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Hart's Ridge #2
Don't Call Me Sweetheart
It’s not fake dating. It’s practice dating.
Teen mom. Army widow. Small town sweetheart.
I’ve worn those labels in Hart’s Ridge for my whole life, and I’m tired of it. So I let myself break free of their rules, for just one night, with the hottest man I’ve ever seen. But our one-night stand is a disaster. Fortunately for me, I’ll never see him again.
Except it turns out he’s the principal of my daughter’s school.
Max Darlington is every bit as broken as I am. I don’t know how to let go. He doesn’t know how to hold on. But maybe we can teach each other.
Perfect for fans of Elsie Silver and Melanie Harlow, Don’t Call Me Sweetheart, book two in the Hart’s Ridge series, is a lightly angsty, steamy, small town contemporary romance.
Teen mom. Army widow. Small town sweetheart.
I’ve worn those labels in Hart’s Ridge for my whole life, and I’m tired of it. So I let myself break free of their rules, for just one night, with the hottest man I’ve ever seen. But our one-night stand is a disaster. Fortunately for me, I’ll never see him again.
Except it turns out he’s the principal of my daughter’s school.
Max Darlington is every bit as broken as I am. I don’t know how to let go. He doesn’t know how to hold on. But maybe we can teach each other.
Perfect for fans of Elsie Silver and Melanie Harlow, Don’t Call Me Sweetheart, book two in the Hart’s Ridge series, is a lightly angsty, steamy, small town contemporary romance.
- GenresRomanceContemporary
375 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2023
80 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Bright
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Elizabeth Bright writes smart, passionate romance with heart, humor, and heat. "Sparkling prose...unrelentingly sharp...unabashedly nerdy." (Bookpage) When she's not writing stubborn heroines and the men who adore them, Elizabeth can be found hiking and rock climbing. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her two daughters, who are every bit as headstrong and wonderful as the characters she writes.
Elizabeth Bright writes smart, passionate romance with heart, humor, and heat. "Sparkling prose...unrelentingly sharp...unabashedly nerdy." (Bookpage) When she's not writing stubborn heroines and the men who adore them, Elizabeth can be found hiking and rock climbing. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her two daughters, who are every bit as headstrong and wonderful as the characters she writes.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 17, 2025
2.5 stars rounded down but maybe more because of my mood than the book
This one didn't resonate with me the way I'd hoped. I found the inner monologues and introspection, along with constant mentions of the past, with comparisons, to really negatively impact my enjoyment of the characters' arcs. Loved that the H was actively in therapy and his therapist did not pull punches, but the h genuinely needed to also go to therapy. Her growth felt more stunted in comparison to the H's esp in the third act. Other readers will enjoy the small town elements and the emotional aspect of feeling like you're boxed in or held back and how the main characters push themselves to want more. The execution did not work for me personally, however I'd still be interested in trying other books by the author.
Written in first person, dual POV. No ow/om drama and both are experienced, though it's uneven. The H seemed to have slept around and had short relationships that were never serious. The h had only ever been with her husband and she'd been a widow for 10 years. The H needs to practice emotional connection and intimacy in order to have more meaningful relationships and the h has to practice easing back into physical intimacy so there are multiple times where one of them thinks about how their past experiences were compared to their present.
Some tropes/themes:
☆ Widowed FMC
☆ MMC is the principal at FMC's daughter's school
☆ Failed ONS
☆ Practice relationship - they tell people but decide on an end date to "protect" themselves
☆ Therapy rep
☆ Mentions of complex family dynamics - foster care, drug addicted parent, overbearing parents, teen motherhood
☆ Finding connection
☆ Small town
☆ Nosy neighbors
☆ Learning how to be a good partner
☆ Third act breakup
The h is essentially stuck in a place where her small town treats her as a figure of pity because of her young widowhood. She also struggles with being the town sweetheart and making her own choices vs. going along with whatever others need. She was a feisty teen who had to settle down fast and she's dissatisfied with where she is now but unsure how to change it. The H has a background of instability and emotionally protects himself from deeper relationships. He's in town for a new job and to possibly connect with family. He's both nerdy and caring, but with a wealth of insecurity under the surface. The h meets the H at a bar following a failed night out with her best friends and the two have instant attraction and a failed ONS follows that does have a touch of sweet connection before they separate. Imagine both of their surprise when the H turns out to be the new principal of the local private school and the h is one of the most beloved parents.
