What do you think?
Rate this book
Cottonwood Cove #3
On the Shore
He’s the GOAT of the NFL. She’s a hot-headed reporter who despises him. They’re in the same small town for the summer. What could possibly go wrong?
I'm more than aware of the responsibilities that come with being a quarterback in the NFL.
The upside—I get to do what I love every day, which is play football.
And I make more money than I know what to do with.
The downside—everyone wants a piece of me, and the press stalks me ruthlessly.
And one reporter in particular, Brinkley Reynolds, has crossed a line.
She takes things too far.
So yeah, I have her escorted out of the press conference.
Imagine my surprise when the same woman walks into the coffee shop in the small town where I’ve gone to get some privacy for the summer.
I accuse her of stalking me.
She calls me every name in the book before proceeding to make me feel very unwelcome in Cottonwood Cove.
Her hometown.
The place where she tucked tail and ran after I’d unknowingly gotten her fired.
So now I’m enemy number one.
That’s fine with me.
I’m not the biggest fan of her either.
She’s equal parts stubborn and aggravating.
But she happens to be the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
So I try to make amends.
I’m not the devil after all.
But she won’t give me the time of day unless I agree to give her my story.
One I’ve fought hard to protect since the day I started playing professional ball.
I don’t owe Brinkley Reynolds anything.
So why am I considering giving her everything?
**This is book 3 in the Cottonwood Cove Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**
Cottonwood Cove
Into the Tide
Under the Stars
On the Shore
Before the Sunset
After the Storm
I'm more than aware of the responsibilities that come with being a quarterback in the NFL.
The upside—I get to do what I love every day, which is play football.
And I make more money than I know what to do with.
The downside—everyone wants a piece of me, and the press stalks me ruthlessly.
And one reporter in particular, Brinkley Reynolds, has crossed a line.
She takes things too far.
So yeah, I have her escorted out of the press conference.
Imagine my surprise when the same woman walks into the coffee shop in the small town where I’ve gone to get some privacy for the summer.
I accuse her of stalking me.
She calls me every name in the book before proceeding to make me feel very unwelcome in Cottonwood Cove.
Her hometown.
The place where she tucked tail and ran after I’d unknowingly gotten her fired.
So now I’m enemy number one.
That’s fine with me.
I’m not the biggest fan of her either.
She’s equal parts stubborn and aggravating.
But she happens to be the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
So I try to make amends.
I’m not the devil after all.
But she won’t give me the time of day unless I agree to give her my story.
One I’ve fought hard to protect since the day I started playing professional ball.
I don’t owe Brinkley Reynolds anything.
So why am I considering giving her everything?
**This is book 3 in the Cottonwood Cove Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**
Cottonwood Cove
Into the Tide
Under the Stars
On the Shore
Before the Sunset
After the Storm
332 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2023
3461 people are currently reading
17045 people want to read
About the author
Laura Pavlov
59 books10.7k followersLaura Pavlov is a USA Today and Amazon top 10 Bestselling author. She writes sweet and sexy small town romance that will make you both laugh and cry. Laura is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome kids who are currently adulting, one temperamental yorkie and one wild bernedoodle. She's living her own happily ever after in Las Vegas. Be sure to sign up for updates on new releases. Laura loves hearing from readers!
Instagram➡️https://bit.ly/2TKf5Zs
Pav-Loves Readers ➡️ https://bit.ly/2OKU6T5
Newsletter ➡️ https://bit.ly/2M3MzRv
Facebook➡️http://bit.ly/3eSvEdp
Goodreads ➡️ https://bit.ly/31sh2Oz
BookBub➡️http://bit.ly/3ii8Vdp
Amazon➡️http://amzn.to/3c1xKZX
Website➡️https://www.laurapavlov.com/
Instagram➡️https://bit.ly/2TKf5Zs
Pav-Loves Readers ➡️ https://bit.ly/2OKU6T5
Newsletter ➡️ https://bit.ly/2M3MzRv
Facebook➡️http://bit.ly/3eSvEdp
Goodreads ➡️ https://bit.ly/31sh2Oz
BookBub➡️http://bit.ly/3ii8Vdp
Amazon➡️http://amzn.to/3c1xKZX
Website➡️https://www.laurapavlov.com/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,934 reviews
September 25, 2023
This book was a good reminder to me that book preferences are so subjective. I picked up this book because someone I follow on TikTok told me that it was the best book they’ve read all year, and I was intrigued by the premise. Personally, this book was my Everest because finishing this book was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do (and it was only like 315 pages), but I refused to let this defeat me.
Things I liked about this book:
- The letter that Lincoln’s dad wrote to him
…that’s it
Things I didn’t like about this book:
- Literally every single character, but especially Brinkley. No one thinks they’re more of a special snowflake than Brinkley thinks of herself. Brinkley is so entitled to her life and thinks that she deserves every single job opportunity. She claims she was fired even though she’s the best reporter ever! She is continuously rude to Lincoln for the first 25% of the book and assumes that he owes her answers to every one of her questions. Literally, Lincoln is nice to her, and Brinkley is like “why won’t you answer my extremely invasive questions about your childhood for my magazine story?!” She does not even seem like a particularly good reporter.
She also had so many weird quotes talking about how she's so busy and has so much going on in her life. Girl, you are literally unemployed and living rent-free in your hometown. You really don't have that much going on in your life. At one point, Lincoln is like, "you work hard and you deserve it, Brinks" and Brinkley is like "I know. I really do deserve it." And I was like ....literally what? This woman has not done one single thing all book. She follows Lincoln's workout every day and then wrote a simple announcement that said Lincoln signed with New York (all in like the first half of the book).
- The premise of this book sounded interesting but it's all a lie. Basically, Brinkley is a sports journalist and Lincoln is a star NFL QB. After Brinkley behaves inappropriately during a press conference, Lincoln gets her escorted out of the building, and she is subsequently fired by her boss. Then, when Lincoln goes to a small town during the off-season to be “off the grid,” he unfortunately finds himself in Brinkley’s hometown! Brinkley hates Lincoln and blames him for getting her fired, and Lincoln feels guilty, so he agrees to let her write a story about where he's planning to play next year...
...This premise sounded fun. Unfortunately it went downhill when you learn immediately about WHY Brinkley was fired. So basically Brinkley is all like, I was unjustly fired and Lincoln is an asshole and it's all his fault! The problem was…Lincoln had every reason to get Brinkley escorted out of the building, and I HATED the fact that he kept apologizing for it. Brinkley FOLLOWED LINCOLN INTO THE BATHROOM TO BADGER HIM WITH QUESTIONS AFTER THE PRESS CONFERENCE ENDED. I REPEAT. Lincoln went inside a bathroom, and a female reporter (who he did not know) followed him into the bathroom asking extremely invasive questions. This is so highly unprofessional, it can honestly be labeled harassment. For all Lincoln knew, this woman could have been a stalker. This press conference had ended and she follows him into private facilities. In my opinion, he has every right to have her escorted out, and he is not responsible for her boss then choosing to fire her. She had no good reason to follow him and pepper him with questions IN A MEN’S BATHROOM after the press conference ended. Sure, Lincoln happened to be taking a call in the bathroom when she did it, but what if this man had his penis out because he was, I don’t know, peeing in the bathroom??
- Brinkley’s weird small town where everyone acts like they’re in a cult. Immediately, the entire town is cancelling Lincoln because of how he treated Brinkley….what??? The entire storyline with Lionel was also fucking weird as hell. Lincoln basically guaranteed this random kid that he doesn't know that he would pay for his college and get him on a college football team. He was already promising Lionel shit before he even saw him play.
- The expression “GOAT of the NFL” – this phrase was used as a replacement for Lincoln’s name EIGHT times in this book. As a football fan, people do not talk like this. You may call someone like Tom Brady “the GOAT” like once or twice, but this is not a nonstop adjective/title to describe someone in normal conversation. It was weird as fuck.
- The plot: I’m still trying to find it. The premise for this book is covered in the first few pages, and then the characters are in love around 30% into the book, and then I kid you not, nothing happens for the rest of the book. Not one thing. They are in love and move in together, and 70% of this book is useless fluff. The smut is bad. The “conflict” at the end is just Brinkley choosing what company she should work for because OF COURSE everyone wants her because she’s soooo special.
- All of Chapter 27. This chapter was just an excuse for the author to list every single character from every book she has ever written. Nothing happened in this chapter. There was nothing added to the plot. There were suddenly 500 side characters and each of their family trees introduced for no reason at all.
- The family interactions!!! These were SO BAD. I am one of six kids (and my siblings are all married so there's a lot of us), so I feel uniquely qualified to comment on the interactions of big families in books. This family was not it. I am very close with my siblings, and we also come from a small-ish town, but we would never act like these people. This was so cringe. The weird family dinner where they had Lincoln go through his dating history and then the family started psychoanalyzing them/only talking about Brinkley….this shit is weird. All of the text exchanges in the siblings group chat were supposed to be funny, but it was honestly the worst thing I’ve ever read.
- The dialogue. Why did the characters all have gigantic uninterrupted monologues every time they had to say something? Why were they pouring out random private things about their life (and how great they are at everything they do) immediately after sex?
Anyways, I am sorry, but I hated this. Somehow this had all of the ingredients for a fun trope-y contemporary romance, and then it was just horribly executed in every way. The last few chapters are also solely written to set up for the next book in the series (I HATE when books do this). Because of this, we didn’t even get good closure for Brinkley and Lincoln's story (stupid names btw) because everything was focused on Finn/Reese/Jessica all of the sudden.
Ugh, well, I’m happy for those who enjoyed this though! Clearly there are a lot of people who did.
Things I liked about this book:
- The letter that Lincoln’s dad wrote to him
…that’s it
Things I didn’t like about this book:
- Literally every single character, but especially Brinkley. No one thinks they’re more of a special snowflake than Brinkley thinks of herself. Brinkley is so entitled to her life and thinks that she deserves every single job opportunity. She claims she was fired even though she’s the best reporter ever! She is continuously rude to Lincoln for the first 25% of the book and assumes that he owes her answers to every one of her questions. Literally, Lincoln is nice to her, and Brinkley is like “why won’t you answer my extremely invasive questions about your childhood for my magazine story?!” She does not even seem like a particularly good reporter.
She also had so many weird quotes talking about how she's so busy and has so much going on in her life. Girl, you are literally unemployed and living rent-free in your hometown. You really don't have that much going on in your life. At one point, Lincoln is like, "you work hard and you deserve it, Brinks" and Brinkley is like "I know. I really do deserve it." And I was like ....literally what? This woman has not done one single thing all book. She follows Lincoln's workout every day and then wrote a simple announcement that said Lincoln signed with New York (all in like the first half of the book).
- The premise of this book sounded interesting but it's all a lie. Basically, Brinkley is a sports journalist and Lincoln is a star NFL QB. After Brinkley behaves inappropriately during a press conference, Lincoln gets her escorted out of the building, and she is subsequently fired by her boss. Then, when Lincoln goes to a small town during the off-season to be “off the grid,” he unfortunately finds himself in Brinkley’s hometown! Brinkley hates Lincoln and blames him for getting her fired, and Lincoln feels guilty, so he agrees to let her write a story about where he's planning to play next year...
...This premise sounded fun. Unfortunately it went downhill when you learn immediately about WHY Brinkley was fired. So basically Brinkley is all like, I was unjustly fired and Lincoln is an asshole and it's all his fault! The problem was…Lincoln had every reason to get Brinkley escorted out of the building, and I HATED the fact that he kept apologizing for it. Brinkley FOLLOWED LINCOLN INTO THE BATHROOM TO BADGER HIM WITH QUESTIONS AFTER THE PRESS CONFERENCE ENDED. I REPEAT. Lincoln went inside a bathroom, and a female reporter (who he did not know) followed him into the bathroom asking extremely invasive questions. This is so highly unprofessional, it can honestly be labeled harassment. For all Lincoln knew, this woman could have been a stalker. This press conference had ended and she follows him into private facilities. In my opinion, he has every right to have her escorted out, and he is not responsible for her boss then choosing to fire her. She had no good reason to follow him and pepper him with questions IN A MEN’S BATHROOM after the press conference ended. Sure, Lincoln happened to be taking a call in the bathroom when she did it, but what if this man had his penis out because he was, I don’t know, peeing in the bathroom??
- Brinkley’s weird small town where everyone acts like they’re in a cult. Immediately, the entire town is cancelling Lincoln because of how he treated Brinkley….what??? The entire storyline with Lionel was also fucking weird as hell. Lincoln basically guaranteed this random kid that he doesn't know that he would pay for his college and get him on a college football team. He was already promising Lionel shit before he even saw him play.
- The expression “GOAT of the NFL” – this phrase was used as a replacement for Lincoln’s name EIGHT times in this book. As a football fan, people do not talk like this. You may call someone like Tom Brady “the GOAT” like once or twice, but this is not a nonstop adjective/title to describe someone in normal conversation. It was weird as fuck.
- The plot: I’m still trying to find it. The premise for this book is covered in the first few pages, and then the characters are in love around 30% into the book, and then I kid you not, nothing happens for the rest of the book. Not one thing. They are in love and move in together, and 70% of this book is useless fluff. The smut is bad. The “conflict” at the end is just Brinkley choosing what company she should work for because OF COURSE everyone wants her because she’s soooo special.
- All of Chapter 27. This chapter was just an excuse for the author to list every single character from every book she has ever written. Nothing happened in this chapter. There was nothing added to the plot. There were suddenly 500 side characters and each of their family trees introduced for no reason at all.
- The family interactions!!! These were SO BAD. I am one of six kids (and my siblings are all married so there's a lot of us), so I feel uniquely qualified to comment on the interactions of big families in books. This family was not it. I am very close with my siblings, and we also come from a small-ish town, but we would never act like these people. This was so cringe. The weird family dinner where they had Lincoln go through his dating history and then the family started psychoanalyzing them/only talking about Brinkley….this shit is weird. All of the text exchanges in the siblings group chat were supposed to be funny, but it was honestly the worst thing I’ve ever read.
- The dialogue. Why did the characters all have gigantic uninterrupted monologues every time they had to say something? Why were they pouring out random private things about their life (and how great they are at everything they do) immediately after sex?
Anyways, I am sorry, but I hated this. Somehow this had all of the ingredients for a fun trope-y contemporary romance, and then it was just horribly executed in every way. The last few chapters are also solely written to set up for the next book in the series (I HATE when books do this). Because of this, we didn’t even get good closure for Brinkley and Lincoln's story (stupid names btw) because everything was focused on Finn/Reese/Jessica all of the sudden.
Ugh, well, I’m happy for those who enjoyed this though! Clearly there are a lot of people who did.
Read
July 26, 2023Are you ready for Lincoln Hendrix and Brinkley Reynolds?! Releasing on July 27th!
Pre-Order HERE: https://geni.us/ontheshore
Bloggers! Sign up to help promote On the Shore!
https://valentinepr.net/book/on-the-s...
Pre-Order HERE: https://geni.us/ontheshore
Bloggers! Sign up to help promote On the Shore!
https://valentinepr.net/book/on-the-s...
September 4, 2023
4.25 stars
I am obsessed with these Reynolds siblings! I'm having so much fun with this series and now that I'm caught up I'm jonesing for the next book to come out. Thankfully it's later this month!
Brinkley Reynolds is a sports journalist who loses her job based on a... misunderstanding with the GOAT of the NFL, Lincoln Hendrix. Just as she's made him enemy number one and bans her brother's from fan-boying over him, he ends up in the Brinkley's hometown.
I love enemies to lovers and sports romance, so this was right up my alley. I had such a blast with this book. It made me laugh and smile, and Lincoln ended up being more romantic than I anticipated. This was so good!
I am obsessed with these Reynolds siblings! I'm having so much fun with this series and now that I'm caught up I'm jonesing for the next book to come out. Thankfully it's later this month!
Brinkley Reynolds is a sports journalist who loses her job based on a... misunderstanding with the GOAT of the NFL, Lincoln Hendrix. Just as she's made him enemy number one and bans her brother's from fan-boying over him, he ends up in the Brinkley's hometown.
I love enemies to lovers and sports romance, so this was right up my alley. I had such a blast with this book. It made me laugh and smile, and Lincoln ended up being more romantic than I anticipated. This was so good!
August 5, 2023
4.5 stars
Laura knows how to write the best small town romances! This one is a hate to love romance where the hero gets the heroine fired from her journalism job. She's angry and wants absolutely nothing to do with him. When he hears she got fired, though, he wants to make it up to her and offers to give her the story of where he's going to play pro football next, which is the hot topic in sports right now. She reluctantly agrees, which means they have to spend a lot of time together. I loved the forced proximity aspect of this and how they would go on morning runs and slowly learn more about each other and she interviewed him for her story. As usual, I also really loved the family aspect in here and how close the heroine was with her siblings. The group texts are always the best! Definitely grab this and read the entire Cottonwood Cove series if you haven't yet!!
Laura knows how to write the best small town romances! This one is a hate to love romance where the hero gets the heroine fired from her journalism job. She's angry and wants absolutely nothing to do with him. When he hears she got fired, though, he wants to make it up to her and offers to give her the story of where he's going to play pro football next, which is the hot topic in sports right now. She reluctantly agrees, which means they have to spend a lot of time together. I loved the forced proximity aspect of this and how they would go on morning runs and slowly learn more about each other and she interviewed him for her story. As usual, I also really loved the family aspect in here and how close the heroine was with her siblings. The group texts are always the best! Definitely grab this and read the entire Cottonwood Cove series if you haven't yet!!
July 24, 2023
"The waves crashed against the shore a few feet away, and I could stay here forever, kissing this girl. Under the moon. On the shore."
Add sweetness, steam, banter, and just the right amount of feels, and you have this book.
Laura Pavlov took me for a spin with this one, and I loved it. It also caught me off guard a couple of times, and it got me all teary-eyed.
Honestly… Lincoln is kind of perfect, and I’m sure he’ll be stealing hearts left and right.
"I barked out a laugh now because she was absolutely out of her mind. And hot as hell."
Strong heroines are my favorite. The inspirational kind, who have an awesome job and are not afraid to fight for what they want. Who can take the punches and still come back swinging. Brinkley was that heroine for me.
And is it OK to say I wish I were her? Because I do.
"I hated that I wanted to know more. Hated that I’d been thinking about him these last few days since I’d seen him on my run. Hated that every time I’d gone on a run since, I’d looked for him."
Lincoln… You’re going to be claiming him as your book boyfriend when you’re done with the book. The dichotomy between who he pretends to be and who he is, and how he’s been burned but still trusts… Yeah. I think he’s going to be hard to beat.
"B.R. I hate you.
Right back at you, sweetheart."
If you read the previous book in the series, you know Lincoln got Brinkley fired, and you know what the circumstances were. So, there’s no love lost between these two. In fact, she may have convinced her whole family—even those who are fans!—to hate the GOAT of the NFL.
But what happens when he comes to her small town for a break and they run into each other?
"We may not be able to stand one another for long, but there was no doubt we’d fuck like rock stars."
Banter. We get A LOT of banter. We get her not taking his presence that well and him not understanding why she’s there to begin with. I mean, she’s a reporter, right? So, is she following him?
What we also get is chemistry. And boy, there was so much of it, and I was here for all of it.
"And God knows that Brinkley isn’t easy, but for whatever reason, I just don’t care. It doesn’t scare me. You don’t scare me, Brinkley Reynolds."
Now, look, Brinkley can be downright scary. She doesn’t take shit from anyone, and she’s her own woman. But what happens when she tries to scare away the only guy who’s not willing to let her do that?
The guy who wants to stay?
"I think you’re going to break my heart, Lincoln Hendrix."
"That’s just fear talking, sweetheart. I get it. What’s happening here is scary as shit. But since when do you or I let fear stop us from anything?"
I loved their character development. There’s so much to Lincoln that you can’t see at first because he doesn’t let you in. There’s a whole side of him that he keeps hidden.
And when these two finally start working together and she starts unpeeling his layers, that’s when you know this is going to be good.
"You want me to chase you, sweetheart? Because I will. If that’s what you need. But I want you in my bed. I want to wrap myself around you and wake up to you in the morning."
I love that they’re both afraid. Brinkley avoids heartache by choosing guys who will never be “it” for her—who don’t challenge her. Lincoln has been burned in the past, and he knows what it’s like to be left behind. He doesn’t want to get hurt.
But suddenly, that doesn’t matter. Because all he wants is her.
And even with his history, he falls first.
"There’s only one woman I see. One woman that I want."
His past and the feeling of found family got me all emotional. Let’s just say I can relate to a lot of it, and so it wasn’t easy for me to read it.
The way her family embraces this man, the love that seeps through the pages, even when they’re fighting and getting under each other’s skins… perfect.
"But all that matters to me is that I come home to you. That’s the house that I want."
It’s fine that you’re able to go it alone. But finding someone who wants to be there for you, who lifts you up and completes you, is everything.
That is the kind of love you get in this book.
And it feels just right.
Add sweetness, steam, banter, and just the right amount of feels, and you have this book.
Laura Pavlov took me for a spin with this one, and I loved it. It also caught me off guard a couple of times, and it got me all teary-eyed.
Honestly… Lincoln is kind of perfect, and I’m sure he’ll be stealing hearts left and right.
"I barked out a laugh now because she was absolutely out of her mind. And hot as hell."
Strong heroines are my favorite. The inspirational kind, who have an awesome job and are not afraid to fight for what they want. Who can take the punches and still come back swinging. Brinkley was that heroine for me.
And is it OK to say I wish I were her? Because I do.
"I hated that I wanted to know more. Hated that I’d been thinking about him these last few days since I’d seen him on my run. Hated that every time I’d gone on a run since, I’d looked for him."
Lincoln… You’re going to be claiming him as your book boyfriend when you’re done with the book. The dichotomy between who he pretends to be and who he is, and how he’s been burned but still trusts… Yeah. I think he’s going to be hard to beat.
"B.R. I hate you.
Right back at you, sweetheart."
If you read the previous book in the series, you know Lincoln got Brinkley fired, and you know what the circumstances were. So, there’s no love lost between these two. In fact, she may have convinced her whole family—even those who are fans!—to hate the GOAT of the NFL.
But what happens when he comes to her small town for a break and they run into each other?
"We may not be able to stand one another for long, but there was no doubt we’d fuck like rock stars."
Banter. We get A LOT of banter. We get her not taking his presence that well and him not understanding why she’s there to begin with. I mean, she’s a reporter, right? So, is she following him?
What we also get is chemistry. And boy, there was so much of it, and I was here for all of it.
"And God knows that Brinkley isn’t easy, but for whatever reason, I just don’t care. It doesn’t scare me. You don’t scare me, Brinkley Reynolds."
Now, look, Brinkley can be downright scary. She doesn’t take shit from anyone, and she’s her own woman. But what happens when she tries to scare away the only guy who’s not willing to let her do that?
The guy who wants to stay?
"I think you’re going to break my heart, Lincoln Hendrix."
"That’s just fear talking, sweetheart. I get it. What’s happening here is scary as shit. But since when do you or I let fear stop us from anything?"
I loved their character development. There’s so much to Lincoln that you can’t see at first because he doesn’t let you in. There’s a whole side of him that he keeps hidden.
And when these two finally start working together and she starts unpeeling his layers, that’s when you know this is going to be good.
"You want me to chase you, sweetheart? Because I will. If that’s what you need. But I want you in my bed. I want to wrap myself around you and wake up to you in the morning."
I love that they’re both afraid. Brinkley avoids heartache by choosing guys who will never be “it” for her—who don’t challenge her. Lincoln has been burned in the past, and he knows what it’s like to be left behind. He doesn’t want to get hurt.
But suddenly, that doesn’t matter. Because all he wants is her.
And even with his history, he falls first.
"There’s only one woman I see. One woman that I want."
His past and the feeling of found family got me all emotional. Let’s just say I can relate to a lot of it, and so it wasn’t easy for me to read it.
The way her family embraces this man, the love that seeps through the pages, even when they’re fighting and getting under each other’s skins… perfect.
"But all that matters to me is that I come home to you. That’s the house that I want."
It’s fine that you’re able to go it alone. But finding someone who wants to be there for you, who lifts you up and completes you, is everything.
That is the kind of love you get in this book.
And it feels just right.
July 25, 2023
My favorite small town romance of the year! On the Shore hooked me from the first page and held me captive until the very last word. I was swept up in the story and head over heels for these characters. Something about a grumpy NFL quarterback and a saucy reporter just hit ALL my buttons and I LOVED IT. Five stars and more!
July 18, 2023
I absolutely love this series so much - I can't get over it.
I love Lincoln and Brinkley so much. I knew from the start Brinkley was going to be a favorite of mine because she reminds me a lot of Dilly from Only Mine. I love how independent and fierce she is!
Brinkley is a sports journalist and gets fired from her job because of Lincoln (hence enemies to lovers). Lincoln ends up trying to get her job back for her because he feels bad but Brinkley refuses. Instead, Brinkley lands a job interviewing Lincoln on his "big story".
The banter in this was SOO GOOD & I absolutely loved the sibling texts (like always)
sports romance
small town
enemies to lovers
found family
workplace romance
forced proximity
2 🌶️
I love Lincoln and Brinkley so much. I knew from the start Brinkley was going to be a favorite of mine because she reminds me a lot of Dilly from Only Mine. I love how independent and fierce she is!
Brinkley is a sports journalist and gets fired from her job because of Lincoln (hence enemies to lovers). Lincoln ends up trying to get her job back for her because he feels bad but Brinkley refuses. Instead, Brinkley lands a job interviewing Lincoln on his "big story".
The banter in this was SOO GOOD & I absolutely loved the sibling texts (like always)
sports romance
small town
enemies to lovers
found family
workplace romance
forced proximity
2 🌶️
July 21, 2023
3.4 Stars
Disclaimer: Please remember that these are my opinions and if you feel differently, that’s okay. Thanks!
Notes: POV = Dual 1st person, FMC & MMC
Main Characters: Listen, I said it in the last book and I’ll say it again, Brinkley Reynolds (FMC) needs some character development. I love her stubbornness but following Lincoln Hendrix (MMC) into the bathroom was an invasion of privacy and she should have apologised long before we made it 40% into this book. I found Brinkley to be a little shallow and impatient. For example, she wants to grow a garden but she seems to be confused why it doesn’t just pop up overnight. Lincoln goes above and beyond to make her garden dreams come true, but I wish she’d had some more patience. I really like Lincoln. He was funny:
Side Characters: The Reynolds family group chat gives me life, I love their sibling relationship.
Plot/Story: This is all pretty cut and dry for romance. Brinkley needs a new job, Lincoln needs to decide what team he’s going to sign with, and they need to find their way to each other. We’ve got enemies-to-lovers, small-town, and sports tropes. The only cliche I didn’t like was that the MMC has a deadbeat father. I don’t understand why people think that we have to have some kind of conclusion or feel pity for the fathers of the MMCs. I don't feel bad for Keith (the father), he’s a coward who couldn’t apologise and planned it in a way that he got to say what he wanted and get it off his guilty chest without giving Lincoln the same kind of closure. Brinkley said it was so ‘heartfelt’ but it just annoyed me.
There is no 3rd-act break-up, but the climax was upsetting. I felt Brinkley was short-sighted and ridiculous. She acts so strong on the outside, but she’s just lost on the inside. She’s so worried about this ‘bubble’ that she thinks she’s in with Lincoln that she created a self-fulfilling prophecy when it came to said bubble ‘popping’. She should have been honest and said she needed time to sulk and be upset and get over it.
Romance: For a good portion of this book I liked Lincoln’s banter while not being able to fully enjoy it because I felt Brinkley needed to apologise. I wish we got more small talk, too, because there was a bit but not enough. I continue to love Laura’s spicy scenes, and there were some cute moments:
General: I got sick and tired of the word ‘GOAT’ the second time it was mentioned and I was devastated that we didn't get to see Georgia and Maddox’s wedding (since Georgia is my favourite sibling). My biggest complaint are the words, engorged shaft, no thank you.
Overall:
Liked the story, love the author, didn’t connect with the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Disclaimer: Please remember that these are my opinions and if you feel differently, that’s okay. Thanks!
Notes: POV = Dual 1st person, FMC & MMC
Main Characters: Listen, I said it in the last book and I’ll say it again, Brinkley Reynolds (FMC) needs some character development. I love her stubbornness but following Lincoln Hendrix (MMC) into the bathroom was an invasion of privacy and she should have apologised long before we made it 40% into this book. I found Brinkley to be a little shallow and impatient. For example, she wants to grow a garden but she seems to be confused why it doesn’t just pop up overnight. Lincoln goes above and beyond to make her garden dreams come true, but I wish she’d had some more patience. I really like Lincoln. He was funny:
“Well, we’ve already done the deed, and I think that’s going to be tough to beat.” She waggled her brows. Was I in some kind of small-town twilight zone? Why the fuck was she telling me this? But go, Lionel. Good for him.But, I don’t know, I felt kind of disconnected from these two.
Side Characters: The Reynolds family group chat gives me life, I love their sibling relationship.
HUGH “I love when you go deep, Old Wise One.” CAGE “It’s OLE Wise One. Don’t call me old, you dick sausage.”We also got to see our first couple, Hugh and Lila, get married! And it was so cute:
“They’re happy tears, Bear,” she croaked. “I know, baby.”Personally, I am so glad we got to visit our second couple, Georgia and Maddox, so often. Their banter will continue to be my favourite:
“Come on. We’ll show you his playroom.” “It’s a man cave, Tink. A playroom is for a child.” Maddox kissed the top of her head and led us down the hallway.
Plot/Story: This is all pretty cut and dry for romance. Brinkley needs a new job, Lincoln needs to decide what team he’s going to sign with, and they need to find their way to each other. We’ve got enemies-to-lovers, small-town, and sports tropes. The only cliche I didn’t like was that the MMC has a deadbeat father. I don’t understand why people think that we have to have some kind of conclusion or feel pity for the fathers of the MMCs. I don't feel bad for Keith (the father), he’s a coward who couldn’t apologise and planned it in a way that he got to say what he wanted and get it off his guilty chest without giving Lincoln the same kind of closure. Brinkley said it was so ‘heartfelt’ but it just annoyed me.
There is no 3rd-act break-up, but the climax was upsetting. I felt Brinkley was short-sighted and ridiculous. She acts so strong on the outside, but she’s just lost on the inside. She’s so worried about this ‘bubble’ that she thinks she’s in with Lincoln that she created a self-fulfilling prophecy when it came to said bubble ‘popping’. She should have been honest and said she needed time to sulk and be upset and get over it.
Romance: For a good portion of this book I liked Lincoln’s banter while not being able to fully enjoy it because I felt Brinkley needed to apologise. I wish we got more small talk, too, because there was a bit but not enough. I continue to love Laura’s spicy scenes, and there were some cute moments:
“This one time, you were right.” “Only this one time?” he asked, leaning down and kissing me hard. “This time was the only one that really mattered.”but overall I felt… neutral.
General: I got sick and tired of the word ‘GOAT’ the second time it was mentioned and I was devastated that we didn't get to see Georgia and Maddox’s wedding (since Georgia is my favourite sibling). My biggest complaint are the words, engorged shaft, no thank you.
Overall:
Liked the story, love the author, didn’t connect with the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 30, 2023
This series has me in a chokehold and if I could bribe @laurapavlovauthor to give me the next books the minute she finishes them I would give her basically anything she wanted.
This book is Brinkley and Lincoln’s story and tropes include enemies to lovers, sports, forced proximity and fantastic banter. Being back in Cottonwood Cove with the Reynolds family was just as fun and charming as I remembered it being and seeing them welcome a new member into their clan just made me fall in love with them even more. Their family group chat gives me life and makes me cackle every time. I really enjoyed that Brinkley and Lincoln’s love affair took some time to heat up as they have a super rocky start, watching them slowly get to know and open up to each other was magical and sweet. Adored this one as much as the first two books and if you like small town romance with some heat you have to read this series.
July 28, 2023
I think the phrase, “GOAT of the NFL” was used on every freaking page. Also, ma’am, YOU chased a pro athlete into a bathroom and are somehow surprised/upset he was pissed about it? She is delu delu.
July 9, 2023
🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧
Small Town and sports romances are my comfort books and this book have both with a bit of enemies to friends to lovers thrown into the mix and it worked pretty good!
I've already said before, that I was completely in love with The Reynold's family, from their parents to the siblings love and support system, and even their cousins, (that I'm looking forward to start listening too), and this third book didn't disappointed me at all.
Lincoln and Brinkley have had a hard start when she got fired from her job after she followed him into the bathroom for an interview. Fast forward a few weeks and he's in Cottonwood Cove to take a breath and decide his future, when they collide again, but this time, they're on her turf.
Their bickering was entertaining to listen, but the way they couldn't resist the pull and their sizzling chemistry, was definitely my favorite part.
They're so mature in the way they handled everything that could've been an issue or an obstacle to them as a couple, and obviously I have to mention again how The Reynolds embraced Lincoln as one of their own and how perfectly he fitted with them! I'm still swooning over him with little Grace!
It'll be hard to say goodbye to this family, but I can't wait to read Flinn's book!
🎧 About the Audiobook Narration 🎧
Narrated by Erin Mallow and Joe Arden and I don't have to say anything more!
Flawless is the only word I can use!
It would be perfection if it was in duet narration, but it was great anyway.
Small Town and sports romances are my comfort books and this book have both with a bit of enemies to friends to lovers thrown into the mix and it worked pretty good!
I've already said before, that I was completely in love with The Reynold's family, from their parents to the siblings love and support system, and even their cousins, (that I'm looking forward to start listening too), and this third book didn't disappointed me at all.
Lincoln and Brinkley have had a hard start when she got fired from her job after she followed him into the bathroom for an interview. Fast forward a few weeks and he's in Cottonwood Cove to take a breath and decide his future, when they collide again, but this time, they're on her turf.
Their bickering was entertaining to listen, but the way they couldn't resist the pull and their sizzling chemistry, was definitely my favorite part.
They're so mature in the way they handled everything that could've been an issue or an obstacle to them as a couple, and obviously I have to mention again how The Reynolds embraced Lincoln as one of their own and how perfectly he fitted with them! I'm still swooning over him with little Grace!
It'll be hard to say goodbye to this family, but I can't wait to read Flinn's book!
🎧 About the Audiobook Narration 🎧
Narrated by Erin Mallow and Joe Arden and I don't have to say anything more!
Flawless is the only word I can use!
It would be perfection if it was in duet narration, but it was great anyway.
July 27, 2023
read and listened to this one
Absolutely loved Lincolnnnnn. He was def the GOAT. I adore this lower angst read. It just makes my heart happy with the beautiful family dynamics and fun and spicyyyyy scenes. Lincoln loved his sweetheart and we are here for it.
Absolutely loved Lincolnnnnn. He was def the GOAT. I adore this lower angst read. It just makes my heart happy with the beautiful family dynamics and fun and spicyyyyy scenes. Lincoln loved his sweetheart and we are here for it.
September 4, 2023
4, 2/5💙
ці солодкі круасанчики зігріли моє серце теплом🔥❤️
Брінклі — незалежна пані, яка хоче кар'єру в сфері спортивної журналістики і впевнено її будувала, поки популярний футболіст не збив з курсу. Вона міцна ззовні, та м'яка і обережна всередині. Мені іноді здавалося, що Брінкс своїм теплом могла огорнути сім'ю, особливо племінницю. Мені сподобалося, що вона, попри свої почуття до цього неймовірного чоловіка, не зрадила саму себе. Натомість він кинув до її ніг весь світ.
Лінкольн — успішний футболіст, який обожнює свою роботу, але ненавидить приставучу пресу. Я його розумію, бо це величезний тиск. Він замкнутий для сторонніх людей, але сінабончик для близьких. Те, він оцінював свої емоції, почуття, їх зміну... Короче, це чоловік зі стабільною психікою, який потрібен кожній з нас😁
Вони разом, як два вогника — тліють і створюють світло. Їх початкова ненависть, що перетворилася в палку пристрасть і сильні почуття порадували мою душу💔
Вони мають спільні інтереси, бачення життя. Мені сподобалося, що головний конфлікт у книзі побороли компромісом для всіх, а не жертуваннями когось.
Брінклі та Лінкольн — два кар'єриста, які допомогли одне одному віднайти сім'ю — і це прекрасно😍
Взаємодія братів та сестер Рейнольдс — як завжди майже розірвала мені живіт від сміху😁
Події у житті парочок минулих книг 😍🥹
ці солодкі круасанчики зігріли моє серце теплом🔥❤️
Брінклі — незалежна пані, яка хоче кар'єру в сфері спортивної журналістики і впевнено її будувала, поки популярний футболіст не збив з курсу. Вона міцна ззовні, та м'яка і обережна всередині. Мені іноді здавалося, що Брінкс своїм теплом могла огорнути сім'ю, особливо племінницю. Мені сподобалося, що вона, попри свої почуття до цього неймовірного чоловіка, не зрадила саму себе. Натомість він кинув до її ніг весь світ.
Лінкольн — успішний футболіст, який обожнює свою роботу, але ненавидить приставучу пресу. Я його розумію, бо це величезний тиск. Він замкнутий для сторонніх людей, але сінабончик для близьких. Те, він оцінював свої емоції, почуття, їх зміну... Короче, це чоловік зі стабільною психікою, який потрібен кожній з нас😁
Вони разом, як два вогника — тліють і створюють світло. Їх початкова ненависть, що перетворилася в палку пристрасть і сильні почуття порадували мою душу💔
Вони мають спільні інтереси, бачення життя. Мені сподобалося, що головний конфлікт у книзі побороли компромісом для всіх, а не жертуваннями когось.
Брінклі та Лінкольн — два кар'єриста, які допомогли одне одному віднайти сім'ю — і це прекрасно😍
Взаємодія братів та сестер Рейнольдс — як завжди майже розірвала мені живіт від сміху😁
Події у житті парочок минулих книг 😍🥹
August 20, 2023
This is the first book I've read by Laura Pavlov, and I just loved it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶
- Enemies to lovers
- Small twon
- Dual POV
- Sports Romance
- Forced Proximity
'' Because I don't want you in my bed for one night, Brinkley Reynolds. It won't be enough for me.''
'' I think you're going to break my heart, Lincoln Hendrix" '' That just fear talking, sweetheart. I get it. What's happening here is scary as shit."
The banter is * chef kiss *. I fell in love with the characters. I identified a lot with Brinkley, and Lincoln was wonderful. And his dirty mouth 🔥🔥🔥
I generally don't like third-act conflicts, but this book was very well done. I got lost in the story and read it really fast.
I highly recommend this book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶
- Enemies to lovers
- Small twon
- Dual POV
- Sports Romance
- Forced Proximity
'' Because I don't want you in my bed for one night, Brinkley Reynolds. It won't be enough for me.''
'' I think you're going to break my heart, Lincoln Hendrix" '' That just fear talking, sweetheart. I get it. What's happening here is scary as shit."
The banter is * chef kiss *. I fell in love with the characters. I identified a lot with Brinkley, and Lincoln was wonderful. And his dirty mouth 🔥🔥🔥
I generally don't like third-act conflicts, but this book was very well done. I got lost in the story and read it really fast.
I highly recommend this book.
January 31, 2025
для себе зрозуміла, що мені дуже імпонує стиль написання авторки та її головні герої (особливо написані нею чоловіки:) а це третя прочитана книжка і я хочу ще.
тропи:
✨від ненависті до кохання
✨маленьке містечко
✨вимушена близькість
✨спортивний роман
професійний футболіст Лінкольн Хендрікс не має симпатії до Брінклі Рейнольдс, яка у свій час повелася не дуже професійно і етично з ним. а вона його терпіти не може у відповідь. все це почалося із репортерської роботи, яка потерпіла фіаско, а закінчилося чимось більшим.
їхнє роздратування одне до одного я яскраво відчула на початку. так, мене це теж трохи, зоооовсім трохи дратувало, але водночас я полюбила те, я��ою гострою могла бути Брінклі) кожна її смілива відповідь і насмішки – і я валялася від сміху. тут вони мене потішили. Лінкольн хоч і з виду грубий, але мені подобається, як він швидко розумів, що десь міг перетнути межу і що намагався загладити провину перед Брінкс, хоча історія знайомства у них не ідеальна. знову ж таки, за що
я вподобала Лауру Павлов – мінімум драми і максимум розвитку, як пари. але, мабуть, моєю улюбленою частиною книжки була зустріч Лінкольна зі своїми знайденими братом та сестрою. ось їх мені справді не вистачило. адже ця трійця могла би позмагатися із самими Рейнольдсами :)
4/5 ~ 8/10 ⭐️
тропи:
✨від ненависті до кохання
✨маленьке містечко
✨вимушена близькість
✨спортивний роман
професійний футболіст Лінкольн Хендрікс не має симпатії до Брінклі Рейнольдс, яка у свій час повелася не дуже професійно і етично з ним. а вона його терпіти не може у відповідь. все це почалося із репортерської роботи, яка потерпіла фіаско, а закінчилося чимось більшим.
їхнє роздратування одне до одного я яскраво відчула на початку. так, мене це теж трохи, зоооовсім трохи дратувало, але водночас я полюбила те, я��ою гострою могла бути Брінклі) кожна її смілива відповідь і насмішки – і я валялася від сміху. тут вони мене потішили. Лінкольн хоч і з виду грубий, але мені подобається, як він швидко розумів, що десь міг перетнути межу і що намагався загладити провину перед Брінкс, хоча історія знайомства у них не ідеальна. знову ж таки, за що
я вподобала Лауру Павлов – мінімум драми і максимум розвитку, як пари. але, мабуть, моєю улюбленою частиною книжки була зустріч Лінкольна зі своїми знайденими братом та сестрою. ось їх мені справді не вистачило. адже ця трійця могла би позмагатися із самими Рейнольдсами :)
4/5 ~ 8/10 ⭐️
February 12, 2024
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Don’t we just love when he falls first?! 👌🏼
I feel like Brinkleys work ethic/drive wasn’t put to justice nor was her toughness/scariness, which had been built up pretty highly in the other books.
I really loved the main characters but it was SO HARD to keep up with the constant updates of 8 other books/main character’s lives. The back and forth was so exhausting. I had to run through all the siblings in my head JUST to remember who was who(not to mention the five girl cousins and their husbands).
I would NOT read again, but I still enjoyed it. Not my fave either.
Don’t we just love when he falls first?! 👌🏼
I feel like Brinkleys work ethic/drive wasn’t put to justice nor was her toughness/scariness, which had been built up pretty highly in the other books.
I really loved the main characters but it was SO HARD to keep up with the constant updates of 8 other books/main character’s lives. The back and forth was so exhausting. I had to run through all the siblings in my head JUST to remember who was who(not to mention the five girl cousins and their husbands).
I would NOT read again, but I still enjoyed it. Not my fave either.
August 15, 2023
why are all these men literally the exact same and say the exact same things? Snore.
August 13, 2023
No, because we actually need to talk about it. My expectations for On the Shore were low, to say the least. I could tell after reading the disappointment that was Georgia and Maddox’s story that my time in Cottonwood Cove was more than likely coming to an end. Alas, here we are.
I’m a little sad because when I started reading Pavlov’s writing toward the end of the Honey Mountain series, I thought I’d discovered another comfort author. Saying she was one of my favorites would be a stretch, but I always got a little giddy whenever I could dive back into whatever small town she’d created. But the writing in each of these novels has somehow become excruciatingly more painful each time she puts them out. It’s all tell and no show. Not to mention, somehow the writing in each book becomes more formal than the last, only becoming an aid in this predicament. No. One. Talks. Like. That. I cannot believe I have to say this in every review. It’s awkward, uncomfortable, and completely outside the realm of believability. I cannot emotionally connect with characters that talk as though they’re in a clinic.
I don’t like to undermine an author’s writing choices, especially since they are the creator of whatever story they choose to tell. It shouldn’t be up to me to decide whether a story is canonically accurate. That being said, as a reader, I’ve been beyond infuriated at the way in which some of my favorite character’s stories are being written. It all seems so out of character. These are not the same people I fell in love with in Hugh and Lila’s story, the first installment of the series.
As I mentioned, I was nervous to jump into Brinkley and Lincoln’s story, purely because of the sneak peeks we’ve gotten in the previous two books. Lincoln seemed like a pretentious douchebag, and would you look at that. He is. Toxic masculinity to his core. He doesn’t want what’s best for Brinkley, despite his adamance to her and the readers that he does. He has the audacity to vacation in her hometown and act like she’s inconvenienced him.
There was quite literally no plot. It all revolved around Lincoln staying in Cottonwood Cove to train in private for his upcoming season, seeing Brinkley, insisting that she was stalking him before proceeding to feel guilty for costing her her job. Then, in an act of what is supposed to be redemption, he calls her ex-employer and insists that they give Brinkley her job back, not even bothering to ask her if that’s what she wants. I mean, I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing I love more than a man that fights my battles for me, purely because he’s too prideful to actually apologize. I rolled my eyes so far back into my head, I’m surprised they aren’t stuck there.
“You want to know my story?” “Not particularly,” she said…”But the world wants to hear it, so I wouldn’t mind telling it.” “You sure you can handle it?”
Well, shiver me timbers. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t and will never be, that deep. He then tells Brinkley that she can be the one to break the news of where he’s going to play next season, alongside a tell-all interview. It’s the story she needs to launch her into her career as a reporter with a big-time sports agency, being as he’s the GOAT of the NFL which you couldn’t forget even if you wanted to because it’s mentioned almost every other page. The versatility is so…*chef’s kiss*. In case you missed it, that was sarcasm… If I have to see that word being used unironically one more time, I may actually become violent.
“But it was his abs that had my attention. The man had at least an eight-pack.”
I’m going to keep a lot of my thoughts to myself on this one. After all, karma can be a bitch. But, I’ve got one simple request. Can we please, please, stop writing unrealistic men? I don’t care that he’s an NFL player. An eight-pack? At least? Let’s be for real. Naturally, he’s cocky about it too, so he clearly doesn’t have the personality going for him.
The character development was non-existent and their origin story was cheap. Brinkley was supposed to be this independent girl boss and instead, she lets this man absolutely dog her. He basically gaslit her into being in a relationship with him. I could never tell whether the two of them were actually arguing or playing around. They both were too dramatic for their own good.
I also don’t understand why we can’t reference a male’s genitalia as anything normal. In Georgia and Maddox’s story, it was mount cockasaurus and giant schlong, and while nothing will ever disturb me more than that, at least we only had to deal with the giant schlong this time.
Oh, but don’t worry. There were some almost equally traumatizing experiences. My favorite line in the entire story…
“The man’s stank was an aphrodisiac.”
Please just put me out of my misery. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.
To put into perspective how juvenile this writing felt to me, I skimmed through the smut too. There’s no chemistry in the streets or sheets, okay?
The stereotypes and cliches in this book and truthfully, this series, is wild. Not every book needs to end with the couple getting married and having children. Brinkley and Lincoln moved in together after what? Maybe a week of dating? Girl, I actually cannot take anything you say seriously anymore. You actually have me rooting for the opposite. I hope you break up. Divorce, babe, divorce.
As if it couldn’t get any worse, then we got this line.
“Yes. My hot husband put a baby in me. I was waiting to tell you when we were all together.”
Somehow, this is worse than someone telling you they’re trying for a baby. I’d rather have someone tell me they were raw-dogging it every night than have to hear this shit. Why…just why? These are choices we are making and none of them are good.
Also, let’s talk about how two of the Reynolds kids got married, but only one of the weddings occurred on page. Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting to see either unfold on the page, but why mention the second if you’re not going to give it equal attention? That being said, let’s talk about the other plot points that were irrelevant…
pointless plot points:
- Breen Lockhart
- Georgia and Maddox’s wedding
- Wyle, Maddox’s brother, just…being there all the time?
-
The only aspect of this story I enjoyed, was yet again, the Reynolds family dynamics. The group chat always slays.
I’m a little sad because when I started reading Pavlov’s writing toward the end of the Honey Mountain series, I thought I’d discovered another comfort author. Saying she was one of my favorites would be a stretch, but I always got a little giddy whenever I could dive back into whatever small town she’d created. But the writing in each of these novels has somehow become excruciatingly more painful each time she puts them out. It’s all tell and no show. Not to mention, somehow the writing in each book becomes more formal than the last, only becoming an aid in this predicament. No. One. Talks. Like. That. I cannot believe I have to say this in every review. It’s awkward, uncomfortable, and completely outside the realm of believability. I cannot emotionally connect with characters that talk as though they’re in a clinic.
I don’t like to undermine an author’s writing choices, especially since they are the creator of whatever story they choose to tell. It shouldn’t be up to me to decide whether a story is canonically accurate. That being said, as a reader, I’ve been beyond infuriated at the way in which some of my favorite character’s stories are being written. It all seems so out of character. These are not the same people I fell in love with in Hugh and Lila’s story, the first installment of the series.
As I mentioned, I was nervous to jump into Brinkley and Lincoln’s story, purely because of the sneak peeks we’ve gotten in the previous two books. Lincoln seemed like a pretentious douchebag, and would you look at that. He is. Toxic masculinity to his core. He doesn’t want what’s best for Brinkley, despite his adamance to her and the readers that he does. He has the audacity to vacation in her hometown and act like she’s inconvenienced him.
There was quite literally no plot. It all revolved around Lincoln staying in Cottonwood Cove to train in private for his upcoming season, seeing Brinkley, insisting that she was stalking him before proceeding to feel guilty for costing her her job. Then, in an act of what is supposed to be redemption, he calls her ex-employer and insists that they give Brinkley her job back, not even bothering to ask her if that’s what she wants. I mean, I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing I love more than a man that fights my battles for me, purely because he’s too prideful to actually apologize. I rolled my eyes so far back into my head, I’m surprised they aren’t stuck there.
“You want to know my story?” “Not particularly,” she said…”But the world wants to hear it, so I wouldn’t mind telling it.” “You sure you can handle it?”
Well, shiver me timbers. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t and will never be, that deep. He then tells Brinkley that she can be the one to break the news of where he’s going to play next season, alongside a tell-all interview. It’s the story she needs to launch her into her career as a reporter with a big-time sports agency, being as he’s the GOAT of the NFL which you couldn’t forget even if you wanted to because it’s mentioned almost every other page. The versatility is so…*chef’s kiss*. In case you missed it, that was sarcasm… If I have to see that word being used unironically one more time, I may actually become violent.
“But it was his abs that had my attention. The man had at least an eight-pack.”
I’m going to keep a lot of my thoughts to myself on this one. After all, karma can be a bitch. But, I’ve got one simple request. Can we please, please, stop writing unrealistic men? I don’t care that he’s an NFL player. An eight-pack? At least? Let’s be for real. Naturally, he’s cocky about it too, so he clearly doesn’t have the personality going for him.
The character development was non-existent and their origin story was cheap. Brinkley was supposed to be this independent girl boss and instead, she lets this man absolutely dog her. He basically gaslit her into being in a relationship with him. I could never tell whether the two of them were actually arguing or playing around. They both were too dramatic for their own good.
I also don’t understand why we can’t reference a male’s genitalia as anything normal. In Georgia and Maddox’s story, it was mount cockasaurus and giant schlong, and while nothing will ever disturb me more than that, at least we only had to deal with the giant schlong this time.
Oh, but don’t worry. There were some almost equally traumatizing experiences. My favorite line in the entire story…
“The man’s stank was an aphrodisiac.”
Please just put me out of my misery. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.
To put into perspective how juvenile this writing felt to me, I skimmed through the smut too. There’s no chemistry in the streets or sheets, okay?
The stereotypes and cliches in this book and truthfully, this series, is wild. Not every book needs to end with the couple getting married and having children. Brinkley and Lincoln moved in together after what? Maybe a week of dating? Girl, I actually cannot take anything you say seriously anymore. You actually have me rooting for the opposite. I hope you break up. Divorce, babe, divorce.
As if it couldn’t get any worse, then we got this line.
“Yes. My hot husband put a baby in me. I was waiting to tell you when we were all together.”
Somehow, this is worse than someone telling you they’re trying for a baby. I’d rather have someone tell me they were raw-dogging it every night than have to hear this shit. Why…just why? These are choices we are making and none of them are good.
Also, let’s talk about how two of the Reynolds kids got married, but only one of the weddings occurred on page. Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting to see either unfold on the page, but why mention the second if you’re not going to give it equal attention? That being said, let’s talk about the other plot points that were irrelevant…
pointless plot points:
- Breen Lockhart
- Georgia and Maddox’s wedding
- Wyle, Maddox’s brother, just…being there all the time?
-
The only aspect of this story I enjoyed, was yet again, the Reynolds family dynamics. The group chat always slays.
September 7, 2023
🎧🎧AUDIO REVIEW🎧🎧
OVERALL REVIEW & RATING: 5 ++ STARS
I am impressed with Laura Pavlov. Seriously impressed!
Also, #RudeGentleman for the #win!! *heart eyes*
PERFORMANCE REVIEW & RATING: 5 ++ STARS
Erin Mallon & Joe Arden … ‘nuff said, amirite?!
STORY REVIEW & RATING: 4.9 ++ STARS
This story made me ridiculously happy and lit me up from the inside from the moment I started listening.
Lincoln and Brinkley had passion even before they were passionate. Pavlov did an outstanding job of building their friendship while simultaneously building their romance. My heart was full thru the entire journey. Every plot-point of this story was full of emotion in one way or another and it was fantastic. Between the passion of the story and the outstanding banter between everyone, the #feels overflowed but never into angst territory. <<< I loved that!! There is depth to both Lincoln & Brinkley’s character development as individuals and as a couple, but it never crosses over to ‘angst’ territory, yet it was all deeply emotional. At least it was for me.
The Reynolds family dynamic in this story is strong and I loved that Pavlov took advantage of the sibling bond and made it part of the story. It added a whole lot of humor and depth to the overall 'family arc' embedded in the series. This story stands completely on its own, so the previous books do not have to be read to understand any of the storyline, but I’ve been a huge fan of the family from the beginning so for me, it was just another glorious layer to my already fantastic experience!
Have you ever just read a story and been so happy with it that you find yourself not really knowing how to ‘review’ and just wanting to tell the world to ”just read it”? That’s me, right now, and it’s been me since I listened to this story almost a month ago. I don’t want to tell you the how or the why of anything because stories like this one should be experienced without anyone else’s prejudice. So that’s all you’re getting from me. DO THE THING. Seriously.
Are you wondering why my rating of the story is 4.9 instead of just 5 stars? Well, I’m gonna tell you whether you are or not LOL … I hated the conflict plot-point with Brinkley at almost the end of this beautiful journey. It was predictable and cliché and Pavlov is better than that. It felt lazy to me, especially the set-up of it. I don’t have an alternative because I’m not a writer, I just know it didn’t hit right with me. *shrug*
OVERALL REVIEW & RATING: 5 ++ STARS
I am impressed with Laura Pavlov. Seriously impressed!
Also, #RudeGentleman for the #win!! *heart eyes*
PERFORMANCE REVIEW & RATING: 5 ++ STARS
Erin Mallon & Joe Arden … ‘nuff said, amirite?!
STORY REVIEW & RATING: 4.9 ++ STARS
This story made me ridiculously happy and lit me up from the inside from the moment I started listening.
Lincoln and Brinkley had passion even before they were passionate. Pavlov did an outstanding job of building their friendship while simultaneously building their romance. My heart was full thru the entire journey. Every plot-point of this story was full of emotion in one way or another and it was fantastic. Between the passion of the story and the outstanding banter between everyone, the #feels overflowed but never into angst territory. <<< I loved that!! There is depth to both Lincoln & Brinkley’s character development as individuals and as a couple, but it never crosses over to ‘angst’ territory, yet it was all deeply emotional. At least it was for me.
The Reynolds family dynamic in this story is strong and I loved that Pavlov took advantage of the sibling bond and made it part of the story. It added a whole lot of humor and depth to the overall 'family arc' embedded in the series. This story stands completely on its own, so the previous books do not have to be read to understand any of the storyline, but I’ve been a huge fan of the family from the beginning so for me, it was just another glorious layer to my already fantastic experience!
Have you ever just read a story and been so happy with it that you find yourself not really knowing how to ‘review’ and just wanting to tell the world to ”just read it”? That’s me, right now, and it’s been me since I listened to this story almost a month ago. I don’t want to tell you the how or the why of anything because stories like this one should be experienced without anyone else’s prejudice. So that’s all you’re getting from me. DO THE THING. Seriously.
Are you wondering why my rating of the story is 4.9 instead of just 5 stars? Well, I’m gonna tell you whether you are or not LOL … I hated the conflict plot-point with Brinkley at almost the end of this beautiful journey. It was predictable and cliché and Pavlov is better than that. It felt lazy to me, especially the set-up of it. I don’t have an alternative because I’m not a writer, I just know it didn’t hit right with me. *shrug*
July 15, 2023
On the Shore is book 3 in Laura Pavlov’s Cottonwood Cove series and I have just been loving this entire series. He’s a NFL player, she’s a hot-headed sports reporter who despises him (he got her fired), and now they’re both in the same small town for summer!
“The waves crashed against the shore a few feet away, and I could stay here forever, kissing this girl.
Under the moon.
On the shore.”
After getting fired from her sports reporter job, Brinkley headed back to her small hometown of Cottonwood Cove. She’s ready to spend time with her beloved family (parents, siblings, niece), pick up a gardening hobby, and figure out what to do with her career next. But then Lincoln Hendrix rolls in to town and accuses her of stalking him. Lincoln wanted a break from reporters, a chance to clear his mind, and decide where he’s going to play next season, so he is crashing at his agent’s Cottonwood Cove house. He remembers Brinkley as the nosy reporter who followed him into a bathroom and can’t believe their luck that they’re in the same small town for the summer. When he finds out he got her fired, he tries to make it right and even offers up a chance for Brinkley to shadow him and write up a story on him. The usually closed-off Lincoln is even going to let Brinkley be the one to share the news of where he’s signing.
I loved all the forced proximity we get with Brinkley and Lincoln. They start working out together every morning and he says each day he’ll answer 3 questions for her story on him. He’s so pulled to her but also annoyed with her half the time and it was honestly just so much fun! A+ hateful banter between these two. I loved all the quiet, peaceful time and how much the cove and the shore means to them. Brinkley’s family is so much fun, I love all their group chats, and I want stories for all of them. I just love a romance where he falls first and is the one trying to convince her they should date. We even get to see them on a trip together and a sick caretaking scene (he takes care of her).
Thank you so much to Valentine PR and the author for an ARC, all thoughts in this review are my own. On the Shore has a pub date of July 27, 2023!
“The waves crashed against the shore a few feet away, and I could stay here forever, kissing this girl.
Under the moon.
On the shore.”
After getting fired from her sports reporter job, Brinkley headed back to her small hometown of Cottonwood Cove. She’s ready to spend time with her beloved family (parents, siblings, niece), pick up a gardening hobby, and figure out what to do with her career next. But then Lincoln Hendrix rolls in to town and accuses her of stalking him. Lincoln wanted a break from reporters, a chance to clear his mind, and decide where he’s going to play next season, so he is crashing at his agent’s Cottonwood Cove house. He remembers Brinkley as the nosy reporter who followed him into a bathroom and can’t believe their luck that they’re in the same small town for the summer. When he finds out he got her fired, he tries to make it right and even offers up a chance for Brinkley to shadow him and write up a story on him. The usually closed-off Lincoln is even going to let Brinkley be the one to share the news of where he’s signing.
I loved all the forced proximity we get with Brinkley and Lincoln. They start working out together every morning and he says each day he’ll answer 3 questions for her story on him. He’s so pulled to her but also annoyed with her half the time and it was honestly just so much fun! A+ hateful banter between these two. I loved all the quiet, peaceful time and how much the cove and the shore means to them. Brinkley’s family is so much fun, I love all their group chats, and I want stories for all of them. I just love a romance where he falls first and is the one trying to convince her they should date. We even get to see them on a trip together and a sick caretaking scene (he takes care of her).
Thank you so much to Valentine PR and the author for an ARC, all thoughts in this review are my own. On the Shore has a pub date of July 27, 2023!
September 30, 2023
4.5 / 5 💌🏈🌊☁️
this book, ugh, laura pavlov does it again! it's a small town, hate to love, sports romance. she's a sports reporter and he's a famous nfl player. their first encounter does not go smoothly in the slightest which sparks a little hatred between them which stems even further when he ends spending his off season in her little small town, where her family is royalty.
I loved lincoln and brinkley, they were so sweet and their relationship was perfect.
I ate up all the family moments in this book, seeing lila and hugh get married from book 1, all the honey mountain news and babies (swoon, because i love those sisters so much and their books were incredible too, another small town series).
tropes
🏈 football romance
☁️ nfl player x sports reporter
🌊 small town
💌 hate to love
book 3 in a series of interconnected stand-alones, I recommend reading them in order because it's follows a family of five siblings and it's honestly just perfect and what's not to love about a small town romance series <33
this book, ugh, laura pavlov does it again! it's a small town, hate to love, sports romance. she's a sports reporter and he's a famous nfl player. their first encounter does not go smoothly in the slightest which sparks a little hatred between them which stems even further when he ends spending his off season in her little small town, where her family is royalty.
I loved lincoln and brinkley, they were so sweet and their relationship was perfect.
I ate up all the family moments in this book, seeing lila and hugh get married from book 1, all the honey mountain news and babies (swoon, because i love those sisters so much and their books were incredible too, another small town series).
tropes
🏈 football romance
☁️ nfl player x sports reporter
🌊 small town
💌 hate to love
book 3 in a series of interconnected stand-alones, I recommend reading them in order because it's follows a family of five siblings and it's honestly just perfect and what's not to love about a small town romance series <33
July 30, 2023
Brinkley is a walking, talking version of what female journalists should not do. The plot around dating a professional athlete isn't even the problem here. She crossed ethical lines way before that. And the way she made a deal and bartered to get the story...hmmmmph.
No wonder we aren't viewed as valuable members of this profession. Our own sex doesn't write us as strong examples of success in FICTION.
Don't get me started on my ongoing dissertation around ocean water temperature in Northern CA. Everyone in this series should have died from hypothermia a long time ago. Especially loved that Cabo was too cold for her...
No wonder we aren't viewed as valuable members of this profession. Our own sex doesn't write us as strong examples of success in FICTION.
Don't get me started on my ongoing dissertation around ocean water temperature in Northern CA. Everyone in this series should have died from hypothermia a long time ago. Especially loved that Cabo was too cold for her...
June 27, 2024
Sports romance, enemiest to lovers and Laura Pavlov. There´s nothing better than this.
I have loved Brinkley since i first read about her, and her book was what i expected. IT WAS SO GOOD, both Brinkley and Lincoln stole my heart.
But for me, the best part of this book, of this series is the found family, which is one of my favourites tropes.
I have loved Brinkley since i first read about her, and her book was what i expected. IT WAS SO GOOD, both Brinkley and Lincoln stole my heart.
But for me, the best part of this book, of this series is the found family, which is one of my favourites tropes.
July 9, 2023
Early audio arc
I loved it. Their banter, the maturity, the love. The siblings in this series are my faves, and Laura, I feel like, ups her steam game.
The narrators were also amazing! I couldn’t love them more as the FMC & MMC!
This series is so much fun!
I loved it. Their banter, the maturity, the love. The siblings in this series are my faves, and Laura, I feel like, ups her steam game.
The narrators were also amazing! I couldn’t love them more as the FMC & MMC!
This series is so much fun!
January 30, 2024
they were so cute together, it didn’t really feel enemies to lovers tho because they start hanging out & working together quite quickly so but otherwise really liked this one!
October 15, 2023
4.5 stars
Lincoln and Brinkley's book.
Laura has written another winner in the Cottonwood Cove series, and I fall in love with this town and people each and every time .
Lincoln unwittingly gets Brinkley fired from her job as a sports reporter when she goes into the male locker room/ bathroom in order to get a story from him.
Weeks later,they bump into each other again in the town that she lives in,and the sparks are flying.
He never realized that she was fired because of his complaints and attempts to get her rehired back at her old job, but she refuses the offer as her old boss was a leech.
These two are like oil and water,but underneath it all, there is a simmering attraction between them.
I loved seeing the Reynolds family dynamics back in action, and little Gracie stole each and every page that she is on. Can a four year old be any cuter!
Hugh and Lila"s wedding was beautiful. Meeting up with the Thomas girls and their growing brood was a nice touch.
The introduction of new characters/ series has me anxiously awaiting to visit their homey town soon.
I never read many small town romances before,but Laura Pavlov has made me a fan and will be diving into Finn's book soon.
Read the bonus epilogue,so beautiful.
Lincoln and Brinkley's book.
Laura has written another winner in the Cottonwood Cove series, and I fall in love with this town and people each and every time .
Lincoln unwittingly gets Brinkley fired from her job as a sports reporter when she goes into the male locker room/ bathroom in order to get a story from him.
Weeks later,they bump into each other again in the town that she lives in,and the sparks are flying.
He never realized that she was fired because of his complaints and attempts to get her rehired back at her old job, but she refuses the offer as her old boss was a leech.
These two are like oil and water,but underneath it all, there is a simmering attraction between them.
I loved seeing the Reynolds family dynamics back in action, and little Gracie stole each and every page that she is on. Can a four year old be any cuter!
Hugh and Lila"s wedding was beautiful. Meeting up with the Thomas girls and their growing brood was a nice touch.
The introduction of new characters/ series has me anxiously awaiting to visit their homey town soon.
I never read many small town romances before,but Laura Pavlov has made me a fan and will be diving into Finn's book soon.
Read the bonus epilogue,so beautiful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2023
Впевнені 5/5
У цій книзі було все. Таких здорових стосунків, де люди вміють ГОВОРИТИ я не бачила давно. Так у героїв є власні, проблеми, але ж усі ми люди. Нам властиво помилятися. Здорові стосунки між героями. Приклади чудових родин. Приклад того, що ти можеш бути нормальним, виростаючи як у повній родині, так і з кимось одним. Події розвивалися лаконічно, не дуже швидко, не дуже затягнуто. Окрема моя любов, до другорядних персонажів, іх взаємодія просто у саме серденько. Є моменти де можна посміятися, похвилюватися і навіть заплакати (плакала навіть я..). Великий плюс авторці, за добре прописаних героїв, й історії в цілому!
У цій книзі було все. Таких здорових стосунків, де люди вміють ГОВОРИТИ я не бачила давно. Так у героїв є власні, проблеми, але ж усі ми люди. Нам властиво помилятися. Здорові стосунки між героями. Приклади чудових родин. Приклад того, що ти можеш бути нормальним, виростаючи як у повній родині, так і з кимось одним. Події розвивалися лаконічно, не дуже швидко, не дуже затягнуто. Окрема моя любов, до другорядних персонажів, іх взаємодія просто у саме серденько. Є моменти де можна посміятися, похвилюватися і навіть заплакати (плакала навіть я..). Великий плюс авторці, за добре прописаних героїв, й історії в цілому!
July 25, 2023
Laura did it again! Brinkley and Lincoln are FIRE, and One the Shore was small-town gold. I was pulled in from the very first sentence, and couldn’t stop until I reached the amazing HEA.
August 3, 2023
4.5 ⭐️!! I loved this so much!! We have enemies to lovers with no third act breakup?? Insane sexual tension and grumpy caretaking!!! Obsessed.
Lincoln and Brinkley were so cute together and I’m so glad we got to see just cute domestic moments of them being in a relationship and having fun without all the drama. Their communication was immaculate and I love me a fierce heroine who stands her ground!!
Loved!!
Lincoln and Brinkley were so cute together and I’m so glad we got to see just cute domestic moments of them being in a relationship and having fun without all the drama. Their communication was immaculate and I love me a fierce heroine who stands her ground!!
Loved!!
June 3, 2024
The enemies to lovers was done so well in this book. It has all the banter and sexual tension that make an enemies-to-lovers so entertaining. Lincoln and Brinkley went toe to toe with each other and challenged as well as annoyed each other to no end. I loved every second of it.
Another thing I absolutely loved was the bond the Reynold siblings have. I loved their group texts.
I’ve fallen in love with this town and I can’t wait for more!!
*Read as a standalone*
✓ Enemies to Lovers
✓ Small Town
✓ Sports Romance 🏈 Football
✓ Family Dynamics
✓ Off Charts Chemistry
✓ Delightful banter
Another thing I absolutely loved was the bond the Reynold siblings have. I loved their group texts.
I’ve fallen in love with this town and I can’t wait for more!!
*Read as a standalone*
✓ Enemies to Lovers
✓ Small Town
✓ Sports Romance 🏈 Football
✓ Family Dynamics
✓ Off Charts Chemistry
✓ Delightful banter
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,934 reviews