I was seeing rave reviews of this one and I had access to an e-ARC (thank you Berkley!) so I decided to give it a go! This was my first Kristina Forest, and although it’s the final novel in the Greene Sisters series, I felt it read just fine as a stand-alone! I enjoyed it!

The Love Lyric follows Angel Harrison, a famous r&b singer, who falls for Iris Greene, a corporate executive of Save Face Beauty — the very brand Angel is hired to promote. It’s a bit of celebrity, workplace and forbidden romance, with some forced proximity goodness!

I really related to Iris — eldest sibling, organized, has a plan, pushes down her own problems in place of helping others instead (ie. puts herself last), even her loving Hydrangeas! Her relationship with her daughter, the grief she carried, her ambitions and how they changed with time — I felt all topics related to Iris were carefully thought out, and that Forest did a really great job writing her. I can see many relating to her character!

I also enjoyed her and Angel’s slow (at times fast?) burn romance and felt it was swoon-worthy (I mean come on, who hasn’t dreamed of a celebrity pop-star writing them a song and living happily ever after?! 😅). I felt the pacing was good — I loved that although they sort of quickly got together, there was an element of slow burn pining at the start! I also appreciated that they communicated their feelings honestly to each other 👏

I did have a few quips. The first is that I needed more of Angel’s relationship with his mom and the church — I felt like his character could’ve been fleshed out just a bit more. But I like that he was a bit cheesy, younger — I felt it suited his age. And on the note of age, I felt that at times Calla was written older than her age, and I had a hard time picturing her as such. I also wanted more from the plot line between Iris and Dominique — I felt that it was a bit rushed in the end. And finally, I did personally find the book easy to put down — BUT also just as easily picked back up!

Overall, I enjoyed the read and would recommend it! And I look forward to reading books 1 & 2 of The Greene Sisters series!

Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own.

I’ve read all three books in the Greene Sister series and I think this was my favorite! I loved seeing Lily and Violet from the first two books.

I seem to always enjoy books about single moms and Iris was no different. She’s trying to make it with the beauty company where she works when she connects with their new spokesperson and R&B singer, Angel.

I really enjoyed their connection. It was fun to see them on the company’s tour and being able to take some time for herself. Their romance is forbidden but they can’t seem to help themselves. I loved how much he cared for her and even wrote her a song. Angel tried to keep her out of the media but their repayment public anyway. I really understood her backing away and being worried for her job and their relationship.

I thoroughly enjoyed the narration by J. Shani Michaels and Ian Hackney.

I hope for more books from Kristina Forest!

This was my favorite book in the series! I loved the other two, but this one, it was so sweet and just gave me all the feels. Even though Angel was this R&B superstar, he felt so grounded and was so sweet. I loved how he was really invested in Iris and wanting to be part of her life. I also think the portrayal of Iris, a widow, a mother with a career, was such a much needed POV. Kristina did a great job balancing grief, with the new romance, and also with Iris figuring out what she really wanted in her career. I love celeb/normie romances, but it can be hard to give the two MCs an ending that is believable. But I loved how Kristina wrapped up their HEA.

I really enjoyed this series and while I'm sad that it's over, I can't wait to read Kristina's future books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the digital arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed reading the last sister book. It was a sweet story and I loved the ending. Iris was a single mom not by choice and took a chance on second chances at love. Everybody deserves happiness and I feel as if each sister got the chance to receive that.

The Love Lyric by Kristina Forest
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Iris Greene may be the last sister to get her own book, but her love story is just as epic! Iris’ work has made a deal for the famous artist Angel to be the face for their company. Now Iris has been roped into traceling with him for their promotional tour. Angel has had a thing for Iris since he met her in books one, so he can’t help but take this opportunity to get to know Iris and win her heart.
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What I liked:
-A little but of forced proximity with this working relationship.
-“Who takes care of you?” 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 (I LOVE this in a book, PLEASE take care of that queen)
-I love that this book (and all of the sisters books) was dual POV. Angel was such a great guy and I loved hearning about his background and what made him who he is and his dreams for his music.
-I did the audio, like I did with all three actually, and it was excellent. I listened to the whole thing in one day.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for anything else Kristina writes after this.

Thanks so much to @berkleyromance @berkleypub and the author for the free book! I got this book as part of Berkley’s Hub for Underrepresented Voices. Thank you to NetGalley for the platform!

