I felt like from the cover and the blurb this would be a little more women's fiction-y, and it was, but there were still 2 awesome, sweet, and steamy romances going on and I loved them!

Autumn and Ember Somerset are sisters and best friends. They work together, times two: Autumn is the designer, and Ember the construction expert in their business, and then together, they also run an animal rescue farm, on the land that they inherited from their grandparents. They also converted the old farm house into a duplex, and they each live on one side. They built a house for their parents on the property too, fit to their needs, as their dad is disabled after a stroke. They're both single, and both have been through some major issues in the past that still affect them. But, while Ember still puts herself out there and dates, Autumn has become a homebody and has no further interest in dating. Autumn has always been the "stable" one, and Ember, the "free spirit". Mostly they've been pigeonholed into those roles by their mother, and neither of them is particularly happy about it.

Autumn, as a teenager, had a mega crush on a boy 2 years older than her, Tash Ducker, but of course, he barely knew she existed. After high school, he left, and Autumn hadn't seen or heard of him since, until he rolls back into town as a single dad, with a gorgeous 7-year-old daughter. He wants to hire Autumn as a designer to fix up his daughter's new room, and a build a play set in the backyard. Autumn is still drawn to him, but tries to keep things professional. But, Sadie is the sweetest little girl and before long, Autumn and Tash are friends, and Autumn adores Sadie. Next, she's hanging out WAY past their design appointment times, for dinner with the sweet father and daughter, and trying to keep her feelings under wraps.

Ember, has had the hots for their farmhand Mike Brewer, pretty much since he first showed up in town, but they've always danced around each other. They've both dated around, but it's become apparent that their mutual attraction needs to be sated. They both think the other person is only interested in a temporary arrangement, meanwhile they're both thinking that once will never be enough. Mike has a past he's never talked about, and Ember has had tragedy in her own past as well. Can they open up to each other and move on together?

This story, while about each sister's romantic relationship forming, was also really about the sisters and their connection. It touched on how people's roles in relationships get ingrained, and how hard it is to break out of them, even with family. Also, it shows how inside your own head, you might have to talk yourself out of doing and thinking the same old things about yourself too. Each sister had a very different personality and people always made assumptions about each of them, based on that, though many times those assumptions were flat out wrong. I really enjoyed watching both Autumn and Ember figure out what they really wanted out of life, and how to go about getting it. Each sister wanted to help the other one out too, of course, to varying degrees of success!

Both of the couples were great, and you were really pulling for them the whole time. Each of the couples had very different obstacles to overcome, and I liked watching them work things out. There were definitely serious issues touched on in this story from multiple characters' histories, including: pregnancy loss, death of a parent, divorce, alcoholism of a parent, body image issues, and adultery, that could all be traumatic for some readers. But almost all of these things happened in the past, and were only talked about as memories on page. Only Autumn's body image issues were an ongoing situation.

I really enjoyed this story, even more than I expected. I adored the growth of each of the characters, and how hard they each worked to make happiness happen in their lives. I loved how close the sisters were, and how they were always there for each other, no matter what. And the little girl, Sadie, was such a sweetheart, and a fantastic character in her own right. I definitely recommend this story, for anyone who's a fan of this author's voice, or even if she's new to you!

The Somerset Girls by Lori Foster

Sisters are special
They care and share
And sometimes run a business or two together
They lend a shoulder to lean on
They give advice
They share details of this and that and
They fight from time to time
No matter what…they are there for one another
Always

I adored Autumn and Ember and loved reading the story of how both found their happily ever after. This was a story filled love, compassion, heartbreak, heart healing, family, animals and romance that lead to love.

