An Unexpected Kind of Love by Hayden Stone

5 stars ⭐️

𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒃:
Aubrey Barnes is a quiet, structured, anxious and unknowingly handsome book shop owner. He is struggling to make ends meet with the shop and reeling from a breakup. His routine is disturbed when an American film set requests his shop to be used as a set for the Rom-Com they’re filming there in London. The film is one thing but the dazzling sexy American actor, Blake Sinclair, is another. This is Aubrey’s shot to get his shop out of the red. So how exactly does Aubrey end up in Blake’s trailer getting hot and heavy?

𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘:

I love everything about this book honestly. The writing was amazing and the characters were terribly witty and adorable. Aubrey presents as an awkward adorable mess and Blake is undeniably charming. Instantly I connected with these characters. Aubrey is really lost with the ghost of his past. His first love broke his heart and he’s been drowning since. Meeting Blake revives and restores the joy that was missing in Aubrey’s life. But what is love without pain? Blake is amazing and charming but living a double life. He hasn’t come out to his parents and the media. Blake struggles with how he would like to be seen and how Aubrey fits into that picture.

I adored this story and would recommend it!

[𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒆: 08/09/2021]

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Entangled Publishing, LLC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I could not put this book down!! It was so sweet, so well written, so on point with what life is really like, ahhh! I just loved this story so much. Aubrey is a young, single man who is recovering from a rough break up. In comes Blake, a super sexy rising movie star. And boy oh boy do sparks fly with these two! I really appreciate the LGBTQ aspect of this story as well, all sorts of sexual identities and orientations are mentioned in this book and it’s in an organic way, rather than the token gay character who is only there for comedic relief. I can’t say more without giving away this book but I will say that everyone should make it a point to read this story. Extra special thank you to @netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with this eARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this advanced copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own. #bookstagram #speedreader #entangledpublishing #netgalleyreader #netgalley #netgalleyreview #bookworm #lqbtq #romance

This book was thoroughly enchanting,
One of my favorite tropes, grumpy guy with a heart of gold and charming prince.
I was critical, a bit, of how quickly they developed feelings for each other, but at least the characters themselves seemed to realize the absurdity of this too.
The main characters were amazing; multifaceted with interests and hobbies and backgrounds. The book didn't just center on their love story, but had a lot about their individual struggles and interests.
The smut was hot.
The writing was nice; it was as though the story naturally flowed and was very descriptive.
If you want an engaging romcom, this is it.

An incredibly engaging and adorable story! I loved this a lot. The heroes were endearing and I believed in their chemistry 100%. I thought it was a bit odd/a missing part of the story that although Aubrey's main motivation was to care for his mother and carry on/make her proud...we never met or interacted with her.

(Also a pet peeve of mine which is super minor but I really can't let it go is the specific distinction between being bisexual and being pansexual. Not only did it not add ANYTHING to the plot, but it wasn't accurate/is a much larger discussion than a throw away line)

Rating: 3/5

Summary: Aubrey Barnes, a grumpy British bookseller, is still trying to get over his ex-boyfriend when his bookstore gets taken over by a nearby movie set. It's at this movie set that Aubrey runs into Blake Sinclair, a charismatic American actor who he can't seem to get away from. As the relationship between Aubrey and Blake heats up, conflicts in both of their personal lives threatens to pull them apart.

Thoughts: An Unexpected Kind of Love for me was a bit of a misnomer, because I found this romance very easy to predict. Of course there's a possessive ex-boyfriend, of course Blake's not out and there's a paparazzi scandal, of course there's flying to another country to confess undying love, of course, of course, of course. The tropes were all there, both good ones and groanworthy ones. I also echo some other reviewers' critiques of character complexity. Aubrey as a MC was kind of boring and one-note. There was not a lot of exploration of his and Blake's relationship. I was left wondering why Aubrey and Blake were even together. Was it just sex appeal? They very rarely spoke about interests other than...*checks notes*...beans? The majority of their relationship just seemed to be built on all of the sex they were having. Blake, as a LI, seemed sweet, but we didn't really get to know him beyond Aubrey describing how hot he was. We got to know Eli on a more personal level more so than Blake, which didn't really make sense given that Eli was the jealous ex-boyfriend, and not the main LI.

