Thank you NetGalley, Oliver Heber Books and Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin for this ARC!

𝚃𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚜 / 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝:

⤑ Kooky Small Town
⤑ Plus Sized Heroine
⤑ Chronic Illness and PTSD Representation
⤑ Bookstore Setting
⤑ False Identify
⤑ Mutual Pining


This had great aspects at the start. The FMC Cady is very lovable - she’s gone through quite a lot, after losing her aunt and trying to keep her bookstore afloat, while also dealing with chronic pain, she falls for a mysterious customer whom she has never met while speaking over the phone. But he has his own secrets and past haunting him. There were moments of this read, especially with Cady and how she spoke to others that I loved. Fox’s background also had me cheering for him once we learned about it, but overall it was too little too late to be invested in this story. They had me at the start, but they did lose me.

This is listed as a Humour / Satire. If it was meant to be a satire of Romance books - I didn’t get it. It wasn’t sharp or direct enough. But it did not work for me as a romance. Tonally it was all over the place. Our MMC is pulled right out of a dark romance, shady past and thinking he’ll destroy the FMC by being near her included. But our FMC and the group of townspeople around her are kooky and silly, typical romcom fair. I got no satisfaction from the half attempts in either genre.

Because of this tonal shift that happens consistently throughout the read all of the extra information in-between our FMC and MMC interactions feels so long and unnecessary. Even if it is character building backstory, I just was not invested at all in these people getting together because the writing was long-winded, weighed down with needless details. Also when we did finally get to the interactions they were so cringey. Not swoony or romantic, I could feel the attempt at swoon which somehow made it worse.

Books can be great when they are ‘no plots, just vibes’, but this had clear plot points and then failed to utilise them for my attention or entertainment. I won’t continue with this series.

Quick Summary: A strange & bizarre coupling

My Review: Nevermore Bookstore by Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin is book one in the Townsend Harbor book duo. It is described as a "Hot, Kink-Positive, Morally Gray, Grumpy-Sunshine Rom com."

About the Book: Two strangers with a penchant for flirty book discussions, dirty phone talk, saucy looks, covert contact, and spicy sessions are brought together. Both have issues of challenge that complicate their lives. Despite the significant hardships, they find something special in each other.

My Favorite Scenes (coded to avoid spoilers):

- Your Name is Bob?
- Order in the Court
- 1, 2, 3...Reveal
- These Two
- Cop-a-squat
- A New Normal

My Final Say: This story was somewhat up and down, in my opinion. There were elements that I really enjoyed, but there were also elements that I did not care for. The pacing fluctuated, shifting between slow and go throughout. Overall, it was a passable read. With that said, readers may need to motivate themselves to push forward until the end. Some people will like this book, while others may not. In the end, I can definitely say that Townsend Harbor is certainly not boring.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: +/-
Audience: A

Thanks to the author and to the publisher (Oliver Heber Books) for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

I really tried to like this one but just couldn’t get into it. The premise was not my favorite. I DNF’d this one, sadly.

I liked the story idea and the characters. But I didn't finish the book. The content was to explicit for my liking.

The book start really good for me, i was enjoying it! but then, everything start turnin so weird and crepy that unfortunaly, i just couldnt connect with the story at all and Fox, the hero, was too crepy for my taste, i didnt like much his character,,, i just feel the book wasnt for me

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

I have read some of Ms. Byrne's historical books and enjoyed them, so I was excited when I saw she had a new contemporary book and was anxious to give it a try. This is the first book of a new series, Townsend Harbor and is a collaboration with a new-to-me author, Cynthia St. Aubin. The writing style was different and unique, with quirky and interesting characters that kept my interest till the end. Cady manages a bookstore left to her by her aunt. Other than the bookstore, she doesn't have a lot going on in her life. Except if you count the weekly calls she gets from a mystery caller who orders books every Thursday. Fox, the mystery caller, likewise looks forward to the weekly calls. Cady brings a brightness to him every week and there's nothing more he wants than to have that time with her. Because other that the those calls, no matter how much he wishes he could be with her in person, he doesn't think himself worthy of that. He has a lot of painful baggage from his past, and he doesn't think happiness is in the cards for him.
The story was entertaining and sweet and made me smile. The characters were relatable and I enjoyed getting to know them and the fun and witty dialogue between them. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more of the series.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Another ARC finished! I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Nevermore Bookstore follows Cady Bloomquist, a young woman dealing with the loss of her aunt, her chronic illness (shout-out to @korndiddy from the Try Guys for teaching me what AS is like), and running her aunts bookstore on a tourist town. Her best stress relief comes in the form of weekly calls with a mysterious man named Fox, who is dealing with his own mental health issues post military. When Fox overhears someone breaking in the store what lengths will he go to help the woman he can't get out of his head?

