Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin, Star-Crossed (Townsend Harbor Book 4)

Title: Star-Crossed (Townsend Harbor Book 4)

Author: Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin

Rating: Five Siren Stones

 Genre: Contemporary Romance

Sub-Genre: Romcom

Keywords: Small Town, Lawyer, Arborist, Shop Owner, Second Chance, Opposites Attract

Page Count: 260             

Print Book ISBN: 978-1648395079

Price: $12.99

E-Book Page Count: 277

ISBN E-Book: Amazon Digital

Price: $4.99

Included in Kindle Unlimited as of 10-27-23

Publisher: Oliver Heber Books

Buy-Link: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Crossed-scorching-Second-chance-Opposites-attract-Representation-ebook/dp/B0C8C1S1M7/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698433625&sr=8-1

Reviewer: Stacey Krug 

Blurb/Summary:

Everyone thinks LYRA MCKENDRICK is magic. She’s not, for the record, just a lawyer who predicted a few outcomes that were blown out of proportion in the robust Townsend Harbor rumor mill. After a messy breakup in which she lost her thriving practice, she’s returned to her hometown to lick her wounds and is persuaded by a local town cook to capitalize on her cringe-worthy reputation by running the local new-age shop. How hard could it be to sell chakra-cleansing crystals, libraries worth of tarot cards, crops of candles, and enough incense to choke out Willie Nelson’s entire entourage? When one of Townsend Harbor’s many ancient trees threatens her plumbing, she engages Cypress Forrester, aka “Cy the Tree Guy” to rid her of the problem. Instead, he seems intent on becoming one.

Cy’s family have been arborists and healers for generations, and they’re firm believers in the mysticism of trees, among other things. When she hires him to chop down an endangered tree to save her business, they find themselves on opposite ends of a battle neither of them is willing to lose. As a man tethered by indigenous roots to the earth, Cy immediately realizes Lyra is a woman who lives in her head, which often disassociates her from her heart, body, and intuition. It’s how she always finds “practical” explanations for the series of unexplained, serendipitous coincidences that keep thrusting them together. Alone. But Cy knows better, and he realizes that he must tempt her out of her thoughts and back into her body, and what better way to do that than by a thorough seduction?

Review:

The best part about the Townsend Harbor series is that the authors have characters that are down-to-earth. They are not perfect, and most have an invisible illness. However, they all get treated with kindness and understanding by the people surrounding them. This alone makes Townsend Harbor a special place and one that I want to visit again in the future.

Lyra and Cy have off the chart chemistry and an unsettled past. It was fun to watch them navigate through their own misgivings. Their misconceptions were keeping them stuck in roles they were trying to fit into. Together they made each other better and were able to thrive instead of just survive. The best relationships happen when partners want to see the other succeed. Cy and Lyra wanted the absolute best for each other.

It was and enjoyable story, and wonderful to see Cy and Lyra achieve their second chance at a HEA. For any series readers, we get to see all the main characters of the previous books play secondary roles in Star-Crossed. 

Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin, Bazaar Girls (Townsend Harbor Book 3)

Title: Bazaar Girls (Townsend Harbor Book 3)

Author: Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin

Rating: Five Siren Stones

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Sub-Genre: Romcom

Keywords: Small Town, Crafter, Shop Owner, Mechanic, Ex-Con, Fake Relationship,

Page Count: 290             

Print Book ISBN: 978-1648394843

Price: $12.99

E-Book Page Count: 308

ISBN E-Book: Amazon Digital

Price: $4.99

Included in Kindle Unlimited as of 8-29-23

Publisher: Oliver Heber Books

Buy-Link: https://www.amazon.com/Bazaar-Girls-Reformed-relationship-Representation-ebook/dp/B0C8C13Y8K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1693361732&sr=8-1

Reviewer: Stacey Krug  

Blurb/Summary:

From USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling authors Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin, comes their latest Romcom featuring a quirky cast of characters who represent the hilarious absurdity of life while making you fall head-over-heels in love. This steamy, laugh out loud, opposites-attract small town romance reminds us that we don't have to be perfect to deserve our own happily ever after!

Gemini "Gemma" McKendrick knows just about everything about everybody in Townsend Harbor. When she's not serving on one of the many civic positions or leaping headlong into another hobby, she's hosting the Sunday Stitch 'N Bitch at her yarn and craft shop, Bazaar Girls. With her quirky boutique in big financial trouble, she makes a snap decision to rent out the basement of her cozy craftsman to Townsend Harbor newcomer Gabe Kelly. A man with a past as colorful as his tattoo sleeves, who has become an urban legend since he blew into town. And who better than Gemma, Townsend Harbor's own gossip guru, to answer the rumor mill's most pressing questions? Like whether the silver-tongued mechanic is as good with his hands as he is with a socket wrench.

