Yeah, I couldn't deal with this one. I hated how easily these characters "fell in love" and got overprotective after just some weekly phone calls for BUSINESS PURPOSES. I mean, I get liking the sound of someone's voice, but FALLING in LOVE with it? Nah man.

But I was willing to put up with that for a romance book because I was in the mood for one.

But THEN it dipped into stalker territory and seemed to be glorifying how protective the stalker guy was and that just immediately turned me off from the story. I couldn't get back to it, even though I didn't want to DNF a NetGalley arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of the ebook. Sorry I didn't finish it, but it just wasn't the story for me.

DNF @ 23%

I don't normally give a DNF a star rating, but in order to send my review I have to - so, 1 star it is.

Let me first start off by saying thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and authors for providing me with an Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Characters:

Cady: A lovely woman who happens to have a chronic illness (yay disability rep that isn't erased at the end of the book!!), a kind heart, a bit naive and mounting stress due to the situation that happens to unfold

Fox: He's a dark, brooding 'mysterious' MC (Whom I have Head-Canoned with a Bat Man voice as his character is very angsty for reasons we later find out)

I was a little bit annoyed by Cady from time to time, especially when she found out that Fox was peeping on her when they had phone sex, and watching her even before that.

Fox made me want to roll my eyes from time to time, He sometimes read as though he were an angsty teenager rather than a 33 yo man

Plot:

My likes:
I had a genuinely good time reading this, it sort of felt and had the pacing of a not so great Netflix show that you keep on for background noise because it's just amusing enough to keep you interested in it.
It was a fun mystery and it was still fun when our angst filled hero was introduced and interacted with the little burst of sunshine Cady.

I loved seeing chronic pain and disability rep (especially when it wasn't erased when Our two MC's got together)

I also enjoyed seeing mental health rep as I think that's super important (it was mostly resolved off page and fair enough) I was so happy to read that he was trying out medication and therapy again

I also enjoyed the side characters in this book, none of them felt flat, I just wish I got to know more about Myrtle and Vee.

A happy ending yay!

My dislikes:
The writing was a little cringe inducing at times but in a good way (not a soul-sucking kind of way)

A lot of the sex scenes in this book made me laugh.

I also didn't vibe at all with the super duper angsty and alpha stance from Fox though the book

quite a few of the jokes just didn't land how they were supposed to I think and kind of left me looking around searching for someone who got it.

All that being said it was enjoyable and I'm likely to look into either of the authors other books

"Fox" by Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin is a captivating and steamy romance novel that will leave readers swooning. The book tells the story of Cady Bloomquist, a bookstore owner who finds herself intrigued by a mysterious customer who identifies himself only as "Fox." Despite never meeting in person, their phone conversations become the highlight of her week, sparking a fire within her that she never knew existed.

The mystery of "Fox" adds an element of intrigue and excitement to the story, as readers are left wondering who he is and what secrets he might be hiding. The author does an excellent job of building tension and creating a sense of anticipation throughout the story.

Roman Fawkes, the man behind the "Fox" persona, is a complex and fascinating character. He's a hermit, living in seclusion to protect himself and those around him from his troubled past. Despite his reservations, Roman can't resist Cady's charm and finds himself falling for her. When Cady's safety is threatened, Roman must confront his past and risk everything to protect her.

The chemistry between Cady and Roman is electric, and their love story is both tender and passionate. The dialogue is witty and engaging, and the secondary characters add depth and complexity to the story.

Overall, "Fox" is a delightful and satisfying read that will leave readers with a smile on their face. author has crafted a charming and entertaining romance novel that is sure to appeal to fans of the genre.

i couldn't finish this book.I don't know if it was the writing or the characters but something felt off.I'm so sad because I really liked the fact that the main character had a chronic illness because you don't see that a lot

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and sweet. I will say I was a little confused about Fox at the beginning. I loved the setting of the bookstore. I wish it was real. It’s a fast paced romance with a side of suspense and mystery. I loved Fox so much he’s the sweetest. Candy is amazing too and she’s so strong. I loved all of the representation in the book. It’s a cozy small town romance. It’s also spicy but some of the scenes were a little cringy.

