Another cute but kinda slow romance on friends turned to lovers. Not my favorite trope but still something I like if presented well. The whole I-had-a-torch-for-you-when-we-were-sixteen kinda has rubbed off me though XD

Still Finn and Jess were a cute pair and I’m happy there weren’t any unnecessary third party drama although I was pretty much so mad with Liam and Kate at one point for totally intervening in their private matters. Hell these are 30 year olds not some preteens in love. They totally overstepped their boundaries and I was so glad as to how Jess stepped up to them and gave it to them raw. Jess was at that point without doubt one of my favorite badass protagonist. I also liked how confident she was of herself with Finn. She didn’t doubt and went ahead and everything in the story weren’t perfectly wrapped. They had their own troubles such as maintaining the place and their lives weren’t picture perfect seen through rose glasses. Hopefully we’ll get to see Ronan’s story too and he’s ultimately saved by the misery of his divorce

Great romance, great story and plot. Highly recommend to fans of the genre, and all others who like a good romance.

Sweet romance and the writing is okay. There was just too much filler stuff; the story moved too slowly, the first kiss between the main couple wasn't until about 50 percent into the story. I get they were both scared and unsure, but the whole thing was becoming boring. This is a friends to lovers type scenario. Jessie was really neurotic and everything was just too awkward most of the time. It also didn't seem like Jessie really thought much of being with Finn; I wish she felt more of a pull towards him sooner. The story does have some entertaining parts and the romance does have some cute moments. Overall, I just didn't connect with this story.

I have not had a chance to read this book, Once I have gotten a chance to read it I will edit this review to reflect my thoughts and feeling on the book.

The premise of this story fits perfectly in the series' title "Fishing for Trouble"....having feelings for your boss definitely falls into that category! Jessie and Finn have a fantastic dynamic between them and their years of working alongside one another have forged a bond like no other. In fact, Jessie holds enough trust in Finn to ask him for help to face her biggest fear. Feelings get in the way when we throw Jessie's ex into the picture (you know, just to keep things interesting!) who seems to still be hung up on her. Definitely a great addition to the series!

Fabulous book - I really like Drewry and the world she's building here. Recommended for fans of contemporary romance for sure.

Loved the second chapter of the O’Donnell family story. Great relationship development and personal growth. Good mates with potential to be more than just mates if they trust the other with long hidden secrets.

Sadly on this occasion this wasn’t for me and was a DNF

If you have ever fished and like romantic stories with humor, this is a wonderful story that will keep you reading.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the blurb for this book I was so excited to read it but honestly I was underwhelmed. This is book 2 in series and not having read the first book I did not feel like I was missing anything. Finn and Jessie have a nice friends to lovers story and I'm happy with that ARC of the story. As for Jessie's fear if water and that backstory, I did not think it was sufficiently resolved after being the cause of them finally ending up together. I loved the interaction of the brothers and would like to read their stories. Just thought it could have been much better.

LURED IN - Laura Drewry

#2 in the Fishing for Trouble romance series

FRIENDS TO LOVERS - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Jessie has buried herself in a remote fishing camp, taking care of everything about the business except the water-based activities. We suspect there's a secret there, but it's not really stated for a while. One of the brothers who own the camp is her secret crush, but he's clueless. Enter the brother, otherwise known as the Fish Whisperer, much to his disgust. He is suddenly having feelings for Jessie too, but they're both too afraid of ruining their friendship to act on their feelings.

Writing - 4 stars - I always get involved in Drewry's stories right from the beginning. In this case, she has built an interesting setting, remote and focused on fishing. But the relationships and family interactions are interesting, and the main characters' problems are somewhat different from the norm.

Characters - 4 stars - Jessie is a strong and independent character--a good businesswoman and definitely a dependable mainstay for the fishing camp. But her fears, based in her past, cause her to have doubts. I like her strength and determination to overcome her fear of water. Her defiant loyalty to the family and to the camp are admirable, and her hot temper makes her a formidable woman. Finn is the typical clueless guy, taking Jessie for granted, until one day he notices her and realizes he's had stronger feelings for her for a while. He's cute and unassuming, dealing with his own issues from his past, mainly concerning his mother and the family dynamic. He and his brothers are close but they never share their feelings, so they are not the typical touchy-feely family. And their hot tempers often flare up, but then quickly cool.

