I received this from netgalley in exchange for a review.

There were aspects of this book I really enjoyed - Cady, her friends/other town members, the general mystery of what was going on with the building her bookstore was in.

But I got held up a lot on how Fox…well, kind of stalked her. Not with horrible intentions, but having an intimate relationship with her based on phone conversations, then coming into her actual life but pretending to be someone else, and watching her from afar - with binoculars and stuff, not just seeing her across town, it is creepy. I get why he as a character has his issues, but if I were Cady, when I found out, I would not have ended up sleeping with him immediately. Informing that part of it - I could see the book ultimately playing out the same if Cady had reacted badly to finding out Fox was the same guy she had hired and was becoming close to, but had them work it out. I think I’d have enjoyed that better since I did like the other aspects of the book.

I always appreciate books showing people living with invisible illnesses, both physical and mental, and main characters who are plus size, so that definitely helped.

Cady has inherited an old bookstore which she's desperately trying to keep afloat. Fox is one of her best customers, but she only knows him as a voice on the end of the phone, and one she enjoys talking to a little too much. And then one night while she's flirting - ahem, talking to him, somebody breaks into the store...

This is a well-written story of two survivors, one with a chronic illness and the other with PTSD, who find unexpected solace in each other. The plot strands are teased out carefully and cleverly, both with the main characters and the underlying mystery of the break-in and the bookstore's future. Cady and Fox are complex and nuanced, and the supporting cast are excellently done, particularly Cady's friend Gemma and the redoubtable Myrtle. There's angst, spice, and some wonderful turns of phrase dropped in so casually that their humour sneaks up on you and leaves you chuckling - I'm glad this is the first in a proposed series, because I would definitely like more of Townsend Harbor.

This book is damn near perfect. The wit and humor and completely believable humanness of these characters is amazing.
Let’s start with our hero, Fox. In the beginning, I thought he was a paranormal being. There is a lot of haziness around him and why he’s doing what he’s doing.
Cady is a survivor. She has a chronic illness that makes people either dismiss or coddle her. Sometimes they do both. She wants people to see her and not underestimate her.
The blend of humor, friendship, and complicated life is so well done. Mental health, chronic pain, small town politics are all combined with balance.
There’s a lot of great phone conversation. As well as really hot phone sex. The dirty talk is on point.
I love a book that makes me slow down so I can savor the words. A book that I am compelled to highlight excessively. A book that can be both swoony & funny.
I loved every single minute.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is an intriguing book. It is convoluted but has fantastic characters (they are not perfect). This is sort of a mystery and romance. Can you fall in love with a voice and the words that are spoken? Cady owns a bookstore or does she? She is medically challenged, but still lives her life to the fullest. Then enter Fox and wow does her life change. I really enjoyed this different book. Well worth the read. 4 stars

Thank You to the authors for allowing me to read the ARC. I really loved this book. I laughed, cried, and sweated through the spicy scenes!

Cady is a quirky, sees good in most, disable woman in her 20's. She inherits a book store upon her Aunts untimely death in a tiny tourist town in Washington. Enter in "Fox" a 33 yr old mystery man who calls Cady every Thursday to order books. What they dont know is that they are each others anchors whole dealing their respective issues.

As the story progresses we find out Fox is dealing with CPSTD after being a in the military. He lives in the wild away from people and is hermit.
One day he and Cady are on an un scantioned phone call when Cady's bookstore gets broken into. He calls 911 and decides he needs to get to her...

No more spoilers from me! If you want to know what happens you need to read it!

Ever wanted to read a fanfiction of a hunky version of Adrian Pimento from Brooklyn 99? Yeah, you did? Read this book. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people. No judgement here.

First of all, I appreciated that there was a disabled main character. You get to see her daily struggles and just how exhausting it is. This part really reminded me of ‘Get a life, Chloe Brown’ a lot. I also really enjoyed the ending of the book involving the council meeting.

But I had some issues with the book. The writing wasn’t very clear. I swear for like half of the book I thought he was a werewolf. I was very confused, I checked Goodreads multiple times to make sure there is no supernatural element to the book. Fox was way too intense for my liking. If you like that kind of thing, this book is for you. Personally, I found him to be creepy, and he was practically a stalker. I know some people like that kind of thing in books, so you might want to pick it up.

Personally, not my cup of tea, but I can see other people enjoying it.

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.

I have nothing but positive things to say about this book! I laughed, I smiled, and the spice was good! I especially enjoyed the mystery aspect a lot of Fox’s character had.

I’m so glad that they had a happy ending

Thanks to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for an arc of this book. Below is my honest review.

Cady inherited a bookshop from her Aunt Fern and every Thursday at the exact same time, they mysterious Fox calls to place an order. He is her best customer by far. His calls are the only thing that kept Cady going when her Aunt Fern got sick.

Fox doesn’t leave his space. Ever. He only talks to one person, the only person he can stand. This person is the reason he doesn’t have nightmares on Thursday’s anymore. Who is she? Cady!

One Monday, he can’t wait a few more days to hear her voice, so Fox gives Cady a call. While chatting, they realize someone has broken into her store. They get disconnected, he calls 911, and wants nothing more than to get to her. Problem is, it would take hours for him to get there.

