Back of Book: 

Dustin Rhett has avoided taking over the family farm for years. After being laid off from his nine to five job in New York City, a call from his grandfather felt like fate. A drive to the unhinged, but charming town he's since forgotten was inevitable.

Violet "Vivi" Hart is the proud owner of, The Not So Secret Garden, a flower and garden shop in Thornwood Valley, Pennsylvania. Her life seems to be status quo, at least appearing to be. Until the gossip mill strikes again with the announcement of the town's annual spring small business games. To her dismay she's paired with the grumpy man she collided with only days earlier...Dustin.

When Dustin brings out feelings Violet's tried so hard to suppress, she finds herself face to face with her scarred past and unresolved grief.

Will she overcome her fears and explore a budding romance with Dustin? Or will they continue to be rivals?

A Fowl Match is the first book in the Thornwood Valley Series. A small town rom-com set in spring. Filled with chicken puns to make you laugh out loud, tender moments to bring you to tears, and one small open door chapter. 

Book Number: One 

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A small town, grumpy x grumpy rom com featuring lots and lot of chickens! 

Violet "Vivi" Hart is the proud owner of The Not So Secret Garden, Thornwood Valley's very own plant and flower shop. Dustin Rhett has returned to Thornwood Valley after being let off from his accounting job and is now working at his grandparent's farm. When the two have a disastrous not so meet cute and are then paired for the town's annual small business games, things couldn't be going any worse for the two of them. Forced to work together to try to win the games, Violet and Dustin soon begin to realize that spending time with one another isn't so bad. 

This was such a fun and goofy rom com! The grumpy vibes that Violet and Dustin have going with one another are really comical and make this book an absolute blast to read. I may have only picked this one up because I knew there was chickens in it, but I'm so glad I gave this one a chance! 

The premise of two small business owners that despise each other being thrown together in a series of competitions is so funny! The first event, the chicken race, was my absolute favorite, but it was entertaining to see Violet and Dustin work through all these challenges together. Helga, their chicken race champion, was truly the star of this novel. All heil Helga! 

One thing I really appreciated about this one is the extent of Violet's problems. Her parents died in a tragic accident when she was younger, and she stills carries blame with her to this day. The woman that raised her, Darcy, is struggling with dementia, so Violet has never felt so alone. Violet always feels as though she destroys every relationship she is in, which causes her to self-sabotage most of her chances at love. Violet is clearly not in the best place, but it was cathartic to see her finally let her walls down and let Dustin in. 

Dustin's past isn't as dark or traumatic, but I did love his family. Both of his grandparents are absolute gems. His grandmother loves to cook and provide for her family, while her husband comes off as a stubborn man who hates being told what to do. I really liked their dynamic, especially because they were only side characters. 

Mason and Olive are Dustin and Violet's best friends in turn. I think that they are pretty stellar side characters, but I also went into this one knowing they are the stars of book two. This makes me really excited to read "A Merry Pair" when I have time this December! Mason is also the owner of the chickens, so I am super stoked for more chicken content in that book! 

Overall, "A Fowl Match" was a really fun rom com that had me laughing aloud but still managed to cover some pretty deep topics such as grief. I am a big fan of the vibe of Thornwood Valley, and I look forward to exploring future installments in this series! 

Back of Book: 

Two best friends. A charming small town. And one fake relationship. A Merry Rom-Com full of banter and swoon worthy moments.

Mason Cleary has almost everything he’s ever wanted. His bar, Roosters. A large family and one loyal golden retriever. The only thing he's missing is someone to spend his life with. He's already found her, but he can never tell her, because she's his best friend.

Olive Watson has sworn off relationships. She loves running her coffee shop, The Olive Bean, by day. Baking pastries and making unique drinks. By evening she crochets and hangs out with her guy best friend, Mason, at his bar. Mason and Olive's mothers have been best friends since high school, so they raised their kids as best friends too.

When Olive’s sister, Oakley, gets engaged. All the family pressure is directed on Olive and Mason. And the Thornwood Valley Cookie Chronicles is announced as a competition for couples only. Mason comes up with an idea to solve both issues. Fake date his best friend until New Year's Day.

