I am quickly becoming a huge Winter Renshaw fan! I have enjoyed everything I have read by her and Love And Kerosene is no exception! This book is a slow burn, second chance about Lachlan and Anneliese who are an unlikely couple! I enjoyed seeing these two strangers coming together and healing each other and finding love again!

The writing is amazing and I love all the emotions I felt while I read this book! The chapter titles are a perfect addition too! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good slow burn, second chance, small town romance

I think this is the first time I've given Ms. Renshaw a less than 4 star review. I just found this whole story line ridiculous. Anneliese's no good dead fiance takes her life's savings and leaves her alone to renovate his childhood home to try to recoup her money. Lachlan, younger brother to no good dead fiance, begrudgingly returns to his home town in hopes of settling his brother's estate and literally burning it to the ground.

This is an enemies to lovers romance, but lacking in steamy love scenes. Just when you think Lachlan is going to rock Anneliese's world, it jumps to the next day and leaves you wanting. Disappointing.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
SPICE: 🔥🔥

Winter Renshaw sets our hearts aflame with two characters who find a second chance at life..and love.

Annaliese Nielsen was trying to put her life together. After her fiancé Donovan cashed out her life savings before dying in an accident, the only thing she had left was his family's fixer-upper home. She had been trying to move past Donovan's deceit by chipping away at the house's much-needed repairs, and then a knock came at her door.

Lachlan Byrne is back in Arcadia Grove to do one thing and one thing alone before he leaves the town for good: Burn down his family home. He hopes that the secrets and memories will go down in flames along with the house. What he did not count on is the living obstacle that is his estranged brother's ex-fiancé.

They eventually come up with a compromise to finish the renovations while Lachlan waits to officially inherit the house. Could their close proximity change his mind about the house..and more?

This is the kind of book that feels like you are being pushed down a slope and you have nothing to do but just enjoy the ride. And enjoy it I absolutely did. While their history was full of angst, Annaliese and Lachlan's easy but deep connection made me devour this book so handily. You start with two people whose personalities are completely opposite to each other and who are pretty much alone in this world because of their own doing. While their original connection was adversarial, they eventually peel layer after layer of each other until they find that they are more similar than they had assumed and that they fill in the missing parts of their heart.

Annaliese is a fantastic ball of sunshine, and Winter Renshaw does a phenomenal job of showing us through Annaliese's actions and connections with people. She is vulnerable but her kindness makes that naivete completely relatable. Lachlan is a big ball of grumpy and emotionally isolated, but I love that he is self-aware enough not to be a jerk.

We get a slow burn as they try to navigate around a history of disappointments and deceit -- sometimes from the same person. This read is not as spicy as I expected. They have a few moments that lead to a "fade-to-black," but their chemistry more than makes up for the lack of action in my POV.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Winter Renshaw, Montlake, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

4.5⭐

What would you do if the man you loved and planned to wed died, and you learned he'd been conning you?

That the life savings you provided him with to help renovate his beloved childhood home are gone and your only hope of recouping anything is to finish the renovations yourself; then make a claim against his estate.

Well, that's what happens to Annelise only her fiancée Donovan didn't merely lie about the money, and the home she is renovating. He lied about his family too.

So when his supposedly dead brother Lachlan turns up to claim the house just so he can burn it to the ground. She has to try and talk him round. But Lachlan wants the house gone.

Yet, he's willing to give Annelise and the renovations a chance. Although he's sure when it's done his feelings won't have changed.

But the more time the pair spend together and the more lies Annelise reveals the more Lachlan softens and falls for the one woman he shouldn't.

But what happens when Donovans final lies are revealed?

And with the perfect amount of emotion, angst and a slow burn romance that just hints at the heat between the pair. This was a really enjoyable read. And it's one I would happily recommend to others.

I love Winter Renshaw. I've enjoyed all of the books that I've read that's from her. I love that she knows her readers well.

This book is more angsty than I've anticipated. Her books always have that angsty element to it but I think this one takes the cake.

It started slow... a slow burn. But it picks up somewhere in the middle. Lachlan and Anneliese are an unlikely match but it's always the unexpected that will make you swoon.

I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did.

What I liked the most: kitchen dances. No, maybe not the most. Anneliese and Lachlan turn out to be perfect for each other. They didn't start that way, but her big heart, and her forgiving nature just showed him that his past doesn't need to define his future. Heartbreak and betrayal are only hurtful when they are at the forefront of every thought.

4.5 stars! Beautiful!

I'm a huge fan of Winter Renshaw's work and it was no different with this book in particular.

