Blaise NorthThe aftermath of my parent’s death was the toughest time in my life, but at least I had him. He was there every step of the way, wiped the tears I shed, and made me smile when I’d forgotten how to.Until he became the reason why I had to protect my heart with one simple rule—no more kissing.Six years later, because life had a great sense of humor, I found myself having to use that same rule on the man who inspired it.It’s no surprise it didn’t work. After all, my heart was never my own to protect—it belonged to Ares Hart the entire time.Ares HartGrowing up, I didn’t have a perfect example of what love should look like. My parents were the definition of a disaster, and I didn’t intend to end up the same way.So, I made myself a promise. To this day, I’ve followed it blindly, even if in the process I had to hurt the one I cared about the most.But what I hadn’t realized was that the key to keeping my promise was right next to me the entire time.Blaise North gave my vow purpose, and when I was finally ready to make up for my mistakes, the unexpected happened.
this book was all over the place. 1. when it first started out i was like omg there's gonna be so much grovelling since he broke her heart at 15 so she's super hurt by that. but no they're still the best of friends who like each other but are afraid to confess, but at the same time they're in bed together. 2. then all of a sudden in the middle of the book the author reveals that ares uses hearing aids, there is nothing wrong with that don't get me wrong, but you would think the author should have mentioned such an important detail at the start. 3. all the characters in this book had zero personality, i cannot tell you anything about them except that she's a writer and he's an editor. 4. the smut was so unnecessary at some points, making it look like the author was just trying to write smut
Blaise lost her parents at a young age but always had Ares to turn to for support. He was there every step of the way, to wipe her tears or make her smile. One night he ended up kissing her and then abruptly leaving without talking about it. So Blaise enacts a no kissing rule to help protect her heart. Six years after that kiss she's struggling to stick to the rule though. Ares has a difficult relationship with his parents and will do anything he can to protect his younger brother and those he loves. Blaise and Ares both know that some feelings for the other are there but hesitate to act on it.
I was quickly hooked into Blaise and Ares story. These two have each been through so much since their childhoods and it was so sweet how they supported each other. They had their routines to make sure the other was still okay including Ares texting her every night "Goodnight Moon" since it was tradition for them to read that book together. To make this even sweeter, Ares may or may not have a tattoo to remind him of this tradition.
This is one of those books where something happens to either Ares or Blaise and you're like, okay that was painful I feel so bad for them, nothing else could happen right? Nope, it was emotional punch after emotional punch. And the plot twist at the end had me super surprised. I'm so glad they had the other to lean on and embraced the fact that they had things they were working through. Since they have been best friends since they were children they know each other well and what the other needed.
Ares being a book editor (for romance books!!) and her being an aspiring writer was a fun add to make it a bookish read.
If you are in the mood for a quick romance read that packs an emotional punch, this is a great one to pick up.
Tropes: 🫶🏻 childhood best friends to lovers 🌤️ grumpy (him) / sunshine (her) 🥹 “it’s always been you” 🌙 meaningful tattoos 🏡 neighbors 📖 writer (her) / book editor (him)
Blaise and Ares ‐ uh, yeah? I liked it fine enough, the pacing was quick, I assume it all happened over the course of a few months. At some point hearing aids were mentioned and I was entirely confused because I genuinely couldn't remember that anyone was deaf. So perhaps I was missing some points. All in all the premise was well thought out, but the characters weren't really fleshed out enough for me, I felt it was very superficial at best and the sex scenes weren't really needed. The misunderstanding between the two love interests was resolvable in like two minutes, so there's that. And the conflict at the end was glossed over.
But, all in all, Maeve has so much potential, and I can't wait to see where her writing will be in 5 or even 10 years time.
3 stars, lost the 2 stars because of the unnecessary sex scenes and the very quick pacing of the writing, it felt unsuitably rushed.
my uterus shrivelled up and officially went into early retirement when he …
put his TOE in her ✨lady business✨at dinner with his DAD in a packed RESTAURANT. why is he taking off his shoe (and sock?) in a public restaurant to toe-f*ck her in front of his dad??? WHY
there’s other things that made it a miss for me. but oh my god the TOE????
