The start was promising, with the cutest cover and innuendos: but delving deeper into the book I was disappointed.

Things I liked:
The dedication
The way he describes her & thinks of her was cute, "she was adorable on a regular day. Inebriated? He'd met certain sociopaths who would be charmed by her"
And the representation of PTSD and ankylosing spondylitis

Things I did not like
1. The smut vocab was poor and cringy as hell
2. Unnecessarily descriptive vocab
3. "It wouldn't be his first bare-handed kill, but it would be the first with his dick swinging in the breeze"

Plot:
Cady receives weekly phone call orders for her bookshop from a mysterious man. After her bookstore is broken into, a new mysterious man comes into town. Oddly enough she was on the phone with Fox as the break in was occurring. Could they be the same man?

Characters:

Cady: main character; runs a bookstore; has a chronic illness
Fox: former major in the army; has PTSD; doesn't like being around people
Gemma: Cady's best friend; is on the council
Ethan: sheriff; is romantically interested in Cady; doesn't like Fox
Caryn: councilwoman; Ethan's mom; illegal surveillance; part of the bookclub
Myrtle: friend of Cady's; funny; member of the bookclub
Vee: owns a spicy shop; funny; member of the bookclub


Overall:
I personally liked the amount of representation for people with chronic illness, PTSD, and people who are not petite. I also thought that the setting of the town was really fun and I wish there was also more of an exploration of it. With that being said this book still fell a bit short for me. I thought that the dialogue was somewhat immature for both of the main characters. There were many moments where I had to stop and remember how old the characters were supposed to be.

In terms of romance I was confused. I felt that they had not known enough about each other to warrant how passionate Cady was about him. She literally did not know his name for 94% of the book. He continually ran away because he felt he was getting too close, which I, personally, would absolutely hate because if you like someone would you not want to be with them??? The reason he didn't want to be with her is because he didn't want to ruin her perception of him. He did have some redeeming qualities. He was compassionate, kind and helpful. Parts of her would lock up and he would know exactly what to do to help soothe her. Those moments were great and I wish there had been more like them. I also wished that they spoke more about themselves so that they got to know each other better. At about the 90% mark we get an info dump of both of their lives, which could have been delivered throughout the book.

One large bone I would like to pick is the stalking. I cannot call it anything else. Dude was really on the mountain with binoculars staring through her window. He was also creeping around town to watch her. The only reason they met was because she walked up to him and asked him for help moving things around. If she hadn't he would still be watching.
In fact if she had not literally chased him up a mountain and said I'm not leaving until you come with me, they would not be together.

I really adored the concept in theory, but it just didn't work for me personally. Maybe Morally Grey isn't a trope for me, but the voyeurism was offputting and creepy to me. I really loved the chronic pain rep, book love, and mystery, but It was ruined by the stalking and spying. That said, I enjoy the town, the characters, and world-building so I will stick with the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Just about everything about this book was a big yes for me when I read the description. Small town mysteries, a story rooted in strong, well written friendships between women, a bookish girl with odd, spooky hobbies and interests trying to find her place, the inclusion of disability representation, a man with a sexy voice and a protective streak... Honestly, I was salivating. And in a lot of ways, I ended up *really* enjoying this book.

Cady Bloomquist--the inherited owner of Nevermore Bookstore and Townsend Harbor's first leading lady--was a beautifully written character who was funny and flawed and insecure and so, so interesting to read. The way she spoke was hilarious and her friendship with Gemma and with the other members of their book club was so endearing and felt so real and fun that I wanted to be one of them. I even found myself relating to Cady in so many ways--maybe not the weird obsession with terrifyingly deformed taxidermied animals, but still.

In all honesty, I think this book would have been an easy 5-star read for me, if it weren't for one massive, unforgivable flaw that is the giant red flag Fox carries around with him for the majority of the book. I mean, aside from the already odd living in the woods thing which I could absolutely have gotten past, there was the camping out in the middle of town and spying through her windows, during *very* private and intimate moments or not; posing as someone else in her life and essentially catfishing her and confusing her feelings; not telling her the truth about who he is and why he refuses to see her and thereby making her feel more inadequate than she already did...it's just messy.

There's for sure more, and it was so difficult, because when they were good, they were *so* good that he even had me glancing awkwardly at my raging feminism and considering letting him have a pass. But despite the love I have for Cady and her friendships and the genuinely cute romance they found their way to through their traumas, his behavior was decidedly not it for 75% of the book, and that just dragged the good parts of the book down.

Oooo I do love a strong and mysterious male hero 😍 Fox/luke was sweet but definitely a stalker so please check for trigger warnings before reading! Cady is really well written and I loved both the mental and physical health representation along with bereavement. The side characters such as Gemma were great fun also

Like some other reviewers I was expecting Luke/Fox to be a werewolf but he was great even without that!

