Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title. While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

I look forward to continuing to work with you in 2023 and beyond.

Laura

This was such a fun book! It featured a trope I don’t read much about, mommy romances! I thought it was so fun, especially since I am going to be a mommy soon. It’s an easy read, and you won’t want to put it down. I recommend checking it out!

Ahhhhhhh this was just such a wonderful book and I just thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didn’t want to put this book down. I just fell in love with this wonderful story and it’s wonderful characters. I will most definitely be reading more stories from this wonderful author.

Where do I start?? I loved this book very much! It's one of my favourite reads of 2021. Rachel, Out of Office featured many of my favourite tropes including single parent, second chances, close proximity and the biggie "you picked the right sibling this time" (does this count as a trope? anywho..). More so than the romance which was so darn sweet, I greatly enjoyed and related to Rachel's character development. You go, Rachel! I'm rooting for all the people struggling to balance work and family (and self-care). We are in the same boat.

I love stumbling across new-to-me authors and finding a winner. This may be the first single parent romance book I've read where the "absent" parent is not deceased... or outright terrible and actively sabotaging the main character's life. I enjoyed how Rachel, Out of Office portrayed a cordial relationship between exes. Sure, Gavin made some decisions in the book that had me raising an eyebrow, but I got the sense he genuinely cared for Rachel as the mother of his children, and as a friend. Thank you to Ms. Hovland for the wonderful family emphasis in this book. A+++!

Rachel, Out of Office had me smiling and giggling the entire time. Rachel was incredibly likable and when a main character is likable, I am destined to love the book. That's just how I roll it seems. I'm not going to lie though, about 50% of my enjoyment was also in thanks to swoony Travis aka the ex-brother-in-law. Their chemistry was undeniable. Their banter and dialogue were superb *chef's kiss*. I loved that Travis was such an amazing uncle to Rachel's twin boys. I loved that despite Gavin and Rachel having been separated, Rachel is still very much a part of their family. Honestly, the family dynamics in this book were SO. SO. GOOD. They weren't just background characters, they were front and center in Rachel and the boys' life. You not only see how Rachel/the boys interact with Travis, but also with Dave (the other uncle) and the grandparents. Oh, how my heart warmed~

Rachel's impression of Travis is completely turned around after getting to know him better. She's a busy-body, while he's a take-it-in-stride kind of guy. He'll often rile her up (in the best way possible in my opinion) which makes for the best relationship dynamic y'know? Another aspect of this book that I loved was the communication between our couple. I appreciated their effort in talking through their thoughts and feelings, very much working together to well... BE together. The dual POV helped us get into Travis' mind and made it clear how smitten he really was about our main lady. Ugh, the feels. Overall, absolutely wonderful romantic "mom-edy" (mom + comedy)! I will be checking out more of Christina Hovland's novels and rereading Rachel, Out of Office often.

Rachel had me cheering for her from the first page. I could relate to so many of the Mom moments. There are so many that made me smile, others that made me giggle and some that made me snort laugh. This story is so relatable with wonderful characters and believable interactions. I certainly hope there will be another book with one of the mom squad or one of the brothers, although I wouldn’t object to more of Rachel and Travis.

This is the first book in the Mommy Wars series. I actually read the second one then went back. Christina Hovland writes entertaining books, they’re easy to read and the characters are very relatable.
In this back, Rachel is a single mom with twins, and she works out of her home. She thought her former in-laws were taking the twins without her for the summer, but she ends up going with them.
She has to deal with work, the kids, and her growing attraction to her ex brother-in-law.
This book was funny and touching, I really liked it. 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Christina Hovland is one of my one-click authors. I generally read every book she writes and have a number of signed paperbacks as well. The family dynamics in this book were pretty central to the story. Rachel has twin boys with her ex, Gavin. She moved to Denver to be by him and his family and doesn't spend any time with her family so she is all in with her ex's family. She and Gavin's brother Travis have chemistry and fit much better than she and her ex did as they ended up getting married only because she got pregnant not because they were in love. As a single mother Rachel is over scheduled to the max and has trouble setting boundaries so that work doesn't take over personal time and no letting her ex and her family bulldoze her along. I struggled to like Rachel when she was being a doormat. Travis was pretty amazing all along, his family still saw him as the irresponsible person he had been when he was younger and he just pushed forward to show them he was more than that. In the end Rachel set some boundaries and discovered that not everything had to be perfect and the world didn't end. The twins Brady and Kellan were awesome and Gavin learned to step up and take more responsibility even though he may not do things the same way Rachel would like. The characters felt real, none of them were perfect nor did they feel contrived or made up. I could imagine meeting any one of them IRL. As always, an enjoyable interlude with Christina's characters.

