This was a fun romantic comedy that really focused on the town and friendships as well as the growing love connection. I think my favorite parts were the one liners from the more "mature" ladies in the town. As someone who has a disability, I really enjoyed the way she showed real life with one. I also appreciate that it didn’t take over the story. It was just a part of the characters. Yeah, some days are hard it is always work but you still can live. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing the series.

I was 50/50 with this one. I really enjoyed Fox as a darker protagonist. I had a hard time getting motivated to finish it mostly because of how sunshine-y Cady was. It was great that despite her chronic illness that she could be that positive, it was borderline annoying to me. Cady's best friend Gemma was a little much for me as well.

Nevermore Bookstore is the first book in the Townsend Harbor series by Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin. Cadence "Cady" Bloomquist knows two things for sure: First, shelving books at her shop, Nevermore Bookstore, totally counts as cardio. Second, staying late every Thursday night to take a certain mysterious customer's order is not the same as waiting by the phone for some man. Until her calls with the man who identifies himself only as "Fox" become the highlight of her week. Which leaves her to wonder, if his jagged velvet voice can kindle her fire over the phone, what sort of alchemy might it inspire if they met in person? There's nothing Roman Fawkes wants more than the brilliant, beautiful bookstore owner, but as a reclusive survivalist, he knows it can never happen. Secreted in his mountain hideaway high above sleepy little Townsend Harbor, his solitary existence shields him-and those around him-from the pain of his past. Until one of their weekly calls is interrupted by a break-in, and Fawkes is powerless to protect the woman who has become his one link to the world. Orchestrating a trap for the fool who dared harm her, Fawkes finds himself not just ensnared, but beguiled by her. Now so close to Cady, he discovers she's fallen for "Fox", and yet he's unable to reveal her heart's desire is closer than she thinks. Can Fawkes resist the temptation to get between Cady's covers, knowing they'll never have a happily ever after?

Nevermore Bookstore was a confusing read for me. First, I rather expected it to verge on paranormal- it has none of that just in case you are looking for a cozy paranormal romance. Secondly, even though this book was definitely a unique story line, somehow it felt very familiar. I checked several times to make sure it wasn't a reprint or re-edit of something I have read before but I could find nothing even though there were moments that were very de ja vu for me. And third, I was greatly disappointed that there was no talk of safe sex, no condoms, no anything of that nature and that really bothered me. Now, I did love the secondary characters, and I thought some of the story was well written. I liked that there was more than just the romance to the story, but those threads of the story all kind of feel underdeveloped and like they could have been so much more than what they got to be. I felt like there was a great deal of potential, from authors that I have enjoyed in the past, and it just missed the mark.

Nevermore Bookstore is an interesting read that fans of the authors might want to check out.

"Nevermore Bookstore by Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin is an absolute gem of a read. Set in a small PNW town, the story introduces a captivating cast of characters that will make you want to pack your bags and become part of their world. The humor throughout the book is masterfully woven, providing moments of laughter without feeling forced or cheesy.

One of the standout aspects of the book is the portrayal of the main characters, Cady and Fox. Despite Cady's struggles with chronic illness and the loss of her aunt, she remains a strong and resilient woman, determined to run her own business and fight for her rights. Fox, initially a bit concerning due to his habit of peering through windows, quickly reveals his deeply rooted fears and vulnerabilities stemming from his PTSD. The authors handle these sensitive topics with care and empathy, allowing the characters to grow and navigate their way into each other's hearts.

The romance between Cady and Fox is truly heartwarming. Their relationship is a beautiful journey filled with ups and downs. Fox's unwavering adoration for Cady and his ability to see the beauty in her, despite her insecurities, is swoon-worthy. It's heartening to witness Cady's willingness to accommodate and support Fox, going above and beyond to make him feel comfortable in all aspects of their lives together.

Furthermore, the steamy moments in the book are tastefully written and add an extra layer of intensity to the story. The authors strike the perfect balance between passion and intimacy, making these scenes sexy without veering into raunchiness. Fox's perspective during these moments further deepens the connection between him and Cady, expressing his sincere appreciation for her and his longing to be close to her.

In conclusion, Nevermore Bookstore is a must-read for romance enthusiasts. With its engaging characters, skillful humor, and sensitive exploration of important themes, it delivers a captivating and unforgettable story. Prepare to be swept away into a world where love conquers all."

