It Happened On Love Street was one of those books that slowly drew me in - however, as I got to know the characters better and the sweet little town of Everland, Georgia, I became one smitten momma. I found myself sneaking away to get more time with Rhett and Pepper.  I loved them.

Here's the deal.  Pepper took every last dime she had and moved to Georgia for an internship. It was one of the last steps in her plan to re-route her life from the sleepy little town in Maine where she was born.  But once she arrives, nothing is as she planned. Her career goals are sidelined and she meets Rhett.  A man who not only charms the pants off her but pushes her boundaries beyond her fears.  He is a man who makes her want more.

This duo left me giddy.  They share an amazing courtship and I absolutely loved experiencing these two falling in love.

The best part was that Rhett was kind of the girl in the relationship. Starting things up with Pepper was the last thing he wanted. Suddenly though, he is in the middle of the town gossip and in Piper's arms - a place he realizes that he desperately want to be.  Love knocks him on his ass.

It's not all sunshine and roses - they have a few hurdles to overcome but it's entertaining and realistic.  Overall, I thought It Happened on Love Street was a sexy and charming romance.  It's one of those books that hooks you and you never want to reach the last page.  So my recommendation is that you pick up a copy as soon as possible.  I promise you'll enjoy your time in Everland.

For how panicked Pepper was at the beginning of the book by the mere presence of a dog, she certainly recovered quickly. Pepper and Rhett were fun to see grow together, through many obstacles. and lots of slightly loony side characters added humor to an endearing romance.

If you need an escape, this lighthearted and heartwarming romance is just the thing. This is the first book by Lia Riley that I've read and I'm so a happy I've now found this author. It Happened On Love Street focuses on two people who have suffered their own disappointments and find a kindred spirit in each other.

When Pepper moves from Manhattan to a small town in Georgia, anything that could go wrong does. She immediately finds herself out of work and facing down her biggest fear, dogs. Yes, dogs. She also finds herself in some serious one on one time with a handsome local veterinarian, Rhett. Both Pepper and Rhett are emotionally closed off but can't deny the spark between them.

Pepper is an endearing character and she has a great sense of adventure, but she's missing the sense of belonging somewhere. While Rhett has lived in Everland all his life, he's un-moored and his sense of belonging is dulled by the lack of emotional connection. The biggest challenge the face is the expiration date that hangs over their entanglement and a great part of the story is watching their connection strengthen into something worth holding onto.

There's a bit drama, but the story is low in angst. Because it's set in a small town, there's a plethora of characters with big personalities, Rhett's sister and his best friend. Peppers world is shaken up by some family drama that showcases how driven she is to rescue her sister and father, a responsibilities she tales on herself. This was a well paced and it was very easy to get into the characters and want to see how Pepper and Rhett would work through the obstacles of big city girl and small town boy. IHoLS is a fun and sweet contemporary romance and 4 star read.

I enjoyed this small town romance overall. I have been wanting to read Lia Riley for a while and once I read the description for this book, I knew that I wanted to give this one a try. It was a light-hearted, fun story that went pretty quickly for me. This is the first book in a new series and I just loved the little town of Everland, Georgia.

Pepper has just relocated to Everland for a new job. She shows up for her first day of work and realizes that there is a major problem and she doesn't have the job after all. So now she is in a new town with few funds and no job. When she is offered a job as a dog walker by the town vet who happens to be her next door neighbor, she needs to overcome her fear of dogs quickly and take the position.

Rhett is the local veterinarian. After a previous romantic mishap, he does his best to stay out of local gossip. He helps out the new next door neighbor and is instantly attracted but wants to keep things private. He is very much a part of the local community with his best friend serving as the mayor. Everyone in the town seems to be waiting for cupid to catch Rhett.

I liked Pepper and Rhett. Pepper was pretty tough and was able to make the most of the situation she is in. She does take on more responsibility than she probably should and tries to always make practical decisions. Rhett was such an all around good guy. It would be hard not to like him. Together they had a lot of chemistry and the more they were together the more I liked them as a couple. They really did seem to get closer as the book progressed and by the end of the story, I could really feel their connection.

The book did have a couple of issues. Pepper has a huge fear of dogs at the start of the story. It seemed to take her all of 30 seconds to get over that fear and become a pro dog-walker hanging out at the local dog park. She even adopts a puppy pretty quickly after shedding her fear of dogs. To go from can't stand to be near a dog to must adopt this dog in the span of a few pages seemed crazy. I am sorry it just doesn't work like that.

