A well-written somber friends-to-lovers romance about grieving, finding yourself, moving forward and learning to accept happiness, embracing new beginnings, and willing your heart to be open to love again.

This is my first read by Nicole McLaughlin and perhaps had I known Maybe for You was part of a series (albeit stand-alone) I would have felt less bombarded with characters and had a better understanding of situations and relationship dynamics having started with the first book in the Whiskey and Weddings series.

Much of the story is focused on Alex (Alexis) and her grief over the sudden loss of her fiance the year before. Jake has his own insecurities as well, that again, perhaps would have been more understandable if I had read the previous stories first. Both of their issues make for a melancholy feeling throughout the book. I would have like more focus on the building of Alex and Jake's relationship, like the messages they shared while Alex was overseas, more of their interactions on the road trip, and the notes they left for each other when Alex is back home temporarily working at the distillery. Had those moments and more like them been written into the story it would have made their relationship more dynamic and given the story a much needed dose of levity and romance.

Overall, a decent friends-to-lovers story even though it's tone is somber and at times tends toward the over dramatic.

Maybe For You, the third book in Nicole McLaughlin’s Whiskey and Weddings Series, is about grief and letting go so you can move forward, but knowing that the past helped shape where you are now. I loved Alex and Jake’s story, but at times it was a hard read. There are more tears than laughter, but at the end I walked away satisfied. There were a few instances where I wanted Jake to let go and talk to Alex; he was totally supportive of her, but never quite let his guard down to let her be supportive of him. New readers of the series won’t miss the earlier books, though they are wonderful. Series readers will love the resolution of the main characters.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

A few weeks before their wedding, Nathan Williams was killed in a helicopter accident. The wedding was supposed to have taken place at The Stag, a boutique distillery that had become Kansas City’s go-to wedding venue, owned by 3 friends, one of them Dean, the half brother of his Army fiancee, Alex Parker. The plan had been for the two of them to have had their final deployment in Italy, and while Alex could have been reassigned state side, she decides to continue the assignment. A few days before she leaves, The Stag has a party, celebrating the uncasking of their 5 year bourbon and whiskey. When Alex has a bit of a melt down, Jake, one of the other partners, comforts her, and during the subsequent year, they keep in contact by text. It is Jake that she asks to pick her up at the airport when she returns, so she can surprise her brother and Jake who she first tells that she was offered a job with the CIA. Jake has a rep as a playboy, but even his best friends don't know about his insecurities, that he has carried around since he was young. When Alex comes back, she has a few months before she needs to report to her new job, so volunteers to accompany Jake on a tour in the Stag Wagon. Jake is the marketing and publicity guy. As they travel together, their relationship moves from BFF to friends with benefits. While Jake would like more, Alex is moving to DC and she doesn't ever want to fall in love again. Man plans and G-d laughs.

I read this book as a stand alone, not having read the previous two books. However, there was enough explanations about Dean and Alex's complicated family ties and the relationships of Dean and his fiancee Charlotte and TJ (the third partner) and his fiancee Jen, to prevent confusion. The author skillfully crafted compelling characters and an interesting situation. What I found most interesting was that, while the characters were developed, at least in this book, there were no physical descriptions of any of the main characters, except that both Alex and Jake were both physically in great shape and good looking. The only character that had any physical description at all, was that Nathan's mother was "a middle-aged black woman". Was this to allow the reader to picture the characters however they wanted? Very interesting technique.

I liked Alex and Jake. I got a bit irritated with Alex in parts of the story, but I liked them overall. While Alex is grieving, Jake becomes her best friend. That is what she needs. After she comes back home, things change and Jake wants more. He won't pressure Alex for more because he knows that she has her life plan and he doesn't want to interfere with that. Alex has lost too many loved ones and will not open herself up for that again. When circumstances change, will Alex decide to open her heart again or will Jake just have to love her from afar?

Alexis' fiancé died a week before their wedding and she is having a difficult time adjusting to life without him. She attends a party at her brother's distillery for the uncasking of their signature bourbon. She has a meltdown and is comforted by Jake,one of the partners and a good friend. While she is finishing her tour of duty in Italy, she corresponds with Jake who offers moral support. Upon her return, while waiting to start her job with the CIA, she offers to go on a business trip with Jake to set up tasting sessions and visit liquor stores to sell their stock. This is a warm story that shows sometimes heartache can lead to happiness and love.

