Kerrigan Byrne has been an author whose work I have adored in the historical romance genre. Her books have a darker edge and nuanced characters with intriguing backstories and character arcs. When I saw the ARC for a contemporary romance by Byrne, I was quick to make the request and excited to receive a copy. When I cracked open Nevermore Bookstore I quickly became confused, frustrated, and ultimately disappointed in what I thought would be a treasure of a story.

I will try to explain my rating and my disappointment in broad terms so as not to spoil anything for readers to whom this story and writing may be more relatable. Just a disclaimer that I probably was not the intended audience for this book-it just didn't coalesce with my point of view and that's alright, even though I was a bit disappointed.

From my perspective, the beginning of the story used words and dialogue that were awkward. The formatting of the dialogue and inner musings did not flow. I literally felt my brain starting and stopping and trying to make sense of what I was reading. I thought that perhaps I was the anomaly, but upon looking at other reviews I verified that it wasn't my comprehension that was the issue. The writing did begin to iron itself out in terms of comprehension, but then the story itself was sporadic and without consistency.

This book felt as if the two authors each had an idea board with vastly different goals in mind. Upon incorporating their ideas together to make a cohesive story they forgot to step back and determine if the bones of the story could hold the general inconsistencies and problems within the plotting, and character traits.

What suffered, overall, was the continuity of the story and the lack of character arcs. When these aspects of a story are not strong, or even present, there is no draw for me-as a reader-to invest in the success of the characters or the book as a whole.

Although the intent of these books are not for me, I hope that this series develops into a successful endeavor for an author I have admired.

I read and reviewed an advanced eARC of this book thanks to Oliver Heber Books via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Nope. Nope. NOPE.

This book was just… no good. It really sucked because the cover is super cute and the synopsis of it sounded like a cute little sunshine x grump trope.

My biggest issues with it were the characters. Cady was plumb dumb. She’s 22 but acts like she’s about 12. And Fox… barf. At one point, he has to turn away from a fire so he doesn’t roast his wiener. That’s legit the phrase that was used. He looks through windows with binoculars. He lives out in the wilderness for a stupid reason. Yeah, I just didn’t like him.

The bookstore seemed cute though. I’d visit the bookstore.

Spoiler free review: the writing was not my favorite. This made the beginning extremely difficult to get through and I was so close to just DNFing it. It isn’t a bad book overall - I actually really enjoyed the storyline, but the writing was not my cup of tea. The characters were so fun to read. The book club was great. I also enjoyed the ending, which I was surprised by.

(3 stars)

It was difficult for me to enjoy the initial 60% of the book. The language was too descriptive (good lord so many adjectives), which made it very difficult to keep track of the plot, plus the exaggeration was staggering. And Cady talked like a social media influencer, with new-age terms I had to Google in practically every sentence. It was hard to keep track of almost anything.

Now to the good parts, Bare Naked Book Club was probably my favourite part of this book. Myrtle and Vee made up such an entertaining duo that I was willing not to abandon this book to get more of them (and thank goodness I didn't). (Also the language had so much lingo that it took me reading over half the book to register that this was a small-town romance).

Fox was a super complex character to me. Initially, I didn't like him. He was so fucking tormented and lived in this self-induced prison where he distanced himself from basically everything in life but Cady. It was like Cady was his guilty pleasure, which he knew he should stay from but selfishly couldn't. A lot of problems would've been solved if he could've done something about his extreme self-loathing but I don't hate how the story turned out. What makes my relationship a love-hate one with Fox is the way he thought about Cady.


“You don’t know me,” she teased. “I know what you sound like when you come.” Cady pulled the sheet over her face like a shroud. “Loud?”“Not loud,” he said “Ecstatic. Like a Valkyrie who’s just arrived in Valhalla to remember that she is Odin. That her voice caused the rocks to rise and the oceans to come together.”

“Remember what I said about soft,” he murmured. She was everything he wanted. Someone not hardened by the hatred in this world. Not toned by toughness. Nor shaped by an industry that hated the curves women were supposed to have. Not just tits and ass, but shoulders, arms, tummy, and legs. A woman was everything. Everything. Everything. The smallest could be the strongest. The largest could be the most sensitive. The gentlest heart could have the toughest walls built high around it. Cady was beautiful because of her softness, in all the ways.

Autoimmune disorder or no, she’d fucking choke this guy out with her thicc thighs. What a great way to go.


I mean... you get what I'm saying right?
And I guess he was creepy and had extreme stalkerish tendencies but that didn't stop me from liking Zade Meadows and Fox is no exception.

Cady was this bookstore owner who talked in the most modern lingo she could think of, was so fucking kind that she was often used as a doormat and so very troubled with life. I would like to thank the authors for writing her the way they did, especially the transformation (which was solely hers and not something to put a spotlight on Fox)

Overall, I would've dropped the book at 30% and I'm grateful to myself I didn't because it turned out to be a great rom-com.

