Mixed Signals is the third installment in B.K. Borison’s Lovelight Farms series and it might just be my favorite yet.

Layla Dupree is the best baker in town, but while she may win when it comes to baked goods, she is having no luck whatsoever when it comes to her love life. When we meet her, her latest date is such a disaster that the jerk actually ghosts her at the restaurant and sticks her with the bill. Layla is an absolute sweetheart and all she really wants is a nice guy who treats her right and makes her heart flutter. What she doesn’t realize is that guy not only exists, but he has been coming to her bakery every day and ordering a single croissant just so that he has an excuse to interact with her as often as possible.

Caleb Alvarez has been in love with Layla forever but has never made his feelings known. He is also an absolute golden retriever of a book boyfriend. He’s currently working as a substitute teacher because he actually got fired from the police department for being too nice, haha. I really adored this guy and thought he was perfect for Layla from the moment we meet him. When this story opens, Caleb runs into Layla after her disastrous date. They chat, and after he shares with her that his love life is also a mess, the two of them come up with a plan to fake date for a month. Caleb’s goal is to renew Layla’s faith in men, and in exchange, Layla will rate Caleb’s dating game and give him pointers as needed.

Caleb and Layla’s time together is incredible. The entire time they’re going through with this platonic fake dating plan, it’s pretty clear they have amazing chemistry and that it gets harder and harder to fight that attraction. We already know Caleb doesn’t want to, but what about Layla? Isn’t Caleb exactly the kind of guy she has been dreaming of?

The perfect blend of sweet and spicy, Mixed Signals is a delightful small town, friends to lovers romance that will have you both swooning and smiling as you watch this sweetest of couples find their way to one another. I loved coming back to Inglewild and Lovelight Farms again, and Layla and Caleb’s story just captured my whole heart. I really hope we get more books in this heartwarming series.

Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison is a delightful romantic comedy set in the picturesque small town of Inglewild. Layla Dupree, the owner of a charming bakery, has lost hope in love after a series of disappointing relationships. When the handsome and helpful Caleb Alvarez enters her life, he proposes a one-month experiment of no-strings-attached dating to restore her faith in romance.

As they embark on a fake dating journey filled with hilarious and heartwarming escapades, Layla and Caleb's chemistry becomes undeniable. Set against the backdrop of a close-knit community and featuring a lovable golden retriever named Sunshine, Mixed Signals is a tale of friendship, self-discovery, and the magic of finding love when least expected. If you enjoy heartwarming small-town romances, friends-to-lovers tropes, and delightful banter, this book is a must-read.

I was a big fan of Lovelight farms and this book is even better! B.K. Borison's Mixed Signals is the third in her series but can be easily read as a standalone. Both Layla and Caleb are delightful characters and the chemistry between them is amazing. They make a deal to "practice dating " with each other after Layla needs a ride home from yet another date gone wrong and Caleb is all too eager to help. He falls first, so hard, and the slow burn is paced just right for me. This is a fun, heartwarming, hot romance and I highly recommend. B. K. Borison is now a go-to author for me! 4.5 Stars!

Layla (the resident baker at Lovelight Farms) have given up on finding love while Caleb (former police officer, current Spanish summer school teacher) is very bad at dating. The solution? The two agree to one-month of no-strings dating. The problem? Their fake-dating is creating real feelings.

This is the third (but not last!) book in the series, and it might be my favorite! I liked Layla and I liked Caleb and I liked them together. It was super cute. Big fan!

Berkley is re-releasing this on August 1st - you should preorder it!

A delightful series of books! They originally came out in 2021/2022, but have been grabbed by Berkley and are being republished, with new covers I believe. Her next book in the series comes out sometime in 2024. While all three books have been sweet (not that kind of sweet :) and fun to read, the first chapter of Book 2 grabbed me hard. It had ALL the feels. Looking forward to Book 4.

Mixed Signals, #3, comes out August 1st.

#Berkleyromance #netgalley #mixedsignals #bkborison

I've been waiting for this one and I genuinely thought that it was going to be my favorite of the series because as a baker I obviously love stories where we have bakers as main characters, but I actually think this is my least favorite. I don't even know why exactly except I loved Beckett so much in the last book that it was hard for me to get attached in the same way. I also feel like we went backward and there is less diversity in this one. Despite having a Mexican American main character, it really felt like an afterthought and something done for diversity points.

