Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Brave Love

Rate this book
Sometimes the saddest experiences lead us to the best love stories.
This has got to be the most insane thing Vesta has ever done. In the middle of the night, in one of London’s streets, Vesta is in her pinkish, childish pajamas, asking a random, grumpy guy to give her his sperm. And she knows he probably thinks she is crazy. Vesta is a decent, intelligent doctor, so how could she humiliate herself that way? But what else can she do? Her life went upside down when she left Rome to settle in London; this is the last chance for her to fix her messed up life.
When Hunter meets Vesta, he gets shocked by her question and lashes out. But Vesta is just so desperate for his help. She believes he is the bravest man she has ever met after he saves her when she faces danger. The chemistry explodes between them, only to fizzle out when Hunter makes her beg for his help, igniting her anger, and they become bitter enemies.
They part as enemies, but fate has bigger plans for them, and they’ll continue to bump into one another. Everything in Vesta’s life changes once Hunter calls, begging her to meet him in New York and pretend she is his wife-to-be. Just for a week. In New York, she surprisingly gets the opportunity to see the hidden side of Hunter, and Hunter, on the other hand, starts letting all his guards down with her. They realize almost immediately how undeniably similar they are. But to fall in love, they must first be brave.
They might deny the attraction.
They might turn their backs on their feelings
But they can’t stop their love from blooming.
Because their love is brave love.

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2024

26 people are currently reading
257 people want to read

About the author

Laura Golightly

8 books70 followers
Laura Golightly writes contemporary Romance with the perfect combination of heart, real pain, and steam. She hopes her books give readers hope and make them feel less alone in their most challenging moments.

When you read her books, you can expect heaps of unlikely couples, painful pasts, raw, relatable characters that tug at the heartstrings, and steam that makes your cheeks get that sexy, rosy blush.
Laura spends most of her time pouring out her soul on paper. She also enjoys reading Romance and cooking Italian food.

Instagram: @lauragolightlywrites

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
15 (21%)
4 stars
26 (37%)
3 stars
21 (30%)
2 stars
4 (5%)
1 star
4 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
Profile Image for Lilyya ♡.
656 reviews3,740 followers
May 29, 2023
3.75 stars

❛ My love for you changed me,” he continues, his voice filled with emotion. “It made me braver and strong enough to heal and start over. My love for you is brave love, Vesta. ❜


Vesta’s journey was a patchwork of vivid emotions and tumultuous events. She suffered, faced grief and dealt with the aftermath of her tattered life and the grumpiness of her new compagnon. The storytelling was perceived exclusively from her point of view. Quite honestly, I tend to prefer reading MF romance books only from the female perspective, somehow it helps me to connect a little more with the female lead and as a bonus; the shadowed parts surrounding the male main character have a way to keep the storytelling enticing, trying to dissect and comprehend him jointly with every enlightening revelation the female protagonist makes and in this case both these criteria were checked.

" Iwon’t let this medical condition define my life, but I also won’t compromise on my dreams of building a loving family."


The story started with a succession of hard and emotional "incidents" that kept hitting Vesta’s steady life, cracking and fissuring gradually her monotonous cocon, until she reached the desperate point and was left with nothing else than one choice to make; asking a valiant stranger to be her.. sperm donor. I liked how it was a kind of new but yet touchy subject to explore but above all, I loved the way Vesta’s problem health was thoughtfully explained through the the storyline with a comprehensible medical lingo.

"I’ve never felt this peaceful in my life,” I confess, my face buried in his neck. His musky scent makes me feel light-headed.
“Me neither,” he murmurs."



