I found this quick read to be very cute and a little spicy. Both MCs are overcoming their own challenges, Gabby is a single mom whose ex-husband has passed, Jay is overcoming leaving behind a surrogate daughter from his previous relationship was becoming too manipulating. They both have reservations about starting a new relationship together.

5⭐️
3🌶️

Holy crap, another banger by the amazing Adriana! I continue to be amazed by her books! It's been a while since one of her books has made me ugly cry (I'm looking at you Written In The Scars 👀) but man was it worth it! The pasts these two have are so heart breaking and seeing them come together is so beautiful! And Carter? OMG that boy made me laugh! He's so precious! And poor Dylan, he really had a lot on his young shoulders. This book will certainly tug on your heartstrings, especially if you're a parent, but it will also make you laugh and make you feel love. If you're looking for a place to start your Adriana Locke journey, this is a good one! Also... I really want to read more about Della 👀👀👀.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for this opportunity to read and review Between Now and Forever. Thank you @adriana for the physical copy 💚

In Between Now and Forever Gabbie and Jay have one of the funniest and most embarrassing ‘meet cute’ beginnings I’ve read when she lands at his feet wearing nothing but a towel. Talk about making a lasting impression especially when the hunk next door then has to rescue you from a snake and no, that’s not a euphemism for something else. This was a fun filled romcom with a healthy sprinkling of spice as Jay can’t help himself falling for the widowed mom of two, but after being hurt in the past he’s determined to keep her at arms length and friendship is all he can offer despite his heart aching to take a chance. I enjoyed this romcom even though some parts annoyed me. It was a light hearted and easy read with likeable and engaging characters and the overall story was well written. I loved the secondary characters especially Gabbie’s sons but there seemed to be a vibe that a boy needed a man in his life which I felt a little demeaning to boymoms everywhere who have managed to bring up their sons all on their own.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️

💜 small town romance
🖤 grumpy sunshine
💜 single mother
🖤 neighbors to lovers

OMG Adriana you are amazing. This book was just too adorable. The way she literally fell into him when they first met. Gabrielle is a single mom with 2 kids that moved back home after her husband passed away, but she is a mess not just because she lost her husband but in general, she is clumsy and likes to do all the home repairs herself even though she has no idea what she is doing (which I think is just perfect). Jay is her grumpy neighbor that wants nothing to do with kids after his previous relationship left him devastated. I love their banter and her sassiness when he tried to boss her around. So cute.

Love this stand alone from Adriana Locke. While I love Adriana's series with big families full of big personalities, this one is a little different, but just as loveable if not more. Gabrielle and Jay are regular people with regular baggage which makes them not necessarily ready for each other but perfect for each other at the same time. Their chemistry is there from day one, but I love the push pull type relationship that keeps it sizzling until they finally act on their feelings. Both characters are so lovable -- Jay is the grumpy man who finds himself rolling his eyes as he gets involved in things he'd prefer to avoid. Gabrielle and her make lemonade out of lemons and try anything attitude is irresistible to a certain hero who feels the need to protect her. Together their stories make for a fun and steamy read. Whether this is your first or fifteenth or more by the author, I hope you love it as much as I did.

