Aspen Lourde wrote a huge bestseller, but hasn't been able to produce another one since. She's desperate at this point, fearing that her career is over if her next book is a flop. Aspen comes to the conclusion that the only way for her to write another hit is to have her heart broken - again. Cue Brick Babel, the local bad boy heartthrob. She tries to get him to fall for her, but when he rebuffs all of her advances, she makes him an offer he can't refuse - one summer romance that will end with her heartbroken and in return she will fund and save his failing family business.

What could possibly go wrong with this plan?

I enjoyed the banter between the two, and there was definitely some spicy scenes.

Overall I found this enjoyable and fun to read.

Overall, this is a good fiction romance book with only a few slightly-spicier scenes. I wish we got to see more of the relationship between Aspen and her sister, Sienna. I like Aspen and Brick's deal of exchanging money so he can revamp his grandfather's tour shop, but I don't understand why Aspen thinks she needs to get her heart broken to be able to write another best-seller. That's the part that kept falling flat for me. While I rated this book 4 stars, at the end of the day, I feel like this could be a forgettable book as there's not much to set it apart from other romance fiction books (at least to me).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was a cookie cutter romance that was not particularly well-written. I did find the character likeable and did feel the chemistry between them and enjoyed the Outer Banks setting. However, the whole story felt way to simplistic. Everything was perfect but for the one obstacle which was neatly solved in the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars

If you enjoy a classic fake dating trope gone wrong, with spice, this was an enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley and AuthorBuzz for the advanced digital copy! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed this book. Aspen's passion and anxiety were relatable even though I am not an author. Her feelings were well conveyed and you could feel them off the page.

Brick had so much pressure after his Gandpa Ziggy had passed and a desire to do well. He can't understand why his business isn't doing well when his competition is thriving.

There meet cute was planned by Aspen as she purposely approaches him at the bar. It was telling in that they both felt the sparks.

Both main characters are interesting and working on solving their own problem while pretending to be a couple. Funny how the pretense isn't so much of a pretense. The gossip of small towns can be real but the mistreatment shown Brick is wrong. I really didn't care for Anastasia and some of the friends who stood up for her.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was witty, well written and fresh.

🍻 This is a lighthearted small-town romance between a struggling writer and the local tour guide with a bad reputation. I enjoyed the sibling core represented by Aspen and her sister, Sierra. The small town was great and reminded me a little of the town in ‘It Happened One Summer’. Personally I would have preferred if the story was written in the first person POV, especially for the more romantic aspects. There was a lot of unexpected spice! Also, it was so nice to see some bookstagrammers namedropped, I’ve never seen that in a book before?! Overall a great read to add to your summer tbr! 📚.

Thank you to Blue Box Press, Netgalley, and author Jennifer Probst for allowing me to read and review this book!

I loved the concept of this book as well as the setting. I’ve been to Corolla and taken a horse tour so it was fun to relate to that. The cover is beautiful. Overall, unfortunately I didn’t love the book as much as I wanted to.

I really enjoyed this book, however it felt like a book I have already read. It had a lot of hints dropped for the story for book 2, but it felt unnatural at times since the side characters were developing but we didn’t actually find out what was going on.

A little more spicy than I usually read but all in all, “Book of the Month” is cute with a galloping storyline that kept me thinking about it even when I wasn’t holding the book in my hands!
The characters were lovely and the location and setting were charming and engaging without being corny or unbelievable.
A really great book if you are like me and looking for something to read to sweep you away from reality for just a minute!

I was hooked by the first chapter of this book. I had just gone to an author signing the night before I started this and wondered if authors had thoughts like Aspen did!

I really liked Aspen Lourde, struggling author, and Brick Babel, struggling business owner’s characters. I really felt for Aspen, thinking she was just a one hit wonder in the book industry. Her plan to get into a relationship with Brick and then get hurt to fuel her writing was never going to work out the way she expected! In the beginning, she was too focused on her book and thought that Brick couldn’t just like her for her. Brick tells her:

“If I kiss you, it’s because I want to. If I put my hands on you, it’s because I want to.” Swoon…

I loved Brick’s character. The author wrote him so well that I could just picture him in my head—and it was nice! Plus, he was such a good guy that had gotten a bad rap from the town and its people.