I also was pulled out of the story several times by some weird phrasing. It seemed like maybe the author was trying to be funny but it felt forced. There were several times that I had to stop and go back over a passage to make sure it really said what I thought it did. I didn't notice this happening as much towards the end of the book but it seemed to happen a lot at the beginning of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. Despite a couple of issues, it was a really fun romantic read. I look forward to future installments in this series.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley.

It Happened on Love Street tickles the funny bone, while warming the heart and tempting the senses. Ms. Riley moves to the head of the class with this study in hard life lessons. Pepper's dreams lead her to make a change in her life and setup shop in Everland, Georgia. When her plans fall by the wayside and leave her pride crushed, desperation sets her on a new path. As a frustrated dog walker. Rhett, is the answer to her prayers with his understanding of the canine psyche and his tempting magnetism, that makes her inner bad girl want to break free. Can past hurts and foolish pride, have landed them in the right place, at the right time, for something wonderful?

This book kicks of the new Everland Georgia series by Ms. Riley and kick it off she does!


Ms. Riley has a thoughtful style to her writing that I really love. It's not always an easy thing for an author to do, but Ms. Riley has some serious skills here (if you've read her, I hope you see my point).

There are several plot lines here but work perfectly together; plus there are PUPPIES! I am such a sucker for that!

It Happened on Love Street is touching and humorous, sometimes even a bit over the top- but I still LOVED it.

Both Pepper and Rhett (our heroine and hero respectively) are perfectly suited. In fact they are alike in some key ways...but you'll have read to the book to see if you agree or disagree with me!

I will admit though, there were a few times I was yelling at them, but that is half the fun sometimes when I read a book.

Overall I really enjoyed this book- the town and characters (main and otherwise) are well developed and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Pepper Knight is fresh out of law school and ready to conquer the legal world, starting in Everland, GA. After moving moving away from New York and her sister, she learns the good-old boys club has been in action, and the job she'd been offered was no longer hers. In one of her weakest moments, leaving her rescinded job, she run's into the town veterinarian, Rhett Valentine.

When Rhett finds Pepper a job as a dog walker, the two find themselves spending more time together, and having a hard time staying apart. But Rhett has no interest in having a relationship unfold in front of the small town population he grew up in. And Pepper only plans to stay in Everland until her lease is up, then head back to the big city.

Rhett and Pepper had great chemistry, and I found myself rooting for them almost from the first moment they met. Some of their conversations had me laughing out loud, and the supporting cast of characters painted the picture of small town life in vivid colors. Everland is the kind of town where everyone knows each and every person, and no one can keep a secret longer than a minute and a half, but they'll all pull together when they need to. If you like romance, humor and compassionate characters, this is the book for you.

For the first book in a new series, I thought this was a nice introduction to the people of Everland. There are your town gossips, flirts, family, friends, and of course, I can't forget Hog (the town's meanie). So there is plenty of people to kept this story interesting. Yet, with all of these characters, I was left with only one foot in the story. There was never a strong connection towards Pepper or Rhett. If I were to have met them in Everland, I would have called them casual acquaintances. There was a time of two were I actually did laugh but they were far and few between. I wanted more laughs. At times because I was not fully engaged with the characters or the story, it felt like a lot of stop and go reading this book. Back to Pepper and Rhett. There were sparks, they were just on the sweeter side. Actually, I wished that Rhett could have been more like the famous Rhett from Gone with the Wind. This book was a good read. I would read another from this author.

I’ve been a huge fan of Lia Riley’s since her debut novel, Upside Down. I love that with each of her new series, you never quite know what to expect. Wherever her books are set and how ever different the characters and plots are, a few things always remain: humour, great characters, swoons, and super hot sexytimes. Those are four things I know I can count on when I pick up a book by Lia Riley, and that remained true with It Happened on Love Street.

Pepper had no intention of staying in Everland. Besides the fact she’s a big city girl and doesn’t think she’s cut out for life in a tiny place like Everland, she also needs to work, and not just at any job - she needs to make enough money so she’ll be able to support her dad and sister someday. She’s always been the steady and dependable one, thinking her family is her responsibility, and making her life choices based around that fact.

