For someone who doesn't read a lot of romance novels, I really leaned into it this summer and I adored this book by Hayden Stone. Aubrey is a cranky and quiet London bookstore owner who falls hard for a hot American actor insistent on interrupting Aubrey's quiet life.

This book was pretty spicy, and I loved the interaction between Aubrey and Blake. Both characters were developed really well and I found myself really rooting for their romance.

Muchas gracias to #netgalley and #EntangledPublishing for this advanced copy. This book comes out next week and would be a great addition to a summer of love reading list!

This book had so much potential and whilst it started of on a perfect, opposites attract note, it dipped a little in the middle before pulling a super adorable ending. Blake and and Aubrey have such sweet chemistry but the down side is very little happens to progress their relationship. There's little to no mention of Blake returning back to his life, which I found odd as this is often a topic of tension between couple's. With plenty of humour and cute chemistry, I would definitely recommend this book to someone looking for an easy, breezy LGBTQIA title.

2.5 Stars. This book started strong but fell apart as the book progressed. I really wanted to like it, especially where Hayden Stone is a debut author and I absolutely adored the blurb, but alas. The book’s downfall is being single person POV. In some books this is necessary and really works but in this book it made the story so one sided that I wasn’t even sure that Blake had a personality or back story until 2/3s of the way through the book.

I also really really needed a break from Aubrey’s head because his constant pessimism and anxiety was just exhausting. I honestly saw no development of a relationship between the two beyond the instant lust. They have absolutely nothing in common and I genuinely don’t know what they ever talked about besides beans (literally there was a lot of discussion of beans).

There were a few humorous moments and I did enjoy the small nods to my favorite movie, Notting Hill, but they did not make up for the slog of the rest of the book. I really wish I had enjoyed this one more. Thank you to Entangled and NetGalley for the ARC.

Just the book I was needing to read. The pace and the fluid rhythm of the scenes to the reflections of the protagonist were perfect to get the reader deeper into this story.
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When I started reading it and about halfway through I thought it was a perfect rewriting of NottingHill, a NottingHill Queer in London's Soho and with much richer characters and more beautiful backgrounds.
Only Aubrey, Lily and Gemma, Eli and Ryan are incredible and that without even talking about Blake who is the perfect hero of this story.
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Aubrey owns an indie bookstore that he inherited from his parents and is struggling to get ahead financially while doing his best to flow with the new reality that his ex boyfriend, his first love is in a relationship with his best friend. Trying to hide among his books like a good bookworm until a handsome man comes to his store wanting to return a poetry book because he no longer likes the author, and then a film crew who gets in the way. This story has such good ingredients and so well played in the scenes that it is impossible not to fall in love with its characters. It's just so great.
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I will definitely be waiting for more Hayden Stone books and definitely is a book I want to have in my bookshelf to re read several times
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Thanks to Hayden Stone and Entagled Publishing LLC for give me such a great and beautifulI story to read in exchange for my honest opinion

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for a review!

I loved this book so much!! Aubrey and Blake were such great main characters and I really enjoyed their chemistry and development with each other throughout the book. We stan a queer rom-com people. This story was full of the grumpy-sunshine trope and I'm a sucker for that. It was also spicy and I am never opposed to spice. This was such a great romance and there were really great moments that were funny as well as some more emotional conversations and tropes. Having the story set in a bookshop was also everything to me. I really loved Aubrey as a character and his relationship with Blake and friendships with Lily and Ryan. I'm so glad I got to read this, I loved it and would definitely read more by this author!

Aubrey is a grumpy London bookstore owner trying to make ends meet. Blake is a darling American B-list actor looking for his big break. While filming in London, Blake pursues Aubrey. It seems too good to be true - Aubrey doesn’t have that kind of luck. Are the hurdles of Blake’s Hollywood life too much for them to overcome?

This is a cute, fluffy gay romance that reads like a male version of chick lit (aka lad lit). Aubrey’s struggles running the bookstore are almost as important to the story as the romance.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This my honest and voluntary review.

I was quite excited to read this because of the the potential fun of a grumpy English book shop owner falling for a charming American actor. There were parts I liked and parts I did not.

The writing style did not flow for me. Aubrey being so world weary and grumpy when he was only 23 did not really work for me and I felt this aspect of him could have been developed more to make it feel more realistic . I also felt things were a little rushed between Aubrey and Blake. I prefer slow burn and things escalated quickly which took away some of the romance for me.

There were some nice moments between the two leads. Their chemistry was quite good and very hot. I think this story had potential but just needed a little more development for the characters and their back stories. Worth having a read.

An Unexpected Kind of Love is a short and sweet love story between an American actor in London for a movie and a British bookseller who’s struggling shop is being used for a set. This book is perfect for fans of Kerry Winfrey’s Waiting for Tom Hanks and Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material! I seriously enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. It was fast paced as Aubrey and Blake fell in love quickly. I wish we learned more about Aubrey and his mother and the fate of his bookshop at the end but it was a cute story for sure.

