Review: Love You Too by Stacy Travis

“You…are the perfect host. You are the appetizer…The cocktail, the main course…but I never could wait to get to my dessert. You’re the most alluring goddamn banquet.” (p.127)

★★★☆☆
🌶🌶🌶

Series: Buttercup Hill, Book 4

Review:

First, I would like to thank the author and Valentine PR for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Convincing her he truly wants to be with her this time just got so much harder

Beatrix gave up her internship and would have dropped out of college to follow Dominick “Ren” Renaldi to Canada to support his pro hockey career, but he blindsides her by breaking up with her. Ten years later, Ren appears in Buttercup Hill–with a fixer-upper winery, a high-energy dog, and a new hockey team. Buried under stress from work and still sour over being unceremoniously dumped, Trix has no intention of entertaining Ren or his attempts to get her to see the winery he bought under the guise of needing her skilled designer’s eye. But it’s been a long time since Trix has been with anyone, and she figures a one-and-done agreement couldn’t hurt…until morning sickness strikes a few weeks later.

Love You Too is a standalone second-chance romance in the interconnected Buttercup Hill series by Stacy Travis. Trix is high-strung, prone to overburdening herself with commitments, while Ren is more laid back, but both are responsible to a fault. Ren struggles with his duty as a team captain against his role as Trix’s partner and as a soon-to-be co-parent, and the harder he tries to work on one, ultimately, the other suffers. Despite being prone to overworking herself, Trix knows she could squeeze single motherhood into her agenda, but part of her still longs to believe that Ren won’t abandon her this time around.

I always love second-chance romances because there are so many complex emotions on both sides, which allows you to really connect with the characters on a deeper level. Trix grapples with feeling disposable, and now that she’s pregnant, it’s hard for her to believe Ren will ever commit to her for the right reasons and not just out of a sense of duty. I wish there had been a little more groveling and more reassurance on Ren’s part, since he promised her forever and then impulsively ended the relationship, making his career his priority, but overall, I enjoyed this book and am interested in catching up on the rest of the series.

Audience: adult
Trigger warnings: arson, minor pregnancy complications, abandonment
Recommended for fans of: small-town romance, hockey romance, second chance, accidental pregnancy, cinnamon roll MMC, standalone in an interconnected series

Publisher's Synopsis:

A small town, surprise pregnancy, hockey romance

You know what they say—when things start to come together, life throws you a curveball.

Well, in this case…a hockey puck.

Ten years ago, we were college sweethearts. Until Dominick (Ren) Renaldi decided the grass was greener playing pro hockey in Canada.

I moved on—made my mark as a designer. I run two restaurants and an inn at our family winery, Buttercup Hill.

Nothing is missing. Nothing at all.

Then Ren struts into my small town, a reminder of a broken heart I locked in the past.

Okay, yes, this responsible, type-A girl could really use a wild night of scorchin’ hot fun, and Ren, with his penetrating eyes and easy charm, is all too happy to deliver—grownup style.

Imagine my surprise when I see a little pink plus sign a few weeks later.

I’m not looking for love, especially with a guy who’s walked away once. And Ren’s serious about his career, so he will walk away. Besides, I’m not the kind of woman who traps a man with a surprise baby.

But when our shared history and a certain little growing bean bring us close again, I discover the real reason Ren left—and why he’s back.

I find myself starting to like my baby daddy and the man he became.

But what if I love him, too?

Source:

Valentine PR

©Fast Turtle Press: October 15, 2024
Edition: Digital ARC, but read on Kindle Unlimited
282 pages


Start reading the Buttercup Hill series on Kindle Unlimited, or purchase your copies today!
1. Love You More: https://amzn.to/3ZfcXL7
2. Love You Anyway: https://amzn.to/4fNX4kq
3. Love You Truly: https://amzn.to/4eJKUrI
4. Love You Too: https://amzn.to/407nfxH
5. Pre-order: Love You Always: https://amzn.to/4fyx4tB
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