The moral to this story for me is WORK LIFE BALANCE. I truly believe that when one door closes it's to make room for another door to open. Vivian and Memphis are definitely opposites but their souls were calling out for the other. As the snark is being thrown back and forth their feelings for one another just snuck up. From a casual fling to I think about you everyday and why am I so upset when everything seems to be falling in place with our careers. If you read this story not only will you laugh out loud but you will also be yelling at them for not seeing what they have when it is right in front of them.

Sweet escape is the second book in the hawthorne series and is better read in order.
It’s great for a quick fall romance. it follows memphis and vivian, both characters introduced in book 1, but you see more of memphis than vivian in that one.

I enjoyed most of the story, but the spicy scenes weren’t my favorite. The one scene mentions them acting like cats in heat, which isn’t something I want to picture near the end of one of those scenes. That’s why they are only 3.5 reviews for me. The story itself is a kind of hallmark in feel. Which i personally dont mind but not the most origninal idea.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Meredith Wild and Jillian Liota bring us the story of Vivian and Memphis. Vivian has decided that a change in scenery will help her get away from all the chaos that is her life and be able to concentrate on her songs. What she did not foresee was her best friend Murphy's brother Memphis and the feelings he brings out in her. Meanwhile, Memphis is trying to keep the family vineyard and winery from sinking. Will Vivian be able to get Memphis to play with her until she has to go home, or will he be too stubborn to enjoy what Vivian is offering?

Meredith Wild and Jillian Liota bring us a story of family and chemistry. Watch Vivian and Memphis as they dance around each other. See if they can juggle both work and play. We get to follow along as they each struggle with their own troubles while seeing if they can have some fun and let go with each other. Will it turn into something more? Will they be brave enough to take a chance on each other?

I have read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Montlake for this privilege.

This is a perfect fit for readers who crave a heartwarming, feel-good romance about finding love in unexpected places, with a strong focus on female empowerment, friendship, and the transformative power of love to heal emotional wounds.

This is a sweet five-star read. I wasn’t sure I was going to give it five-stars, but it won me over in the end, I couldn’t put my finger on why I didn’t sing all the way through, but overall, it won me over. This is number two in the Hawthorne Vines series, but they can be read as stand alone, as they are each about different characters, there is some small cross over, but nothing that leaves you lost. If you are after fun and flirty, then you need this story, its got it all, Vivian was written well, she could have been portrayed so many ways, and they really did it justice with how they showed us her story. If you want spice and story to make you smile pick this one up.

A fun book with plenty of snarky banter. Vivian and Memphis have instant chemistry and there is angst and push and pull throughout the whole book. It was a little much for me, but it was overall a good book with dynamic characters.

Overall: 4.5/5
Spice level: 3/5
Tropes: small town, best friend's older brother, enemies to lovers, fling to forever, insta-love

So I actually liked this one a little more than Bitter Sweet. The friction between Vivian and Memphis was electric. I loved how they teetered on the edge of being not quite enemies but not quite friends. 

Both characters had great development, especially Memphis, and I loved seeing more of the youngest sibling of the family and how he contributed to the business. 

I'm curious how the next story will unfold!

I found the story enjoyable, especially the dynamic between Vivian and Memphis. It evoked similar emotions to the relationship between Wes and Murphy in Bitter Truth (Hawthorne Vines Book 1). I don't want to give away too much of the story, so I'll leave it at that.

Sweet Escape by Meredith Wild and Jillian Liota

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for access to this title in exchange for my honest opinions and review!

In this fast romance set in a charming small town featuring a picturesque winery, romance blooms after a rocky first introduction between Memphis, the owner of the winery, and Vivian, his sister’s best friend who is visiting to escape her problems while looking for songwriting inspiration. Despite both being emotionally guarded, they open up to each other because of irresistible mutual attraction but choosing between romance and their demanding careers will be their hardest choice.

This novel stood out for its cast of lovable characters, looking past the main two, each side character has a definable personality and role to further the plot line. The interactions with Murphy, Memphis’s sister and Vivian’s best friend were the most endearing but it would be hard to not appreciate how much Memphis values his family legacy and the growth he goes through after reconnecting with his family members. Vivian is a strong and motivated FMC and I enjoyed watching her achieve her goals independently.

The hardest part of this novel was starting it. Memphis’s POV specifically felt flat and the way that context was presented to the reader felt awkward and more explicit than demonstrative. His character gained more dimension as the story went on.

I adored this book. It was the perfect amount of lust and love with just enough tension to get me out of my reading slump. I was hooked right from the beginning and finished it all in one sitting.

There is insta attraction, through the roof chemistry, it's lightheaded, with playful banter and heartwarming at the same time.
All the things that made me devour the book, it's an amazing read. I was so happy while reading it, it checked all the boxes for this type of book.

I really enjoyed the way Vivian was written. She is tenacious and so fun, vibrant and with a big personality. She is emotionally mature and rational while dealing with her problems. She goes after what she wants and is not afraid or apologetic.
Memphis was very serious and disconnected, so it was so much fun to watch his walls crumble, because in the end he just wanted to be loved.

This book is not only that, but also something that will make you think about yourself alongside the journey that the characters are going. Such as thinking about the perspective that others have off you versus the perspective that you have off yourself.

And it will also make you feel all the feelings. It's a very complete history with amazing character development and contrary to what with this types of storyline this book was not a cliche nor predictable.