Wonderful romance, wonderful side characters and I love Dug the dog. I’m looking forward to Kane and Sierra’s book next!

Thank you to Blue Box Press, Get Red PR, and the author for a #gifted book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 Outer Banks Stars

It was fun to read this one, mostly set in the Outer Banks after I just visited there. I love that setting, and it was fun to incorporate the beach, wild horses, and turtle rescue. It’s also fun that the female main character is an author.

Aspen has written one big bestseller and two mediocre books after that. Her books are just falling flat with readers, and they don’t have the passion and heartbreak of her first book. She escapes from New York for the summer to visit her sister in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Her sister runs a successful clothing store and is also a great friend.

Aspen sees a gorgeous man one night at the bar and asks her sister about him. His name is Brick (my first time for that name), and he’s got an awful reputation with the ladies. Apparently, he abandoned his fiancée and broke hearts all over town. There’s even a support group in town for the women trying to recover from dating him. Aspen can’t wait to get to know him! She hopes to fall in love with Brick and start having some real feelings again that will translate into a better book. He’s not interested, though.

Brick runs a wild horse tour company that he inherited from his grandfather. He’s not booking many tours and may have to declare bankruptcy. Enter Aspen’s diabolical plan: hire Brick to seduce her, and she’ll fund the renovations for his touring company.

You can probably guess what happens next, so I won’t spoil the surprise. I wasn’t sure if Aspen would ever finish her book and if she could stay in the Outer Banks when her life was in New York. Does this one have a happy ending? This one was a bit predictable, but I loved the setting!

Aspen does not want to be another one hit wonder, her readers are asking for a part 2 of her book, and she has writers block. So she decides to go to visit her sister with hopes of getting inspiration, well when she sees the town’s biggest heartbreaker she comes up with a plan, and this plan was WILD, made NO SENSE and I was HERE FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!! Brick is the town heartbreaker, and the women are warning other women its crazy. But Aspen aint just any other woman, and she decides to approach him with an offer he cant refuse, fake date her, break her heart and she will help him where hes struggling with his family business and he also helps her with getting inspo for her new book. The chemistry between these two is WOW and the STEAM is STEAMING. Aspen is not someone to mess with and Brick isn’t what the town makes him out to be, it’s packed with inspiration, I loved this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

An honest review.

4.5/5 stars for me.

This book is so meta that it's hard for me to gather my thoughts. So, I hope I do this right.

Aspen Lourde is a writer with the hope that she doesn't end up being a one-hit wonder. This immediately caught my attention. Since that's all a creative person wants in life, right? To be able to strive for something and be a part of something bigger. Which is why I loved Aspen right from the word go.

Since I usually keep my reviews spoiler-free, I won't be getting into the plot much. But what I will say is that it grips you to a point where you are in the world along with the character, living vicariously in a little beach town during summertime (it's October now but God, do I feel the heat). Jennifer Probst has a way with her words and creates a world that is easy to understand and live in.

The characters that populate Aspen's world all have a reason to be there. They aren't just side characters to fluff the plot. And since it's a series, I do believe that this particular world will have the characters even more fleshed out and I cannot wait to read ahead.

Although Brick is a very odd name for a Male lead, I was intrigued by him. Grumpy at first and mushy after he opens up is just the kind of fictional(I wish he was real) man I would want for myself. To be honest, I fell in love with him. I'm not even sure when I did(probably just like Aspen).

I've only knocked out half a star because I think the plot dragged on a slight bit and the ending was a tad bit predictable but other than that, chef's kiss.

Spice wise, I'd say 2/5 but it wasn't why I read the book. I needed a book that would wrap me in warmth, comfort, and a sense of love. And this book gave me just that.

Will I be recommending this book to someone who wants to believe in love again after a shitty breakup? Yes, I will. Will I read the rest of the series? Definitely.

