this book gave me the feels. i was drawn by the title of the book and then i was sucked in completely. really liked this and want to find more of her books. they had me at bookstore. i am sold

Thanks to NetGalley and the authors for letting me read this book in advance.

I gave it 2.5 stars.

This book was so promising, I was really excited to read this book. The cover was really cute , I wish the story was too. I didn't like the characters at all, especially the main male character.

I finished the book however I wasn't feeling it at all. It had so much potential. I wish it was better but I needed to be honest.

I love Kerrigan Byrne's books...all of them so when I heard she had a new release I knew I had to have it. I'd not read anything by Cynthia St. Aubin before this but I've added her to my list as I thought this book was well done!

Nevermore Bookstore is the first in the Townsend Harbor series and I'm especially happy this is going to be a series as there were some great secondary characters in this one that I'm dying to see more of. In this book, Cady is the fmc and the owner of Nevermore Bookstore. Her backstory is interesting and I won't go into a lot of detail but how she ended up with the store drives a number of pieces in the book. With that said, every Thursday night, she stays late for a phone call from "Fox". What originally started out as a call to place an order for books has now transitioned into lengthy calls and they both find themselves drawn to each other even though they have never met and probably never will...for reasons. Until one night when their call is interrupted by a break in at the store and Fox decides he is going to save / protect her.

I loved everything about this book. The cast of characters and their stories, the setting, the relationships, and even the mystery of what was truly going on with Cady and her bookstore. If you get the chance, pick this one up. I'll be grabbing any future stories by these authors (separate or together) for sure!

Thank you for letting me read this arc! Overall I was not vibing with this book. Candy seems a little scatter brained and fox mysterious past wasn't making a lot of since to me in the beginning of the book. Some of the comedic lines were not my thing like fox needing to turn from the fire so he doesn't have a Weiner roast. I do think some will find this enjoyable just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St Aubin for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4 - 4.5 Stars

Spice Level: 3.5


General Thoughts: I love the premise and the romance. The writing and verbiage threw me off occasionally, especially with use of word choice or "slang" terms. I am glad I read this on a Kindle, because I used more of the dictionary then typical for cartoon cover romance.

That being said, I feel that the writing style and approach of the writers works in the favor of the story! Giving a modern feel, with terms that are used in a social media society.

The protagonists are certainly a pair together, broken in their individual ways. While not wanting to give spoilers, I appreciate that the ended was not a magic spell, but a situation that took into account the actuality of the situation.

The romance for me was super sweet. The phone conversations were adorable, there was some taboo / mysterious topics that other books skirt around, and generally the spice was well done.

Overall a great read!

DNF at 26%. I expected a cute romantic comedy that perhaps had a magical twist but this was not that. I'm not even entirely sure what this book was about. The male main character gave off MAJOR stalker vibes. He seemed to be struggling with PTSD, but that didn't explain why he just sat outside the female main character's apartment and watched her while refusing to meet with her in person. The characters were also not that interesting and a little boring. I was hoping I would enjoy this book, but it was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St Aubin for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me. My main issue was the MMC POV chapters. It felt like there were gaps in the story that started to get really confusing when we switched POV’s. Also he’s a literal caveman???

Overall the whole thing felt really forced, which made it fall flat for me.

A more sex based romance than I normally read but the story of Cady and Fox is really good. I enjoyed the story and these characters.

I absolutely adored this! So hard to put down. The plot twist, the mystery, the romance! The characters are beautifully human and flawed. Cady is a strong representation of physical disabilities and how it can effect mental health. While struggling herself she still finds a way to shine with kindness. The rendering of PTSD with Fox and the way he had to deal with himself really hits the truthful way. Not to mention the AMAZING and hilarious side characters. I cannot get over the love for Ms.Vee and Myrtle. The comedic relief these woman gave! This whole book gave a rollercoaster of emotions. One minute you're questioning everything the next you're crying. It flawlessly switches from a romantic and hot setting to the awkwardness of how to interact with someone you like. Only tiny tweaks and it would be 5 star to me. But those are my own personal thoughts due to some times it being a bit difficult to connect some parts, not the mystery but just with the flow of the story. I'll be 100% adding a physical copy to my shelf!