Thank you Net Galley for providing this book and allowing me to read it in advance. I was unable to personally get into this book but that is the power of reading. There’s books for everyone. I know someone else will adore it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC of the Nevermore Bookstore. I was so excited to read this as a fairly new romance reader and a lover of bookstores. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to enjoy. Between the cringe-y phrasing and jokes that just didn't land, it was hard to finish. On top of that, the story was so shallow that I never really got invested in the characters. I will give props to the writers however for their depictions of chronic illness and complex PTSD which I thought was well done. Overall, just sort of a meh read.

Thank you NetGalley, Oliver Heber Books and Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin for this ARC!

𝚃𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚜 / 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝:

⤑ Kooky Small Town
⤑ Plus Sized Heroine
⤑ Chronic Illness and PTSD Representation
⤑ Bookstore Setting
⤑ False Identify
⤑ Mutual Pining


This had great aspects at the start. The FMC Cady is very lovable - she’s gone through quite a lot, after losing her aunt and trying to keep her bookstore afloat, while also dealing with chronic pain, she falls for a mysterious customer whom she has never met while speaking over the phone. But he has his own secrets and past haunting him. There were moments of this read, especially with Cady and how she spoke to others that I loved. Fox’s background also had me cheering for him once we learned about it, but overall it was too little too late to be invested in this story. They had me at the start, but they did lose me.

This is listed as a Humour / Satire. If it was meant to be a satire of Romance books - I didn’t get it. It wasn’t sharp or direct enough. But it did not work for me as a romance. Tonally it was all over the place. Our MMC is pulled right out of a dark romance, shady past and thinking he’ll destroy the FMC by being near her included. But our FMC and the group of townspeople around her are kooky and silly, typical romcom fair. I got no satisfaction from the half attempts in either genre.

Because of this tonal shift that happens consistently throughout the read all of the extra information in-between our FMC and MMC interactions feels so long and unnecessary. Even if it is character building backstory, I just was not invested at all in these people getting together because the writing was long-winded, weighed down with needless details. Also when we did finally get to the interactions they were so cringey. Not swoony or romantic, I could feel the attempt at swoon which somehow made it worse.

Books can be great when they are ‘no plots, just vibes’, but this had clear plot points and then failed to utilise them for my attention or entertainment. I won’t continue with this series.

Quick Summary: A strange & bizarre coupling

My Review: Nevermore Bookstore by Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin is book one in the Townsend Harbor book duo. It is described as a "Hot, Kink-Positive, Morally Gray, Grumpy-Sunshine Rom com."

About the Book: Two strangers with a penchant for flirty book discussions, dirty phone talk, saucy looks, covert contact, and spicy sessions are brought together. Both have issues of challenge that complicate their lives. Despite the significant hardships, they find something special in each other.

My Favorite Scenes (coded to avoid spoilers):

- Your Name is Bob?
- Order in the Court
- 1, 2, 3...Reveal
- These Two
- Cop-a-squat
- A New Normal

My Final Say: This story was somewhat up and down, in my opinion. There were elements that I really enjoyed, but there were also elements that I did not care for. The pacing fluctuated, shifting between slow and go throughout. Overall, it was a passable read. With that said, readers may need to motivate themselves to push forward until the end. Some people will like this book, while others may not. In the end, I can definitely say that Townsend Harbor is certainly not boring.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: +/-
Audience: A

Thanks to the author and to the publisher (Oliver Heber Books) for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

I really tried to like this one but just couldn’t get into it. The premise was not my favorite. I DNF’d this one, sadly.

I liked the story idea and the characters. But I didn't finish the book. The content was to explicit for my liking.

The book start really good for me, i was enjoying it! but then, everything start turnin so weird and crepy that unfortunaly, i just couldnt connect with the story at all and Fox, the hero, was too crepy for my taste, i didnt like much his character,,, i just feel the book wasnt for me

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

I have read some of Ms. Byrne's historical books and enjoyed them, so I was excited when I saw she had a new contemporary book and was anxious to give it a try. This is the first book of a new series, Townsend Harbor and is a collaboration with a new-to-me author, Cynthia St. Aubin. The writing style was different and unique, with quirky and interesting characters that kept my interest till the end. Cady manages a bookstore left to her by her aunt. Other than the bookstore, she doesn't have a lot going on in her life. Except if you count the weekly calls she gets from a mystery caller who orders books every Thursday. Fox, the mystery caller, likewise looks forward to the weekly calls. Cady brings a brightness to him every week and there's nothing more he wants than to have that time with her. Because other that the those calls, no matter how much he wishes he could be with her in person, he doesn't think himself worthy of that. He has a lot of painful baggage from his past, and he doesn't think happiness is in the cards for him.
The story was entertaining and sweet and made me smile. The characters were relatable and I enjoyed getting to know them and the fun and witty dialogue between them. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more of the series.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Another ARC finished! I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Nevermore Bookstore follows Cady Bloomquist, a young woman dealing with the loss of her aunt, her chronic illness (shout-out to @korndiddy from the Try Guys for teaching me what AS is like), and running her aunts bookstore on a tourist town. Her best stress relief comes in the form of weekly calls with a mysterious man named Fox, who is dealing with his own mental health issues post military. When Fox overhears someone breaking in the store what lengths will he go to help the woman he can't get out of his head?