I liked this! I didn’t love it but I liked it. I felt like it was a little slow going at first and could have picked up a lot faster. I also thought the writing style was a little juvenile for the fact that it’s a spicy romance.

Having read and finished this about 2 weeks ago, I can say that I liked and enjoyed this book. However, I was very confused at the beginning and thought that Fox was partially not human because the description of him as a guy who lives in the woods due to the trauma he suffered in the military was purposefully ambiguous, I think. The whole concept wasn't extremely original but I liked the payoff and the conclusion. I would probably give this a 3.5, enjoyed it as a whole but had some minor issues with a few parts of the book.

Any book that is set in a bookstore has my immediate attention and my heart. There's something about reading a book that is set in a bookstore that is super cosy.

Candace "Cady" Bloomquist works at Nevermore Bookstore located in Townsend Harbour after inheriting the store after her aunt passes away. Suddenly her life is full of way more responsibility.
But when Cady starts getting phone calls weekly from a mysterious man named 'Fox', things finally start to get interesting. For the first time in awhile, Cady is excited for her weekly calls with the mysterious man.

This book was super interesting. There was a cosy mystery element to it which made it fun to read. Who is this mysterious Fox? Why is he calling? What is this situationship they have?

I loved Cady as a character. She had so much depth to her and I felt like she'd be a great person to be around. Fox on the other hand was super standoffish and almost gave *stalker* vibes, but there was something about him that was charming (as all stalkers seem to be I guess).

Contrary to other opinions of this book which I've read here on Goodreads, I actually loved this book. It was entertaining and I read it super fast (especially for an eBook version; it normally takes me ages to finish them).
I would 100% recommend!

I tried to like this book. I think Faekes gave me some serious creepy vibes. Lives in the forest? Has a sattelite phone. In love with s bookshop owner as he creeps on her. I dunno. Wasn't for me. He kept calling himself a monster.

I did, however, love the female representation, and the friendship cady had cultivated. The friendships would be what kept me going because Fawkes was..... not it.

Nevermore bookstore, well from where should I begin When I see this book I wanted to read it so bad because of the title truly I like the idea of having a bookstore😍💕 I mean who doesn't right?
Oh, and a mysterious person who orders books from your shop every Thursday via phone and his voice🔥😍❤️🤌🏻 is sexy, deep and orgasmic( pardon my language but I couldn't help it)🤣😅😂

I liked the book The Way Fox(ml) or Fawkes can you believe the name😍❤️ care about Cady(fl) but Fox is a broken soldier and another hand Cady was broken too.
The telephonic conversation between them🔥🥵💕🤌🏻, Tension and that 3am toes curling romance that every reader want😍🥰❤️(if you know you know).

But I don't get Fox, this book could be better but the Fox part was a bit off, the connection between Fox and the book and his background was a blur.
If it's not like that I think it'll get much easier to understand Fox which I don't.

As I am always eager to find a book about books, Nevermore Bookstore caught my attention for more than one reason. I must say, my only regret was reading it so fast.

Kerrigan & Cynthia have created a narrative that embraces the average sized woman, the quirks of our personalities and the suffering of our souls. They addressed chronic illness, CPTSD, POW and mental illness whilst keeping a charming and humorous undercurrent that caused me to literally LOL a few times.

The FMC Cady was a sweet, honest and sometimes too trusting bookstore owner who suffered from a chronic and debilitating illness. This led to the Authors incorporating how this affected Cady in her day to day life. She was a perfect lead character who was down to earth and was always trying to make the best experiences of her life regardless of her condition. Fox is an enigma that is confusing, bizarre and absolutely amazing. Living as a recluse due to his chronic PTSD from the military, Fox contacts the bookshop to have books sent to him to help him get through his night terrors and a fun, sexy and romantic situation starts to emerge.

The way the main characters support each other's chronic illnesses and conditions is beautiful and inspiring. It warmed my heart to see the understanding they had for each other’s situations and how it helped them grow. Their relationship had strong chemistry and a good amount of spice without taking away from the plot. The additional members of the community are quirky and amusing, establishing the personalities and situations for the next instalments of the series.

This narrative was written in duel POV, one by one author and one by the other. The authors incorporated a clever mystery into the storyline which added to the dynamics between the characters and added to the fact that I couldn’t put it down. Highly Recommended.

