This book centers around divorced individuals finding love again in their mid to late 40’s. Typically I’d be all about the chance of romance no matter what age but I just found the whole “he is my sisters ex-husband” just too much of a pill to swallow at times.

I didn’t love his nickname for her, Brat, and the fact that he still used it even though they are both in their fourties‘. Other people commented that it was weird, and they are absolutely correct, it is very off putting. He talks to her as though they are teenagers (without the six year age gap 😅). He definitely doesn’t come across as an adult man nearing 50.

He drops a rather large bomb on her lap, after a short encounter featuring her falling out of a tree and later a short dance in a public place he confesses that he has feelings toward her. This is just too quick for me. These things need to simmer and grow, you don’t just move back into your childhood home and start crushing on your ex wife’s little sister.

The whole secret over the empty lot and everyone continuously saying “don’t go telling everyone” is just weird. I don’t know why it’s such a big secret that people were using the land as part of a wager. But everyone acts like it would be such a scandal for the townsfolk to find out the land was owned by multiples families over the years.

Shelby is constantly seen as the villain to Melanie. Apparently she was mean to her as a kid, but this isn’t shocking or surprising. Most teenage girls don’t want their younger sister tagging along with them. Shelby had gotten used to her place in life and had a surprise younger sibling and she wasn’t thrilled about it. It’s quintessential middle child syndrome but that doesn’t mean she is the wicked witch of the west that Melanie claims her to be. Personally I’d be ticked if I had a nasty divorce and one of my siblings decided to date my ex. I would be livid and I guarantee most people would feel the exact same way. Shelby is the real victim here because her entire character is basically just a stereotype.

This isn’t a love story it is a lust story. They spend the whole book acting like sexually repressed teenagers, he literally tries to goad her into kissing him even though they both agreed it would be a bad idea. They have no emotional maturity on their own let alone when they are together. I need time for characters to slowly come together instead of literally just falling for the other person in a manner of hours.

Unfortunately I also didn’t like the Battle of the Business plot line. Why would a company voluntarily work with a skeleton crew on a Saturday, for an entire month, in order to compete in silly games that could probably easily be consolidated and done in a single weekend? It just doesn’t make logical sense and it felt really poorly planned out. Whoever started the BoB should learn better time management skills.

The cause for the third act breakup didn’t seem really valid for me. She accuses him of missing a dinner and forgetting to let her know. These two are just hooking up for a few weeks, they aren’t exclusively dating. Sometimes things come up and while it’s understandable that she got mad in this case she threw the baby out with the bath water and used the trauma of a previous relationship (a long past one) as a reason to not date him anymore. This seems excessive and reaffirms my believe that these characters act like 19 year olds the whole time without complex emotional growth.

I liked the inclusion of having romantic characters that weren’t in their 20’s but unfortunately these ones didn’t work for me. They came across as immature and I wanted more emotional depth from both of them and to make me truly fall for them both as individuals and as a couple.

DNF after 2 chapters. Couldn’t get into it. I didn’t like that Nick called her brat so much & I didn’t relate to the characters being older. Thank you for letting me review

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *

Honestly, I expected more out of this. Pacing - The paciong started off so sloooww and there were far too many side characters to really develop depth.

On top of that Mel and Nick just seemed like two horny teenagers - you would think characters at their age should have a little more emotional maturity, but apparently not? And the sexual scenes were so cringey, wayy too clinical and not at all enjoyable.

The Battle of the businesses storyline also seemed juvenile and unrealistic, so overall this was a miss for me I'm afraid.

This was hard for me to get through… Nick and Melanie’s relationship was not believable. They had zero chemistry and it was like pulling teeth to finish. I wanted to like this one so badly!! The premise is fascinating and unique- props to that! It just wasn’t for me unfortunately.

Thank you Entangled Publishing LLC, Netgalley & Natasha Moore for a chance to review this arc.

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

3⭐.

In all honesty the book was okay. I felt as though it was unnecessarily long and could have been shorter. I struggled to get into it but pushed through cause I wanted to see how the characters progresses. For a couple in their 40s it almost felt like people in their 20s. The FMC was extremely judgemental at times where Nick was concerned and often times not understanding where he comes from.