Pepper was a hoot. She was such a fun, feisty character, and I found her easy to relate to. My situation isn’t the same as hers, but I’ve felt the weight of responsibility toward family, so I understood her motivations. Rhett had his heart broken in a very public way many years ago and ever since then, he’s tried to live under the radar - something that’s hard to do in a town as small as Everland, especially with nosy neighbours and plenty of town gossips. Pepper and Rhett are a bit misguided because of things they’ve gone through and how they think things should be handled. When they meet each other, their cautious natures are put to the test. I enjoyed the progression of their relationship.

This book was so much fun. It had me laughing from pretty much the first page. Besides Pepper’s hilarious inner dialogue and some of the mishaps she experiences, the quirky secondary characters were highly entertaining.

If you’re looking for a sweet, sexy, laugh-out-loud funny small-town romance with a fun premise and an equally fun cast of characters, be sure to pick up It Happened on Love Street.

Pepper want nothing more in her life then to belong, belong somewhere to belong to someone. When she leaves New York for a job in a small town in Georgia, she has her eyes and heart set on New York. Can she make it the one year and go back or will she be stuck in Georgia doing thing she didn't expect and taking care of her family? Rhett is sick of being the center of the towns gossip but when he comes head long in contact with his neighbor he comes up with a plan to keep it under wraps and a secret. But he also has the grand plan and he needs to face the last two people he ever wanted to to make it happen. Will he be able to keep things unwrap and keep his life going as he planned or will he loose those closest to him?
I a not sure I was a huge fan of this book. The first part of the book seemed to be filled with sexual innuendos but not much storyline. Then then last portion seems to have a super fun story line that was fun to follow. I loved Tuesday and her spunky personality I also loved all the crazy personalities of all the towns people and the animals. It truly seemed to add the fun in the story. This book does have strong language throughout and adult scenes, may not be ok for all reads.

It Happened on Love Street is first book in the adult series, called the Everland, Georgia series. I really loved Lia Riley’s new adult romance, With Every Breath, so I was super excited to pick up this new series by her. It Happened on Love Street is an adult contemporary romance set in a small town. I could very easily see this appealing to both fans of new adult and adult. The main character, Pepper is a recent law school grad who relocates for a clerkship. So I think she bridges the gap between new adult and adult. (But maybe that is just wishful thinking on my part. Maybe she is firmly in the adult camp, and I am just wishing myself her to be younger. )

It Happened on Love Street has all the charm of a small town romance…all the busy bodies and quirks that I love. And it has really excellent characters. I love when the author takes some time developing a robust cast of secondary character when the book is in a small town. I think it all adds to the atmosphere. I loved the whole gang…from the nosy sister, to the everyone at the dog park, to all the biddies who love the mystery and aloofness of Rhett. Lia Riley did such a great job making Everland Georgia feel real. I can’t wait to go back and read about more of its’ inhabitants. (especially since I have a strong idea who the next book is going to feature 😉 )

I really like Pepper and Rhett. I loved seeing Rhett fumble all over himself with Pepper. I liked Pepper too, but her stubbornness was annoying at times. I liked Rhett the most. Even though he starts out as a loner, it is so easy to see how caring he is and how emotional he actually is. Pepper refuses to listen to herself, which is frustrating for everyone around her. But nonetheless, Pepper and Rhett are great together. I loved watching them sneak around and I loved watching what crazy situations they got themselves into. I also have to give a shoutout to Rhett’s awesome dogs! Faulkner, Fitzgerald, and Steinbeck. ha! I loved them!

I cannot wait to see what is going to come next in the Everland Georgia series. I really hope the next book also focuses on Beau. And I really want to see more Rhett in the next book. I just love him! Actually, I really loved everything about It Happened on Love Street. I fell in love with the characters, with the setting and with the story. Everything about this book worked for me. Lia Riley is a consistently excellent author. I have really enjoyed every single one of the books I have read of hers, and the Everland Georgia series is no exception. It Happened on Love Street is a cute read that you do not want to miss. Happy Release day to this excellent small town romance.

It Happened on Love Street kicks off Lia Riley's new Everland, Georgia series and what a fine beginning it is. I love small town books and Everland, Georgia is not your average small town which made this book even better.

When Pepper moved to Everland, it was with a plan - a plan for her future career, a plan to have this pit stop and then move on back to the big City. But upon arriving for her first day - Pepper discovers that all her plans have turned upside down. Not wanting to return home and admit defeat, she's willing to do just about anything to avoid her father's 'I told you so' type lecture.