When the sheriff arrives, keep in mind he went on a few dates with Cady recently, he just freezes. He can’t figure out what happened. No one knows Fox’s address (a ups worker picks up the box of his books from the back alley each week) to discuss his 911 call, and nothing was stolen. The perpetrator only came through an unlocked door and made a mess. They could have hurt Cady and didn’t.

Three days later, during their usual call, Cady asks to meet Fox. And he … can’t. He just can’t. He has one job and he CANNOT fail. (What is it?!?!?!?)

Soon after, near her shop, Cady offers to help a homeless man and gives him some food. Later, he shows up at the store to help Cady with odd jobs. He is the best employee she could have asked for.

Where is Fox? Will Cady fall for the sheriff? Who is the mystery new employee? Who broke into the store? Is someone trying to sabotage the bookstore?

This is a grumpy/sunshine story but it is definitely not a classical contemporary romance. Some parts were a bit too much for my taste. Fox does some creeptastic stuff and Cady seems fine with it later? They mystery is okay but predictable. I liked Cady’s best friend, Gemma. I also was grateful we got a bit of an explanation for why Ethan is how he is. The book club was fun.

I appreciated the main characters love of books, the disability (ankylosing spondylitis —autoimmune spinal arthritis) and ptsd rep, as well as the fact that Cady wasn’t classically thin. Overall though, it wasn’t for me. I was expecting something cuter based on the cover. The mystery and darker themes would have been fine without the creep factor.

3.5 stars

CW: claustrophobia, mental health, stalker-esque behavior.

This book…um. The plot was rushed in my opinion. Cady and fox fucked as soon as Cady realized who he actually was. I think it’s kinda stupid that Cady couldn’t tell it was fox all along. I had to drag to get to the end of the book, sorry this just wasn’t it for me

Okay let’s start with the fact that the writing was great. 10/10 loved the description behind it and the way the writing flowed. The suspense throughout the book kept me on my toes and I found myself willing the answers to my questions to come. That being said, it took me a bit to get into this book. Not gonna lie, I was somewhat confused at first, but I think that was also part of the suspense that kept me pushing through. I would say it was around chapters 7-9 that I was finally becoming invested in the story.
I loved Cady and Gemma’s relationship and banter. I loved Fox’s protectiveness and I loved his and Cady’s interactions. I really did enjoy their relationship and by the end I was rooting for them so hard. The ending may be one of my favorite ending I’ve ever read. The healing, the hope, the love; just all the feels that made this ending so perfect.
Overall I’d say this ended up a solid 4/5 for me. It may have taken a little while, but I enjoyed the second half of the book so much it deserved the 4 stars.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the first chapter this book had me laughing.

Nevermore bookstore, owned and operated by Cady, sounds like a place I want to be. The authors did a great job of providing an atmospheric quality to the story that makes you feel like you’re there. And as a rare book girly myself, I loved their detail when it came to describing some of the books!

As for the characters themselves, I was interested in who Fox was and his story from the first phone call. However, where he was supposed to be mysterious became a little puddled with confusion for me. While I love contemporary romance, I’m a fantasy reader first and foremost. And this book felt like there was going to be some sort of paranormal quality to it, especially when it came to Fox, so it confused me when there wasn’t. I mean, he was living in a cave, mentioned werewolves, and seemingly was super strong and fast all in his first chapter, so I was sure of it.

Outside of his questionable humanness, I really liked him. He was fierce and protective with his own insecurities that made him feel well rounded, even if at some points he reminded me of YOU a little too much (minus the baseball cap).

Cady I absolutely loved. I thought she was hilarious but also so down to earth and real. Her friendship with Gemma also felt to realistic and natural while also being heartwarming and hilarious.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had a dark broody man and a hilarious FMC; I loved seeing them come together. The book also includes some representation and deals with subjects that are a little heavier in a sensitive way. I’ll be sure to check out their other books!

Free eARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

This was such a fun, sweet romcom. A bookstore owner and her mysterious regular weekly phone order customer in the Pacific Northwest, this was so enjoyable. Highly recommend it with a cup of tea on a rainy day. I don’t want to give much away, but I really enjoyed this story and I’ll be keeping an eye out for more if this turns into a series!

This was such a fun, breezy read. Despite not technically having any fantasy elements, it had the distinct tone of a cozy fantasy novel, set in a just-slightly-off-kilter universe that Wednesday Addams could comfortably live in.

I really enjoyed how the authors introduced well-rounded backstories for each character, including some really excellent representation of various mental health struggles, on top of a female lead who experiences chronic pain. The side characters throughout the story are also such a genuine delight, and add so much humor and color to the story as a whole.

Overall, I had so much fun reading this one, and look forward to seeing what others think when it officially releases!

I enjoyed this book so so much. Fawkes and Cady warmed my heart. I didnt think I would but it ended up being so so funny, achingly painful and so so romantic in the best ways. I loved the secret phone call hidden identity aspect and I also loved the CPTSD representation in this book. I also loved all the side character dynamics. I had so much fun. Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!

Cady is a bookshop owner who loves her work. She falls for 'Fox', a reclusive survivialist, who orders from her shop weekly. On of their weekly calls is interrupted by a breakin and Fox is enraged. He plans a trap to find the bad guy and falls for Cady even more....

Love this funny romance. I like the witty dialogue and great chemistry between the characters. It's a great fast read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.