Love & Kerosene is a slowww burn romance feauturing Annelise and Lachlan Byrne, Anneliese's late fiance's brother. These are an unprobable couple as much as their unprobable curcumstances.
As heir to his last family member and after ten years abroad, Lachlan Byrne comes to his childhood town in Arcadia Grove, Vermont to finalize the matters concerning his family home inheritated solely by his late brother and finally burn it to the ground, just to bump into Anneliese, Donavan's would've been widow that is repairing the state and refuses to leave.
What follows is two people sharing grief, not for the person they lost, but everything said person left, done and protagonized in their lives, as family and companion. It's a story of deceit, betrayal and manipulation. Donavan left emotional and financial destruction to Anneliese, for Lachlan the loss, the weight of false guilt, the impossibility of a family complete.

Winter does an incredible job portraying two strangers that connect, open and hear each other, that slowly try to heal and make whole again, with brutal honesty on one side to a sensible and positive spirit on the other, even defeat couldn't bring down.
There was a spark, a tiny bit of possibility in a grand scheme of improbability, the words aligned as did their quick and on-demand stories, as did their hearts. And in the need to burn to the ground with the need to cling to the last bridge, love was born in kerosene.

As all Winter's books, the narrative flows steady, direct and appealing, working the past, the present in the emotional facets of Anneliese and Lachlan, her trying to find something worth in her brief experience as Donavan's other half, him making her see how disappointing, unturstworthy and delusional he was, unappologetically, without mincing words.

Nevertheless, I would have loved to feel more intensity in their romantic liason. I thought it happened a bit late in the story, in a light shade. An event, conflict or obstacles to overcome would have made it more tension-packed, furtive and raw, perhaps, like the author got ys used to.

I absolutely loved the chapter titles and how many different feelings-in-a-word I got to learn!

I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be the type of romance that I could just sit back, relax and let the story unfold.

Anneliese had some serious recovering to do, not only because of the death of her fiancee but because of the lies that were revealed afterwards. I was expecting her to have felt cracks in her relationship with him prior to his death and the fact that she did not made it hard for me to accept her relationship with Lachlan. She was an interesting heroine with an unusual career and the type of personality I connected with.

Lachlan was pretty laid back, despite his background and his intentions towards the house. His reasons were kept secret through most of the book and I completely understood them once they were revealed. I loved his meeting and following visit with Anneliese’s father.

While Anneliese and Lachlan both had issues to deal with, the angst level never felt heavy until the end when they faced their greatest struggle. This was a slow burn and even when things ignited between them we had just a peek before the door was closed. The epilogue was great and I was very pleased with the way this couple’s story came to an end.

Swindled out of her life savings by her dead fiance Donovan, and now left with a house she must renovate and resell if she hopes to gain any of her money back, Annaleise Nielsen does not expect Donovan's lookalike brother Lachlan to throw a wrench into that plan.

Their story is an not at all what I expected, but I thought Love and Kerosense was a sweet slow burn romance, fast paced small town romance that was super cute! I did wish for more steam, but other than that I really liked it!

OMG🤩

Love and Kerosene is the first book I’ve read of Winter’s and let me tell you it will NOT BE the last❣️ Love and Kerosene is a standalone story and features Anneliese and Lachlan. Anneliese is the ex-fiancé of Lachlan’s brother, Donovan, but in all honesty - when Donovan died she didn’t know a brother existed until he arrives on her doorstep one day announcing that the house she lives in now belongs to him. Proposing a deal to Anneliese, Lachlan suggests they live together and renovate the property together and if she can convince him to sell the property he will - otherwise he’s going to burn it to the ground and let the fire department use it as a training exercise essentially🔥🚒

As I said, this was my first story by Winter and I found it to be engaging, with very well developed and likeable characters that made me fall in love with them and their chemistry but also their heartbreaking stories💔 I will definitely be reading more stories by this author and have already downloaded a few to get started😍 I received an advanced copy via Netgalley and voluntarily leave my honest review❤️

I wanted to like this but, I had a hard time connection with the characters. The premise was good but I just felt like there could have been more to it.

I received an advanced copy of this ebook from the publisher for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I loved Lachlan, Annalise, and Florence's characters. This book is a fast paced romance. This book mentions Chicago and California. I like this authors writing style. I would definitely recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone. This book will be in stores on October 11, for $12.95 (USD).

I'm a huge sucker for forced proximity and I loved how this one played out. I knew the minute he moved in to help remodel that things would get interesting.

I also love a good love after loss book. I felt terrible for her losing her fiance but that feeling didn't last long. I loved how they got to know each other and eventually fell in love.

I definitely wasn't expecting the plot twist at the end but it made the book wrap up work so well.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This was an interesting story. Anneliese was heartbroken when her fiance died until she found out he had stolen her life savings that she was using to fix up his childhood home. She continues to fix it up until Lachlan shows up (looking remarkably like her fiance) and wants to burn it down. Their relationshp starts out very rocky but then he starts to help her fix it up so they can sell it and she can recoop the money his brother stole. The story had several twists and turns but the ending was perfect.