The best part of this book for me was the beginning like third where they made out their agreement and went on those first few dates. They were hilarious and such a fun part of the story. I wish that level of energy and humor had been continued throughout instead of it just fishtailing into explicit scenes.

I also cannot, for the life of me, wrap my head around how the bakehouse works or looks. My brain cannot comprehend how Layla somehow manages to bake everything but also always be the one at the register and where's the kitchen? Like is it one big open concept what is going on? Are there other employees? How does she not work Saturday mornings? I fear that this is one of those stories where I have latched on to a few small details that don't quite make sense and it dragged my enjoyment of this book down.

So I guess this book is fine. I totally can see why someone would like it and it's an enjoyable read but it's just that. It really wasn't anything special for me.

Also no one pre-assembles strawberry shortcake and lets it sit for hours. That's how you get soggy strawberry shortcake.

The Lovelight series focuses on three friends who’ve committed to creating an agro-tourism business together in idyllic Inglewood. Owner Stella is the visionary, Layla runs the cafe, and Beckett is the farmer. In the first book, Stella is trying to boost the business’s signal and save her Christmas tree farm and enters a contest from a Instagram influencer who focuses on small businesses–winning guarantees her success. Everything has to be perfect for Evelyn St. James’s visit, and sex sells, so Stella accidentally lists her best friend and crush Luka as her business partner and lover, and then has to fake-date her way through Evelyn’s visit. To complicate matters, someone seems to be sabatoging them at every turn.

In book two, Beckett reveals that he and Evelyn had a fling at a conference, and she is the one who slipped out in the morning and ghosted him. He is shocked to discover that his unforgettable two-night stand is Internet famous. Beckett, who is a quiet, sensitive cinnamon roll type, suffers from a sensory disorder, and Evelyn is starting to yearn for a simpler life; are they more compatible than it seems?

In book three, unlucky in love Layla slowly let’s her guard down with regular customer Caleb, who offers her a month of no-strings dating to help her get her groove back. Only thing is, it’s not just her baked goods he is in love with. Layla is in the midst of entering a baking competition, and that adds to the level of stress.

These are solidly written, quick reads full of delicious little details of food, decor, and nature. Each has miscommunication, competition, a third act breakup and grand gesture resolution. The sex is sweet and hot and descriptive. I accidentally read them in the wrong order (2, then 3, then 1), which made it all the more compelling to figure out what was going on. The marketing feels a little discordant: the lovely cover art is all by the same artist and in a fall harvest palette of pumpkin and gold and sage and peach and orange; I’m not sure why these holiday-themed stories are getting released over the summer, but if you’re a Hallmark movie or Christmas in July person, these will be very satisfying reads.

I received free advance reader’s review copies of #LovelightFarms, #InTheWeeds, and #MixedSignals from #NetGalley.

ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK! This series is soo good and keeps getting better! No complaints! Love it!!

Sweet, fun read. Light without being shallow or cloying, with protagonists I enjoyed following and a great cast of supporting characters in the small town of Inglewild. Would read more about people from this world.

Reading this third installment in the Lovelight Farms series was really a delightful experience. The premise was right out of a rom-com (those dates!), Caleb is a darling and I just wanted to give Layla a hug. Plus, the small town setting of Inglewild and all the individuals who have become familiar to me also made the experience extra lovely.

"Mixed Signals," the third installment of the Lovelight Farms series, is everything I've come to expect of BK Borison: swoony, funny, sweet, and entirely enjoyable. It seems like Borison is flying just under the radar of romance readers and that's truly unfortunate because her stories are delightful.

While technically part of a series, "Mixed Signals" (any of the Lovelight Farms books, really) could be easily read as a standalone.

If you're looking for something lovely with a little heat, this book is definitely worth your time.


Review copy provided by NetGalley, opinion my own.

After another failed date, small-town baker Layla Dupree is about ready to give up on love. Enter local school teacher and cutie pie Caleb Alvarez. In order to encourage Layla to not give up on romance, Caleb suggests a trial period of dating, during which he’ll show her how a man ought to treat a woman. What ensues are rollicking dates, delicious cakes and show-stopping kisses. Mixed Signals is a wholesome love story that will give you butterflies in your stomach and hunger for strawberry cakes.

Thank you NetGalley for another rom-com ARC. This one was different!

