Big thanks to the publisher for the ARC of this book via NetGalley. This review is being given honestly and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Amy Lea is a great author and I have really liked her Influencer series (which I recommend you pick up) and I appreciate how much each book can stand on its own in terms of romance and issues the MCs deal with.

The Catch was kinda a bittersweet goodbye to these characters who have mad eme laugh and cry but I think it’s my favorite in the series so far. The Catch follows Mel a life-style influencer and Evan a small-town fisherman who need to fake a relationship to help mend Evan’s familial relationships. Though this was a classic fake-relationship romance I loved how Lea made it emotionally fulfilling for Mel due to the MCs background. I also loved how there was a continued focus on the friendship between Mel, Chrystal, and Tara and I could really relate to Melanie in terms of keeping people at arms length and being scared to get hurt whether its through friendships or romantic relationships.

I also loved Evan!!! Lea wrote a really great character who made mistakes (making assumptions about Mel) but also apologized for them and his apologies were so genuine. I’ve read some romances where the MMC will say some very foul shit to the FMC and when they apologize it just doesn’t feel genuine because of how foul their words/actions were or how fast the apology and acceptance came. Thankfully, Evan did not say foul or everlasting words and he owned up to his wrongdoings throughout the book.

I am a true life-long hater of third act breakups and I will never apologize for that because I do think it’s an abused and overused plot tactic but I can respect what Lea did with her third act break up. Though I hated the third act break up I liked how it was resolved and how quickly as well, I thought we were going to get a huge time pass before one or the other reached out but both characters quickly realized that what they felt was real and they couldn’t let it be a ‘what-if’.

Overall, I really liked this book, probably my fave in the series, and I can’t wait to see what Lea comes out with next!

This was such a cute romcom and a wonderful end to the series. The hero in this one is swoonworthy –a grumpy, burly fisherman. I like my grumpy/sunshine romances!

The charming Nova Scotia fishing village setting and the theme of found family made this an enjoyable read.

Amy Lea writes the best steamy scenes and this book didn’t disappoint!

This is such a cute romcom book! I really enjoyed it and it’s perfect for a Valentines Day read! The Catch was everything I loved about the Fake Dating trope and a good opposites attract. On top of that we got a great set of side characters with depth and humor! Loved this one!

This is a cute enemies to lovers, opposites attract, grumpy sunshine and fake dating romance. It’s well written and entertaining.

Melanie is a Boston influencer whose income is declining and she’s not sure why. When a Canadian luxury resort offers her a paid vacation, she’s excited and decides to go. When she arrives, she finds out she’s not booked until the next week, so she needs a place to stay in the meantime. She finds an open B&B, but when she gets there she sees the buildings are in bad shape and they look closed.

Evan is part-owner of the inn and decides he doesn’t like Melanie at all, she’s too fancy and is frightened of spiders, and he thinks being an influencer is silly.

They end up having a boating accident where Evan saves Melanie’s life. He’s in a coma, and at the hospital Melanie says she’s his fiancee so she can stay with him. When his family arrives, it turns out that two sides of the family are fighting over whether to keep or sell the inn. The fake engagement is a welcome distraction, so they agree to keep it going in exchange for Evan’s help expanding way Melanie’s social engagement by taking her hiking etc.

As they spend time together, they find out that they’re both much deeper than meets the eye and they start having real feelings towards each other. I really enjoyed heartwarming this book, 4 stars.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

The Catch is the third book of The Influencer series of interconnected standalones. The Catch reminded me a lot of It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey but add in a little “While You Were Sleeping” vibes. And since these are two of my favorites, I was bound to love this book! This was such a fun read and I can’t wait to go back and read the other books in this series. I loved both grumpy Evan and sassy Mel. I laughed out loud so many times because of their banter. I enjoyed the side characters and the family connections they had. Overall, this was a wonderfully written romcom that will definitely be added to my reread list!

“‘It’s only been a couple months, though. Maybe it’s too soon.’ ‘Nah, man. When you know, you fucking know.’”

4.5 stars! What do you get when you take a social media influencer, pluck her out of Boston, and deposit her in Canada at a run down inn with a prickly yet hot mountain of a man? Laugh out loud funny banter and a whole lot of fun!

This is book 3 in The Influencer series but works just fine as a stand alone seeing as I haven’t read either of the other books in the series and I loved this one!! I don’t feel like I missed a thing and I definitely want to read the other two now.

The audiobook sucked me right in and the narrator really nailed the humor in the story. Melanie has to be one of my favorite characters of late. She’s spicy and funny with a sweet soul and a big heart. And Evan? Swoon. I got some serious The Proposal vibes, which is one of my favorite movies. So if you enjoyed that you will LOVE this book!

Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and to Netaglley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for the ARC.

Prior to reading this book, I'd also read Lea's Exes and O's. Truth be told, this book let something to be desired. I found myself doubting the validity of the love story. I've never been to keen on instant love, but had the characters not been so surface level perhaps I could've rooted for them more. There just wasn't enough substance to the story for me.