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Lachlan is the owner of the old family home and is going to burn it to the ground. Only one thing standing in his way and that is a beautiful, sexy woman. Anneliese Nielsen was his brother's fiance. Donovan, Lachlan's brother died in an auto accident. Anneliese has a whole bunch of money invested in the said house and doesn't want Lachlan to burn it down. They come to a stalemate on the matter and problems arise.

Winter Renshaw is a very good story writer and I always look forward to reading her books. Another 5 star read!

4.5 stars ⭐️. A brilliantly executed, superbly written romance with lovable protagonists who had layers to them.

Heroine Anneliese was such a positive person. Sweet but with a spicy edge and a very good friend. Even after the betrayal of her ex, she picked up herself and moved on. I liked her unique profession too.
Lachlan was a character shrouded in mystery that you can’t help but drawn to. Honest to fault, brash and a vagabond because of his past. I loved him.
Infact both of them had that mysterious aura around them.
The story had that somber undertone from the beginning itself and what a fantastic writing style!
There were many moments where I loved the insightful dialogues because they resonated with me so much.

The obscure words and meanings introduced in the beginning of each chapter was cherry on top. Infact I got many new such words from this book.

Overall a very enjoyable romance with depth, angst and emotion.
Closed door scenes (which was kinda disappointing tbh).

And I ADORED the epilogue…. Sigh.

Recommended.

When Lachlan comes home to settle his brothers affairs after he dies,, he gets more than he bargained for. Anneliese is trying to make the best of the situation she has been left with and is thrown for a loop when her fiancé’s brother, who she didn’t know existed turns up saying he owns her home. They come to a truce and agree to share the house and the work it will take to fix it up, but they both have very different reasons for being there. He wants to destroy the home that he left at 18 after a very unhappy time and she wants to sell it to get back all the money she lost. She is devastated by what she learns about her fiance and he has a lot of unhappy memories of how his father and brother treated him after his mother’s death. It feels like the parts of her fiance she loved were actuality based on Lachlan’s personality, kind, talented.. loving, not Donovan’s. He can’t understand why his brother would have treated this amazing, beautiful, kind soul the way he did. They become close, but it seems like they want such different things. They both need to let go of the past in order to have a future together.

Love and Kerosene
Winter Renshaw, author

I always enjoy Ms. Renshaw's stories and this one was no different. A slow burn novel, this is about two young people who by happenstance own the same home. One legally and the other has soaked all their money into renovating it.

Lachlan can't wait to burn his family home to the ground but his deceased brother's fiancee,' Anneliese wants to keep it, as she'd given Donovan her life's savings to renovate it.

Who will win the battle over the house? Read this enjoyable book. There's lots of pain to filter through, betrayal from an unsuspecting person, angst and romance.

I recommend this novel. I was gifted an advanced reader copy from Netgalley, the author and the publisher in exchange for the review.

Heartbreaking story of love and loss

It's a fact of life that there are just some people who are so toxic to the people in their orbit that their passing cannot be mourned. Lachlan knew his brother well enough to know that he didn't deserve the grief Anneliese was feeling. Not that he'd ever say anything directly, but he didn't have to. Once Donovan is dead, he can no longer protect his secrets and one by one they start to reveal a truth that was harder to bear than his death.

I was completely enthralled with this story from start to finish. There's so much emotional depth, and even though Lachlan and Anneliese are on opposite sides of the issue of what to do with the house, they aren't adversarial about it at all. Their friendship grows slowly, which was simply beautiful to watch.

There is a jaw-dropping secret that is hinted at from the beginning, and once it comes out it's so much worse than anything I was expecting. It makes it so easy to understand why Lachlan feels the way he does.

As a logophile myself, I adored the opening of each chapter with an unusual word and its definition. A vast and inventive vocabulary is a hallmark of an accomplished author, and this author demonstrates an admirable use of language throughout.

The HEA is thorough and the years-later epilogue was very sweet, indeed. If you love romances that will bring you both tears of heartbreak and tears of joy, this is the book for you. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

This was my first Winter Renshaw book, which I read as an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. The book follows Anneliese and Lachlan, two connected individuals with challenging events in their pasts. It is/includes:
• An element of forbidden romance
• Forced proximity and ‘one bed’
• Dual POV
This was a bit of mixed bag for me. I liked the concept of the story as well as the characters’ back stories (revealed throughout) which were effective for the plot and the characters’ actions. I really liked the addition of a word, with its definition, starting and setting the tone for each chapter. It was a good way of connecting the structure of the book to the plot. The first half of the book, for me, was more successful as the pacing felt right.
However, there were a few things I struggled with. Firstly, the second half of the story felt rushed. Things are revealed and resolved very quickly on multiple occasions. Secondly, I wanted more tension (and thus chemistry) between the main characters.