This is such a sweet, clean read with interesting characters and a story that keeps you turning pages. Cleo is sweet, finally doing what she wants with her life instead of what her parents expected of her. I liked her strength. Mark, working in the family business has his eyes opened as soon as he meets Cleo. I like that connection that they have, that pull to each other. The story is written well and I enjoyed the read!

An entertaining and well written romance. Liked the plot and the characters. I look forward to reading more books by this author. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Be still my bookish heart!
This story had all the love, all the unexpected romance, all the bookish joy readers long for and more. From an adorable meet-cute (picture a bear rescue involving a book castle with a damsel not so much in distress as she in need of assistance and a somewhat unwilling knight in shiny armor happening upon the scene!) to several near misses, smile inducing bonding (where you totally know they are meant to be) to a big fat question mark of if they will actually end up together (not spoiling it...sorry, not sorry!), it's a Contemporary Romance written for the bookish heart in you, and what's more, it's part of a series that sounds rather heart warming too!

I adored (maybe identified with as well) Cleo for her heart, her warmth, her determination, and her spark. She knew books were more than simply books, and a bookshop was more than a place to house, showcase, and sell them. It's a place to build community, a place to make connections and lifelong friendships, a place to celebrate the bookish word as much as the thoughts, feelings, and discussions they spark. It's a living, breathing "being" as much as a place can be all of those things, and the people that run them play just as much an integral part of the equation. My heart was with her every step of the way as she fought to find a balance between what she wanted for her future while keeping in mind the good of the current shop owner, and the community at large. As for our reluctant love interest... Mark was definitely a work in progress, but he had good bones as they say. He knew in his heart of hearts, buried under all that business mumbo jumbo, that what Cleo had was something special...and I'm not just talking about her business sense. Yes, she made valid cases for the way they did things, and helped shed light on the "why" behind small town bookshops existences, but she also unknowingly opened his eyes to the beauty around him, helped him recapture the joy he had lost, and aided him in rebuilding his inner foundation in such a way that he could essentially have his cake and eat it too. Whether or not he'd have a partner for sharing that said cake with...you'll only know if you read it!

In the end, a TOTAL MUST READ, and a series that I might just have to backtrack and check out the first installment. If you like clean romance with oh-so-much heart and book love to spare, this is definitely the book for you.

A Valentine Proposal by Viv Royce is the 2nd book in the Little Shops on Heart Street series, and my first book by this author. I love the quirky people and situations in this book, and watching the characters grow. I found this book to be a quick read, and recommend it to all readers who enjoy a sweet romance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Valentine Proposal is the second book in Viv Royce’s Little Shops on Heart Street series. All of the books are standalone titles and can be read in any order (so far, at least).

Cleo is a free spirit that is used to not having anyone understand or love her for who she is and what she loves in life. Mark is as almost as stuck in his ways as his father who never deviates from his successful business plan that has built his empire. Cleo is set on showing Mark that there’s so much more than a cookie-cutter business plan to running a successful business in a small town. When Mark’s family business takes over Cleo’s little bookstore and becomes her boss, is there any hope for them?

I read book one in this series, A Family by Christmas so I was already familiar with the small-town setting and a few of the minor characters mentioned. We got a bit of a peek into what was going to be the start of Cleo and Mark’s story in this book, as well, so I was looking forward to seeing how this book played out.

What I liked: Cleo. She’s brave in the sense that she chose to chase HER dreams instead of the dreams her parents had for her, even though she did give that life a shot. She moved to a small town to completely start over and was loving living her dream.

Mark. While it seemed he would be stodgy and unmovable in his viewpoint, in the end, he wasn’t. And he was even braver than Cleo when it came to risking it all for matters of the heart.

The message. There are so many things in life that shape who we are and the choices we make. But chasing your dreams to find true happiness, while not sacrificing important and positive relationships, is worth the risk. We’re not always going to live up to someone else’s plan for our lives, and when that happens, we have to be okay with ourselves and moving on from those who make us feel like we’re a disappointment.

NICUnure’s Rating: This is definitely a very sweet, very clean read. Very much a Hallmark type of story, so if you’re looking for something more, you definitely won’t find it in this book. Overall, I enjoyed the story, but it did feel like the plot just kept circling around the same internal conflict for both main characters over and over again before someone actually decided to break the cycle. But I would definitely recommend this book to those of you out there looking for a good, sweet, and clean read. And I look forward to seeing what’s next in this series from this author

I give A Valentine Proposal by Viv Royce 3.5 out of 5 stars.

