I loved every single second of this book! It was such a wonderful love story that touched on grief and healing. It also showed how to open your heart to love and friendship after suffering a loss. It was really beautiful and tugged at all of my heartstrings.
Actor Quin McCarthy was a total sweetheart who wished to find the person he was meant to fall in love with. He was certain that person was not Cole Milton, F1’s most disliked driver. But when they end up as neighbors and get caught up in a murder mystery, Quin quickly realizes Cole isn’t the asshole everyone thinks he is.
I love a prickly character who is actually a complete softy with a huge heart. That’s exactly who Cole was. He had a bad reputation in the F1 world, and it was well-earned, but what most people didn’t know was that it was all an act to hide the mountain of grief and trauma he carried. Even when he was acting out, we kept seeing these glimpses of the guy behind the mask, and it was evident early on that there was more to Cole than met the eye. And it was never more obvious than when he interacted with his dog, Bandit. I knew from the very first scene we saw of Cole and Bandit together that deep down Cole was a good guy.
I loved how Quin saw it too and kept pushing Cole to let that side out. But perhaps the thing I loved the most was how Quin pushed but was never pushy. He always, always gave Cole the option of saying no. But it was adorable that Cole could never seem to bring himself to actually say no to Quin. The fact that Quin always offered him that out, though, was super important when you learn just what Cole had been carrying on his shoulders for all those years. It was really beautiful to see Cole open up again. His journey was not an easy one, and at times was very emotional and sad, but I thought it was very well written.
The slow burn was also really good. I loved seeing Quin and Cole become friends, bond over Cole’s dog Bandit, and gradually fall in love. I also adored Quin’s friends Trevor and Jonathan, and how they helped Cole in his journey too. The four of them were a fun little friend group.
Oh, and did I mention there was also a murder mystery and a bit of suspense going on? It complemented the cozy winter romance well!
I’ve babbled about this book for far too long, but I just really loved it! Quin and Cole deserve all the happiness in the world, and I’m glad they found it in each other!
