Loving You (The Donovans: Sweetbriar Ridge 1) by Samantha Chase-review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 19, 2023

He never planned to stay in Sweetbriar Ridge.

Then the perfect woman fell into his arms.

A small town, single mom, friends to lovers romance from NY Times Best Selling Author Samantha Chase

Not everyone in Sweetbriar Ridge is as sweet as the town name would suggest. But single mom Jade Mackenzie is up to the challenge of winning over the town if that’s what it takes to make her new shop a success. After all, this is just the latest in a long string of battles she’s had to face. Since she’s given up on men–all of them except for her son–she can throw all her energy into the new business. Or so she thought until the most charming and too-good-looking-for-his-own-good man walked into her shop. And she literally falls into his arms.

Levi Donovan knows how to charm his way through life; winning people over is just what he does. But no amount of charm can save him when he’s at the center of a scandal that costs him his position at a prestigious ad agency. With no other choice, he’s forced to return home to Sweetbriar Ridge, the small town he left behind the first chance he got. When he meets the owner of the new coffeehouse, he starts to think that small towns aren’t so bad. And when he finds out Jade needs a little help promoting her new business, Levi makes it his mission to help her make the shop a success. That’s just what a good friend does.

No matter how hard she tries to resist, Jade can’t help but be swept away by Levi’s good looks and the sweet way he interacts with her son. But Levi isn’t staying, and getting attached would be a mistake. Levi always swore he would never settle in Sweetbriar Ridge, but could loving Jade be reason enough to stay?

••••

REVIEW:LOVING YOU is the first instalment in Samantha Chase’s contemporary, adult THE DONOVANS: SWEETBRIAR RIDGE romance series-a spin off from the author’s THE DONOVANS series. This is advertising executive Levi Donovan, and café /book store owner, and single mother Jade Mackenzie’s story line.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Levi and Jade) LOVING YOU follows the building romance and relationship between advertising executive Levi Donovan, and café /book store owner, and single mother Jade Mackenzie. Years earlier, Levi Donovan left Sweetbriar Ridge looking for something bigger and better but the sudden loss of his job brought Levi back with his proverbial tail tucked between his legs, struggling to accept where everything went wrong. Meeting café/book store owner Jade Mackenzie gave Levi pause but Levi had no plans to remain in Sweetbriar Ridge, and at present no offers for a future job. As Levi and Jade’s relationship slowly turns into something more, Levi will discover Jade is struggling with sins of the past, sins that are determined to tear her down. As a single mother to an eight year old son, Jade battles between head and heart when the past reveals a series of secrets and lies but Levi’s own life is continuing to spiral out of control, and the dysfunctional family values begin to take their toll. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Jade and Levi, and the potential fall-out as pride and stubbornness threaten to destroy their building love.

The world building focuses on the small town of Sweetbriar Ridge: its’ people, its’ businesses, its’ secrets and its’ life. Samantha Chase brings together the Donovans of Laurel Bay with the Donovans of Sweetbriar Ridge, a family tied together by Levi’s father Ronan.

The relationship between Levi and Jade is one of immediate attraction: an accidental meeting in which Levi sees an opportunity for friendship, where Jade is hoping for something more. There are no $ex scenes, everything fades to black or is implied.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters including all of Levi’s sisters: Billie, Chloe, and Ashlyn: their mother; Jade’s parents, her son Silas; Silas’ grandparent Victoria and Thomas Nelson, as well as several locals.

LOVING YOU is a story of betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, forgiveness and acceptance, understanding and love. The premise is sweet, engaging and delightful; the romance is flirty; the characters are sassy and lively.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that’s hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than seventy titles under her belt – including THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017! She’s a Disney enthusiast who still happily listens to 80’s rock. When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 30 years and their two sons in Wake Forest, North Carolina.