This is a good start to a new series. Loved Pia and the relationship Mason has with his friends. Mason I was unsure of at first but he redeemed himself.

My sincere thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Fallen Hearts by Cissy Mecca. I give my unbiased opinion of this book in the following review.

Mason has come back to his hometown when his father passes away unexpectedly. He doesn't know what to do with the Inn that was his father's whole life. His three best friends have come to support him. Mason and his friends have had a bachelor pact since college. They have to kick in money if they get engaged or married, but all of them are confident that marriage is not for them. Mason has taken leave from his job as an NYPD officer in order to figure out what to do with the Inn. What he doesn't know is that just before his death, his dad hired Pia to move out from Oregon to help manage and update the business for the future. She has no idea when she knocks on the door that she no longer has a job. While Mason is surprised at first, she tells him she can help and he decides to let her keep her job and if he sells, he will guarantee the new owner will keep her on for a certain period of time. Of course, she is beautiful, he is gorgeous, and they have fun bantering back and forth. Will Mason sell? Will they give in to temptation and ignore their boss/employee relationship for a romantic one?

My favorite part about this book was the friend relationship between the guys. They have each other's backs, and I loved their humor. It was easy to see where Mason and Pia were headed. This is a romance book after all. There are really no surprises in this book. It is a straightforward romance with not a super lot of character development. I am assuming that the future books in the series will be about Mason's three friends. There is a preview chapter at the end that gives a peek into the next book. I'm intrigued by that one so I will probably check it out. I recommend Fallen Hearts to anyone who is in the mood for a cute, low stress romantic read.

FYI - Open Door Scenes and a little course language.

Fallen Hearts by Cissy Mecca is our introduction to The Bachelor Pact. What is the Bachelor Pact? 4 college friends decided they were never getting married and laid out 4 rules:
1. Never stay the night
2. Never date the neighbor
3. Never fall in love
4. Never say "I Do"

These rules have served all four men well, that is until Mason meets Pia. Mason is a grumpy ex-special forces, current NYPD cop who has just lost his father. Now Mason has to figure out what to do with his family inn, which is now his responsibility. Along comes Pia, who has moved from the west coast all the way to New York to manage the inn for Mason's father. Mason did not know that his dad had hired Pia, so he was caught off guard and told her that there was no job for her at his inn. He quickly came to his senses, and realized that Pia might be able to help him decide if he should keep the inn or sell it.

While working together, Pia and Mason's instant attraction just continued to grow. Then, a line was crossed and they had some decisions to make.

Cissy Mecca writes an engaging and wonderful story of a man who thinks he can't love anyone and a woman who wants it all. I loved this book! 10/10 Highly recommend!

A wonderful new series from this author who writes some brilliant small town romances. Great characters and a great story. Loved it .

I received a copy of this book and chose to post this review

Pia moves to Cedar Falls to take over management of Heritage Hill, an Inn owned by Mason now that his father has passed on. Your imagination doesn’t need to lead very far to figure out what happens when the grumpy MMC and sassy FMC are in close proximity.

I absolutely adore contemporary small town romances, so Pia and Mason’s story was perfect for me. It was such an a light, easy read, and I loved the banter between the characters as well as the spice between the FMC and MMC.

The bachelor pact between Mason, Beck, Parker and Cole was funny to me and typical of 30 somethings that don’t want to settle down. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the guys stories to see how they end up panning out!

I absolutely loved this grumpy sunshine book! It was so cute and well paced! This was my first book I've read by this author and it certainly won't be the last. I love a good small town romance!

Mason has one rule: no falling in love. It’s the foundation of his Bachelor Pact with his best friends. But when he returns to Cedar Falls to settle his father’s affairs, he finds himself working alongside Pia—the stunning, spirited woman hired to restore his family’s inn. She’s off-limits… technically. But resisting her? Nearly impossible.

The chemistry between Mason and Pia is electric from the start, and as they renovate the inn together, their connection deepens into something undeniable. Mason’s bachelor life and NYPD career suddenly don’t seem as appealing when Pia is around.

Cedar Falls is the perfect setting—charming, cozy, and full of heart. Beyond the steamy romance, the found-family vibes among Mason and his friends bring warmth and laughter to the story. If you love small-town romance with sizzling chemistry, brotherhood, and a hero torn between his past and the love he never saw coming, “Fallen Hearts” is a must-read!

Thank you @meccaromance, @boldwoodbooks and @netgalley for the #gifted ebook arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was just beautiful and one I really enjoyed. I will for sure will be sharing this with others and hope people read this because the story was so well told and written. It flowed perfectly and I didn’t want to put it down.

