This story was a bit different then what I expected going into it. It caught me off guard as the synopsis and title lead you to expect that it’s a silly romcom, but it’s definitely got some deeper elements to it. Once I routed my brain from light and fluffy to heavy and fluffy I was on board. I loved the main character Cady and the author’s portrayal of her. It’s very easy to have the silly and lighthearted FMC be “overly” these traits which turns into an annoying character. Cady was very likable and charming who wore her heart on her sleeve. Also, amazingly, she owns and works at a bookstore.

She’s talking to a man, Faux, who she’s never met who calls once a week to place a book order. An unfortunate accident brings him to town so he can keep an eye on Cady. His chapters were very quirky, and his internal monologue almost didn’t match his bruting exterior but it somehow worked. It def caused me to giggle and swoon a bit. He’s lost himself, and battling his own inner demons. There were some chapters where you could go down the path of stalkerish with him… but he means well?

What I really enjoyed is that the authors did a great job of creating witty dialogue and flirtations with the characters:
"I should probably ask because… Well, people will ask me if I checked… But you’re not a serial killer, right?”
He shrugged. “More of an oatmeal guy.”

I loved the town vibes as well, and her friends she interacted with. They didn’t overshadow the story with their roles or get lost/muddled in the plot, they just added extra flare and humor to our MC life.

Read if you like:
Dual POV
Open door romance
Small town vibes
Plus size rep/body positive
Sunshine/Grump trope

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my review.

This story was middle of the road for me. The premise was stronger than what I read. Still a good read.

This book. My god, this book. Obsessed is an understatement. I think I highlighted about 75% of the book because the quotes just hit something so deep within me. The story is cute and fun with sexy thrown into the mix. The bookclub reminds me of my own, so much so I sent the mantra to my club saying we should adopt it! The town sounds like the type from a movie that you wish you grew up in. The bookstore is the kind you dream about owning. Her relationship with Fox/Bob are the type of relationships I’m so envious of because they start out as great friends first and foremost that lead to the type of bond that can’t be easily broken. The characters are so well written that even the ones you know you aren’t suppose to like, you still can’t wait to see them pop up on the page. This book was the perfect combination of great characters, great story, great writing and great world building.

The only thing that threw me was wording in the very beginning surrounding Fox that lead me to believe it would be a supernatural story. I’m not mad it wasn’t, but the weird phrasing did throw the story for a loop a couple of times. Not sure if that was intentional.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc of this book. I gave it 2.5/5 stars.

First of all, I think the cover doesn't really match the contents and the vibes of this book, i thought it would be a cozy and funny romance with some mistery and it did have some of this characteristics but just not delivered in the right way.

The first chapter seemed nice and interesting but as soon as i read the second one, Fox's POV, it seemed like a completely different story and it was also written in a very confusing way. His backstory was not at all what I was expecting.
At first it seemed like he was on the run because somebody was looking for him or something like that, while in the end there was no reason for that much secrecy with his name and his complete isolation.. why living in the mountains like that? And why were Cady and the bookstore his only contact with the world?
I felt like his story was initially written like a mistery, with something that was supposed to be extremely dangerous and complicated and then it was nothing like that, the ending seemed too simple.

Cady's story with the bookstore and the building was a bit more interesting, although predictable, but her character was at the same time too naïve and too old for her age.

The things I appreciated were some of the interactions between the main characters, but most of all the scenes with the side characters, like Myrtle, Vee and Gemma, those were really funny.
And i also liked the way they talked about chronic illnesses like ankylosing spondylitis and about ptsd.

NEVERMORE BOOKSTORE - Kerrigan Byrne

#1 in the Townsend Harbor romance series

GREAT CHARACTERS! - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - This is what drew me to this book originally. Cady, a small bookshop owner, has only talked to her best customer over the phone. But she wants to meet him because of his sexy voice and their flirtatious conversations. But "Fox" is hiding plenty of secrets.

Writing - 3 stars - These authors seem like they're trying way too hard to be entertaining and funny. I've read Kerrigan Byrne before, and I found her stories to be well-written and enjoyable. But, of course, these previous books don't stress humor, and that's where this book falters for me. There are plenty of jokes, but they feel forced and overdone. I often find this in first-in-series books and, if I persevere, then the series usually gets better.

Characters - 4.5 stars - This is where the story shone for me. I particularly like these characters, partly because they're not your usual ordinary romantic hero and heroine. But they are attractive and caught my attention (and wouldn't let go). Cady is a self-deprecating bookstore owner with a chronic painful disease. So she keeps to herself quite a bit. But she is clever and thoughtful and perceptive. Fox is also a loner, incredibly attracted to Cady but not feeling as though he's good enough for her. He's dedicated to her safety, and his attraction is overcoming his ability to stay aloof.

