I’ve tried to finish Only for You a few times and I always lose interest in the plot. I’ve heard a lot of good reviews but unfortunately I don’t think this author works for me. DNF

Heartwarming, emotionally thrilling and sweetly sexy adventure filled with witty and engaging charters, memorable dialog, heart racing twists and undeniable passion. Highly entertaining from beginning to end.

Thank for the opportunity to read Only for You. I enjoyed this book! Always a fan of a fake relationship!

Will a fake relationship between two friends lead to true love?

After having his heart broken on national television, Tim Fraser knows only one way to stop the gossip about his love life-a new girlfriend. The problem is, he's done with romance forever. A fake relationship with his friend and Sapphire Spring's sweetest baker, Emily Holland, seems the perfect solution to getting rid of his newfound fame, but their fleeting fauxmance is stirring up the kinds of feelings Tim has sworn off for good.

Emily has secretly lusted after Tim for years, but pretending her feelings are all for show never factored into her fantasy. Still, her decades-long crush makes it impossible to say no to Tim's proposal. But with each date, the lines between pretend and reality blur, giving Tim and Emily a tantalizing taste of life outside the friend zone . . . if they can find the courage to give real love a chance.

Thank you to Forever, NetGalley, and the author for the gifted copy of Only For You! All opinions in this review are my own.

I loved the first Sapphire Springs novel, Forever With You, so I couldn't wait to read the sequel! I am happy to say that Only For You lived up to and surpassed the first novel!

Emily has had a crush on Tim since they were teenagers. When he gets dumped by his girlfriend on a reality TV show, he needs a quick girlfriend to ward off the fans of the show. Emily doesn't know if she will be able to hide her feelings for Tim while pretending to be his girlfriend. The more they fake date, the more it seems like it's not that artificial.

THINGS I LIKED
- Fake dating fueled by attention from a reality TV show
- Emily and Tim's friendship in the beginning
- Tim's mom and Emily's Nana
- Melissa's continued meddling

Only For You is Barb Curtis' second book in her Sapphire Springs series. The books is a wonderful small town friends to lovers romance. I loved the story and the characters. Very enjoyable.

This is my favorite kind of romance to read - the main characters have known each other for a while and they start with a fake relationship. It was a really enjoyable read. This is the second book in a series. I did not read the first one, but I did not feel lost at all. There was a wedding being planned and I think the couple were the main characters in the first book, but not knowing them did not take away from this story.

The dual narrative really helped move the story along in this small town romance. It helped to see Tim's point of view and why he was so hesitant to trust. Emily was hesitant also, but for different reasons. Watching their barriers come down was a great part of the story.

I am ready to visit Sapphire Springs again.

Here is the second book in Barb Curtis' contemporary Sapphire Springs series, and man I just adore small town romances! Cute and sweet, with enough twists to keep you guessing. I love the hallmark style books, they are just perfect for a feel good read!

Barb Curtis writes an engaging friends to lover’s romance for Emily Holland and Tim Fraser. Tim and Emily appeared in this first book in the series- Forever With You – I couldn’t wait to read their story!
Emily Holland has made two New Year’s resolutions. She is reorganizing her life –she’s tossing out her old clothes and shoes. And, she’s determined to kick her secret crush to the curb with the Goodwill bags. Tim Fraser has vowed never to fall in love again after his actress girlfriend dumped him on her reality TV show. Tim is so over the unwanted attention and publicity. His solution? Ask his friend Emily to pretend to be his girlfriend.
Emily’s secret crush combined with Tim’s new found social media fame entertained me from the first page. Emily’s romantic nature, her love for her family and friends and her community spirit appealed to me. Emily’s feelings for Tim resonated with me—it reminded me in a good way of a past friendship.
Tim is a complex, flawed character. He believes he disappointed his late father when he left the Navy. Tim serving in the Navy was his Dad’s dream, not his. He also believes that romantic Emily is looking for a perfect Prince Charming. Tim intrigued me—I couldn’t figure out if he was afraid to commit, disappointed in love or afraid to trust his heart—and I love how his story unfolded during the novel.
Loved the sexual chemistry between Emily and Tim and the romantic buildup this story. The fake dating relationship enables the author to push the friendship boundaries… to see what might happen. This plot choice worked perfectly in this novel from their first kiss to the last page—it added drama, tension and emotion throughout the novel. Loved the author’s descriptive voice and the use of imagery throughout the novel. The characters are not perfect, they make mistakes and learn from them. Loved catching up with Layna Jay and Rob and meeting Tim’s Mom and Emily’s Dad who make significant contributions to the storyline. I love the small town feel of this series, the sense of community, the lifelong friendships and the quirky characters.
Emily and Tim’s journey is romantic, emotional and tugs at your heartstrings. I was invested in Tim and Emily’s story from the first page of the book. There were several time I wanted to tell Tim—hey, buddy—OPEN YOUR EYES- your soulmate is right in front of you!!
If you are looking for a small town romance with engaging characters --this is the book for you!

