Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestseller Score (Things We Never Got Over) shines in this endearing tale of second chances. Bestselling romance novelist Hazel Hart is spiraling after a difficult divorce and is perilously close to losing her publishing contract due to multiple missed deadlines when she impulse-buys a historic home in tiny Story Lake, Pa., sight unseen. Small-town life is an adjustment for the cosmopolitan Manhattanite, and she sticks out like a sore thumb among the locals, especially grumpy contractor Cam Bishop, who Hazel hires to refurbish her dilapidated home. As handsome and kindhearted as he is gruff, Cam provides the perfect inspiration for Hazel's next romantic hero and the more she writes about him, the more she falls for him in real life. Their connection is adorable--but when Hazel's detestable ex comes to town, he threatens their happy ending. Supporting characters--including an ornery bald eagle named Goose by the locals, and the town's teenage mayor--add considerable color and comedy, and despite the hefty page count the zippy plot never drags. By turns hilarious, heartwarming, and life-affirming, this lively tale may be Score's best yet. (Mar.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Romance novelist Hazel Hart is being evicted from her Upper East Side apartment and has nowhere to go. She's had writer's block since her divorce, and after delaying the publication date for her new novel three times, her publisher's patience has run out. So have Hazel's ideas. She impulse-buys, sight unseen, a charming old house in rural Pennsylvania, where she hopes she'll find the inspiration she's been lacking. The house needs extensive repairs; fortunately for Hazel, the best construction crew in town consists of three very hot brothers. Cam's family construction business desperately needs this renovation job, but he's sure Hazel will decide she doesn't like small-town life and flee back to the big city, leaving the company high and dry. So he does his best to preempt the inevitable and tries to run Hazel out of town by being argumentative. But Hazel matches his grumpiness with optimistic sunshine just to get on his nerves, and he kind of likes it. VERDICT The excellent writing Score's ("Knockemout" series) latest small-town romance pulls readers into Hazel's new life, featuring snarky humor, lots of banter, and hot chemistry between the well-developed protagonists. Highly recommended.--Heather Miller Cover
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A heartbroken romance author travels to small-town Pennsylvania in hopes of curing her writer's block and finding her own happy ending. Since Hazel Hart's marriage ended two years ago, she hasn't been able to write one believable word about happily-ever-afters. And unfortunately for Hazel, she's in the business of crafting HEAs that make her millions of fans swoon and come back for more. Stuck in a spiral of writer's block and trash TV, Hazel is months overdue on the deadline for the latest book in her bestselling Spring Gate series--something Zoey Moody, her best friend and literary agent, seldom fails to let her forget. But when Hazel receives an eviction notice from her ex-husband and her publisher threatens to drop her, she decides it's time to get her mojo back. Inspiration leads Hazel and Zoey from New York City to the quaint town of Story Lake, Pennsylvania, where Hazel spontaneously purchases a historic fixer-upper known as the Heart House that she'd read about in a newspaper article. She hopes to meet and write about Campbell Bishop, the handsomely rugged contractor who'd done some work on her new home in the past. Hazel and Zoey soon realize that their Hallmark-fantasy town is a bit eccentric, and Hazel experiences her first "meet-disaster" (the opposite of a "meet-cute") with none other than the man she's cast as her hero. Between Campbell and his brothers, Levi and Gage, and the town's wacky locals, there's enough material for Hazel's new romance series to practically write itself. And hooking up with Campbell Bishopdefinitely counts as research, as long as it's completely casual…but where's the happily-ever-after in being friends with benefits? Score's latest is funny and flirtatious, and readers will be charmed by Story Lake's kooky but lovable townsfolk--even as the book doesn't skimp on spice and sexual tension. No need to be disappointed when the book's over: The Campbell brothers are an easy setup for a Story Lake trilogy, and Score drops hints about Zoey and Gage's future in an author's note. Score's latest romance brings humor, heat, and plenty of hijinks. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