Title - 4 stars - Good title with a double meaning. It definitely captures the fishing theme, but it also leads us to understand that this romance is not going to be a slam-dunk.

Cover - 4.5 stars - Gorgeous cover. I like the muted colors, the dreamy photo, and the title written in cursive. All of these things combine to make this cover attractive and inviting.

Overview - 4 stars - This is a great friends-to-lovers romance. It wasn't totally obvious why Finn and Jessie suddenly decided to "see" each other, although it was implied that their feelings were based in trust, a previous problem area for both of them. The setting is wonderful since it lends itself to some unusual scenarios. Since all the characters live in this remote location together, they have lots of tight interactions. But adding the fishing guests keeps the story interesting and gives it motion and life. The whole book felt relaxed and enjoyable but read easily. Drewry always manages to create such warm and loving characters that I'm quickly drawn into her stories and rooting for a happy ending.

What a wonderful read did I find in 'Lured in' by Laura Drewry! One moment I've never heard of this author before and the next moment I put all her other books on my to buy/wishlist because I want to have them asap. This book knew how to carry me away from the first moment and delivered a delicious reading experience! A beautiful setting, wonderful and realistic characters with a beautiful story-line which involves a beautiful 'from friends to lovers - romance'! It's got humor, intensity, emotions and a lot of sexy-ness! On top of that an amazing writing style. What more could you want? Exactly!!An amazing book! Read on for the extended review.
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STORY-LINE DEVELOPMENT
I love reading about two people with different traumatic pasts and see how they also deal with it differently and at the same time deal with it the same; keep walking around with their demons instead of facing them head on. Until they find a confident in one another and are 'pressured' into facing their demons. I love the way their relationship develops and the way their life in general develops in this time frame.

I really liked reading about Finn's but also Jessie's background. Both went through some things in the past which are things you could connect to as reader being. The constant presence of these traumatic happenings from the past in their present life is understandable.. With Finn the fact he can't bind himself to another woman, he just can't fully give his heart away because of the things his mother did in the past and Jessie's fear for water and not daring to swim anymore ever since the accident with her sister, which she never really processed in a right way (which is truly heart wrenching because it must be terrible living with the knowledge of what happened and keep reliving those moments over and over again for years. It had me in tears when Jessie finally opened up about the accident and talked to Finn about it, THE FEEEEEEELS)

I love the way they communicate with each other; Jessie having no filter so she blurts out just about anything that pops in her mind, lol and Finn who's also one who likes to speaks his mind. The development of their sexual relationship is a joy to read as well. From their first kiss to everything expanding into something 'more'.. the author really knows how to build up the romance and make you commit to it on every possible emotional level. I was an addict while reading this book and it had me blushing several times, lol. The 10-year-old-friendship-to-lovers-romance is so well developed. The author knew how to take everything out of every aspect available and make it into an amazing heart-wrenching story. It's intense and emotional and a page turner from beginning till end. It's funny, realistic and incredibly sexyyyy.. a perfect package for a perfect romance story!

CHARACTERS.
Finn, Jessie, Kate, Olivia and the other O'Donnell brothers; they are amazing! the characters you'll come across feel very realistic, credible and are very interesting. I LOVED every second I spent with them so much! In this story Finn is a lead character but his brothers Liam and Ronan have the same pull Finn has and all I say now is; you want MORE of the O'Donnell brothers from the first moment you meet em!

Finn is a real manly-man to call it so and I love it! A hard working, sexy-ass specimen of a man, prr.. He's had a crush on Jess in the past which is coming back to the surface after Jess asks him to teach her how to swim - she want's to conquer her fear of water. Finn can't pass up on the opportunity of spending one-on-one time with Jess and he desperately wants to be the one who helps her conquer her fears. Their attraction towards one another is off the charts and soon both Finn and Jess are lost in each other. But opening op for Jess means facing some of his own demons and will he be able to conquer them or does he need to let go of Jess before he'll hurt her? That's the million dollar question..