All that being said, I still enjoyed this book enough to rate it 3/5 stars, it was a decent debut for a new author, but perhaps one that didn't really change the game much regarding trope usage in romance novels.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this, especially since it followed someone who owned a bookstore, which is something I've wanted to do for a while now. I thought this was the perfect blend of realistic love and banter, and was everything I was looking for. Thank you for the e-arc!

Really enjoyed this book, the characters were so fun and different, i instantly grew to them as soon as i got started reading. I love the setting of the bookstore, it really reminded me of my favourite movie notting hill lol. It is both funny and sweet at times. I think this book would be perfect for a summer read outside which is where i spent my time reading it. The romance was written so well and the characters are both quirky and adorable. I would recommend this book to fellow book readers, family and/or friends.

5*, thank you so much Netgalley for my Arc copy.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing me a digital ARC of this book in a exchange for an honest review.

I have many words for how I felt reading An Unexpected Kind of Love. Here are three: entertained, perplexed, amused. I'm definitely not going to be able to keep this review spoiler-free.

To summarize, Aubrey Barnes is a London bookseller, grump, and control freak-adjacent whose bookshop is rented out by a film crew for a rom-com shooting. Through the filming, he meets frighteningly attractive Blake Sinclair, a C-list celebrity from America who is in London for the next two weeks playing the main character's best friend in the movie. After the two bump into each other thrice, Aubrey gives Blake a blowjob in his trailer, and a secret romance is born.

I'm dead serious. At this point we're not even thirty pages in. Not complaining though, as I was actually pretty hooked.

Here are some points that I took note of as I continued reading:

— Blake Sinclair is a goddamn multidisciplinary icon. He calls himself a "triple threat" at the beginning of the book for his skills in acting, singing, and dancing, but it becomes clear very quickly that he's approaching septuple or even octuple threat territory. The man can act, sing, dance, plumb, play instruments, write songs, photograph things, and revive dying businesses. This leads me to my next point.

— There is not a single issue in this book that Blake Sinclair does not solve. Every time a problem presents itself, Blake manifests the skill to rectify it, and it never fails to make me laugh. Aubrey's life is completely fixed by Blake's presence. God, I see what you have done for others, and I want that for me.

— Finally, and on an unrelated note, there is an absolutely extraordinary plot hole that I could not ignore: Aubrey has a cat with no name, which vanishes a third of the way into the novel. It is referenced exactly four times before never appearing again. I'm laughing as I write this, because after this point Aubrey and Blake leave town multiple times. Who is caring for this cat? Is there an unnamed cat-sitter which stops by to feed it off-page? And is the cat confined to Aubrey's bedsit above the bookshop, or does it roam the sales floor as well? I am desperate for answers.

Jokes aside, I did enjoy this book to a fair degree, which is why I'm giving it three stars. Fair warning to all prospective readers: it is incredibly steamy. I lost count of how many times the characters had sex, which is not a bad thing—in fact, it rescued the story from most of its downfalls. The scenes were well written and hot, and the sexual tension outside of them was enough to keep me chugging along through this book. I would say two of the three stars here are for the sex, and the third is for how entertained I was by the vanishing cat.

I probably wouldn't recommend this book earnestly, unless you're into MCs who overuse the word gawp, or perhaps want to do some missing animal sleuthing. Still, I'm glad to have read it. It was definitely a fun time.

<i>"Having been through what I've been through, the only thing I've learned is that it's better to take a chance than not. Even if it hurts after. Because not knowing would hurt worst of all, I think. At least this way we might have something to remember."</i>
It's not often you run into a C-list American actor multiple times in one day, but London native Aubrey Barnes manages just that.

In this captivating new title, An Unexpected Kind of Love, we get a glimpse of what it's like being Aubrey Barnes, a struggling man who is attempting to keep a small family-run bookstore afloat, right when big box stores start popping up on every corner.