A lovely series that keeps the setting the same as the couples in focus change, there are no issues with reading each of these books as a standalone, although the town and its people will encourage you to want more. In this book we have town residents Emily and Tim. Owner of the local bakery and truly a town’s daughter, she’s had a crush on Tim for years – but his own romantic hero life, including a televised heart-breaking have left him wary of any sort of connection, even as he’s determined to find a way out of his fame because of the breakup. He’s long considered Emily “one of the guys’ and doesn’t look at her ‘that way’, and wouldn’t it be simpler if he could fend off the speculation about his relationship status with a relationship that can show the world he’s just fine, without the added complication of feelings?

He just didn’t account for the fact that somewhere, deep inside, the reason he and Emily are such good friends is that they are perfect for one another. Even as Emily would give up her favorite mixers and cookie sheets rather than admit that she’s always dreamed of Tim in a far from platonic way. It wouldn’t be long before the ‘fake’ part of their relationship comes into question for them both – but who will break the tension first?

It’s hard to believe that this is only Curtis’ second book ever, and the small town setting that informs the ‘connection’ between these two long term friends, her ability to tell a story, and to bring us two characters that we want to know, hope only the best for, and even (a few times) want to knock their heads together to get them to see what we do all made this story one well worth reading, and sure to bring you back to Sapphire Springs to grab the first book in the series as you not so patiently wait for the next. Or perhaps that’s me speaking it into existence, in my hands, in a short while! This is a sweetly plausible series that allows you to make new friends, find a new place to want to visit, and a new author to add to the ‘auto-buy’ list.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aXU /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

DNF @ 24%

This is just too dramatic for me. Emily's rage and rudeness towards Tim for asking her to be his fake girlfriend really bothered me. Plus, poor Tim has no idea why his good friend is so mad at him over a nickname he's called her for YEARS. They've been super close for so long, and now she's being a total brat to him because she's been in love with him for years and now he's asking her to fake it to help him escape the media storm after he got dumped on reality TV. She has treated him in a way that has left him feeling like she thinks she's way too good for him and that she would never actually want to date him. Finally, after storming out of his office days before, she agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend BUT ONLY if he lies to a business who booked an event with him and tells them he accidentally double-booked so that he can host her grandma's 83rd birthday party instead. So she's screwing his image, making him lose money, and screwing over the group who booked the event. What kind of friend is that? I hate her.

If you like closed-door romances and small towns I think you'll enjoy this one. I definitely picked up on some Stars Hallow-esq vibes in Sapphire Springs. Since this is supposed to be a "friends to lovers" trope, I wish there had been more of the friends aspect. We're told that Emily and Tim are best friends, but we don't really see that friendship in action at all. They did have pretty good chemistry as a couple though, which was nice. I also enjoyed how the town rallies around them to help them find their way.

Only For You, a new release by Barb Curtis, was totally adorable. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. (Is that a sailing metaphor? Or fishing?… I tried.) I liked the characters, loved the setting, and halfway through the book I was grinning ridiculously.

This is a friends to lovers through a fake romance story. I don’t love the fake dating trope; it is never completely believable to me. BUT the friends to lovers was the much stronger vibe here.

I just had fun reading this book. The wintery ambiance (not reflected in the book cover, haha) was cozy; this cold-weather hater had a sudden urge to snowshoe!! 🥶😱 I liked that the characters pursue their career goals while also prioritizing friends and family. It all made me happy. I may have been squealing at the HEA ending. The steam level is a little bit lower on this one, which was totally fine with me because I love me some romantic tension.

Cute, cute, cute! Now I am going to go back and finish Forever With You because I am a goon and finished the second book before the first book. I hope there will be a third book too!