The course and orchestration of events was frenetic. It was relatively a quick and fast passed read but categorized in the eventful-and-full-of-surprises type. From the moment we met Vesta and Hunter we got embarked in their push and pull dynamic that swayed between tearful and joyous, funny moments, in their love and hate language that made them so lovable and hated at the same time and finally in their "faking it without getting their emotions and feelings mangled " mantra that they obviously weren’t going to follow.🤭

"Ti amo, Vesta, conoscerti è la cosa più bella che mi sia mai capitata, vuoi passare il resto della tua vita con me? Vuoi sposarmi?"


mini tiny bonus spoiler: he learns Italian because it’s her mother tongue.👀

All in all, it was an enjoyable read. I love discovering new indi authors and this is the author’s debut novel so many thanks for providing the arc.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~


buddy read with Aliki🫶🏼 and yeah yeah, we know it’s gonna hurt 😭
Profile Image for krys ~♡~ (scarlett's version).
97 reviews16 followers
May 18, 2023
Thank you Laura Golightly, for sending me a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
------------------------------------------♧♧♧---------------------------

----------------------- 3.5☆ -----------------------

"My love for you changed me," he continues, his voice
filled with emotion. "It made me braver and strong enough
to heal and start over again. My love for you is brave love, Vesta"


Wow, this book was... unique. The storyline, the plots, the characters, everything was so different and never done before. And l was here for it. Although Laura could have added more descriptions and just paced it slower because l felt like everything was happening a little to fast it was still a great debut novel and an easy and quick read.

Vesta's and Hunter's pain and emotions felt so real while reading l almost started crying. Their individual and collective character development was so beautiful and perfect. I loved the fact that they both started to heal with each other's help and they for there for one another.

The only thing stopping me from giving this book a full 4 stars is the fact that the banter between Hunter and Vesta was so short. I kinda liked them getting on each other's nerves and the "arguments" and they just went from "you're weird l don't like you" to "l can now deal with you and kinda have feelings for you" thisfast.



**⚠️Mild Spoiler Zone. Proceed with caution ⚠️**
This is probably not important but one of my favorite tropes is when the guy/girl learns the opposite genders native language and Hunter learned Italian for Vesta and proposed in Italian for her jssishsbwiwu 🦋🥺😭🦋 This man 🦋😭

------------------------------------------♧♧♧---------------------------
Omg this is my first ARC ever!! So excited 💗 🤞Can't wait to devour this!!
l still can't belive l got my first ARC! 😭 💗
Profile Image for Aliki (semi hiatus).
190 reviews68 followers
May 26, 2023
Sooooooo trying to fight my review slump by writing a revieww for this much enjoyable reaad!!!

This had many of my beloved thiiings:
-A jealous possessive man
-Him massaging the fmc's feet to make her relax
-Him brashing and braiding her hair
-Him learning her mother language to surprise her
And all of these even before they get together 🤭🤭🤭
Also a strong fmc that has a spine and stands her ground!!!

So as you can guess i really enjoyed this! I go off characters and vibes and this book delivered in both!!!! It is also a debout which makes me so excited to see the next works of this author and how she will develop through time!!!

The mmc is rude in the begining but he has a reason to be and the fmc always answers back so i didn't mind it, actually i quiet liked it🤭 although sometimes their fights were childish, i still lived for them, what can i say, i alaways love banter between the mcs heheheh

This was also emotional many times and it made me reflect things of my own life and how i want to deal with them!!! Also the author's note made me so emotional and what she said reflected in the book so muchh, it made sense!!! There are so many amazing quotes by the author and other classic authors like kafka and i loved them!!! I will try to put some here (although there manyyyy so i will choose some of them).


Time is so strange. One moment, everything is perfect, and the next, your world turns upside down. It’s like a nightmare, but you can’t wake up, like the universe doesn’t care about our plans, hopes, or dreams. It just does what it wants, and we’re left to pick up the pieces.

(Felt this deep in my bones)


“You need to know you don’t get your value from how much time you work. Not working now doesn’t imply that you’re worthless.

(Smth i always try to remind my self!!!)

“Oh, those mosquito bites are your boobs? I almost didn’t feel them.”
(Smth that made me laugh out loud)

“You know, Vesta?” Hunter’s voice is lower, deep and husky. “As much as I hate that night, I’d never delete it from my life if I got the chance. With all the consequences of it, I’d still keep it, just so I could meet you.”
(😍😍😍😍)

“I need more of you,” he growls, his voice dripping with desire. “I want to devour your lips, explore every inch of your body, and make you mine.”
(😍🤭🦋)

‘Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.’

