Placeholder. Will update when the Harper Collins union new contract is finalized. Thank you again to the publisher for the copy.

4.5 stars
Spicy romance about a successful Black entrepreneur juggling two eligible men. Lots of positive representation of the Black community. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

This one kept me at a solid state of awwwwwww for most of the book. Probably a third round purchase for most libraries

I really enjoyed the characters, setting, and story. It is refreshing to have contemporary romance with adults acting and thinking like adults.

Zora is a bookstore owner who books her author crush, Lawrence, for a book signing. Fangirling commences and they end up seeing each other. She also meets his best friend, Reid, and they start seeing each other, too. Some things don't quite add up, but Zora is going to figure it out.

Zora was lovely, as was her grandmother. Best friend Emma was a winner, too. Lawrence is suave and cool. Reid is a grouch at first, but there's a good guy in there somewhere. The setting is DC and it felt like being there. I also love the attention to black-owned businesses and black creatives supporting one another and making the city a better place.

This is a feel-good book in all the right ways.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin, MIRA for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good love triangle and it's been ages since I've read a really good one! Zora wants nothing more than her indie bookstore to succeed. She's determined to make her business thrive in DC and doesn't have much time for romance. She finally meets an author, Lawrence, who she's been crushing on for years and he asks her out. The only problem is his grumpy bestfriend Reid is impossible to be around until she gets to know him. She eventually finds herself with two handsome men pinning after her and she has to choose. Zora Books Her Happy Ever After is sweet, charming with a bit of mystery mixed in. I really loved this one.

This book is a fun and spirited story that entertains and delights! There are so many pluses that McCoy gave us with this rom-com.

First off, two love interests? Yes, why not!

Oh, but how to find the right man for your heart is exactly what Zora is dealing with. A dreamboat who is not all he appears to be and his best friend, who did not make good first impressions, and is not all he seems to be. What a quandary to be in but we walk with her as she dates and dives into truths and untruths along the way.

Surrounding Zora is her grandmother who is absolutely a delight but a bit obsessive with grandbabies. And a fabulous friend and co-worker in Emma, who is definitely a trip and grabs the scene over and over.

McCoy does not shy away from the heat and steam in this one. I love the openness and unashamed acceptance for dating whomever she pleases.

One thing that is questionable and absolutely backfired was the tension and issues between the two men. That should have been something Zora stayed out of instead of stirring the pot. There were other red flags that everyone needs to look for as well in the dating scene to help you choose the right person.

Zora Books Her Happy Ever After is fun, enlightening, steamy, and educational, offering a different twist to the typical romance story we normally find.

This book was adorable but don’t let that fool you cause it was also spicy as heck. One thing I really appreciated was that the spicy scenes didn’t feel like they were just redone over and over. As far as the story, Lawrence was okay for me in the beginning but man, I wanted to punch him by the end. I adored Zora, her granny, and Emma. All of them came off as such amazing and strong women who were so secure with who they were. But man, Reid was great. I was rooting for him the whole time. I honestly didn’t see some of the twists and turns that were coming and I appreciated that this didn’t feel like every single romance book out there. It was something different. Definitely worth the read and can’t wait to read more from this author.

this was my first time reading this author and i enjoyed the book. it was a fun and easy read. what’s not to love about a bookshop owner and author trope?

Zora is an independent book store owner in Washington D.C. - her business is thriving, she works hard, is a dedicated friend and granddaughter - and her hard work pays off when she is able to book her favorite mystery author/crush, Lawrence Michaels, for a speaking event at her store. However, at the event itself, she also encounters his crotchety best friend, Reid, who can't seem to stop himself from making disparaging remarks. Zora finds herself caught in a love triangle as she gets to know both men: whose first impressions were completely inaccurate.
Told from Zora's POV, this is a fun romance novel of a woman playing the field and uncovering that some folks aren't exactly as they appear. She has a best friend/housemate, is super close with her grandmother (after her parents' death), and is passionate about books and writing as a craft. This was definitely a fun/quick read with fun descriptions from fashion to hair and a refreshing depiction of modern, Black women with strong bonds. Overall, 3.5 rounded to 4.