I loved Pepper - she was feisty and fun, but she also had her vulnerabilities. She took a lot on her shoulders that she didn't have to and to say it affected her outlook would be honest. She wasn't your typical heroine and I liked that about her. She was easy to like.

Rhett's got family issues; namely a sister who is too involved in his life and a father who hardly wants a thing to do with him. Though he's not looking for love he has an idea of the kind of woman he'd want a relatinship with and even though she's nothing like that vision, there's something about Pepper that calls to him and draws him in.

Rhett was also easy to fall in love with. I liked that while he stood firm in his decisions, he did admit that his success had a lot to do with his father and he did want to work things out between them. He was an endearing hero with his love for his dogs and his desire to not have everyone all up in his business.

The chemistry between Rhett and Pepper was amazing even from the start. Their interactions were rife with humor, comraderie, and a growing romance. The small town setting, sucked me in, and was exactly what I would expect out of small town life. Nosey neighbors, townspeople antics, crazy family dyanamics, and a closeness no one in town can avoid since everyone always knows what is going on with everyone.


I loved this books introduction to the town of Everland, it's inhabitants, and the quirky love story of Pepper and Rhett and look forward to seeing more in future books of the series.

Favorite Quotes:

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness must have been poor, honey. Never ever forget that.

Hand to chest, this computer upgrade is making me crazier than a one-legged cat in a sandbox.

The placards on either side of the entrance read TWO BEERS FOR THE PRICE OF TWO BEERS and OUR DRINKS ARE COLDER THAN YOUR EX-GIRLFRIEND’S HEART.

Sorry, I suffer from foot-in-mouth disease. There isn’t a cure.

And it was impossible to take the swaggering deputy sheriff seriously knowing that he had once been kicked offstage for playing “Jingle Bells” with his armpit during the high school talent night.

“Get out of the way, cougar! He’s five years younger than you.” “Who you calling cougar, you horny old saber-tooth!”


My Review:

I was frequently smirking and thoroughly entertaining by this crisp and cleverly written book. The characters were likable, witty, smart, and endearingly flawed. This was my first experience reading Lia Riley’s word craft, although I hope to make this extremely pleasurable experience a regular occurrence, as I adore her sense of humor and comical descriptions; reading this book was good fun. I would happily read a book like this every single day. The writing was well paced, engaging, and delicious. The quirkiness, pettiness, and pitfalls of small town living were observantly illuminated and captured in a colorful and highly amusing manner.

This is the second series I've read of hers. I started reading her when I discovered her Brightwater series which I truly loved.

If you haven't yet read it, you really should try it.

But we are here to talk about her new series Everland Georgia. I've got to share this with you, I so badly want to visit this town. I just love the street names. Crazy good!

It Happened on Love Street is the first in the Everland Georgia series and it starts that series off with a bang. Or, maybe it should be a arrow instead? You know, to go with the theme of the town and the characters name. Ha!

Okay, enough silliness!

Like I mentioned this is the first book in the series and I will tell you the series starts off so good! Poor Pepper! She thinks she can control everyone that she loves if she only make herself needed by those around her. If they counted on her, they wouldn't leave her.

Can you say, mommy issues? Yep, you said it! Because of what her mother did to her she has huge issues with truly trusting people, or really loving them enough to count of them. How sad, right?

The funny thing is that Rhett has some of the same issues, just differently. These two are made for each other. They just need to figure it out.

You are going to love Rhett! He's such a nice caring guy who takes care of animals for a living, what's not to love?

It's not always easy being Pepper or Rhett but I like how the author handed them. Their story is very well done. I liked it and only got mad at the characters a couple of times. What can I say, it's like a parent with a child, you can see the mistakes they are making even when they can't.

After reading It Happened on Love Street and meeting some of the towns people I can't wait for the next story, The Corner of Forever and Always. Love, love, love, these titles!

It Happened on Love Street by Lia Riley.......5 Entertaining Stars!! I loved this book it was so cute, fun, entertaining with fantastic characters. This is going to be a great series and I can't wait for the next book. I loved Pepper and Rhett so much and it was fun to see their story play out. Lia Riley is an amazing storyteller and always sucks the readers in and this book is no different. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book from publisher via NetGalley.

“My sister’s uterus is a clown car.”

That has little to no bearing on my review, except it made me laugh so hard that I HAD to include it. Which brings me to one need-to-know fact about my experience with It Happened on Love Street: I highlighted the hell out of this book.

