Burn Is A Somber Story About Deception & Poetic Justice! Their Down-To-Earth Small-Town Romance Blossoms Despite The Bitterness & Heartbreak That Bind Them Following Donovan’s Death.


Anneliese Nielson, in her late twenties, is a kind-hearted beauty who wears her heart on her sleeve. Her constant busyness and endless chatter are quirky yet endearing to those that love her. She has always loved names, and she converted her part-time project into a full-fledged business as a name consultant after college. Falling in love comes easily to her, which has led to a few heartbreaks over the years. Her naivete makes her an easy target for men with one goal in mind, and she has unfortunately been ghosted a few times. Her parents are happily married, and as their only child, she is the center of their world. They had warned her to slow things down with Donovan, but she instead had followed her heart. That led her from Chicago to Arcadia Grove, a beautiful small town in Vermont known as a tourist and wedding destination.

She had met Donovan Byrne on a layover in Minneapolis last June, and he had charmed himself into her life. He was nothing less than perfect. He was a social media manager at a big corporation, and he was also an aspiring writer. When he proposed six months later, there was no hesitation on Anneliese’s part. She readily agreed to follow him to his hometown, where they would renovate his childhood home together. She had to take a significant cut in pay in leaving, but she set up an Etsy shop to pull in new clients and now has part-time work.

Anneliese put her heart, soul, and life savings into the renovation project with Donovan. They had big dreams together. Two months after their move, however, Donovan died. As if that were not bad enough, she later learned that Donovan hadn’t been the perfect fiancé he pretended to be. Instead of opening a joint account as he claimed, she discovered that her name was not on the account in which her savings had been deposited. She has no idea how much of the money is left, but much of it was already invested in the home. An attorney advised her that her best chance of recovery is to find a close relative to inherit the estate and then file a claim against the home. With only a meager income, she is doing her best to finish the project on her own and is hopeful that a relative will be found. With his parents deceased and no siblings, Donovan had no close relatives to speak of.

Lachlan Byrne, twenty-eight, has not looked back since leaving Arcadia Grove a decade ago. He flew to England to get away from his past but also to experience life to its fullest. He loves thrill-seeking and adventure, and he is always up for a good time. His rugged good looks are marked by his long hair, tattoos, and leather jacket. He enjoys pub crawls and beautiful women, but relationships are not his thing. He is a wanderer, picking up odd work here and there, often in the construction trade. He has nothing to tie him down, and he loves the freedom of picking up and starting over on a whim. Whenever he begins to feel comfortable, he knows it is time to move on.

When Lachlan caught wind that his older brother had died, it hadn’t exactly been bad news. Unfortunately, though, it meant that he would be returning to the states and his hometown. With no wife or heirs that he knew of, Lachlan would inherit the family home from his brother. Money means little to him, but he has some fiery plans for the decrepit building that once held happy memories. Lachlan was nine when his mother died, and that was when his life went downhill. His grieving father fell apart in the aftermath, and his home life did as well.

When he discovers that Donovan had a fiancée who is now living in the home, it puts a cramp in his plans. His attorney says it will take several months to get the legal paperwork in order for him to take control of his brother’s estate, but if his brother’s fiancée files a claim, it could slow things down considerably. Lachlan wants nothing more than to return to the UK, but it seems Anneliese may have the power to hold him back. In an unconventional move, he makes her an offer. The couple eventually earns a happy ending.

Wow! Lachlan and Anneliese’s story is laced with bitterness and scorn. Both have been wronged by Donovan, who is a practiced manipulator. Donovan gets away with his deception thanks to his charismatic personality and scheming mind. Anneliese learns some hard lessons when he dies. She uncovers one lie after another, leading her to feel like a fool and question her judgment. Lachlan knows exactly what Donovan was capable of, which was why he was content to never return.

Donovan’s death brings Lachlan and Anneliese together as Lachlan finally faces his past and Anneliese tries to save face by salvaging her savings and then moving on. She has put a lot of love into the rehab project, and finishing the job is the best way to keep her self-respect. Becoming penniless and moving in with her parents at nearly thirty years of age is not an appealing option to her.

Neither Lachlan nor Anneliese is in a good place in this somber story that centers on Lachlan’s childhood home. It is the worst possible time to fall in love. For Anneliese, the idea of falling for another Byrne is not appealing, and Lachlan has no designs on winning over his brother’s would-be widow. The ending surprised me, but in a good way. It was not predictable. I loved the epilogue. It was nice to see something a little more upbeat after such a difficult beginning. I would love to have read more about their future together.

Lachlan and Anneliese’s slow-burn is a somber story about deception and poetic justice. It is a step away from the billionaire romances so popular today – more down-to-earth and small-town – and the romance blossoms despite the bitterness and heartbreak that overwhelm the couple. The story is very well-written. The plot is somewhat simple. The characters are very well-defined and realistic. The story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Lachlan and Anneliese. I rate this book 4.5 stars.

I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This is such a touching story. Anneliese is dealing with the aftermath of her fiancé passing and learning that she never really knew him, along with being in the middle of renovating his childhood home that she’s put her life savings into. When Lachlan shows up at her door, revealing that he’s the brother of her fiancé that she never knew existed. And since there was no will the house is his. And he plans to donate it to the fire station for a burn. Having put so much money and effort into the house, Anneliese will do whatever it takes to stop that from happening. When Lachlan compromises with her to let him stay at the house, and he will help renovate it. And at the end he’ll decide weather to sell the house or burn it. But as time passes and the more they are around each other, their attraction grows. Winter does such a good job at character development. You feel their pain and heartbreak. This is a book that will stay with you.

Two unlikely people. Two people who were not destined to be but who came into each other’s life when needed most!


The way this book started off I had some strong feelings towards the hero because my heart hurt for the heroine! They were both places in a very tough circumstance brought on by a selfish man but in the end it all worked in a way I didn’t think would happen!!

We meet Anneliese when she is down on her luck and really trying to figure out her next steps when in comes Lachlan! They butt heads and their meeting isn’t a good one but time together and uncovered truths bring them together!!

Really loved this story and the connection formed between the two main characters!