Alex has finally come home after many years in the Army. She runs into her brother's business partner, Jake, a very good friend from the past. So this is the story of Jake and Alex, plus many other characters that are so well-written that you’ll swear you really know them. This story has it all; friendship, love, romance, new life and death, and family. I can truly say that I loved this story and really enjoyed it to the last page.

Maybe for You by Nicole McLaughlin will be available August 28, 2018 from St. Martin's Press. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I am glad that I got to read Alex's story after being introduced to her in the last book in the series. Alex had a rough journey in life, and I thought that the author actually did a really great job of detailing what it feels like to have to fall in love again after losing a loved one. The grief and guilt that Alex had to work through was tough and though I've never gone through that, it seemed really true to what anyone would feel in that situation. That being said, it did get a little repetitive, Alex had a lot of trouble with her feelings of guilt and the reader is presented with some of her journal entries and she tended to talk about the same things. I did like the book though, it was a really sweet story and I like Jake's character a lot. I thought Alex was kind of rude to him though, and I felt like some of their relationship issues that were presented early on were kind of glossed over and never resolved. Overall though this was a quick read and was a pretty solid romance. There were some exciting plot developments and I was interested to keep reading and follow Alex and Jake's story through to the end.

Such a great story! Devastated after looking her fiance, Alex desperately needs a friend. She finds one in Jake and he helps her heal. But once they are thrown together in a road trip things are less friendly and more steamy. But Jake is a playboy and Alex is moving across country until everything changes.

This was my first book by this author and I really liked it! I loved Jake's character and adored the ending.

I've really enjoyed all this series, but I think this one was my favourite.

Jake is one of the owners of the Stag Distillery and wedding venue, Dean and TJ are the other two from the previous books. Jake is the carefree, love 'em and leave 'em bachelor who deals with the marketing of the company which involves flirting and charming the customers.

Alex is Dean's sister who recently lost her fiancee just before they were due to get married. She was in the army and had been deployed to Italy for the last year and whilst there had been in regular contact with Jake, who provided a friendly shoulder to lean on and someone to listen as she worked her way through her grief, as she didn't want to worry her over-protective brother. Over the course of the year they became very close friends, but now Alex is back, has left the army, and in-between jobs so offers to go along with Jake on one of his selling tours for the Stag Distillery in the company's RV. They both get on really well as friends and initially there's nothing more than that, but as they are thrown into each other's company while away feelings start to change.

I really liked both of the main characters, Jake had a lot more depth to him than people gave him credit for, and Alex was a tough cookie who'd been through a lot but was just coming out the other side and starting to live her life again.

There was a big spanner thrown in the works towards the end, which threw everything off course for a while, but of course they eventually worked out their issues and came out the other side stronger. There was such a lovely ending too, quite emotional. Very enjoyable series.

Alex has had a tough road- she lost her parent, she lost her fiancé- and she's taking a pause. I liked that she's the veteran in this tale of second chances and trying again. Jake has been a player. Not Alex's thing but she discovers, when they go on a marketing tour together for the Stag distillery, that there's more to him. Things move, as you can guess, to romance. I'm a sucker for these books, even as I know what the plot line will be, because of the characters. Alex is one of my favorites. Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

This is a love story. Wow! I struggle with the words to describe this one. It encompasses so much of what many romance stories are but it is so much more than just that. Steamy, emotional, and just absolutely gut wrenching at times. But it also makes you feel good and you get the HEA we all want. The tears can flow at any moment!

Jake and Alex are two imperfect people who both feel that they just aren’t meant to have happiness in their lives. He never measured up to all of his extremely intelligent siblings and was reminded of it regularly. Everyone she has ever loved has died and she has vowed not to love again and suffer that hurt.

She returned home after her service in the military ended and is spending a few months with her remaining family before going to DC and beginning a job with the CIA. Jake works with her brother and a friend at their distillery business in her hometown.

They travel together on a promotional tour and because neither is into relationships, they agree that the chemistry between them is good for a fling. As fate would have it, that just didn’t work the way it was planned.

As a new author for me, her name has been to my list of books to watch for in the future!

I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was promised or received for this review.

Two people, not looking for love, find it in the most unexpected place.

