4.5 Fecking Delightful Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5

We tell ourselves these little lies, conversations held only in our internal dialogue that no one knows except yourself. This book was an actual representation of one of these conversations I often have...and there goes never telling anyone...

Note: This is an interconnected standalone which means, like me, you can read it without having read the previous two books...but obviously those romances HEA will be present in this...

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
I have always said that if anything bad happened in my life that left me completely alone, I would move to England and work in a pub. And while our main character doesn't necessarily go to England, she goes to Ireland. Maddie (Madison) has pulled out of her hospitality program and found out her "summer fling" who she thought was more, was cheating on her... afraid to tell her sisters she fleas to Ireland to plan the perfect road trip bachelorette for her sister. The best man (who lives in Ireland) is meant to help her, but he is avoiding her emails. But there is no way he can avoid her in person right? On her first night, she kisses a random stranger in the hallway of the pub she is staying above... turns out that stranger is none other than Patrick - the elusive best man... he also happens to own the pub and room she is staying in.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
There are just some books out there that speak to your soul. The book might not be perfect but, it just hits every little thing you want to see... This book was like that for me. It spoke to my soul.

Maddie doesn't know what she wants out of life when she arrives in Ireland. All she knows is the hotel business is not for her. Despite this, her personality is determined and spontaneous with this freeing sense of independence and freedom that can't make you do anything but smile and like her.

Patrick is textbook Grumpy in the GrumpyxSunshine dynamic and I LOVE IT! Sworn off dating after his ex messed him up, he very rarely doesn't have more than one encounter with a woman (aka he owns and bar and uses it as a hookup source for one-night stands). But there's just something about this feisty, smiley American woman that might speak to his soul. I love their dynamic together. I love how she slowly whittled away his tough exterior, and how she was able to thaw his frozen heart allowing him to experience life again and have fun. His coating mechanism was burying himself in his work, stuck in a rut and going with the motions pulling him in 50000 directions. I love that Maddie was able to help him reprioritize what he wanted and I love that she was there to support him. She recognised his silent cry for help, even though he couldn't see it himself. Their dynamic is everything a relationship should be. These two had their own, unique lives, but they just empowered each other to be greater. It was also sweet how this grumpy man just looked after Maddie and made sure she didn't kill herself more than once with her reckless behaviour...

What I found surprising is that I LOVED this book and it contained a trope that I typically don't like, the dreaded "third act breakup". While the characters had one I understood it's purpose and it worked for me in the story. Patrick needed to realise and reframe his priorities and realise he was miserable without Maddie. I didn't feel irritated that they broke up and I think that actually speaks to how much I loved this book because when one of my most hated tropes appears and I still rate it high... I think the book is brilliant...

ALSO there were sheep... the one on the cover was actually why I wanted to read this book because your girl is lowkey obsessed with sheep... I have a massive collection of stuffed toy sheep on my couch and they make me so happy... so the presence of Turtle and Kitty and all the sheep-inspired decor in this was AMAZING!

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Irish Romance
▶ Strangers to Lovers
▶ BridesmaidXBest Man
▶ Small Town Romance
▶ GrumpyXSunshine
▶ He Fall's First
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Workplace Romance
▶ Sheep Animal Companions

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Good Girl
▷ View is Amazing (looking at her)
▷ "Out of our systems"
▷ Washes her hair and Plats her hair
▷ He Takes Care of Her after she's injured

Overall this was just sweet and wholesome, and it just made my soul tingle with all the little tropes and micro tropes. It was like the perfect romance tailored for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Fox Hollow Publishing LLC and Chrissy Hopewell for the gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own