I HAVE MORE HIGHLIGHTED BUT I SHALL STOP NOW otherwise the review will be to big hahahah

Alsoooo, i feel like the plot and idea was well thiught and unique? Agaiiin i see so much potential for next books by this author!! ALSO YES I WANT HUNTER'S JEALOUS POV


A huuuuge thank you to Laura Golightly for sending me a free copy of this book for an exchange of an honest review

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m tired, can’t think of anything and want only to lay my face in your lap, feel your hand on my head and remain like that through all eternity.”
—Franz Kafka, Letters to Milena


Felt that so much!!! Reading with lilyyaaaa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So exciteed to start this sooon, veryyy sooon, with my gorgeous lilyyaaaa 🤭🤭❤️
Profile Image for Esther.
265 reviews253 followers
May 18, 2023
Brave Love ARC review

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
REVIEW with SPOILERS
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️


I received an ARC of this (if I’m correct) debut novel. I enjoyed it. It’s more sad, heartbreaking, and “real” than what I tend to read. I prefer romcoms and this one isn’t one. You can see on the cover that they are not happy or happy. I will say that this book is more about her journey than their romance.
Check TW bc this book has: death of a loved one, coma of a loved one, Miscarriage, a uterus disease, fear of miscarriage, death of a past ex gf, being mugged, being attacked with a knife, anxiety, fear of doing things bc of the fear that teaches you your parents, peer pressure, … as you can see this book talks about a serious topic. So please be careful, your mental health is important.
As safety info goes:
h is a virgin with high standards and a workaholic. There is an OM that shows interest in her but she doesn’t feel anything towards him so she declines his offer. h is waking up to blood on her underwear but doesn’t know what’s happening to her. Then her dad dies of a heart attack and her mom is in a coma bc of the death of her dad. h realizes that she has uterine fibroids and she doesn’t know if she is going to be able to have kids. h’s dad, a gynecologist, suggests that she removes the fibroids and get pregnant immediately so that can help her uterus. She doesn’t know how to do sperm donation. She wants someone that wants to be a dad and be in her kid's life.
After that, she goes one night to walk and sees someone being attacked. H appears and saves the victim and h. h asks H to be her sperm donor. H says she is crazy. I get it. The next day they see each other again and H is thinking of helping her if she helps him. Turns out the guy that attacked the victim is suing H and H needs h’s to help so police can realize he didn’t do anything wrong. h helps but doesn’t want anything in return. After another scare h asks H for the sperm and he accepts. h has the surgery and everything is going well, she gets pregnant but lost it when she goes to see H and the attacker attacks both of them. h is depressed. H left for NYC bc his dad is sick. H asks h to be his fiancé so H’s dad can be happy about him. Turns out, H’s gf died in a car accident 2 years ago and his mom a couple of months later. The dreaded dead gf. Don’t like that trope. They fake date a bit. H is jealous of his cousin and h relationship but NOTHING happens. And there are no others for either of them once they meet.

Long story short: there is no other for either of them. A bit of ow drama bc H lost his gf 2 years ago in a car accident. So, he has been in love before h. While she is a virgin.
A bit (Tiny) of OM drama bc H is jealous of his cousin and h relationship. Nothing NOTHING happens. OM is just nice, in fact, he proposed to his gf in the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for cupidsvivace.
248 reviews10 followers
May 14, 2023
thank you to the author, laura golightly, for an digital arc of brave love in exchange for an honest review!

brave love is an absolutely stunning novel. it was a quick, easy read and the characters' story was dynamic and well written. i loved the small facts that laura threaded in the plot, and character development was unlike anything i’ve seen.

i wasn’t a huge fan of the pacing, but i loved the world and setting. it was devastating yet gorgeous, and the emotions portrayed were relatable yet so unique. the story was absolutely amazing, but there were parts that could’ve been edited/with more descriptors.

one thing i LOVE is the emotional pairing between hunter and vesta. they’re so different yet perfect together, and they both have some angst and anger in their own lives. vesta is super badass, but the plot seemed jumpy and rushed.