This is my Goodreads review. Due to connection issues I wasn't able to connect mine from here at this time. Thank you for the wonderfully fun story!

This was a not so fun ride. I received an arc of this book and was very excited to get started but I honestly had to DNF at about 50%. The quirky heroine was cringe-worthy and the whole alpha male trope just didn't work in this case. Also... what's up with calling her "woman" all the time. She has a name. Both main characters were so far from believable or relatable.

On a separate note I found quite a few typos that should have been caught during editing.

A former army officer with lots of issues and a woman with chronic illness are the main characters in this contemporary romance, by Kerrigan Byrne and fellow author Cynthia St Albion.

I’m afraid that this was not a hit for me. Fox is unusual to say the least. Casey is trying so hard to make it on her own. Some steamy love scenes, but I just didn’t buy the whole relationship.

This was cute! I wasn’t sure what to expect and it was a bit sillier than I’d expected but it was enjoyable and provided a pretty different cast of characters than is typical. I could do without a cop character obviously intended to get his own story down the line, but the two main characters of this one were unique and well crafted.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Zu dem Liebesroman habe ich gegriffen, weil ich das Buchcover toll finde und sich der Klappentext faszinierend anhörte. Gelesen hatte ich zuvor von den beiden Autorinnen noch nichts. Daher bin ich recht erwartungsfrei an das Buch herangegangen.

Beim Lesen der Liebesgeschichte bin ich hier und da über den Schreibstil gestolpert. Mal war es ein Wort, mal ein ganzer Satz der mich aus meinem Lesefluss gerissen hat. Vor allem die Dialoge hörten sich für meine Ohren etwas unnatürlich an.

Dafür gab es im Buch sehr interessante Charaktere, über die ich gerne mehr erfahren habe. Vor allem die Hauptcharaktere hatten je ihr Päckchen zu tragen und wirkten auf mich faszinierend.

Diese Faszination mit den Charakteren hat leider nicht dazu ausgereicht, dass mich ihre Liebesgeschichte emotional tief berühren konnte. Ganz kalt gelassen hat mich die Beziehung nicht, aber ich hatte auf mehr gehofft. Das lag vor allem daran, dass ich die Gefühle zwischen den Hauptcharakteren nur bedingt fühlen konnte.

Zusätzlich fand ich vor allem in der ersten Hälfte des Romans einige Geschehnisse und Entwicklungen verwirrend. Nach und nach legte sich die Verwirrung glücklicherweise, dadurch verbesserte sich mein Leseerlebnis und mein Lesefluss wurde flüssiger.

Blicke ich auf mein Leserlebnis zurück, so war das Buch interessant, aber leider nicht perfekt für mich.

🖤🖤1/2

Für wen?

Wer Liebesromane mit besonderen Charakteren mag, die ihr Päckchen zu tragen haben, sollte sich das Buch mal näher anschauen.

Mein Fall war das Buch nur bedingt, ich kann mir aber gut vorstellen, dass andere Leser:innen mehr Freude mit dem Liebesroman haben könnten.

Based on the cover and the title, this book wasn't at all what I expected. However, this was a very enjoyable read for me! It was incredibly well-written and laugh out loud funny at points. The authors did an incredible job of portraying the daily challenges of both chronic illness and PTSD.

That being said, I did feel like there were still some unanswered questions by the end of the book. We don't really get to see the beginnings of Cady and Fox's phone relationship. Why did he call the bookstore that first night? While we learn why Fox has chosen a life of solitude in the wilderness, we don't necessarily learn how he ended up in the PNW after his time in the military.

Overall, a very cute, enjoyable read that does a great job of showing that finding and fighting for love isn't always easy. Would be a great fall read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Cady Bloomquist is desperately trying to keep the bookstore she inherited after her aunt's death afloat. However unresolved tax issues, building repairs, a break-in, and other strange happenings all seem to be conspiring against her. The one bright spot is her weekly phone calls with a mysterious sexy-voiced fellow book lover named Fox. This is a lighthearted quick read full of quirky townspeople, humorous dialogue, and of course plenty of steamy chemistry that kept me turning pages until I finished it in one sitting.

