This was a cute book that I enjoyed reading. The single mom going through divorce and brother's friend trope was well done in this book. I thought it was a fun and easy read that I would pick up again. I definitely recommend it for the romance readers. I can't wait for more from this author.

Thank you Net Galley ARC, Water's Edge Publishing, and Anna Alkire

This is the 3rd book in a series. It was the first one for me so could easily be read as a standalone. I did feel I missed some of the connections from not knowing the other characters, and even how this books characters featured previously. but it was only a slight detail or someone like me who likes to know whats going on. And the other characters were mentioned by name and once at most. it played no part in this cast of characters.
Our two main characters have to work together to offer 2 children a safe home. They have to convince the authorities that they are a team. And that certainly doesn't come easy at first. i found the way the author put the main characters with real issue in their wider families very brave. you usually dont hear of this. family close by to be "the bad guys" or the ones in trouble or in this cast neglecting their child to the point of him needing to be taken away having been left for days. the fact this boy was the nephew of our man male character made it all the more emotive. and central to you believing in this book as something sooooo much deeper than a hallmark romcom.
its not hugely detailed of the neglect or the mothers issues. not to the point of triggering anyone nor taken away to make the storyline something other. but it touches on it enough.
slowly and surely our romantic hearts are filled by this slow burn couple. i loved how our male was all in from the start. he constantly showed up and never waivered. and you heard this from his point of view which was really original. we can sometimes know the males thinking from the writing. but you never get such deep and close emotional thoughts and depth from the man himself. i thought allowing us to see the male with such feelings in first person was fantastic! and yes made me swoon far too much.
he of course did have his closet with the bodies( i wouldnt put it past his ex to actually hide in his closet.)
i loved how both our characters had issue.
our female yes some have moaned about. but then these reviewers need to read up and what happens when you are left with a prengnacy and then treated horrifically time and time again by someone! and how then you have to build yourself back up. you doubt other but more than that you doubt yourself. and our female was brilliant. but also so completely depleted in how she felt in herself. and i appreciated that not too muh focus was put on this being about her "looks".
this was one of my fave books of the year and will go on my all top 10 for sure! read it and melt a little...

I had to sadly DNF this book. I held on to 59% and was going to push through but every time I thought about getting back to the story I would feel so frustrated and angry on behalf of the FMC.

This did not feel like a love story rather the setup of a "tragic story time on TikTok).. Now maybe the romance and love part was in the second half but the first half felt rather depressing and infuriating. I don't see any other way to explain it but the MMC weaved an emotional trap and forced proximity for the FMC. I wanted to scream at her to not fall for it and to run away!

Without getting into too specific spoilers, we have a single mother who is about to enter a very difficult dynamic divorce, who is emotionally manipulated by her crush to co-foster the 7 year old boy from her classroom (who has a junkie mother might I add), who is also the second cousin of said crush. She moves in with her infant babygirl in a house mid renovation with both kids and the sporadically present firefighter crush.... and all the 'romance' she (and we) gets is him forcing a sharing. a bed situation when she's too worn out (from single-handedly caring for the kids) and a rather underwhelming spicy scene on a couch in the basement as a date!!

I am sure you can read my anger through my words haha...hence the DNF.

This was a great book! The plot was interesting and I loved the banter and the chemistry in this book. I would highly recommend this book!

Such a cute book about a single mom going through a divorce and her brother’s recently divorced friend. Cute new take on instant family. Easy fun read.

While I really enjoyed the premise of this book, there were several formatting issues with the ebook that did impact my reading experience. The story had a lot of potential, but I felt that the romance, in particular, was rushed. The chemistry between the characters was evident, but the pace at which their relationship developed didn’t quite give it the depth I was hoping for.

Additionally, the book had a few too many plot points, which made the overall story feel cluttered. One particular storyline involving an ex-wife felt unnecessary and, in my opinion, detracted from the main romance. It added some tension, but it wasn’t fully developed or resolved in a way that felt meaningful to the main plot.

