Great book overall... Drama, hot steamy scenes and somewhat forbidden romance... Loved it!! Opposites attracting for sure. A woman who is used to just always being on the go and a man who takes over guardianship over his little sister and a little uptight

This is a good book. The two main characters are Sloane and Gavin. Sloane is a romance author. Gavin is in management of a restaurant. They meet at the restaurant there is an instant attraction. Gavin needs a babysitter for his sister. Sloane takes the job. They start dating. They each have issues but together they work them out to fall in love.

Renowned author Sloane Russo, in pursuit of her next compelling story, unexpectedly finds herself in the Pine Mountain community due to certain circumstances. Encountering the outspoken and somewhat grumpy Gavin Carmichael, who needs a babysitter/tutor for a thirteen-year-old, Sloane decides to leverage his business proposal for her own benefit. The situation takes a turn for the worse with a major misunderstanding, poor communication, assumptions gone awry, and a rash decision, leading to heartbreak. Can the parties involved pause long enough to mend the fractured bonds?

This touching contemporary romance unfolds in a small town setting, rich with desire, well-developed characters, and a captivating storyline. The well-written narrative captivated me from start to finish; I devoured it in a single afternoon. The protagonists, with their smoldering connection and intense chemistry, are likable and relatable. Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster—I found myself shedding tears throughout the book, though I must admit I'm prone to tearing up during Hallmark commercials. If you share a similar tendency, stock up on Kleenex before diving into this heartfelt read!

Loved Gavin and Sloans story, when a flighty author and a handsome restaurateur meet up, when he’s in need of a sitter, love abounds, or does it

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Stirring up Trouble is a fun romance that brings the heat and the feels.
Gavin and Sloane couldn't be more different in how they live their everyday lives, and yet they fit together perfectly. Sloane is a fly by the seat kind of girl and Gavin is strict and regimented, especially when it comes to caring for his teen sister Bree. The relationship between Sloane and Gavin is full of the requisite heat, but there's a lot of love and heart wrapped up in not just their relationship, but also with Sloane and Bree and Gavin and Bree.
This was not my first Kimberly Kincaid book but it reminded me of why I come back to this author time and time again.

Sloane, a passionate romance writer grappling with the dreaded writer's block, is on the brink of departing Pine Mountain in search of her next grand adventure. But before she can embark on that journey, there's a pressing need for some extra cash. Enter Gavin, a remarkably earnest individual who's taken on the responsibility of raising his younger sister, anchoring him firmly in Pine Mountain's embrace. While Sloane and Gavin share mutual friends, their paths have never truly crossed until fate intervened.
In an unexpected turn of events, Gavin finds himself in need of a short-term babysitter for his sister, and he makes the unconventional decision to enlist Sloane's help. Will this unexpected arrangement ignite a spark between them, or will Sloane ultimately heed the call of her wanderlust?

Sloane, with her untamed spirit and fierce independence, deeply loves her family, even though she often feels misunderstood by them. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at times, wondering how she found herself financially challenged, given her success as an author and her history of self-funding her adventures. Nevertheless, it was gratifying to witness Sloane's transformation and growth throughout the narrative. Her evolution felt authentic and enduring, a testament to the natural progression of her character.

Gavin, on the other hand, exudes an unyielding seriousness. While his mourning for his mother and the scars left by a former fiancé provide some context, his relentless solemnity occasionally left me pondering how he could have been a more carefree and spirited individual in the past. Yet, I must commend the author for masterfully delving into Gavin's character, shedding light on the reasons behind his transformation. His relationship with his sister was a well-crafted and believable aspect of his character development.

It's worth noting that you can enjoy this book as a standalone, even if you haven't delved into the rest of the series. I eagerly anticipate exploring more of this author's work in the future.

Kimberly Kincaid is one of my go to authors and she did not disappoint with this one! This was a solid entertaining read. The characters were charming and relatable enough. Plus, the plot had me hooked too. All in all, a full 5 stars read for me

Stirring Up Trouble is the story of Sloane and Gavin. Sloane is a romance writer with a serious case of writers block. Her editor wants her to go to Greece and write another novel like her previous one. Unfortunately Sloane is a little short on cash. Gavin has recently moved to Pine Mountain he works as a restaurant manager. His mother has recently passed away, leaving him with custody of his pre teen sister. Gavin is stressed and trying to do his best for his sister. Unfortunately Bree is not making it easy for him. When Bree's babysitter is called away on a family emergency, Gavin is in desperate need of a new babysitter. Luckily when he gets to work Sloane is at the restaurant talking to her best friend. also the chef of the restaurant. When Gavin offers to pay Sloane to babysit, it sounds like the answer to her problems. Sloane can earn some money and then head to Greece.
I really enjoyed Sloane and Gavins story, they both are such different people yet so good for each other. Stirring Up Trouble has the small town romance , opposites attract , hot single dad tropes.
Lots of heat between our heroine and hero. As well as some really touching moments with Bree.
I felt connected to both of them and was cheering them on to their happy ever after.
Highly recommend for fans of contemporary romance.

