This story had so many great elements! I enjoyed the small town setting and the interesting cast of characters! The author is so clever with how she connects her other novels in this universe.

I always love a good small town, opposites attract, fake dating, friends to more story. All of the best tropes rolled into one!
Annie and Cameron both have their issues, but maybe they can help each other out. And maybe they can have some fun in the process?
It’s not the most well developed story, but it connects to other books for building more depth.
This is a fun romance. If you don’t expect too much it can be an enjoyable read.

Fool's Gold (Finch Family, #1) by Jenny Bunting (2022/04/08)
Rating 3/5 Stars
Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley and the author (Jenny Bunting) for providing me with an e-ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fool’s Gold by Jenny Bunting is book 1 in the Finch Family series and can be read as a standalone. Check this one out if you like. . .

Small Town
Friends-to-lovers
Fake Dating
Opposite Attract
Tight-Knit Family

This story follows Cameron Finch who works at his family's brewery and lives on his sister's land in this novel. He's known around town as the small-town player who never commits to a single female. When the brewery's investor decides Cameron needs to prepare an event, he believes he lacks the necessary skills.

When he runs into Annie Stewart, who is weeping into her ice cream at the town's dive bar, he asks her why she’s so upset. She informs him that she is going through a difficult split and that her ex-boyfriend is marrying someone else and that she has been invited to their engagement party.

When Cameron hears this, he has a brilliant idea. He'll make her ex jealous by acting as her fake date, and she'll be able to assist him in planning an event because she's an event planner. However, when they begin to fake date, they find that none of their feelings for one another are fake, and they are unsure what to do with them.

Fool's Gold was a fun book to read. It was a delightful small-town romance. I enjoyed how the author used this book to build up the rest of the series. Cameron and Annie's romance was sweet, and I liked the supporting characters.

My enjoyment of the novel was hampered by the fact that I found the storyline to be a little cheesy at times. I also wish we had seen the early encounters between the characters rather than being told about them. I would have liked to witness how their relationship evolved rather than being told about it.

This was a cute small-town romance. Slated as opposites attract, which I suppose it is, but it's also a bit of friends-to-lovers. Add in a dash of the fake dating trope and bam, you've got this story!

Cameron starts off as the ultimate small-town bachelor/ playboy who is looking for a good time, never wanting to settle down. He works for his family's brewery but is basically just coasting through life. Now he's challenged with coming up with a big event for their tap room and he really doesn't want to mess it up.

Annie has been coasting, in a different way. She's d0ing well at work, but never wants to rock the boat. She keeps herself in the same routine, even if it's not what is best for her. At the start of the story, Annie is dumped by her secret boyfriend, who is also a co-worker and the boss's son. Not only did she get dumped, but he is almost instantly engaged to someone else. While Annie isn't tasked with planning the engagement party, she is expected to go, and she doesn't want to do it alone.

Cameron needs Annie's event planning expertise so that he doesn't disappoint his family and their investor, Annie needs a date for the engagement party....luckily they find each other. It's adorable, sweet, funny, and spicy. I loved Cameron's family, their character development, and their relationship. I definitely plan to keep an eye out for the next book in this series!

Overall this was a quick, fun read. The friends to lovers concept is something I like reading about and I liked the small town setting. Loved the raccoons, loved seven year old Olive but I wasn't too sold on the two MCs Cameron and Annie. Like I said I like the friends to lovers trope but it just seemed to move too quickly with both the protagonists.