What I enjoyed:
--Zora is a smart and savvy business owner, devoted to her love of books but willing to put in the work to expand her business and find ways to support her community. A+ heroine.
--Zora's loving granny Marion, who knows a thing or two about men.
--Zora's best friend Emma, who's not so flighty as her initial appearance might make you think.
--The young authors in Reid's class: expressive and eager to make their marks on the world.
--The food descriptions.
--The maturity with which the characters initially approached the love triangle trope.

What I didn't enjoy:
--The whole shady vibe between Lawrence and Reid. The tension between the two at the start sent up red flags for me. Where was the side character telling Zora, "Girl, you in danger"???
--Granny's harping on great-grandbabies. Again and again and again...
--Lawrence's evasiveness.
--Lawrence's performance. Both times. (Insert side-eye here.)
--The revelation of what caused that shady vibe mentioned above. I saw that coming, and I mean, if it works for you guys, okay, but that just did not sit well with me. Especially Lawrence's and Reid's reactions to Zora wanting to know the truth.

Look, I love a good romance and a solid happy ever after. After reading McCoy's first outing, Savvy Sheldon Feels Good As Hell, I was hoping for more about Savvy's friend group -- but I thought the synopsis of this book sounded great, too, even with the love triangle. But ultimately I think I would have been happier if Zora had had a good time with both men and then said "Boy, bye" to both. Zora deserved better.

So yes, there was a lot I liked about this book but it just didn't satisfy as a romance. 3 stars.

Thank you, Mira and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

this was a really well done romance novel, I loved the characters within the novel and the romance worked for the story. It had a great plot that worked well and I was invested in the characters. It was written well and I enjoyed every part of what I read. Taj McCoy has a great style and I'm looking forward to read more from them.

"Zora bit her lip, wondering what he would want to know. Sipping her wine, she closed her eyes, trying to remember the scent of his cologne. A vision of his rich umber eyes, the color of melted dark chocolate, flashed beneath her eyelids and she gasped, fluttering her eyes back open in time for the next message."

Zora was a phenomenal MC and I loved her friends and family as well. I think this very complicated (both personal and professional triangle) was a fascinating concept but I wish that Lawrence had been a little more appealing to make the conflict more interesting because I just wanted her to get away from him ASAP.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved the strong female protagonist, Zora, in this book, and her surrounding sisterhood. They are fierce and know what they want in life. Granny was laugh out loud funny at times. It was fun to see a woman getting to choose between two guys when so often it is the guys playing the field. Zora may not have known she was ready for a forever type of relationship, so there are the ups and downs that come with that. The characters are written so realistically that you can see yourself being friends with them.

This was such a fun romance - I absolutely loved how full Zora's life was aside from romance. She has a job she is passionate about, friends and family who support her, and she knows who she is. It was so easy to root for her. I thought the love triangle the book presented was a great story - the things she is working through with both prospective suitors felt real and made the ending that much sweeter.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Bookstore…author…love…romance…all of these combined make for a fun romance. This author is talented at writing a book about love and romance. Keeping a business together…falling for the right or maybe wrong person…enjoy…the story does move slowly at times…

Zora is a young bookstore owner who gets lucky and books an author event with her favorite author Lawrence Michaels. She's had a massive crush on him since first reading his stuff and can't believe he is willing to come to her little indie bookstore for an author night. Lawrence shows up at his event with his best friend Reid. Lawrence seems to desire her as much as she desires him. Reid though- He's attractive and intelligent, but she can't seem to get a read on him. After going out with both men, Zora has a hard time deciding whether she will stick with the guy she has spent all this time crushing on or if she will open up to this guy who keeps surprising her at every turn. Luckily she has her best friend Emma and her Granny to help her along the way.

I don't read a ton of romance, but I absolutely adored this book. Zora is easy to fall in love with. She's more than happy to be independent and is unashamedly sexy. There's plenty of spice here to highlight just how sexy she can be. Ultimately, all I wanted was for her to find happiness no matter what and I think she really did.