My Kind of Forever
Grade : C+

Brooke Callaghan is a staple on Wenniway Island in Michigan. Born and bred on the island, she’s also recently been elected its youngest and first female mayor. She’s got plans for improvement, she just needs to wrangle the cast of characters that are now her constituents. What she does not need is a distraction in the form of the island’s new bartender, Leo Walker. Lucky for her, and for us, she manages to wrangle despite the distraction as these two head off into an HEA.

Dear readers, I cannot review this without spoiling a MAJOR plot point because it is essential to my review. So, if you’re into closed-door romances set in small towns, I’d give this one a whirl. Ms. Brogan’s world-building is thorough but not overwhelming and I found Brooke to be relatable. There was a detour to Victoria Secret that I did not love, but I could have put up with that if this book had not hit my #1 hated plot device common in Romancelandia.

I’ll give you some space to click away here if you’re a spoilerphobe.

Still giving space…

We good? Cool. LEO IS NOT A BARTENDER. Well, he is, but he’s also a secret keeper and the secret he’s keeping is what the entire B plot revolves around. His particular profession demands some level of secrecy, but I cannot stand it in a romance plot. We’re told that Brooke was lied to by a previous boyfriend - to the tune of him being married with kids - and so understandably Brooke has trouble imagining being emotionally intimate with anyone. Physical intimacy, for the record, is also not high on her list. The pain from the previous relationship is so great that the risk of embarking on another relationship with someone who could hurt her isn’t worth it.

But I’m to believe she ends up in a HEA with a dude who lied to her for most of the book, with a simple conversation and a “I’m sorry” and her inner monologue tells us she gets it and forgives him and all is well? I can’t, y’all. I just can’t.

Being lied to by someone you trust is not a small hole in your psyche. I’ve certainly been able to forgive people who lied to me about foundational elements in our relationship, but the work it takes to rebuild from that is not small, and I cannot believe can happen in one moonlit conversation. I have a hard time believing any HEA after the Big Conflict is the uncovering of the lie and it happens 90% of the way through the book. This may be one of my things and it bothers no one else, but I just can’t.

So, this doesn’t bother you and you’re into quirky small town romances? You’ll probably like this. If you’re with me and secret keeping is the worst trope, then I’d give it a pass. I like this world enough, however, to come back for the next installment, so I’m hoping a new trope will be deployed.

Buy it at Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes and Noble/Kobo

Reviewed by Kristen Donnelly
Grade : C+

Sensuality: Subtle

Review Date : March 11, 2019

Publication Date: 01/2019

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Kristen Donnelly

Voracious reader, with a preference for sassy romances and happily ever afters. In a relationship with coffee, seeing whiskey on the side.
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