The irony of this book being about an author who is asked to write a book that isn't a trope every other author is doing kinda funny. What I like is that it subtly addresses the lack of quality in sequels when written because the fans and publisher want one as opposed to when the author wants to give the characters more life. The main story of an author in a writing rut, wanting to pay someone to break her heart so she has material for her next book is cute and full of witty banter. The supporting characters are hilarious.

I really enjoyed this romance. Makes me want to visit OBX and find Ziggy Tours and take the sunset tour to see the horses. Bonus would be if there was someone like Brick running it..

Poor Aspen. Her first novel was a huge success and her fans want more. Second and third books, not so much. Now, it's do or die time and if she doesn't present a best seller, she may be toast. Book one was a product of heartbreak. So get her heart broken again and write that book. Easy. She picks Brick, a known heartbreaker, and makes him an offer he can't refuse. Things go well. So well. To the point Aspen has to decide what is more important: fiction or reality? I enjoyed the characters, setting, and situations in this book, very much. A support group for Brick's dumped girlfriends? Really? There are a lot of hilarious bits in this story.

3 1/2 Stars

I really liked the premise of the book and although I liked Aspen and Brick ... I just didn't love them. They went from 0 to 60 in a heartbeat ... it would have been more enjoyable if they stopped at 30 for a bit. I thought the support group was a little ridiculous, but the steam was good and made up for it ... lol. I did laugh-out-loud a few times especially when she was trying to get Brick to notice her.

Aspen has been in a writing slump since her first book which became a huge success. So she decides to visit her sister for the summer and hopefully get some words on the page. Her first book was a big success because it was actually based on her story. She thinks she needs another broken heart to write another best seller. Brick moved to the Outer Banks when he inherited his grandfathers tour business and between the business failing and his reputation as a womanizer, he's wondering if it's all worth it. When the spunky writer propositions him that she'll pay him to date her and break her heart ... he agrees because he really needs the money. But will he be able to break her heart at the end of the summer?

I received an ARC courtesy of Blue Box Press through NetGalley.

4.5⭐ This was genuinely so hard to put down once I started reading because of how much I wanted to get to their happy ending. I really rooted for Aspen and Brick. After everything they've been through, they deserved their happily ever after 🩵

I think this book had a really good balance between emotional and romantic scenes. It also had a good amount of angst which just made the ending even sweeter.

When I realized that there would be a second book, I was excited. While I patiently wait for Sierra and Kane's book, I might check out the author’s other books too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to share my honest thoughts on this ARC read.

BOOK OF THE MONTH by Jennifer Probst is more than a romance. It is a journey of self discovery wrapped in traditional romance tropes. Fake dating? Small town? Summer romance? Sure, all those things are present, but they are backdrops to the main characters’ personal growth.

Aspen is a best selling author whose debut novel garnered accolades and a near cult following. Her next two books were not as commercially successful. Her fans want a sequel to her first novel, her publisher wants sales, and Aspen wants to recapture the magic. Since her first book was borne of the pain of her personal heartbreak, Aspen believes she needs emotional devastation to deliver another success.

Brick finds himself trying to rescue the floundering local tour business he inherited from his grandfather. In the short time he’s been in Corolla he has developed a reputation as a callous philanderer ruthlessly leaving devastation in his wake.

Aspen sees Brick as the key to unlocking her creativity. She offers a simple business proposal: Brick will romance her for the summer and leave her heartbroken so she can write another great angst-filled novel, in exchange for the funds he needs to save his failing business. What neither counted on was developing real feelings making it hard to walk away.

Parts of this book seemed a bit drawn out and the beginning was slow. The instalust felt a bit rushed, but began to make sense once more was revealed about each character. As the layers are peeled back and truths revealed, we watch both characters undergo significant transformations. Aspen and Brick are complemented by charming, quirky secondary characters who bring humor and insight to the story. I was happy to learn there will be a second book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This is a really great novel. Set in a small beach town in the Carolinas, it has an interesting plot. Aspen is an author facing writer’s block. Brick is a hot single guy struggling to save his business and recover his reputation. The premise of the plot which is a fake relationship that becomes all too real, will see readers drawn into the story. The characters are fun and relatable. Readers will enjoy turning the pages as they dig into the often funny dialogue. You will not regret getting a copy and reading.