Tricked in October by Starla Dekruyf

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am appreciative to Starla DeKruyf, Booksprout, and City Owl Press for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I regret the delay in publishing.

The sequel to Starla Dekruyf's Pineridge series, Tricked in October, was already published on October 25, 2022. The second book in the series was just as fantastic as the first one, in my opinion. Tricked in October tells the tale of two "best friends-turned-lovers.". I could fall in love with the book's cover just by looking at it. I felt a similar sense of coziness and autumn while reading this book as I did while reading Tricked in October, which I also adored.

A perfect amount of heat was present in this book. After finishing the previous book, I felt compelled to immediately begin this one because I was in the mood for autumn. I found myself laughing aloud several times during the dialogue between the two main characters because I adored the setting, the people in it, and the dialogue itself. Do yourself a favor and immediately begin reading this lovely series if you haven't already.

The book was perfect for October, and I couldn't put it down until I had finished it.

If you enjoy reading about happily ever afters, small towns, best friends who become lovers, and romantic comedies, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Happy reading!

Mysterious Shy ( )

**Early Reviewer's Win** A best-friends-to-lovers romance. Kelsey is a widow with three kids and a bar that's sinking. Her bestie Davis is an HGTV star with his twin brother who wants off the show because he's tired of fame and paps hounding him all the time. Kelsey is hanging on and has her hands more than full with her kids, the bar, and an alcoholic mother she has to parent. She and Davis hook up and then it's a tug of war over how she can't let go and he wants more than she's ready to give. If you're into the slow burn cozy romcom tropes, this is definitely for you!

While this sequel was not as enjoyable as the original in the series, I enjoyed the continuation of the small town story. I did not appreciate that the sequel had characters that were not in the first book, but were considered to be life long friends. It just didn’t make sense. However, I loved the emotional connection it is easy to make with the characters. It is easy to root for them to find happiness. It was a fast read and I would definitely pick up another by this author or in this series!

This was a sweet fall friends to lovers romance. The premise was great but the characters fell a little flat for me personally. A little too fluffy for my taste but still enjoyable. ( )

I completely enjoyed this romance. Not only is this a story of two best friends who share a deep love for one another (that just takes some time for them both to realize), but it is also about so many other characters in their quaint town that they interact with. Everyone is so likeable that I want to read more about their stories. The story is fast paced and leaves you wanting more. I'm looking forward to more stories in the series! (I received this e-book free as part of the Early Reviewers on LibraryThing.com) ( )