What I liked:
* Autumn: strong, resilient, reliable with “strong bones” – quieter than her sister, compassionate and a catch…just ask Tash
* Ember: stronger than many give her credit for, smart, capable and not necessarily the “free spirt” she has been labeled.
* Tash: my oh my…a man, a father and a lover par exemplar and absolutely perfect for Autumn
* Sadie: Tash’s seven-year-old daughter that brought light, life and love to many…human and farm animl.
* Mike: another man that was a great catch and worthy of a Somerset sister – Ember to be exact.
* Tracy & Flynn Somerset: parents of Autumn and Ember and a lot more than they appeared to be at first – ended up loving them both
* The back and forth between Ember and Mike
* The rescue animal theme – have rescued a few animals myself but have not created a rescue sanctuary for them.
* The fact that both Autumn and Ember were strong women in demanding jobs, had issues from their past to deal with and came out better at the end of the book than they were at the beginning.
* Everything really except…

What I did not like:
* Chuck: Autumn’s fly-by-night fiancé that left her before the wedding – that said…she was much better off without him.
* The poor animals abandoned…hate being reminded that so many are in need

Did I enjoy this book? Definitely?
Would I read more by this author? Yes, as soon as they are made available!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Lori Foster is known for writing books with strong, sexy, alpha male heroes so this book was a nice change of pace. In the Somerset Girls we find the 2 Somerset sisters struggling with how to have a relationship with a man. Raise to believe that Ember was the flighty one and Autumn was the big-boned responsible one - they each have fallen into those roles after both of them had a life-changing experience. After Ember miscarried she now avoids small children and goes through men like water. Autumn was left at the altar by a cheating fiance and now spends her nights reading and eating ice cream.
When 2 strong men come into their lives everything changes. Both men are able to recognize their skittishness and work to overcome it in a way that will work with each sister. Add in a darling little girl, quirky parents, and a farm full of rescued animals and you get a heartfelt story of love and redemption.
I received an Advanced copy on NetGalley for my review.

What a refreshing read! Autumn and Ember are the Somerset sisters. They have the unique closeness that I think all sisters crave. Enter Mike and Tash. Although Autumn and Tash are the main characters, I liked the way that Lori works in Ember and Mike. Each have their own issues and find their way with friendship, patience and love. Of course the animals played a big role in the story and had me laughing out loud! Their names are awesome! The elder Somersets also have a part in the story and Sadie stole my heart! I want to keep her too! If you like Lori’s books, you’ll rawly enjoy this one as well.
I received an advanced copy and this is my unsolicited and honest review.

There are a number of times I had tears in my eyes and others I couldn't help laughing out loud. THE SOMERSET GIRLS is an enthralling read, with so many captivating characters and moments. You will find yourself so caught up in the lives and loves of these girls that you won't even realize how quickly time passes. Then when the HEA, for both girls, come around you will still wish there were more pages to read and, if you are like me, you want to find this little town for a long visit.

Annetta Sweetko, reviewer for Fresh Fiction

Complete review: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=70603

The Somerset Girls
By Lori Foster

HQN - May 2020

Contemporary Romance


Autumn and Ember Somerset may be sisters who shared a home, sometimes their work, and a farm that homed rescued animals, but that was where their similarities ended. That was fine. They might not have the same personalities, but they fiercely loved, challenged, defended, and understood each other.

Autumn was quiet, more reserved, and when Ember learned that Autumn's old high school crush had returned to town, she set up an appointment for the two to meet.

Tash Ducker had returned to the town he knew would be a good place for him and his daughter Sadie to settle. Sadie was dealing with the death of her mother, and Tash was slowly gaining Sadie's trust. He wanted to hire Autumn and Ember to create a child's paradise for Sadie. Not only would that give her something to look forward to, but it would also give a bit of stability. Soon, it was spending more time with Autumn that he was looking forward to. As was Sadie, but she also looked forward to the cow, pigs, dog, and general chaos of the farm.

Ember might be the wild child, the free-spirit, but Autumn knew the pain that lived deep inside her sister. She hoped their only employee might just be the one to break through Ember's defenses. She could see her sister's interest in their employee Mike Brewer was reciprocated, and he didn't back down from the challenge that was Ember.