Thank you Netgalley and Oliver Heber Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, the premise is that I have already read several of K.B.'s books and had expectations even though this is his first CR that I read. The other author, on the other hand, I don't know her at all. I also go on to say that usually, anything involving bookstores and booksellers interests me by default.
Now we come to the book, which has two main characters with disabling illnesses, one mental and one physical, but that's not the problem. What I really didn't like was the plot, which in my opinion doesn't really stand up, although then the chemistry between the two is particularly explosive and also the reason I read the book to the end.
Maybe it's just me being mean and mistrustful, but I would never let a homeless person into my house to take a shower etc.etc. knowing full well that with my physical problems I wouldn't even be able to run away, but maybe everything works differently in the United States.

Dunque, la premessa é che io ho giá letto parecchi libri di K.B. e avevo delle aspettative anche se questo é il suo primo CR che leggo. L'altra autrice invece non la conosco proprio. Proseguo anche con il dire che di solito, tutto quello che coinvolge librerie e libraie mi interessa di default.
Ora veniamo al libro che ha due protagonisti con delle malattie invalidanti, una di tipo psichico ed una di tipo fisico, ma non é questo il problema. Quello che proprio non mi é piaciuta é la trama che secondo me non sta proprio in piedi, nonostante poi la chimica tra i due sia particolarmente esplosiva e anche la ragione per cui ho letto il libro fino alla fine.
Magari sono io che sono cattiva e malfidata, ma io non farei mai entrare un senzatetto a casa mia a farsi la doccia etc.etc. sapendo benissimo che con i miei problemi fisici non riuscirei nemmeno a scappare, ma magari negli Stati Uniti funziona tutto diversamente.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

Cady is all sunshine and light, even though she is plagued with chronic illness. After the death of her Aunt, she has taken over Nevermore Bookstore and loves it. Her love of taxidermy animals in need of a home and the Bare-Naked Book Club (BNBC) is what keeps her going. However, strange things have started to happen, like a break in with no valuables stolen.

Fox is troubled. So troubled that his damage means he is living outdoors in the Pacific North West. His only lifeline to the outside world is a weekly phone call with Cady and the books delivered to him. But when the break in occurs while Fox is on the phone to Cady, he makes the life altering decision to go into Townsend Harbour to keep Cady safe.

Can Fox work with his fears to help Cady? Will Cady be able to prove that Nevermore Bookstores and the historical Townsend building belongs to her? Will she ever meet Fox? Who is Bob? And who is moving the taxidermy animals?

Okay, so I loved this. The 'you've got mail' trope is my all time favourite. There were a few things that were concerning but I loved that both main characters were so challenged with their issues. My heart poured out for both of them. The spice was glorious but the lack of consent and contraception was concerning. Overall, I really really loved it! I hope Ethan and Gemma get together!!

I don't wanna be harsh but this book was probably one of the worst books I've read and I tried to hard to not hate it so much but I failed. The characters were super annoying and I just couldn't get into the story.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Nevermore Bookstore. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

I was not able to engage with these characters. Cady's best friend is super annoying and Fox/Roman is a bit to stalkerish for my tastes. As always, I suggest people give it a try because maybe it will work for you despite my inability to enjoy the book. I give it 2/5 stars.

Finally a grumpy sunshine book mixed with romcom that isn't a complete bore or doesn't have a female lead who is a doormat. This was a quicky, fun, entertaining read.

3/5⭐️

In this romcom meets mystery meets philosophical pondering clusterf*ck of a novel, we follow bookstore owner Cady who falls in love with each of her stalker’s, former army man and current survivalist hermit Fox/Bob/Roman, multiple identities. They are from two separate worlds, however, and happily ever after might not be in the cards for them.

All joking aside, this book has got me really torn on whether I liked it or not.

On the one hand, I really liked the characters and the secondary plot line with the bookstore. Gemma is literally me (we even have similar names) and the council meeting scene at the end was so dramatic it rivals reality TV and I was HERE FOR IT. Also, there were some great representations of trauma, mental health, PTSD and chronic illness in this book.

On the other hand, the primary plot line of Fox and Cady’s relationship has me reticent to say I liked this book as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I like a dark romance from time to time but that’s just not what I was expecting from the marketing and description of this book. I was expecting a cozy bookstore romance, possibly even an urban fantasy twist. I was not expecting a love interest who stalks and deceives the heroine at every possible opportunity. The man had BINOCULARS for gods sake. It was creepy and I can’t get past it since I was expecting something totally different.