I did like these two together and how when they weren't in their own heads, their natural chemistry shined. Because of the premise, it did make sense why we were treated to so much processing of their internal emotions, I just felt that some of it wasn't necessary or became repetitive. They also both felt somewhat naive at times as they attempted to navigate a practice relationship, which I did actually enjoy since the h's main experience was as a teenager and the H wasn't able to be emotionally open in prior relationships, even as it was hard to see adults struggle like this. Emotional vulnerability and intimacy are slow to build, but do gradually get there and it was lovely. Physical intimacy was a little easier for these two and there are multiple spicy scenes that are definitely not fails. The best scenes were ones like their first date and her caring for him when he's ill. There are some good couple moments between them, aside from their uncertainty.
I was let down by the side characters. The h's friends were not as supportive and present as I would have liked. I did like that the local men seemed to nudge at the H in a way that opened him up to the start of friendships. There also was a good bit of talking about the h's relationship with her teen daughter and less on page time of them doing things together. And the h's parents, specifically her mom, needed to be set down on page. The third act has the h making an important step but we hear about that from someone else and then get to see it on page rather than being present in the scene of the h firmly sharing what her choice is. One townsperson apologizing to the h for their nasty behavior was appreciated though.
The third act is emotional because of a breakup and their individual reflections on it, as well as outside commentary on what they should do. I wanted more from the h honestly. The ending is HFN/HEA though with an epilogue six months into the future and with them in a real relationship and him planning to propose. It's sweet and does reflect on how the characters are taking their time. Overall, this wasn't a win for me, but I did enjoy the author's writing style in general and I think that a different group of characters and premise could be more enjoyable.
This one didn't resonate with me the way I'd hoped. I found the inner monologues and introspection, along with constant mentions of the past, with comparisons, to really negatively impact my enjoyment of the characters' arcs. Loved that the H was actively in therapy and his therapist did not pull punches, but the h genuinely needed to also go to therapy. Her growth felt more stunted in comparison to the H's esp in the third act. Other readers will enjoy the small town elements and the emotional aspect of feeling like you're boxed in or held back and how the main characters push themselves to want more. The execution did not work for me personally, however I'd still be interested in trying other books by the author.
Written in first person, dual POV. No ow/om drama and both are experienced, though it's uneven. The H seemed to have slept around and had short relationships that were never serious. The h had only ever been with her husband and she'd been a widow for 10 years. The H needs to practice emotional connection and intimacy in order to have more meaningful relationships and the h has to practice easing back into physical intimacy so there are multiple times where one of them thinks about how their past experiences were compared to their present.
Some tropes/themes:
☆ Widowed FMC
☆ MMC is the principal at FMC's daughter's school
☆ Failed ONS
☆ Practice relationship - they tell people but decide on an end date to "protect" themselves
☆ Therapy rep
☆ Mentions of complex family dynamics - foster care, drug addicted parent, overbearing parents, teen motherhood
☆ Finding connection
☆ Small town
☆ Nosy neighbors
☆ Learning how to be a good partner
☆ Third act breakup
The h is essentially stuck in a place where her small town treats her as a figure of pity because of her young widowhood. She also struggles with being the town sweetheart and making her own choices vs. going along with whatever others need. She was a feisty teen who had to settle down fast and she's dissatisfied with where she is now but unsure how to change it. The H has a background of instability and emotionally protects himself from deeper relationships. He's in town for a new job and to possibly connect with family. He's both nerdy and caring, but with a wealth of insecurity under the surface. The h meets the H at a bar following a failed night out with her best friends and the two have instant attraction and a failed ONS follows that does have a touch of sweet connection before they separate. Imagine both of their surprise when the H turns out to be the new principal of the local private school and the h is one of the most beloved parents.
I did like these two together and how when they weren't in their own heads, their natural chemistry shined. Because of the premise, it did make sense why we were treated to so much processing of their internal emotions, I just felt that some of it wasn't necessary or became repetitive. They also both felt somewhat naive at times as they attempted to navigate a practice relationship, which I did actually enjoy since the h's main experience was as a teenager and the H wasn't able to be emotionally open in prior relationships, even as it was hard to see adults struggle like this. Emotional vulnerability and intimacy are slow to build, but do gradually get there and it was lovely. Physical intimacy was a little easier for these two and there are multiple spicy scenes that are definitely not fails. The best scenes were ones like their first date and her caring for him when he's ill. There are some good couple moments between them, aside from their uncertainty.
