Amy Daws is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. The opening of this book, the MMCs tinder profile, had me laughing so hard that I immediately had to read it out loud to my husband. I loved this book, but I am a sucker for an enemies to lovers romance. I mean, who doesn't love a hot cat daddy. The FMC is recently divorced, so super jaded. This was an amazing read!

ARC Review

3.5 Stars
Seven Year Itch by Amy Daws
Publication date: 17th June 2025

Thoughts
I was hesitant going into this one as the first book was not my favorite, but I am happy to say that I enjoyed this one much more! It was a very fun, easy, and light read while also addressing some of the harder topics, such as getting out of a recent divorce really well. The FMC was very strong willed and independent, paired with a golden retriever MMC was just...mm chef's kiss. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would highly recommend!

Tropes
▪︎ Enemies to lovers
▪︎ Small town romance
▪︎ Only one bed
▪︎ Forced Proximity

Plot Summary
Grumpy mountain man Calder is forced to share a room in Mexico with his brother's wife's best friend, who have been enemies ever since he ruined her house renovation 7 years ago. Dakota is a recent divorcee who is just trying to find her old self again, and she knows it is not with the most infuriating of the Fletcher brothers. However, an extended weekend in Mexico for a wedding where they are forced to share a room leads to an enemies-with-benefits relationship that might just end with too many feelings.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing|Canary Street Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed getting Calder’s backstory, he had me laughing more than once! The enemies-to-lovers banter in this book was top-tier and definitely one of the funniest parts. I wasn’t totally sold on the whole cat obsession though it pulled a bit from his masculinity for me. That said, I loved seeing Dakota rediscover herself after a tough marriage, especially as the spice level turned up. And Everly completely stole my heart, what she does for her uncles is so touching and hilarious. If you're looking for a lighthearted, funny romance with heart and heat, this is a fun one to pick up!

3.5 stars

Amy Daws hits that perfect romcom nerve: equal parts heat and hilarity. Seven Year Itch is a vacation-fueled enemies-to-lovers story that doesn’t skimp on emotional depth beneath the bickering and banter. Bodie is a gruff, tattooed menace with a golden retriever heart, and Dakota’s post-divorce journey is equal parts empowering and deliciously chaotic. I laughed, I blushed, I dog-eared half the book.

this loudmouth mountain man had me blushing 😤❤️

This book was so much fun. We’ve got enemies to lovers, forced proximity, a destination wedding, and a grumpy, tatted-up mountain man who’s actually just a big softie underneath all that bark. Literally started off wild with a hacked dating profile and only got more chaotic from there.

I was living for the bickering between Dakota and our beardy boy like yes, scream at him! But then suddenly it’s like… oh okay, you’re screaming with him now 😏 the tension was hot, the banter was top tier, and the shift from hate to something way deeper felt really satisfying. I liked that the characters had history and actual emotional baggage, but it didn’t drag the story down. It still had that breezy vacation romance vibe mixed with small town charm once they got back home.

Dakota is that girl fierce, funny, and not putting up with any BS. And the MMC?? A whole redwood tree of a man, but emotionally available? That’s my kind of fantasy.

If you’re into beachside brawls turning into beachside hookups, fake dates that turn real, and watching two people get out of their own damn way long enough to fall in love, this one’s worth the read.

Thank you so much to Amy Daws and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for the eARC of Seven Year Itch. I was so excited to get an early copy of this. I've been a reader of Amys for a few years now and I remember reading the start of this series as it an Indie Publish before Harlequin Published them. I'm so glad they did and so many people have found Amy's books through this. I highly highly recommend this one and her others. This is the 2 book in the Mountain Men series, so definitely read Nine Month Contract first! I absolutely loved reading about Calder and Dakotas story. This is a enemies to lovers, small town/vacation romance that you definitely do not want to miss! This is very well written and will hook you from the very first chapter! Everly is back and meddling more than ever. I cannot wait for Luke's Story and hopefully an Everly Story!

