Having won the lottery from a ticket she was gifted by a dying friend, everything in Rose Barnes life is turned upside down and sends her running away. She finds herself in a small town full of wonderful people and decides to stay, keeping her money a secret while she builds the humble life of her dreams. She quickly falls in love with her grumpy contractor who shows her curvy girls deserve love too. However, she keeps her money and the charity work uses it for a secret, hoping that her new home, friends, community, and love won’t change their opinion of her with the knowledge of it.

I gotta be honest, I love everything about this book except for the love interest, Angus, and his toxic masculinity. He really broke it for me. I was really hoping he’d have a big realization about how many of his beliefs are just plain wrong or hurtful and really change for the better. Had he done that, this book would have gotten five stars. Everything else about the book is so charming and sweet, I love all of the friends Rose makes in the small town of Galloway and the people that she helps with her money. All of this is soured by Angus’ and his failure to convincingly realize his toxic beliefs and show a legitimate change of heart.

I once watched a video of a couples therapist that mentioned the occupations of the men most likely to get divorced. She listed heroic jobs like firefighter, policemen, and doctors. Soldiers were also included. As Angus is a veteran and a counselor, I think it would have been nice if we could have seen the hero complex that is so interwoven into his character completely dismantled. It would have been great to see him to understand that he can’t help, fix or save everything on his own. Sometimes, he too, needs caring for. Instead, we find a man that is constantly trying to balance everything even when people are being kind to him out of love. All of his relationships are transactional and money focused. If he can’t balance interactions or pay back kindness immediately then he becomes rude. Rose buys him a meal, he tips the restaurant all the money back. She makes him coffee, he gets extremely pissy and refuses the offering— not drinking a single drop. Alternatively, he doesn’t mind showering others in his love even if they can’t pay him back. He’s perfectly happy paying for meals and groceries helping people with car trouble. At some point it starts to feel very sexist like Angus believes he has to be the breadwinner and take care of his woman and their joint needs. Obviously, when he comes to find out about Rose’s money, he doesn’t know what to do or how to process it. He feels absolutely worthless if he can’t bring his income to the table. <spoiler> His plan was to save her from what he thought was money struggles by marrying her and protecting her as her husband. He was prepared to pay off all her debts but instead when he finds she has lots of money, he’s distraught. </spoiler>

Of course, Rose then ends up feeling bad about hurting him and apologizes for keeping her wealth under wraps— for good reason, might I add!! She does get annoyed that he thought their entire relationship was transactions, and I cheer as she argues how horrible that is. Ultimately the book ends soon after this conversation when Angus realizes he’s too horny and feels bad about making her cry. He apologizes that he got upset and hurt her and the story ends.

‘Twas a completely unsatisfying amount of character development.

Sure, he can’t picture life without Rose but and she adores him but attraction does not a relationship make. I really wished they could have worked through their issues and had a legitimate breakthrough.

After winning the lottery uncovered the worst in everyone in her life, Rose needs a change. When her car gets stuck in the snow on her way to finding a new place to set down roots, she meets

When Rose and Angus met for the first time, it was a disaster that ended with a Snickers bar bouncing off the back of Angus’s head - needless to say, they didn’t exactly hit it off. But when Rose needs someone to renovate her new house, he is by far the best man for the job. Soon, they start getting to know each other better, and sparks start to fly.

This wasn’t my favourite small town romance, but I still really enjoyed it.

As a fat woman who is comfortable in her body, I felt that Rose’s curves and her hiding of them were mentioned a bit too often. I think that it could be empowering for someone in a similar relationship with their body, but hearing about it so frequently read as odd for me.

I thought the narrators did a great job, and I’m always thrilled to see dual POV get two narrators!

I really appreciated Rose’s outlook on life, and willingness to help anyone and everyone she came across. Being willing to pitch in both money and time towards the community was really great to read about. You don’t have to win the lottery to do good, so the time she gave was even more valuable.

Angus and Rose’s relationship development was sweet, and most definitely spicy. I enjoyed the dual POVs of them pining over each other.

Ugh.... I really like Rose and Rose deserves at the very least 4 stars... the Rose in the beginning of the book anyway). Unfortunately, I really don't like the character of Angus or their relationship. Their hate, love, lust, dialogue .... all ugh. In the beginning, I thought Rose was presented as a person that although she had a rough past, she was now a strong, smart, lovable individual... after Angus what the hell happened? Then Angus was introduced. I didn't hate him, but I didn't like him. Also, since this was an audiobook, I didn't think Paul Bellantoni helped make Angus any better. And there was no going up for Angus. I could not understand why Rose even started to like him and why suddenly she became so insecure around him. Not to give anything away, but the last 30% and Angus' issue with Rose.... just ruined everything there may have maybe potentially been there. Disappointed. The 1 star rating is purely for the character and potential of what Rose was and could have been before Angus.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the arc.