"Rachel, Out of Office" was a tremendously funny, sweet, and heartwarming story featuring endearing characters and an unconventional, yet completely satisfying romance between single mom Rachel Gibson and her former brother-in-law, Travis Frank. I loved how well Travis and Rachel complemented each other. Rachel often seemed to have the weight of the world on her shoulders as she struggled to balance her responsibilities to her small business and her twin 8-year-old sons, Kellan and Brady. While Travis was her opposite in many ways, he had matured quite a bit in recent years and wanted nothing more than for his family to acknowledge how far he'd come. The main challenge they faced was that Travis wanted to help Rachel carry her burdens, but it was difficult for her to let go. Rachel was also concerned about how her sons, ex-husband, and former mother-in-law would react to the prospect of her relationship with Travis. However, Travis knew exactly what he wanted, and he was willing to wait as long as it took for Rachel to figure everything out and feel comfortable with them being together openly.

The book's secondary characters were a tremendous amount of fun and added a lot of depth and humor to the story. I loved Rachel's squad of fellow mom pals, especially her best friend Molly. I hope several of them will get their own books in the future. Rachel's ex-husband, Gavin, was also an interesting character. At first, I thought he was just a selfish schmuck who shirked his parental responsibilities, which really made me feel bad for Kellan and Brady because it was obvious how badly they wanted Gavin's attention. As the story progressed, however, I realized that Gavin might not be such a bad guy after all. He was definitely clueless when it came to Rachel's feelings, and he was overly focused on trying to make his new fiancee Dakota happy, which negatively impacted his relationship with Rachel and their kids. Gavin genuinely seemed to love Kellan and Brady, though, and I think he'll do a better job of being there for them going forward.

Overall, I loved "Rachel, Out of Office" and highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. It was a great start to a new series, and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

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

I’m not a mom but I absolutely loved the first book in this Mommy Wars series. The characters are so relatable. You can’t help but love Rachel while wanting to simultaneously hug her and shake a little sense into her at the same time. And Travis was just so ridiculously into her in the best way. I did think the monster-in-law stuff was over the top and I didn’t really understand Gavin as a character-everything about him seemed contradictory and he just didn’t really make sense. Other than that this book was adorable.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Rachel is an overworked divorced mother of twins. Gavin is the twins' mostly absentee father, engaged to another woman. Travis is Gavin's brother that usually "replaces" his brother in all the twins' activities.
When Gavin's and Travis' family goes on the annual Summer 2 month vacation, Gavin is unable to go, so Rachel has to go so the twins have a parent with them.
Add two dogs the dad gave them without consulting mom, a hate/lust relationship with your brother-in-law which is turning into something real, and a mother-in-law that insists on getting her back together with the twins' father, even though none of them wants it, and you have the perfect book.
The women group is something to aspire. Friends like those girls are a dream come true.
Travis is a dream guy.
And the twins are cute, even though they are TWO hands full.
This is a story of healing, self-awareness and a second chance on love, as unexpected as it might be.
Also, I want a mat like Rachel's. Bring on the Margeritas!
I received a free ARC copy of this book and this is my honest opinion

this was such a sweet little love story. i really adored these characters and the way the author wrote them. it really made me feel like we are all friends and i wanted to spend more and more time with them!

I'm a huge Christina Hovland fan, and I enjoyed this book but not quite as much as the Mile High Matched series. I'm not mad that I read it, and the story/dialogue/characters were as good as always, but there was something about it that I just didn't connect with and I didn't have my normal, "God, I love her and want to reread all of her books." feeling at the end that I normally do.

A sweet, sexy, and steamy story with a crazy lifestyle and a wonderful ending! All in all, Rachel, Out of Office is a feel-good humorous read about the ups and downs of parenthood and the illusion of perfection.

SUMMARY
Rachel Gibson runs and owns an international personal virtual assistant business while being a single mom of twin boys. Her ex-husband who is scarcely in the twins lives decides he is going to get the boys each a dog for their birthday. Just what every single mom needs: more mouths to feed. As if the birthday party couldn’t get more stressful, Rachel’s ex-husband asks a huge favor from her: to take his place on his family’s summer getaway. Not wanting to let her boys down, she begrudgingly agrees as long as she can have a quiet work space to run her business in. What she thinks will be an uneventful, peaceful lake house vacation turns out to be anything but. Join Rachel as she struggles to balance a demanding work life, take care of two tiny humans and two puppies, as well as keep an off limits sexy ex-brother-in-law at bay.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

The quotes at the beginning of each chapter should be enough to make anyone want to read this book!
Hunky guy helps Rachel “find her toothbrush” night after night 😉
It’s a single mom happily-ever-after <3

REVIEW
I can’t think of another book I have read that I loved this much. This is hands down the best book I’ve ever read. This book touched me on so many levels. I laughed, I cried, I swooned.

The novel starts off with the beautiful dedication:

“This book is dedicated to all the moms everywhere. You’re doing your best. And that’s enough. (You should take a nap now.)” -Christina Hovland

From the dedication to the end of the novel, all the relationships in the novel felt natural and organic— the girlfriends, the wacky mother-in-law, the rambunctious kids. I found all of the conversations between characters very relatable and often very witty which made for an entertaining read. Rachel and Travis have deep conversations about life problems that you don’t often get in a romance novel. Hovland invested a lot of time and effort into making their relationship evolve from a fling into a serious relationship which made for excellent character development for the protagonist.

