🎯 Age Gap
🎯 Boss's Ex
🎯 Grumpy/Sunshine

4.5/5 🌟
3/5 🌶

Absolute definition of a fairytale ending with all the best HEA warm and fuzzy feelings. I really enjoyed Taylor and Ethan and the way they just fit together. The fairytale reading had me swooning.

For such a sweet story, this turned steamy in all the best ways, but the advocating for their own needs and limits was perfection.

I was really enjoying this until I wasn’t. This was a sweet love story between Ethan and Taylor until Amy showed up and it just became irritating. The third act break up is so tiresome. Some authors carry it off and it works perfectly into the plot. In this case , I just wanted to slap them both. In fact, if I hadn’t been listening I doubt I would have finished.

I loved the dog, and I loved the setting. The writing style was fine. Even though they were only together for six days there was a slow build up to their relationship that really worked for me.

I didn’t like Amy because she was made out to be a complete bitch for most of the book. Then she has a complete turn around with no explanation as to why. I didn’t like how they got back together either. I think the thing I disliked the most was I didn’t get emotional when they got back together. (I would list this as a spoiler but they almost always get back together.) I guess my expectations were too high and I was disappointed.

This cover and the blurb drew me right in. I love the plus size rep for Ethan depicted.
I enjoyed this story, but it took me quite a while to get into it. Taylor and Ethan were sweet together. I didn't love how much either of them allowed Amy to dictate their lives, but I digress.

MM romance, ADHD rep, Husky hero, Bi-hero, Forced proximity, Long distance, Slow burn, Single parent

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There are a couple of things I noticed while reading that may bother some readers and I'll list those below. The story moves a little fast for my liking but it didn't take away from the experience, I just had to accept that it was going to be quick. I love the narrator's voice. I'd have liked two narrators on this one though because it was really hard to distinguish between the characters based on the narration. I appreciated the ADHD/Neurodivergent representation in the book but it is mentioned A LOT. It didn't bother me so much as I know it will bother others. It almost felt like a story to try to help someone realize they are neurodivergent.

My big beef with this book is near the beginning when Taylor chooses a matcha latte instead of coffee because the caffeine in coffee gives him the jitters. Does the author not know how much caffeine is in matcha? I personally don't handle caffeine well, so I know matcha has a ton of it. I couldn't get past this part until I looked up caffeine content in coffee, a latte, and matcha. Cup of coffee =95g, 60-126mg in med latte, typical matcha 60-90mg but can be 40-150mg or more. Also Taylor drinks green tea at night? Green tea also has caffeine, albeit a low amount. This seemed like a sloppy oversight from the author.

This was my first Timothy Janovsky, but it will not be my last! I don't read many age gaps romances, but this one was really well done. I loved the dynamic between Ethan and Taylor and I really loved how their lives entwined because of their circumstances. Regardless of how they met because of Ethan's ex-wife, I feel like they have the type of bond where they would have met eventually no matter what. That's how strong their connection felt. I also really loved the setting which was almost a character in and of itself. Oh and the plus size rep? YES THANK YOU! Also, with this being an audiobook: the narration was fantastic!

I found this book so sweet and hopeful, the story about a middle aged divorced man and the PA of his wife, which sounds so messy, but I thought it was handled so well, quite low angst and the 3rd act break up actually made sense and didn’t felt forced.
Ethan and Taylor were lovable by themselves and together.
I got an arc from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

This was fine but honestly pretty forgettable. I’ve definitely enjoyed some of Janovsky’s other books more. I did really like the ADHD rep with Ethan. It felt very authentic.

All in all not one of likely recommend but also not one I would deter someone from reading.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A sweet and heartfelt romance with humor, spice and emotional depth mixed in

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Age gap
Emotional depth
Divorced dad
Forced proximity
Whimsical resort setting
Found family
Opposites attract
Hallmark movie vibes
Cozy reads

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
ADHD rep
Plus size male rep
The narration was done really well

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
The conflict resolution was tied up a little too fast
The characters could have been a little more developed

I loved this and the audio version was great. The voice actor’s voice seemed to rep the characters well..

Ethan and Taylor have immediate chemistry complicated by forced proximity, forbidden romance and both MC’s have a background of hurt, Ethan from losing his marriage to his ex’s career ambitions and Taylor from neglectful parents.
What I ❤️ This is such a sweet romance, the chemistry between the 2 MC’s is off the chain. It was spicier than expected and most surprising was the adult ADD rep. It was so on point and accurate — especially behaviors that in the past were attributed to being space or unfocused.
What I 💔👎🏻 The narration on the audio was a little too fast. Had to re-listen to most chapters.

Just to reiterate: the adult ADD rep in this book was amazing — worth listening to just for that alone.

Please note, I did receive this Audio ARC for free; I am writing this honest review voluntarily and appreciate the opportunity provided by the author to review this book.

This review is for the audiobook version.