In conclusion, this book isn’t BAD and it would be rated much higher if it was marketed as what it really is: an intense, dramatic, slightly dark romance with harsh possibly triggering themes. But if you are expecting a light cute bookstore romcom, you are in for a shock my friend.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Cady suffers from chronic pain and has recently inherited the bookstore and apartment she lived in with her aunt. Unfortunately the paperwork is a mess and she's struggling to pay taxes- and find proof she was the legal inheritor of the property. Thankfully her Thursday night phone calls to Fox, a mysterious man supporting the bookstore with his expensive taste in books, are a constant highlight of her week and she finds herself slowly falling for him.
I probably should have looked more into this book before requesting it from Netgalley as there was a decent amount of smut which I skipped over. This is written perfectly for the humor/satire genre with imperfect writing that leant itself to making the story funny, it wasn't elegant and many things were overly exaggerated and unrealistic but it really made the book perfect for the genre. Some of it was a bit weird and too unrealistic but I think that's personal opinion. So I'm rating it 3 stars "good elements but not for me"
Thank you to Netgalley and Oliver Heber Books for giving me this ARC for an honest review :)

Loved the story, loved the characters - can't wait for more!

Thank you for the opportunity to read early!

This is probably one of the most painfully overwritten books I've come across in a long time. Everything from the dialogue to the story was just trying too hard to sound cool or interesting. No one talked normally, not one character did a realistic action, and I had to keep checking that I wasn't reading a fanfiction. After wincing through the first 25%, I'd had enough. I didn't like any of the characters, it was ridiculously silly, and it felt like something written for someone to fulfill a personal sexual fantasy (and hammering a square peg into a round hole to do it). Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

This story just wasn’t for me. It took me too long to care about the characters and the story did not pull me in.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Nevermore Bookstore by Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin is a sweet and romantic tale that will capture readers' hearts. Cadence "Cady" Bloomquist is the owner of Nevermore Bookstore, a charming little shop where she spends her days shelving books and her Thursday nights taking phone orders from a mysterious customer who goes by the name "Fox." Despite never having met him in person, Cady finds herself drawn to his velvet voice and charming personality.

Meanwhile, Roman Fawkes, the man behind the "Fox" persona, is a reclusive survivalist who lives high above the town in a mountain hideaway. He's been calling Cady for months, drawn to her intelligence, beauty, and the way she makes him feel. But when Cady's store is broken into, Roman realizes he's powerless to protect her from afar. He sets out to catch the culprit, but his plan goes awry, and he finds himself closer to Cady than he ever thought possible.

The chemistry between Cady and Roman is electric, and their romance is both heartwarming and steamy. The authors do an excellent job of building tension between the two characters, and readers will find themselves rooting for them from the very beginning. The plot is fast-paced, with plenty of action, mystery, and suspense to keep readers engaged.

Overall, Nevermore Bookstore is a delightful read that will appeal to fans of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. The characters are well-drawn, the setting is charming, and the romance is swoon-worthy. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet, romantic escape.

Overall this was a good book. It felt a little too YA for me but the relationship between Fox and Cady felt real and very raw.

The way these two surround each other with what they have going on in their lives, Fox with his mental health and Cady with her chronic illness made these two come together. The support and love they had for one another during their struggles was beautiful.

I enjoyed this read and I look forward to reading more from these two authors.

Thank you to netgallery for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Right up front I'm gonna say that I am not a big fan of Contemporary Romance, but I am a huge fan of Kerrigan Byrne and it will be interesting to see if her trademark prose and humor found in her Historical Romance books translates to a modern setting. The prose is here and the humor too. But if this is what 20-somethings think Romance is, all the sexual smack talk, I am way too old to be reading this Contemporary Crap. I'm going to need to reread some SEP (Susan Elizabeth Phillips) to cleanse my mind of this dribble. The only thing that kept me reading to the end was the mystery element. The sleazy dialogue and over the top sexual references, I tried my best to ignore. Yeah, an SEP reread is definitely in order. If the first half of this book was as good as the last half, it would be 5-Stars, but that is probably my Romantic-Suspense preference talking.

At fifteen Cadence “Cady” Bloomquist came to live with her Aunt Fern in Townsend Harbor, Washington, a quaint seaside town that now lives on the tourist trade. Aunt Fern was the owner of Nevermore Bookstore in an historical downtown section of the town. When Fern died suddenly, Cady was devastated and since she has an autoimmune disease that affects her spine and joints, life is has not been easy for her. But Cady is no victim and refuses to acknowledge that she has a problem. Those who know her as a warm, caring person are also very protective of her. A mysterious customer calls in a weekly order each Thursday evening, which basically keeps the store afloat. Over the months, he and Cary have settled into an intellectual discussion of books and an increasingly erotic flirtation.

Fox is a lost soul with PTSD from is time in the Army Special Forces that ended with him being tortured and held as a hostage. He lives as a hermit in the mountains above Townsend Harbor and Cary is his lifeline to humanity and his secret sexual obsession.