As for female leads, Jessie is just awesome! She's so REAL and funny! I just couldn't stop smiling throughout this book whenever she was around. She's got her heart on her tongue and speaks her mind and her way of thinking is so funny so when she 'throws things out there'.. it's hilarious haha. She's a woman with a traumatic past, which keeps haunting her. She thought she'd never find the 'one' until reality hits her in the face and she finds out she's been working with him for over 10 years. Jessie's story is heart warming, moving, sad and romantic at the same time. As a reader, I felt really connected to her and reading her story and development throughout the book was an intense reading experience for me. Jessie is a character you keep close to your heart and will never forget.

WRITING STYLE.
The writing is deliciously good and I'm really bummed out the book is only available as e-book because damn, how I'd love it if I was able to add the book to my collection and be able to re-read the story with a physical book in my hands. *sad face*. But seriously, the writing is so good and addictive and made me want to read non-stop. The author really balances out a vivid writing of the scenery in combination with the emotional aspect of the story.

SETTING.
I really like the setting and with that vivid writing of the author it felt like I was right in the middle of everything. The vivid writing gives you a beautiful mental picture of your surroundings and makes sure you loose yourself in it. I absolutely loved this scenery; the scenery at the water with boats in the dock and a nice homey café/restaurant, rooms for guests and surrounded by a lot of nature. Yep, I could totally visualize everything very good and I loved it. It feels familiar and safe when you start reading about Jess living there, working there in that scenery in between the O'Donnell brothers. It felt like home even though I've got no idea how it really is living like that, lol. But the beautiful writing style accomplished making me feel that way.

Extra|
The reason why I didn't gave it a 5 star rating is because of some showdowns at the end. Yes, the moment THE showdown is there it's incredibly romantic and such, but at the same time it felt a bit like the author just wanted to 'get it over with', even that may not be the case for her but it came across like that to me. I would've liked it better if the course of development towards the end was written somewhat more extensive.. I'll tell you why in a spoiler message down below. So only click on the BLURRED text if you don't care reading spoilers.

[spoiler]The moment Jess leaves for example is really abrupt and I'd liked there to be an extra scene in which she'd be face-to-face with Finn before she decides to leave. That would've given it more emotional baggage and would've been an awesome addition to the story in general I think.  Now it was like: Finn's coming back from his boat trip and Jess is gone and at the same time we didn't read this happening from Jess's POV either so it was really out of the blue for me to read about. Okay, it was already kind of obvious she was going to leave the business but I just would've liked it to get some more written attention, know what I mean? Just somewhat abrupt for me, that's all. And the moment Finn's going after her and he builds her that sandcastle; it's FFFFFing romantic, reallyyyyy <3 But again; I would've liked MORE, lol. Just making that scene and the way Jess left a bit more extended would've made the difference and would've made it a 5 star rating for me instead of the 4 star rating it now got - which is still really good!![/spoiler]

CONCLUSION.
Overall this read just gave me almost anything I could've wanted from a romantic book like this so I definitely can't complaint in that regard. I really loved reading it and couldn't stop once I've started. These characters lured me in - see what I did there? lol - and got me hooked instantly.

So, if you're looking for a read with:
- a BEAUTIFUL SETTING... check
- AMAZING and REALISTIC characters...check
- a BEAUTIFUL and ENTHRALLING STORY-LINE...check
- a beautiful developing 'FROM FRIENDS TO LOVERS - ROMANCE'...check
- HUMOR...check
- INTENSITY...check
- EMOTION...check
- SEXY-NESS!!!!...check,check, double check!
- an AMAZING WRITING STYLE...check
Then this should definitely be your next read! Unfortunately it's only available as e-book - I'd love it to add this book to my physical collection. But seriously; this needs to be on your 'digital' shelf!

4 Stars

I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, love, and heartbreak.

Before reading this story please read the below books first:
Off the Hook (Fishing for Trouble #1)

This is Jessie and Finn’s story. Finn is Jessie’s best friend. Her feelings for Finn have been changing and she is falling for him. When he tells her that her ex is hosting a show at the lodge she is happy to see a friend but that is all the ex is. Finn has a crush on Jessie but fears all the changes she is going though by trying to overcome her fears is for her ex. Can they figure out their feelings before something goes wrong? Or will they never know that they both love each other?

I felt I could connect with the characters and the story was a great read.

I recommend this book.