Review by Booklist Review
Despite being multitalented and initially successful in every endeavor, it is impossible for Eve Brown to stick to one career path. Now her usually supportive parents present Eve with an ultimatum: her trust fund is cut off until she stays employed for one year. As luck would have it, an adorable bed and breakfast in the Lake District is looking for a new chef and Eve is determined to get the job in spite of the exacting owner, Jacob Wayne, whom she accidentally injures after a brutal interview. While Jacob nurses a broken arm, guilt pushes Eve to throw all her talents into cooking, cleaning, and generally making Jacob's guests feel right at home. For someone on the autism spectrum who finds most people insufferable, Jacob recognizes that Eve is a glowing exception to his rule and that her free-spirited inability to focus on one thing is a sign that she might be more like him than she realizes. Their biting banter and saucy looks will delight readers who enjoy a good enemies-to-lovers tale that doesn't shy away from epic sex scenes or raw emotions. Hibbert concludes the brilliant Brown Sisters series, following Get a Life, Chloe Brown (2019) and Take a Hint, Dani Brown, (2020), on high a note.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Hibbert serves up all the heat and humor fans expect in her finale to the Brown Sisters series (after Take a Hint, Dani Brown), but the romance itself feels half-baked. At 26, Eve Brown bolts from home after her parents call her a "spoiled brat," cut off her trust fund, and ask her to stick with a job for a year. She ends up at the storybook-beautiful Castell Cottage Bed-and-Breakfast, where she impulsively interviews for the open chef position--despite not really wanting it. After she hits Castell Cottage owner, Jacob Wayne, with her car, Jacob's friend Montrose guilts Eve into taking the job and helping to run the B&B while Jacob's indisposed. Jacob's understandable qualms about working with someone who broke his arm fade as he and Eve discover they have a lot in common. Autistic Jacob is a charming and worthy hero, but entitled Eve's refusal to accept the consequences of her actions grows grating and goes unresolved in the otherwise nuanced arc about her coming to realize her own neurodivergence. The idyllic English Lake District setting, steamy sex scenes, and wry humor leaven the otherwise underdeveloped Eve-centric plot, but readers who aren't won over by the flighty heroine may struggle with this one. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. (Mar.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Eve Brown, who has yet to find her way in life, is buoyed by a mostly supportive family and a trust fund. Unlike her accomplished older sisters, she struggles with feelings of inadequacy, following then abandoning her varying interests and passions in search of a way of life that suits her. This apparent aimlessness baffles her extremely driven parents, who abruptly cut her off financially until she can live a life that they understand. Eve's distress leads her to an unfamiliar bed-and-breakfast, where a disastrous impromptu interview ends in her accidentally maiming its proprietor, Jacob. Jacob is neurodivergent, his perspective shaped by the strategies he has developed to exist in a world where most people don't think like him. He thinks he understands Eve, but comes to realize that none of his schemas could have prepared him for someone like her. The backdrop of a rapidly approaching regional festival gives the duo incentive to allow themselves to be vulnerable and provides plenty of opportunities for hilarity to ensue. Narrator Ione Butler ably differentiates the voices and accents of the novel's diverse cast of characters. VERDICT This final installment in the "Brown Sisters" trilogy is a treat and is sure to be popular.--Nicole Williams, Englewood, NJ
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A British woman takes a job as a chef at a bed-and-breakfast owned by a handsome, grumpy man. Eve Brown has always struggled to finish what she starts--university, jobs, relationships. After her latest job-related disaster, her parents give her an ultimatum: They're cutting off their financial support until she can hold down a job. Furious and embarrassed at disappointing herself and her family again, Eve takes off in her car and ends up a few hours away in the Lake District. On a lark, she applies for a job as a cook at a bed-and-breakfast, but owner Jacob Wayne can just tell that Eve is too inexperienced and undisciplined for the job. When an unexpected accident leaves Jacob with no choice but to hire her, though, they're forced to work together to keep the bed-and-breakfast running. There isn't much of a plot; instead, it's all situational: How will these two people coexist despite their differences? Eve is caring but plagued by insecurities while Jacob is taciturn and methodical. Jacob, who has autism, helps Eve realize her own place on the spectrum. Eve's journey to understanding her fears is sweet, and Jacob's belief in her as a caring, capable adult is the stuff romance heroes are made of. Hibbert has a gift for writing truly funny dialogue and genuinely tender emotional moments. Full of heart and humor, this is a sexy, satisfying end to a beloved series. Absolutely charming. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