First I would like to thank Dreamscape Media for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of Rose who after winning a big lottery decides to leave Indianapolis and find a town where nobody knows about her winnings and start a new life. She ends up in a small North Carolina town with lots of local flavor and a grumpy contractor Angus. When Rose finds the house she wants, she hires Angus to fix it up and as they spend more time together their attraction grows.

What I loved:
- Dual POV and narration, I love a dual POV book and its even further elevated in this audiobook as they has two narrators who portray Rose and Angus perfectly
- Grumpy/sunshine, I'm a sucker for a grumpy sunshine romance especially reading how the sunshine gets the grumpy out of their rut
- Town, I've visited a lot of small towns and I feel like this book does a great job with the feeling of being in a small town
- House, Rose's house sounds amazing especially the library and if I won the lottery I might do the same thing
-Angus, he is a veteran who is doing everything he can to help those veterans who are having a hard time returning to "normal life" and kind of explains why he is so grumpy
- Lottery winnings, I absolutely adore what Rose ends up doing with her money and she is a much better person than most would be in that situation but I hope if I ever won a lottery I would do the same

I really enjoyed this book, there were so many good bits and bobs throughout the story but I will say the "balanced ledger" that Angus lives by got a bit annoying but his growth offset that. If you are looking for a sweet romance with two characters who haven't had the easiest life but still find a way to better the world and each other I would absolutely recommend this book, especially the audio version with these two amazing narrators.

Curvy-girl Rose Barnes is at a crossroads in life. She recently became a millionaire-80 million to be exact. People from her not-so-great past are coming out of the woodwork. Rose decides it’s time to move on and sets off to find a new place to call home. Somewhere where no one knows of her past or current situation. Rose finds a cute little town and buys a fixer upper. Angus Drummond is a cranky, bearded man who Rose hires to do the work in her house. Little does Rose know that Angus is so moody because of his attraction to the sassy Rose. As time goes on and friendship slowly becomes love, it seems like Rose’s new life is perfect. Things are great until Angus figures out the secret that Rose has been keeping from him. Will it be the complete ruin of their relationship, or can Angus move on and have a future with Rose?

Narrated by Michelle Price and Paul Bellantoni. Price and Bellantoni do a great job of bringing Rose and Angus to life. Angus has the deep, rich voice a reader would imagine for the larger-than-life character. Overall, a great listening experience that enhances the story.

This one is getting lots of great reviews from people, but alas it just didn't quite work for me. I appreciate what the author was trying to do in terms of fat acceptance, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me......the plot elements about body size were often forced to make a point instead of being a natural part of the story. I also really struggled with the development of the relationship between Rose and Angus as well as the sources of their conflicts. I think this one had potential, but it just didn't come together in the end. I'm not sure if I will pick up the next book in the series or not.

I listened to the audiobook. Starting with that, because this is one of the times that I fear the narrator may have negatively impacted my opinion of the book.

Told in dual POVs, there are two narrators- Paul Bellantoni and Michelle Price. Right off the bat, you notice that their voices do not go together. They sound decades apart in age. I had a hard time reconciling Paul Bellantoni with Angus. He sounds much older and is not someone who I'd pair with a romance.

As for the book itself- I am all for plus sized representation in romance novels. But it was TOO much of a focus for me. I also found the book repetitive.

I can see this is the first in the series. I'd probably give book 2 a try, but definitely not the audio version if they use the same narrators.

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this! A small town romance and the humor to match. Plus, the characters were in their thirties, which is also nice to see. The narrators were very good and easy to listen to as well. I have to admit, at first I did not think the narrators voice for Angus was the right match at first, but it truly grew on me!

There was a lot a liked about this book and a couple of things that were hard for me to get past. I loved Rosie. She was just the sweetest and I loved all that she did to try and secretly help others throughout the book. I loved that her heart was so big and that she was still able to really care for others even though she had been bullied and burned in the past. Angus really was a sweet grumpy man. I liked him for the most part but I’m still confused about his age. I think the name Angus mixed with the older sounding narrator just made me think of him as a 60 year old the whole time. This just kind of threw off some of the chemistry between him and Rosie for me.

I loved having a plus sized main character with Rosie and that it showed her struggle with everything from difficulty finding cute underwear in her size to constant judgement from others. I loved that she was finally able to find a place where she felt she belonged with friends who had her back!

I mostly enjoyed the narration but was just thrown off with the age for Angus. If he was supposed to be older then it’s perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced listening copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Cute body positive romance. Had some very funny parts that made me literally laugh out loud! Had a few cons, but nothing major that made me not enjoy reading it. Full review on Instagram

This was a GREAT story to listen to! AWESOME narration! Great main characters. The plot was easy to find. The story was engaging and easy to follow. Will be purchasing this book. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this story.

