Melanie used to have a crush on Nick when she was a kid, but he was her older sister’s boyfriend, then husband, and completely off-limits. But now he’s back in town. Both of them are older - both of them have been divorced and she has a child - and the attraction between them is instantaneous, and it isn’t long before they start to act on their feelings. But Melanie is determined to keep their relationship simple and casual - whilst Nick’s confident that he wants more.

I liked the romance in this book. I thought Melanie and Nick had decent chemistry and some good scenes together - there were some sexy moments and some sweet ones. The author did a good job at showing the weight in their relationship: it was clear they had known each other a long time and there was some history there. Plus, it was a nice change to have an older couple at the focus of a book.

However, I did have a few issues with the book as a whole - I thought way too many characters were introduced in the first few chapters, it became confusing and I lost track of who was who. I also found some of the dialogue a little bit stilted; some of it didn’t scan like natural conversation.

My main issue though was that the characters came across quite young to me. It was nice to have an older couple - but some of their choices, arguments, things they said in conversation, they just seemed younger than they were meant to be. I didn’t really get why some characters acted like Melanie’s childhood crush was such a big deal when it was literally 30 years ago; there was a lot of he-said-she-said going on that didn’t work for me with their ages. The conflict between them and Melanie’s older sister, Shelby, felt a bit cartoonish, as some of Shelby’s complaints felt incredibly childish.

Ultimately the book was fine - I read it in one sitting and it kept my attention. I just felt it needed tightening up a bit more; cutting back on some of the characters and making the dialogue flow a bit better would have gone a long way for me. I just struggled with some of the content as it felt a bit immature sometimes. That said, I would recommend it to someone looking for a light, fluffy read with an older couple and the sibling’s ex trope. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: On-page sex, divorce (in past), infidelity / cheating (in past).

⭐⭐⭐ (2.75 ⭐, rounded up to 3 ⭐)

This book had all the ingredients to be one that I loved & even though I enjoyed reading it, it fell short.

I loved the easy friendship they had, their banter & chemistry. The fact that they were in their 40s gave a really mature angle to the story, especially vis-à-vis their communication of feelings. Really liked how the story revolved around BoB (Battle of the Businesses), which gave the perfect small town vibes.
Overall, it was a fun & fluffy read but something was just missing. I can't exactly put my finger on what but maybe I would've liked Nick bonding with Ava (Melanie's daughter); Melanie, Nick & Ava having more time to spend as a family & a little more sharing of feelings b/w the MCs.

Thank you NetGalley, Entangled Publishing & the author for the ARC.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A very sweet second chance romance that could easily be a Hallmark movie. The romance is corny but in a positive way.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a very light, cute, fun read. A small town romance with wit and flirty romance. A perfect summer read.

Melanie Hayes and Nick Campagna both move back to their hometown, also into their childhood homes. Coincidentally, they are once again neighbours! It does not take long for Melanie’s past feelings to return - a childhood crush she never had a chance to explore. In true bookish fashion, the handsome and charming Nick was off limits. Partly because it had been years since they had seen one another, but also because he was her sister’s ex husband.

Each with a business in town, they commit to the Lakeside Battle of the Businesses - which would cultivate more than just a friendly competition between them! Sparks fly and flames ignite, both in for more than they bargained for.

Read if you like:
- forced proximity
- forbidden love
- small town romance

I would also like to say just how much I enjoyed that the main characters were in their 40’s, their banter and chemistry was spot on. While not an overly high rated read, it was sweet and easy!

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Not betting on Forever by Natasha Moore was a fun, sweet read! I liked the characters and could connect with them. The storyline was great. A clean, fast read!

QOTD: "Because you love this damn tree. And because it'll br more fun to continue to wager for ownership over the next... What? Fifty Years?"
"You think we could make that forever?"
"I'll bet my life on it." (Nick, Not Betting On Forever)

This was a sweet moment in the book that carried alot of memories. .

BOOK REVIEW 📚

BOOK Featured:
- Not Betting On Forever by Natasha Moore🌸

Rating:
- ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
- 🌶️ 1/5


A sweet story about a single mom who is attracted to her neighbor. But when he turns out to be her sister's ex, what is the worst that could happen? The story was a sweet adult romance for people around the ages of 45+, and this shows that love can happen at any age. As much as I loved the motive behind the story, this book wasn't for me. Nick is your regular jock who falls in love with his childhood friend who once used to be a tomboy, and now he cannot stop admiring her 🥺. But what fun is it if there's no bet?

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. I found it difficult to get through - I didn’t get hooked in the plot and characters in the first 25% and it was really difficult to find inspiration to pick it up. I also felt that the characters behaved immaturely for their ages - I was really looking forward to the idea of leads in their 40s!

Nick and Melanie acknowledge an attraction early on and don’t take action - they’re competing for land they both want, and Nick is Melanie’s former brother in law. But after minimal interactions and communication Melanie wonders if she’s falling for him… I can’t get into instalove based on physical attraction and barely any conversation. It needed more before “falling for” gets dropped into the story.

There was something about the writing that felt stilted - there were sentences that were out of place at the end of paragraphs that gave the prose a choppy feel.

I think some could enjoy this writing style, but sadly I found this book a struggle.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: August 8, 2022

Appreciate that our MCs are mature in age and experience compared to most, but the dialogue doesn’t always reflect that. This is a bit slow and quite frankly just too immature considering their age. I struggled to find a lot of the interactions believable and also with the forbidden love trope/attraction between former in-laws.

