A Pinch of Mystery (Greywood's Second Chances #1) by Lula Duval

 

Amazon Link   - Available in KU  

Goodreads Link

An enemies-to-lovers, former best friends, second chance love story.

CODEY:
I still have it bad for Fallon Brown, even though he probably hired a hitman the minute he heard I was back in town.

My life is a mess. My brother ran away and left me in charge of our sick dad. My best friend Fallon, a.k.a. the love of my life I betrayed years ago, hates my guts. To top it all off, I’m broke. The only way for me to give my father the medical help he needs is to sell Harold Cronunberg’s house: the biggest, fanciest house on the market. Unfortunately, to do that, I’d have to double-cross Fallon once again. And this time, I could lose him forever.

FALLON:
Codey F*cking Fellini is back in Greywood, and he wants to steal my house? Hell no.

Apparently, it wasn’t enough for the barbarian to shatter my heart into pieces twelve years ago. No, he needed to show up unannounced to ruin my life again. Well, I, Fallon Benjamin Williams Brown, will make sure this doesn’t happen. I am Greywood’s official realtor. This snack of a man is going to stay as far away as possible from me, my heart, and what’s in my pants… and the house, too.

A Pinch of Mystery is the first installment in the new series: Greywood’s Second Chances. The series will follow Fallon and Codey as they give their love, their lives, and themselves a second chance.

My Rating - 5 Stars!

A Pinch of Mystery is the first book in the Greywood's Second Chances series. It's the cutest, sweetest, funniest, small town cozy mystery series. 

Codey and Fallen get a second chance at romance when Codey returns home. The two dated in the past but left things on a bad note. Now they're reunited and are both realtors who are competing for a listing. Love the enemies to lovers and rivals aspect.

What follows is a feel good small town cozy murder mystery, as the two men also fall in love. 

I am not a big fan of cozy mysteries, but this one is absolutely delightful. The men and their story take second place to me, with the town and the craziness of everything being the highlight. 

That said, the romance is cute, with a great ending. 

The writing style is easy to read and completely humorous. You have to love when an author can make a murder mystery delightful. But the towns' people, as well as the couple, provide constant humor. 

Everything about A Pinch of Mystery is fabulous. I love Lula Duval's light-hearted tone and the constant humor, as well as the banter and sass. This two story collection is an absolute delight, which I highly recommend.

Stable Hill by Jodi Payne

Amazon Link

Goodreads Link

Blurb

Will three men from very different backgrounds find a home and a future together?

After losing his husband to cancer, Oscar Kennedy has his hands full with their four girls, the house, his job, and his mother-in-law. When he loses his father too, keeping Stable Hill, the old horse farm where he grew up, becomes impossible. Oscar hires Jeffrey Stokes, a slick-looking real estate broker with a roll-up-his-sleeves work ethic, to get it on the market.

Russell White manages the day-to-day at Stable Hill. Russ had loved Oscar’s dad like a father, and took on even more responsibility when the old man fell ill. He is shocked and saddened by Oscar’s decision to sell.

All three men have a stake in Stable Hill, and it’s not long before they start to invest in one another too. But their complicated relationship doesn’t make having to sell Stable Hill any easier. Will the fragile triad they’re building last when the farm that brought them together is gone?

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Jodi Payne's Stable Hill is a feel-good menage romance. 

There are some wonderful aspects to this romance. I was immediately intrigued by Oscar and his home life. I love the kids he's raising and his relationship with them. He's still grieving the loss of his husband, but doesn't have much time to even think about it. 

When he arranges to sell his family farm, Stable Hill, he's reunited with Russ, the sexy farm manager. But it isn't until he also meets the realtor, Jeffrey, that everything develops. What follows is a sweet and tender menage between these three men. 

I enjoy the way the three men all offer something different to the relationship. This part isn't written in extreme depth the way some menages are, but it's still there. The kids also bring a lot to this story. Their problems are real, and their contribution to the story are important.

Overall, Stable Hill is a beautiful tale of letting go of the past, healing, and moving on towards a happy future. Jodi Payne does a great job portraying the difficulty in the process of letting go of the past. I definitely enjoy this romance, as well as each of the men, and I definitely plan on re-reading it.