I gave this book a chance a while back and while I did enjoy some key parts, I really don’t see myself rereading or recommending.

This book was a really cute romance with a good balance of darker topics. Fox is a hottie, like give me a man who buys multiple books a week and enjoys collecting old classics. Dark, brooding, obsessed with the MC, the whole package. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy fluffy and dark romances. It was an adorably spicy read ;)

This book was…odd. I couldn’t pinpoint the plot. I had a hard time rooting for the main characters when they seemed so out of left field.

I was really looking forward to this book but in the end I found it very hard to follow.
I kept having to re read paragraphs as the writing was very hard to follow.

Cash is the owner of a bookstore and every Thursday night she has a phone call with the mysterious man named Fox. So very intriguing at first with his orders for special edition books but their relationship didn’t come off as I expected. I loved the idea of this book but didn’t fall in love with it.

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 is the first in a series about Townsend Harbor in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). The story starts inside of Nevermore Bookstore, currently owned by Candice "Cady" Bloomquist. She is anticipating a specific phone call from a specific gentleman caller, a weekly large purchasing customer.

Fox has the sexiest voice imaginable. He calls every Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. without fail and places a large order of books. Reading has become an escape for him for many reasons. Fox is also waived in mystery at the beginning of the book, so much so that I wasn't sure whether or not I was reading a paranormal story or modern romance. Because I hate giving spoilers, I'm going to do my best not to tell you which one it is!

Both Cady and Fox have things that make their life more difficult to live. Cady has a medical condition that neurologically damages her back. Fox has something going on, but we are not 100% sure what it is until about 75% of the way through the book.

I adored this book! The cast of characters is adorable and charming. We come upon the town just before a major festival that they are preparing for. We plop down in the middle of their lives that they are actively living, and I felt welcomed into the town right where they were.

Cady despite all of her physical and emotional challenges is a sunshine character. Possibly too much of a sunshine character for her own good! Her friends help to keep her grounded and support her in beautiful ways.

Fox is a big, strong, protective individual, especially of Cady. Even though they meet by phone, the chemistry is alarmingly off the charts!

Again, because I do not like to provide spoilers in my reviews, I will tell you there is a mystery surrounding the bookstore of its ownership. Cady is dealing with the loss of her Aunt Fern who originally owned the bookstore. There is a mysterious handyman who appears on the scene after a break-in to the bookstore and begins helping Cady.

The book is truly worth the read! I cannot wait to read more in the series! I want to know more about the other characters and the town, both who are there and at least one new one who is coming. Well done to Kerrigan and Cynthia on this new series!












I received this as an advanced reader copy from #netGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Under developed in general.

I didn't feel any connection to the characters. There were many phrases through the book that made me go ughh. I think there was so much promise going into this for me, I love a good bookstore romcom but I was disappointed.

I was expecting a cute bookstore romance and it was definitely not what I got. I found the stalking and deception from Fox to be creepy and didn’t enjoy their relationship. I also feel as though I didn’t connect with or care for the characters as so much of the book was just sex and I feel like I didn’t get to know them.

A love story perfect for literature fanatics and fans of Emily Henry's "Book Lovers" and Anna Todd's "After" series. It really doesn't get better than the love interests fall for each other in an actual bookstore. Not only is the male love interest perfectly swoon-worthy (his name is Roman Fawkes like ohmygosh it's one of the best character names I've come across!) but seeing him totally besotted by Cady made my day. Reading about their growing relationship and all its epic highs and lows had me entranced. This is a book that you will never want to put down!

I'm truly scared I won't do this book justice in my review. Bear with me during my rambling.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for my honest review! Full review can be found on Goodreads. Please do, it's great.

📞 The story 📞
Cady owns the Nevermore Bookstore in Townsend Harbor. Her life is pretty average, besides the fact that a hot – or at least, seemingly hot – customer calls at exactly the same time every Thursday night. Although Fox cannot meet her, he is definitely interested. When he hears a break-in during one of their phone calls, he goes undercover to find the culprit. However, he finds more than he bargained for.

First of all, I need to apologize. I've had this ARC since March, and I've only now read it. I know, I know, I'm terrible. I only have myself to blame. Anyway, I immediately loved it. There was already some mystery, such as the nature of Cady's condition, the situation with her mother, who Fox was, etc. And then came the break-in. Although I had a feeling I understood the reason why, I did enjoy figuring out the true nature of it all.