all in all, the emotional rollercoaster and healing represented in brave love were so beautiful... this is an all too rare indie book that could go so far, and i 100% would recommend yall to pick this one up. it’s about 40 short chapters, and i flew by it quickly.

this debut was ❤❤

> 4 stars
Profile Image for Anna Kobeleva.
Author 4 books72 followers
February 20, 2023
i really enjoyed this book. it was easy to read and easy to get into the story. it was a beautiful story, but at the same time so sad. this story is about how, after the rain, there will always be the sun shining every sad thing away. i really liked this, and i feel some of us can relate to the characters. 

this is an amazing story, and you should read it when you have time.

thank you laura for sending me this book.
Profile Image for Katrina.
20 reviews
February 26, 2023
This book was heart wrenchingly good. The emotional rollercoaster that both Vesta and Hunter go through is amazing. Laura captured their pain and eventual happy ending beautifully. Amazing book - would definitely recommend!
Profile Image for Beth.
16 reviews1 follower
March 8, 2023
Vesta and Hunter’s love story was beautiful. The ending made me want to read another book all about them.

I don’t want to say much since I don’t know want to put spoilers in this review.

Vesta’s journey to bravery was beautiful.

It lost a star for me because of some parts needed more editing. It still was good.

I was given this as advanced readers copy!
Profile Image for Abby Sloan.
82 reviews5 followers
March 6, 2023
I received an ARC of this book. What an emotional roller coaster this book was! I loved the theme of creating your own happiness! This was an easy read and I loved the characters. The short chapters were an added bonus! I would have liked a deeper dive into the characters as it occasionally felt choppy but overall a good read!
Profile Image for Sandra 💜.
198 reviews10 followers
July 14, 2023
"Woman are not objects with the best before a day," my voice is louder than unusual. "I refuse to be pressured into a loveless relationship for the sake of societal norms."

Status: read
Edition: ebook
My Reading Dates: 4 July - 13 July
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Adult, Fiction
Theme: self-healing
Pages: 322
Pace: medium
POV: singular (except the epilogue) - first person - present tense

You are who you are in life, and you either live that time trying to bend yourself to make other people happy or you don't.

I first read this book in March of this year, and re-read recently when I was sent an updated version by the author. But most of my original thoughts stayed pretty much the same.

My Thoughts

Writing style felt very much like 19th or 20th century writing, except with more modern words. The writing was also quite emotional, which I am not really used to reading. A person would just *appear* and suddenly everything would just be so so much better. I understand that it is certainly the case sometimes, but pretty much every single character had some sort of deep sentimental meaning to Vesta. It also had a cartoon ish and flat feeling at the start, but I quickly got used to it.

The plot was rushed in immediately, and everything was explained right away, and because of that, I felt very bored from the beginning. I just didn't feel compelled to continue, I still forced myself to.

Everything was very convenient, especially with the meeting of Hunter, and then the next day, when Vesta just happened to be at the restaurant when Hunter needed a witness.

The characters, like I already mentioned, seemed very flat, but also changes moods every two pages. Some didn't have a steady personality, while most of the other characters were re-writes of other characters, but with a different backstory.

Nevertheless, one bonus is that the book felt very short, despite having a number of events take place.

↝2.5 stars

--------- OLD REVIEW ----------------------------

My Ratings: 2.5/5⭐
Genre: Contemporary romance

Things I like about this book:
- I learned some new facts (medical things, dress styles ect.) from this book
- The setting of Italy, London and New York
- The MC (Vesta)'s character development

Things I don't like about this book:
- The whole book felt a bit flat. I couldn't really believe in the relationship between Vesta and Hunter.
- Hunter's life seems to be so perfect. I would probably enjoy this book more if he had some problems and that Vesta decided to stay regardless. Again, tying in with the last point
- The whole plot seemed a bit rushed and jumpy. Very jumpy. It didn't seem realistic. The plot wasn't seamless, and u could clearly see that this was a debut novel
- How quickly Hunter seemed to fall in love with Vesta, despite the few times he had seen her. Again, the whole seemed very rushed.