Not Betting On Forever
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (Rounded to 4 ⭐️ for rating)
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 8/8/22
Author: Natasha Moore
Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC
Goodreads Rating: 3.09

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Single mom Melanie Hayes should absolutely, completely, and totally not be attracted to her next door neighbor, Nick Campagna, her sister’s ex. And now, with Lakeside’s Battle of the Businesses in full swing, Nick’s also Melanie’s competition. With a coveted piece of land on the line, Nick isn’t backing down. Maybe he is attracted to Melanie. But as real as this feels, Nick knows this is one game he definitely can’t win. They’ve known each other long enough that it’s definitely not love at first sight. But attraction can happen in an instant. And this is one wager where winning is nowhere near as fun as playing the game…

My Thoughts: This trope is one of my favorite, small town romance with a side of forced proximity, and throw in a single mother. I do love that the author zoned in on an older couple as our MC. The story is narrated in a dual timeline, I love these because you get both sides of the romance. This was a bit of a slow burn to begin with. The characters were developed well, had instant connection, hot chemistry, sexual tension, and witty banter, all of the elements for an excellent romance novel! I think the one thing I would have changed is to not have Nick be an ex-husband of Melanie’s sister, that is just so taboo, you would not go there. There’s a good amount of supporting characters for this story and sometimes it was a bit much. The author’s writing was charming, creative, had a unique plot, and was easy to follow. Overall, this was a good book and I would recommend picking up when it releases on the 8th!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I enjoy this and could not put it down. I struggled like I always do with books written in 3rd person but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I loved all the betting and game. I did think somethings Melanie and Nick act young than in there 40’s but hey forever young right.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly I didn't like it. Sister's husband trope was not exactly my thing. But I really hated her sister, even when she apologized to them.

I wished her daughter had more scenes in the book.

This was a pretty typical romance with a lot of will they, won't they back and forth. Two divorcees with tons of history agree to a quick fling, just a couple weeks. It wasn't supposed to mean anything, but let's be real: when does it ever work out like that? Not Betting on Forever was a quick read that was enjoyable to read.

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

When Nick Campagna moves back to Lakeside, he doesn’t expect his ex-wife’s little sister, and next door neighbour, to distract him this much. He’s there to take over the family gym after his father’s retirement, not get involved with Melanie Hayes. As for Melanie, she always had a crush on her older sister’s boyfriend Nick as a kid and she’s fighting an even bigger attraction to him now. Things are getting complicated and all bets are off.

I enjoyed this story. While I did like the storyline, it took me a while to get into it. I found myself a little bit confused in the beginning as it jumped right into the story without giving much background. We just meet Melanie and all of a sudden there’s Nick who we are apparently supposed to know. I would have enjoyed a little more lead in before throwing them together.

That being said, the story was fun to read and I loved the element of the Battle of the Businesses. The build up and the tension between the two characters was good and it had one of the big tropes “bang it out of our systems” so to speak. Which, of course, never works.

Overall a good read and fun time!

When I first started reading this book I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it through. The first chapter was a deluge of names and people and complex interactions that had me second guess continuing the book.

In the end It was a solid book. I was a little bored at times as I tried to deal with the fact that small town romances are not my favorite. But the BoB competition and interactions with Melinda’s sister did help to break through the sometimes repetitive story line of it being about a bet about a tree.

I liked this book! At first I was a little bit thrown off because the beginning picks up in a very unexpected place, kind of like they started the story in the middle. I was confused for a long time until things started taking shape, and I don't think this was a literary choice. I also thought the pacing was a little confusing. However, the characters felt real and whole, the idea was fun and refreshing, and most of the writing was very good. I would recommend this to my friends.

I really wanted to like this book as it is about charcters a little older than what I normally read about, however the beginning of the book felt rushed to me and I had a hard time connecting to the characters.

The characters of Melly and Nick are suppose to be a little older and I had a hard time believing that. So much of their interactions seemed juvenile to me especially the fact that Nick still calls her by Brat which is a childhood nickname. I wish that there was more chemistry between them. Being as their relationship was forbidden earlier due to Nick being previously married to Melly's sister, I feel like that was more of a reason for them to be together over actually liking each other.

I wish I was able to say I liked this book however I am unable to do so.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me give this book a chance in exchange for an honest review.

This was a hard read to get into. I c really liked the idea of it, but it felt like it was such a slow read. I didn't particularly like the main characters and I thought that the end was kind of abrupt.

For me, it was difficult to get behind a romance between Nick and Melanie. The change from the decision to ignore the chemistry between them and give into it seemed to flip on a dime, and without Melanie ever talking to her sister about it. For me it’s a respect thing, not a permission thing. Nick and Melanie acted immaturely at times. By your 40s, I would hope one would no longer be running from the hard parts of life—conversations, emotions, disappointment—so those parts were disappointing. The Battle of the Businesses competition, while an interesting concept, didn’t really add to the plot for me. It felt more like filler. There was just something missing from this story. The pacing was slow in the beginning and then fast at other times. Maybe there were just too many concepts included: small town gossip, competition, divorce, relationship priorities and putting oneself first, learning from your past, growing your business, the bet over the land, female friendships, family dynamics, etc. There were a lot of things but the story didn’t have that rich depth that would have made me love it.

**Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, LLC (Amara) and Natasha Moore. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Childhood friends, Nick and Mel find themselves back living next door to each other. A lot has happened over the past 20 years, Nick married and divorced Mel’s sister. Mel married and had a baby and then a divorce. Nick married and divorced, again. Now they are back in their hometowns and childhood houses.

I found this book lots of fun. It was short, sweet and highly enjoyable. I don’t think I’ve read a romance before where the main characters are in their 40’s and not their 20’s! Nick and Mel are very likeable characters who both deserve a shot at a happily ever after, I found myself rooting for them the whole time.

This is the second book in a series, I haven’t read the first book and didn’t feel like I need to to understand this story, although I am now interested!