Is this book great fiction? No. Did I enjoy the hell out of it? Yes. Cady's had numerous one liners that made me giggle and I'm a sucker for small towns populated with weirdos a la Gilmore Girls. My only complaint is how Cady acted post break-in because no woman is totally chill after something like that. Was Fox an odd character? Yes. Was he also super hot? Also yes. If you're looking for a fun book for easy reading this summer I would recommend Nevermore Bookstore!

Thank you Netgalley, Kerrigan Byrne, and publishers for gifting me a copy of Nevermore Bookstore in return for my honest opinion.

2.5/5 stars

TW: PTSD, Suicide, death in the family

I did not read the blurb on the back of this book, I saw all the hype on Instagram and requested it on NetGalley. I expected it to be a paranormal romance, from the cover, to even the first chapter it gives off an otherworldly vibe! After reading the blurb it gives off that vibe as well. I was waiting for him to be a vampire hunter and she is a vampire that he falls in love with. But nope that is not what we got.

What we got was a war veteran suffering from PTSD and a girl who runs a bookstore and suffers from chronic pain. They start their relationship off over the phone with her falling for his velvety voice and him falling for her quirkiness. When a break-in happens in her shop when they are on the phone will be able to overcome his issues to help her?

I wanted to love this book so much but I was let down. From the slowly unfolding plot, we don't find out his real name till the last 1/4th of the book, to one of the main characters being a stalker it was all too much for me. There were also some weird quotes and writing in this book one such was "Tested the texture of lady pubes the world over, have we, James Bond?" This is the most normal one out of all that I found! While I enjoyed the highlight on chronic illness and PTSD it couldn't make up for the subpar characters and the lazy plot.

This book started so well. From the cover, you would believe it's a nice calm, fun story. This book is not a romance novel at all its erotica. It starts with a nice story. But then all the bedroom antics starts, and it's no longer a story, just graphic details. If this is the type of book you go for, then give it a go. It is certainly not for me. I felt completely blindsided. I tried my hardest to get through the book, but it was way too much of that and not enough story. If you like medium spice books, this is not for you. This is extreme and needs to be reclassified as erotica or at least put in the synopsis spice level of 5/5, so I had a chance to avoid books like this.

I really enjoyed this book! I found Fox streange at first but quickly opened up to his introverted ways. Fox and Cady had a unique story that I would love to read more of!

The Nevermore Bookstore was an interesting story of Cady and Fox. It does start out a little slow and a little challenging to understand the dynamics between all the characters but once it gets going it is hard not to cheer for Cady and Fox.

Cadence “Cady” Bloomquist knows two things for sure: First, shelving books at her shop, Nevermore Bookstore, totally counts as cardio. Second, staying late every Thursday night to take a certain mysterious customer’s order is not the same as waiting by the phone for some man.

Until.

Until the calls with the man who identifies himself only as “Fox” last for hours, and become the highlight of her week. Which leaves her to wonder, if his jagged velvet voice can kindle her fire over the phone, what sort of alchemy might it inspire if they met in person?

There’s nothing Roman Fawkes wants more than the brilliant, beautiful bookstore owner, but Roman Fawkes knows it can never happen. Secreted in his mountain hideaway high above sleepy little Townsend Harbor, his hermit’s existence shields him–and those around him–from the pain of his past.

Until.

Until one of their weekly calls is interrupted by a break-in, and Fawkes is powerless to protect the woman who has become his one link to the world. Orchestrating a trap for the fool who dared harm her, Fawkes finds himself not just ensnared, but beguiled by her. Now so close to Cady, he discovers she’s fallen for “Fox”, and yet he’s unable to reveal her heart’s desire is closer than she thinks.

Can Fawkes resist the temptation to get between Cady’s covers, knowing they’ll never have a happily ever after?

Nevermore Bookstore is a fairly typical brain candy book. I really LOVED the representation of chronic illness in this book. Also any book set in a bookstore is a go from me. The cast of quirky characters made this fun. However some of the writing was cringey & the plot felt a little flat. Grumpy/sunshine trope

I would like to thank NetGalley, the authors and Oliver Heber Books for providing me with a free ARC of this book in return for my honest and personal opinions.

This book is boring, despite the stunning cover, and I owe it to the fact that two authors collaborated on it.

The start is slow but good. Chapter one had me making friends with the dictionary. The sentences are structured such that they are difficult to read; this isn't one of those books you just dive into and it's 3 a.m. by the time you take your head out of it. The rest of it is an agonising slow burn, but the book redeems itself in chapter eighteen.

Cadence has ankylosing spondylitis, which causes immense physical pain. It's good to read about the representation of a chronic illness. Fox is a high-value provider man. Despite Cady grovelling for him (a trope I dislike), it didn't bother me at all in this book. The way he cares for her in the epilogue will make everything worth it.