QUOTE: ”I pull my foot away and put my shoe back on” WHY was it off in the first place? 😭
ETA: I re-read the toe part. There is no mention of a sock. Which leads me to believe he was rawdoggin it in a pair of shoes. So I’ll presume it’s also a sweaty toe that he’s ”using” (-1 points for that too).
I can’t even bring myself to write a review about this awful book but I will say, having to read a scene where the mmc takes his shoe off and proceeds to use his TOE to arouse the fmc at a dinner table was enough for me to never pick up another book by this author.
Safety Measures by the gorgeous and extremely talented Maeve Hazel One of the authors that are the most closest to my heart Maeve, you're an angel
Let me just give you a little insight into what to expect from this slice of heaven
💖 childhood friends to lovers 💖 it's always been you 💖 no kissing rule 💖 disability rep 💖 She's an aspiring author, he's an editor 💖They shared their first kiss 💖 Spicy AF
Read this masterpiece in ONE day! I kid you not! 🔥 Instantly dove into this book the second I saw that I received an ARC and I can confidently say, it was well worth it! Perfectly paced especially when heading towards the spicy scenes and all throughout kept me wanting to turn the page before I even got to the end of it. It was honestly so wholesome to watch their bond grow and develop. There is just so much of angst and most importantly pure love.
Ares and Blaise set my screen on fire with their chemistry and my heart with their love and gentleness towards each other. Ares is an editor and Blaise an aspiring author..... Book girlies assemble 😌 Dirty mouth MMC and an FMC who knows exactly what she wants from him 🔥 I found myself having to pause just to stop squealing from the cuteness, putting my hand on my chest when they had moments and put my phone down and catch my breath when the spicy scenes arrived 😩😈🔥 Ares is extremely sweet and gentle and is honestly the kind of man I need in my life. He's intelligent, attentive, not to forget gorgeous and is completely enamoured by Blaise since their childhood. Blaise is a strong, sweet, and beautiful woman who is inspiring to those around her and to me as a reader.
This is definetely a reread and has made it's way onto my comfort reads list. I'm so proud of you Maeve
This book was super sweet and adorable. Ares and Blaise are the cutest. This book went by so quickly. I throughly enjoyed it. I loved the beginning and ending a lot. I did get a bit bored in the middle, but that’s just me. I wanted more to happen and it definitely picked back up again. I would highly recommend.
A best friends to lovers romance between book editor Ares Hart and library aide Blaise North is found in Maeve Hazel's Safety Measures.
It did seem a little hurried in the book's beginning and middle sections, because not enough context was being given leading to Ares and Blaise's relationship. (SPOILERS) Also, there was no moment where the doctor told Ares that he was fully deaf, and the change from Ares being in the hospital to Ares needing to learn sign language since he was suddenly deaf happened without notice.
I did, however, adore Ares and Blaise's romance. They grew up together and went from being best friends to wanting more because of how genuine their love for each other was. I also hurt for Ares because of his mother’s issues and for Blaise because of her grandmother’s condition Although it was a very angsty read, it was perfect for Blaise and Ares.
In all, this novel was so wholesome and had the ideal tropes for Ares and Blaise.
*Thank you to the author, Maeve Hazel, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*
10/10 Pacing Another wonderful 2 day read for me. There is a bit of a slow burn in this book, but it is well done, in my opinion. Things aren't drawn out. No filler scenes and nothing feels unnecessary...as long as you continue reading.
10/10 Story Arc I was worried at some point that so much would not be explained. But Maeve's writing hints that there is much more to the story page after page. So, I kept on reading, and the story was so full of emotion. There is anger, laughter, sadness, and the overall love that so many of the characters have for each other, not just the leads.
10/10 Characters Blaise North, our FMC, reminded me of Belly from The Summer I Turned Pretty. Specifically, Belly's good qualities and a little bit of the quiet vibes as well. The unspoken words that end up piling up...well, Ares Hart, the MMC, does a bit of that; they both do it. But it was all settled, so I don't have any serious complaints. The other side characters also played their parts throughout the story. None of them bore me out.
10/10 Inclusion of the teased tropes The tropes mentioned in teasers, reels, posts, and all promo content were included and well-written. None of them overpowered the other, and everything is in harmony as you progress throughout the book.