I laughed out loud a lot during the story. For this reason, I could not freaking put the book down. I'm serious, I read until 3:30 am. I didn't regret a thing, until I had to wake up early this morning. I might regret a few things now.

The sexy scenes were honestly the best. I loved the ending of the book as well. The story wasn't greatly surprising, that is, until the end. Although most of the twists were obvious to me, I was still screaming into my pillow over the suspense.

Although the end reveals had me screaming, I was also a little disappointed by the way it all wrapped up. But yeah, besides that, it was amazing. I mean, their progress and journey were amazing, and I loved every second of it.

📞 The characters 📞
I truly loved Cady and the representation of her condition. I always love it when conditions that are not well-known are represented in books. She struggled, a lot, but stayed optimistic through it all. I adored her, especially her store and smut books.

I wasn't sure how to feel about Fox at first. He was definitely intense from the first second onward. However, I loved learning more and more about him. He was so freaking mysterious, and although I'd already guessed most of his past, it was still heartbreaking to learn more. The representation of his PTSD was amazing, and I loved that. The representation overall was so freaking great in this book. I could honestly cry over their journey together.

The side characters were great as well, such as Ethan, Myrtle and Vee. Honestly, I loved Ethan. He wasn't the golden retriever I thought he'd be, and he was freaking hot. Myrtle and Vee were so bloody weird, but I loved them. Gemma was also truly the best, when is her story coming? Totally shipping her and Ethan.


📞 The writing 📞
There were quite some mistakes in the ARC, that were hopefully caught before the book was published. If not, please authors, do contact me if you want to receive the mistakes that stood out to me! :)


📞 Overall conclusion 📞
Sigh, I hate that it is over. I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved the representation in this book. Mental illness, physical illness; it was all there. The representation was great and refreshing, the characters had the full-on 'I would kill for you' vibe (yes, I'd kill for Fox too) and everyone was just bloody great. The added little sprinkle of mystery was perfect, and the ending had me yearning for more. Well, onwards to recommend this book to everyone in the YA Buddy Readers' Corner and to all of my friends. Loved it.

This was just an average rom com, it was a bit spicy, I did like the banter between fox and Cady but I didn’t like the writing at times.
Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy and all thoughts are my own.

I was so excited to read this. The premise was there. Unfortunately it seemed like the authors were trying too hard, and things often came off as cringy. I couldn't finish it.

I want to give this book 3 stars at least but most of my three stars weren't as cringy as this was. There were SO many modern phrases and statements that it seemed like they were just trying to fit in as much as they could to what. make this super unrelatable book relatable? Regardless still finished this book in a day once got it from Netgalley and all can think about was how STRONG Fox was introduced. With no context we were all of a sudden pushed into the mind of some super aggressive tent/cave man in the woods. To summarize this book l'd probably just say "a curvy disabled sort of bookstore owner who stereotypically eats a lot meets a bruly man with PTSD with a sexy phone voice and they dance around each other aggressively until he caves"
wouldn't recommend this book but I'm also not mad read it so take that as you will.

As a huge fan of Kerrigan Byrne's historical romance and a booknerd, I thought that this one could do no wrong. Unfortunately, I liked Kerrigan's historical romance better than the Nevermore Bookstore.

The story isn't bad per se, but it is a bit boring. I liked the Fox, but after the Goode Girls and the Devil's You Know I had to take a deep breath. With the Nevermore Bookstore, life just goes on.

So, would I recommend it? Well, sure. But if you want more spice than sugar, I would highly recommend Kerrigan's other series before this one.

In all, three out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

DNF. I got duped again by a cartoony cover! I have only read about 25% of this book, but I am just not feeling it. I don't love where the plot is going. I am not enjoying the way this book is written. am having a difficult time staying invested in these characters (I *love* grumpy/sunshine, so this is very difficult for me!). My mind keeps wandering. And I LOVE KOOKY! But not this kind of cringe-kooky. It's giving try-hard, not naturally funny! I love that the main female character, the adorable Cady, is plus sized. I just wish we got a book worthy of her inclusion! Sad about this one, I was so looking forward to it.

Thank you to NetGalley, by Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin, and Oliver Heber Books for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.