More Than We Bargained For

I think this is the first romance I ever read that takes place at someone's 'mid-age' where she has two kids with another on the way and currently wrapping up her divorce to a man who simply CANNOT believe anyone would leave him no matter how despicable his actions. I've read plenty shallow ones (in comparison) about the after, but never to during.

Starla is a librarian in her small town of Timber Falls. She's as good as divorced, something the local residence seem to have a hard time grasping. Out-layer, Sawyer Devereaux is secretly glad. He's had a thing for Starla for years and hated watching her suffer from a distance. He tried to cheer her up in his own way, secretly dropping off a box of books at her work once a week. But when his health condition interferes he gets something even better, Starla and her kids living right next door and Starla as his personal chauffeur because she's doing HIM a favor.

This is an interesting book. Maybe it's because the author does go a bit more in depth on feelings and such. I mean, as an example, Charlie was an adultering idiot who thought his wife would NEVER leave him because he's just...such a catch. But he wasn't JUST that. He was a loving dad, for one. Most romances just paint the ex as the bad guy, but in this one he's just painted as a guy who treated his wife poorly, and slept around on her. However, he's great with their kids and wants to be actively involved in their lives. When he FINALLY gets it through his thick skull that Starla is leaving him for good, he has a complete emotional meltdown (in a healthy way), and eventually tells her he just wants her to be happy because he knows he screwed up their lives. In the end he still wants to be friends with her and be around for his kids. He's even there for the birth of their 3rd child. I think that's a pretty good relationship goal to have coming out of a divorce.

Now, apply that journey and result to both Starla's and Sawyer's individual issues and you can see why this isn't 'just' a romance. This book actually talks about its character like they are real, live people with depth and dimension. They have their own issues and their own ways of working them out. I LOVED that. Not to mention Sawyer is a bit of a softy. That's not usually featured in a romance, a guy with a soft heart he's not ashamed of showing. It was kind of cute. lol

Conclusion

This book may not be for everyone, but if you are looking for a pretty clean and fluffy romance that feels like something that could be straight out of real life, this one is definitely for you! I certainly enjoyed it!

The perfect contemporary romance to binge read and distract yourself! I read through this book in two sittings, only split into two because I had to sleep before zoom classes the next day. All that meaning to say, this is one of my favorite kinds of reads, especially with a busier schedule.

My favorite guilty read is a quick contemporary romance and More Than We Bargained for has the sweetest characters. Not to mention I love book-themed books... I know, it makes no sense, but a book-loving character is always appreciated! However, let's get to the point, the romance. The romance is sweet, genuine, and makes you want to find a love that strong. It has all the feels. Starla is such a strong woman and her character is so lovable. Then there's Sawyer who is practically a book lover's dream and not to mention a sweet and considerate person.

While I usually tend to read young adult romances, this book is such a great reminder of why books starring a slightly older heroine can be such a different representation of the variety of lives lived. Starla and Sawyer tackle some of the issues not seen as often in young adult novels, which is both refreshing, enlightening, and genuine.

This is truly a romance you should pick up if you're looking for a beautiful little escape, full of those butterflies, and a healthy, beautiful romance.

I love when I try a new author that turns out to be a winner! Such was the case with this adorable book. Starla and Sawyer have both been knocked around a bit by life. Sawyer is dealing with serious health problems that made it impossible for him to continue doing the work he loves as a surgeon. Starla is in the middle of divorcing her cheating husband when she backslides in a weak moment on Valentine's Day and now finds herself with a third child on the way. She is still determined to go through with the divorce even though her ex, her parents, her kids, and half the town, think she should just go back to him.

Starla knows Sawyer casually as the town "hermit", the cousin of her best friend, and patron of the library where she works. What she doesn't know is that Sawyer has had a crush on her for several years, but is too shy and too weighed down by his illness to approach her. When he suffers a seizure one day at the library though, he and Starla move beyond casual acquaintance and into a friendship that quickly grows into something much bigger. I loved how genuinely good and kind they both were and how they treated each other with respect. I also appreciated that the author didn't minimize the difficulties that Sawyer was facing, but at the same time made it clear that he is still a whole person who deserves love and should be treated the same as anyone else. Sawyer had been hiding away, but his love for Starla helps him see that he still deserves a satisfying life and should continue to pursue his dreams. Meanwhile, after feeling discounted and minimized all her life, Starla finally stands up for what she wants and pursues her own dreams.

There are a few bumps along the road, but overall, this was a pretty low angst, feel good kind of romance. It's the fourth book in the series, and although I didn't feel at all lost, prior couples do make appearances and I definitely want to go back and check out their stories.

This was the kind of book that puts a smile on your face. Small town romance with some serious subjects handled in a beautiful way.

Starla and Sawyer were so cute together. Their banter and shyness was adorable. I fell hard for these two. I loved the sweet, slow burn feel of this book and the supporting characters made for a really rich story. I definitely enjoyed it.

