Having read the first book in this series of interconnected standalones, I expected this romance to go in a whole other direction, but I enjoyed it all the same. When we were introduced to Avery, she was constantly bickering with her new landlord, so I was looking forward to a lot of conflict when they finally met face-to-face. That doesn't happen... at all. However, this is a nice, mellow romance with a genuinely kind and compassionate hero. Coll is one of those authors who you can depend on for an emotional, serious, well done romance, and this is definitely that. It wasn't quite what I wanted, but it was a solid read, and I'm looking forward to more from the series.
The story follows Griffin and Avery, two people who have been clashing over the lease of a new law office. Avery has just started up a business with her friends, and her landlord has been causing problems. But when they finally meet in person, Griffin's not the kind of guy that Avery expected. He's a man at a loss, feeling very alone in the world after unexpectedly being given guardianship of his nephew. Griffin hires Avery as his lawyer, and as the two begin to learn more about each other, a connection soon follows.
I was expecting the vibe to feel a lot more like an enemies to lovers romance, and it is definitely not that. It's actually much closer to instalove. Griffin is taken by Avery right away, and he's determined and patient enough to help her work through her commitment issues before moving forward. In an interesting turn of events, it's Avery who is emotionally unavailable and isn't sure if she's capable of love. For a strong, intelligent attorney, she really doesn't act like it most of the time. I can't say that I loved that element of the story, because it leads to a lot of internal monologue and hesitancy to open up. That being said, I loved Griffin. He's extremely likable, and the scenes with his nephew just took that up another notch. I did love the sort of "found family" storyline and the writing is solid. And we're introduced to the next couple, who I'm definitely intrigued by. So, more good than bad here, but I really wanted that bickering. I received an early copy via Grey's Promotions and am voluntarily leaving a review of this emotional romance.