Wood You Be Mine?
by Daphne Elliot
5/5 stars
Read dates: 1.20.2023 to 1.25.2023 Pub Date: 2.2.2023
ARC Review
"A lumberjack competition? That sexy man was swinging an axe around to impress you? I think that counts as a marriage proposal in the state of Maine," Sylvie joked. "We should check the bylaws."
Blurb from Goodreads:
The first time I met the grumpy lumberjack next door, I almost burnt down his cabin.
The second time, I was throwing tampons at a moose (don’t ask).
The third time, I was naked.
And Henri Gagnon is not just my neighbor and landlord, but a pain in my optimistic, plus sized ass. He’s got a protective streak under his grumpy exterior and he’s convinced I won’t make it through the Maine winter.
I’m going to show him and the rest of this small town that they’re wrong. I have one year to prove myself as the new elementary school principal or I’ll be getting the ax. So I just don’t have time to pine away for the grumpy lumberjack next door, no matter how good he looks chopping wood in his suspenders or the way he growls when he calls me buttercup.
But soon I’m falling headfirst down a hill, and into a full blown crush when he carries me home. He’s distracted trying to save his family’s lumber business, and I’ve got a school to run, and this small town is not as sleepy as it seems. But despite our differences, the heat between us makes it hard to stay away.
Could we actually be right for each other? What happens if I ask him if he Wood Be Mine?
My thoughts:
Ummmm...sexy lumberjack? Yes, please! Did not even know I was attracted to that but here we are a whole book later and, well, give me more!
Alice is such a perfect FMC with icy parents and childhood trauma surrounding her weight who leaves her hometown in Massachusetts in her mid-thirties to become principal at a struggling elementary school in small-town Maine. She's extremely relatable and is just trying to find her way in the world having gotten fed up with her parents' expectations and dating Beta men. She's hard-working and persistent with a big heart of gold who just wants to make a difference in Lovewell.
Henri Gagnon is grumpy and possessive but a "lumbersnack", as Alice calls him, who competes in wood-chopping competitions. His father died and left him in charge of the family logging business and caring for his mom and three siblings, Adele, Paz, and Remy. The entire Gagnon family is welcoming and wonderful and kind of reminded me a little of the Duttons in a sense. Lorraine, the mom, is as sweet as can be and they all root for Alice and Henri before Alice and Henri even know what is happening between them.
I don't want to spoil anything because you definitely need to read this one, but there is a moose named Clive, two adorable children, and an air of mystery in this one that keeps you wanting more. I didn't want this book to end and I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the series!
This is a perfect grumpy-sunshine, small-town romance (WITHOUT a third-act breakup, but with plenty of spice) set in Maine that will make you want to vacation there!
Thank you to Daphne Elliot for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
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