Title - 3.5 stars - Pretty self-explanatory. I had a sense that the name of the bookstore had something to do with the paranormal, but then I realized that the taxidermy raven was important to the story (and the name).

Cover - 4 stars - The jewel-toned purple color definitely catches the eye.

Overall - 4 stars - I stuck with this book, wading through the overdone jokes and cleverness, and it gradually grew on me. Either the authors settled down a bit, or I got used to it, but I found the book to be much more readable in the second half. There is quite a bit of drama, which culminates in a drama-packed "trial" with the townspeople involved. And I found the love scenes with Cady and Fox to be exciting, but a bit different from the usual romantic genre. All in all, this series promises to be a bit different, capturing the reader's attention with good characters and not-your-typical main characters.

This was a cute, light-hearted mystery/romance. I enjoyed the quirky characters and getting to know the town. It was a fast read, the story moved at a quick pace, and the characters were more than just flat tropes. They had different disabilities and ailments they lived with that added some interest to the story as well. Overall, I would recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Nevermore Bookstore has an intriguing storyline and concept, and I did like the storyline, and most of the characters, and the settings. Overall, unfortunately was distracted from the story by the overly descriptive storytelling and the overly intense vocabulary. The book would have benefited from being a bit less intense, be a bit more lighthearted and some new editing.

release date: 03.28.2023

***Thank you to NetGalley, Xpresso Book Tours, Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin for the copy***

Synopsis: Cady has inherited her aunt’s bookshop after her sudden passing but hasn’t fully accepted the fact that she’s gone and started the grieving process. Instead, she waits for her Thursday night book order from Fox, a faceless man she’s spent quite a bit of time thinking about. As her calls begin taking on new life, Cady starts to fall harder. Cady imagines a fancy rich man with a huge library- while in reality Fox is the opposite- ex military, dealing with CPTSD and essentially being a survivalist in the woods - but he can’t get enough of her either. The break in happens while they’re on the phone. Fox does what any sane man would do- walk miles in the woods to her rescue … but from afar. Cady is also seeing the small town sherriff, Ethan, but realizes that’s not going anywhere due to her feelings for Fox. Once in town, Fox can’t stay away and Cady sees him, really sees him, but he refuses to talk, to spill his truths, so she calls him Bob and has him help in small tasks around the property. Fox and Cady continue their phone dance … and well eventually Bob/Fox get caught up. It’s not until the end when Fox’s secrets - and real identity- come out.

Review: holy. fucking. shit. This story was I N C R E D I B L E. I LOVE me a morally gray mmc and fox/fawkes did not disappoint. Cady is also a very relatable fmc with her own issues including grief and chronic pain. The story had me hooked from the first few pages. The banter. The verbiage used it was all so perfect. One of my favorite lines, around 13% “Which should have been fine…but also made him want to lick a skunk’s ass to get rid of the flavor”- i. was. dying. The little mystery surrounding the break in also kept me on my toes for a but trying to figure out who and why. The spice was also *chef’s kiss*. I want to talk about this book until my lungs give out.

Not my cup of tea. I could not get into this book and I would up DNF-ing around 26%.
i can't give much feedback because I don't remember a lot of it. The writing and story just didn't do it for me.

I did not finish this book. The writing was amazing, but i just did not feel like i connected with the characters at all. Might give it a try again later, but for right now im gonna put it down

Cady is the owner of the Nevermore Bookstore, in the middle of a small cozy town in the Pacific Northwest. Every Thursday night, Cady receives a phone call from a mysterious and intriguing man named Fox. During these phone calls, Fox requests to purchase special edition books which leaves Cady more and more impressed, so impressed that she actually starts developing feelings for this mystery man. But there's a couple problems that Cady must solve if this crush is going to led anywhere. First, she has to deal with the fact that she is technically dating someone- and not just anyone, she's dating the town cop and second, she needs to figure out if Fox feels the same way about her.

Based on the title and the description of this book, I expected a cozy bookstore Rom-Com with a bit of a spooky mystery vibe added in. The story was so far away from my expectations and I did not end up enjoying it too much. The way that Fox was portrayed gave me MAJOR pervert energy, it did not come off as protective and/or romantic to me in the slightest. The way that Cady 'fought' for Fox also felt very cringe to me rather than 'girl in charge' which I assume was the goal. If I were Cady, I would have let Fox go back to his cave and hope he never came back. The 'mystery' aspect to the story also fell very flat to me. I really wanted to like this book but overall, it just wasn't for me.

