Buy:  Amazon

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Review

4 stars!

I’m a huge fan of Laura Pavlov, she has become an auto-buy author for me, and I have eagerly thrown myself into her last few series. So I thought it was time to go back and explore some of her earlier releases, and was so excited to start this one, the first book in the Montgomery Brothers series, an enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine billionaire romance, and I loved it.

Ford is the eldest of the Montgomery brothers. After the sudden death of his beloved father five year previously, he took over as CEO of the family’s billion dollar empire, and he has dedicated his life to his job, with little time for anything else. When his two, lighter-hearted younger brothers hire out space in their building to a new business owner, Ford thinks they’ve lost their minds. Until he meets young business owner, Harley, and his world is turned upside down.

Harley survived a horrible childhood and she’s doing her best to put it behind her and make a good life for herself. Opening her own bakery is the culmination of a dream, and years of hard work, and it’s very quickly a success. But she lives with the threat of her thieving, drug dealing mother over her head and does her best to keep her head down and keep her loved ones close and safe. She doesn’t have time for a relationship, or her snobby, condescending landlord, who is also her new business partner.

It’s a fantastic set-up for an enemies-to-lovers romance, with entertaining banter and bickering, and I loved watching the two of them bitch and moan about the other, all while secretly developing a mad attraction.

Things change between them when they admit their attraction, but Ford only does hook ups while Harley only does relationships. They’re completely up front about it all with each other, and lay everything out on the table (which I love!) but neither of them are prepared to compromise, so they become friends instead. They develop a gorgeous friendship, and I loved seeing them start to get all up in each other’s lives.

And then the shift comes, and OMG, I was so ready for it! It’s natural, it’s easy, it’s sweet and it’s sexy, and I loved watching these two come together. The romance is gorgeous, and develops so beautifully, and we get to see lots of moments between them which had me smiling and swooning. Harley brings Ford back to life, and watching him become a thoughtful and affectionate romantic hero is so sweet. But they still have some pretty huge challenges ahead of them.

There is drama and angst, but it’s external to the relationship, and I loved watching Harley and Ford work through it all. Some of it is expected, but there are some surprises in this one too, and it kept me captivated as it all played out.

I enjoyed this world, the characters and their story. Harley is strong and likeable, though perhaps a little bit of a Mary Jane – everybody immediately loves her – but she’s a sweetheart, and a perfect match for Ford, who is falling in love for the first time and finally realising what’s important in his life. And I loved getting to meet the Montgomery crew; Jack’s brothers, Harrison and Jack, are so entertaining, and I love the bond between the brothers. Pavlov writes family and friend dynamics so well, and these boys are just gorgeous.

I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Amelie Griffin and Nelson Hobbs, and it’s a great listen. I loved this one, and I can’t wait to continue on with the series.

4 stars.

 

Montgomery Brothers