✨ARC Review✨
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: I just love the writing. It was a mellow type of story. By the end, I had the same feeling I had all throughout Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan. (Sorry about the side references and mentions. I am just trying to give y'all a vague but accurate feel of this book.) The main characters are truly soulmates, so magnetic. The heart-wrenching moments came out of nowhere. I was like, oh my gosh, please give us a happy ending, and yes, it was a happy ending. Just keep some tissues around; I don't know... maybe I'm a crybaby 😅
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️: There is some "window fogging up" type of steam. It's slow and spicy, and the tension is oh-so-good. Ares literally worships Blaise and teases her...well, they both do. Anyways, read it. I loved it all, and I think you will too.
‼️TW included‼️ Alcoholism, addiction, death of parents, emotional abuse, abandonment and more. Please take care when reading🤎
Tropes/Themes Included: ❤️ Best friends to Lovers 🤎 Childhood Friends ❤️ Grumpy X Sunshine 🤎 It's Always Been You ❤️ No Kissing Rule 🤎 Disability Representation (Hearing loss) ❤️ Aspiring Author X Book Editor
As always, save to your TBR, pre-order and get a copy! Release date is October 11th🤎 Thank you so much Maeve for the opportunity to review this book ❤️ Side note, Maeve is a talented indie author so definitely support her!
2.5 This book was a cute, easy read but I feel a lot was missing. It kinda felt like watching a tv show but starting from season 3 I felt we was just thrown straight in with no background
Friends to lovers isn't always my fave but this one was sweet and I love how they was always best friends so they had many memories together and knew each other better then anyone else.
This book got quite heavy and sad and the ending was devastating just before the hea but the hea made up for the sad bit and the epilogue was precious
DNF (yes because of the toe scene at the restaurant) The writing of the characters was contradictory at best with the shit on her birthday and the stroke. If Nanna was paralyzed on the left side of her face words wouldn’t be coming out like that and she sure as fuck wouldn’t be able to have a full smile going on—like what??? This book was like if that one coworker who always has a metric ton of trauma to dump corners you on your break. Save yourself the time money and energy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I had to force myself to finish this. The plot was awful. The pacing was worse. The characters were not developed or likable in the slightest. Where the hell did hearing aids come from mid book??? I feel like that’s kind of a main plot point…. This was super disappointing and I absolutely cannot recommend this book to others. The smut was even bad.
3,5/5 Bon la dernière phrase du livre m’a fait rire j’avoue MDRRRR mais sinon le début je trouvais que les chapitres avaient aucun lien puis au fur et à mesure ça allait mieux !! Et le plot twist en vrai je m’y attendais pas et j’ai bien aimé
I’ve never been huge on the friends to lovers trope but it’s quickly growing on me! I devoured this book in one sitting! I loved Blaise & Ares story. If you enjoy:
- Childhood Friends to Lovers - Grumpy x Sunshine - “It’s Always Been You”
Take it from someone who stopped reading light romance books a while ago, this book is GOLD!! Maeve is literally my only exception because she’s THAT good and I’m so so proud of how far she’ll continue to go🤍
💖BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS 💖NO KISSING RULE 💖CHILDHOOD FRIENDS 💖ASPIRING AUTHOR,BOOKEDITOR 💖ITS ALWAYS YOU 💖DISABILITY 💖THEY SHARE THEIR FIRST KISS TOGETHER 💖DISABILITY
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So.,um this book is so amazing like i cant even believe its over @maevehazelauthor wrote this so beautifully and with heart warming delicacy💛. The way I sobbed through the second half the way the things happend unexpectedly it was heart wrenching🥺. For a moment i was like please give us a happy ending,uff Yes its a happy ending i was just being over sentimental if that's even a thing. 🥲 The tension between ares ans blaise 🌙 was 🔥 Release date oct🤍..Do read it..definetly recommed it.. thank you maeve for the opportunity
😻P.S. this is my first ARC so its definetly special for me💜
SAFETY MEASURES ARC REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ For me it's a 5 star read. Both of the main characters were so relatable. The entire book made me go through lot's of emotions. I love how both Ares and Blaise were always there for each other never letting the other one face anything alone. And how both of them were drawn to each other. The story was so cute and I absolutely loved it. And DAMN THE SEXUAL TENSION BETWEEN THEM WAS SOOO GOOD!!! I'm so glad I got the arc cause I'm in love already