Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

This book is so dang cute! It starts with a meet-cute between veterinarian Cassie and jack of all trades Noah as they try to capture a tiger that got loose from its cage on its way to a sanctuary. It’s a rocky start between the two, which doesn’t get better when she buys the house next door to him that he’d been trying to buy for his mother to live in. Their grumpy/sunshine personalities light up the pages with witty banter and gestures of kindness. Complete with a meddling mother and small town coziness, this book hits all the right notes.

Cassie wants to rebuild her life on the East coast and connect with her half-sisters after going through a bad divorce from a controlling jerk. He took away a career she loved and most of her confidence, so she struggles to trust herself. She also has horrible adoptive parents and never got to know her birth mother, so she’s dealing with a double-whammy of hard stuff. But she’s kind, strong, determined, and is willing to help when and where she’s asked. She starts to make a life for herself in the small town, and begins to know her sisters. She also makes an impact on the citizens of the town and becomes a trusted member of the community.

Noah is going through his own grief after a tragic accident three years earlier when his best friend died. Since then, he’s closed himself off from everyone but his mother and robotically goes through life helping out at his mother’s animal sanctuary, managing his rentals, and making custom ordered furniture. He neither wants, nor does he feel he deserves, a relationship or love, and the appearance of Cassie into his life isn’t going to change that. Yeah, right.

The couple eventually stumble together one night, and begin a tentative, fragile “something”. But neither is in the right place to build a healthy relationship until they confront their grief and learn how to cope with it. I like that the author approached their problems in a realistic way and that there wasn’t a quick fix that “cured” them. That’s not real life, and it’s frustrating when a couple’s problems go away in the blink of an eye.

But I don’t want you to think the book is too heavy. While the couple is dealing with difficult issues, it’s still a sweet, spicy, funny romance at its heart. I listened to it and narrator Emma Wilder did a fantastic job. At first I thought it was a duet narration, but eventually figured out it was just one person. Emma portrayed Noah so well and really makes you feel his pain and suffering when he thinks about his trauma. She also inserts a lot of fun into their witty banter and teasing and I laughed out loud several times.

The book is out now and is available on KU. I highly recommend you pick it up!

I received a complimentary book and audiobook from Hambright PR. All opinions are my own.