I couldn’t stop. Typically, choosing what quotes to include in my review is fairly easy. There’ll be several I like, but only a couple that speak to me or underscore what I want to say. Sometimes, though, it’s harder—either because the words don’t quite match, or, as is the case here, there are too many great lines to choose from.

When she looked at him, recognition sparked, like catching a glimpse of one’s reflection in a window.

Not only did this book have words that made me want to share (which shouldn’t be surprising, really, since I’ve long been a fan of Lia Riley and her way of writing just works for me), but it also made me happy.

So, so happy. It’s a charming, quirky, utterly delightful small-town romance, one which comes jam-packed with all the things that make small-town romances one of my favorite things ever. Nosy neighbors, kooky characters, silly situations, and whimsical, romantic street names and town histories. Plus, it had Cupid.

“A quintessential coastal Southern town up front, with the sexy, scury-dog pirates in the back. Put like that, I can see the appeal.”

Oh, my apologies. Rhett. Rhett Valentine, who melted my heart *and* my panties with his animal-loving nature and his chimpanzee-cage-inducing swoon factor. When paired with Pepper—erstwhile law clerk, now dog-phobic dogwalker—he shines. They shine.

Their banter is light-hearted. Their feelings are deep. Their romance is somewhat predictable but wholly enjoyable, and as the foundation for Ms. Riley’s new series, it is absolutely on-point.

Yep, I’m incredibly excited about the future of Everland, Georgia—because I’m already hoping to highlight the hell out of a book about Beau and Tuesday...

“I didn’t know I’d been waiting. I didn’t know I’d been wanting. Convinced myself what I had was enough. But you, this, I’ll never get enough.”

~ 4.5 Cupid STARS ~

It Happened on Love Street by Lia Riley was amazing!!!

Pepper and Rhett were phenomenally written!! They had such an intense depth to both their individual characteristics, as well as their relationship status together!

After the past that Rhett has had, it is understandable for him to be closed off and almost afraid of jumping back into things, especially a relationship ever again. When Pepper shows up, and begins to challenge him and the ways that he has been stuck in, things begin to change. They are both out of their element and comfort zone, and yet, manage to adjust to a new way of life, all the while being true to who they really, truly are!

I cannot say enough good things about this novel written by Lia Riley!! I am definitely going to be picking up the next book in this series!

5/5 Stars!

I very much enjoyed this book. It is one that is a quick and easy read.

I liked the story and the characters. Some parts were funny and it was all entertaining but ofcourse just like most romance novels it was predictable but it was a nice read none the less.
I give this 4 out of 5 stars.

3 - "Hypothetically..." Stars.

Lia Riley takes her readers to the town of Everland, Georgia, for the first book in her new series of the same name; It Happened on Love Street.

Everland, Georgia wasn’t your everyday sort of place…

I am a huge fan of the small town romance genre, in series form this is one of my greatest joys to read because when written well you are introduced to and get to know and love a plethora of recurring characters as the stories develop while giving you individual characters their own happily ever after with each additional book. And on that front Lia nailed it, as with my review tag hypothetically this was a great story.

"In theory you’re a good kisser…"

"Let me experiment a bit more… The initial results are promising."

I liked Pepper even though she was a bit back and forth, as well as being a total martyr to her family, and I loved local vet and romantic interest Rhett Valentine, the parts when they were together were sizzling with chemistry and witty conversation. But for me and the reason for the mid-range rating was the fact that, their story at points get lost with long rambling inner monologues about unrelated things, It felt a little like the author had remembered a funny story and was desperate to add it to the story, and sometimes going off at a tangent to tell the tale worked, but at other points it just pulled me out of the book, and I lost focus on where the characters were actually at in the story itself.

"I do miss… feeling."

My other issues, and this isn’t new, it’s something that always bugs me is the whole familial issues that Pepper then deals with in the second half of the book. I am, and always have had a huge loathing for erroneous or over the top secondary familial drama especially when the family members in question, are portrayed in such a way that means they seem less than worthy of having so much time end energy spent on them by the hero or heroine of the tale. This was so the case on this occasion and it took a little sparkle away from the parts of the story I enjoyed.

"You’re not a fan of dogs are you?"

Still, the writing is excellent, the pacing (if you take out the unnecessary rambling) was pretty good, I liked the town and people of Everland, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series; The Corner of Forever and Always, when it releases in September.

ARC generously provided by the author via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review.