The epilogue was so good and real and down to earth.

Quotes:
"Tell me, Mr. Bartender, when you picture me being scandalized, am I on my knees or on my back?"
"God, she's exasperating. I want to kiss that f***** smirk right off her face"
He is a spreadsheet and she is a watercolor painting.

This book is a typical boy meets girl romance novel. It is an enemies to lovers set in a contemporary setting. It is a super easy read and fast paced. The story was cute and fun to read. I really enjoyed seeing the love grow between the two main characters.

Sweet Escape by Meredith Wild and Jillian Liota

(ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Wow. Just... wow. This duo writes so beautifully well. The writing style is fast and snappy while being slow enough to not feel rushed. Reading this book was a breeze, and the characters in it are also fun and exciting that you want to keep flipping the pages and reading more.

The plot itself is quite simple—an up and coming musician brings herself on a getaway trip to her best friend's town, where she meets her best friend's brother, the heir to the family's vineyard.

There is a lot of banter between characters in this book, and it is one of the most enjoyable banters I've read in a while. And while funny, these characters still have depth. They are self-aware, are willing to work on their mistakes, and I could just tell that they're all looking to be better versions of themselves, and I find that to be one of the most charming aspects of this book.

It's quite insta-love, as the two fell in love over the course of two weeks, however— and as an insta-love hater, I can't believe I'm saying this—I really, really enjoyed it. Unlike a lot of inst-love stories, the trajectory of their love feels slow and natural. The pacing really does the book justice, and the simple, cozy, slice-of-life feel to the story makes it an enjoyable, easily digestible read.

If you're looking for something light-hearted, fun, with a ton of hilarious dialogue and lovable characters, check this book out!

This story was certainly an entertaining read! Small-town romance coupled with the best friend's brother trope made it a sweet rom-com-eqsue story.

Vivian and Memphis were enjoyable characters. And while they were opposites in nature, their quirks complimented each other's quite well, making their dynamic engaging and believable. Their banter was certainly entertaining and it was interesting to see their shift from enemies to lovers.

I would definitely recommend this story!

SWEET ESCAPE is book 2 in the Hawthorne Vines series and I have to say that I didn't love Memphis and Vivian as much as I did Murphy and Wes. It was still a great read but just not for me.

This story was a true sweet escape with a low angst, spicy romance! It's heavier on the spice than the plot, but we do get a good small town setting with some enemies to lovers vibes. Definitely pick this one up if you're looking for the heavy spice with the sweet small town setting!

The pacing of the novel can feel a bit sluggish, as it primarily focuses on the romance without much else unfolding. While the steamy interactions between Vivian and Memphis are fun, the rest of the book can come across as rather flat. Sweet Escape is ideal if you're in the mood for a light, spicy read with a cute setting and straightforward plot.

Por el título me esperaba algo más romántico, pero tristemente se centra en el sexo.

Vivian es una cantautora que busca un escapar del desastre de su última relación y va a visitar a su mejor amiga. Una noche conoce a alguien que le gusta, pero descubre que es el hermano de la amiga, ese del que solo ha escuchado cosas malas, no obstante su atracción es demasiada que terminan teniendo sexo. Se supone que es cosa de una vez, sin embargo, después de eso le regresa la inspiración y dedice utilizarlo como su musa.


Memphis tiene la carga de salvar el viñedo familiar y de atender su restaurante. No tiene tiempo para relaciones y cuando Vivian le ofrece ser amigos con beneficios, acepta.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think it could be a 2.5 and let me tell you that I think it is for something quite personal, a type of reading that I am not looking for and that I thought was going to go the other way and it didn't.

Basically Sweet Escape is a woman who escapes from Los Angeles and the pressure she has there, because her boyfriend cheated on her. She goes to a town with her best friend, meets the brother who was, as far as she knew, one of the most despicable people, and within 2 hours of meeting him she already has sexual relations. Be careful, it doesn't end there, but he also feels that he has the ideal inspiration to write his new album. A joke that is not so much of a joke that even its protagonists say it... did you find inspiration in your member? So it seems. Okay, good. The truth is that I would have liked a little more development in the characters, how did we go from having such a bad opinion of someone to wallowing with that person just because? Nose.

Much of the plot of the book revolves around them having sex, I understand that it is fashionable now to make this type of book but they are not for me. The synopsis doesn't tell you that it's going to go that way and I feel quite disappointed.
It has a plot, it has a story, it's just that a lot of it is left in the background or third place at many moments and it just focuses on them talking to each other seductively, or fooling around and then having sex.

It wasn't for me. But maybe for other people who are looking for or like this type of romance more it could be a very good read.

Thanks Montlake for the ARC I read through NetGalley a change from an honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Tropes:
❤️small town romance
❤️best friends brother
❤️enemies to lovers
❤️friends with benefits

This was such a good book, it is the second book in the hawthorn vine series, I loved reading it and it can be read as a stand alone. I loved the small town romance and the setting on the book, it was well written to make you want to keep reading it. I loved the flirting and the banter between the two main characters and with there relationship turning from enemies to lovers, however I wished the ending of the book wasn’t so quick to end and wished the main characters Memphis and Vivian had to fighter harder for the relationship, something that kept me wondering what was going to happen next.
I loved the spice throughout the book, it was to spicy but spicy enough for the 4 star spice rating
I loved this book and would definitely recommend reading it