4 STARS!

Curves for days it such a cute romance! The plus size rep was done so well and the romance had me swooning! I really liked this!

Curves for Days by Laura Moher is a slow-burn, delightful romance that will have you falling in love with the characters from the first page.

This story is filled with plus-size characters, small-town living, and personal growth. This story has some heavy themes in it such as PTSD, the death of a parent, and bullying, but it is still able to remain light, funny, and hopeful throughout. The growth that the characters have individually and in a relationship is realistic and a good example of working through things in a healthy, open way.

This story follows Rose, who has just had a dramatic life change when she comes into a large amount of money. People come out of the woodwork with her newfound wealth, so she runs away and starts going by her middle name. She unexpectedly finds herself in a small town that she immediately falls in love with, and decides to call it home. She buys a house while trying to figure out how to manage her new wealth. She meets Angus, who is a veteran helping other veterans as a therapist. He also works as a contractor on the side and Rose ends up hiring him to help her renovate her new home. Their first meeting is a little rocky but they slowly form a friendship and more as they get to know each other.

This was a lovely romance, I found myself invested immediately in these characters’ lives. Both characters are finding out new things about themselves as they fall into their relationship together. The characters are complex and well-rounded and are open to growth throughout the story. Along with the romance, there are some great friendships formed with great side characters.

If you are in the mood for a heart-warming, steamy, grumpy/sunshine, slow-burn romance, this book is for you! There are multiple open-door scenes, along with some trigger warnings to be aware of before reading.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC and the chance to listen and review it honestly.

What a disappointment. This book was dashing towards a hands down 5 star. Rosie our girl has a meet cute with grumpy Angus which involves a snickers bar being thrown and their paths crossing again when she decides to set up shop in the most adorable little town of Galway NC. I loved seeing Rosie blossom into who she was and shave off her insecurities. As I was reading I was thinking, I wish I had read book #1 because she seemed to have such a deep backstory that would have enhanced my enjoyment of the "new" Rosie. I was disappointed to find out that this was indeed book #1, so I felt a little lost not fully connected with Rosie. Mother kinda just throws you into a story and you do not fully understand who she is and where she came from to understand why she is the way she is. Anyway it was really cute to see Angus de-ice as he works to renovate her house.
BUT BUT BUT
Then we get to the point where all the sudden we have this wholesome rom-com going and it does a total genre hop and jumps over to sex ed. No thanks. It was so uncomfortable some of the conversations Angus and her would have, including him talking about previous lovers was so uncalled for. It was constant awkward encounters and sexual innuendos. The rest of the book was just Moher trying to get the two MCs in the same vicinity so they could hook up. No thanks.
The ending also made me do a sudden change in feelings towards Angus. It felt like he was unwilling to be in a relationship unless he was "winning" he had this constant scale making sure he was ahead. He couldn't just accept a gift or act of kindness.
I would consider reading another book in the series if I am promised more of the charming cute small town comings and goings of Galaway as long as there is no hanky panky!

Thank you net galley for giving me the opportunity to review Curves for Days in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Heartfelt Southern Romance

"Curves for Days" by Laura Moher is a delightful, heartwarming southern romance that captures the essence of personal growth, unlikely connections, and the power of self-acceptance. Set in the charming small town of Galway, North Carolina, this novel introduces readers to a plus-size heroine and a gruff yet endearing hero, delivering a story that beautifully balances light-hearted moments with more serious themes.

The story follows Rose Barnes, a relatable and feisty protagonist who, after coming into some money, seeks refuge and anonymity in the tight-knit community of Galway. In her new town, she encounters Angus, a burly contractor who she hires to work on her newly purchased house, who initially appears grumpy but harbors a surprising depth of character. As Rose and Angus's paths cross and their connection deepens, they navigate an unlikely friendship that eventually transforms into a powerful love.

The book's dual first-person narrative offers readers an intimate view into the minds of both Rose and Angus, allowing them to empathize with their struggles, insecurities, and personal growth. The author skillfully portrays their journey, with a particular focus on Rose's path toward self-love and acceptance, adding layers of authenticity to the story.

While the novel predominantly radiates a cozy atmosphere, it touches on serious topics like fat phobia, body shaming, sexual assault, and mental health issues, handling them with sensitivity and depth. The open-door spicy scenes enhance the romance, and although they bring passion to the narrative, it's important to note that trigger warnings, such as discussions of rape, bullying, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts, are present.

The backdrop of Galway, North Carolina, contributes to the book's charm, creating a small-town setting that feels like home. The supporting characters are well-developed and add to the sense of community and found family, enhancing the overall reading experience.