I was super excited to receive this book as an ARC. This Author is one of my favorite Authors and this book did not disappoint. The characters were lovable and their chemistry was fire! The storyline was cute and very well written. The grumpy sunshine trope is one of my favorites and she did so well with this one! I can't wait for the rest of the series!!

I really enjoyed this book, it was such a cute read! I love grumpy vs sunshine and this book absolutely smashed that trope!
The story line, the banter and the tension were amazing. I loved Mason and Pia, they worked so well together. & the spice was 😮‍💨

This was my first book by @meccaromance and I can’t wait to see what’s going to come next in 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙠 series!🩷

Fallen Hearts delivered just what you'd expect from a romance book. Was it groundbreaking? No. Were the characters something out of this world? Definitely not. But was I entertained? Absolutely. Will for sure read the rest of the series!

This is the first of a new series and a small town romance.
I found the characters likable and it was an easy read for me.
It's an author I've not read before but I enjoyed this one so will look forward to continuing the series.

Fallen Hearts is an emotionally charged and engaging tale that explores the intricacies of human relationships, decisions, and repercussions. The story focuses on the main character's journey of betrayal, love, and forgiveness while she works through the struggles of family and self-aggrandizement. Mecca constructs a storyline rich with secrets and disclosures so that readers are engaged and care about the results. The twists and turns are well-placed to maintain the tension without swamping the emotional center of the story. The characters in Fallen Hearts are finely crafted, and Mecca brings them to life through subtle storytelling. The emotional journey of the protagonist is both relatable and compelling, while the supporting characters provide depth and contrast to the story. All the characters seem real, with their flaws, strengths, and motivations vividly described. Mecca's ability to develop multidimensional characters keeps readers interested and invested in the story.

Cissy Mecca's style of writing is beautiful and descriptive, combining lyrical language with a keen sense of dialogue. She uses vivid description to paint pictures of the scenery and emotional stages of the book. The perfect balance between internal moments and dramatic interactions makes the novel introspective yet readable to a wide demographic. Ultimately, Fallen Hearts is a story about forgiveness, strength, and the lasting effect one's decisions have on their life. The book also addresses family, identity, and the courage it takes to rise above. Mecca's writing conveys a strong message regarding the value of self-knowledge and healing, which makes the book deeply emotionally resonant.

The writer uses an array of literary devices to make the story richer, such as symbolism, foreshadowing, and parallel narratives. They contribute depth and complexity to the narrative, paying off engaged readers with additional layers of meaning. The pace is well-controlled, with instances of tension followed by contemplative pauses that facilitate character development and emotional impact. The novel has a consistent and well-balanced pace, which allows the events of the story to run their course naturally without being hurried or protracted. The organized structure, with its clear sequence and neatly defined chapters, improves the readability as well as maintains the continuity of the narrative. Mecca's accessible writing voice makes it easy to read while providing substance for readers who like analyzing literary aspects.

Fallen Hearts is a moving and introspective novel that lingers in the minds of readers long after they finish the book. Cissy Mecca's masterful combination of gripping storytelling, sympathetic characters, and thought-provoking themes makes the book an irresistible read for devotees of emotionally gripping fiction. Though some readers might desire a quicker pace or more emphasis on certain subplots, the emotional resonance and depth of the book far outweigh these small criticisms. I would strongly suggest Fallen Hearts to anyone looking for a heartwarming and reflective tale that explores the intricacies of life, love, and redemption.

Loved it from start to finish the plot and romance and everything. The slow burn was perfect and it made me swoon.

4⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Series ~ The Bachelor Pact
Setting ~ small town in New York
Publication date ~ March 13, 2025
Publisher ~ Boldwood Books
Est Page Count ~ 298 (43 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 7 hours 31 minutes
Narrators ~ Rebecca Rogers, Josh Wichard
POV ~ dual 1st
Featuring ~ boss/employee, off limits, good sexual tension, some steamage

Pia (30) & Mason (30's)
Pia is looking to start over when she accepts a job at the Heritage Hill Inn. When she arrives in town she learns the man who hired her has recently passed away and his son, Mason, is in charge now and he’s not interested in honoring her contract. Pia was super sweet and I enjoyed the friendship she found with Delaney.

Mason never expected to lose his father so suddenly and step out of his NYPD shoes into new innkeeper shoes. But it’s just temporary, he’ll get the place up and running and head back to the city, easy peasy. It doesn't take him long to figure out he needs help and agrees to hire Pia. I was really loving him for the whole book, and I was hoping and praying he wouldn’t make me mad, but of course he did. He redeemed himself of course, but maybe a little too quickly.