When Melanie’s old crush Nick moves back home (and next door), her old feeling come back. But the problem? He used to be married to her older sister and the divorce caused a rift between their two families. Now, Melanie and Nick begin to hang out and make bets as they compete in the town’s Battle of the Businesses. Sparks fly between the two. All is fair in love and war, right?

I enjoyed a lot of this book: the banter between Melanie and Nick, the tension, the competition not only between them, but reading about the town’s, and the friends. It was a great community. There was conflict (her ex and bad employees) that each dealt with outside of the relationship and it was handled well. I’m not sure how I feel about the sister’s ex thing. I know her sister had huge issues with Melanie that were unfounded, but I think some things are just not okay and this was one of them. If not for that one detail, the relationship and how it unfolded would have been perfect.

Thanks NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for my advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m so glad I got a chance to read this book. I had felt like I was in a reading slump and I wasn’t sure in what direction to go next. This was the perfect book for my little romantic heart. I am used to reading books about characters in their late twenties early thirties so I did find it a little different that these characters were in their late thirties and fourties', but it was a nice change. I also like that even though the characters were older I still got to enjoy tropes I love. I also like that this book kept me on my toes until the end. Plus your girl always appreciates a happy ending, I honestly get upset when they aren’t happy endings! If you’re a romance lover, a friends to lovers trope lover, this book is for you.

Not Betting on Forever by Natasha Moore was a fun, cute and interesting story.
The storyline was good. It had just the right amount of romance and was such an enjoyable and great story.
This is a very easy and light read but it is very adorable. I enjoyed it very much.

Entangled: August,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

"Not Betting on Forever", by Natasha Moore, is a romance novel based on an original premise: what happens if you fall in love with your sister's ex-husband? This book is the second in the "Single Ladies of Lakeside" series. In this book, Jack moves back home and into his parents' previous home, right next door to his ex-wife's sister. While they grew up together, Jack still thinks of Melanie as a little girl until he sees her again. The two of them start flirting and can't resist their attraction to each other, in spite of the consequences of their actions. It felt strange that they were willing to have a relationship in spite of the strained history between their families. Also, their relationship seems to be entirely based on lust rather than love.

I didn't really find Jack and Melanie's relationship believable. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

2/5 ⭐ Did Not Finish

I went in really excited for this book based off a few reviews I read, but I was instantly turned off within a couple pages...

I felt little to no chemistry from the start. Usually enemies-to-lovers tropes the characters have insane chemistry and just can't stay away from each other, but there was just a simple "we shouldn't like each other so we don't" feeling.

These characters are supposed to be 42 and 48 and they read like teenagers. MMC "can't believe" his brother is married with kids, ummmm, he's in his 40s. You've been divorced twice now, how is your brother being married surprising? His nickname for her is "Brat" because that's what he called her when they were 12 and 18 year old kids. Which would have been funny once or even twice, but he legit calls her that more than Melanie and that's not a nickname that should stick for 30 years (unless you're a dom *wink*)

My last straw was how the FMC treats him like he's the biggest, most arrogant a-hole on the planet, when he's been nothing but nice to her. Sure he's distracted, but that doesn't make him arrogant or a jerk.

I was really looking forward to a book with older characters, thinking it'd be fun to have more in common with them, but this was the exact opposite case for me... I DNFd at 11%.

This was such a fun story! It blended a rom com, single parent and forbidden love tropes. I also liked the competition aspect as I felt it really added to the character tension. I haven’t read too many stories where the couples are in their 40s and wasn’t sure how I’d feel. But I didn’t mind it! I felt it added to the complexity of their forbidden relationship and also made you want to room for them more!

Thank you to Netgalley, Entangled Publishing & Natasha Moore for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a funny, entertaining & charming read that makes you believe that love can find you at any age & that you never really know where you’ll find your “happily ever after”
I’m secretly obsessed with small town romances (we can blame that on Hallmark haha) and this book did not disappoint in that aspect plus we have the classic age gap & forbidden love tropes.
Nick and Melanie end up being next door neighbors again after they each purchase their childhood homes and they quickly discover that they both want the vacant lot between their houses for different reasons. I quite enjoyed the banter & the rivalry between them.
I loved that we got to see the entire community in action participating in the BoB and I wish we got to see a bit more of the games.
However, I did feel like the story dragged a bit and that the chapters were a tad too long with the sudden change of POV even though the book is written in third person. I would’ve liked to have seen some more character development and seen more of their relationship growth.