I absolutely enjoyed this book! The grump/sunshine relationship trope is one of my favorites and seeing it between a bookseller and an actor was really fun to see. This book had incredibly sweet moments along with some very real ones, and while it was a fast read, you really feel for the characters and they grow on you really quickly. Highly recommend this book!

I hate to be that person who starts a review off with "This book had so much potential." but I am... This had great potential but that is pretty much it. This is told solely from the perspective of Aubrey, a surly, grumpy British man who owns a failing bookstore in London. He meets an American actor named Blake who is filming in the area. Blake is a very one dimensional character for most of the book as his character isn't much delved into. He is attractive and good in bed and that is about the level of information we know about him. I wanted more.

When the production company working on the film Blake is in comes to the bookstore asking for permission to use it for filming, the two end up getting to know each other more. That was pretty much the whole book. Aubrey is very curmudgeon-y throughout the whole book. He is struggling with the failing bookstore and his never ending of shortfalls that he sees in himself.

I didn't much care for on of the two major conflicts between Aubrey and Blake. The first conflict was very one-sided. Blake gets upset with Aubrey for something that Blake, in the same conversation, reveals that he is kind of doing as well all revolving around others knowing (or not knowing in this case) about the relationship. The second major conflict was much more valid and understandable.

I will say that the big ending scene was adorable and just what I needed to end the story. This had all the makings of a really great book. If the characters had been better developed and the story-line more polished this could have been a five star read for me. It just wasn't there for me.

I really loved this book. I love an opposites attract love story. Aubrey, the bookstore owner, and Blake, the movie star. They have kind of a whirlwind romance as Blake is in town shooting a movie. It's steamy and sweet. They both discover things they need to let go of and move on from. It was funny and charming. The only draw back for me is that I wish it had been dual perspective. We get everything from Aubrey's POV. I would have liked to get inside Blake's head. Loved this story, can't wait to read more from this author.

Aubrey is a grumpy bookshop owner from London, Blake is an American rising star from Hollywood. They bump into each other three times in one day and the third time is a charm for them. Sparks start to fly as the two are drawn towards each other. I loved this book, The way things started out for Aubrey and Blake was cute. I like all the characters but i relate to Aubrey the most, a book lover who can't believe someone like Blake could ever like him and his grumpy ways remind me of myself. This book had me from the start and I didn't wanna let it go, it's just sad that the book had to end. This was my first book by Hayden Stone and i doubt it'll be my last. This romcom is a must read, in my opinion.

A huge thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had a good time reading this book! It was a quick and entertaining read that I feel like fellow bookworms and lovers of queer romances will enjoy! There were mentions of my fave queer books like The Song of Achilles, RWRB and Boyfriend Material and of one of my fave films, Maurice, as well!

This follows the POV of Aubrey Barnes, owner of Barnes Books (and no, not Barnes & Noble HAHA) and his relationship with up and coming C-List actor, Blake Sinclair, as he’s in London for a shooting of a romcom movie he’s acting in and in which some scenes will be shot at the bookstore.

The grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, (almost) forbidden love romance between Aubrey and Blake is just the CUTEST! Though it was insta-love and started off steamy from the get go, I liked that it gave more page time for their relationship to fully flourish and develop! I enjoyed seeing Aubrey go from “nervous wreck and meticulous” to opening up and showing more of his fun, witty self around Blake! They had the best dates to be honest and their banter and chemistry was just spot on. I also really appreciated how steamy this was! Their emotional connection made them much more intense!

The side characters were so lovable especially Lily and Gemma! I thought they were such great, funny and supportive friends of Aubrey! The sideplot with Aubrey’s ex and Blake’s family really added a strong conflict to the story!

My only issue with this has to be how easily the conflict was solved, I wished there was more angst! Also, Aubrey’s mom was mentioned a lot and supposedly to have a big involvement with the family bookstore but her role in the story was never explored so it just left me curious about her.

Overall, this was british romcom done so well! I really enjoyed the fast-paced, light hearted feel to the story and it gives off Notting Hill vibes with a MLM romance! I highly recommend this stunning debut!

This was a fun and entertaining story, which started out very strong, but waned after the half-way mark for me.

As the story began, book shop owner Aubrey was a bit of a complainer, not super-likeable, and came off as snobby, but I still liked him and his snarky take on things.

Then we met American actor Blake, who had a thing for gruff, opinionated book sellers, or at least one of them. He seemed nice and sweet and the fact that he was hotter than the London heat wave didn't hurt, either.

I thoroughly enjoyed their meeting and getting to know you phase; however, as the book progressed, I never truly felt as though the reader was provided with an over-abundance of *in-depth* detail in regard to what made each MC tick.

Instead, we got way too much bean trivia, leaving me with the feeling that the MC's were only really getting to know one another on a very shallow surface level, while being *told* what felt like a bare minimum what their motivations and dreams in life might entail.

The one discussion-which-was-never-had that made me beyond mental was the fact that, even when their relationship started taking a more serious turn, Aubrey never asked Blake if he was gay, bi, out, closeted, deathly fearful of the public finding out, etc.

