Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Release Date: September 21st, 2021
Which is exactly what I did when Grant Stone rolled into our small Texas town, driving a sports car I could fit in the bed of my truck, wearing a suit as black as his soul. He’s here to acquire mineral rights to half a dozen farms in town.
And there’s no way he’s getting mine.
I don’t make deals with the devil.
So when he challenges me to show him the small town ropes, my motivation is the prospect of seeing him make a fool of himself. He might have an angle, but if he thinks he can finagle me into endangering my bee farm, he’s got another thing coming.
Until the line in the sand is washed away.
My farm in danger. A town in upheaval. A man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
And me in the middle.
When the devil comes to town, you have to meet him head-on.
And when he sneaks into your heart, he’ll only break it.
After reading Friends with Benedicts, I’ve been so excited for Jo’s story. I knew she was going to be an absolute riot, I just didn’t know how much of a joy she would be. And the Blum family and their antics had me roaring with laughter all through this book. I’m looking forward to what the other two sisters get upto, because it looks like we’re getting some interesting stories coming their way!
Jo Blum might be the youngest of the family, but she’s the one who has taken on the most responsibility. After the death of their father, Jo decided that she was going to be the one looking after the family and doing everything her father did. Which includes running the bee farm and ensuring that everyone who finds beehives in their homes and properties are safely taken care of. Jo is also a bit of a wild child, she does what she wants and she lives her life without an apology. Her family always comes first and she isn’t afraid to speak her mind. The town adores and loves Jo, even if she can be a bit much sometimes, but she doesn’t care what the town thinks because all she cares about is her family and her life.
Grant Stone is a fox. He might be a big city boy coming into town to buy up property and start fracking, but everyone can agree on one thing – he is absolutely dreamy. Actually, dreamy might be an understatement. Grant Stone is the kind of man that this small town hasn’t seen before and everyone is champing at the bit to have his attention. He’s stubborn, charming and fierce. He’s also determined, which makes everyone dislike him despite his outward appearance. He’s there for a reason and has a purpose and nobody can stop him. Grant has been groomed for this life and that’s all he’s ever known.
Jo and Grant’s first proper introduction is the best. I love how fiercely she loves her town and its people, which explains why she just launches an egg at his face and doesn’t bother to apologise. They butt heads right off the bat, because obviously the Blum property is what Grant and his client needs, but there is no way that Jo is going to make it easy for him to get his hands on that piece of land. Theirs is an enemies to lovers romance filled with sexual tension and burning hot rage; but it’s also about letting yourself go.
Grant discovers that being in Lindenbach has made him very aware of how lonely he is and the friends he has aren’t really friends at all. Seeing how much the town loves and appreciates Jo makes him also understand that what he’s doing may not be the right thing. But that doesn’t mean he backs off, if anything, Grant is willing to let Jo show him what Lindenbach and the Blum family have to offer and hope to slowly change her mind. They’re both aware that what they’re doing is going to one day lead to him trying to change her mind, but Jo chooses to ignore that and focus on what it feels like to be around Grant.
While they might dislike each other at first, I enjoyed watching Grant thaw Jo out. The banter was top notch and they connected through small things. Jo shows him how she does her beekeeper job and helping around a farm, she encourages him to shed the big city wardrobe and settle into the cowboy lifestyle – which then sends the women of Lindenbach into a tizzy because Grant Stone has an ass worth talking about for days to come. Their relationship develops so smoothly and beautifully, and it feels natural to watch them fall in love.
Their chemistry is palpable and like all Staci Hart romances, the steam is off the charts. The attraction has been there from the start – Jo can’t hide how she feels about Grant and he loves it – but when they acknowledge that attraction and choose to do something about it, things start to make even more sense. There’s some dancing, some touching, lots of kissing and then there’s that moment of them just falling into bed and never wanting to climb back out. Like I said before, I really enjoyed watching them fall in love because it was so seamless and so beautiful, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall in these scenes!
Jo’s relationship with her mother and her sister totally won me over, they’re all so close and tight-knit and I loved just how much they supported each other and leaned on each other through the good and the bad. Grant and his father have the opposite kind of relationship and every time he’s mentioned or he appears, you want to strangle him and beat him out of town. He’s that kind of toxic and infuriating. I even loved all of the supporting characters – Wyatt and Mrs. Hayak – and just seeing the town of Lindenbach again made me so happy!
For Love or Honey is a low angst romance with lots of laughs, great characters and a fantastic small town vibe. While you don’t need to read the other books in the series, it’s just good to have those on hand so you’re already familiar with this world!
Thanks to Staci Hart for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
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