“Between Now and Forever” by Adriana Locke is an absolute must read of love, loss, family, friendship, and the magic of second chances.
Gabrielle, a divorced mom of two boys, Dillon and Carter, moves back to her small hometown to start fresh after her ex-husband’s passing. Enter Jay, her next-door neighbor and the town’s resident grumpy carpenter. Jay wants zero drama and even less interaction with his new neighbors. But when Gabby—wrapped in nothing but a towel—takes a swan dive off her back deck, Jay has no choice but to come to the rescue. It’s awkward. It’s funny. It’s the one of the best meet-cutes ever!
Jay’s got a history—one that makes him swear off single moms—but Gabby is impossible to ignore. Watching her slowly chip away at his walls while he fights their sizzling chemistry? Perfection. They’re both carrying baggage, yet somehow, they find themselves stumbling—quite literally—into love. Jay is everything you want in a book boyfriend: rugged, broody, and secretly soft on the inside. And Gabby? A rockstar mom who juggles chaos with as much grace as possible, even when life keeps serving up emotional curveballs.
Now, let’s talk about the boys. Carter? An absolute scene-stealer with his cuteness and his interactions with Jay. Adorable. But Dillon? He’s struggling with his dad’s loss, and that grief causes some serious tension. Will Dillon ever warm up to Jay? Or will his pain keep their family from moving forward? Will Jay manage to let go of his past and step into something real? And can Gabby finally put herself first and grab the happiness she deserves? You’ll have to read to find out!
Oh, and the side characters? Chef’s kiss. Gabby’s new gal pals are squad goals, and their cocktail nights had me wanting to pour a drink and join in.
The journey “Between Now and Forever” is messy, but packed with heart, humor, and just the right amount of steam. Adriana Locke, you’ve done it again! Now I’m officially out of your books. Guess I’ll be rereading The Brewer series and revisiting my favorite Jason Brewer moments while I not-so-patiently wait for my next fix.

Thank you @authoradrianalocke, NetGalley and Montlake for the free ebook arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

3 🌟
Spice: open door

This missed the mark for me. From the beginning, I felt disconnected from the characters. Our FMC comes off super desperate, and I'm not a fan of the way she deals with her disrespectful teenager.
I waited for the audio to be able to get through it, but honestly should have been a dnf.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Gabrielle and Jay's story in this neighbor to lovers, single mom romance was a fast-paced and quick read for me. While the characters were written pretty well, I felt as though the story line at times was too rushed and not developed not quite enough. This book had the angst and the pulling of the heartstrings that this author's books tend to have, which did make tears stream down my face. All in all, another great read with some memorable characters, especially the youngest son, Carter.

I always love this authors small town romances and this book is no exception!! In this story we get single mum + grumpy hot neighbour so it’s a definite yes please for me.👏👏

Gabrielle and Jay had chemistry for days and when they finally give in to each other it was 🔥🔥

I loved the banter, the supporting characters and the ending made me smile. Definitely recommend.

Between Now and Forever is a new small-town romance standalone from Adriana Locke and published through Amazon Publishing's Montlake imprint. Thirty-eight-year-old Gabrielle Solomon has just moved back to Alden, Ohio, ready to begin a new chapter after some major life-altering events in her life. She and her husband, Christopher, divorced a few years back, but they remained the closest of friends, which is why his sudden passing devastated her. Now, she's moving forward, raising their two sons, Dylan, fourteen, and Carter, seven, the best she can. She's not quite sure, however, that tumbling into a flower bed while covered with nothing but a bath towel was the best way to make a first, albeit lasting, impression on her new neighbor. Forty-year-old Jay Stetson is hot and single, and as much as he's attracted to the single mom next door, he can't afford to be anything more than friendly with her. He can only resist for so long, but can Jay let go of the past and fight for a future with Gabby, Dylan and Carter?

I love the romance genre in general, but I confess that being the age that I am, there's something about having the main characters be older than the usual twenty-somethings that calls to me. Gabby was a great female main character, what with her independence and her protective nature, especially when it came to her sons, Dylan and Carter. I know that quite a few readers adored the younger of the two boys, but Dylan was someone I could relate to, empathizing with what how he was dealing with the recent changes in his life. Could he have handled some things better? Definitely, but he was also a teenager who had gone through his parents' divorce and his father's death. As for Jay, I admit that I was surprised to how he was during his first encounter with Gabby, but it certainly caught my attention. I understood why he made the choice that he did near the end of the book, but I was really hoping there wouldn't be the dreaded third act break-up here. Still, Between Now and Forever was heartwarming, four-starred read.

Love can be complicated and Gabrielle and Jay have a lot to figure out.

She has just moved back to her hometown with her two kids into a home that needs a huge amount of renovations. Jay is her next door neighbor and they have an awkward first meeting when Gabrielle is checking him out. Despite initially just being friends and neighbors, they share an undeniable chemistry. Adriana did a really nice job developing their relationship as they worked through their issues. The story moved at a nice pace and I really loved the small town setting. Gabrielle and Jay were both likeable characters and I was hooked from the very first chapter.