A small town romance with seasoned characters, ‘Not Betting On Forever’ is a perfect summer afternoon read. Melanie and Nick have known each other most of their lives. They’re families lived next door to each other and Nick was briefly married to Melanie’s sister. The two of them (and their families) have been betting on things since before they can remember, from big stakes like land ownership to small things like who can climb a tree higher. So it’s only natural they get on their attraction to each other, right? I just loved this, it was a funny and sexy read with just enough drama and emotional kick.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nick and Melanie grew up around each other. Their families were next door neighbors and about twenty years ago, Nick was married to Melanie's sister, Shelby. Now in their fifties, Nick and Melanie have both bought their childhood homes as their parents have moved to a warmer climate state. Some witty banter and flirting turns into a friends with benefits situation. However, they both realize they've developed feelings for one another.
The story was okay as a neighbors to lovers trope.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

NOT BETTING ON FOREVER had a lot of things going for it. Usually when I pick up a romance, the characters are in their mid/late twenties to early forties (at most), yet it was refreshing to read a book where the characters are both in their forties and established. I also loved the small town aspect where everyone is in each other’s business and they all know one another.

Mel and Nick grew up in Lakeside, but now that they’ve each moved home (and are neighbors again after buying their neighboring childhood homes) there is an instant attraction, but…Nick is Mel’s former brother-in-law. On top of that attraction, they’re also pitted against one another for the vacant lot sitting between their houses, resulting in a few cute side bets as the story progresses.

NOT BETTING ON FOREVER was funny, entertaining, and adorably romantic. Fans of Natasha Moore’s other series will also get to reunite with their favorite characters who pop up frequently within the book!

Melanie is a single mom living in her hometown. Then her childhood crush and ex brother-in-law waltzes back into town and becomes her next door neighbor. Let the attraction and flirting commence!

Overall, I thought it was a cute story. I loved the interaction between the characters, but I would have also loved to see more character development. The story itself felt very predictable at times - I never found myself surprised by what happened next. The “steamy” scenes could have had a little more spice but I also had to remind myself that the characters were slightly older 😆

Not a 4 or 5 star read but I really enjoyed the writing style and I did enjoy the story as a whole.

This review is my complete and honest opinion on an ARC provided by Netgalley

Single mom Melanie and next door neighbor turned ex-brother and law Nick come together in Not Betting on Forever to deliver a cute and fun romance filled with stolen moments, an epic battle of local businesses, and the hope to know that romance can happen at any age.

While I generally do not pick up second chance/later in life romance books, the blurb on this book pulled me in and I found myself delighted with the story. I loved watching the main characters come together, overcoming their pasts, their families, and learning that they were both worthy of love- no matter where they found that beautiful connection.

At times, the pace of the book felt muddled, especially in the first few chapters in which we were introduced to many of the characters that come and go throughout the story. However, overall, the book was a fantastic palette cleanser and came at the perfect time for me to take a break from the darker romance I tend to read.

Overall 3.5 out of 5 stars

This is a small town romance. I enjoyed reading romances about people in their 40's however I wish there was more character development and a little longer.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I did not know this book is a sequel to Not Seeking Mr. Right. I realized something felt off, as if I was supposed to know the characters beforehand. I did some research and it is a second book in a series of stand-alones in the Single Ladies of Lakeside stories.

With that being said Not Betting on Forever is a light romance with a couple of tropes: 6 year age gap (the characters are older 42 and 48) and forbidden romance (Nick is Melanie's sisters ex husband from twenty years ago).

There is an instant attraction for Nick towards Melanie and Melanie had a crush on Nick when she was younger. They are now neighbors who enter a Battle of the Businesses competition.

If you're in the mood for a quick adult romance with a light forbidden romance, this one is for you.

3 stars

I appreciated reading a romance about people my own age that didn't act like they were geriatric but also, they were kind of boring? It was okay, very sweet. Hallmark-y. Could have used more spice. Obviously the early 40s widow is next, and I know that one will be sweet too, because she seems super super sweet. Also, the dad changed his tune about Lou REALLY quick in the same phone call and that was weird. I had whiplash.