Gabriel "Gabe" Kelly wasn't born into a family so much as a criminal enterprise. Taught to lift, chop, and rebuild cars since before he could tie his own shoes, he's obliged to pay his debt to society before deserting South Boston for Townsend Harbor, Washington. Surely he can stay out of trouble here, right? He immediately finds the only position an ex-con with prison muscles and neck tattoos could easily find in a town like this, and buys the vintage car mechanic shop from it's retiring owner . Moonlighting as the only tow truck in a thirty-mile radius, he rescues the absent-minded hottie who runs the local yarn shop. But he quickly discovers that a toy-sized car with a dashboard lit up by Christmas isn't the only thing in Gemma McKendrick's life desperately in need of maintenance. Gabe, who is uniquely qualified to diagnose and fix complicated mechanisms, finds his sexy landlord is impossible to figure out. Looks like he'll have to take a peek at her undercarriage to find out what makes her purr before he hits the road again.
Because women of her caliber don't take home guys with his make and model...

Review:

Bazaar Girls is a wonderful story with a realistic take on neurodivergent character Gemma McKendrick. We get to see how Gemma feels as someone that was misunderstood her whole life and trying to live up to everyone’s expectations but without all the necessary energy and tools to do so.

Gabe Kelly comes from a large family of boys and a broken home. Gabe’s diverse experiences allow him to see Gemma for the amazing, generous, smart person she is, and he compliments their fake relationship by filling in where Gemma falters.

As in the previous books, the town characters play key roles in Bazaar Girls. Both Gemma and Gabe have a solid friend base in Townsend Harbor to rely on. Their journey from fake relationship to dynamic duo was a fun read. The plot twists and fast-moving story line had me glued to the pages.

I loved the story, and the ending was uplifting.

Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin, Brewbies (Townsend Harbor Book 2)

 Releasing June 20, 2023

Title: Brewbies (Townsend Harbor Book 2)

Author: Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin

Rating: Five Siren Stones

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Keywords: Small Town, Sheriff, Barista, One-Night Stand, Rom-Com

Price: $4.99

E-Book Page Count: 301

ISBN E-Book: Amazon Digital

Included in Kindle Unlimited as of 6-12-23

Publisher: Oliver Heber Books

Buy-Link: https://www.amazon.com/Brewbies-Townsend-Harbor-Book-2-ebook/dp/B0BZJX4BWM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1686605608&sr=8-3

Reviewer: Stacey Krug  

Blurb/Summary:

From USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling authors Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin, is the next opposites attract rom-com including plenty of shenanigans from the hilarious Townsend Harbor cast!

Darby Dunwell is not—as her name might suggest—a Bond Girl, though she's been blessed with the body of one. An east coast, ivy-league, trust fund kid, she flees a life of expectation, elocution, and executive board rooms to follow her one true love: Coffee. Isn't the Washington Coast the Mecca for all things brew related? The deeply eccentric seaside tourist hamlet of Townsend Harbor throws its doors wide open for her sex-positive, bikini-themed coffee shop named, Brewbies. Her grand opening is an unmitigated success, until the county sheriff saunters in to shut her down.
 
Compulsive rule-follower Sheriff Ethan Townsend is known for helping old ladies across the road, breaking up bar fights, and keeping the sleepy town safe from the flood of seasonal tourists. One-night stands, not so much. After having his heart publicly stomped on, he no longer bothers to ask the name of the woman he's going to forget in the morning. A policy he regrets when the woman who blew his mind turns out to be his nemesis. Not only is Darby's salacious coffee shop causing traffic incidents on the Coastal Highway, its proprietress keeps making his life-among other things-as hard as possible.
 
Darby finds herself embroiled in a feud she never wanted with the cop who is as tight assed as his trousers suggest. But even as their animosity sizzles and the town begins to take sides, Ethan can't seem to keep his eyes off Darby's double D's.

Review:

Fantastic story with engaging characters speaking clever, witty dialogue that had me glue to the pages. This story drove me to read book one so I could get to know all the Townsend Harbor folks that play such a large roll in Brewbies. Nevermore Bookstore, book one, is just as entertaining as Brewbies. The fact that I picked up book one immediately is endorsement in itself! Both books are very beautifully written.

Ethan and Darby drive each other crazy while engaging readers in their drama. Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin bring these characters to life by giving them tough but understandable issues to deal with and overcome.

The plot has a great pace. Family and town drama make for a tangled web of intrigue. The older women are hysterical, unhinged, and uncensored.

I highly recommend Brewbies. The authors give us a HFN ending, and I hope we see Ethan and Darby in future books. Brewbies can be enjoyed without book one, but you will want to read it!

I received this ARC for an honest review.