I was let down by the side characters. The h's friends were not as supportive and present as I would have liked. I did like that the local men seemed to nudge at the H in a way that opened him up to the start of friendships. There also was a good bit of talking about the h's relationship with her teen daughter and less on page time of them doing things together. And the h's parents, specifically her mom, needed to be set down on page. The third act has the h making an important step but we hear about that from someone else and then get to see it on page rather than being present in the scene of the h firmly sharing what her choice is. One townsperson apologizing to the h for their nasty behavior was appreciated though.
The third act is emotional because of a breakup and their individual reflections on it, as well as outside commentary on what they should do. I wanted more from the h honestly. The ending is HFN/HEA though with an epilogue six months into the future and with them in a real relationship and him planning to propose. It's sweet and does reflect on how the characters are taking their time. Overall, this wasn't a win for me, but I did enjoy the author's writing style in general and I think that a different group of characters and premise could be more enjoyable.
September 10, 2023
Small town romance where both main characters have deeply traumatic emotional wounds preventing them from finding love. A one night stand gone wrong between strangers ends up turning into discovering the hot stranger is the new high school principal at her daughter’s school and the sexy woman is a student’s parent.
The romance between Kate and Max is realistic with hiccups and challenges, but no real drama or angst to deal with. Kate was a teen mom and who was widowed when her daughter was 4 years old. She went from being ridiculed as a teen mom to town sweetheart when her young husband was killed. She’s never dated or stepped out of the town sweetheart role and it’s starting to wear on her - she’s lonely.
Max is serious and has a tight control on his emotions, not letting people get close and doesn’t allow himself to form connections. The idea of practice dating appeals to him along with a firm deadline for when the relationship is supposed to be over.
As with most plans, life takes over and the Olán goes out the window in spectacular fashion. I enjoyed seeing these characters grow emotionally and discover themselves.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The romance between Kate and Max is realistic with hiccups and challenges, but no real drama or angst to deal with. Kate was a teen mom and who was widowed when her daughter was 4 years old. She went from being ridiculed as a teen mom to town sweetheart when her young husband was killed. She’s never dated or stepped out of the town sweetheart role and it’s starting to wear on her - she’s lonely.
Max is serious and has a tight control on his emotions, not letting people get close and doesn’t allow himself to form connections. The idea of practice dating appeals to him along with a firm deadline for when the relationship is supposed to be over.
As with most plans, life takes over and the Olán goes out the window in spectacular fashion. I enjoyed seeing these characters grow emotionally and discover themselves.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 14, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Don't Call Me Sweetheart by Elizabeth Bright is a small town Romance Kate, a single mother and Max the brand new principal at a fee paying school where her teenage daughter goes.
While Don't Call Me Sweetheart by Elizabeth Bright, not a fake dating romance novel as both Kate and Max who are in their 30’s say it is a Practice dating romance.
The main difference is Kate and Max go through all the things for a romance getting to know each other and the usual bedroom scenes which are not that graphic but the door is not closed.
.
The only difference is that they have agreed to have a fixed date where the dating ends, with both of them getting over their issues with dating and to find the romance that lasts.
This is because both Max and Kate have various issues which have an affect on their ability to date.
With Max it is the fact he was brought up in foster care so does not have any family or real friends when he was younger to learn how to build connections with people.
Kate on the other hand became pregnant at school who was talked about around the town who stopped the father of the child from doing what he wanted to do and go to college.
Instead he married Kate joined the army and died helping a woman change her car tyre, This then changed the town’s perception of who Kate is from the woman who was pregnant as a teenager.
To the rarified position of an army widow.
What I like about Don't Call Me Sweetheart by Elizabeth Bright apart from the ease of reading you get from a novel of this type, was the way that the story handled how their previous lives had affected Kate and Max’s life choices.
There was never any judgement from the sensitive way that Elizabeth Bright told the story, yes there were judgments from members of the small town but to me this gave the novel grounding in the small town.
Rather than some small town romances that just seem to be set in a small town but it has no effect on the story in any way.
Don't Call Me Sweetheart by Elizabeth Bright is a small town Romance Kate, a single mother and Max the brand new principal at a fee paying school where her teenage daughter goes.
While Don't Call Me Sweetheart by Elizabeth Bright, not a fake dating romance novel as both Kate and Max who are in their 30’s say it is a Practice dating romance.
