Book Blitz Review with Giveaway: Love You Now (Love You, Maine #4) by Julia Kent

Item: Love You Now
Rating: 4.5
Author: Lisa Mandina

Posted March 3, 2023 by Lisa Mandina in Blog Tour, giveaway, Review / 8 Comments

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.

Love You Now by Julia Kent
Series: Love You Maine #4
on February 28, 2023
Genres: Adult Contemporary Romance
Pages: 406
Source: the author
Format: E-galley
My Rating: four-half-stars

Goodreads

Blurb:

Ana DaSilva is looking for a palate cleanser. A one night stand. A reboot.

Instead, she got fireworks, sparks, chemistry, and the perfect guy. No one wants to meet Mr. Right when he should just be Mr. Rebound, but Mr. Right is so, so right.

But then he went from Mr. Right to Mr. Never, because when she learns she’s pregnant three days after that wonderful night with Dennis, she realizes her sleazy drug dealing ex not only left her with the legal mess she knew about, he gave her a life-long present.

One that means ignoring Dennis’ texts and phone calls, no matter how much she wants to answer.

Dennis Luview wants to escape his pain. Coming back to his hometown of Luview, Maine – the cheesy tourist trap where every day was Valentine’s Day – means facing a past he left behind twenty-four years ago.

Yes, his family is loving, and sure, he has roots that go bone-deep in the small town community where people step up for each other.

But the naive eighteen-year-old who left to serve his country is now a retired Special Ops vet with a heavy entourage of ghosts and PTSD. No woman deserves all the baggage he’s lugging around.

Including Ana, who clearly wants nothing to do with him, no matter how intense their one haunting encounter really was.
It’s one thing to have ghosts, and quite another to be ghosted.

Which is why six months after that hot night, he’s stunned to find her in his hometown, at a bridal shower, her ripe, pregnant belly swelling under a gorgeous yellow sundress.

A public confrontation turns into a very private reunion, and as Dennis pursues Ana she opens up, but is he crazy to want her — and what turns out to be another man’s baby — to settle down and find stability and love?

Or is he deluding himself that he’s remotely worth the happiness an instant family could offer, after his terrible past?

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Excerpt

“If I thought you’d say yes, Ana, I’d ask you to come back to my hotel room and finish what we’re starting here.”

“What makes you think I’d say no?”

The way he laughed, a gentle huff through his nose, made a piece of her heart melt a little more.

“Most women would say yes or no to that. Instead, you open the question wide and give it nuance.”

“What’s wrong with nuance?”

“Never said there was anything wrong with it.”

“From what I’ve seen, you are a crystal-clear man, Dennis. Why don’t you try the direct approach?”

Inching closer, his inhale like the rush of a conch against her ear, Dennis smiled, his grin broadening, genuine happiness filling his features in a way that made her feel pride.

Pride that she could elicit that from him.

“Come to bed with me, Ana. I love the feel of you in my arms on the dance floor. Your kiss tastes so good, I want to taste all of you. My room or yours?”

Pure energy shot through her, most of it between her legs, coalescing into a throb. Fire lit up her skin, his caress as he cupped her jaw and kissed her again so anchoring.

And so damn hot.

Few moments in life call for complete abandon, but for Ana DaSilva, this was one of them.

Without question.

Without hesitation.

And without regrets.

My Review

I’ve read like every other book in this series so far, but as they are basically standalones with interconnections through the family, that works okay. I own the ones I haven’t read yet, need to fit those in! But this was another wonderful love story. First was the oldest brother in the Luview family, Dennis. He’s just come back from the military, retiring after a definitely traumatic experience. We don’t know exactly what right away, but it’s easy to guess it has something to do with a child since every time he is around a little kid in certain situations he starts to have a panic attack. Even being from the town of Love You, or maybe because he’s from the town, he’s a bit of a cynic, or at least he doesn’t really care for all the kitschy romantic stuff his hometown does.

And then there is Ana, who is also coming off of a not so great experience with an ex-boyfriend who turned out to be a drug dealer, and even worse when we learn about her pregnancy. But Ana and Dennis have a perfect meet-cute, and an instant connection, even if the two of them really try to deny it can be anything more than a one night stand to themselves and each other that night.

They spend a few months or so apart, as Ana finds out about the pregnancy and doesn’t feel it is right to try to start a relationship with someone who isn’t the father of her child, because why would someone want to be with her in that situation, or at least that’s what she thinks. Dennis can’t get her out of his head though, and she is constantly in his thoughts.

I loved how they ended up running into each other again, and how the whole thing got turned into a big town gossip event. As usual the cast of characters in this small town make for lots of extra bits of fun in the story. I have to also say that I loved that Ana’s best friend came from a family that owned and ran a cheese store. And it made me wish there was a cheese store closer to where I live, or that I had a friend with a cheese store. Or maybe instead of a bookstore I should open a cheese store, lol.

Another sweet story for the series, and as I said at the start of this review, I’ve got to get my two books I haven’t read yet out and fill in all the details of the series. Oh, and I have to mention the extra epilogue was perfect and I loved it too!

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 21 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French, German, and Italian, with more titles releasing in the future.
From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire she met in a romantic comedy).

She lives in New England with her husband and three children where she is the only person in the household with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls.

She loves to hear from her readers by email at julia@jkentauthor.com, on Twitter @jkentauthor, on Facebook at @jkentauthor, and on Instagram @jkentauthor. Visit her at http://jkentauthor.com