Willa is up to her eyeballs in medical debt - she was the caretaker for her late husband, and while he has been gone for two years, the crushing debt remains. But Willa was taught that reaching out for help or asking for favors was rude and weak, so she tries to make money in her old career: ghost writing cookbooks. She's desperate, so she takes on a contract that no one else will touch - make a "sexy" cookbook for an influencer best known for his near-naked cooking videos. Unfortunately, Willa doesn't even remember what sexy is. Until she meets Hudson.

I enjoyed this audiobook. The story was unique in a lot of ways: there aren't a ton of romance books about ghostwriter, and it was nice to see protagonists that were in their 40s. It's a bit of a slow burn with a touch of spice when they finally get to their physical relationship. I enjoyed the lack of miscommunication trope and the lack of third act breakup. Willa and Hudson were refreshingly straightforward with one another (mostly due to Hudson's directness) The narrators had nice voices, I wouldn't mind listening to either of them again. I'm interested in reading Cathy Yardley's other novels now!

I love how the author has given us a bit of a later in life love story. Both characters have had a first marriage and lost their significant other due to divorce or death. One has kids, one is floundering and unsure where to go at this point. The story takes place in a small town with a fun cast of supporting characters.

Willa is reserved, still dealing with her husband’s death, she’s unsure how to move about in this new world and new reality. She married pretty young, against her parents’ wishes, and her life never became the steady, safe one they’d always wanted her to have. Now she’s kind of trying to move on, to start a new life on her own, with the luck of her great-aunt’s home in this small town. The first job opportunity that might actually help her get on her feet comes along, but it’s not an easy one. The antics with trying to come up with “sexy” recipes for this influencer’s cookbook is so much fun. Even as I could feel the stress Willa was dealing with to complete it.

Then there is Hudson. He’s the flirty divorcee, with two grown kids, because he also got married at a young age. He’s a few years younger than Willa, but also at a point in his life where he thinks he wants to be. But as he gets to know Willa, and learn about her life, he does start to wonder about a few of his own misses in his life. However he is a giver, he’s there to help out anyone, and so that has always come first, like raising his kids when his wife left them. His family is a blast. His daughter and his mom, and even his dad. All of them just want him to be happy, and of course are shocked when it seems he’s interested in this new woman on the island.

The romance progresses at a slow pace, both attracted, but Willa unsure and not wanting to accept help, and Hudson worried about scaring her away if he moves too fast. When Willa visits her family, it makes sense why she feels the way she does. But I love how she makes her decision on what to do next.

Another thing I loved about the story is that we don’t get that third act break up really. There is a bit of the disaster we need to move the story along of course, but the two of them are able to figure that out, and then we have other things to worry about messing up their relationship, or them figuring out what they are going to do and how they can move on.

Another sweet romance, with a little bit of spice from Cathy Yardley.

4.5⭐️

I love reading stories about more mature characters showing your life doesn’t end at 25!
I loved the setting of a PNW island and the feeling of community it brought. The characters clearly had chemistry from the first meeting, and poor Willa didn’t even know what it was. I loved Hudson’s kids, his family, and Willa’s found family. The ghost writing of a cookbook was so fascinating and I want to put it on a shelf with my other cookbooks. Willa and Hudson were so supportive of each other and I loved it.
🎧Elyse Dinh and Teddy Hamilton did a spectacular job at bringing Willa and Hudson to life! Listening to Elyse describe all the food in this story made me so hungry. They did such a wonderful job that I did not want to stop listening. I recommend this one and I definitely suggest the audiobook!

Thank you to Brilliance for the alc via Literary Media Tours.

4.5 stars rounded up

I've been loving Cathy Yardley's romances featuring more mature adults! Do Me a Favor follows two characters in their 40's who find love when they least expect it. Willa is trying to start over after the death of her husband, moving into the house on an island her aunt left to her, and working on ghost-writing a cookbook. Hudson is her new neighbor, a handyman who raised his now-adult children alone and hasn't had a real relationship in decades. When his son's dog gets lost in a storm and ends up at Willa's house, they meet when he picks the dog up. And so begins a lovely slow-burn romance between complicated adults finding who they are in this later stage of life. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed, but overall I really enjoyed this and would recommend it. The audio narrators do a great job with each of the characters. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This is my first book by this author and I can safely say it won’t be my last.

I’m really enjoying this audiobook and it has accompanied me throughout the week during trips in my car. 🚙💨 🎵

Everything about this read has been enjoyable to me so far - from hottie handyman Hudson, the Asian rep 🙌, Diabetes rep, his family’s dog Noodle, and the found family theme I’m finding within.

