Laura Pavlov

My new assistant is all smiles and sunshine—and she’s about to set fire to my cold, grumpy heart.

I've moved to this god-forsaken small town to run the family business.
I need to hire a new PA and the pickings are slim.
Some say my irrational expectations are the reason I've gone through assistants quicker than most people refill their coffee.
Incompetence is my pet peeve.
If that makes me irrational, so be it.
Then Georgia Reynolds walks into my office.
Blonde hair.
Sapphire eyes.
And a smart mouth that irritates me as much as it turns me on.
On top of being a rockstar at her job, she is a ray of freaking sunshine on steroids.
I have no patience for it.
Nor for the way she flutters around the office like a modern-day Tinkerbell.
She has ridiculous taste in music.
Drives an unreasonable form of transportation.
And did I mention that I caught her dancing in my closet when I sent her on a simple errand?
My new assistant has somehow become my kryptonite.
But I am her boss, and I am not going to be a pathetic cliché.
It doesn’t matter that my cold, jaded heart has started beating again.
In my world, a beating heart makes you weak.
And I do not tolerate weaknesses.

 A Small Town, Age Gap, Billionaire Romance (Cottonwood Cove, book #2)

Under the Stars

Sophy

Bossman and Tinks just might be my new fave from this series 😭😭😭 This was just *chef’s kiss*!!

"I've moved to this god-forsaken small town to run the family business. I need to hire a new PA and the pickings are slim. Some say my irrational expectations are the reason I've gone through assistants quicker than most people refill their coffee. Incompetence is my pet peeve. If that makes me irrational, so be it. Then Georgia Reynolds walks into my office. Blonde hair. Sapphire eyes. And a smart mouth that irritates me as much as it turns me on. On top of being a rockstar at her job, she is a ray of freaking sunshine on steroids.I have no patience for it. Nor for the way she flutters around the office like a modern-day Tinkerbell. She has ridiculous taste in music. Drives an unreasonable form of transportation. And did I mention that I caught her dancing in my closet when I sent her on a simple errand? My new assistant has somehow become my kryptonite. But I am her boss, and I am not going to be a pathetic cliché. It doesn’t matter that my cold, jaded heart has started beating again. In my world, a beating heart makes you weak."

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️.5

Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂

Under the Stars is the second installment in the "Cottonwood Cove" series. I really had a fun time with this one and it really brought to the surface this family that I fell hard for in the first book. The heroine is one of the sisters in this family. Their bantering was delightful. I had a blast with the office romance that we see being implemented. There was a level of charm and endearing emotion with solid spice that wraps this story in a beautiful package.

Boss of a traditional publishing company. Emotionally struggling with childhood trauma with a cinnamon roll character type.

Sassy and snarky. A free spirit. Recovering from a bad breakup. Creative and unique and strong willed.

Under the Stars is the beginning of where Georgia Reynolds, has been emotionally recovering from her boyfriend cheating on her. She comes to Cottonwood Cove to be with family and find something different. She gets a job with a trad publishing company as the CEO's PA. She tends to get into his things and be a bit wild and creative and just what Maddox needed. He is bossy and crusty at first, but he can't help but be drawn to her. They start a bit of a fling, but soon their secret relationship turns into something deep.

This is a deeply romantic romance that took my breath away. I wasn't sure what I thought in the beginning, but quickly this author just had me falling in love with these characters. I was so endearingly charmed by these characters and their banter was so loveable. It has such a different take on a boss/employee setup. I found their interactions sexy and enticing but also with underlying emotion that had such depth to it. We also have some serious issues that are tackled which are well balanced with fun banter that leaves you with a smile on your face from beginning to end. Even though there is a power dynamic, the way this book is written, it doesn't feel like there is one at all. (although lets be honest I love power dynamics lol). But I do think those that struggle with those aspects, then you will enjoy how its handled here. The hero is more of a cinnamon roll and he is all in for the heroine and making sure he is never taking advantages of the situation when they get together. Although he is deliciously bossy and I loved that. So he is more of a alpha cinnamon roll.

The heroine at first. I am kinda tired of these heroines sometimes lol they are just everywhere which is what kept this book from a five star rating or even a 4.5 rating. She was just very entitled and so disrespectful. Some of the actions she takes I would NEVER even think about doing. But I guess it made the book fun for the author. But it just rubbed me the wrong way in the beginning a bit. But her character does grow on you but why does EVERY Single heroine in a small town romance HAVE to be sassy and disrespectful? We can't have a sweet and fun heroine? Or shy and kind? LOL

The narration on this book was SPECTACULAR and is one of the star reasons why this rating is as high as it is. They make such a great team in really portraying the personalities of these characters so well.