This was such a cute enemies to lovers, fake dating set in a small town read. I loved the setting of this book how it was in a small fishing town and gah they have lobster fest. Truly the things of what dreams are made of.
I throughly loved Evan & Melanie's banter and their journey from enemies to lovers to fake dating and then of course something more.
This was by far my favorite of Amy Lea's books I have read thus far.

I have loved this author's prior 2 books in the series, especially Exes and O's so I was so excited for this one. It's a grump/sunshine, fake engagement trope which is right up my alley! And I did enjoy it - it was a light-hearted fun book to read right before Valentine's day and it had some steamy scenes which were placed at appropriate times in the book. However, some of it was a tad unbelievable.

Fashion influencer, Mel arrives a week early for an influence job at a fancy resort. When they can't accommodate her, she finds herself booking an air bnb an hour and half away in a small fishing village. When she arrives, the AirBNB host is downright mean to her. Evan, the owner, doesn't realize that his cousin accidentally left the listing up so his place that is in need for a much needed repair is booked. After a boating accident and Evan is rushed to the hospital, Mel lies and says she's his fiancé so she can stay with him.

I think the grump was a tad too grumpy and I felt like Mel didn't really do any of her influencing, which is her livelihood. Her brother was an added plot point that seemed a tad unbelievable as they wrapped it that up. But this was a fun, easy read and I did enjoy the romance/steamy scenes. I recommend to anyone wanting a quick read for Valentine's Day!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own. 3.5 rounded up.

🦞 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 🦞
𝖠𝗆𝗒 𝖫𝖾𝖺

This is book three in The Influencer series. There is some crossover character connections, with the female main characters being best friends, but I didn’t feel like they needed to be read in any particular order. This was grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, a little fake dating and so many other things that made for a super cute and spicy read! Releasing February 13th!

Boston fashion influencer Melanie Karlsen faces a career crisis and finds herself in a Canadian fishing village to salvage her brand. Enter Evan Whaler, a grumpy lobster fisherman and bed-and-breakfast owner. A twist of fate leads to Mel being mistaken as Evan's fiancée, and to mend family feuds, she agrees to a fake engagement in exchange for social media help. As they navigate the wilds of a rural village, Mel must decide if she's willing to trade her picture-perfect city life for a chance at genuine love in the unfiltered wilderness.

This is definitely a they both fall fast and hard situationship. The close proximity and chemistry can only lead to them getting close if more ways than one. There is also another layer with Evan’s family dynamics as they are all still processing the loss of a family member and feuding over the best plan of action for the bed and breakfast. Mel ends up being the breath of fresh air they all need!

Thank you to @berkleyromance and @netgalley for the free eARC of this book! I will definitely be getting all three to add to my physical collection.

Thank you so much to Berkley for the advance copy of this book!

"None of that even matters at the end of the day."
"How does it not matter?"
"Because I love everything about you. The real you."

This is the final installment of the influencer series. I really enjoyed the prior two books in this series so my excitement for Mel's book was high!

I did not look up the blurb for this so I'm not sure if going in completely blind was good or not. I will say, even though this is only my second book to have a fishermen in it, I must say I love fishermen and I will be needing to find another romance to have in my back pocket.

The beginning of this was a little rocky for me and just wasn't holding my attention until the fake engagement trope began after an accident left Evan in the hospital and being engaged was the only thing Mel could explain as to who she is. It really started picking up in the 2nd half of the book when the feelings all came out and the struggle to hide it from his family. Some of the antics in this book would not happen in real life but makes it fun for books.

His family was something else. Just like with any family there are complications but at the core they are always there for each other. It made me happy when they all banded together at the end and supported Evan.

I just love the way Amy writes and the chemistry she has between her FMC & MMC. And in this case with Evan being a grump and the tension building between him and Melanie. I love that he brought this other side out of her and she just kept cracking down his hard exterior. Even though they were so different, they seem to have complimented each other.

This wasn't my favorite of the 3 but I still enjoyed it enough to want to keep going with and I am very excited to see what Amy Lea does next!

If you love fake dating/engagement, fishermen, meddling family than check this out!

OH. MY. CUTENESS. 💌 An influencer’s next traveling destination is a wonderful resort in Canada. ✈️But when her plans take a drastic detour, Melanie is greeted by the grumpy fisherman in a small town & a run down b&b. 📍 I loved this book!! 🙌🏻 It was super cute & had some bubbly fun. Some parts were a little cringe, but great to read & is just so light! Halfway through, I ran to the library to grab Exes & O’s by Amy Lea since I loved her playful writing! 🤭 I can’t wait to read more of her books! Thank you @berkleyromance @berkleypub and @amylea for this digital ARC 🙌🏻 📚

Grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, fake dating and forced proximity all rolled into one!

Melanie is an influencer from Boston. She is scheduled to stay at and promote a luxury resort in Nova Scotia. However, she gets her dates mixed up and arrives a week early, and they are booked up.