My review to come soon! I’ll drop a short description below 👇. Also, highly recommend this heartwarming book to all my rom-com peeps! 🐥

👩🏻‍🍳Do Me A Favor👩🏻‍🍳
🥄By Cathy Yardly
🎧Narrated by Elyse Dinh & Teddy Hamilton

4/5⭐️
2/5🌶️

🗓️Release Date July 23,2024

🥣This is my first Cathy Yardly book. It was a delightful read about two people in their 40’s who have always put their wants and needs aside to care for the people that they love.

🥣This is a slow burn reverse age gap rom com about a widowed cookbook writer who moves into her aunt's house after she passed away to get a fresh start with her life. She meets Hudson, the local handyman who happens to be her neighbour. Hudson and Willa have an interesting meet cute after his son’s dog escapes from their farm and finds his way to Willa’s garage in the middle of the night.

🎧Teddy Hamilton is one of my favorite narrators when it comes to audiobooks. He did a phenomenal job in bringing Hudson's voice to life. I will listen to anything he reads honestly. This was my first time listening to Elyse Dinh, and she brought a charming appeal to Willa.

🚨Thank you @literarymediatours @briallancepublishing, @netgalley @cathyyardly for this advanced listener copy of Do Me A Favor and having me on this tour.

QOTD- What's your go to comfort food?

#DoMeaFavor #literarymediatours #booktour #romcom #loveinyour40s
#contemporaryromance #alc #alclistener #newrelease #teddyhamilton
#elysedinh

Following a death of a relative, forty something widow, Willa, moves to an island in the Puget Sound in Washington she inherited. She’s had a rough couple years through taking a hiatus from her career as a cookbook ghostwriter to care for her diabetic husband until his death. She also still feels like a failure to her parents that never believed in her career path in the culinary arts field. Moving to the Pacific Northwest is an opportunity for her to start fresh two years after her husband’s death, but she never expected to find love in the hot next door single dad handyman, Hudson, and the rest of the Clark family, including their cute escape artist dog, Noodle, of course!

Wow! This book was SO refreshing. So original and raw and unlike any other romance I’ve read. Bonus points it was based in Washington State, near where I lived, and I’ve been to Whidbey Island before so it was super cool to be able to picture the actual location of the book.

I really enjoy Cathy’s writing style and it’s so easy breezy to read. There was also plenty of humor and some spice in this slow burn 🌶️ I always enjoy alternating POVs in my romance, but the dual audiobook narration by Elyse and Teddy was amazing and so entertaining I listened to the audiobook in only two days! *chefs kiss* 🤌🏼

It was my first time reading Cathy Yardley but she’s definitely an auto read author now!

Thank you so much to Cathy, Literary Media Tours, Brilliance Audio, and NetGalley for the advance audiobook.

**Updated Review**

When Willa finds herself to be the new owner of her great aunt’s home, she decides a move to the Pacifica Northwest is just the fresh start she needs. The emotional loss of both her husband and way of life have left battling for purpose. Hudson has spent his entire life in the same place. While he’s always putting everyone else first and ready to help wherever he’s needed, he dreams of something more. A chance meeting, with the help of a furry friend, has these opposites entangled whether they want it or not.

Do Me a Favor is an opposites-attract, contemporary romance. This stand-alone does contain some open door content but it is not particularly spicy or aggressively descriptive. This is a story of starting over with MCs who are over 40.

I don’t know if it’s necessarily considered a meet-cute but I love when the main characters’ first interaction involves an animal, especially an animal being an absolute menace. The push and pull between these characters is so good. Willa needs to learn how to let others help her and Hudson needs that push to do something for himself. They balance each other and that stability that grows between them makes for the most genuine connection.

Is diabetes a death sentence? No, not necessarily, but it can be if not managed properly, as seems to be the case here. I appreciate the thoughtful but realistic way in which the author portrays a condition that affects so many but isn't commonly written about in this way. It’s an important reminder that chronic illnesses can affect each person differently.

The audiobook is excellent! The narrators, Elyse Dinh and Teddy Hamilton did a fantastic job bringing the story to life. Elyse Dinh also narrated another of Cathy Yardley’s books, Role Playing, and I was glad to see her cast in this one as well. I’ve never heard a bad book narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Do Me a Favor is no exception.