Whether you are emotionally scarred or don't even realize what you looking for to fill that whole in your life, Maybe for You gives us a marvelous story about grabbing what might be right in front of you. The quintessential slow building relationship. The characters, mostly Alexis, are a bit over the top with drama and their emotional vacillations but overall it is a strong romantic read. In the end, Maybe for You rings the bell with a great story of finding that the second chance at love was what you really needed when let go of the the past.

I received this ARC copy of Maybe for You from t. Martin's Press. This is my honest and voluntary review. Maybe for You is set for publication August 28, 2018.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Nicole McLaughlin
Series: Whiskey and Weddings
Sequence in Series: Book 3
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: August 28, 2018
ISBN-10: 1250140021
ISBN-13: 978-1250140029
Genre: Contemporary Romance

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How do you recover from unyielding grief & pain? Alex isn’t sure that she can. She lost her fiancée just before their wedding & it devastated her. She decided to finish out the tour that they were planning on using as a working honeymoon & then decide what to do next. After the year in Italy, she received a job offer she never expected. What was the right thing to do?

Jake was there for his friend’s sister in the only way he knew. He was her friend. After the funeral, he was the strong shoulder for Alex to confess her fears & doubts to. Now that she’s back home, their year long email & text only friendship is over. Where do they go from here? Is she ready to move on? He’s a stereotypical playboy, king of one night stands. Can he really have feelings for her? Is he ready?

What an emotional story! From the story of the tragedy at the beginning, this story drew me in & I couldn’t put it down. Alex’s character was mired in grief & her head was telling her to travel a path to keep her safe from pain. She was trying to stay away so she didn’t get hurt again. As the story goes on, you see her begin to emerge & live again. Jake was slowly growing up & realizing he was ready for something more. He just didn’t know how to change people’s perceptions of him & didn’t have enough faith in himself & his abilities. I really enjoyed this story & can’t wait for the next!

I absolutely adored this book. I read it in one day because I couldn't put it down.

Alex and Jake are such great, complex characters. McLaughlin really lets Alex ride an emotional roller coaster and she grows and takes steps back just like a real person in her place would. Jake does such a good job bouncing off Alex and letting her be a fully thought out character while still bringing his own story and development to the table.

I've loved this whole series but this is by far my favorite. The characters are fantastic, the story line is so good, and the plot line is just perfect.

I truly loved this book, the emotions this book brought were amazing. Alex having finished her last tour with the army she’s home to regroup before starting a new job. Jake is feeling down because he’s not being taken seriously at his job or in his family. Their working together on a tour to promote Jake &his buddies Whiskey brings them together with a surprising outcome. Alex is still grieving the loss of her fiancé just a month before their wedding, so she’s blindsided when she develops feelings for Jake. Jake is nervous about his feelings for Alex because he doesn’t think he’s worthy & Alex is his best friend & partner’s little sister. They have a surprise that finally makes them face their feelings & Alex finally realizes that Jake is her future. This book has become my favourite of the series & I definitely recommend it.

One of the first things that stood out to me in Maybe for You was that the ex-military wasn't the guy. It was the girl. And while this wouldn't fall into the category of military romance, her military past and the loss of her fiance while in the military were key parts of Alex's life and personality. When she returns after her last tour, she is ready to start over and move on, but it's hard. I thought her way of coping and confronting the loss of her fiance was amazing. She didn't lash out or hide but fought to understand what her feelings were and what they were rooted in. She also took control of them the best she could.

Jake had become close to Alex long-distance, and he was the shoulder she would virtually lean on through the hard times and long days and nights as she struggled through her feelings. But when Alex returned, things were a bit awkward at first. When they go on a promotional tour for the Stag, they both realize that the connection they build long-distance had grown into something more.

Their journey through romance and into love was incredibly sweet, but it still remained very real and very difficult for both of them to work through their pasts and reach for their future together. For followers of the series, you will see some wonderful moments from the past characters and couples.