My thanks to NetGalley and the author Jenny Bunting for the e-Arc of the book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

Title: Fools Gold
Author: Jenny Bunting
Hero/Heroine: Cameron & Annie
Trope: Fake Relationship/Friends to Lovers/Small Town Romance

THE GOOD 😀

CAMERON BLOODY FINCH! After reading about him briefly in For Your Safety, I just knew I’d love him as a character, and I was proved right. Best known as the town womaniser who never takes anything seriously, I adored witnessing his growth as a character.
When Annie, our wonderful heroine, finds out her knobhead of an ex is engaged, she completely loses it. Treated like a dirty little secret the whole time they were together, she takes this news pretty hard, which is where the gorgeous Cameron comes in. Finding her knee deep in whisky and ice cream, he offers to help her out by pretending to be her boyfriend at her ex’s engagement party. Cue the epicness.
The one thing (amongst many) that I adored about this book was the dynamic between Cameron and Annie. Friends since school, Cameron has always harboured a secret crush on her, and I loved witnessing him go back and forth about whether he should admit his feelings to her. Also, his relationship with his niece Olive was so adorable, I loved how she was the only one of his family who could call him out on his shit.
A wonderful story with a fantastic hero and heroine who gave me all the feels, Fools Gold was an amazing start to the Finch Family series.

THE BAD ☹️

It wasn’t anything that prevented me from enjoying the book, but I didn’t like how Cameron’s family never took him seriously. Throughout the book I was hoping he would
prove them all wrong (not confirming whether he did or not cos, you know, no spoilers).

Thank you to the author and @netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read. This is my honest review.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Funny, steamy and a cast of wonderful characters (including Thelma and Louise)
STEAM LEVEL: 🔥🔥🔥
STAR RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley, author and publisher for an Arc of this book.

Cameron and Annie have known each other sine high school and have been friends . When Annie’s boyfriend breaks up with her only to become engaged to one of his ex’s Annie and Cameron agree to fake date. What starts off as fun fake dating blossoms into so much more.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and finished it in about 2 evenings. If u are looking for a quick fun read with some steamy love scenes this book is for you!

My first Jenny Bunting book and will definitely keep my eyes peeled for more. What a delight! Such an easy going fast paced book. Low drama and plenty of laughs along the way. Love the set up for what I hope is the next story. Loved the characters. Cameron is the local playboy who doesnt do relationships, doesn't take life seriously and is coasting through life taking the easy way out. Annie has known him since high-school when she used to tutor him. He was the hot high school jock and seemed way above her station but secretly they have always had a bit of a flame which ignites after a little bit of fake dating. Love how the romance developed in this one. It flowed really well and all conflicts were addressed and dealt with not just swept under the rug. Cant wait for more in this series

** ARC Review**
4/5 STARS

This was such a cute read! it pulled my in from the very beginning. Seeing Cameron's crush on Annie was the sweetest thing ever. He pined over her from the first chapter and I just ate that up!!
I loved loved loved my first book by this author and I absolutely cannot wait for more

**thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review**

Cameron works for his family’s brewery & lives on his sister’s property, just trying to do the bare minimum to get by, bringing a different girl home every night & kicking them out of his tiny home before the night is over. When the brewery’s investor decides Cameron needs to plan a kick-ass event, he feels totally screwed.

It’s then that he runs into his childhood friend, Annie, crying into her ice cream at the town’s dive bar. Annie’s having trouble with love after dating someone she works with. It’s then that Cameron gets the bright idea: Annie, who happens to be an event planner, can help Cameron with his brewery conundrum & in exchange, he’ll be Annie’s fake date to her ex’s engagement party.

It sounds wild. The town’s playboy going out with someone completely his opposite. But somewhere along the way, Cameron finds himself wanting to change his ways and with it without his permission, he gives his heart fully to Annie. The question is, will she be able to let down her walls to accept the love she deserves?

Fool’s Gold by Jenny Bunting is book 1 in the Finch Family series. I wasn’t sure what to expect when picking up this romance, as Jenny is a new-to-me author, but this was such a great book & a terrific blend of small town meets romantic comedy. I never tire of the fake dating trope and I loved that element here. It’s fully of fun, playful humor, but also managed to make me shed a couple tears. I was rooting for Annie & Cameron from page one and I was happy to see them get their HEA by the end. 4.5/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley & Jenny Bunting for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.