A cozy, sweet, and steamy read with a storybook ending. Ethan and Taylor are such warm, loving characters. Reading their story made me feel like I was in a warm hug. The growth for both characters was great! This made my hopeless romantic heart happy. I also appreciated the strength we see in all of the characters, and the beauty in all the relationships in this book.
The narrator was FANTASTIC. He sucked me into the story from the start. And did he reallllly make those steamy scenes good. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author and books read by this narrator,

3 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

this book had so much promise to it. based on the description i had expected a cute, forbidden romance but i just fell a bit flat in certain aspects for me.

personally the book as a whole felt sort of bland, the our main characters had very basic characteristics and no real personal growth outside of their relationship. the relationship was okay, but felt very convenient and only happenstance for the book’s sake cause the author wants them to hurry up and be together and not necessarily because they genuinely fell for one another. i’m not a huge fan of insta attraction especially when they start acting on it so quickly in a book. it just feels forced and i wish we got more of a ‘will-they-won’t-they’ kind of situation especially because one of them is his ex wife’s employee. third act breakups over miscommunication are also just not my cup of tea although i didn’t mind it in this book it did feel a bit random in the sense that your ex wife’ can cause you to guys to separate out of a bit of jealousy and anger idk that’s my personal opinion.

it was a cute book that was very atmospheric and engaging but i wish we had just gotten more depth is all.

There was no passion or yearning for the two MMC’s. Liked the audiobook but the too cozy feel was not for me.

This is such a fun audiobook. I was having such a hard time turning it off! The story itself is wonderful but the narrator did such a great job with both characters and that is what I loved most. I was laughing out loud, smiling to myself 0ver some of the antics involved. This is such a good romance to read while relaxing this summer.

This book fell a little short for me. I felt like the pacing was off. It was really slow to start and then the ending was very abrupt. This book was also very by the numbers. The think that disappointed me the most is that I know Janovsky can do better. It felt like he just churned this one out to have a summer romance. Definitely a disappointment.

The narrator was good. But the story was a little lacking and expected. It was slow to start and get in to and then seemed to end abruptly. A typical 3rd act breakup and a too easy, too quick resolution to wrap up the book.

Super sweet romance featuring 2 male protagonists. I absolutely loved the backdrop of a Fairy Tale hotel in the Catskills, and how the plot unfolded in a very fairy tale-esque way. I loved the way the relationship between Taylor and Ethan developed (although I might have enjoyed just a bit more romantic tension along the way). I think some of the secondary relationships could have been a bit more fleshed out, but overall this is a light pick-me-up that would be a perfect beach read!

I loved this book. Both MMCs were easy to relate to in their own ways, the mental health aspect, and how the younger MMC normalized that for the big guy made my heart so full. I also loved Nana, a trusty canine sidekick always works for me. The portrayal of biphobia was incredibly authentic (femme bi here, I speak from experience) and handled in a way that shows how that can color dating for you in the community.

I thought it was an odd choice to have the third act breakup go down that way with one character breaking things off, but it worked out well in the end, and the author did a good job of showing their journey back to each other in a realistic way.

Ethan's daughter is turning 16. His ex's assistant Taylor comes to the resort a week before everyone else to get things ready. Something goes wrong with the cabin Taylor is staying in. There's no other cabins available so Taylor stays with Ethan. Will the crush they have on each other go away? I hope not.

I hate how Ethan has to be away from his daughter so much when he doesn't want to be. I like how Taylor does so much for Samara even though she's his boss' daughter. It's cute how both Ethan and Taylor acted when they met in person for the first time. The seven dwarves reference was cute. When Taylor had to stay with Ethan I was a little disappointed at first since there's more than 1 bed but I was happy in the end. The ending was quite cute.

I love that the TW are said in the beginning of the audiobook. This needs to be done in all audiobooks!

3.5 stars. This was a very quick and easy listen and a similar experience to most of Janovsky's books for me. I enjoy the characters and the relationship for the most part but there is not a ton of depth. It always feels a little bit like I'm reading a movie.

I didn't love the characterization of the ex-wife - even as it got better at the end. And I do find Janovsky's writing a little on the nose at times but it's mostly earnest and sweet so I keep going back for more because I know it will be a reliable easy listen.

The narration for this book was a little flat - without a ton of differentiation between the characters. I think Mark Sanderlin's deliver is a better fit for this author.

Always love a good MM romance, and the age-gap dynamic in this one was definitely a plus!

When Taylor Frost is sent to the whimsical Storybook Endings Resort to organize his boss’s daughter’s sweet sixteen, he doesn’t expect to fall for the rugged, older resort manager (who also happens to be his boss's ex and the birthday girl’s dad). As sparks fly between Taylor and Ethan, what starts as a flirtation begins to feel like something more; however, their flirtation needs to be kept a secret for fear of being fired if their boss finds out.

The chemistry was great, with some well-done spicy scenes that added to the storyline. This was a shorter, easy read, entertaining from start to finish. I especially appreciated the ending; it felt grounded, satisfying, and realistic.

Thank you NetGalley, and Harlequin Audio for this ALC!