*I voluntarily read a review copy of this book*

Alexis comes home to her brother at the Stag Distillery after her fiance was killed in a helicopter crash. . She has had so many problems dealing with the guilt, sorrow, anger and fear that she feels safer and, more in control at home. Thing is that she has developed a great texting relationship with her brother's best friend, Jake. Now that she is home and, decides to go with Jake on a 2 week publicity tour, she starts wondering what all these feelings are that she is having for Jake. It's only been a year and, not fair to her dead fiance. She SHOULDN'T be feeling these things!!! Jake has always found Alexis hot but, stayed away for her and her brother. Things change, however, when they start spending a lot of time together!Things start getting steamy but, Alexis convinces herself that this will be just a short, friends with benefits, relationship. No problem, right ?
A man who has never felt good enough and, a woman who feels horribly guilty!
How is this EVER going to work?!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was seemless and, quite the emotional roller coaster ride!

If life has taught Alex Parker anything, it’s that love never lasts. Her parents died when she was young, her much older brother and his wife who finished raising her divorced, and her fiancé was killed in a helicopter crash two weeks before their wedding. So Alex does what she knows, and takes the deployment in Italy that she and her fiancé, Nate, were to have taken together. During that time, she finds support and unconditional acceptance from her brother's business partner, Jake, via texts and emails, giving them time to get to know each other behind the safety of the keyboard. But safe and detached is Jake's MO, never getting close to serious or having an actual relationship with a woman. When Alex returns home and decides to accompany Jake on a promotional tour for their distillery, two weeks traveling together in an RV changes things.

The other books I've read by this author were great, so I was glad to read an early copy of this book. As I anticipated, Alex and Jake's journey was an emotional one. I adored Jake in spite of his loose reputation and it was easy to see through to the heart of him, with his goodness, kindness and vulnerability. I was a little confused because the author made clear his insecurities about his intelligence but I didn’t see that being resolved or redeemed, although that was a minor point for me.

My heart went out to Alex with her working through grief and I thought the journal entries were interesting, even inspiring, with entries ending with a resolution of something positive to focus on for the day. Again, I was a bit confused because when things got especially challenging, she ignored the journal and positive focus and wallowed in self-pity and negative feelings which weakened her character in my eyes.

In spite of this, these two, along with the other characters, worked their way into my heart, and I was totally vested in seeing them get their happily ever after, and there were enough touching, poignant, sweet moments to make up for any shortcomings in the characters. This one definitely tugged on my heart, especially with the beautiful ending, and I would certainly recommend Alex and Jake's story.

*I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.

I truly love Nicole McLaughlin and what a great author she is. This story is one of reality. Alex is dealing with the loss of her fiance and true love. Only to realize that the friendship she begins with Jake may hold a new beginning for her.

Maybe For You
By: Nicole McLaughlin

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

How to become more than friends!!!

Well let me start by saying I have become a huge fan of this author. She writes with so much intensity and emotion pulled from each book it’s felt page after page. Some are quick witted story lines are so perfect and lets you believe you have a front row seat. So being able to read this love story didn’t disappoint. The authors ability to have two separate individuals struggling in their everyday life and try to navigate someone else’s thoughts, needs and desires was intense and gives all the fills.

This was a perfect friends to lovers story. I loved how Jake changes from a player to a partner, how he wants to face all thing in the way to be a couple. His willingness to face Dean and to take all responsibilities is so sweet. He is very considerate of Alex, gives her space when she needs to grieve, is a good sport with Nate’s family, and a great sounding board when Alex needs to revisit her thoughts. Alex is open about her feelings, and communicates very openly with Jake. I liked how she declared an intention every day in her diary, very healthy.

Author Blurb: After a year of mourning her fiancé, Alexis Parker has worked hard to rediscover what she wants out of life. Fresh out of the military and back stateside, her brother offers her a marketing job at the Stag Distillery. Ready for a new challenge, Alexis agrees to accompany her new co-worker Jake Cooper on a Stag cross-country promotional tour. He may have an infamous playboy reputation, but Alexis is surprised to find out that there is more to him than meets the eye. And she likes what she sees. . .
Jake promised Alexis’s brother that he’d be an absolute gentleman. Of course, that was before he and Alexis hit the road, and they both agree that what Alexis’s big brother doesn’t know won’t hurt him. The plan: to keep their fling confined to the RV, and everything will go back to normal once they head home. Things progress in ways neither of them could have imagined, and Jake realizes that he and Alexis make a perfect mix. Can he convince her that he’s ready to shake things up and give true love a shot in Maybe for You?

I really enjoyed this book and it kept me engrossed throughout. I really loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other. This is a fun, hot, romantic must read book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