Conclusion
This is definitely not the best debut I have read, but i don't regret reading it. The whole book felt a bit rushed for my taste, but that might just be for me.

- Thank you Laura Golightly for sending me an ARC for an honest review!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jayda 🍉.
725 reviews57 followers
March 5, 2024
Thank you Laura for sending me the ARC of your book. This is my honest review and these are my honest thoughts of the book. I really enjoyed this book. I really loved the two main characters and I loved the way that sensitive topics were handled (I don’t know how much I can say bc I don’t want to spoil it) this book was so heartwrenching and heartbreaking at times, it was an excellent debut novel. I’d definitely recommend this. (4.5 stars ⭐️)
Profile Image for Catarina Águas.
2,362 reviews209 followers
March 5, 2023
I received an ARC by the author and I want to thank her for that:

I really liked this book. Vesta had been through a lot in a short period of time and was finally free in a way to just be herself without having to meet any expectations. The person she becane was so more confident and strong, I liked that person. Hunter was hurting so much and his grumpy ness came from that pain, I am not justifying what he did or said, I'm just saying that I understand where he's coming from. They were their best after meeting each other even with all the fighting, they lifted each other and just challenged one another in a way that they needed. I loved them as couple and as individuals, they had a beautiful love story
Profile Image for Daniela Cardoso.
5 reviews1 follower
March 5, 2023
OMG Vesta and Hunter they are so cute.

These books is so cute and at the same time sad. Everything happens at the same time for Vesta, she has the all world on her shoulders, and it's beautiful to see (read ahaha) her growing and become a brave young woman.

Hunter also has his ghosts from the past and his fears, but together they were able to find Love and be Brave!
Profile Image for iris [updating reviews].
160 reviews
July 1, 2023
The book was too rushed if I'm being honest. It had so much potential and was actually an easy read - thanks to the short chapters - but it could've been so much better. There was no emotional depth between Hunter and Vesta and I didn't feel any sort of love towards them and between them.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book, and the plot was good.
Profile Image for lamarsbooks.
67 reviews
March 5, 2023
3.5/5

The plot was overall interesting, I liked certain quotes that the reader mentioned and how she also loved books in general. But, at some point I felt like the relationship between the fmc and mmc was a bit flat (although I did like the banter and the heart-to-heart moments between the two), I would’ve liked to see more of them connecting like for ex. before her asking him to be a donor and him asking her for a favour as well. To me, it felt rushed and I couldn’t connect with the characters and the plot itself too so it made it hard to actually enjoy the plot of this book. I understand that this is probably still going on being edited so if anything has been changed I’ll probably reread it and see if I changed my mind.

I did enjoy having a quick read though, and I thank the author sm for sending me an ARC!🫶🏼🫶🏼
Profile Image for Klara.
230 reviews9 followers
July 6, 2025
This book was a good read, but I have to admit it got on my nerves quite a bit. It packs in just about every trope you can imagine, and sometimes it felt like things were happening just for the sake of drama rather than a natural flow. On the plus side, the writing style is simple and easy to follow, which definitely helped and is probably why I ended up giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

Vesta has been through a lot—she grew up with a very overprotective dad whom she loved deeply, and now she feels lost after his death. At 29, she’s still a virgin and dealing with health issues that might prevent her from ever getting pregnant. So what does she do? She asks the first male figure she meets to be her sperm donor, even though she says she wants a protective, family-oriented guy. I liked her, but a lot of her choices didn’t make much sense to me—but I guess that’s just how people can be sometimes.

Hunter is a guy trying to escape his own problems, and he ends up in the right (and wrong) place at the right time. Some of his actions, like bringing Vesta to New York without telling her anything, felt a bit shady, and she doesn’t seem to have much self-protection. Still, it all works out well in the end, and as her uncle says, Hunter’s a good guy.

I’ve seen people call this a grumpy x sunshine trope, but honestly, I only got that vibe a few times. Most of the time, it felt more like they were both either grumpy or both sunshine, which was kind of funny in itself.
Profile Image for ncbookshelf.
94 reviews1 follower
May 16, 2023
Sooo, I started this book as an ARC reader, my first actually! :)))))


And honestly, I loved this book, it tells the story of Hunter and Vesta conquering their own fears and faults to finally be brave, and love freely without bounds.