Melanie locates a B&B and make a reservation. Upon arrival, it really isn't open. It's run by cousins, one of which is Evan, a grumpy fisherman who loathes her on first sight. However, his cousin takes pity on her and they allow her to stay.

The encounters with Mel and Evan were so funny, and when a strange series of events leads his family to think they are engaged, it gets even funnier.

It was fun to watch them fall in love.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

THE CATCH by Amy Lea is the third in the Influencer series. It can completely be read as a standalone RomCom.

I liked this one better than the first two! Evan and Melanie were such cute characters. And it totally helped that I was literally laughing out loud on my runs while listening to this- people had to literally think I was crazy!

Melanie comes unexpectedly to Evan’s small family resort in Nova Scotia from Boston, only there isn’t a reservation for her due to a booking snafu (haven’t we all experienced this in some way??).

The banter between Evan and Melanie while they carry out their forced proximity plan to be fake fiance to each other after an unfortunate fall from Evan’s boat.

I loved it, including whale watching- this is one of my favorite things to do.

The ending was just lovely and there’s minimal “miss communication”, which is a trope I despise.

If forced proximity, laugh out loud comedic moments, and found family are three things you gravitate towards, you will love this one! Watch out though, there is a dreaded 3rd act breakup.

this one was not my favorite - and maybe it was the relationship that bothered me the most. I’m usually all in on fake dating, but the circumstances and the “relationship” that came out of it just didn’t feel right to me. I do think melanie and evan, the couple in question, won’t make it long past the end of this book…

however, I did enjoy the canadian vibes, and I love a good small town setting. the family, on the other hand, was just too much for me - and perhaps I’m picturing my own family when I say this. if you have to lie to your own family in order to do what you love, and they’re not accepting of what you love in the first place, then they are not people who deserve to be a part of your life. and I think that is what bothered me the most when it came to evan - that he was so willing to craft a story with melanie just to save his relationship with people who only want to feud about his love of his B&B.

I do adore amy lea’s writing style, so I think the family issue just irked me a little too much to fully enjoy the rest of the story.

thank you to berkley and berkley romance for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!

rating: 2.5 stars
wine pairing: niagara on the lake cabernet franc

I highly recommend this for your Valentine’s romance reading list! (Also check out the others in this series if you haven’t already. You’re welcome!)

The third standalone in our author’s Influencer series, Melanie is arguably the biggest influencer, and the one I’ve been excited to read about for a while now!

And I would have never expected glamorous fashion influencer Melanie to leave Boston to have her book set in rural Canada, in a fishing village, where she fulfills the fake fiancé trope with outdoorsy Evan, who owns a B & B there.

It’s too funny. Rustic wasn’t a word I thought Melanie had in her vocabulary! But she has immediate chemistry with Evan, a mountain of a grumpy man with a deep, rumbling voice.

They’re fun because they want to gravitate toward each other, but are cautious, especially Mel. She’s scared, and that does nothing to stop her love for Evan and his sweet family.

I also loved the setting, and am not sure if I’ve ever read a book in Nova Scotia before. It was beautifully described here. I want to visit now!

If you want a sweet, funny, atmospheric and thoughtful romance where all of the characters are utterly loveable and the ending will leave you grinning, this has got to be on your list!

I mean, who doesn’t love a boating accident sparks fake fiance sparks love story?! I adored this.

absolutely adored this rom-com set in Nova Scotia. This is the story of Mel, a social media influencer, who has to stay in a run down b&b when her resort has a mix up in dates. There she meets Evan, a grumpy fisherman and a fake dating scheme begins. I loved Evan's quirky family and the opposites attract vibe!

Thanks to Berkeley and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy for my opinion.

I had no idea this was the third book in a series until I read the Author's Note, so it can totally be read as a standalone. This was a fun enemies to lovers/fake relationship plot with a grumpy, yet bighearted guy and a girl looking for home. There were a lot of moments that had me cracking up, especially with Evan's family. The pacing was great, and the emotional scenes were just right. Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for access to this arc.

I was going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars, but I did really enjoy how Evan and Mel's relationship developed despite how familiar the plot is.

Content wise, the story is nothing new. It's a very overdone story of a fisherman from a small town falling in love with a city girl who seems shallow and high maintenance. Honestly, their relationship was rather quick and I would have preferred if the span of it all was for more than two weeks but outside of that, the author did a good job naturally developing their feelings for each other. Evan and Mel were definitely very cute together and it was obvious when their perspective of each other started to shift. There was a good balance of them sharing more about their struggles and I liked that they actually communicated pretty well with each other. Mel's relationship with Evan's family was also really cute and endearing. Though their worlds are very different, they're both so stubborn and headstrong and it made it a fun relationship. Overall, though the story was familiar and their relationship was very fast, I think the characters were written well and the banter was entertaining. There were some things that felt a bit unnecessary to me though, like Ian.

This was 4 star but the third act break up made me eyeroll and bump it down! Full review to come, but man I was enjoying this series and very much anticipating this one and I am done with it and just slightly disappointed.