It was light, fun, and despite the title, did NOT include the miscommunication trope. Every time there was the typical "rom-com miscommunication that makes everything wonky," interaction, the two characters WORKED. IT. OUT. RIGHT. THEN. AND. THERE.

I mean, really? Is this the first rom-com where I have seen this trope turned on its head? I LOVED IT. It made it more realistic to read.

Highly recommend if you enjoy baking & golden retriever dudes that fall first. Oh, and it's smutty too.

I am forever wanting to live inside B.K. Borison's world of Inglewild and the serendipity I feel while reading.

Layla has dated everyone she thinks her heart can handle. Knowing that her bakeshop is doing amazing, she has ended up feeling that that would be her forever love. Until Caleb Alvarez makes an appearance at her latest date gone wrong.

Caleb is a high school Spanish teacher at the school with a heart of gold. Telling himself he also needs help dating, he proposes to Layla they fake date for one month. No strings attached, no expectations. He wants to help Layla believe in love again and she will help him rate his dating "style." Yet, what sounds perfect at first has NOTHING on the sparkling chemistry they both share. There is no "mixed signals" between Layla and Caleb in Ingewild.

I devoured Mixed Signals, B.K.'s latest, in under eight hours. I couldn't get enough of the small town and Layla's character arc. Layla loves to bake and wants to love everyone, then hate everyone, then love everyone again. Caleb's point of view had me laughing, especially those student scenes. and fist pumping with the love he always wanted to share with everyone. Mixed Signals is one you'll want to have on your shelf and read as the leaves change this fall!

4.5/5⭐️ Thank you to Berkeley Romance for the ARC! I really enjoyed In the Weeds when I read it last month, and I loved this one too, even more actually! As with In the Weeds, this book and the town these characters live in is so homey and the small town vibes you get from these books are some of the best I’ve ever read. Caleb and Layla are both great characters, and i loved their story! The fake dating with a twist was so fun too. I can’t wait to read the 4th book when it comes out!

the characters are the best part of this book! layla and caleb are a great pair, although the circumstances of their love story were a bit confusing. the third act conflict being a miscommunication/the woman being insecure once again (i read this one right after lovelight) was tiring but i could see it coming.

Super cute slow burn between two people who are tired of being "too much" for the dating world. Caleb is just the cutest lil gob of marshmallow, and Layla is also a gob of marshmallow with some burnt sections from her time in the world. Also, Caleb's had a crush on Layla for, like, sooo long. And everyone but her seems to know it. I loved their "practice" dating and the disaster dates and their understanding of each other throughout all of it... at least until the third act, of course. Tiny disappointment about a third act breakup, but Caleb got us through it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Layla and Caleb had the sweetest relationship. There were so many quotes in this book that I was obsessed with. I really enjoy Borison's writing. The way that she is able to describe love feels like a breath of fresh air. I loved the combination of sweet characters with spicy scenes. The found family aspect of this series is unmatched!! I love how the town rallies around each other in such a meaningful way. Inglewild feels so magical, I truly wish it was a real place I could visit because I WOULD BE THERE!! This was my favorite so far in the series so far! I can't wait to read Nova and Charlie's story!

there is just something about a man who blushes. caleb....oh man....he would've done anything for her and i loved it. this book is tender and beautiful and deeply earnest and therefore lovable. I'm so so sad to leave lovelight but i can't wait to return later!!

Mixed Signals is one of the healthiest romance novels i’ve ever read. The fake-dating trope is usually hitched with some sort of miscommunication and misunderstanding, and despite the name, Mixed Signals has miscommunication running for the hills. It’s a fun, atmospheric romcom, (with multiple two chapter long spice scenes!) and I adored every bit of it.
Layla and Caleb are so honest and open about themselves and their arrangement, and their communication impeccable. The dual POV, with dual narrators (who are wonderful!!), had me kicking my feet at both of their perspectives and their mutual pining and awkwardness. Layla is the ideal picture of sweetness and cottage-core instagram baker, while also having a heart of gold, and Caleb is the perfect unexpectedly handsome introvert, who truly understands and appreciates his partner.
I read this title without having read the other two installments of the Lovelight Farms series, and while I can tell there are references and crossover characters that would make more sense if I’d read the books in order, I wasn’t left out or missing any crucial information.
I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the Lovelight Farms books so I can get to know the whole cast.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this title.