A cute small town romance which had fake dating and friends to lovers troupe with alternating PoV and some steamy scenes.
Loved Thelma and Louise the notorious racoons which provided with some great Lol moments.
The side characters esp Annie and Cameron's family and friends which make an appearance in this one will make for some good stories in the series to come.
Thank you Netgalley, author and publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

The writing style of this book was... shall we say subpar. The premise and storyline sounded great , but I just couldn't make it past the first twenty pages or so. I tried, I really did but no. Just. No

Thank you NetGalley and Jenny Bunting for gifting me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!
.
The kind of feel-good romance that gives you butterflies, leaves you laughing AND gives you the kind of steamy library sex you never knew you needed in a romance novel! Fool’s Gold falls under the fun Faking Dating trope which of course starts with some sexy chemistry and explodes into an all out love story.

Fool's Gold follows small-town heartbreaker, Cameron and event planner, Annie. Cameron doesn't do relationships, but when he's put in charge of organising a big event at his family's brewery and Annie wants to make her very-recent ex jealous at his sudden engagement party, the pair decide to fake date and help each other out. But is Annie the one to finally make Cameron want to commit?

There's a lot to love about Fool's Gold. Firstly, the main characters. Cameron and Annie are total opposites but I love how they brought out the best in each other and their character growth from beginning to end was perfection. They also have great banter and chemistry, which is evident in the book's steamy scenes.

The entire Finch family were an interesting and supportive bunch, so I'm looking forward to seeing whose story Bunting tells next! But when speaking about the book's characters, I'd be remiss not to mention Olive, Cameron's adorable 8-year-old niece, and of course, Thelma and Louise the raccoons! Honestly, more romances should feature feisty characters like these ones!

What else did I enjoy in Fool's Gold? Well, the fake dating storyline for one (can't get enough!) and the fact it's told in alternating points of view.

Overall, I definitely recommend Fool's Gold to readers who enjoy spicy fake dating romances.

Thanks so much to Jenny Bunting and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Just about a year ago, I found an author by the name of Jenny Bunting on Kindle Unlimited. I started chatting with her on Instagram, read both of her available books, got on the list to read an ARC of her third book, and then bugged her to tell me all the things about her fourth book. She patiently answered (most) of my questions, listened while I sent her theories about the title of the fourth book, and has become one of the funniest people I talk to regularly. (If you don't follow her on Instagram, you should - she's hilarious.)

However, this review isn't about our friendship, but about her newest full-length release - Fool's Gold - coming to all platforms on November 2nd.

What a world Jenny is creating in her newest series about the Finch family. She welcomed us to Goldheart at the end of her "For Your Safety" novella and I couldn't wait to go back!

If you like small-town vibes, steamy tiny house sex, and some rascally raccoons, then this book is for you. Even if you don't like those things, but you love solid characters that make you laugh out loud, families that support each other, and steamy truck sex, then this book is for you. Basically - if you read romance, you need to read Jenny Bunting.

In Fool's Gold, we follow Annie and Cameron on their friends-turned fake relationship-turned lovers journey and the love story it became. Annie is a smart and kind event planner, whose heart was stomped on by an idiot, and Cameron is the resident playboy in need of someone to believe in him. While their story starts in high school, their fire is picked up as adults when Annie and Cameron agree to a fake date to make her ex-boyfriend jealous in exchange for her help to impress an investor in his family's brewery. What starts with hugs of greeting quickly turns into the realization that their feelings aren't as fake as they thought. (Can I say that there's nothing like a good hug from the person you have a crush on, amirite!?)

The personal growth that each of them experiences during their time together is precious and so valuable. Annie learns that she is enough and Cameron learns that the right person can change your entire perspective on life. He makes mistakes, he learns from them, and through it all, Annie learns that she is worthy of someone to want to fix mistakes when they make them. She is patient and loving and shows Cameron that he doesn't have to hide his heart from the world because she will be there to care for it.