This book was so cute. It is the first book I have read from Viv Royce and it definitely won't be the last. Cleo and Mark could not have been more different but for some reasons they just worked. I loved Cleo so much and Mark definitely grew on me. If you are looking for a quick and flirty romance, look no further!

This story has such a sweet, feel good vibe to it. The whole time reading it, Mark and Cleo pulled on my heartstrings. You pull for them from the beginning because they are both genuine, a little lonely, and they meet the internal need of the other perfectly. This is a clean romance full of heart, a little sadness on their family dynamics, but a sense of hope.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley.

Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed with Viv Royce's "A Valentine Proposal." I had a tough time connecting with the main characters, Cleo and Mark, as well as believing in their feelings for each other. My biggest problem was the speed with which their relationship developed. Mark and Cleo met only a handful of times before they were supposedly "in love" with each other, and I just didn't find it to be believable based on the content of their interactions.

It might have been easier for me to believe in Mark and Cleo's love for each other if the story had been a bit longer, allowing more of a chance for character and relationship development. I liked Cleo when she was briefly introduced in the previous book in this series, but she seemed different to me here. I thought she would be fun and kind of quirky, but instead she turned out to be very insecure and weighed down with self-esteem issues due to a long-standing conflict with her parents. Mark came across as a rich, handsome workaholic who didn't have much of a life outside of his job. He started to develop more of a personality towards the end of the story, but some of the choices he made seemed like they came out of left field based on the little I knew about him. Also, for the first half of the book Mark was so preoccupied with his sister Tamela's love life that it was difficult to see his interest in Cleo at all.

Speaking of Tamela's situation, I can completely understand why Mark did not want his sister to be hurt, but as far as there being nothing he or his parents could do about her relationship with James, I don't think that's necessarily true. If James was really only after Tamela's money, why couldn't their parents cut her off or insist on a pre-nup if Tamela was determined to go through with the wedding? I think James would show his true colors and lose interest in marrying Tamela very quickly if he knew that he would no longer be able to access her funds. In any event, I was slightly annoyed that this subplot wasn't wrapped up before the end of the story, but perhaps the author plans to bring Tamela back as a character in a future book and address it there.

Overall, I didn't completely dislike this book, but I really can't recommend it. That said, I did enjoy the first book in this series ("A Family by Christmas"), so I will plan to give book #3 a try and hope for better results.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

What a nice, and sweet romance. It was very enjoyable to read it in this cold winter day. When I started reading I was glued to my kindle and simply had to finish it in one sitting. I liked every part of it, characters too. Only one thing was bad for me- it ended to quick, I wanted to read more. Looking forward of reading other books by this author!

This is a sweet story about helping two people to realize their dreams. Mark has become an emotionless workaholic. He doesn’t want to involve feelings and get his heart broken. Cleo is neglected by her parents and is now trying to forge a life of her own. These two meet and both are unwilling to risk their heart and getting involved. The story is Whitten in an easy and slow cadence that allows them both to figure out what it is they really want. They eventually find their way to each other and happiness.

3 1/2 stars

What do you get when You’ve Got Mail meets Hallmark? A Valentine Proposal by Viv Royce. Although lacking the romance via email, A Valentine Proposal does have a small bookshop about to being taken over by a larger chain with a cookie cutter view of sales. For Cleo, the manager who has lived in the fast lane and wanted a slower more creative life, this takeover would mean personal disaster because she’d have to start all over again.

Mark Stephens, the son of the man who started the Stephens bookstore chain, is charmed by Cleo, although he knows that the shop will have to conform to the Stephens standard.

The romance is of the push and pull ilk with Mark and Cleo as sweet couple. The novel has a few angsty moments that are not always related to the romance but to familial relationships as well.

While pacing, characterization, and plotting were all good, A Valentine Proposal didn’t always hold my attention or entertain me as much as I would have liked.

A Valentine Proposal is a sweet romance as in the Hallmark tradition so if you’ve been missing your Christmas romances, you might just want to give this Valentine’s romance a try.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

This is the second book that I have read from this author and it was an ok read for me. If you are looking for a clean romance then this is the one for you. I still like my books with a little heat. Cleo and Mark were a good couple.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Little Shops on Heart Street #2, This standalone story is a cute read, it is a bit of fluff and I don't mind that every now and then. I wish there was just a bit more to the actual story.

Cleo spent most of he life doing what her parents told her to do. Get good grades, go to law school, become a lawyer but Cleo always knew she was missing something. She wanted more from her life than that and while on vacation she found a perfect town with a bookstore that called to her. Cleo has been there ever since, much to her parents dismay. Only now the current owner needs to sell and Cleo can't buy it on her own but the big bookstore, Stephen's, can. Now Cleo is worried that the uniqueness of the shop is going to get gobbled up by corporate cookie cutter store.