** May Contain Spoilers **
Personally, this is not my type of book. (Reading the synopsis, somehow I figured it was YA. So that's a personal issue, not one with the book.) So, I may not be the best judge of this book.
Anyway, I thought the writing was okay. I liked the words and definitions as chapter titles. The beginning was cute, and I love the setting (which is honestly what drove me to pick up this book). The chronically ill representation was nice since it is normally so rare.
Some of the language made me uncomfortable, and not just because I don't normally read adult romance. One line, "I'll tell you what I'd like, woman. If you do what I say." especially weirded me out. Not to mention the fact that he's kinda stalkerish.
If this sounds like your kind of book, by all means read it. I'm sure it's a great book, but I'm definitely not the target audience.

DNF @ 23%

I was expecting a vampire, but it turns out he's a stalker.

"Cady." He didn’t realise he’d said the name aloud until it landed south of his belly button, and he had to turn from the fire to avoid a Weiner roast.

A lot of what I read just didn't make sense.

eARC provided by NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: March 28, 2023

Nevermore Bookstore is the first in a new romance series by two authors working together, Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St Aubin. I have never read either but the publisher’s description had me intrigued.

Cady is the owner of the Nevermore Bookstore in a small town. Having suffered from a spinal autoimmune disease since her teens, she often struggles with day to day life. The one thing she looks forward to is her weekly calls with her elusive customer “Fox”.

Fox struggles every day with PTSD. Having been in the army and never quite recovered from the time he was a POW, he doesn’t see a future for a “normal” life. His weekly calls with Cady keeping his head above water. Until phone calls just aren’t enough anymore.

Okay, so I loved the chemistry between Cady and Fox. They had great banter and although the language was sometimes cringy (her comparisons to sex/body parts etc and his over misogynistic comments towards her - “woman”), I was rooting for them.

There was also good representation of disabilities, neurodivergence and mental illness. It may have been a bit much with both main characters struggling through their own day to day lives.

The couple of things that are tough to get over and why I’ve rated this one 3 stars are:
1. It is clear there are two authors, different voices and sometimes clunky writing and integration. Some parts I had to pause and really think about what was happening in the story
2. Fox’s gaslighting and voyeurism of Cady. Not my style and a bit creepy to be honest.

This book does have some spice 🌶️ and I would recommend to romance readers who aren’t opposed to the two things that stuck out to me as an issue. I would be interested in reading the next book to see the next quirky characters they focus on. Hopefully the writing is more smoothly done by then!

#NetGalley #nevermorebookstore #kerriganbyrne #cybthiastaubin

I just loved this so much. It is so unrealistic, but I kind of loved that about it. The plot reminds me of….if Netflix did a Hallmark movie? Comforting, spicy, engaging, and all the good feels. I feel like I watched this play out in my head as if I was watching a movie.

Fox is everything. In my head, I see a scruffy Henry Cavill, lumberjack style and very fit. Geralt mannerisms, but still dark-haired and scruffy.

Cady is not as well-written, but I still dig her. She’s supposed to be realistic and relatable, but I just found there to be too much emphasis on what she thought was wrong with herself and on Astrid (read it to see what I mean).

Between the way Cady was written and the sometimes over the top cheesy writing, I did drop a star from my rating. I would still 100% recommend this to anyone who likes the romance genre!!

I loved this book start to finish. Literally couldn't put it down. Cady owns and works at Nevermore Bookstore in this quaint little town with a single bestie and a kinda sorta boyfriend. She has these weekly night calls with the mysterious Fox. Fox tends to order and they have their fun little talks on the phone. Cady is 99% sure she's halfway in love with the man on the phone. Unfortunately, Fox is a hard man to meet. Bring in a break-in, break up, and in comes Bob, our loving hero.
There's so much more to the story. The mystery. The growing love. The plot twists. Everything was chef's kiss. I can't wait to read more!