Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison
Series: Lovelight #3
Also in this series: In the Weeds, Business Casual
Published by Berkley on August 30, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 335
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Layla Dupree has given up on love.

She’s waded through all of the fish in the sea, each one more disappointing than the last. Apparently owning the bakery at Inglewild’s most romantic destination does not help one’s love life—despite her best efforts. All she wants is a partner who gives her butterflies, not someone who ghosts her at dinner and leaves her with the check.

Good thing Caleb Alvarez has the perfect solution.

After saving Layla from another date gone bad, he has a simple proposition: One month of no-strings dating. He’ll do his best to renew her faith in men while she rates his dating game. It’s a win-win situation. All the benefits of dating, without the added pressure of feelings and unmet expectations.

But there’s one ingredient they haven’t considered. The chemistry between them is red hot and the urge to take things to the next level is more tempting than Layla’s double fudge mocha brownies.

Will the heat between them boil over? Or will it be another case of mixed signals?

Mixed Signals is a sweet and steamy small-town romance. Our story features a bashful man who can rock a Hawaiian shirt, a hopeful and dreamy bakery owner, enough sweets to give you a cavity, and your favorite Inglewild residents. Mixed Signals is a standalone romance and the third book in the Lovelight series, a collection of interconnected novels.

I know I’ve sung Lovelight’s praises for years now, and this book will be no different. I love this small town and all the people who live in it. I love B.K. Borison’s writing. I love the romances she gives us, the special moments, the swoons. She’s an auto-buy author for me for sure. In this book we have Layla the baker and Caleb, the guy who no substitute teaches because he was fired by the police department for being too sweet. lol. So you’ve got pastries as a love language and a golden retriever who will capture the moon for his beloved. What more could anyone want?

Ok, so we’ve got Layla. She’s been very unlucky in her dating life, which I can absolutely relate to. I can confidently say that there are not many people out there who have dated as many frogs as I have. Anyway, I felt for Layla. She’s so sweet and she deserves someone who will treat her right and love her with his entire soul. And that’s Caleb! He’s been in love with her forever, and he shows her by going to her bakery every morning to order a croissant just so he has the opportunity to talk to her. Are you melting yet? Of course, she has no clue because she’s been burned so many times that he heart is guarded behind a very thick wall. He runs into her one day after her most recent horrible date, and they commiserate about their awful dating lives. Caleb comes up with an idea to date each other for one month as a mutually beneficial, no-strings-attached partnership of sorts. He will show her how she deserves to be treated, and she will critique his dating abilities and offer suggestions for improvements (if she has any–and how could she??).

Caleb’s and Layla’s chemistry is off the charts. Maybe it’s easier to date someone when you’re not supposed to be emotionally invested in them, but they sink into this very sweet friendship very quickly. I loved their dates and their conversations. I loved watching Caleb fall more and more for Layla, and I loved watching Layla slowly let him start tearing down her walls. They are the sweetest couple, and they both value what they have because it’s something they’ve wanted for so long. I swooned and smiled and my eyes turned into hearts for them.

AHHHH this series. I will never not tell someone to read it. I am annoying about it. I am clearly crummy at book recommendations because I’ll tell you to read these no matter what you preferred genre is. Oh, you like sci-fi? Read the Lovelight books. You’re a mystery fan? Read the Lovelight books. You don’t like romance? Wellllllllllll you’ll love the Lovelight books. I know this is book #3, but I accidentally reviewed these out of order so I am still mourning the fact that the series is over. I read these in order and I recommend that you do, too. I always love catching up with previous couples and B.K.’s writing just gets better and better!

Business Casual by B.K. Borison
Series: Lovelight #4
Also in this series: In the Weeds, Mixed Signals
Published by Berkley on July 16, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Two opposites will find out if one night together is enough to get each other out of their systems in the final book in the beloved Lovelight series.

Nova Porter isn’t looking for love, and she certainly has no explanation for her attraction to buttoned-up, three-piece-suit-wearing investment banker Charlie Milford. Maybe it’s his charm? Or maybe it’s his determination to help her fledgling business however he can. Either way, she’s distracted every time he’s around. With her new tattoo studio set to open in her hometown of Inglewild, she doesn’t have time for frivolous flirtations.

In an effort to get Charlie out of her system once and for all, Nova offers a proposition. One night. No strings. They’ll kick their uncomfortable attraction to the curb and return to their respective responsibilities. But their explosive night together scatters their expectations like fallen leaves. And with Charlie in town as the temporary head of Lovelight Farms, Nova can’t quite avoid him.

And Charlie? Well, Charlie knows a good investment when he sees one. He’s hoping he can convince Nova he’s worth some of her time.