Loved it. May have shed just as many tears as Sawyer. A terrific tale of two people discovering life is worth living for now and for oneself. Wonderful friends and family characters. This is the first in the series that I have read. I am eager to read more.

Want a cute, sweet romance that will give you warm fuzzies? Read More Than We Bargained for... you won’t be sorry.

I love that our perfect hero has a vulnerable side, and our feisty heroine has her own insecurities. Their imperfect yet perfect for each other. All Sawyer wants is to help the beautiful librarian he’s been crushing on. Diagnosed with a life changing illness, he’s decided happily-ever-after isn’t in the cards for him, but he’ll do anything to make Starla happy and keep her safe. Sawyer just didn’t realize that by helping her, he’d fall deeper in love.

Starla dealt with her cheating husband for far too long. Even after filing for divorce, she just can’t shake Charlie, who seems to feel his infidelity isn’t a big deal. Charlie’s arrogance made me want to reach into the pages and throttle him, and yet he was a really good dad so I couldn’t hate him. But I loved Starla’s determination, even when her life takes an unexpected turn. Her banter with Sawyer was cute and oftentimes funny. They were adorable together.

This page-turning romance will make you smile, make you laugh, and leave you yearning for more.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of More Than We Bargained For. The review above is my honest opinion.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for a honest review

More Than We Bargained For by Fiona West was delightfully engaging, with character's I loved from the very start. Starla is in the process of getting a divorce from her husband because she caught him cheating on her. She also works at the library and someone keeps leaving her a box of books for her but she doesn't know who it is and it's driving her crazy. Sawyer has moved back home when he was diagnosed with a disease that left him unable to perform surgery. Sawyer has also always admired Starla but he fells shy around her until one day he has seizure in front of her. These two become friends and through that friendship, they eventually, become so much more. I enjoyed being in the town of Timber Falls with these two and I'm glad the author allowed us to see both POV's, it always helps me feel engaged with the character's. I also really found it satisfying to see their story slowly evolve and not be rushed. I am now really curious to go read Ainsley and Kyle's story.

I loved this story. It’s a quick read, but it’s so full of emotions and I loved the romance between Starla and Sawyer. It’s so sweet and almost sad when you think about what they will have to endure in the future, not that they would even care. This book is part of a series, but you can totally read it as a stand alone like I did. I will however read the other books because I have a feeling I will love them just as much as this one.

Loved this book - I haven't read the previous books in the series but I don't think that mattered.

Sawyer has been admiring Starla from afar, and after a series of events force them in to close proximity to each other, is now his chance? The book deals with some serious issues, but is still an entertaining read.

When I requested this book I did not know it was a part of a series. Now I definitely need to get to reading all the parts as I don't think I can manage without reading the story of the other characters.

The story follows Starla and Sawyer, both who are like town outcasts trying to fit in and struggling personally with their own lives. Starla, is a librarian who is juggling her career, her 2 kids and 1 kid who is on the way, an ex husband who doesn't want to give up and being the talk around town. Sawyer on the other hand is battling with his health issues. He suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and has no control over his body. When he has a seizure in front of Starla that he takes it upon himself to ask her to move in next door to him so she can be his personal Chauffeur and she gets a place to stay with her kids. It's a win win until they cannot keep away from each other.

The story is told from both their POV's and it's a cute and quick romance.This is my first book by Fiona West and I really LOVED IT. I literally stayed awake whole night to complete it.

When I requested it I didn't realize it was part of a series. This didn't impact on my enjoyment of the book. Looking forward to reading the rest.

I stayed up late to finish this book. I really enjoyed getting to know the two main characters. Town librarian Starla has finally decided to divorce her cheating husband. He’s a car salesman and, apparently, fits the stereotype of car salesmen. Unfortunately, she indulged in one last goodbye with him. Now she has little money, two disgruntled children who don’t understand why their world has changed, and she’s expecting a third. She’s tired of being a subject of gossip in her small town.

She ends up staying in the spare cabin that hunky loner Sawyer Devereaux happens to have. He’s been coming in regularly to the library for two years. He’s deeply attracted to Starla but hasn’t done anything about that. All that changes when his MS triggers a seizure right in front of her at the library. He eagerly offers the chance to stay in his spare cabin in exchange for driving him into town since he can’t drive. He’s dealing with the diagnosis of his disease and having to walk away from his career as a surgeon.

Sawyer is just the greatest guy. He’s wonderful with Starla’s children and he’s understanding of her need for independence. He doesn’t mind that she’s pregnant with another man’s baby. He just wants to love and help her.

The only thing I didn’t understand is why Starla’s cousin who is, apparently, her divorce lawyer, hasn’t gotten money from her ex-husband for child care. Why is Starla unable to buy groceries to feed her family? Any decent lawyer would have taken care of setting that up, especially a lawyer who is her cousin. But I guess the author needed her to be in desperate need of money so that she would move in next to Sawyer, but I would have liked a more realistic plot device.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.