Thank you to Jenny for an early copy of this book. I love being the Annie to your Whitney.

I loved watching these two fall for each other despite their very opposite personalities and lifestyles. Cameron especially had a lot of growing and changing to do, and I always love watching a playboy fall. Annie was a great character, I loved that she stayed true to herself even if it wasn’t easy to do.

It has everything I love: small town, fake dating, booze, and a ton of 90s references. It’s also steamy, funny, and full of heart. I can’t wait for the remainder of the Finch sibling’s stories!

I read most of this book on an airplane. Was I constantly checking to make sure no one was reading over my shoulder during the particularly steamy scenes? It’s possible.

Well, Jenny Bunting does it again, my friends. She always manages to combine cute, sexy, and funny, all wrapped up in one fiercely enjoyable reading experience. There is even a raccoon attack in this book where, I’m not gonna lie, you’ll actually be rooting for the raccoon.

Fool’s Gold, the first book in the Finch Family series, follows carefree Cameron and type-A Annie, childhood friends (she was his tutor) who frequently cross paths in their small town. When Annie needs a date to make her ex jealous, she enlists Cameron to help, hightailing them into a funny, flirtatious fake-dating scenario.

This was a cute, fun read, and perfect for traveling when I needed something to keep my attention. I liked Annie a lot, especially how she stayed true to her values, even when her feelings for Cameron tried to get in the way. And I grew to like Cameron as he matured (somewhat) over the course of the story. Although he had some totally mortifying moments that made me want to grab him and lock him in a room before he made a fool of himself. He was definitely the FOOL in FOOL’S GOLD, am I right?

One of my favorite things about Jenny’s books is the side relationships. I adored the ride-or-die relationship between Cameron and his sister, and his father-like connection with his young niece. I also loved reading about Annie’s friendship with Whitney the romance author, a subplot that is most certainly an ode to the community Jenny has built on social media with her readers. And the references to the Here in Lillyvale series, with a couple cameos sprinkled in, was the perfect throwback for anyone who has read that series.

I’m always excited for a new Jenny Bunting release, and Fool’s Gold definitely did not disappoint…even though there were raccoons. I will never get over the raccoons.

Fool’s Gold • Jenny Bunting
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Cameron is Goldheart’s resident heartbreaker. He just wants to lay low and serve beer at his family’s brewery. While Annie is the smart good girl and is very successful as the event coordinator at the local winery. When Annie needs a date to her ex boyfriend’s engagement party, and Cameron is asked to plan an event at the brewery to boost customers, they agree to help each other and make a contract. Will past crushes come to the surface? Or will Cameron’s heartbreaker ways strike again?
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I absolutely loved this book! From the small town setting to the characters and the fake dating troupe! Jenny did an amazing job with this novel and I cannot wait for the rest of the series!
I completely fell in love with Cameron and Annie and enjoyed watching them both grow! I also fell in love with the Finch family and can’t wait to read more about them!
I also loved the cameos of characters from some of Jenny’s other books!
•
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Thank you to @NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review #FoolsGoldJB #NetGalley

If you know me even a little, you know that I love Jenny Bunting and her stories, so it will come as no surprise that I loved Fool’s Gold, the first in a new series featuring a family in a small town. And if that’s not enough, we get to meet some familiar faces from previous books and altogether, it just made me really happy.

Fool’s Gold is set in the small town of Goldheart where the Finch family own a brewery and every member of the family contributes in some way. Cameron is not only one of the bartenders for his family’s business, but he’s also the town playboy. Everybody in town knows the kind of person Cameron is – he’s hot, popular, charming and sexy. He’s also slept with pretty much every woman in town and he’s made quite the name for himself. And on the other hand, we’ve got Annie Stewart (you’ll recognise her as the sister of Raegan from For Your Safety) who is a Type-A perfectionist that likes to have everything planned out and in a row neat and tidy. Annie’s loved and cherished in the town just as much as Cameron and where he’s known as the playboy, she’s the good girl. But they’ve hot history, stemming from high school when Annie tutored Cameron in math and she developed an insane crush on him. I mean, I don’t blame her, Cameron Finch is a catch.