Thank you to @readforeverpub and @netgalley for providing me an ARC.

Barb Curtis published her debut novel, Forever with You, last year and I thought it was super cute so I was excited for the next book in the Sapphire Springs series. Only for You, just published today, featured a new couple in the small western New York town and I loved it.

Here's the book's description:
Will a fake relationship between two friends lead to true love?
After having his heart broken on national television, Tim Fraser knows only one way to stop the gossip about his love life-a new girlfriend. The problem is, he's done with romance forever. A fake relationship with his friend and Sapphire Spring's sweetest baker, Emily Holland, seems the perfect solution to getting rid of his newfound fame, but their fleeting fauxmance is stirring up the kinds of feelings Tim has sworn off for good.
Emily has secretly lusted after Tim for years, but pretending her feelings are all for show never factored into her fantasy. Still, her decades-long crush makes it impossible to say no to Tim's proposal. But with each date, the lines between pretend and reality blur, giving Tim and Emily a tantalizing taste of life outside the friend zone . . . if they can find the courage to give real love a chance.
I liked Only for You so much more than the first book in the series. I think a lot of that had to do with the couple in this story. There was something about Emily and Tim that had me enjoying their love story more - even when it was driving me bananas! Both characters are big hearted and so kind. They have their differences, which makes things interesting, but their values are so similar. It was hard to see how Tim could be so blind to Emily's feelings for him.

Tim's obliviousness knocked off a few swoon points, to be honest, because he just couldn't see what was right in front of him. It was hard to understand some of his hangups and I'm glad Emily approached things the way she did near the end. I was Team Emily, as much as I adored Tim, and even though I knew he'd get his head on straight because, hello, this is a romance, I would have been right by Emily's side with her bestie Leyna (the heroine from the first novel), telling her she was better off without the knobhead and we'd find her someone else who was perfect for her.

As I mentioned in my review of the first book, this story technically takes place in New York state but Curtis did her wine research with a winemaker in Niagara in Ontario, which is where I live. I can totally picture the town near that winery and it fits so well with the town of Sapphire Springs so I couldn't help but picture it again as I read this novel. I almost feel like pitching the Maple Magic Festival to the town because it sounded like SO much fun.

I'm already looking forward to getting back to Sapphire Springs in whatever novel Curtis writes next. I think the story will feature Rob, Leyna's brother and friend to every character we've met so far. He's been through a nasty divorce but seems like such a wonderful guy so I hope we get to see his Happily Ever After too.

Only for You is such a sweet read that you'll have finished in no time. This story is perfect for those who like closed door romances and small towns that are a character all on their own. Barb Curtis' second novel thoroughly entertained me - so much so that I'm sad the story is over! Definitely consider picking this one up!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Emily and Tim have been friends for years. When Tim’s girlfriend breaks up with him and broadcasts the breakup on her reality show, Tim skyrockets to fame overnight. Although good for his boating business, Tim wants nothing to do with his newfound celebrity. He thinks he’s found the perfect solution: enlist Emily’s help and create a fake relationship. There’s only one problem: Emily is secretly in love with Tim. As the two grow closer they must work together to plan the winter festival. But how far are they willing to go to keep up the charade?

Told in alternating third-person perspectives between Tim and Emily, Only For You is the sweetest second chance romance. Emily and Tim were such a great couple. I loved following their dynamic from friends at the very beginning to lovers by the end.

Sapphire Springs definitely gave me Stars Hollow vibes. I didn’t notice it as much in the first book in the series, Forever with You, but it’s much more prominent in this one. A big part of that was because of the winter festival, but also Fuzzy, the town mayor was basically Taylor Doose.

Thank you so much to Forever for the finished copy! I loved this book so much. It was such a treat to be able to return to Sapphire Springs.

If you enjoy fake relationship tropes, best friends to lovers and small town settings, this book will be perfect for you.

Think small town feels with quirky characters, and maple syrup mixed into a fall setting! I can almost smell the fall leaves and maple goodness now!

I'm glad to be back in Sapphire Springs with the second book in the series, Only for You.