I enjoyed every minute of Gabrielle and Jay's story and loved Gabrielle's group of friends. It was always so entertaining when they got together. I really hope Della gets her own story!

4.5 ⭐️
2 🔥
Small Town Romance
Neighbors to Lovers
Single Mom
Grumpy/Sunshine
Banter
Great on Audio! 🎧
Adriana always manages to fit some of the best love stories into short novels! They are short, sweet, spicy && this one definitely pulls on the heart strings. Gabrielle is moving back to the small town of her childhood, after the death of her ex husband & her sons’ father. This is when she falls hard, like toppling over a flimsy porch railing hard, for her new sexy neighbor. Jay is a scorned, grump of a man. He is closed off due & doesn’t do relationships, especially with single moms. But Gabrielle & even her sons somehow keep showing up & surprising him. They all have things to work through; they are all scared of loosing another person. Can they all face their fears to love again?

Thank you Adriana Locke for the ARC!

Small town charmer that had everything my grumpy sunshine loving heart could want! This is quintessential Adriana, all the cozy vibes and plenty of spice! Add it to the list ASAP!
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the hilarious meet-cute, beware the bush, haha!

Between Now and Forever was a sexy, sweet, lighthearted small-town/single parent romance that I thoroughly enjoyed. It's about navigating divorce, loss, problems that come with dating a single parent, prior heartbreak, and taking chances. I laughed. I teared up. I felt every heartfelt emotion. The sexy scenes were steamy. The chemistry sizzled. I was rooting for their HEA. This was a well-developed story with amazing characters. If you love single parent, small-town romances, this is a must-read! This is a standalone with a HEA.

A small town, second chance romance from the queen of feel good romance? Yes please (and thank you). From the start of Between Now and Forever I knew Adriana Locke was taking my heart for a ride and I was right.

I liked Gabby. Doing her best to make things as normal for her boys as she could after tragedy hit them hard. It wasn't easy but she knew the place to make it happen was the place that always felt like home. Which is exactly how she came to meet her her broody, grunting neighbor, Jay.

Behind all that gruff exterior was a heart that had loved and lost (big time). Hearing his story had me rubbing my chest. I get why he was determined to keep his distance but something wouldn't let him stay away. Maybe it was Carter's enthusiasm for life or Dylan's attitude but Gabby and her boys brought out a lightness in him that had been missing for a long time.

Somewhere between nights on the porch swing and home improvement projects what started as fun turned into real feelings. Throw in a few complications courtesy of a hormonal teen and it was a recipe for an emotional finish. Equal parts, sweet, sexy and sentimental I couldn't get enough as Gabby and Jay put their hearts and happiness on the line for a future they didn't think they would get.

4.5⭐️
1.5🌶️

🧡Single Mom
🧡Neighbors to Lovers
🧡Grumpy/Sunshine
🧡Small Town Romance

This book is a really enjoyable, quick, insta-love read for all of us single-mom trope lovers out there. 🥰

This is a complete standalone, but I will admit that there is quite a bit going on peripherally with side characters that maybe could've been sacrificed for a bit more character and relationship development between the MCs and the kids. Especially knowing we're likely not getting any more stories from those side characters.
That being said, I think a lot of that relationship development that some might say was lacking was inferred for the sake of a shorter romance novel that, while dealing with some heavier topics like grief and parental loss, was mostly meant to make readers feel good and put smiles on our faces.

After all, who doesn't love reading about a grump like Jay who wants nothing to do with the new hot single mom next door, but ultimately can't resist her and falls hard for Gabrielle and her sons Dylan and Carter? 💕 It's exactly what keeps me coming back to the single mom trope every time. 😊

There was a bit of back and forth for a good chunk of the beginning of the book, which got frustrating, but was understandable once we found out the full reason for Jay's hesitancy to get close to anyone. The relationship between Gabby and Jay progressed quickly from there, but there were of course issues once the kids-namely teenager Dylan-realized they were dating. I really appreciated that Adriana took the time to show the interactions between Gabby and her sons, as well as Jay and the boys, when there was tension and big feelings. It felt very real and showed how hard both Gabby and Jay were working to support the boys through everything they were feeling and dealing with.