Enter Blake Sinclair, the small-town boy who pursued his dream of becoming an actor. Multi-talented and devastatingly handsome, there is no way he can be interested in grumpy bookseller Aubrey...right?

Through the course of this book, the reader is taken on an engaging ride with London as the backdrop. This novel has a quirky cast, an ex who can't help but continuously put his nose in Aubrey's business, and a secret that could wreck everything.

While Hayden Stone is a new author to me, I loved the writing style, the character development, the descriptive plot, and the overall romance that forms between two individuals who live an ocean apart.

<b>Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing an advance copy of this book for me to enjoy. As always, this book was read and reviewed voluntarily, and the opinions stated above are completely my own.</b>

3.5/5 stars!

When life gives a struggling bookstore owner an opportunity to keep the business running, said owner is reluctant to take that chance. Especially when it brings along a charming American actor who makes him feel feelings he didn't trust after his breakup with his ex. When he finally makes a decision to lease his bookstore as a set for the film, he ends up with a life-changing encounter with the actor. Though reluctant to start dating a celebrity, life has other ideas. How will the British bookstore owner and the American actor deal with the aftermath of being together?

This is an enjoyable read featuring two opposites. This book is primarily told by the bookstore owner and his experiences with the start of his relationship with the American actor. The book also has a wide variety of secondary characters, including the ex and a sassy employee with big opinions. I would have liked the book to feature a dual point-of-views because I needed more from the American actor. Therefore, though I enjoyed the book, I felt it was missing that essential viewpoint from that particular character. It does have some good intimate scenes that shows the closeness that was growing in the main relationship. Overall, an entertaining M/M romance.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Slight spoilers ahead!

This was a fun and cute queer romance!
I really enjoyed the main character Aubrey and his particular sense of humour. I also found the whole conflict with him and Eli to be pretty interesting, and it was nice to see him finally confront him and move on.

What I didn't like was how bland the love interest and the romance itself was. While it was cute, it seemed very shallow, which made it hard to swallow that they really fell in love in just about two weeks. Like, Aubrey basically only gushed about how hot he was all of the time, which did not convince me that their feelings were real.
The writing style was also, at times, abit clunky and could have been phrased better, but for the most part it was very good.

Still, it was an easy and fun read, and I do recommend it to those who like romance!

Thank you for Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an eArc of this novel! All of the opinions expressed here are my own.

An incredibly sweet NA love story. Incredibly insightful and strong main characters. A story about freeing yourself and learning to love again.

I am mostly just frustrated by this book. It had so much potential and I actually really enjoyed the characters, but it was woefully underdeveloped. It's about Aubrey, who is most definitely a Virgo, he owns a book shop in London and is grumpy and cynical and gets frustrated when people shelve books out of order or by people who buy books purely for aesthetic reasons with no plan to read them. I felt for Aubrey. He had Virgo vibes all day. Anyway, his bookshop is struggling and he is trying to work through the aftermath of a bad breakup and in the aftermath of his dad's death. Now I say this, but we get absolutely no details about any of this. It it's referenced a few times and mentioned in a way that we're just supposed to know, but there's never any deep dive into what actually happened.

Then there's Blake who is an American actor in London working on a film and the only real information we get about Blake is that he's hot. About 2/3 of the way through the book he gets a little bit of a personality, but what you're essentially left with about him is that he's an American actor who is really good at sex.

The romance for this was way too rushed for me and I'm so angry about it because there were pieces of the story that were wonderful and could have been great. But it was just lackluster for me and I am so sad to say that. When I first saw this as an available arc on that galley, I jumped head first because I am a sucker for grumpy book sellers. But I just wanted more from this book.

If you are looking for something that is fairly light and fluffy, a surface level romance, this book is for you. It is a great beach read or a lazy Sunday afternoon book, but if you're looking for complexity and depth this one doesn't quite deliver.

