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sarahball47's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
100_pages_hr's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Why did I put off reading this for so long? This book was amazing. The friends to lovers trope is a favorite of mine because friendship is such an important quality in a relationship. I love how well Niko and Vivi already knew each other and how seamlessly they became lovers.
This book does have some pretty tough triggers, but they were handled so well and I thought both of their pasts really shaped who they were as individuals and really strengthened their love. I love how even as kids they were always there for the important albeit difficult moments for each other.
I love reading about small towns. The love and togetherness of the people is so neat - but I'll let those stay fiction. I am a city girl through and through.
I love how Pavlov weaved in some suspense and mystery. It added to the plot perfectly. I absolutely can't wait to start book 2.
This book does have some pretty tough triggers, but they were handled so well and I thought both of their pasts really shaped who they were as individuals and really strengthened their love. I love how even as kids they were always there for the important albeit difficult moments for each other.
I love reading about small towns. The love and togetherness of the people is so neat - but I'll let those stay fiction. I am a city girl through and through.
I love how Pavlov weaved in some suspense and mystery. It added to the plot perfectly. I absolutely can't wait to start book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent
chelsearose's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism
sdupont's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I enjoyed reading this book, the first by this author! I liked Vivian and Niko and appreciated the arc of their relationship. They genuinely cared so deeply for each other. I think this was a really solid first book for a series and I am interested to see how the author’s writing progresses. Honorable mention to all the Thomas sisters who are so fun, I can’t wait to read their stories!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
tifferpok88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I lost interest in this book very quickly. The plot was barely there and the character development was superficial. Both of the main characters needed some serious therapy, but it got glossed over because they opened up to each other, so that counted as therapy I guess?
Everything in this book is honey themed and it was annoying to read. Honey mountain, honey bee, honey lake, and on and on. By the end of the book I wanted to gag every time the MMC called the FMC honey bee.
If I had a dollar for every time someone in this book barked a laugh, I’d have a lot of dollars. Around 30% of the way through I was tired of reading it but pressed on just so I could keep tally of how many times some barked a laugh, someone’s chest squeezed, or how many times they”rode out every drop of pleasure together” . I have never seen any of those phrases so many times in one book. I guess some people only laugh by barking it, even if it is sarcastic barking. I had downloaded the entire series to read but will not be continuing the series.
Everything in this book is honey themed and it was annoying to read. Honey mountain, honey bee, honey lake, and on and on. By the end of the book I wanted to gag every time the MMC called the FMC honey bee.
If I had a dollar for every time someone in this book barked a laugh, I’d have a lot of dollars. Around 30% of the way through I was tired of reading it but pressed on just so I could keep tally of how many times some barked a laugh, someone’s chest squeezed, or how many times they
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
mmkn_99's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is the one that made me a bit obsessive with Laura Pavlov as an author.
Her characters feel real, the flaws are not overdone or written in a way that makes me cringe and want to put down the book. The conflict is similar to other romance novels, but with background information that makes the problems and conflicts easy to understand and grasp why characters behave the way they do.
Laura does an immaculate job, in my opinion, of humanizing these characters and making their trauma, grief, and current lives realistic and page-turning. (The sex is also very nice, written by someone who has had good sex and understands female anatomy!!!)
The town she created and the people she filled it with are wonderful, and I look forward to reading more about these people and their lives in future books. It would be entertaining to see if all of her series were in the same world, just different cities and towns. Very cute and loveable and I look forward to more stories.
Her characters feel real, the flaws are not overdone or written in a way that makes me cringe and want to put down the book. The conflict is similar to other romance novels, but with background information that makes the problems and conflicts easy to understand and grasp why characters behave the way they do.
Laura does an immaculate job, in my opinion, of humanizing these characters and making their trauma, grief, and current lives realistic and page-turning. (The sex is also very nice, written by someone who has had good sex and understands female anatomy!!!)
The town she created and the people she filled it with are wonderful, and I look forward to reading more about these people and their lives in future books. It would be entertaining to see if all of her series were in the same world, just different cities and towns. Very cute and loveable and I look forward to more stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
lauriereadsrom1's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Vivian Thomas was on her way to break up with her longtime boyfriend when she found him cheating on her with a co-worker. It hurt even though she had known in advance that the relationship was over, but what's worse is that only six months later, her ex is engaged to his mistress and has invited Vivi to the wedding. She immediately declines the invitation, but it makes her start to think about everything she's missed by dating the same guy since high school. She wants more experience before she settles down, and who better than her best friend Niko West, the ultimate playboy, to help her get it? Afraid of messing up their friendship, Niko does his best to resist Vivi's advances, but it's not long before the attraction between them becomes too powerful to ignore. When they realize how good they are together, will friendship still be enough, or can Vivi convince Niko that they're meant to be more than just a temporary fling?
I loved this story so much! Niko and Vivi were completely adorable together, and the shift in their relationship from friends to lovers was perfectly paced. Niko's fears about being in a serious relationship were completely understandable after everything he went through in his childhood, but he worked hard to overcome them so that he could give Vivi the life she wanted and deserved. Beneath his sometimes grumpy exterior, Niko had a heart of gold, and the way he interacted with his little niece, Mabel, proved that his worries about turning into his father were unfounded.
I highly recommend "Always Mine" for all fans of contemporary/small town romance. It's a fantastic start to Pavlov's new series and I can't wait to see what's to come in future books. (Hopefully one of those books will include a happy ending for Niko's friend and fellow firefighter Jace!)
*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
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