I feel pretty torn about my rating for this one. I really liked the characters and the overall storyline. It had some fun elements I hadn’t seen before and was a unique story.

That being said I found it difficult to read at times because if all the hyperbole. I had to reread sections several times because it didn’t make sense with all the extra descriptive words.

I’ll defiantly give the authors another shot.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

I adored the overall storyline and the characters. That said I was a bit too R-rated but you can easily skip over those sections if you feel the same. Overall a great read.

This one wasn’t for me. I’m not the target audience for some of the sexual innuendos, cursing, and certain phrases but I can see how others could enjoy it but unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it.

*I received a Copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review*

From first glance I thought this book was going to be a sweet cozy Rom Com, This book keep great pace for me, the smack talk between Cady and Fox is just amazing, I Laughed a lot, and the spice was just the right amount for a book like this. I enjoyed the Mystery that came with getting to know Fox. I would highly recommend this book.

Nevermore Bookstore is an engaging novel that kept me mostly hooked from beginning to end. The well-developed characters and plot kept me engaged until the very end. If you're looking for a captivating novel, with a touch of romance, I highly recommend Nevermore Bookstore! I will be giving it 4 stars.

First, I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Now, getting into the review.

The cover drew me in, but the book doesn't seem to reflect its cover. I was expecting like a gothic romance or maybe a paranormal romance, but that is not what it is.
Fox just... wasn't a great MC. For the first bit I was trying to figure out what he was because he kept talking about the monster or the beast inside him, so I thought he must be some kind of shifter. Nope, just a man who has been through some major trauma.
Cady was a cute character overall and I like how it's implied she was plus size. But the constant making up words, how easily she forgives people who have done her wrong, etc. makes her seem like a weak person and like the author was trying too hard to make her quirky.

My least favorite thing about the book, though, is how choppy the sentence structure is. It looks like it never went to an editor.

3/5 star. Overall, it was a let down.

Big thanks to the authors for this ARC! This review is being given honestly and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my first time reading a contemporary by Kerrigan Byrne and my first title from Cynthia St. Aubin. This is a small town, opposites attract romance featuring Cadence, a small-town bookstore owner and Fox, a mysterious patron who only orders over the phone.

For a few months (following the passing of her Aunt) Cady has been infatuated with a repeat customer she only knows by Fox who not only sounds sexy but has been helping her through her grief. Over time she has developed feelings for him, but as he always avoids meeting in person Cady decides to keep her options open. Until, a break-in Fox hears over the phone shifts their dynamics.

I thought this was a fun and semi-lighthearted read. I definitely had fun reading about the town and these characters (literally all of Cady’s friends are hilarious and absolute gems). I will say this book has You’ve Got Mail vibes, which I am not a big fan of due to the deception aspect. After the break-in, a mysterious grifter arrives in town and seems to attach himself to Cady who welcomes him to their community with open arms. Over time Cady begins to open up to this man in a way she has only ever done with Fox.

Fox is a former military man who is living with very intense PTSD which has caused him to become a total recluse who lives out in the woods voluntarily due to some of his triggers. The only sunlight in his life happens to come in the form of a small-town bookstore owner named Cady. Once he hears a break-in at her store he can no longer keep himself away and begins lying to her about who he is in order to keep an eye on her and figure out who may be targeting her.

This book was definitely a bit complicated and I wasn’t a big fan of the lying but felt the hero did not cross the big sex line while lying to the heroine which (even tho bare minimum) was a plus for me. I liked how the authors added the subplot concerning the break-in because at the end when everything was revealed I was like OMGGG because I kind of wasn’t expecting who it was but looking back it made a lot of sense. Overall, I enjoyed this book for the vibes and the romance (it was also a lil spicy) and feel that most of my audience wold thoroughly enjoy this book.

Only real negatives were the You’ve Got Mail vibes and deception and the fact he was former military, not because he has PTSD or how his triggers complicated the romance, I am just not a huge fan of military/police heroes and they make me feel weird.

I requested this because I really enjoy Kerrigan Byrne's previous books, so I went into this with that expectation. This, unfortunately, was not for me. I had a hard time swallowing the plot and liking the characters. Sometimes it happens that I don't jive with a book from an author I normally like, and I'm hoping that's what this is.

This was really confusing at first, and I feel as though the reason for the MMC seclusion was valid, it felt very extreme. I am not sure why he was stalking the FMC so much also. I loved the town drama at the end and wished I got more of it throughout. I loved the main characters’ relationship. Overall I did enjoy this read!