Overall, while I was drawn in by the initial premise, I think the book would have benefitted from a more focused narrative and a slower buildup in the romance.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So friends to lovers, right place right time kind of book. I think that Lauren's character definitely is a jump full in her marriage with Derek, being a single mom, helping with Cash and living with Mason she's a jump right in girly. Mason is a man who get's what he wants. However the relationship with his ex is disgusting. The woman was manipulating him and he was letting her her threating to kill herself? Letting herself get ganged banged but then sees Mason cry and that's what changes her ? That's the only part I didn't find believable the rest was a great story!

This was such a cute romance story! Loved the way the author gave the appropriate amount of background and the banter between the couple is super cute.

I didn’t realize this was the third of this series but it was easily read as a stand alone. The premise of this book sold me, however it was very disappointing. I knew that Mason was described as a country firefighter, but he came across as a hillbilly to me. Using the nickname Dumplin for Lauren and the fact that she was ok with it was something that drove me crazy. When Cash was first taken into child protective services he was excited to talk to him on the phone. The rest of the book he was scared to have anything to do with him. I finished the book but mostly skimmed it. Thank you to NetGalley and Water’s Edge Publishing for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!

What a great book! This was a first for me by this author and I really enjoyed her writing style! I will definitely be reading more books by her. I enjoyed the plot and the characters in this book. They worked so well together! I had a hard time putting this book down.

No me gustó. Al final, me sentí enojada porque Lauren se quedó con un tremendo tarado.




Se supone que Mason es un buen hombre, pero nunca vi nada de eso. Prácticamente le pide a Lauren que se vaya a vivir con él para que los servicios sociales le den la custodia de su sobrino, cuando y a tiene a Ash, quien lo cuida todo el tiempo es ella. Él, como es bombero, casi no está en casa, y cuando está, es un inútil, no ayuda en nada. Luego, de repente, se hacen novios (no entiendo qué le vio ella).
Después aparece su exesposa, quien le manda cartas, mensajes, lo llama y lo visita en su trabajo, y él siempre la recibe con los brazos abiertos. Incluso va a la casa de su exsuegra a ayudarla, y cuando Lauren se entera, no lo toma bien, ya que su exesposo le fue infiel y no quiere pasar por eso de nuevo. Uno esperaría que Mason le diera prioridad a su nueva pareja, pero en lugar de eso, decide seguir ocultando que sigue cuidando de su ex.

*Hago un pequeño paréntesis: se supone que su ex lo está acosando, que él no quiere saber nada de ella, y aún así sigue viéndola, contestando sus llamadas y recibiéndola en su trabajo. ¿Cómo se supone que la ex entienda que debe dejarlo en paz si él nunca le dice nada?

Ahora llegamos a la mejor parte: Lauren los encuentra besándose. Él le dice que fue un beso a cambio de que ella lo deje en paz para siempre. Obviamente, ella no le cree, y en lugar de pedir disculpas por la estupidez que cometió, él comienza a gritarle y a decirle que ella solo buscaba un pretexto para dejarlo. ????

Lauren está muy triste, y su mamá, en lugar de apoyarla, se pone del lado del infiel. ¿Por? Obviamente, esa conversación hace que Lauren crea que la culpable era ella (obvio no lo era), y decide hacer un gran gesto, pidiendo disculpas y declarando su amor. Hace su declaración, él la perdona (no tengo idea de por qué tendría que perdonarla), se reconcilian y son felices.

Bullheaded Heart is the third addition to the Waterfall Canyon series. We met our main characters, single mom, Lauren and firefighter, Mason already in previous books.

Lauren is apprehensive, but dives into her new life with Mason, taking care of two children. I loved Laurens relationship with Cash. Despite what we learn about Mason originally he's really a cinnamon roll. I can't get over how sweet he is, and how amazing he is with Athena.

As much as I loved these mcs, my only downside is also with them (they're kind of both red flags) The fact that Mason goes from a super sweet and caring guy, to fairly rude and nasty (over text) and Lauren's back and forth about her problems with Mason's ex, just seemed to bother me too much.

If you've read the rest of Waterfall Canyon we also get to see a little of Raven and Beau (Hotheaded Heart) and Kelsey and Dominic (Lighteheaded Heart)