Overall, I wasn’t really a big fan of the whole ‘bachelor pact,’ but I enjoyed the book nonetheless probably because you just know the pact will get broken when the fella comes to his senses even if it takes them a hot minute.

Series notes:
The series will follow friends; Parker, Beck and Cole. I really enjoyed their camaraderie and how they have each other’s back through it all. I look forward to reading their books in the future.

This was my first read by this author & it definitely won't be my last. She's created a wonderful friend group here that I just can't wait to learn more about. Mason & Pia were such a lovely couple, despite everything they couldn't avoid falling for each other.

I’ve been waiting for Fallen Hearts to be published for quite a while, and it doesn’t disappoint! Cissy Mecca, formally, Bella Michaels, writes a good romance, no matter what name she uses!

Mason and his friends created a marriage pact when they were in college. Now they’re in their 30s and they’re still holding each other to it! Mason returns to Cedar Falls when is father dies and finds that just before he died his dad hired someone to run the Inn. He’s unsure if he wants to stay in Cedar Falls and run it or not so he’s not eager to meet Pia.

Pia quit her previous job when she was passed over for a promotion she earned. She took the job in Cedar Falls, and when she arrives finds that her new employer has passed away. When she meets his son Mason, he quickly makes it clear. He doesn’t want her there.

But as they start to refurbish the Inn, their attraction sizzles but Mason insists on keeping their boss/employee status and won’t move past that. And he wants to stick to the pact.

Add in Masons college buddies and Pia’s new friends and this is a fun book to read! The author does an excellent job of building the characters quickly and keeping the reader involved. I had a hard time putting this down! I recommend you add this to your TBR now! This would be an excellent spring break read!

This is my first book by this author, so I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Pia has just packed up her worldly goods and moved across America to Cedar Falls to take up a new role as the manager at Heritage Hill Inn. Luckily for her, not long after arriving she meets a wonderful lady called Delaney, who will thankfully become a great friend and confident. Little does she know how important that will be until Delaney informs her that the man who hired her has sadly passed away, leaving the Inn in the hands of his son Mason.

Mason has just lost his father. He’s come home to Cedar Falls to grieve and to make some difficult decisions, including what to do with Heritage Hill Inn. His life is in New York as a cop, not as an Inn Keeper. Thankfully, he has his three best friends by his side to help him work through this difficult time. So, when Mason encounters the feisty Pia for the first time, announcing she is the new Inn manager, which he knows nothing about, he is completely thrown and is downright rude to her, sacking her on the spot.

Mason and his three friends made a pact back in college, ‘The Bachelor Pact’. There are four simple rules, the main one being, never fall in love.

The book starts with lots of tension between the two main characters who have been thrown into the same difficult situation but from two totally different perspectives. The problem they have is from the moment they meet there is an electric charge between them that neither of them are ready for, nor want to admit.

When Mason acquiesces and hires Pia back on a temporary basis, it’s the beginning of the end. The relationship starts slowly, as coworkers. Then Pia wheedles her way into Mason’s friendship group and Mason is thrown by his jealousy at his friend’s persistent flirting with Pia. The more time the two of them spend with each other, the more the attraction it is harder to fight it until neither of them can restrain themselves any longer. From here there’s no stopping them, it’s spice, spice and even more spice.

The authors intricate descriptions of the characters personalities, their relationships and their feelings in this story is second to none. From the first chapter I couldn’t put this book down.

I’m excited to read more tales of the wonderful members of the Bachelor Pact and if any more of them will have to pay into ‘the pot’.

The first story in the Bachelor Pact, Pia and Mason meet when he comes back to bury his Father. They do not get off to a very good start when they first meet. Their story grabbed my interest from the start and did not let go until I had finished. I enjoyed seeing them get their happy ending especially with the ups and downs they went through to get it.

The first book in the Bachelor Pact is Mason and Pia's story, drawing me in from the first page. Pia is a lovely character with a compassionate nature; she is insightful and notices when someone needs her help. Her connection with Mason on a physical attraction level is immediate. Still, he is grieving and naturally grumpy and unapproachable, so getting to know him takes time, and then she has to wonder if it's worth the heartache, given he is part of the Bachelor pact. I like the connection between Mason and his friends, which provides the humour and the conflict to Mason and Pia's romance. I enjoyed the sweet but passionate romance between Mason and Pia and the believable ethos and setting created.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.