Seven Year Itch is the second book in Amy Daws's Mountain Men Matchmaker series, and boy did I love this book! It's witty, spicy, funny, emotional, and a whole lot of fun. In book two, we return to Fletcher Mountain for Calder and Dakota's enemies-to-lovers story and it's a doozy! I laughed, I cried, and I swooned.

Calder Fletcher. <swoon> What a fun character he is! Flirty, funny, sexy, goofy, strong, hard-working, family-oriented, and did I mention smoking hot? Whew! This man is perfect! And while I can't stand cats.....this cat daddy could make me a convert! Dakota is a strong, independent, successful, hard-working, beautiful divorcee who despises Calder. They have a contentious history that makes this enemies-to-lovers story an absolute inferno. Calder and Dakota run into each other out one night <snicker> and things take off from there. They butt heads at every turn and despite their hate for one another, the sparks are undeniable. I won't give any of it away, but let's just say they embark on a super hot, epically funny secret sexsperiment that will keep you laughing, swooning, and getting hot and bothered. These two have insane chemistry and I loved watching their love bloom. Things are NOT smooth sailing for Calder and Dakota and their ups and downs will keep you completely enthralled. Their witty banter is absolutely epic! Eventually they do find their happy ending but boy does it take a lot to get there!

Daws wrote the perfect story for this fabulous couple. I was engaged from start to finish and couldn't stop reading. I was left with a smile on my face and a spring in my step as I finished the last page. Do not miss this story!!! 4.5 star

Oh and PS....I am giddy for Luke's story next!!! Bring it on Ms. Daws, Bring. It. On!!!

Everly is back to her matchmaking ways in the second installment of the Mountain Men Matchmaker series by Amy Daws. Everly loves her uncles and wants them all to find love. After her successful matchmaking with her Uncle Wyatt, she's now turned her sights on her Uncle Calder. Calder and her mom's best friend, Dakota, have hated each other for years but there is a thin line between love and hate. When the family is all together at a destination wedding, Everly arranges for Calder and Dakota to conveniently have to share a room. They will either fall in love or kill each other.

Calder and Dakota's enemies to lovers story was a delight. Acknowledgement of miscommunication and some growth led to a sweet story. Amy Daws writes excellent banter. I loved the couple's bickering and banter. The Fletcher family has been great to get to know. They have had their share of loss and conflict but have stayed close despite all of it. I'm excited for the final installment and Luke's story. My question is...will we get Everly's story?

Seven Year Itch is Dakota and Calder’s enemies to lovers story and it’s book two in the Mountain Men Matchmaker Series. It’s a well written, captivating story that intrigued me from the moment to read the blurb to devouring this entertaining read.
All Calder wanted was a casual date for his brother’s tropical vacation wedding but his family had to interfere and hack his dating profile and now he’s stuck with the only woman he just can’t get along with.
Dakota has hated Calder from the moment they met seven years ago but she was always someone other guys problem until now………
Being stuck in paradise with a woman who hates you has suddenly taken on a whole different meaning.
This is a funny, witty read with characters I fell hard and fast for. It’s entertaining and I loved everything it , I swooned, I smiled and I giggled as I cheered this couple on.

What a time!!!! Calder is a cat daddy up on Fletcher Mountain and Dakota is a friend of the fam who keeps popping up. She pops up then he pops up and things get interesting. I felt like this book gave so much that all you could do was sit back and see what happens!

Everly is once again the unsung hero of the Fletcher fam and I will just leave it at that. I am absolutely obsessed with the cameos and pop ins that Amy Daws gives in her books and I was here for it during this one!

If you love enemies to annoyance to lovers to annoyance to enemies to lovers like I do, this book is perfect!
I couldn’t get enough of their banter / fussing and the tension was so so good. They had the best chemistry I was absolutely here for it all.

Thank you so much HTP and Amy Daws for this arc I couldn’t believe my eyes when I got the NetGalley approval 💗💗💗

4/5 ⭐️
3/5🌶️

Amy Daws hilarious funny in her newest romance book featuring the return of Clade and Dakota, Cozy’s bestie from previous novel, Last on the List!