The Somerset Girls is a sweet story with two sisters finding healing and love. The town had witnessed Autumn being stood up at her wedding. While not a pleasant event, not getting married had been the best thing to happen to her. The only good from Tash's marriage had been Sadie. It was sweet watching Sadie come out of her shell, and create friendships with Autumn, Ember and their parents. Autumn and Tash's romance grows as they both overcome the obstacles of their pasts. Ember hasn't shared the pain she feels, but Mike is persistent and willing to ignore her barbs. Two Lori Foster romances in one, what an enjoyable read.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

Great characters. Love Autumn and Ember. All of them. Autumn's family is crazy. Anyone who wants to get involved with her has to put up with her crazy family. They may be a little crazy, but they love each other. Autumn has had a crush on Tash since high school. He barely knew she existed. He has noticed her now. He has moved back home with his little girl. The more time the three of them spend together, the more they know they should be together. Mike has worked at the farm for the last couple of years. But, the sisters really don't know anything about him. Ember wants to know him but she isn't sure how he feels. Mike has secrets, can Ember discover what they are and make a life with him? We shall see.

Gosh, I am truly a sucker for any animal romance book. Like I absolutely have to read that romance book if the character owns a dog or have a farm. Like how can I resist? So I started reading The Somerset Girls.
The Somberset Girls have two stories in one. Let’s talk about the first one, Autumn. Autumn is truly a sweet women. And she has wonderful qualify that anyone would be lucky to have her. But I truly wish that she had a little backbone when it comes across with her sister. I truly did not enjoy sister endless comments. There is nothing for Autumn to change. She is perfect how she is, and her man definitely agrees. I enjoy their slow romance. It’s truly perfect for them because they both have some baggage but who doesn’t.
And now for Ember, Autumn sister. I truly hope that I would like her but I could not. Like I fully did not get into her. I wish they had expand more to her. All I got was she is too self-absorb and does not care for her sister boundaries. Boundaries are very important. I definitely get annoy whenever someone does not respect that. Ember does not. I wish she could have redeemed herself but her story was too short.

What a fun and beautiful romance. Not sure who stole the show, the child or the animals. Their mother provided plenty of eye rolling laughs too...love her or hate her.
This was a rainy day read for me, I curled up with my slippers on and dove right in. No heavy dramas, not really anyway, a lot of laughs, tender moments and loving. Great story line and fun characters, I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the ending and I still wanted more.

Foster did again, another wonderful story.
Loved that this book had story of two sisters.
Both are dealing with what happened in past, different way.
Autumn is dependable, want to stay home, while Ember is outgoing, first to party.
Now, looks like they have to put their hearts at risk for happy future.
Are they willing to do this?

Loved this book.

Autumn and Ember are sisters that run an animal rescue farm that they inherited from their grandparents. Autumn is the dependable sister that would rather stay home and read than go out. Ember is the not so dependable sister who would rather go out and have fun. Autumn was left at the altar by her fiancé so she’s not really interested in a new relationship but when her high school crush moves back to town with his daughter she begins to think again. Ember has a whole other set of problems dealing with Mike who works at the farm with them. Will these girls decide to risk their hearts again?
A great small town sisters romance. I recommend this one.

I"m a Lori Foster fan and always look forward to anytime she has a new book. This one has a women's fiction feel to me, but there is definitely a satisfying central romance, two in fact. I always enjoy the banter and family/friend relationships in Lori Foster's books and this one did not disappoint. If you're an animal lover this book will also appeal to you. I'm a born and raised Kentuckian, so I enjoyed reading a book set in my home state. This will be a welcome addition the summer reading list of many romance fans.

I used to read all Lori Foster books but the series got too 'imaginative' for my taste (how many nice MMA fighters can one accept in a romance series?)
The Somerset Girls is a decent book about sisters Autumn and Ember but it could be so much better. Lori Foster has terrific talent as a writer but many of her stories are just trite and filled with lazy plots. Autumn and Ember (stripper names) don't have money worries and operate an animal rescue that is functionally run by 'love interest' Mike. Sure it would be cool to run an animal sanctuary if you never really have to do any work or ongoing care. Do they even pay Mike? Why do Ember and Mike 'fight their attraction' - to fill pages.
The other love interest is Tash (stripper name) who eventually ends up with Autumn.
Foster is a great writer and some of her dialogue is fantastic but I just can't get past the underlying storylines. I do really like that she has female characters with friends and relationships beyond the love interest. That is wonderfully refreshing and well done (for the most part).