Gavin is a restaurant manager in Pine Mountain, but more importantly, he’s trying to raise his teenage sister. When their mother died, he had no choice but to move his sister Bree to live with him and take her away from her friends and school. He hired an elderly woman to help him, but when she has a family emergency, she leaves him in a lurch.

Sloan is best friends with the chef at the restaurant he manages. Now Sloan is a free spirit and an accomplished romance author. She travels to far off places to get her muse going. Her publisher keeps reminding her the deadline for her book is due soon. However, Sloan has writers block. She turns in a story about small town romance, but her publisher rejects it, and tells her she needs to get to Greece to start writing. Right now she doesn’t have the funds to get that done. When the opportunity rises to watch Bree for six weeks, and Gavin is paying very welll. What she didn’t expect was really like Bree and Gavin.

A wonderful read.

In this story we have a grump, impulsiveness, and a surly teenager who is mourning her mother and we have a book that you cannot put down. Gavin is looking for a babysitter for his thirteen year old sister and the normal one is on leave after a family emergency, can Sloane fill the role? Based on Gavin's first impression, no, but she is more than qualified. I mean as a woman she's been that thirteen year old girl once too. Bree needs someone she can relate to and help her face the uncertainties about being a teenage girl. Gavin, may be the older brother, but he isn't sure how to relate to Bree and they need that female influence in their relationship to help things alone.

Sloane is trying to keep her writing career on track and has agreed to do a book based in Greece, she just needs the money to get there. She has never felt like she belongs anywhere and is not a good daughter failing at everything. She has a hard time settling on something, but now Gavin helps her to realize that she is more than enough and she is great the way that she is.

I really liked getting to know these characters and watch them all grow together as a unit. All of these characters are realistic and face problems that we do everyday in some way and I felt like I could relate. I really enjoyed these characters and I can't wait to see what is next for this series.

Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review

This was my first book by Kincaid and I liked the single caregiver of kid sister trope. I also liked the forced proximity. This was a fast read that was pretty hot and heavy.

This is a reminder that life can be hard and messy. True love eases the mess, and happily ever after is always a bright light. Thank you for the opportunity to read this updated version of a fabulous book.

Sloane is a romance author that is struggling with writer's block. She plans to leave Pine Mountain soon for her next big adventure but first she needs some money. Gavin is a very serious man. He is responsible for raising his younger sister, so he has settled in Pine Mountain. Sloane and Gavin know each other through mutual friends but they have never spent any time together. When Gavin discovers he needs a short-term babysitter for his sister, he decides to hire Sloane. Will they finally realize there's a spark between them? Will Sloane leave to go on her next adventure?

Sloane is wild and independent. She loves her family, but she feels like they don't understand her at all. I had some issues with Sloane because I never understood how she was completely out of money when she is a successful author and she had managed to fund her travels in the past. Why is she suddenly unable to figure it out? I did enjoy how Sloane grew and changed throughout the story. Her growth made sense and I think they are changes that would last because they felt natural.

Gavin is so serious. I understand he is mourning his mother, and he was hurt by his former fiancé, but I felt like his serious attitude didn't always make sense. It seems like he used to be more carefree and open to fun. I think the author did a really good job developing Gavin and showing how and why he changed. I thought the relationship between Gavin and his sister made total sense.

There are good side characters that help to push the story along. I would have liked to have more information about Pine Mountain, but the story wasn't really long enough to add location descriptions. Gavin and Sloane both make assumptions about each other that felt very real, and the resolution of each was good.

This is a contemporary romance set in Pine Mountain and a little bit in New York. The characters are both adults with demanding careers. I have not read other books in this series so I can say that this can be read as a stand-alone. I will read more from this author in the future.

This was a great romantic story. Sloan needs a job .She is a romance writer who is suffering from writers block. After their mom passes away, Gavin needs help with his younger sister Bree. It is not only a romance but a story of family. It was well written and had heart tugging scenes and sexy scenes. I was given an arc but this is my honest review. I would recommend this book.