Happy Reading,

Alie

Rating: 💜💜💜💜💜
Aesthetic: 📚💊🌳🦌🌊⛰🌲🏕📖💜🌶
Spice: 🌶🌶

I honestly don't really know what I read here. I am a huge fan of Kerrigan Byrne books, but this one really felt different.

I think what really turned me off was the teenage like humor or sentences throughout the story. It just started hurting my brain to read it, and extremely took me out of the story.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. A 'Haunted' bookshop, and a main character with an autoimmune disorder piqued my interest. I love the character of Cady and her confidence in her body and intelligence. She's strong and capable and mentions her issues with no qualms. It's so hard to find disability rep that allows the character to express how their body makes them feel. I can completely appreciate that.
I love the exploration of PTSD and how it manifests in Fox. I think he's a complicated character and would have liked to hear more of his backstory and how he came to be in the woods.

I was enthralled and needing to know more, up until Cady compared her pubic hairs to Colin Kaepernick in a headlock. After that, it was hard for me to focus on anything but the inky feeling I got from that comparison. I'm sure this book is published by now, but I would consider taking that out, and doing some other comparison if you need to. Cady, who is very progressive, would have realized the implications of that 'joke' and not said it. It was very out of character.

My Star rating is for everything up to that point in the book.

As for the cover and synopsis I expected more of a cozy, rom-com, book loving vibe, but unfortunately the book didn't provide what I was expect (more of a me not the authors). Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely parts that I enjoyed, but the book as a whole wasn’t able to keep me hooked.

This is the first I have read of Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin but it will definitely not be my last. I enjoyed the writing and the character development so I will be trying out the next book when it comes out.

I want to thank NetGalley, Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin and Oliver Heber Books for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

** spoiler alert ** Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to receive a copy of this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*This review contains some (sort of) spoilers.

I wish I could say a ton of great things about this book, but the truth is, my favorite part is the title. I thought it would be a great bookshop romance, but in reality, the bookshop barely exists in the second part of the novel. I also love a good Poe reference, but for the most part, that reference is in the title alone.

The main character Cady comes off as whiny and weak, while "Fox" comes across as creepy and obsessive. Like literally watching her in her window, creepy. Cady is also the quirky, not like the other girls, girl. The author does do a decent job of portraying PTSD in Fox and Cady's Ankylosing spondylitis. The language is nuanced and has so many clichés that I could barely pay attention to the content. One line was even about Fox turning away from the fire so he could prevent a "weenie roast"...sigh. There were countless others that made me stop and say "huh?"

It read as the writer trying to hard. I felt like the base plot could have been SO good, but just wasn't executed the way it should have been. I haven't read any of the author's other writings, but I've seen where this is not her usual genre. She did set it up nicely for a follow up romance with her friend Gemma and ex boyfriend so I assume she will continue the series. I love small town romances, but this one just didn't do it for me.

When I looked at the cover I thought this book was going to be a cute 3 stuff fluffy comfort story. Then I read the summary, and I don't know why I was under the impression that this book was going to be a paranormal story? I honestly thought this was going to be a Halloween themed book. And I was wrong on all fronts. The story follows Cady who has inherited a bookstore after the passing of a family member. Since inheriting the store, she's been taking weekly book orders on the phone from a man named Fox. What started off as purchases great for business, ended up being conversations that are the highlight of her week. When someone breaks into the store while she's on the phone with Fox, Fox has no choice but to go see for himself that she's okay. Which turns into something more.
This book was not at all for me. The characters were stiff, and I just felt like the story didn't flow in a way that felt natural. While this book had the redeeming qualities of talking about military PTSD, and physical debilitating illnesses, it still couldn't fix the story. I was not a fan of this at all 2 stars.

I very much enjoyed this bookish romance. There were a few times where the swears and insults felt a bit overdone and took me out of the story, but I thoroughly enjoyed the character development and plot.

This was a super cute fun read definitely something I would recommend and was a nice fun book thanks for approving me netgalley

Oh this book was swoony. The beginning was a bit confusing for me, but I was sucked right into the storyline and devoured this in just a few hours!

I didn't find any of the characters to be very like-able, which made it difficult to get very invested in the story. I liked the plot and enjoyed the book more as the story progressed, but it just fell a little flat for me.