The main difference is Kate and Max go through all the things for a romance getting to know each other and the usual bedroom scenes which are not that graphic but the door is not closed.
.
The only difference is that they have agreed to have a fixed date where the dating ends, with both of them getting over their issues with dating and to find the romance that lasts.
This is because both Max and Kate have various issues which have an affect on their ability to date.
With Max it is the fact he was brought up in foster care so does not have any family or real friends when he was younger to learn how to build connections with people.
Kate on the other hand became pregnant at school who was talked about around the town who stopped the father of the child from doing what he wanted to do and go to college.
Instead he married Kate joined the army and died helping a woman change her car tyre, This then changed the town’s perception of who Kate is from the woman who was pregnant as a teenager.
To the rarified position of an army widow.
What I like about Don't Call Me Sweetheart by Elizabeth Bright apart from the ease of reading you get from a novel of this type, was the way that the story handled how their previous lives had affected Kate and Max’s life choices.
There was never any judgement from the sensitive way that Elizabeth Bright told the story, yes there were judgments from members of the small town but to me this gave the novel grounding in the small town.
Rather than some small town romances that just seem to be set in a small town but it has no effect on the story in any way.
September 9, 2023
In the small town of Hart’s Ridge, North Carolina lived The Widow of Hart’s Ridge as Kate Gonzales was referred to. She had been a widow for a long time with a teenage daughter. She owned her own business and was the ‘sweetheart ‘of the town, but this sweetheart wanted to be a little bad and shrug off her ‘widow’ persona. So, she goes to the local tavern with her friends and across the room is the most handsome man she has seen in a long time, and he was a stranger. Just what she wanted. Or was he, turns out he is the new principal of her daughter's high school... The mortification, because Max Darlington has a lot of baggage as does Kate. They make a pack to just be ‘friends’... or so they think by doing a little fake dating and both learning from each other, can they have an end date....
I really like this book from page one. It has a lot of humor right from the beginning, great characters and a delightful story. Lots of moments of passion and good friendships and of course a town filled with people minding your business. The chemistry from the start between Kate and Max jumped off the page, they both had a few secrets, and it was fun to read about their relationship going forward and seeing how their friendship goes from a one night stand to friends to lovers and eventually bring them to their HEA.
This was my first book by this author, and I am looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Thank you to the publisher Booksirens and author for the chance to read this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
I really like this book from page one. It has a lot of humor right from the beginning, great characters and a delightful story. Lots of moments of passion and good friendships and of course a town filled with people minding your business. The chemistry from the start between Kate and Max jumped off the page, they both had a few secrets, and it was fun to read about their relationship going forward and seeing how their friendship goes from a one night stand to friends to lovers and eventually bring them to their HEA.
This was my first book by this author, and I am looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Thank you to the publisher Booksirens and author for the chance to read this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
September 20, 2023
Loved this book! Sweetness with a dose of angst. Having read the first book in this series I was anxiously waiting for the next book to come out, and I was not disappointed. This author is new to me but, I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her books. This is a small town romance where the town almost is a character in and of itself. I did enjoy revisiting characters from the previous book and look forward to meeting them in books going forward in this series.
The main leads in this story are Kate and Max. I feel these characters were very well thought out and were easy to connect with. Kate has been locked into the town's "widow sweetheart" box since her young husband died, and she does not know how, or if, she wants to get out of that box. She wants to have a relationship with someone but has no idea how to achieve this.
Max is new to town and really has no clue how to be in a relationship, while desperately wanting one. He has been alone all his life and is yearning for a family. These two meet in a bar and have a one night stand. When they realize that Max is the principal of Kate's daughter's school, they now have to make some difficult decisions. Attempt to move forward and have a life together, or be safe where they are now.
This is a sweet story of two people who have to learn how to deal with relationships and learn how to love not only each other, but themselves. I really enjoyed their journey.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The main leads in this story are Kate and Max. I feel these characters were very well thought out and were easy to connect with. Kate has been locked into the town's "widow sweetheart" box since her young husband died, and she does not know how, or if, she wants to get out of that box. She wants to have a relationship with someone but has no idea how to achieve this.
Max is new to town and really has no clue how to be in a relationship, while desperately wanting one. He has been alone all his life and is yearning for a family. These two meet in a bar and have a one night stand. When they realize that Max is the principal of Kate's daughter's school, they now have to make some difficult decisions. Attempt to move forward and have a life together, or be safe where they are now.