Mark works for his Dad as risk assessment, he goes out and evaluates all the future locations for the Stephen's bookstore and sees if the location and the business is worth the risk. When Mark first walks into Cleo's bookstore he notices all the things that are going to have to change, Cleo on the other hand tells him he's wrong. There are some Valentine's Day activities she has planned with the town that she invites him to to prove it's not just about the bottom line but about knowing your customers and neighbors.

Overall, it's short and sweet. The chemistry between them is strong but I still wish there was a bit more to it.

A sweet and cute romance that made me smile and root for the characters.
I loved the well written story, the fleshed cast of characters and the setting.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I’ve read the first book in these series and wasn’t the biggest fan, specifically because it followed a widow. This book followed a bookshop worker and a risk assessor for the company that’s supposed to be buying out the bookshop she works at.

The story itself was good and so was the writing. It just didn’t work for me necessarily. I feel like I wanted more from this. There wasn’t much to it, in my opinion.

Cute concept that caught my eye but slow moving and didn't keep my interest. I ended up reading only about half the book.

Cleo has never felt she was the daughter that her parents wanted her to be so when she pursued her love of books rather than her career as a lawyer it was just another way she disappointed them. Now that her boss is interested in selling the bookstore to a corporation she must convince them that keeping the store exactly the way it is will be the best solution for the store and them.

Mark’s family owns the corporation that is interested in the store where Cleo works and other stores in the area as well. He comes in with his list of expectations and is surprised when she doesn’t immediately fall in line and is skeptical of her plans for the store. Will Mark need to choose between the love he feels for Cleo and his loyalty to his family?

These two are perfect for each other as she helps him see what he wants out of life and he shows her that she is perfect just the way she is.

A Valentine Proposal is a sweet romance about two unlikely people falling in love. Cleo Davis is a book employee who is passionate about the bookstore and Mark Stephens is the risk assessor who is determining whether the store stays open or not.

I loved reading this!! It was cute and a fast read. There's an initial attraction when they first meet but because of the current store situation takes a little longer to open up to one another.

Once they let each other in, their story is beautiful. They both have tried to live up to expectations which have lead them to where they are today.

I loved the character development and thought it was an all-around lighthearted read.

I give A Valentine Proposal 5 stars. It's cute, sweet, romantic, and swoon-worthy! The perfect read for all the romance lovers!

Mark works in his father’s company – the Stephen’s chain on bookstores – as an assessor, assessing potential takeovers for the company. His father is a workaholic, where everything is regimented and all the stores run by a list of rules – from where the cash register is placed, to a dress code. When Mark joined the company, he found himself becoming like his father; putting in long hours and losing himself to the company.

When his next trip takes him to the small town of Wood Creek and the charming bookstore there, Mark finds his world upended by Cleo, who runs the bookstore with a huge personal touch.

Both Mark and Cleo come with rather a bit of baggage caused by their respective families. Cleo’s parent are successful lawyers whose expectation of her was that she would join their law firm. Never having much of her parent’s time growing up, as an only child Cleo was lonely and frequently crushed from lack of parental attention. After being stifled working in her parent’s law firm, she leaves and ends up working in a bookstore where she can fully express herself.

Cleo is just an adorable, charming character. To her, her customers are individuals whom she wants to build a connection with. Being with her makes Mark rediscover the part of himself that he has buried away because of work.

A sweet, heartwarming story.

The Valentine Proposal by Viv Royce is a cute fun and clean romance. Cleo is a creative spirit that manages a book store. She had followed in her parent’s footsteps to be a lawyer but realized it was not her calling and did not fulfill her. This is the second book in the series so I am not sure if she left Boston in the first book. This book opens with her already managing the store.

The book store is not doing well and the owner is considering selling to the Stephens chain. Mark is the son of the owner and the risk analyzer to determine if they will buy the store.

Mark and Cleo feel a connection that both feel they cannot pursue as long as he is analyzing the store and he may be her boss if he decides to buy.

The author created some really cute scenes to bring out the personalities of both characters. I liked both of them very much. The author was able to bring out different characteristics of both of them so it was not just a physical thing. It was a sweet clean romance.

I hope we get some closure for Mark’s sister. It was very sad to watch her story through Mark’s eyes.

I would recommend this book if you are looking for an escape read. This would make a great beach read or just escaping during the holidays.

I received this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
You can see my full review at More Than a Review dot com where I rate the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use in books.