I have read a lot of Cathy Yardley’s work and she continues to impress me with the depth of her writing in each book. Her MCs are complex but relatable. Even the side characters have layers that leave readers wanting to know even more about them. I’m grateful to have received an early copy of Do Me a Favor and I know I’ll be rereading it before the end of the year.

I voluntarily read, listened to, and reviewed advanced copies of this book and audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a delightful listen. Narrated by Elyse Dinh and Teddy Hamilton, it was a pleasure to hear their performances. I absolutely love Teddy Hamilton's voice. His narration is just one of my faves. I loved the small-town atmosphere and the sense of community with neighbors helping neighbors-especially Hudson. This heartwarming romcom had me laughing out loud in several scenes, and it's perfect for readers who enjoy protagonists in their 40s. I did fell like the ending wrapped up a little quickly, and I would have been happy to see the couple further down the road, but overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

“She felt something… very big, and weird, and alien.”

I discovered Do Me A Favor through its audiobook version. Although I don’t usually like too deep voices, I found that both actors were perfect for Willa and Hudson. I liked their performances, dynamic and fluid, and it was a great addition to the book (I only have a remark about the French character, whose accent was sometimes strange –for a French person).
This tender and sexy story was absolutely cute, and I honestly couldn’t stop listening to it, to discover the story of these 2 wounded characters: Willa the recently widowed cookbook (ghost)writer and Hudson the single dad who can repair anything. I love the fact that these characters are both in their forties, but have still thinks to discover about themselves, new challenges. I absolutely adore that authors finally give these characters a voice, which ends with beautiful (and different) stories. That doesn’t prevent (and is even the cause) of a lot of mutual pining, that helps building a great slow burn. All the characters (main and side) are super lovable, and together, they do each other the favor to renovate their lives.
Cooking is also a deep theme in the book. I loved the ghostwriter metaphor, and how it supports Willa’s journey, but food here is also a great love language –as much as quality time spent together. For once, it isn’t cliché, despite the fact that the author uses all these (which makes the book very funny).
In a word, I really loved the story, and I’ll look forward this author’s next book!

Thank you Cathy Yardley, Literary Media Tours and NetGalley for the ALC. My opinions are my own.

4.25 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to @brilliancepublishing @literarymediatours and @cathyyardley for this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions on this book are my own. I thought this book was so good! I love reading from mature MC’s (40+) perspectives. I could still get something out of the story because the characters were written in such a real way. While I identified more with the children of the MMC (they were closer to my age and we were experiencing similar things in the story). Watching these characters interact made the story so appealing. A food scientist/cookbook writer and a contractor/handy man meet and despite trying not to, a connection between Hudson and Willa is formed and it is so honest, real and just fabulous. Both narrators did a fabulous job. I have said it once and I’ll say it again, Teddy Hamilton could read the phone book and I would not get bored. They did a great job on this book and truly brought the characters to life.

Closed Door Modifications: 22,25,26.

#audiobooks #literarymediatours #netgalley #domeafavor #booktour #romcom

This one was really cute! I loved the characters and thought they were great! I also loved the side characters (opossum included) as well as the food and recipe talk! Everything sounded delicious!

(4.5 rounded up to a 5)

Do Me a Favor by Cathy Yardley is a charming contemporary romance featuring leads in their early 40s.

I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Elyse Dinh and Teddy Hamilton. I continue to love Hamilton's narration, and I also really enjoyed Dinh's though I believe this is the first book I've listened to from her. It will absolutely not be the last! They both have such great inflection for their characters.

This is my first read by the author, and it will absolutely not be my last! I really loved her character building and the chemistry between our two leads was really well written. Willa and Hudson were both cinnamon rolls for me and I was so excited to watch them come together. There's an adorable dog named Noodle!

The diversity here is also pretty great. Both of our leads are in their early 40s. Hudson is a divorced handyman with two adult children who live with him on their farm. He's particularly great at communicating with them and then also, with Willa. (Communication is so sexy!) Willa is a biracial (half-Vietnamese) cookbook ghostwriter and has been a widow for about two years.

If you're looking for a super charming contemporary romance that's low on the angst scale, please check this out!

Willa and Hudson are next door neighbors and from the first moment Willa moves in, the two feel an attraction. Can they both get their act together to make things work as a couple?

I adored that this romcom was based on mature (40+) characters. It is so refreshing to read about later in life romances as opposed to the usual 20 something storylines we are often given. Willa and Hudson were both such likable characters and it was easy to back them as they found their footing together. I listened to the audiobook narration of this book while reading along with my ebook and can highly recommend the audio version! If all her books are like this then I can't wait to read more by Cathy Yardley!