In Only for You, we read about the romance between Emily and Tim, two best friends who decide to forego a fake romance to help with the social media pressures a recent breakup he went through as stirred up. After an aired breakup occurs between Tim and his reality star ex-girlfriend, social media starts buzzing about Tim leading to a lot of interest from women. To help curb their unwanted attention, Tim asks his best friend Emily to pretend to be his girlfriend. What Tim doesn't know is that Emily has been pining for him since high school. When Emily needs Tim's help to throw her grandmother's birthday, she pushes her feelings aside and decides to help Tim since she'll get his help in return. When the mayor throws them together to help plan their yearly Maple Festival, Tim starts to realize his feelings for Emily are anything but made-up.

I'm so glad that Barb Curtis decide to continue with this series. I fell in love with Sapphire Springs after reading Forever with You last year. It has a small town feel where everyone is just so darn nice. I'm not a big fan of Love Actually but I couldn't help but love one particular moment in this novel. Want to know what it is? You'll have to read to find out. Only for You is a closed-door friends-to-lovers romance. Although we don't see what happens behind closed doors you can sense the chemistry between Tim and Emily from the beginning. This isn't the last we'll see of Sapphire Springs, as the third book in the series, Falling for You, is set to come out in 2022.

Only for You is a very well written romance. The book has a very good plot, believable characters and a nice setting. I highly recommend this book.

Only for You continues the Sapphire Springs series with a charming love story of forever friends, one who would love to make that relationship far more than friends and one who has had his heart destroyed on national television leaving him open game for all those “I’ll heal your broken heart” females who are hounding him at the moment. For Tim, a fake relationship with his best friend sounds like the perfect solution – for Emily with the crush and the longing heart it’s going to be much harder to pretend… but for Tim, she’ll give it a shot. Neither expected the very real sparks or that one fake relationship could possibly lead to a forever love.

I had fun with Only for You. If maybe, I wanted to give Tim a good shaking and a stern talking to occasionally well, he is after all the hero and they often need a reality check, right? Watching his turn from never going to give my heart again to falling for Emily completely was an enjoyable journey for when Tim finally gives his heart to his best friend he does it knowing he’ll never be hurt again. I adored Emily. She’s always felt more for Tim than friendship and just when one of those infamous New Years Resolutions seemed like it would finally stick he comes along with a fake relationship offer. What’s a girl in love with a man who only sees a friend to do but agree and hope she can guard her heart again. Their journey to a lifetime love was sweet, engaging, and kept me hoping for that happy ending for them both.

While Emily and Tim’s story could stand on its own, I’d still recommend reading the first story in the series, Forever With You, combined they give you a really good feel for Sapphire Springs, and hopefully we’ll return again soon. If you love a sweet, friends to lovers romance then Only for You is a perfect read for you.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

What a sweet romantic read. Can long term friends transition in to a real relationship when one is hopelessly in love and the other is clueless, afraid of ruining a friendship and again clueless??? Tim is a good guy. A little broken on the inside, but who has decided to deal with his heartbreak and public humiliation on a national reality show by hardening his heart to everyone everyone except his best pal and possibly the sweetest person in town Emily. To get the world to back off he asks, no pleads with Emily to be his fake girlfriend. While she is trying to shield her heart from falling further in love they spend a lot of time together. She is being who she is and has hopes that he will finally figure out how amazing she is, she is careful. They’re hounded by the paparazzi, his heinous ex, who keeps trying to use him to stay in the limelight, their town filled with good, kind yet seriously invasive nosy people and then some. Slowly, but surely he figures out what has been in front of him all along, but is he willing to take the risk? Its a wonderfully written fun journey they take to get to their happily ever after. Its such a fun sweet story in a series. I am very much looking forward to the next one.

Only for You is a sweet, low-angst, friends-to-lovers romance set in a super cute small town.

Emily and Tim have been friends forever, but after harboring an unrequited crush for decades, Emily decides something has to change. She can't keep crushing on her best friend, so she'll just avoid him until she's got her feelings under control. Her resolve crumbles though when Tim asks Emily to be his fake girlfriend.

Tim has never really believed in happily ever afters, but that's especially true after his girlfriend dumps him on TV to help her reality show's ratings. He asks Emily to pretend to be his girlfriend to help kill some of the national media attention he's receiving.

Emily and Tim have always spent a lot of time together, but the two, who both happen to be town councilmembers, are together even more than usual since they are planning a community festival together. In their close proximity, their relationship soon loses it's "fake" label.

This story easily played out like a Hallmark movie in my mind. It was maple-syrup sweet with a fun cast of characters and a picturesque setting. The closed-door sex scenes even make it fitting for TV.