Iris Greene is a widow with a plan to hold everything together. Angel Hughes is a singer whose own label seems to not believe in him. Together and apart, Iris and Angel examine what is worth risking and what is worth is holding on tight to.

The Love Lyric is a slowwwww burn. While I liked it overall (the love story, the characters pursuing their passion, the message of choosing what’s best for you no matter your past, etc.), it was slightly too slow for me. If you love a slow burn book and enjoy a lot of character build up, I think you will like this book! This is the 3rd book in the series, but the only one I’ve read.

I really enjoyed the book. I have been waiting for this book since I read book one. I just knew it was going to be good and it was. This was great ending to the series. I would like to have a more from all the sisters.

I really enjoyed this book and the whole series.. This book was a perfect ending to the Greene sisters. Iris annoyed me some but I understood her apprehensions of finding love again. Angel was the perfect mate for her. He pulled her out of her shell and showed her a different type of love than the one she lost. The patience and care he showed for Iris was a delight to read. This book gave me many feels!

You know what? I had a lovely time with this. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this third and final companion book, because if you’ve been following my progress throughout this series, I really enjoyed “The Neighbor Favor,” “The Partner Plot” took a bit of a dip for me, and I wasn’t sure how or if this third book would split the difference. Thankfully, this was a heartwarming, endearing love story that had a fairly straightforward romance. Not a lot of miscommunication or unnecessary obstacles thrown in just for the sake of forestalling the attraction between the two characters, which was a nice change of pace.

I’ve yet to decide whether celebrity romance is a trope I actively enjoy, but I think what made it work for me in this case is that this story also has a heavy dose of the He Falls First trope—which does not have to be a gendered thing, for the record, but in this case Angel does happen to be a guy. And he was just such a soft, caring, and attentive romantic hero who was so easy to root for. I love how unwavering he is when it comes to Iris. He’s incredibly patient and understanding, which goes a really long way especially in this case, where he doesn’t want to overstep Iris’ boundaries, especially because this is the first time she’s considered dating someone after her husband’s passing—which is a huge choice.

Not only that, but Itis also has a daughter to consider, and I found the way that was navigated was handled with a tremendous amount of care in this story. I also appreciate that the story’s able to balance Iris’ experience with grief alongside with this experiencing of discovering new love. She doesn’t use her grief or her love for her late husband as an excuse to hold herself back from discovering a new relationship, but both she and Angel are also able to honor the fact that the love she still has for her late husband is its own entity that will never lessen or change. So it does have those moments where Iris is feeling that loss and that weight of how different a new relationship feels, and I like that the story gives her that space.

I also really appreciated the emotional parallel between the characters. They’re both achieved quantifiable levels of success, they’re independent, they’re generous in their time and support of the people around them, but in many ways they’re both full steam ahead all the time and they need someone to pull them back and take care of them for a change. I love that they’re able to play that role for each other, to ground each other and remind each other of what really matters, and also show each other the kind of care and attentiveness that they don’t often show to themselves. So I loved their chemistry, their thoughtfulness as they navigate this mutual attraction, the slow burn and yearning between them as they let that attraction gradually build until they’re actually ready to act on it.

Overall, this was just a really sweet romance and a fun way to wrap up the companion trilogy. I gave this a solid four stars.

“Never allowing myself the chance to love you would be worse than losing you” *sob*

I LOVED The Neighbor Favor, which is the first in the interconnected series of the Greene Sisters, so I was absolutely excited to finally be reading from the perspective of our eldest daughter (as the oldest daughter myself). This story tackles love after loss, grief, family dynamics, and so much more. I love!!

Beautiful romance that perfectly balances the romance and the individual character development of Angel and Iris. I felt so seen in Iris as an eldest daughter, and it felt incredible seeing her find a partner who sees how much she does for everyone else in her life yet neglects her own emotional being to keep on going. Talk about a word! It was great seeing Angel and Iris become friends and like each other as people, and I loved how Angel and Iris saw each other and took care of one another emotionally.

Special thanks to @berkleypub @berkleyromance for my gifted copy‼️

The Love Lyric is book 3 in the Greene Sisters series which can be read as a standalone. It explores themes of grief, finding love after loss, forbidden romance, going after what you want, and choosing happiness over a career. Iris Greene had it all until she felt she didn’t. Losing her husband kind of stole her spark but then she met Angel and he helped her realize she deserved way more than she allowed herself to have.