SAY WHAT??? Right?

They also never addressed the fact that Blake would be leaving England in a few weeks. Never. Not once. Olympic-level avoidance there.

Don't get me wrong, though. The story had a decent bit of humor and was well on its way to being the book that I hoped it might be, but with Aubrey turning (too?) needy, Blake at times being almost aloof, and the *two* break ups, I found myself much less compelled by the last half of the story.

I'd rate this story at around 3.5 stars and recommend it to readers who don't really *need* to have the MC's living out of one another's pockets before saying their ILY's.

This was a cute, sexy, steamy romance between a too old for his age book seller, Aubrey and Blake, an American actor.

Aubrey is grouchy, and cynical, and reminds me a bit of Blacks Books, where he would prefer not to have customers coming in an reading the damn books.

But, Blake falls for him and he for him, and they have Oral Sex in the time that if this were a straight novel, the girl would still be swooning in the distance for her crush. Perhaps gay love moves faster? I was a bit surprised by that. This is followed by very detailed more gay sex later on.

There is a sort of love triangle with a bitchy ex, and Aubrey wondering what happened there.

I think he is older than 23, which seems much too young to be so old and crotchety, as I think I have mentioned before.

So, it was a good enough book, and if you are looking for a gay romance, with lots of sex, and angst, and mooning, then this is the book for you.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. </em>

I have some feelings about this book. Right off the bat, did not like the writing or characters. They felt juvenile and there were way to many pop culture references. It was easy to see that the author wanted to connect with people on social media (ahem tik tok) through this book and it came off stunted and lame. I wish I liked this book, I liked the premise and the character archetypes that were promised but the outcome was just less than satisfactory. This definitely will not be a new queer classic.

When Audrey and Blake run into each other Audrey doesn't expect much. Sure he notices that Blake's attractive, I mean he does have eyes, but he does not expect anything to come of it. Things definitely get interesting when the keep running into each other, and neither one really knows what's going to happen next.

Overall this book wasn't bad. It WAS very steamy, which I was not expecting tbh, not that I'm complaining. The time they spent together was interesting, getting to see them overcome certain obstacles together was also interesting. I just felt like there was something missing?

I had a few(not that big) issue, one that really bugged me, the author mentions a cat exactly twice in the book, but it's never named, or described, or ever mentioned again. There are times where the MC leaves and there is not a single mention of what happens to the cat? I *know* it's not that big of a deal but it really did bug me. Also, from what we saw Audrey really wasn't that great of a friend which is definitely something I do not really like. He's a bit selfish tbh, but not necessarily to the point where I hated his character, I was more just mildly annoyed by it.

All that being said, this was a super quick read and it was pretty enjoyable, I just did not LOVE it though it was pretty good.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to review! All thoughts are my own.

Review will be posted on my Instagram on or before August 9th.

This was very sweet, surprisingly hot in places, engagingly well-written with loveable characters and a predictable HEA.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I have received an ARC of this book by NetGalley, and Entangled Publishing and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review. The Pub date of the book is August 9th. This review will be posted on my Goodreads, Facebook page and Instagram.
In overall, I liked the story, but I confess that everything happened to fast from the beginning and without coherent explanations to reinforce this speed between the characters romance.
The potential is all in the story, but it was not well built by the author. The characters are wonderful and with unique and distinct personalities - including the secondary ones. But the potential presented lacked a bit of development. I like clichés so it's not because it exists, it's because it's hard to understand where the characters' feelings are going.
Aubrey is peculiar, but as expressive as he is, he does not express what is necessary for us to understand his side, and Blake, he is very absent. It's hard to understand a character who doesn't have much perspective on the story and makes us feel a lack of explanations or points of view. We know more about what his body looks like than what Blake is - and when we know more, it's in the end and a little rushed.
Big problems were explained very quickly towards the end of the book, and they didn't seem to be that big anymore, like the debt and store situation. Loose ends.
Personally, I thought Aubrey was wonderful going to America, but I felt that the trip was a bit...unnecessary, considering that it didn't make sense to me that they didn't meet up there. His debts didn't seem so big on travel expenses. And I mention this because it's a constant problem in Aubrey's life. As is Eli - which I really didn't like and didn't feel any kind of emotion in the past story between Eli and Aubrey. Very confused and poorly explained.
I liked the story, but I felt it was under-developed.
I'm sure that in future stories the author will evolve and show all this growth in new stories.

DNF @ 59%. There are things I like about the book, which is why I kept reading - the quiet, sort-of-cranky bookstore owner, the famous actor who meets someone who couldn’t care less about his fame - but a little over halfway through and I’m sad that I seem to have missed the part where they “fell in love” or at least got more comfortable with each other before deciding to go on an (impromptu) weekend trip. I like a little more build-up, or a slowed down getting-to-know-you period that comes after a quick start, but it felt like we were off to the races and I got left behind because I couldn’t catch up.