Under the Stars is a stunning romance that delves into deep emotion, sparkling humor and with a touch of sass and family connection to keep you hooked ....line....and sinker.

“The reason I don’t see what you see when you look up at the sky is because I’m always looking at you. Even with all the stars out at night, I don’t want to look anywhere else. Because I have everything I need. Everything I want. It’s right in front of me.” “You just beat out every book boyfriend I’ve ever put on a pedestal with that confession,” she whispered. “You’re the perfect leading man.”

Character Types: Sassy Heroine, Alpha Cinnamon Roll

Themes: Small Town, Heart/Touching, Family Saga, Secret Relationship

Tropes: Fling, Office Romance, Forced Proximity

Lover of Romance 

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️.5
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨


First Impressions
Under the Stars is the second installment in the "Cottonwood Cove" series. I really had a fun time with this one and it really brought to the surface this family that I fell hard for in the first book. The heroine is one of the sisters in this family. Their bantering was delightful. I had a blast with the office romance that we see being implemented. There was a level of charm and endearing emotion with solid spice that wraps this story in a beautiful package.

First Line
No more dirtbags.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Maddox Lancaster
Boss of a traditional publishing company. Emotionally struggling with childhood trauma with a cinnamon roll character type.

The Heroine: Georgia Reynolds
Sassy and snarky. A free spirit. Recovering from a bad breakup. Creative and unique and strong willed.

Summary
Under the Stars is the beginning of where Georgia Reynolds, has been emotionally recovering from her boyfriend cheating on her. She comes to Cottonwood Cove to be with family and find something different. She gets a job with a trad publishing company as the CEO's PA. She tends to get into his things and be a bit wild and creative and just what Maddox needed. He is bossy and crusty at first, but he can't help but be drawn to her. They start a bit of a fling, but soon their secret relationship turns into something deep.

What I Loved
This is a deeply romantic romance that took my breath away. I wasn't sure what I thought in the beginning, but quickly this author just had me falling in love with these characters. I was so endearingly charmed by these characters and their banter was so loveable. It has such a different take on a boss/employee setup. I found their interactions sexy and enticing but also with underlying emotion that had such depth to it. We also have some serious issues that are tackled which are well balanced with fun banter that leaves you with a smile on your face from beginning to end. Even though there is a power dynamic, the way this book is written, it doesn't feel like there is one at all. (although lets be honest I love power dynamics lol). But I do think those that struggle with those aspects, then you will enjoy how its handled here. The hero is more of a cinnamon roll and he is all in for the heroine and making sure he is never taking advantages of the situation when they get together. Although he is deliciously bossy and I loved that. So he is more of a alpha cinnamon roll.

What I Struggled With
The heroine at first. I am kinda tired of these heroines sometimes lol they are just everywhere which is what kept this book from a five star rating or even a 4.5 rating. She was just very entitled and so disrespectful. Some of the actions she takes I would NEVER even think about doing. But I guess it made the book fun for the author. But it just rubbed me the wrong way in the beginning a bit. But her character does grow on you but why does EVERY Single heroine in a small town romance HAVE to be sassy and disrespectful? We can't have a sweet and fun heroine? Or shy and kind? LOL

Narration
The narration on this book was SPECTACULAR and is one of the star reasons why this rating is as high as it is. They make such a great team in really portraying the personalities of these characters so well.

Overall View
Under the Stars is a stunning romance that delves into deep emotion, sparkling humor and with a touch of sass and family connection to keep you hooked ....line....and sinker.

Favorite Quote(s)
“The reason I don’t see what you see when you look up at the sky is because I’m always looking at you. Even with all the stars out at night, I don’t want to look anywhere else. Because I have everything I need. Everything I want. It’s right in front of me.” “You just beat out every book boyfriend I’ve ever put on a pedestal with that confession,” she whispered. “You’re the perfect leading man.”

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance
Character Types: Sassy Heroine, Alpha Cinnamon Roll
Themes: Small Town, Heart/Touching, Family Saga, Secret Relationship
Tropes: Fling, Office Romance, Forced Proximity

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Conflict is minimal

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Elsie Silver
Catherine Cowles
AL Jackson

Song This Book Inspires
You are the Reason by Calum Scott and Leona Lewis

Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read as a standalone

Steam/Spice Explanations

Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

Narrators:
Andi Arndt, Tor Thorn

Under the Stars A Small Town, Age Gap, Billionaire Romance (Cottonwood Cove, book #2)

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