The only minor drawback of the story is the third act, where an extended and somewhat unnecessary breakup disrupts the flow and feels inconsistent with Angus's character. I would think as a therapist himself he would have better communication skills in his everyday life. Despite this, "Curves for Days" remains a heartwarming and enjoyable read that captures the essence of love, acceptance, and personal growth.

Laura Moher's storytelling shines through in this novel, capturing the slow-burning romance and the exploration of hidden truths and vulnerabilities. "Curves for Days" offers a perfect blend of sweetness and angst, making it an ideal companion for those seeking a summer read with some heaviness to the story. Laura Moher's ability to create a well-developed world and engaging characters ensures that this book is a satisfying addition to the romance genre. As the first entry in the Big Love From Galway series, it leaves readers eager to explore more from this author.

3/5 ⭐
2/5 🌶️
3/5 🎧

This book was what I imagine a sweet romance is, but with spice. It was almost sickly sweet at times and had this southern charm about it. I enjoyed it for what it was, but it's not something I'd run to pick up again. But if you're looking for Hallmark with spice, this is probably a great book for you.

I did love that Rosie was plus sized and that Laura pointed out so many shortcomings us plus size women have... Booths that are too skinny, shops that only carry up to size 16 yet tout they're plus sized friendly, and the general consensus that you'll never be enough. I loved that while she had some trouble with this as a teen like most of us do, she loved her body and stood up for it as an adult. I just loved her confidence.

To be honest, I really hated the third act... Third act breakups are already not my thing, but the way these two otherwise respectable and grounded adults handled this conflict was really immature and hard to handle... I was glad it didn't take long once they decided to talk, but I rolled my eyes a bit during, especially at Angus.

I'd probably recommend reading this one if you generally prefer that. While I loved Michelle Price, Paul Bellantoni left a lot to be desired for me. I actually preferred Michelle's version of Angus over Paul's, I just couldn't stop seeing an old southern gpa as Rosie's love interest. That being said, I did finish the audio and didn't jump to the book, so it wasn't awful, just not amazing.

I'm very critical of fat rep in books and this one really was so perfect. I loved that her size didn't feel like her entire brand which you see all too often in books.

From the start, I find myself relating to the main character, Alice/Rose. Angus’ voice doesn’t match with what I had imagined but still cute regardless. It starts off really nice and positive.
It makes you relive those first time butterfly feelings when you enter a new relationship. I felt like the author did a really good job allowing the reader to feel and understand those feelings through her descriptive words.
I’m also from Indiana so I thought that was kinda cool she was too. It was a wholesome story, with lots of cussing (which is fine with me!) and intense love.

I had so many thoughts about this book. I don’t even know how to organize them all.

I guess I’ll start by saying this book felt looooong. Probably because the first 50% is longing but without any relationship building. This was my note right before the halfway point “I’m annoyed with how often the chapters are just ‘I want him/her but he/she doesn’t notice.’ let’s move the plot please. When the book finally moved past the slow burn portion, the sex scenes were incredibly cringe and so were to pet names. I would say a solid 25% of this book is just sex scenes but it’s like salt and pepper level spicy so those who want spice won’t be satisfied and those that don’t enjoy sex scenes will be uncomfortable. No one wins.

The MC is perfect. She’s kind, generous, a good listener, empathetic, beautiful, etc etc etc. she literally does not have one single flaw the entire book. I don’t even think she was wrong to keep the money a secret. She knew Angus less than 6 months. That’s no time at all. I was absolutely shook when Angus decided to propose because they barely know each other. They shared their biggest trauma and that’s basically it.

Which leads to my next complaint: I could see the third act breakup coming from 37000 miles away. It was immediately obvious that Angus could not handle not being the one with the power in a relationship. His hang up on being the savior and the bread winner is so deeply misogynistic. When he said he wasn’t hung up on the money because of misogyny and then went on to give a different also deeply sexist reason, I think my eyes rolled out of my head and across the state.


Pros: fat main character who is child free by choice. That might be the only pro I can think of. Everything else felt like Virgin River. Everyone in town is a perfect angel minus one person who was absurdly rude for no reason.

Overall, this was clearly not a great read for me. I would’ve DNFd if it wasn’t an audiobook ARC. I knew I could push through but if I was physically reading, I would’ve stopped reading pretty quickly.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC

Paul Bellantoni and Michelle Price did awesome with the voices - They really brought the characters to life and the supporting actors. I really felt what they were going through

I loved this book. I love a book about someone who finds their way and their voice. Rose has come into some money, and she is able to now discover new things and start new in a new town.

Agnus is a staple in the town and is now renovating Rose's new home. While their relationship started shaky they have developed a great friendship, and there is an attraction as well

I truly enjoyed this romance and I had a great time reading it. The every evolving dynamics between these two was awesome and kept me engaged