Enemies to lovers with all the banter! Forced proximity, second chance romance and delicious kinky spice to tie it all up, thank you I’ll have some more!

Never yuck someone’s yum!

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced readers copy!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC. This was such a fun read. I am a SUCKER for an enemies to lovers and this did not disappoint!

I really liked this first book but this one was even better for me. Calder and Dakota both had so much to unpack and work through and their issues felt real compared to many books of a similar style. I think they worked really well together and I’m happy they were able to grow individually and together. I felt they had a connection that was off the charts and it made their little arguments that much more entertaining.

Calder is such a middle child, I actually wanted to shake him! My middle sister acts very similar so it was like I’m gonna hurt you but also no one thinks that of you I swear! And he’s a cat daddy?! He has my heart for real!

Dakota was refreshing, she wasn’t “woe is me” which would have been super easy for that character to fall into. She knew her issues and insecurities but wanted more, she wasn’t going to wait around which is great. I can’t stand a FMC who just whines and waits, I need a boss who’s gonna complain but also do the damn thing.

These two are amazing and Calder is my new crush. Just ignore me as a day dream about this cat dad for the foreseeable future

I have been *impatiently* waiting for the next book in the Mountain Man Matchmaker series, and Amy Daws did not disappoint! I cried from laughing multiple times, but the book doesn’t skimp on the romance, plot or steam either! I’m not sure how she’s going to top Calder, I’m pretty sure he’s my favorite. I’m not even a cat person, but I’ll take that cat daddy any day!

One of my most anticipated books of 2025 landed in my lap and I devoured it the way Calder & Dakota kept devouring each other in Seven Year Itch. This book is all the spicy action all the time so if you are looking for a sizzling hot read, look no more! Also all the books in this series are paperbacks with adorable sprayed edges and you absolutely need to check them out!

Three tall, tattooed, bearded brothers living on a mountain! With a meddling matchmaker niece, intent on finding them their love match. I loved the first book, Nine Month Contract, even though it was about surrogate pregnancy something that’s not necessarily on the list of my favorite tropes. But Flatcher family is hilarious and imperfect and full of love and I love reading about them! This is the second in the series but can easily be read as a standalone.

Calder has 0 interest in a relationship. He’s a strictly no strings attached guy. Dakota is his sister-in-law’s bestie he has quite a history with. They can’t stand to be around each other but those pesky sparks combined with circumstances might force them into an arrangement neither one expected. Oh and Calder has an adorable kitty called Milkshake and I couldn’t get enough of her!

I read this one in a day! Escapism at its best. Lots of spice but also lots of growth and self discovery for both characters and for their relationship. Now my biggest problem is that book 3, Honeymoon Phase does not come out until November and I want it NOW! 🫣

A huge thank you to HTP for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I love a good romance, And give me a bit of an age gap, even if it's not huge, and I'm hooked. Make it enemies to lovers, and you've drawn me in even more! Plus, a series set around brothers who hole up on a mountain to live in peace is a great back drop for lots of fun things to happen! While you do see characters from the previous book, this could be read as a stand alone. Though it will spoil the couple that you meet in the first book and what happens for them. So I suggest reading these in order.
Calder Fletcher keeps his walls up and his relationships at a distance. His been burned before and doesn't want to be burned again. So when he needs a plus one to his brother's destination wedding, he's reluctant to ask anyone. He just wants to be at peace. Of course his niece is a meddler and purposefully creates situations where he must be in the presence of Dakota, a woman he's sworn as his enemy after their encounter seven years ago.
Dakota is a recent divorcee who is just trying to get back in the saddle. She wants to take back her life and feel good about herself and her business. She has no intention of getting involved in a relationship, especially with a Fletcher brother. But she also can't deny her attraction to Calder. It was always there, even when she was getting married seven years ago.
I really enjoyed the forced proximity theme of the first half of this book. It was fun watching Dakota and Calder dance around each other. Daws did a nice job with building their relationship slowly at first until they came together with a bang.
But what happens in paradise stays in paradise, or does it? Dakota and Calder are obviously attracted to one another but neither wants to open their hearts. I love that Calder wants to help Dakota become her best self, even if that leaves him with a broken heart in the end.
It was great to see the re-appearance of the characters from book one. Dakota is a character from a previous series Daws wrote, the best friend of the oldest Fletcher brother's wife. I have not read the previous connected series, and I don't think you need to (though it will spoil the oldest brother's relationship, but not their story as I have no idea how things came to be in that book).
Overall, this was fun. I liked it more than the first book. I'm looking forward to the next book and Luke's story!