On a Thursday call, Cady has had more than she should at a friend's party and is especially flirtatious with Fox when her store is broken into, and Cady is injured. Fox is galvanized into action and will not rest until whoever broke into Casy's store is found. But that means getting up close and personal with Cady and he just doesn't feel he can do that. He invents "Bob" a transient to get close to her because he doesn't want her to know him or why he lives the way he does but he can't escape the pull she has for him. 3 1/2-Stars

My thanks to the Publisher and the Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Nevermore Bookstore
Kerrigan Byrne, Cynthia St Aubin
Tropes: Romcom, Opposites attract, Insta love, Secret identity
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half (rounded up)/🔥🔥🔥


<i>“My worst fear is watching the love you think you feel for me drain from you as the reality of life with me replaces this intensity between us….I can’t put myself through that. But don’t you ever believe that I don’t have feelings for you…’because you’re the love of my f*ing life”</i>

My GAWD!!! Ya’ll I got chills….and yes…they are indeed multiplying. I don’t care how damaged Fox might be…I…and I alone can help fix him!!! His damage requires a special touch…myyyyy touch (wink).

When I first heard that Kerrigan Byrne had a new book coming out…I was sooo happy. Then I read the synopsis and was like what the hell…this ain’t no historical romance. Ya’ll I got mad…like for real mad cause I just knew I was about to fall in love with me a rough, dark and troubled hero who would be emotionally damaged and uber protective. It took me a moment to remember that hey…it’s Kerrigan and she’s never let us down before…so pull up your big girl pants and read the darn book. So I did…and I was not disappointed. I was in fact the complete opposite.

When I tell ya’ll this book is good, I’m not exaggerating. It’s charming and funny, and romantic and entertaining and…quirky. Every single character is great. Even the ones I don’t like. Our MCs are wonderful. Both suffering, both broken who ultimately find comfort with each other .

Fox….woo weeee. He’s damaged…like really damaged but he’s protective, intelligent…and I think I love he. Yea he’s kinda pervy if you stop to really think about some of his cringy actions; actions that in real life, I’d probably zap him with a taser or two…but this is fiction…so he gets a pass. Roman Fawkes is a hermit. No matter how much he may desire interaction with others, he’s not fit for human consumption and so, he spends his time secluded away from society in his mountain “retreat” to save others from his past.

Below him in a cozy little town called Townsend Harbor is Cadence “Cady” Bloomquist, a beautiful young woman with a quick wit, a shy personality and a determined will. Like Fox she’s got her issues. However both she and Fox find comfort who’s with one another in the oddest way possible, a standing phone call. When one of their weekly calls is interrupted by an intruder, Fox is determined to see those who seek to harm “HIS WOMAN” pay…even at his own peril.

Although a contemporary read, I love the very subtle nods the authors make to HR. Yea the book has a modern feel to it and yea I’m not use to Kerrigan writing contemporary, but at the end of the day (gawd I hate using this line)…but at the end of the day…I still got my damaged and dark protective hero and my naive and sweet heroine… building the love of a lifetime. And ya know what…I can’t wait to read book two cause ya’ll….that snipped that’s included about Ethan…hot diggity dog….I can already see that Ethan can get it!

This was a strange and slightly annoying read. What I thought could be a cozy, maybe paranormal, romance turned out to be a weird, toxic, and violating relationship between our main characters.

Rating: 3.5
Spice: 1.5
First of all, thank you NetGalley for the arc! I have quite a few opinions on this book so let's start with the things I liked. The characters were amazing, and I really enjoyed reading their story. Fox was swoon worthy to be honest, I will be thinking about him for a long time. Cady was a strong female lead, and didn't take shit from anyone. My favorite character, however, was Gemma! She was a real one, and reminded me a lot of my best friend. I honestly would love to read another book for her alone. I absolutely enjoyed how realistic the author portrayed chronic illness and mental illness. It was so moving to see the two main characters develop a relationship while also handling their own issues. The town itself was so cozy and I really felt like I was there while reading this book. Overall, this was a fun and quick read. I was definitely squealing at certain points, which brought up my rating.
Onto the things I didn't like. There were some pretty cringe moments in it. The ending reminded me of footloose and I almost had to set the book down. I also think that the epilogue was kind of out of character, but it's an epilogue so I guess it's not that big of a deal. Also, I didn't like the pacing of the book overall. It just seemed super slow the entire time, and the only reason I was really hanging on is because Fox was hot lol. Lastly, Ethan deserved better!!! I'm hoping the next book is about him because he's really a good man.
Honestly, I feel like majority of these reviews are really dog piling on this book. I thought it was fun, entertaining, and something I would definitely recommend to people that want a quick and cozy small town romance. DO NOT make the mistake of thinking this book is a paranormal romance because it is absolutely not. If you like small town romance, you'll like this.
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