Is this book great fiction? No. Did I enjoy the hell out of it? Yes. Cady's had numerous one liners that made me giggle and I'm a sucker for small towns populated with weirdos a la Gilmore Girls. My only complaint is how Cady acted post break-in because no woman is totally chill after something like that. Was Fox an odd character? Yes. Was he also super hot? Also yes. If you're looking for a fun book for easy reading this summer I would recommend Nevermore Bookstore!

Thank you Netgalley, Kerrigan Byrne, and publishers for gifting me a copy of Nevermore Bookstore in return for my honest opinion.

2.5/5 stars

TW: PTSD, Suicide, death in the family

I did not read the blurb on the back of this book, I saw all the hype on Instagram and requested it on NetGalley. I expected it to be a paranormal romance, from the cover, to even the first chapter it gives off an otherworldly vibe! After reading the blurb it gives off that vibe as well. I was waiting for him to be a vampire hunter and she is a vampire that he falls in love with. But nope that is not what we got.

What we got was a war veteran suffering from PTSD and a girl who runs a bookstore and suffers from chronic pain. They start their relationship off over the phone with her falling for his velvety voice and him falling for her quirkiness. When a break-in happens in her shop when they are on the phone will be able to overcome his issues to help her?

I wanted to love this book so much but I was let down. From the slowly unfolding plot, we don't find out his real name till the last 1/4th of the book, to one of the main characters being a stalker it was all too much for me. There were also some weird quotes and writing in this book one such was "Tested the texture of lady pubes the world over, have we, James Bond?" This is the most normal one out of all that I found! While I enjoyed the highlight on chronic illness and PTSD it couldn't make up for the subpar characters and the lazy plot.

This book started so well. From the cover, you would believe it's a nice calm, fun story. This book is not a romance novel at all its erotica. It starts with a nice story. But then all the bedroom antics starts, and it's no longer a story, just graphic details. If this is the type of book you go for, then give it a go. It is certainly not for me. I felt completely blindsided. I tried my hardest to get through the book, but it was way too much of that and not enough story. If you like medium spice books, this is not for you. This is extreme and needs to be reclassified as erotica or at least put in the synopsis spice level of 5/5, so I had a chance to avoid books like this.

I really enjoyed this book! I found Fox streange at first but quickly opened up to his introverted ways. Fox and Cady had a unique story that I would love to read more of!

The Nevermore Bookstore was an interesting story of Cady and Fox. It does start out a little slow and a little challenging to understand the dynamics between all the characters but once it gets going it is hard not to cheer for Cady and Fox.

Cadence “Cady” Bloomquist knows two things for sure: First, shelving books at her shop, Nevermore Bookstore, totally counts as cardio. Second, staying late every Thursday night to take a certain mysterious customer’s order is not the same as waiting by the phone for some man.

Until.

Until the calls with the man who identifies himself only as “Fox” last for hours, and become the highlight of her week. Which leaves her to wonder, if his jagged velvet voice can kindle her fire over the phone, what sort of alchemy might it inspire if they met in person?

There’s nothing Roman Fawkes wants more than the brilliant, beautiful bookstore owner, but Roman Fawkes knows it can never happen. Secreted in his mountain hideaway high above sleepy little Townsend Harbor, his hermit’s existence shields him–and those around him–from the pain of his past.

Until.

Until one of their weekly calls is interrupted by a break-in, and Fawkes is powerless to protect the woman who has become his one link to the world. Orchestrating a trap for the fool who dared harm her, Fawkes finds himself not just ensnared, but beguiled by her. Now so close to Cady, he discovers she’s fallen for “Fox”, and yet he’s unable to reveal her heart’s desire is closer than she thinks.

Can Fawkes resist the temptation to get between Cady’s covers, knowing they’ll never have a happily ever after?