I’m so glad I got to read such a wonderful story! Brave Love reminded me of how a woman is viewed in society, and what role they usually play in most people’s minds. Often times I find myself feeling pressured to be things that I don’t want to be, for others’ happiness. This book confronts that mantra and established the thought that: “Maybe I can be whoever the hell I wanna be!” And I love that, I feel that this issue in society definitely needs to be addressed and Laura did a splendid job with doing it!


Spoilers… maybe?

Fave parts:

-Amusement park

-When their on the bed that one time and..:😌😏😏

-When Vesta sees Hunters glorious chest🤩🤩🤩

-WHEN THEY FIRST MEET🤪🤪

-when vesta and hunter argue😜😜😜

⭐️: 4 stars

🌶: Not much spice, but spice is written very well! 🌶🌶 2 peppers
Profile Image for adeela_books ❁ཻུ۪۪.
222 reviews55 followers
October 18, 2023
ʙʀᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ
review may contain mild spoilers!

ratings:
3/5 ⭐️ & light/mild spice towards
the end of the book 🌶

✿ I got sent an eARC of this book after the writer reached out. Congrats Laura! All opinions are my own and were written honestly. Thank you! ✿

notes/tropes✨️
- physical health issue representation
- set in rome then london and finally nyc
- strangers to enemies? to lovers
- fmc had a strict dad and was restricted until she opens up and starts to live her life.

❝Your love made me brave enough to create the life I’ve always dreamed of.❞

•☆•

We open up on Vesta a 29 year old doctor living in Rome with her parents. Vesta as a character was different and the author hits as a new indie one. The book starts to pick up in chapter 10 with a painful twist that comes out of nowhere and leaves Vesta's world crumbled.

When Vesta meets the MMC I'm gonna be honest it was indeed weird how she just randomly asked him to be her sperm donor after he saved a woman from being mugged and he literally hadn't said one word to her then gets upset when he finds it weird which ofc you can't blame him. Anyway the first couple of times of them meeting was rocky. At first Vesta was being silly when Hunter had every right to be weirded out by her request and still chose to help her. He would be nice and she'd be snappy.

Then in NYC Vesta was nice but Hunter was snappy with her. It was this back and forth until it stopped. Tho i really think it picked up when Vesta came to New York and I was surprised to find myself 67% into the book already. It's not a bad read. The characters are good even the side ones like her uncle Mark and Hunter's cousin, Ian. I liked them. I felt sympathetic for Vesta and she really truly was brave so kudos to her. And she encouraged Hunter to be brave which I liked.

Once Hunter and Vesta bonded their relationship was cute until Hunter randomly pushes her away but it gets resolved quickly and i appreciate him wanting to be better and then returning to her.

Overall a 3/5 star read. It's an alright read, there's some good moments and interesting ones plus it's always nice reading something from a new author so give it a read if you'd like and if possible.
Profile Image for Megan.Reads5.
35 reviews10 followers
July 1, 2023
Rating- 3.5⭐️
Tropes- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Fake Relationship
- Grumpy × Sunshine
- Novella
Spice- 🌶️🌶️

I received this book as ARC for my honest review.

Review
I have never read a story like this before the characters, the plot it was amazing and so different than anything I’ve read before.

Vera’s journey was heart breaking she went through so much and faced a lot of grief. The book was only from her POV it made me feel more attached to her. I would have liked to get Hunter POV at some points. I like how story Vera is though. I could feel Vera and Hunters emotions through the screen j just wanted to hug them they go through so much in such little time. Although their character development was beautiful. I loved how they both helped each other heal.

“I won’t let this medical condition define my life, but I also won’t compromise on my dreams of building a loving family.”

The MMC didn’t like her at the start but it’s under stable why he didn’t she just randomly came up to him in the street asking him to help her? Like girl? And the FMC was angry which is also understandable when we know her situation. Hunter always had a reason to say stuff to her but she always had an answer back I loved the banter.