The Lovelight series captured my heart with the first book, Lovelight Farms, and has held on through the rest of the books. I love Inglewild and these characters so much, and it was so hard to crack this final book open because I was not (and never will be) ready to say goodbye. This friend group is the stuff of dreams. I love all of them, and I have loved reading their stories. Business Casual is all about Charlie and Nova, and I adored them! Charlie in particular has been a character I’ve enjoyed throughout the series, and I loved getting to know him better. I have trouble with no-strings-attached hook-ups, so I was a bit worried about this love story. But it was so good. I loved how Nova and Charlie worked together to figure out what they each wanted in life, both individually and together. I loved reading about how they worked through their stuff and tackled hard things together. There were some deeper, heavier issues sprinkled throughout the book that were well done and made the final reward that much sweeter. Their banter was on point, and their love gave me all the feelings I want from a romance novel. The vulnerability they both show warmed my heart and made me ache for them. These two will grow old and grey together, I just know it.

The thing I love so much about this series is how cozy and heartwarming it is. These books are like a cozy blanket and a cold day or a cuddle with the softest kitten. They just make me smile, and I love how interconnected the stories are. You can read them all as a standalone, but you’re not going to want to do that. You’re going to want to read them in order and fall in love as they do. I loved checking in with everyone from the previous books, and the author did the most amazing job wrapping up everything for everyone. I’m sad to say goodbye to these characters and this cute little town, but I know I will be back for a visit soon. This is a highly re-readable series! If you’re looking for a comfy, cozy small town romance series with the best cast of characters ever, it’s right here!

In the Weeds by B.K. Borison
Series: Lovelight #2
Also in this series: Business Casual, Mixed Signals
Published by Berkley on July 13, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 334
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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A grumpy farmer and a no-nonsense social media influencer have another chance at love in this charming romantic comedy.

Evelyn St. James isn’t the kind of woman you forget. Beckett Porter certainly hasn’t. One incredible weekend in Maine, and he’s officially a man distracted. He’s not unfamiliar with hot and heavy flings, but Evie wove some sort of magic over him during their tumble in the sheets. He can’t stop thinking about her laugh. Her hand pressed flat against his chest. Her smiling mouth at his neck.

So when she suddenly appears on his farm as part of a social media contest, he is…confused. He had no idea that the sweet and sexy woman he met at a bar is actually a global phenomenon. When Evie disappears again, Beckett resolves to finally move on.

But Evie, who has been feeling disconnected from her work and increasingly dissatisfied with life online, is trying to find her way back to something real. She returns to the last place she was Lovelight Farms and the tiny town of Inglewild. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the hot farmer she spent two incredible nights with.

*happy sigh* The Lovelight series is quickly becoming a cozy favorite of mine. I adored Lovelight Farms when I read it last Christmas, and In the Weeds is even better! Evie and Beckett get their second chance at love, and I enjoyed their journey. Readers met Evie in the first book, as she was the social media influencer who highlighted Lovelight Farms at Christmastime. It was mentioned at that time that she and Beckett had had a steamy night together recently, which made for an awkward surprise reunion when she showed up at the farm. Just like that night in the hotel room, she disappeared on Beckett without a word after she had enough info for her piece on Lovelight Farms. In the Weeds begins with a flashback to that fateful one-night stand, where readers get all the juicy details of what happened between the two of them.

Spring has sprung in Inglewild, and I loved seeing the flowers bloom and tagging along on planting days on the farm. I’m happy to report that Beckett’s adorable kittens are still babies who rule the farm and have Beckett whipped. I fell in love with this broody farmer in the first book. There’s just something about a man who loves to rescue animals, and I suggest you prepare to melt over a sweet little duckling in this book. I enjoyed getting to know Beckett more, and I loved Evie as well! Evie is experiencing some major burnout with her job and is feeling a little lost in her life. When her assistant asks her to name the last place she felt truly happy, Lovelight Farms immediately flashed across her mind. So, of course, she returns… not really knowing why. She and Beckett run into each other right when she arrives and finds out there’s no place in the entire town for her to stay and Beckett, being the gentleman that he is, offers her one of the spare rooms in his house. She moves into his house and back into his heart. There’s so many feelings between these two, my goodness. The romance in this story feels so real and raw. It is a very slow burn, dripping with angst and I loved it. They both have a lot to work through personally, as well as together. Their nights drinking tea together on his porch, their mornings skirting feelings around the kitchen, and their not-so-secret longing for one another was delicious. I just loved watching them work through their emotions and their feelings.

Inglewild is the most amazing town. The gossip phone tree, activated when anything interesting happens, made me giggle. The supporting characters, some of whom are instrumental in getting these two together, warmed my heart. Everyone is ready, willing, and eager to lend a helping hand whenever needed, whether it be to offer baking advice or help warm someone up who fell in a freezing lake. I loved seeing Stella and Luka again, as well as Layla. These three, plus Beckett, own Lovelight Farms together and I love this supportive found family of friends. If one of them is out stress digging in the fields in the middle of the night, the rest of them will climb out of bed and bring shovels and coffee to dig together in silence. If someone is camped out on the floor of their kitchen feeling sad, at least one of them is bound to show up and sit on the floor with them. The friendships in this series make my heart ache in the best possible way.

As with the first book, I love B.K. Borison’s writing. Her descriptions of the scenery and the goings on at the farm made me feel like I was there. She writes the best love stories and characters you’re sure to fall in love with. I’ve already read the next book in this series because I could not pull myself away from this cozy world she’s created. I’d like to stay here forever!