This is a sweet story of two people who have to learn how to deal with relationships and learn how to love not only each other, but themselves. I really enjoyed their journey.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 6, 2023
2.5 ⭐️ Rounded up.
A little spicy 🌶️🌶️; Dual POV; Contemporary/Small Town Romance
TW: spouse death, parent death mentioned
This was a cute book. It’s a small town romance with a fake relationship. The book doesn’t really take off until around halfway. Out of the 6 days it took me to read this book, the first half took 5 days as it was mostly inner monologue. The second half was a breeze and enjoyable for the most part. I really liked Kate’s character except for when she said she would always choose Max over her daughter (I get choosing him over everyone else, but specifically her daughter - Had. Me. Shook.) I immediately disliked her after rooting for her the whole time…because as a mom…what?! I also thought Max’s character was kind of inconsistent. When he was speaking to Kate and others his character seemed assertive, sure, albeit awkward at times. His inner monologue, however, was often whiny and weak sounding…and gave me the ick. The ending was expected, but sweet. The characters in the town were great supporting characters, especially the Hart sisters. I wish there were more parts with them. Emma, however, no. She’s Kate’s friend, but she treated her like crap in the beginning in my opinion. Like my mama says, “with friends like that you don’t need enemies.” Overall, like I said, a cute contemporary romance, just maybe not my cup of tea.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you BookSirens for this ARC.
A little spicy 🌶️🌶️; Dual POV; Contemporary/Small Town Romance
TW: spouse death, parent death mentioned
This was a cute book. It’s a small town romance with a fake relationship. The book doesn’t really take off until around halfway. Out of the 6 days it took me to read this book, the first half took 5 days as it was mostly inner monologue. The second half was a breeze and enjoyable for the most part. I really liked Kate’s character except for when she said she would always choose Max over her daughter (I get choosing him over everyone else, but specifically her daughter - Had. Me. Shook.) I immediately disliked her after rooting for her the whole time…because as a mom…what?! I also thought Max’s character was kind of inconsistent. When he was speaking to Kate and others his character seemed assertive, sure, albeit awkward at times. His inner monologue, however, was often whiny and weak sounding…and gave me the ick. The ending was expected, but sweet. The characters in the town were great supporting characters, especially the Hart sisters. I wish there were more parts with them. Emma, however, no. She’s Kate’s friend, but she treated her like crap in the beginning in my opinion. Like my mama says, “with friends like that you don’t need enemies.” Overall, like I said, a cute contemporary romance, just maybe not my cup of tea.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you BookSirens for this ARC.
June 15, 2024
2nd in this series, Kate and Max are the sweetest-one-night-disaster(not really) fake-dating couple.
I loved that Max's therapist was so real with him, and able to finally help him get out of his own way, surprisingly Kate had the harder time facing reality, but she got there in the end. Proud of her.
I liked how the men, really tried to include Max into the gang right away, even if Max didn't know what was happening, friendships are really important to maintain healthy relationships.
I loved that Max's therapist was so real with him, and able to finally help him get out of his own way, surprisingly Kate had the harder time facing reality, but she got there in the end. Proud of her.
I liked how the men, really tried to include Max into the gang right away, even if Max didn't know what was happening, friendships are really important to maintain healthy relationships.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2024
Max and Kate
I wasn't sure about the way the practice dating premise was introduced at the beginning of the story as I thought it was a bit clunky, but soon got into the storyline and liked the two lead characters, Kate a young widow and Max the new school principal. Both characters had their faults and interesting back stories, which made for a satisfying read.
I wasn't sure about the way the practice dating premise was introduced at the beginning of the story as I thought it was a bit clunky, but soon got into the storyline and liked the two lead characters, Kate a young widow and Max the new school principal. Both characters had their faults and interesting back stories, which made for a satisfying read.
May 1, 2024
I continue to love everything and everyone in Hart’s Ridge! Already bought the third installment so I can visit soon!
May 14, 2024
DNF 30% extremely boring
December 9, 2024
The FMC’s only personality trait is that she’s a widow. She talks about it in every chapter. “I wasn’t a good wife but I am a good widow.” WTF? By chapter 12 it got ridiculous. DNFd.
January 19, 2026
4/5
Aww Max and Kate were so cute together. I enjoyed them working through their reservations and being able to end up together!
Aww Max and Kate were so cute together. I enjoyed them working through their reservations and being able to end up together!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews