Loretta Falling in love again wasn't something I ever expected to happen. I’d had that great love and it ended disastrously. After he left town years ago I thought that was it for me, especially in this small town where everyone has met their love and married them by the time they are thirty. My life revolves around working at my best friend’s bookstore. But then fate throws me a curveball and she walks in; the new girl in town. She’s young, beautiful, adventurous, and everything I never knew I wanted or needed. Who would have guessed that when our date ends in disaster we would be catapulted into a whirlwind romance?
This might very well be my happily ever after. But luck once again isn’t on my side when he comes back to town. The one who held my heart for so long only to toss it away like it was nothing.
Why he’s back and the secret that reveals itself wasn’t even on my radar. But fate is a cruel creature and we don’t always know what she has planned for us. Is my current relationship strong enough to withstand this ripple in plans, or is there a new future ahead? Summer Sweethearts is a standalone Menage (FFM) adult romance. While can be read as a standalone it will be part of a shared world. This book contains mature situations and content. See author's website for any triggers/warnings.
Cassie resides in Northern Illinois on a farm with her husband and six kids. When not writing she can be found reading or chauffeuring her kids or showing pigs. Cassie is a huge advocate for foster care and adoption. Enjoys a good horror movie, a dark romance, and alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol. You did just read she has six kids right?
Summer Sweethearts is the third book and a charming addition to the Holiday Hearts series. An added bonus is that the story is a ménage and it's FFM, which is definitely something new in my reading list. Lately I've been reading more MM or MMM/MMF (get it almost 90%) and this book was the fresh variety you needed.
* Although the books in the series can be read independently, I recommend starting with the 1st. So you will be able to enjoy the story of the other characters that reappear here.
However, the fact that the story was easy to read and I literally read it in one sitting hit me right in the emotions. Love is a really complicated thing, and Jessica and Loretta turned out to be an extremely good combination. Throwing Michael into the whole mess, things unfold in a fun, peppery, and decidedly unexpected way.
This was a quick, cute story. I wasn’t sure how Lucca was going to fit into Loretta & Brynn’s budding romance, but I actually really liked the angle of him essentially being the one that got away from both of them before they got together. I also loved that Lucca got the house that Etta always loved for them to all start their future in. Overall, a short and steamy romance that leaves you wanting more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Summer Sweethearts, book 3 of the Holiday Hearts series by Cassie Lein @cassieleinauthor. I am a massive fan of Cassie’s & this was such a great book! This book has been re-edited & 14K of additional plot has been added! EEK!
Such a great lighthearted book about Loretta, Brynn (the prior book was Jessica) & Lucca! (the prior book was Michael). Tropes: FFM, second chance, small town & a lighthearted romance then this the book for you!
I get very nervous with stories when there is a sapphic relationship and a male gets introduced, “completing the relationship”. I read so many poly stories and I rarely get ones with a sapphic relationship, so I do appreciate that aspect. But it can be a very fine line between a sexy pan/bi poly relationship and creepy homophobia where sapphics need a man to be complete. I say all of this because I thought that this story did a very good job of presenting this relationship in a way that didn’t seem creepy and was more of the beautiful poly relationship I crave. I love a second chance romance and the fact that the MMC had a prior history made it work better in my opinion and helped with the fact that he was introduced in this FF relationship. This story wasn’t super long and I found that the story had a great pace. It was easy to fly through this story and enjoy the development of this relationship.
This was the first book in this series that I have had the chance to read but I have read other stories by this author. I think that they do such a great job of creating characters that seem relatable and real. All to often, I read characters, especially queer characters, that are so poorly written. But not these characters. The relationship between Brynn and Loretta has so much chemistry. I thought these two characters were well written and I loved reading their interaction with each other/ Brynn was such a force to be reckoned with. She was vibrant, said what she thought, and went after the things she wanted. I appreciated that Lucca did not come into the relationship and dominate. He fit in nicely and I could feel the closeness between all members of this relationship.
This was an entertaining story and I loved the way that the author approached this relationship. Lein did a fabulous job of writing a poly relationship that seemed realistic and one where all of the members seemed important. The spice in this story was very nice, especially the scenes between Brynn and Loretta. I enjoyed this story and would love to read more like it.
Summer Sweethearts by Cassie Lein is the third book in the Holiday Hearts series. I have read the 3 books in order, but they can be read as standalones.
This is a sweet and spicy, small town romance with an added second chance romance and interesting connection.
I appreciate Cassie, who "just wanted to write things that were inclusive to everyone", for creating this small town that is receptive to all types of relationships. This book has a FF to FFM pairing, and her previous two books have featured MM and MMF pairings.
I enjoyed the lighthearted feel of this book, the humour, the point blank statements and the swoon worthy moments.
I especially enjoyed the character of Michael/Mike. His initial thoughts and the pictures that flash through his mind when he assumes the women he has been in love with has a child had my heart melting. "The kid is part Loretta, so ofcourse I want her, even with a tiny sidekick."
I also enjoyed getting to see more of the characters that I got to know in the previous two books. Now I am hoping to see more of all these characters in the next books in this series.
❤ The book dedication.
❤ The chapter graphics that are unique for each character
📖 "How does one tell a goddess their civilian coffee order?"
📖 "Are they not teaching men where the G-spôt is? Or even better, the ćlît? And don't get me started on the women. You have a vágîná! Shouldn't you know how to plêàsůré one?!"
📖 "Not one of these people has my DNA, but they're my family nonetheless, and I adore every single one of them."
After months of flirting and some wingman action from their friends, Brynn asks Loretta out on a date. Loretta agrees, and the two start a serious relationship. When a fire makes Brynn homeless, she moves in with Loretta. As their friends' wedding approaches, Loretta finds out the ex-boyfriend she never got over is back in town and wants to pick up where they left off. Come to find out, Lucca is also Brynn's ex-boyfriend. The three start a tentative relationship with Brynn and Lucca focused on Loretta. Loretta is terrified to give her heart away just for it to get broken, but that makes her lash out at both of her partners. Brynn and Lucca want to take the next steps with Loretta, but first, they have to help her overcome her fears and have faith in them.
Somehow, this was my first romance with actual sapphic content. I love how Brynn and Loretta quickly fell in love after flirting for so long. The tension! When Lucca came into the picture, the flames were really going. His pasts with both Loretta and Brynn make it a little awkward initially, but the three got their act together in the end. I love how first Brynn, then Lucca, were so focused on making sure Loretta was happy. When Brynn took charge in the bedroom: girl power! Their three-way dynamic was wholesome as well as enjoyable!
If you need a book that focuses on different types of relationships such as same sex and polyamorous, this is the book for you. Loretta was broken hearted when her bf just up and left so she is trying to get back out there and find her true love. Brynn is using dating apps to find someone to spend her time with but keeps falling short. She found a potential but he was too hung up on his ex to see what was right in front of him. Brynn finds Loretta while grabbing a coffee and breakfast and is instantly infatuated. After building up the courage to finally ask her out Brynn finds herself in a predicament when her apartment burns down. After just one weekend alone Loretta invites Brynn to stay with her until she can get on her feet. It wouldn’t be a good book without a plot twist right, well here is where Lucca comes in. Lucca is the bf that broke Loretta’s heart and just happened to be the one that Brynn dated that couldn’t get over his ex. Lucca wants to win Loretta back but Brynn isn’t going to let it happen without a fight. Lucca doesn’t want to fight and instead asks if they can share. Go read this one. Its smutty.
Summer Sweethearts is an FFM standalone within the Holiday Hearts series, but I recommend from the beginning as some previous characters make an appearance and also some minor spoilers from the previous books.
You have: *FFM *Small Town *Exes everywhere *🔥🔥🔥🔥 *little bit of a miscommunication *second chance *HEA
This was an incredible addition to the Holiday Hearts series. The twist between all three of these characters really proved how much of a small world we live in. This was very realistic, yet very sweet and spicy one. Loretta and Brynn's relationship was FIIIIRE and adding Luccas to the mix, made it so much better. While I understand that Loretta is the center of this trio, I do wish we saw more of a relationship growth between Luccas and Brynn, just like Loretta and Brynn had. I thought Luccas and Brynn had some chemistry there too. But I'm definitely happy with the way things turned out. While that's my only thing, I highly enjoyed this story and definitely can see myself doing a re-read, whenever I need a palette cleanser story!
Jessica is ready to move and is tired of dating people that she has no reaction too. She loves both men and women, but the last male she saw a few times was too hooked on his ex. When she moves, she sees an older woman that takes her breath away…her name is Loretta. When she finally gets the nerve to ask her out, Loretta is also attracted to Jessica. Things are going great between the two and their best friends are getting married. Loretta’s ex left her for a job in another town and broke up with her after dating for years; she also likes both sexes. When one of the friend’s cousin comes back to town, things will definitely heat up and there is quite the twist to the story! How will things go for everyone? What does the cousin have to do with the ladies? How will they react? Once you discover the twist…trust me you will be rolling on the floor! Very well told short fast read with plenty of humor!
I absolutely loved Brynn. She was so outspoken, honest, smart and wasn't afraid of going for what she wanted or putting someone in their place. Even though she was the youngest out of all of them she seemed like the most mature.
I liked Lorettas relationship with Brynn and Lucca. She had a lot of chemistry with both of them but her and Brynn together were amazing. Every time they were intimate or even just a kiss it was explosive. With Lucca it was definitely still hot but what I liked about their relationship was how much they loved each other. Even though they had broken up that love and those feelings never went away.
I would have liked to see a little bit more of a developed relationship with Brynn and Lucca though. Even so all 3 of them fit together perfectly. That ending was everything these characters and I needed 🙌.
It was sooo amazing seeing the characters from the previous books. Seeing them all still happy and thriving and just being so supportive was everything.
This is the third book in the Kingston series. I give it an overall 3.5 stars. This one didn't flow for me as well as the first two. I love Loretta, and she deserves her HEA. However some of the storylines felt like it was dropped in because they needed something else to cause conflict between her and Jessica. Once Michael settled into Loretta and Jessica's relationship, it seemed forced. Before he was introduced, Loretta and Jessica's relationship was moving along, fleshing out, and they were just getting comfortable with their New situation. The town seemed to push her towards adding Michael to the relationship instead of accepting what she already had going. I loved the dynamics between Jessica and Loretta, and I'm hoping this means they'll have their HEA.
Whilst this is the third in the Summer Sweethearts series, please don’t be put off as it can definitely be read as a standalone - trust me you will regret not reading.
If you love a small town sweet romance with a dash of second chance then this is the book for you. Loretta, Brynn and Lucca are an adorable throuple and Cassie did an excellent job of making sure that each character got the love and attention they deserved in their development. Not only that, but it was enjoyable to feel the development of the individual relationships as well as the group as a whole. I definitely related most to Brynn and wished I was as outspoken as her. It was an interesting dynamic to have her as the youngest but the most mature!
Not only was there a lot of love to enjoy but plenty of spice to make the perfect well rounded romance!
I read this book as a standalone. Its also a republished version. The story takes place in the small town of Kingston. There's romance with a twist of second chance romance with a HEA. Overlooking the areas where things are repeated or time things mentioned changed from one sentence to the next, its a cute story and a fun read.
Brynn moves to Kingston after taking over her retiring moms' boutique. She meets Loretta at a local bookstore called Sugar Spines. After a long while of flirting they get together after going on a movie night get together with mutual friends.
The story gets more exciting when Loretta's ex, Lucca returns to the town. This is where the story gets more exciting. There are times here the story takes a spicy turn. I loved the ending.
This is the third book in the Holiday Hearts series. I have also read the previous two books in this series and loved them. I have been reading a lot of dark romances so this was a nice change of pace. I loved this sweet hometown romance. I was so happy that Loretta was getting her story. I love that we are learning more about her backstory. We see that she has a second chance at love. This story was so sweet but extremely steamy. I love this little town of Kingston! I want to know more about all of the residents. Thank you, Cassie Lein, for another amazing story in this series. I cannot wait to see what character will have their story told next…I am hoping for Bea. I think we need to know more about her! I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!
Summer Sweethearts ( Holiday Hearts Book 3 ) another wonderful addition to this absolutely amazing series I mean what’s not to love . We get the FFM trope , wonderfully written characters you cannot help but fall in love with. All the steam and the sweet and sexy vibes , the angst , the humor , the witty banter and moments that will literally pull at all your heartstrings and have you smiling, laughing, crying and cheering so freaking hard . Cassie really does exceed all my expectations every single time I pick up one of her books . Summer Sweethearts is no different. It’s just about 12 am in the morning and I spent a good portion of the evening devouring what was quite the emotional rollercoaster.
Summer sweethearts. FFM. has been given a little bit of love and has been updated! Bryan owns and runs a boutique in town and Loretta works at the local bookstore/coffee shop. Side note I loved that their first "date" was Magic Mike. Haha. I love Bryann and her take charge attitude, I mean after taking so long to finally ask Loretta out that is... Lucca left Loretta years before and has just moved back to partner with his cousin. Turns out Brynn and Lucca have an interesting past as well. What will happen with the Loretta and Lucca now that he is back in town? How do all 3 pieces fit? My know going in this is a FFM. I just wish we got to see more of the moments between Lucca and Brynn. I felt like that was missing.
A sweet and spicy second chance FFM story. Third in the series, but a standalone. I hadn’t read the first two books, and it didn’t affect this story at all. It was fresh take on how this throuple came together and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Not my usual trope, but it was so well written and I got to know each character and wanted all the happiness for them. They found a way to make it work for them and that’s all that matters. They have great family and friends that support each of them together and separately. Spicy times and realness to round out the plot was so well written and I liked this book much more than I thought I might. Definitely worth the read and I will be going back to read the first two books as well!
This was cute. A little small town romance. We love a good small town moment.
Loretta has been born and raised in this small town (I’ve forgotten the name) she’s been in love before. It just didn’t work out. When she meets Brynn, she’s ready to take the plunge again. Only Lucca comes back home. Her first love. Can they all be happy together? Or will it be more drama than it worth?
The book starts out with a Brynn POV so I assumed Brynn would be the main character of the group. But she’s not. It’s Loretta. It’s Loretta they both fall for. And Loretta whom they let decide the growth of the relationship.
I do wish there was more about Brynn and Lucca falling in love. But I’m happy they all ended up happy and healthy together.
Summer Sweethearts is the third book in the Holiday Hearts series and has been updated to add more content and some of the names have changed from the original version. I loved Loretta, Brynn and Lucca as a throuple. They just work together. And I loved seeing our favorites as side characters from the first two books making cameos (ehm Cain and Aiden as well as Cara, Walker and Waylon). I loved the dynamic between Loretta and Brynn – helping Loretta overcome her heartbreak. And the forgiveness she extends to Lucca while reconnecting with him. Then as they come together as a throuple… amazing read! Full of all the emotions but still fun and lighthearted.
Amazing small town read. I love this whole world. You get to interact with characters from the other books and that is amazing.
This is a FFM and if you have read the other books in this series then you already are familiar with Loretta. This is her chance. She gets to fall in love with an amazing female that is willing to give her the world. Even her past love. And getting to watch Brynn and Lucca put everything aside for Loretta was everything. Watching them keep their views open to see how feelings or whatever could grow in the future was just what I needed to read. Great job as always Cassie Lein
Loretta... Jessica... Michael.... 3 hearts, 1 desire to be in love and happy. Read and find out if they find what they are looking for. Will past mistakes sabotage everything? Even in books, 6 degrees of separation are real.
I can't say enough how great this one was. I enjoyed reading all of it. Jessica is the ultimate wing woman that we all want. Loretta is the bookish friend that has a secret side. Michael, so hot, and so just wanting to make things right.
This is a MUST read!!! Matter of fact, the whole Holiday Hearts series, you need to read!
I was so glad to return to the small town of Kingston, this time with a FFM relationship. You'll see some characters pop up from the previous two books, but this is a series of standalone novels, though I recommend reading the whole series if you haven't yet. My favorite from our new ménage à trois is Jessica. She might be the youngest of the trio, but she has a feisty & frank attitude that I love. I also love the side character of Dwight, the grumpy cook, who I hope we get to see more of in future books.
This is the third book in the Holiday Hearts series. It can be read as a standalone but Is much more enjoyable if read in order. There is character crossovers from the other books. Just like the first two book this features a unique relationship dynamic. There is plenty of steamy sprinkled throughout but there is still a great plot. Drunk Mike was so funny and I loved that Jessica called people on their nonsense even Loretta. The MCs get their HFN but I’m sure they will show up again in the series.
This is a menage with 2 woman and 1 man and I hadn't read that before as it is not something I usually read but this blurb was something that caught my eye. I had to read it. Glad I did as the book is really nice to read. Summer lovin so yeah! It's about Loretta and a lost love, Michael but then he walks back right into her life again. However she already has Jessica. How do you figure things out when there's two people you love. I loved this story even though FFM usually isn't something I like to read but giving this one a shot I'm happy I did.
Jessica, Loretta, and Michael are another great story to this series. Loretta though her life was with Michael but he decides to leave her behind for an job and breaking heart in the process. When she finally decides to moves on with Jessica, her past shows back up in their life. Jessica now must deal with Michael in their life while everyone must figure out how they feel for each other with both in love with Loretta plus they also have a past. There is a few twists that they must work through. It’s incredible to see how their relationship develops. And will they get their hea.
I was super excited to return to Kingston! I adore small-town romances, especially ones we get to revisit the vast array of side characters. Cassie has crafted a truly special community. This time, Loretta takes center stage, and her story is entertaining. You get the pain of past heartbreak while embracing the joy and whimsy of new love. And you can't have a fabulous story without a love triangle!! So much romantic tension and then add in a healthy dose of sizzling chemistry to keep things interesting. 😉
This book is the third book in an interconnected series from the Holiday Hearts series. The book has been updated to give us more content, added, and extended scenes through the book as well as a change of names for the main characters. I absolutely fell in love with this book and the characters themselves. The growth and emotional journey that they go through really makes you connect with them. I felt the pain and struggle. I also loved to see previous characters in here as well and to see what they are up to. Can't wait to see what's next.
I absolutely loved reading summer sweethearts, once I started I couldn't stop, just kept turning page after page needing to know more. Talk about gripping, it definitely had me gripped that's for sure. I instantly fell in love with the main characters Etta, Brynn and Lucca. It's such a crazy rollercoaster ride that's filled with banter, love, spice, forgiveness, hurt, second chances, dirty talking, surprises and loads more. The characters storyline and plot was written wonderfully. I felt like I was apart of there world and more.
Brynn is fucking hilarious and the dirty mouth on her is panty melting and damn right delicious.
Etta is sweet, she was left heartbroken, but found her way and now is happy with Brynn.
Lucca left thinking he needed to better himself for the women he loves and has never stopped loving. But unbeknownst to him she didn't need all that just him.
Lucca is back in town and ready to get his women back but what he didn't expect was for her to be with someone else. And that someone else be Brynn! IYKYK!!
But even know that spanner was thrown in, he's not giving up, he will have no matter the cost.
It was definitely all going on and I was here for every mouth watering, delicious, hilarious bit of it..
I can't wait to dive into more books from Cassie lein. Highly recommend!!!
This is the third book in the Holiday Hearts series. This book can be read as a standalone however, I recommend reading them in order as there are some crossover characters. This story is a FFM Summer Romance. This story focuses around Loretta, Jessica, and Michael. This story was another beautiful story Cassie has given us that you can't help but love. I can't wait to see what else Cassie comes up with next.
I loved this story! It isn't my usual style in book but was totally worth taking a chance on! I loved how defined the characters are and how much they remained true throughout the book! It all comes together to a beautiful HEA! If you like poly, why-choose, FFM and the oddity of how small our world really is and how worlds can collide into something amazing this is for you!!!