Will Olive and Mason get through the holidays unscathed? Or will their life-long friendship be the cost?

A Merry Pair is the second novel in the Thornwood Valley Series. This is an interconnected standalone. You can read this one, without reading the first in the series. 

Book Number: Two

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟

A best friends to lovers, fake dating holiday romance set in the small town of Thornwood Valley.

Mason Cleary's life is going great. His bar, The Rooster, is thriving and he's spending time with his family. Only thing is, he's been crushing hard on his best friend, Olive Watson, for nearly a decade. Olive has sworn off all romantic relationships after her last messy breakup, and she is afraid of all the pressure her parents are going to put on her this holiday season now that her final sister is engaged. To appease their parents, Mason and Olive decide to fake date until New Years in the hopes that their families won't pressure them during the holiday season. And bonus, there is a couples only baking competition that they'll be able to enter, too. However, fake feelings are hard to keep fake, especially when one's childhood best friend has been crushing on you for years. 

I definitely didn't enjoy this one as much as the first, but it was a decently cute holiday read. I was a big fan of the beginning, but it sort of fell off a cliff after a while. 

Some of the beginning parts of this book were really sweet. Mason and Olive stay at a remote cabin together with Mason's dog, which was a really cozy experience. The baking competition was another really sweet moment, especially because Olive owns a coffee shop/bakery. The sledding scene also added to the wintery fun. 

My favorite part of this book has to be Mason and Olive's chemistry. These two have been best friends forever, so they mesh well. They had some great inside jokes and helped each other out before the other one even asked so many times. It was sweet to see the way that they care for one another, especially when it came to the little things they did for each other. 

I must say, I did read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book, so there is a chance some of these issues I'm about to discuss were fixed before the publication date. However, there was a part in the last third of the book where it repeated itself and it felt disjointed up to the very end. After the repeated scene, it just felt like parts of the book were completely out of order, and it was hard for me to coherently try to follow the plot. Also, there were several things that happened in this one that were never mentioned again. There is literally a scene in which Olive buys a gift for Mason, but then she gifts him something else entirely. The ending was so off that it was hard to enjoy, but it was great seeing Mason and Olive get together in the end. 

Overall, "A Merry Pair" certainly had some problems, but it was still a decent enough holiday read. I really enjoyed the chaotic meet cute in the first book, but it was fun to change it up with a best friends to lovers in this one. Mason and Olive have a ton of chemistry and it was easy to ship them. However, the ending was rather disjointed and was confused by how some things went down in the end, but I did read an ARC, so hopefully some of these things were remedied before pub day. I look forward to checking out "A Handy Duo" in the New Year, despite my mixed feelings for this one! 

Back of Book: 

Two acquaintances. A charming small town. And one business partnership. A spec-tacular Rom-Com full of laugh-out-loud and heart-melting moments.

Marigold Evans has worked at her family's business, Fix-Its hardware, for as long as she can remember. After her mom’s passing seven years ago, the store has fallen into disarray. Items are everywhere. The paint is peeling. And the inventory is almost impossible to count. At her dad’s sixty-fifth birthday party, the topic of his retirement is brought up. He thinks the idea is impossible, until Marigold convinces him to let her have one month of running the store on her own.

Marigold soon learns that doing everything by herself isn’t easy. Especially when she plans to organize and freshen up the store. She finds herself seeking help from multiple town members… One in particular being Dan.

Daniel “Dan” Stone is a mechanic at his auto shop, Dan’s Auto, settled in the quirky small-town of Thornwood Valley. Dan loves working, and he doesn’t make time for much else. He spends almost every day at Fix-Its ordering and picking up parts. But he never got to know Marigold more than an acquaintance.

When Marigold proposes a business partnership to Dan, they are forced together more often than ever before. The more time they spend together, the more they realize they have in common.

Will sparks fly in and out of the auto shop?

Or will they continue to be business partners?

A Handy Duo is the third novel in the Thornwood Valley Series. This is an interconnected standalone. You can read this one without reading the first book in the series.

Book Number: Three 

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance 

Review: ?