As always, I know I'm going to laugh reading an Adriana Locke book, and this one was no exception. The girl group was great and had some fantastic moments, but the scene stealer in this one was 100% Carter. That 7-year-old was hilarious, and I cracked up pretty much every time that kid opened his mouth. His one-liners, his surprisingly accidentally deep conversations, and his unending energy and innocence were just the best. Adriana has a talent for comedic dialogue in both adult's and children's voices, and it's another reason I will always read anything she writes.

Overall, this is a short, funny, slightly steamy, sometimes poignant story about living life for yourself again. I recommend it to anyone who's looking for something that will make you laugh, swoon, and maybe even tear up a little bit, but will of course get you that wonderful HEA we always love to read about. 🧡

Ever since Gabrielle Solomon moved back to Alden with her two sons, she's been ready to take on the task of fixing up her home. What she didn't expect was her hot neighbor, Jay Stetson to swoop in and help her after falling over a porch railing and saving her from a snake in the bushes. All they can be is neighbors and friends and nothing more.

This was so cute! I loved that Gabrielle was so full of energy and took everything in stride. With how her ex had past away Gabrielle and her sons needed a change of scenery. I loved how Gabrielle was very expressive and confident in herself. I loved her DIY enthusiasm too. When Gabrielle firsts meet her neighbor, Jay there's immediate sparks. Their first encounter was funny and unforgettable. I loved Jay. He was such a grump. I loved the effort he made with Gabrielle's sons. He gave so much support to them. If you're looking for a neighbors to lovers story with grumpy/sunshine check this one out!

This standalone by Adriana Locke was we’ll worth the read. This single mom, grumpy/sunshine, neighbors to lovers had me suckered from the first fall into the bushes.
Gabrielle gets one glimpse of her sexy neighbor & she just knows that this move home is the right move. Too bad that he’s vowed a life alone. Not to mention, her older son doesn’t exactly make her life easy after being pulled from the only home he’s ever known.
Jay has a past that makes the single mom next door completely off limits. But she sure knows how to raise his blood pressure with her diy tendencies, and we won’t talk about her ability to make his heart race just by being herself.
I loved how Jay accepted Carter, her younger son, for the happy go lucky soul he was. I loved the bond he formed with Carter early on. As for Dylan, her older so…Jay had his work cut out for him. He was harder to win over. But I also loved the approach he took with him as the man of the house.
This book had me laughing at Carter’s goofy nature which he definitely inherited from his mom, had me rolling my eyes at Gabby’s antics, had me furious with Dylan’s attitude, & had me swooning with Jay’s desire to make their lives a little better. And I loved the support system gabby quickly fell into with her friend group.

Gabby has moved back to her hometown with her children after her ex-husband dies. She needs to give her kids stability and a chance to heal as they deal with their father’s death. Jay has chosen to live a quiet life. He moved to town after a devasting personal loss. Now he just wants to run his renovations company and be left alone. Neither of them are looking for a relationship but the relationship is looking for them!

Gabby is self-aware and well balanced at the beginning of the story so her growth curve isn’t very large. I like that the author gave Gabby the room to settle back into her hometown and make new friends. She even has a funny job that was a nice addition to her character. Jay has a very big growth curve. The author did a good job giving him a reason for his standoffishness. He gets a chance to know Gabby and her sons. He fights hard to keep Gabby at arm’s length even as he forms a relationship with her. When he finally realizes that he wants all of them in his life, if felt very natural and real. There are some excellent side characters that I hope get stories of their own.

This is a contemporary small-town romance. Both characters are full grown adults. Only Jay has a full-time career at the moment because Gabby is busy getting settled into town. This is a very enjoyable read. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.