Can a publisher demand that an author travel to Greece for a book’s research and self-pay? Out of the entire book, this was the burning question on my mind. That would suck. It seems rather unreasonable.

The rest of the story is Hallmarkian. Handsome guy, beautiful romance author in Pine Mountain, I mean really…this couldn’t have fit the Hallmark formula much closer. It was fluffy and fun, no real tugs on the heartstrings, but enjoyable. I give it four stars for being a good story and a good way to spend a few hours of reading time.

This was kind of reread for me. I had read the original version, I enjoyed that one, but this one is better. It’s been updated and spiced up. A great single dad, grumpy/sunshine story. Also an opposites attract. The nice change is it’s an older child that isn’t perfectly behaved. A lesson learned is sometimes you don’t know what want or need until you’re not left many choices. Family can look a lot of different ways.

This took me a long time to read and in between, I read other books. That translates to this book couldn't hold my attention. Finishing it was a "get it done" task.

Nothing groundbreaking in this read, it essentially follows a lot of single guardian - nanny like stories. Even the sex scenes which tried to be hot read kind of meh.

Sloane came from an Italian family that had specific ideas on what a daughter should be and act. Poor Sloane never fit that mold, but was unique and happy about it. Sloane loved to write books and go to exotic places to write the book. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to have writer’s block, your agent asking you to write a romance in Greece, and not having any money to buy a ticket. Luckily Sloane was living in Pine Mountain where her best friend was a chef, and her best friend’s manager Gavin needed someone to watch his thirteen year old sister as his babysitter had to leave to help her sister. Funny how you can get something in your head that you think you can’t be good enough to watch any child, especially a thirteen year old who has lost her mother to cancer. Since Sloane needed money she agreed to watch Bree. I loved how Sloane was able to help Bree with baby steps. And to watch Gavin and Sloane start to have feelings for each other made my heart happy. It was so heartwarming watching Sloane with Bree. I enjoyed the book and encourage you to read it. I was given a copy and voluntarily wrote a review.

I have liked any of Ms. Kincaid's books that I have read in the past, and this novel was no exception. I suspect I would enjoy it even more as an audiobook!

I admired the creativity she showed in coming up with this plot and these characters. I've read plenty of novels with writers and restaurant people and single parenthood in various permutations, but Ms. Kincaid uses these ideas in new ways: Gavin is a manager, Sloane is a writer with writer's block kinds of issues, and Bree is Gavin's young teen sister. Sloane is hired on as a temporary child minder for Bree (hard to call her a babysitter for a child that old!), and a certain amount of mayhem ensues, moderated by Sloane being perfect for the situation (having been a teen girl herself, and having a writer's command of English to bring to homework discussions).

I found the reality of this aspect of the story to be so appealing. Add to that the development of Sloane's relationship with Gavin, and the story just sparkled. It certainly wasn't a big surprise that they fell for each other, but I thought Ms. Kincaid made things very interesting and kept me guessing as to what might happen next - not predictable at all.

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Quick Summary: A flighty to forever romance

My Review: Stirring Up Trouble by Kimberly Kincaid is installment four in the Pine Mountain series.

About the Book: Sloane Russo is an accomplished author who is searching for her next great story. Due to certain circumstances, she now finds herself sequestered in the Pine Mountain community. When she meets an opinionated grump (Gavin Carmichael) who is in need of a babysitter/tutor for a thirteen year-old, she chooses to work his business proposal to her advantage. Everything is going extremely well...until it is not. A huge misunderstanding, poor communication, lots of wrong assumptions, and a hasty decision lead to heartbreak. Can all involved parties pause long enough to make things right?

My Final Say: This novel had a lot of threads to untangle. On the family front, both Sloane and Gavin each had unresolved tensions to deal with, regarding their loved ones. Because they themselves were total opposites, they, too, had to learn how to respectfully speak each others language in order to productively move forward. There were other existing emotional cords that were revealed, some were dealt with and others not so much. All in all, a semblance of an HEA came about.

Other: While this couple did have a connection of sorts, it seemed off balance at times. Before they went into their forever, I would think they would need premarital counseling to work on developing healthy habits. On another note, I think Bree would benefit from MH counseling, as well.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Series: Yes
Status: M
Level: 🌶

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (Kimberly Kincaid Romance), and to NetGalley for granting access to this work in exchange for an honest review. Your willingness to afford an opportunity to read this novel is appreciated.