Review: With This Fling (Summersweet Island #5) by Tara Sivec

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

With This Fling by Tara Sivec
Series: Summersweet Island #5
on April 25, 2022
Genres: Adult Romantic Comedy
Pages: 250
Source: the author
Format: E-galley
My Rating:
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Blurb:

Laura Bennett has spent her life taking care of other people and running the Dip and Twist. Happily spending her time being single and carefree, she has no intention of settling down or falling in love. With an ever-growing family, she’s a mother to them all, and she loves every minute of it. But her baby is getting married, and her oldest has her own life changes she’s dealing with. Suddenly, being all alone doesn’t sound so appealing anymore.

Dean Campbell has been the black sheep of his family since the day he was born. The only one he cares about is his nephew, Palmer. Deciding at the last minute to attend Palmer’s nuptials, Dean knows he’s going to need to try his hardest not to be his usual, grouchy self. He doesn’t like people, and he really doesn’t like weddings. But the sexy and sassy mother-of-the-bride has him wanting to check Plus-One on his invite. He’s never had more fun getting under someone’s skin, and it doesn’t take long for all the people, noise, and chaos that surround Laura Bennett to become a few of his favorite things.

Laura thinks a fun wedding fling is just what the doctor ordered to get her out of this funk. But Dean’s been sprinkled with Shepherd’s glitter and the magic of Summersweet Island. He’ll do whatever it takes to convince her that, with this fling, she just might change her mind about falling in love again.

My Review

So, I’ll start off honestly and say that I’ve actually only read the first book in this series so far, Kiss My Putt, which I adored, as I do all of Sivec’s book. So when I saw her post about opening up some spots on her reader team, I immediately signed up! Not realizing I’d get in so quick! But when I got this one, I was so excited! Because I know all the characters, and basically who was going to end up with who, but I will still need to go back and read all their journeys to get to where they are in this book. However, that does not mess up reading this book ahead of them at all!

As with every other book I’ve read by this author I was laughing out loud, literally, constantly! The characters, oh my gosh, so crazy and so much fun. Since I haven’t read all the books yet, a few were newer to me, but since they had matched up with characters I knew from the first book, they all felt like old friends. I mean I wish I could hang out with the author some time, because I know she has got to be a blast! Especially when she mentioned two parts of the story that were actually based on real events from her own life. A certain party thrown by Owen, as well as the words Palmer says to Birdie when they’re getting married. Swoon!

But anyway, let’s talk about the main couple of this book. Because while like Laura, I’m normally attracted to younger guys, Dean totally made me swoon in this book. First of all his line, “What do you need, sugar?” Might sound cheesy, but by the end of the book I was swooning and wishing someone in my life would say that to me. My own Dean. I loved how he always showed up just in time to overhear something she’d said about him that was embarrassing to her. Not to mention once they started texting, lol, “Block contact.” And the bedroom scenes, or wherever they happened to take place, steam and perfection, with just the right amount of humor (Bodhi in the closet) just as you’d expect from Sivec!

This book had those fake babies that they use in schools for classes like Home Ec or Sex Ed to get kids to understand about what it’s like to have a baby. Oh my gosh, that made for some of the funniest times. It wasn’t just Owen who had to carry it though, they gave one to Bodhi too. And the names they called them, and when it pooped and Bodhi talked about knowing it was chocolate pudding. I was dying laughing. I mean Bodhi is a whole story all by himself.

And then the guys, getting into crafting, and saying they’d been “Summersweetened”. So cute and adorable! Gah! This book was just perfection! Talk about having a total book hangover when I finished. If I hadn’t had another one of my favorite author’s latest books lined up to read next, I have a feeling I wouldn’t have been able to get into anything else. All I know now is that I need to read the rest of this series as soon as possible! Oh yeah, and I’m so excited to hear the next one has bowling as part of the sports aspect since I was the bowling coach the last two years at my last school!