I've been a long time fan of Lori Foster, I've enjoyed all her books. She blew me away with The Somerset Girls. So much to love (and so many feels).

1. Autumn and Ember run a rescue farm. You know what's better than a rescue farm? Nothing. Loved every single moment an animal was featured.

2. Autumn and Ember have a wonderful sister relationship. They're not perfect, but they are ultimately here for each other, no matter what. They're also there for their parents which made things even better for me.

3. Tash and his 7 year old daughter Sadie were adorable. There was a lot happening there, which I won't spoil, but I really felt for him as he navigated his situation as well as his growing attraction to Autumn. Autumn was also amazing with Sadie, knowing when to push or back off. Despite both sisters being featured in the book I felt like this was the more "featured" romance.

4. I really enjoyed Ember and Mike as they fought through their attraction. I wish we had had more time with them.

5. Everything in the story was so well put together and flowed nicely. It was hard to put down.

6. Did I mention the rescue animals? So cute!!

I got the ARC of this book as part of Lori's review team. I love her books but i couldn't get into this one maybe because it felt more like a woman fiction or whatever they are called than a romance. I did love Autumn as I identified with her wish to stay home and read rather than be out an about. I loved her relationship with her sister. But the conflicts external and internal didn't feel as big.

Another great story from Lori Foster, and one of my favorites to date! A story of two sisters, Autumn and Ember, as different as can be but with an unbreakable bond that only sisters share. They each have a bit of heartbreak in their past which skews their views of certain aspects of a relationship.

Although they have two loving parents who live nearby, the struggle is real, The sisters own an animal sanctuary as well as holding down jobs outside the farm. This story is all about accepting love and learning to balance personal needs with business needs. As they each get involved in a new relationship, it's also a story of letting go and opening up to new possibilities.

Great 5 star beach read!

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was a sweet romance with a spicy twist. The book focuses on the Somerset sisters, Autumn and Ember. At first glance they couldn’t appear more different, an outgoing party girl and a reserved homebody. But each want the same thing, someone to love them for who they are. Each sister has her own burden to overcome and helps add an integral layer of nuance to the story.
Lori Foster was able seamless weave together a story that not only revolves around finding love, but accepting love and loving yourself. This is a must read.

I enjoyed this book. Both Autumn and Ember had their own set of issues they were working through but they each were always there for the other one. I liked the flow of the book and also liked the back story of the animal rescue. Actually every character in this book had their own issues but they all came together to the benefit of all.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on May 19, 2020

The Somerset Girls, is a fun read from Lori Foster. Two sisters that run an animal rescue farm, and the men that interest them. Autumn has no time for a man in her life, and after a heartbreaking experience Ember just seems to want to have fun. This book is much deeper than that, and I found it to be a fun and inspiring read. Its a feel good story in a time of pandemic which I think we all need something to take out mind off of our problems. I would recommend this book to all my friends.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley and the publisher Harlequin and this is my fair an honest review.

Autumn is an interior designer, she's the reliable, steadfast sister to Ember who is the beautiful, wild child, who is the builder in the family. I loved these sisters, while family dynamics are not always easy these two always have each others backs.

In this story you get not one but two romances, an adorable little girl who is overcoming abuse with the help of a dedicated loving father, charming rescue animals and a bevy of interesting characters that make for a charming, warmhearted read.

Autumn has crushed on Tash since high school and when he returns to town with a traumatized daughter in tow, her heart is lost to both of them as she redesigns their space.
Ember is still suffering a year after losing her baby and works hard to not let it show but their farm handy man Mike sees through it all and is determined to reach her.

While most of the story is devoted to Autumn, Tash and Sadie there's plenty to enjoy of Ember and Mike's story, as well as their crazy parents. If your looking for a feel good romance, you won't be disappointed.

I received an ARC copy and am voluntarily leaving a review. That said I expect any editing issues will be resolved before publishing. If you like my reviews you can find met at wordpress as wyldheartreads.