Simply Mine by Laura Pavlov is live!
The fourth standalone in the Honey Mountain series, this is a gorgeous best-friend’s-brother, friends-to-lovers romance that is sweet and sexy and beautifully romantic. I love these characters, I love their story, and I really loved this book.
Amazon
Blurb
She’s looking for Mr. Right. I can offer her Mr. Right Now. That’s my specialty.
He’s my best friend’s older brother.
He was also my teenage crush and completely out of reach.
But we had our secrets—moments that nobody knew about.
I’d tucked them away in a safe place, and that’s where I’d planned to keep them.
He’d moved to the city, and I’d moved on.
But now he was back in Honey Mountain for a few weeks.
And he’d found endless reasons to spend time with me.
What started out as rekindling our friendship turned into a different kind of… stroking the fire.
No pun intended.
It was temporary.
Just another secret that we’d keep between us.
Ledger Dane came with an expiration date.
He’d always been one foot out the door.
Why would this time be any different?
Review
“Sometimes, everything you want is right in front of you.”
4.5 stars
The fourth standalone in the Honey Mountain series, this is a gorgeous best-friend’s-brother, friends-to-lovers romance that is sweet and sexy and beautifully romantic. I love these characters, I love their story, and I really loved this book.
Charlotte is one of the five Thomas sisters in the series. She has had a crush on her best friend’s older brother for as long as she can remember. They were the closest of friends until things got a little heated one night, and the awkwardness from that moment led to them drifting apart. They now live in different cities and haven’t seen each other for years. But Ledger is coming home for his sister’s wedding, setting up an epic reunion.
Ledger is a successful architect, and he’s made a good life for himself in the big city. He’s happy to be back in Honey Mountain though, and he’s even happier to have the chance to catch up with his old friend, Charlie. As the only two members of the bridal party for his sister’s wedding, Ledger takes it upon himself to make up reasons for them to catch up, desperately wanting to rekindle the friendship that he misses so much.
It’s a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed seeing Ledger and Charlie find their way back to each other. There’s a clear connection between them, and an openness and honestly to their friendship that feels so natural. And there’s also attraction. It’s always been there, and now that they are back together, it’s more intense than ever, and every interaction has this flirtatious undertone that they’re both very much aware of, and that sizzles off the page. But they want different things, and a relationship between them would never work… which is why Ledger proposes a fling while he is in town.
“You’re acting completely crazy. Are you forgetting several things?”
“Such as?”
“Such as…we’re working on our friendship.”
“Fuck that. I was all for it, but now that I’ve kissed you, I want to do it again.”
Charlie has always been the ‘good girl’. She’s only had two boyfriends, she doesn’t sleep around, so she’s initially horrified by the idea of a fling with one of her best friends. But the more she thinks about it, the idea grows on her. And when her ever-supportive sisters get involved and encourage her to live a little, it’s on.
“No one’s ever made me feel the way you do. So, selfishly, I want that. I want you to show me what I’ve been missing. Make me feel alive, even if just for a few days.”
And oh damn, it’s hot!
“I’m taking my time with you tonight. I’ve waited my whole fucking life for this.”
The shift from friends to more is effortless. It’s sexy and intense, it feels right, and it rocks both of their worlds, and they relish in the opportunity to explore their mad lust for each other. But when it’s time for Ledger to leave town, letting go is not as easy as either of them anticipated.
In a simpler world, this girl would be mine.
Simply mine.
But the world wasn’t that simple.
I really enjoyed this story. It’s got the fun flirtiness, the passionate romance, and the emotion is heartfelt and beautifully written. The fact that they are so honest with each other makes the emotion all the more raw, and I truly felt for both of these characters. The storyline is no surprise, but I loved the way they handle it and the way it all plays out.
Charlie absolutely shines – firstly as the woman who is willing to take a chance, and then as a woman who stands up for herself and what she wants from her life.
And Ledger’s confusion and vulnerability made my heart ache. He is dealing with a lot, I could understand where he was coming from, and I loved seeing him deal with it all and come to terms with some pretty big realisations as he figures out what he wants.
“You are all that I want, Charlie … My life does not work without you. You are what’s been missing. What’s always been missing. Only you.”
*dreamy sigh*
The story ends beautifully, of course, with lots of happy feels and a gorgeous epilogue, and I finished this book feeling all loved-up with a big grin on my face.
Just gorgeous – 4.5 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Honey Mountain
Always Mine (#1) (Vivian & Niko)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Ever Mine (#2) (Everly & Hawk)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Make You Mine (#3) (Ashlan & Jace)
Review
Buy: Amazon
About Laura
Laura Pavlov writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance that will make you both laugh and cry. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome almost grown kids, and dog-whisperer to a couple of crazy Yorkies. Laura resides in Las Vegas where she is living her own happily ever after.
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