There were many times it felt like the author was describing my life. Granted I don’t have twins or two puppies but the parenting chaos is there! I relate to Rachel on so many levels — parents not playing an active role in life, worried you won’t be resilient enough for children, being the leader in the family dynamic that carries the brunt of the weight on your shoulders. Even if you can’t relate to the main character the same as I do, I think all moms can relate to struggling with: perfectionism, trying to do everyone on their own, and constantly running on fumes.

I am so thankful the author shared this story. It is so important to know that you’re not the only one going through something tough. Especially with current events, we need to read and experience stories like this to know so that moms (and dads) are not in it alone.

Another topic the author touches upon is how Rachel has sacrificed so much for her children. For some reason, mothers feel obligated to become a martyr to their children and anything less they feel like they are being a “bad mom.” The protagonist feels like she cannot move on with another partner because she’s worried about how it will affect her kids. By the end of the novel Rachel learns she’s entitled to her own happiness and can take a few moments to herself, this is such a powerful message.


FINAL THOUGHTS
I hope the author turns this into a trilogy or a series where we get to experience the other characters’ stories as well. I am most interested in reading stories from her mom squad; in particular, I would like to read about the friend whose husband is gone for long periods of time (whose name escapes me). This was mentioned in passing however, it caught my attention because the protagonist made a mental note to reach out to this friend.

If you’re worried about the ex-brother-in-law thing, don’t be. The protagonist has a one night stand with one of the brothers and it resulted in her twins. Besides getting pregnant, there is no chemistry between the baby daddy and Rachel. The author handled this romance trope extremely well. Trust me, you’re gonna wait to read this one.

I highly recommend this book to all parents, especially single moms. Those who are not parents will enjoy following Rachel as she puts herself first for once and goes on a self discovery journey with a very satisfying ending ;).

I love Christina Hovland and this book was no different. It was a fun story that kept my attention throughout. I definitely recommend it.

This was such a fun, feel good, and humorous read. While I didn’t identify with Rachel’s circumstances (not divorced or a parent) but the author really made this character so relatable. This was such a satisfying read.

Another great story by Christina Hovland with a great balance of feels and humour. The character is relatable to, with the balancing kids, work and family. Overall, a very enjoyable story. *I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Oh dear God, I can't process what I've just read.
What a great book.

•• What's this about? ••

Rachel is a single mom of two lovely eight-year-old twins. Her ex-husband Gavin is so absent and barely in their lives. Her work form home is so exhausting and stressful.
So, basically, she needs a break from life.

She expected her kids expended the summer with her former in-laws but when Gavin out at the last minute, she has to take his place and go with the kids to the family lake house.

Even with a large list of to-dos and two new dogs to deal with, she goes with the Frank family for trip that will changes her life.

What will happen when she starts watching at Gavin's brother with other eyes? What will happen when they expend more time together?

•• What do I think about it? ••

I don't have words to describe this amazing book.

This is the story about a single mom and her journey finding love while she has to be there for her children all the time.

Rachel is the most amazing character I've read in a really long time.
She is the description of motherhood. She is not perfect, because no mother is perfect. They make mistakes but they always find an answer for their problems.
And Rachel always does that during the book. Finds a solution for every situation that involves her children.

Then, we have Travis. The best book-boyfriend I've read. Oh boy, Travis is so funny, handsome, thoughtful, sweet and very very lovely.
I loved every scene of him. And how he managed his situation with Rachel in every moment.

Another thing I loved about the book is the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.
I'm not a mom, but I felt like my mother was saying those quotes.
They are so true and represent what motherhood is.

I really enjoyed this reading. All the characters were amazing. Specially the twins. Those kids are so cute and adorable. The have really good moments and scenes.

If you want to read a book with a good heroine, a good romance, food characters and a ver good story then you can't miss this book.

Hundred percent recommend. One of my bestest readings.

Rachel is a single mother workaholic with a side of control freak. She's raising twin boys on her own, and running her virtual executive assistant business - both of which keep her too busy to do much of anything else. When he ex-husband cancels his plan to take the boys to the family's lake house for the summer, Rachel goes along for a summer with her ex-in-laws. While there, she can't work out her feelings for ex-brother-in-law, Travis.

This book was fine. I probably should have DNF'ed it but I fought my way through. I struggled to get over the weird factor of hooking up with her ex-husband's brother and I never really understood what the deal was with the extended family. The best I could gather, they're like the Newport family (Sweetums) from Parks & Rec? I also wished that we would have seen Rachel grow and evolve a little bit -- she made minor strides toward setting some boundaries but not in a super convincing way. Travis was a dreamy hero, and there was some decent steam, both of which I appreciated.

Thanks to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

Another novel I have mixed feelings about. There were parts that I absolutely loved, and the rest I was just "meh" about. Lots of heat, romance, a great mom - and from the first page Rachel's frenetic energy exhausted me - I definitely got how overwhelmed she was with trying to juggle it all leading to a very relatable key player. Unfortunately, I found the relationship just went from antagonistic to happily ever after way too fast. Regardless, it was a fast-paced easy read generously sprinkled with humour.