I kept putting off reading the book because I knew I was going to love it and I would never want it to end. And I was right. Cameron and Annie are such incredible characters and it’s not just their relationship, which I’ll get to in a minute, it’s their individual personalities that captivate you right from the start.

Cameron isn’t ashamed of the reputation he’s built, he just hates that all the women he’s hooked up with treat him like shit now, because apparently falling in love with Cameron is normal, even when he tells them upfront that he’s not interested in them. Cameron’s love for his family is the best, but his relationship with his niece Olive is better than anything else in the world. He’s snarky, sarcastic and funny, but Cameron is also insanely charming and could probably have the grumpiest person eating out of the palm of his hand. Annie, Annie, Annie. If you’ve read Home then you’ve met Addison and she’s one of my absolute favourite Jenny Bunting heroines. Now, Annie Stewart joins those ranks. I love that she’s a tall woman, because it’s so rare to read about really tall women in romance! But I love how organised, focused and driven she is. She’s a kind soul, with only goodness in her heart. Annie is the kind of person all of us would want as a friend, or a lover in Cameron’s case, and she just makes you smile so hard. There’s not a mean bone in that woman’s body and it’s all absolutely genuine.

While both these characters grow so much through the course of the book, Annie’s growth is the strongest. She goes from being a shy and quiet woman who settles for a man that wants to hide their relationship to being a ‘take charge of her life’ kind of person. She’s so inspiring. I loved watching Annie see her weaknesses, embrace them and then move on past them. She doesn’t linger and wait for everything to make sense, Annie goes out and does it and if that’s not inspirational, I don’t know what is.

Now, Annie and Cameron’s relationship. I could write a book about it. So I’ll spare you the rambles and give you the bare bones. With all this history and sexual tension in their past, it’s bound to get frustrating when they’re together and nothing happens. They decide to fake date in order to help each other out, which then turns into them spending more time together because they realise that they fit. And then one thing leads to another and their relationship grows so beautifully. I loved how invested his family got in their relationship, because it’s clear that everyone loves Annie. But I loved watching Cameron realise that this whole time, his feelings for Annie weren’t just simple ‘it’ll pass’ kind of feelings.

In romance, the moment when the hero has an epiphany about his feelings for the heroine is one of my favourites. It’s like a lightbulb goes off above their heads and every time they see their person, their heart thumps loudly and their breathing slows down and their head spins out of control. And Cameron has A LOT of those moments, which is so great. Another thing I love in romance? STEAM. It’s a slow burn, but it’s totally worth the wait. Annie and Cameron have all this pent up sexual tension and frustrations that the minute they cross that line and share their first real kiss, all bets are off. I remember Jenny posting stories about her time away in a tiny home and how she was inspired by it to include ‘certain scenes’ in the book and she did a damn good job bringing that to life.

Jenny Bunting has always provided me, as a reader, with laughs and swoons. Right from her first book to this one and as someone who has read every single one of her books, I can tell you that nothing prepared me for the magic of this wonderful story. We can all see a little bit of Cameron and Annie in ourselves and maybe even in our lives, but it’s the way the story is told that really makes them pop off the page. I am also already in love with the Finch family and I can’t wait to see what happens with the next book and to see more of the elusive Jackson. I know, even without any other details about this books, that I am going to fall in love with this family and never want to let go.

Cameron is the town playboy and Annie is the good girl. Each of them has something to prove (Cam that he can be serious & Annie that she’s over her loser ex) and they wind up fake dating…which, of course, leads to real dating. I loved how absolutely gone Cam was for Annie!😍

Tropes:
✅Fake dating
✅Friends to lovers
✅Small town

Jenny did a fantastic job subtly tying this book in with her other series (so many character cameos!) and also setting up for the future books in this series.