THE LOVE LIST

 

RETURN TO ROSE BEND WITH AUTHOR NAIMA SIMONE

 

The Love List is the third novella (book #2.5) in Naima Simone’s Rose Bend series with HQN Books. Though the books and novellas are connected through the town of Rose Bend, each one can be read and enjoyed as a standalone read.

 

 

BOOK INFORMATION

 

The Love List by Naima Simone
Series: Rose Bend #2.5
Published by HQN Books on March 1, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 71
Format: eBook
Source: Amazon Purchase
Buy: Amazon | B & N | Kobo | iBooks | Goodreads
RATING:
Also in this series: With Love From Rose Bend, Trouble for Hire, Mr Right Next Door

Being a little bit bad never felt so good…

A wedding planner who gets jilted at the altar—it’s not a good look. Even worse, Korrie Noel’s ex-fiancé has finally shown up to a wedding, but it’s one she’s coordinating. Taking refuge outside, she finds her hiding place already occupied by an insanely hot, young, tattooed Viking look-alike who makes straitlaced Korrie wonder if maybe it’s time to try breaking loose.
Rose Bend’s resident bad boy has no business lusting after the pastor’s daughter. But Israel Ford can’t help it, even if he’s still bruised from a bitter divorce and a two-year writer’s block. When Korrie asks him to teach her how to start having fun, he’s more than willing. From zip-lining to motorcycle rides, Korrie’s learning how to take risks…and Israel wonders if he can convince her to take the biggest risk of all…

 

BOOK REVIEW

 

Korrie Noel is so used not doing what she wants, it’s to the point where she doesn’t know who she is or what she wants out of her life. She spent so much time trying to get the perfect life that she pretty much forgot how to actually live her life. And that’s where Israel Ford comes in.

“What do you need from me, Korrie?”

 

“Make it plain.”

 

Gah! Those two simple lines about killed me. I mean, who doesn’t love a man who wants to clear up any ambiguity. Get right to the heart of the matter. That’s pretty much the crux of who Israel is. He’s a blunt straight shooter who calls things like he sees them and doesn’t know how to sugar-coat his words. Which makes him so perfect for someone like Korrie, a woman who is used to holding back and not making decisions for herself but for how they might affect those around her. People like her father, the local pastor.

Israel is kind of in the same boat as Korrie in a way. He had a career he loved but let his personal life sort of derail him from his calling. Now he isn’t sure how to find his way back, and thus, he’s pretty much hiding from his own life in the small town of Rose Bend.

Both Israel and Korrie challenge each other in all the best kind of ways. They push. They prod. They dare. They teach other how to live, and somewhere along the way they find out who they are as people, as friends, and as more than friends. They were actually kind of perfect, and the story was so well done, so emotionally fun and satisfying, I honestly hope we see them again in one of the upcoming Rose Bend books. Even though they’re story felt complete here, I really didn’t want to say goodbye to them. I liked them. And perhaps, at the end of the day, that’s really all that needs to be said about this short romance read.

These characters are likeable. They are likeable and relatable, and their journey is fast-paced, fun, heartwarming, and, honestly, just great to read. Definitely a favorite from this series, and I’ve loved them all thus far.

 

 

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