Nailed It

After spending a childhood being drug along as her mother chased her “flavor-of-the-month” guy, Ivy is anti-love, anti-relationships, and anti- any sort of commitment, down to what color to paint the walls in her condo. But it’s a spur of the moment decision that lands her in hot water when she decides to take on renovating her mom’s ex-friend’s house, the only place she ever really felt like home. In over her head, Ivy’s best friend’s brother, Jackson, is called in to lend his professional help. But while fixing up the house, will she also end up fixing her heart?

Sometimes, the right book comes along just at the right time. This book has a lot of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, second chance romance, DIY home renovation, and a heroine with emotional “issues", to put it mildly. Ivy has a very set view of life, condensed into a series of rules. While I could see how her stubbornness could get frustrating for some readers, I thought the slowness with which she opened up to Jackson was believable and so sweet. I loved the chemistry between Ivy and Jackson - the bantering, the sex scenes, everything. And, oh, I adored Jackson. I loved that he was willing to give Ivy space to deal with her issues while at the same time setting boundaries. I loved that he was capable of being supportive of her quirks and past trauma while also gently pushing her boundaries.

Though this is the second book in a series, this works perfectly fine as a stand-alone. In fact, I’ve already added Savannah and Linc’s story to my TBR list. If you want something that’s well-written, humorous, and hot, then this is the perfect book for you. In summary, this is a light, comfy, funny read, the perfect thing to curl up with a cherry Coke in your window reading nook and devour in one sitting.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great, fun and an engaging romance, that was so enjoyable to read. As well as a mixture of a couple of my favorite tropes Best Friend’s Big Brother and Enemies to Lovers Romance. A great mix of everything I adore in a story, humor, heart, animosity and heat.
Ivy Clarke tends bar, to make ends meet, and doesn’t believe in Love. How can she, after she has seen, the havoc and destruction love left in its wake, her whole life. Vulnerable and dysfunctional when it comes to relationships, unable to rely on others, she goes through her life keeping herself closed off. Her best friend Savannah, is disgustingly in love and engaged to Linc, and since she is going to be the maid of honor in their wedding, Ivy must try to get along with Savannah’s brother Jackson Gamble till the wedding is over. As long as she can stay away from him, she just might be able to ignore the way that Jackson’s drives her crazy in both irritation and turning her on. Seeing him at the engagement party with a date, they decide on a temporary truce. But when Ivy comes across a for sale sign, at the only place that had felt like home, her mother’s best friend, Dixies’, Victorian house, she comes up with a plan and convinces Dixie to let her renovate it and split the profits. But soon, Ivy is over her head, and Savannah surprises Ivy by sending her brother, Jackson to her rescue. As these two work closely together to renovate, will they be able to resist their attraction to one another? Will Jackson break down Ivy’s walls? You will need to read to find out. Great heartwarming read!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I loved Ivy and Jackson in 12 Steps to Mr. Right so I was so excited to read their story!!

Ivy and Jackson seem to not get along at all. The secret is that they had a short fling and haven't been able to be in the same room together since. When Ivy learns that the woman who helped raise her is selling her home and it needs a lot of renovations, she decides to take on the project herself. Watching home improvement shows on HGTV means that you can renovate an entire house right? When she realizes that she's bitten off way more than she can chew, her best friend enlists Jackson to help.

Ivy and Jackson have off the charts chemistry and I was rooting for them from the very first page. Jackson is patient and so committed to changing Ivy's mind about having a full relationship. Ivy is fiercely independent and I loved getting to know her better. This story was quick, fun, and insanely entertaining. I couldn't put it down but I never wanted it to end.

*This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*