3.5⭐️ Thank you Harper Collins for the eARC!

Full disclosure, I did not read the Nine Month Contract, which is the first book in this series. Honestly, this could be read as a standalone with the understanding that you’ll get some details about the couple in the previous book.

Overall, I liked this. This had some of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and a MMC who is an absolute cinnamon roll inside of his tough guy exterior. My biggest qualms with the story were 1. I felt like this could’ve been a shorter book. Not by much, but it did hit some parts where it was dragging a bit and 2. The FMC was infuriating sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I love a tough, sassy FMC, but there were some moments where she came across simply childish and took no accountability which was a bit annoying.

It wasn’t my all time favorite read, but I’d recommend it to a friend for sure!

Loved this book. Spicy, hilarious, and so much fun! Not a single complaint.

Read this book if you like:
- enemies to lovers
- Small town romance
- Vacation romance
- sister-in-law’s best friend
- burly, muscular mountain man
- cat daddy
- Post-divorce sex lessons

This book was okay In my opinion, fun read but found myself sitting it down often and not really excited to hurry and pick it back up. In the beginning, i found myself cracking up because of the description of the Tinder profile but once the book continued and we started getting into sex clubs and the intro to the main characters “relationship”, I just wasn’t invested. Not only was I unable to be emotionally invested to the characters but I found the plot pretty boring especially because it felt like the main characters insecurities and the sex club was the main focus of the book instead of actually building a genuine relationship between the 2 characters for the first 50% of the book. I think if I was to take give the characters any advice it would be; if you’re newly divorced, dealing with insecurities, still trying to figure out life GO TO THERAPY NOT A SEX CLUB.

I adored the last daws book I read and this one was even better. From the characters to the tropes I couldn’t put this book down at all. And I can’t wait to read more

Calder Fletcher, portrayed as the "black sheep" of the family, feels he is seen as the underachiever despite his hidden talents. He is a skilled furniture maker, but his emotional baggage and reluctance to step into the spotlight keep him from pursuing success in this passion. Having gone through a tough breakup, he has built walls around himself, leading to a brooding demeanor. He finds himself unexpectedly sharing a tropical wedding vacation with Dakota. (this may have been a set up by the matchmaker) Neither one wanted to be there alone, but they did it for their friends and family. Dakota is a recently divorced woman who has struggled with self-esteem issues stemming from her previous relationship. Her ex-husband never appreciated her, leading to a crisis of confidence that she is determined to overcome. Sharp-tongued and bold, Dakota has a fiery personality that masks her insecurities. Her history with Calder is marked by seven years of animosity, primarily stemming from their initial interactions during her home remodel, where they clashed frequently. As the story unfolds, Dakota’s journey of self-discovery takes center stage, allowing her to reclaim her identity and find strength in vulnerability. As they agree to a "enemies with benefits" arrangement to help Dakota regain her confidence post-divorce, they navigate the complexities of their relationship, revealing layers of vulnerability and attraction. The tension between them escalates, transforming their dynamic into something deeper than they ever anticipated, leading to a realization that love can emerge from the most unexpected places.

I love the forced proximity in this story as it heightens the tension, while the meddling family dynamics add layers of comedic chaos. There are some kinks and a sex club, so you know they story will be spicy. We revisit characters from the previous book, so I enjoyed peeking in on their lives. I think because there is some "sex coaching" going on, the reader can see how the intimacy develops throughout their conversations. The setting is great. Nothing like Fletcher Mountain, with sexy Fletcher men living on it. This book will be out in SIX days! (June 17, 2025) Put it in your TBR pile.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.