#smalltownromance #forcedproximity #grumpysunshine #novella
Twelve years. I thought I had forgotten the face of my first love, but over a decade later I would recognize those dark soulful eyes anywhere.
Layton Michaels is no longer the teenage boy who asked before he kissed me. No, he’s all hulking man in flannel, with a dark beard and backward ball cap. Gone is the carefree smile, now it’s replaced by a deep scowl and I can’t help, but want to know why.
When his sweet grandma hires me to make her dream wedding dress I’m reluctant, if only because it would put me back in harm’s way- close proximity to the heartbreaker. The mischievous look in her eyes doesn’t help either.
The suspicious feeling that I’m being set up grows stronger each time we “randomly” bump into each other. It’s confirmed the night we’re trapped in the wine cellar together.
What I didn’t see coming was falling in love down there. After that night we’re inseparable. Every spare second we spend tangled together and I let myself imagine forever again.
That fantasy disappears like smoke when the letter comes.
It’s the chance of a lifetime, but we can’t both go….
Buy Beards & Broken Hearts
This novella is a quick read but absolutely satisfying in making you feel invested in the characters and fulfilled with how the plot plays out. Being too young was the only fault of these two in the past. They simply needed time and growth to help them discover that love really was in the cards for them.
Layton broke Daphne’s heart and never apologized, but with his grandmother, Elenore, pushing them together, will he be able to find the strength to fess up? As much as his grandmother enjoyed her role, she couldn’t force them to face the past before moving forward. I enjoyed her meddling and the laughs that it provided.
Even though Layton is a bit of a grump and Daphne insists that she doesn’t want to deal with him, I could feel the pull that would inevitably force them to make amends and move forward. Definitely looking forward to more of the books!
About the Author Heather Lauren
Heather Lauren is a polly pocket size writer of steamy romantic comedies with big burly bearded men and adorkable strong heroines. She now lives back in her small hometown in Iowa where the corn fields are high but so is her bookshelf.