Nevermore Bookstore is a fairly typical brain candy book. I really LOVED the representation of chronic illness in this book. Also any book set in a bookstore is a go from me. The cast of quirky characters made this fun. However some of the writing was cringey & the plot felt a little flat. Grumpy/sunshine trope

I would like to thank NetGalley, the authors and Oliver Heber Books for providing me with a free ARC of this book in return for my honest and personal opinions.

This book is boring, despite the stunning cover, and I owe it to the fact that two authors collaborated on it.

The start is slow but good. Chapter one had me making friends with the dictionary. The sentences are structured such that they are difficult to read; this isn't one of those books you just dive into and it's 3 a.m. by the time you take your head out of it. The rest of it is an agonising slow burn, but the book redeems itself in chapter eighteen.

Cadence has ankylosing spondylitis, which causes immense physical pain. It's good to read about the representation of a chronic illness. Fox is a high-value provider man. Despite Cady grovelling for him (a trope I dislike), it didn't bother me at all in this book. The way he cares for her in the epilogue will make everything worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this early!

I was quite excited for this book after reading the blurb but unfortunately I didn’t love it as much as I had hoped.

The beginning and lead up was cute but i’m not sure how i felt about all the lying and catfishing.

An upcoming contemporary romance by Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin -

𝘊𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘴 "𝘍𝘰𝘹", 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ /5

I jumped into this expecting a cute cosy little contemporary romance and it was for the most part. The wit and humour of the main character was consistent and positive throuhgout, despite constant hurdles and roadblocks she faces. Nevermore bookstore also touches on themes of chronic illness, CPTSD and mental health - which from an outside perspective, the MC handles authentically and delicately for the most part.

There were several throughout where it felt like it was leaning on a paranormal romance situation (Fox could easily be confused for a paranormal shifter dude living out in a cave and embracing the wilderness)?

Overall enjoyed this one, it was a fun time and wrapped up in a cute HEA.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

This was fun and sexy. I loved the bookstore and the town. The banter between Fox and Cady (dumb name) was entertaining and I looooved brooding Fox. Also loved all the foul language—upped the entertainment value for me. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

I picked up Nevermore Bookstore on a bit of a whim and was sincerely delighted by how absorbing and transporting it was - Cady, Fox and their seaside town all felt real and fully realized. The characters were interesting and complex, the romance compelling and the chemistry between the two leads fiery hot! Would recommend to romance readers or anyone looking for a quirky mental vacation. Thank you to Kerrigan Byrne, Cynthia St Aubin, and Oliver Heber Books for the ARC.

This is definitely a romcom for reading while in a very particular snarky mood! The dirty jokes were extra ridiculous, silly in the best of ways. There’s lots of petty bickering and quippy one liners. With humor and extra nerd appeal, this book is perfect for fans of Penny Reid. I was laughing, and hard, from the get go. Honestly I feel like I shouldn’t have been so taken by surprise by this book, but I was and I’m happier for it!

A quick note that there were a few fumbles on the editing. Nothing that bothers me and I won’t dock points as that tends to not affect my enjoyment of a story. But, if it does bother you, there are a few confusing sentences sprinkled throughout.

It kept my attention and had good pacing. There were some times it seemed to skip something/went from one thing to another and I had to go back and see if I missed something. That’s caused some confusion but I kinda just continued with what I could put together. I was also kinda confused at first with how Fox talked about himself and was describing stuff (didn’t know if this was a supernatural book or not). I think there were some potholes in Fox’s side of things but I enjoyed Cady’s POV a lot more. I liked the back and forth they had on their phone calls and some of the mystery that was going on in the plot. Things wrapped up well in the end and we got a lot of answers. Overall a good but average book, enjoyable to read.

I feel conflicted about this book. I love this author and was intrigued by the premise. I've been reading a lot of books lately featuring a protagonist with a disability or emotional trauma, and I thought the authors did a great job showing what it's like to live with this type of autoimmune disorder. BUT... I just felt creepy reading about this super creepy hero. At one point he even says himself that he recognized that he was being a creep. I recognize that Fox suffered from extreme trauma, but that was a bit of a buzz kill. The binoculars and spying, lying, etc... I get that he's supposed to be a damaged hero. But by the time we found out his backstory, I couldn't dredge up very much sympathy for him. And his final act of redemption was a little too little, too late for me. Cady was too good for him!
The mystery was interesting, if guessable. I would not classify this book as a cozy mystery or rom-com but there were elements of them in there. I would *maybe* read a sequel if it starred Cady's bff, who was just an excellent friend.

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.