I didn’t instantly feel a connection between the characters but as the story progressed I fell in love with them. I also thought the age gap worked well in this it kind of makes sense why Angel was head over heels for Iris. I loved seeing Iris explore love after loss and the challenges a mother often faces when choosing to date with children. I loved seeing Angel pour out his heart through music it was so romantic. Overall, loved this one, it is a slow-burn but still worth reading‼️

In the final installment to the Greene series interconnected romance series, we finally get to meet and know Iris. As an eldest daughter myself, I empathized with a LOT of what she was going through - shielding her family from bad news, making sure everything was scheduled ahead of time, always trying to chase the next accomplishment, etc. so I was glad she was able to let go and find love for herself.

I’m glad that Angel, the MMC, didn’t fall into a lot of the celebrity tropes that you might usually see in a celebrity/non-celebrity romance - the main conflict was never about him being ashamed of being with Iris or that she would never fit into his world. It was more about Iris opening up and letting go, especially after the loss of her husband.

Overall, this was a sweet romance with just a hint of spice that I really enjoyed and I can’t wait to see what Kristina Forest writes next!

I have really enjoyed the Greene Sisters series by Kristina Forest and "The Love Lyric" is no exception. Though I am not the biggest fan of the celebrity romance trope, I really appreciated how the book focused more on the relationship between Angel and Iris rather than Iris juggling with Angel's popularity. Iris and Angel fit together quite nicely and I loved watching their relationship bloom. Iris is the quintessential big sister, but I liked how she respected her sisters instead of the bossy older sister. Angel is a charming, sweetheart who is incredibly considerate and patient with Iris. The pacing of the book was perfect and I zipped through this book relatively quickly. I liked that the third act had relatively low drama and was resolved quickly.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House/Berkley for the advanced readers copy of the book.

A very sweet and charming book about an R&B singer and the corporate exec who he’s had his eye on for years. I read the first in this series, missed the second, and then read this. It works well in the series but also stands alone very well.

Throughout the book, I kept thinking to myself, “Girl, Angel is and always has been so down bad for you. Let him WOO you and LOVE you!” Kristina Forest does a great job of threading this needle because all of Iris’s reasons for being reluctant are not only reasonable, but practical. But that’s the problem. Love is almost never the practical thing we want it to be, but it can be the magical thing we need it to be.

A super lovely book.

I am a Kristina Forest fan! I have read her entire catalog. I loved the Greene Sister Series. I think this is probably my least favorite. I love the book but it was just okay. I think because we knew a lot about Iris from the two previous novels I think we could have seen more character development with her. Don’t get me wrong it is a good book just my least favorite of the three

Finally finished my first ARC !!! 😆 I liked it honestly. It was very relatable being that the FMC was a single mother that’s a little terrified or uncomfortable (not sure if that’s the correct term I would use, but I couldn’t think of another word to describe it😅) of dating again like myself. But I love how they flourished a friendship, he was extremely patient with her, I just loved how relatable it was to me & my personal situation. Great job Kristina Forest !

A wonderful ending to The Greene Sisters trilogy by Kristina Forest. Iris finally gets her HEA with Angel, a younger man who is no less persistent in his pursuit of the widower. Soft, fluffy and swoony!

This book was so good, this series ended with such a beautiful romance. I love how every book in this series has gotten even better. Iris the fmc is a makeup and skincare marketer who is also a single mother. Angel the mmc is a popular musician whose stylist Violet(her book is the second in the series) is Iris's sister. They meet and Angel is instantly drawn to Iris despite Iris not wanting to date because of her late husband. I loved the pop star, and musician plot and the forced proximity when they both had to work together. I also really liked the side plot with Angel, his faith, and his mother, and his it was navigated in the book. The romance in this book was so sweet it was like a warm hug, it's steamy but I think the characters were perfect and gentle for each other. I like how the author handled the FMC's grief and family scenes and overall this was a well-written and lovely romance.

I think this was my favorite Greene sisters novel, which is saying a lot because I really loved The Partner Plot. Something about grown adults dealing with their personal issues without a late stage miscommunication is gonna do it for me every time! Iris was such a compelling main character, and I really felt for her struggles with grief. Angel was the perfect counterpart for her, like yes let this hot, rich man take care of you! You deserve it!
I think Kristina Forest's storytelling has improved with each novel. While The Neighbor Favor felt like it was setting up this world and cast of characters, The Love Lyric feels so comfortably sat in it. I'm so happy I had the chance to read this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc. These are my own opinions.