Rep: white English gay MC, white American bisexual/pansexual/queer love interest (unlabeled but discussed), queer side characters, mentions of poly rep, disabled secondary character

CW: brief mention of death of a parent, mention of cheating, mention of familial disapproval, mention of car accident (I say mention because all of these are tiny spots in this book and none are actually delved into)

I don't know what to say. When I read this book's synopsis I was super excited cause it seemed to fit right up my street. This book had a lot of potential but it just wasn't it. The book and the romance between the main characters felt extremely rushed. A lot of sentences were repeated every two pages or so and the characters felt really plain to me.

I know this is the author's first book and I truly wish I liked this one and could leave a good review.

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars!

I loved this book so much! Despite the fact that the romance felt very abrupt and rushed, I had so much fun with the characters! And I loved that the author incorporated a bookstore element into the story! gahhh and the last scene was so cute!!

This is a cute British rom com about a bookseller who finds love again with an American celebrity. It’s funny and adorable. A quick, cozy, feel good read for the Summer/ Fall. I’d recommend to fans of Boyfriend Material, and Red White and Royal Blue.

I was sold when I started to get Notting Hills vibes, and more even when it started to have Notting Hill references!!! Aubrey is a delightful character and overall a ball of anxiety that will make you root for him to have freedom of his worries, afterall he is only 23 years old and have so many worries that no one in his age should have. And having a break from all the heartbreaking things happening to his love life, shop and life in general was refreshing to his mind, so much that it makes him do surprising things spontaneously with Blake, things that he never would allowed himself to do. Blake gave him the courage to be free and that was beautiful to see.
The writing style was emotional and funny, I sometimes lost myself in it feeling like I was Aubrey! I felt like my heart was breaking as I put myself on his shoes!
Like all rom coms, this one had angst and a really sweet happy ending!

"An unexpected kind of love" by Hayden Stone was a delightful surprise. The story takes you on twists and turns with a good sense of humour. This is a true romantic comedy with relatable characters and a slightly unbelievable story. I laughed out loud many times while reading this book 😄

To be honest who doesn't love a grumpy bookstore owner? This is Aubrey, the gay store owner that lives in a tiny room above his malfunctioning store. Add to that an American movie star (that would be Blake), nosy and interfering friends, paparazzi and some interesting flirting (what better way to gain a book lovers attention than by misplacing books?) and you have a book perfect for when you want to dream yourself away. The romance in combination with real life problems give this book that little extra.

Short synopsis:
Bookstore owner Aubrey Barnes likes his quiet, orderly London life, thank you very much. His shop may be struggling, his only employee is a menace, and his plumbing is one creaky pipe away from disaster, but he can handle it. Maybe. He cannot, however, handle the film company that’s thrown his Soho street into chaos.

And he definitely can’t handle the charismatic American actor Blake...

this was SO ADORABLE and sweet, some angst and ache that balance the sweetness. i didn't want to put it down!

i love this pov from Aubrey, reading his insecurities, his thoughts, his troubles, his indecisiveness, was really enjoyable. the way he hurts and love, keeping people close and happy.

i love how Blake helps Aubrey out with his confidence, love and even the shop. (pshhh was it love at first sight, Blake?) enough to overlap with my unhappiness of Blake at the end, because.. he had to know what he was getting into before right? he even picked a fight before over that very same problem that occured at the end. (ps everytime Blake offers to help with marketing for the shop, I'm honestly scared because a fight is coming up.)

their make up was a bit dramatic, <spoiler> (wow Aubrey, did you reconsider financially?) also a bit stalkerish, and creepy i would not recommend. maybe hit up a text beforehand or something? </spoiler> but i'm so glad for how it ended. how they both try to find each other. they are both so connected, and meant to be.

Eli's spoiler;
<spoiler> what i don't understand is, why only Eli was in the wrong and not "Eli and Ryan", it takes two hands to clap. Ryan entering a relationship with his bestfriend's ex, that's (not) ok?? but, i like how Eli was always there for Aubrey even though it hurts Aubs (sorry Aubs) </spoiler>

also can't wait to buy the physical copy of this!

The plot had the chance of becoming food but the writing and pace are really not my styles. The book just jumps from one to another and the book needs some diting with the style of writing.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with the ARC.