📚Do Me A Favor by Cathy Yardley
🎧ALC Review(Copy gifted by @brilliancepublishing, @literarymediatours & @cathyyardley)
🚨While reviewed copy is gifted, opinions are always my own.
Status: Available July 23rd, on KU

🥰Enjoyment: This is only my second Cathy Yardley title but I think its safe to say I’m a fan. I really enjoy her voice as a writer, and as an elder millennial I’m finding it nice to see some later in life romances, particularly when they’re approached with maturity and not toxic attitudes. This story just felt refreshing to listen to. The female narrator is not my favorite, but not so much so the I would say avoid, this was a perfectly enjoyable audiobook.

Read this if you like second act romances (is that a term and I just make it up). If you thrive on messy this might not be for you. Its a beautiful story of two adults starting over in life, and falling in love while they do so.

Cathy Yardley is a favorite author of mine, so it was a privilege to devour Do Me A Favor for an early read and Review.

I love that she writes mature and relatable characters and this kept true that!

Widow Willa in her 40'S moves from California to the Pacific northwest into a house inherited by her estranged great aunt. After a trail of jobs and no true career path from her past she lands back on being a ghost writer for a cookbook.

Hudson her neighbor in his early 40's is the island handy man and general contractor who is blue collar handsome (and owns it I might add) who has built a life and family on the island, always taking care of others but wanting more for himself.

The connection was instant but how the story unfolded was delightful. Discovering and achieving what is important to you in life to be fulfilled while finding the person to help you do that. The side characters, especially Hudson's daughter and parents made this story delectable.

Do Me A Favor by Cathy Yardley

Deliciously sweet, spicy and full of flavor! The kind of romance you can’t put down!

Willa has just moved from California to find Hudson as her new neighbor. She cooks and is up to a very challenging new cook book and Hudson is the cutest handyman ever. Willa is still grieving her husband but she’s doing it so well! Hudson was a young dad, his twins are already in their twenties and is experiencing with new ideas regarding his job.

Being over forty and navigating dating can sometimes turn extra challenging as one has already lived so much! But what happens when you find that person that despite everything you’ve been through gives you hope and makes you fell all over again? Will Hudson and Willa move their boundaries and give it a try? Even if that means put yourself out again?

I especially loved how her relationship with her parents evolved and in the end they got to understand each other and respect Willa’s dreams. I’ve learn a lot about their culture and that is something I treasure.

Sometimes, despite all odds, we have to go after our dreams and take that huge leap of faith that may take us exactly where we barely even dared to dream of! After all, it may come true!

Thank you @literarymediatours @netgalley @cathyyardley for the ALC as it was an amazing opportunity to get to know Yardley’s writing and enjoy every step of the way!

Oh my gosh I had no idea what to expect from Cathy Yardley but she really knocked it out of the park with this one! Hudson was the softest sweetest hero and he was the highlight of the book for me. I adored how earnest he was and how gone he was for Willa. It was adorable to read about. Also it was incredibly sexy how direct he was. Miscommunication can be fun but I loved reading a romance where the characters were open about how they felt and what they wanted. I think this had a lot to do with them both being more mature (rather than young 20-somethings). I loved seeing two characters who know who they are find a person to give them the love and support they haven't had before. It was absolutely heartwarming and I didn't want to put it down cause I was having such a fun time. The narrators did a fantastic job bringing the story to life as well. They way they both brought forth the characters vulnerabilities and emotions just made me feel so much more. My one complaint is that the last section of the book is told in flash-forwards. Time jumps are sometimes necessary but when they are used to try to show development it tends to leave me less satisfied than if I'd gotten to see that development play out in real time. However, I still had a great time with this book and I absolutely recommend if you're looking for a sweet cozy read.

This was my first book by Cathy Yardley and I devoured it. There was so much to love about it - - the island setting, a family farm, a lovable dog, goats, experimenting with recipes and so much more! I adored both Willa and Hudson and their chemistry was palpable! The narrators were perfect for their personalities. Willa was basically starting over in her 40s and I found that relatable in many ways. It was refreshing to see Willa open herself up to new experiences and to learn that it’s good to accept help along the way.

Thank you Netgalley brilliance publishing literary media tours, firefly distribution for the free review copies. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I loved this one older couple, single dad, widower. I loved that they inspired and pushed eachother to follow their dreams and still came back to eachother. Absolutely loved it my favorite Cathy Yardley book and cannot wait for her next book and now realize she has a massive backlist.

5/5☆