It was a fast paced read it was full of surprises I don’t know what to expect at times. With Hunter and Vera we got a different dynamic it was a love/heat relationship from the start. They tried to “fake marriage and not get feelings” 😏 and I loved it.

“My love for you changed me,” he continues, his voice filled with emotion. “It made me braver and strong enough to heal and start over. My love for you is brave love, Vesta.”

I swooned when he massaged her feet because they were sore 🥺🥺. They way he learned Italian for her and also because it’s mother’s native language.

“How much Italian do you know?”“Just a little,” he admits” “Since when?” I ask curiously, moving closer to him.” “Since I found out it’s your favourite language”
Profile Image for Dee Her.
119 reviews2 followers
May 21, 2023
Love through loss

Highly educated researcher Vesta has lived her life based on what her parents expect of her. She went to medical school, became a hepatologist and is working at a successful lab. But at 29, Vesta is stressed out and her body is starting to show it. In the blink of an eye, she loses her father, her mother falls into a coma, and she learns of her own sickness in which the best method of fixing the problem is to get a full hystorectomy. In the middle of the night, she witnesses Hunter save a girl from an attacker and all willy nilly, asks him for a sperm donation so she can have a baby before taking out her uterus. He obviously refuses but through certain circumstances, they keep running into each other. In an act of desperation, Hunter asks Vesta to return to the US with him as his fake fiance.

The idea of this story is good, however, it didn’t flow as well as I thought it could. It did take a bit for the book to progress towards a romance and for the chemistry between the main characters to happen. This pair finds love through the acceptance of loss. They’ve each lost the people in their lives that they love the most and learning to move beyond that is what ultimately makes their love for each other “brave” and worth moving into.
Profile Image for Lynsey Reads Romance .
100 reviews
May 16, 2023
Slow burn, not emotionally invested

Trope: billionaire, slow burn, first time, personal growth
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Triggers: miscarriage, family death

Brave Love is an extremely slow burn. The characters don’t meet until the second half of the book. The main storyline is a great and different idea than most contemporary romance themes. Vesta is very “poor me.” Granted, she had a lot going on in her life, but she also wouldn’t take charge of her life. She just let people keep making her decisions and feeling mad when they did. Hunter is maybe supposed to be an alpha male, but he isn’t very good at it. He vacillates between treating Vesta poorly, making mean remarks, and acting like a child in their conversations, but not like in a dark romance. There isn’t a point where they realize they are in love. The emotion doesn’t build. This book needed more deep emotion and less surface drama to fit my taste in romance books. The plot has enough action and things happening to move it along. The bridges between the rising action points were disjointed and need a better flow.
36 reviews3 followers
February 22, 2023
This book shocked me. It was an emotional rollercoaster with lots of ups and downs, I didn't know where it would take me next. I felt connected to Vesta and felt her pain and sadness. She had to endure so much but she survived. Hunter on the other hand seemed like a giant arse most of the time until we get towards the end of the book. I wish the book was a dual point of view so we could see more of what he is thinking and feeling and the reasoning behind his actions etc.

The main takeaway from this book was live life for yourself. No one can make you happy unless you first make yourself happy.

Even though there were some small errors due to the language barrier, it didn't take away from the story. I loved the Italian phrases thrown in. It made it feel more authentic.

The book has a great playlist to accompany it which I think suits the book perfectly.

Thank you Laura for the ARC. I really enjoyed it. You did a great job with your debut novel. Well done.
Profile Image for Breen.
1,554 reviews
June 27, 2023
"Not the type of story I was looking for. The blurb gave a sense of rom com plot and I was ready for all the funny chaotic moments while they fell in love but sadly it was just a sad story with sensitive topics (not to me honest but I sense they could be to others) and a annoying h. Letting aside the no fun, I'm no longer interest in slow burn romances and this one was SUPER slow burn add that the spice was pretty much zero, this story wasn't for me. Yeah, they ended up together but Vesta couldn't stand up for herself and control her life, she needed more self-esteem and attitude!! Hunter was my only hope, but he failed me too. I couldn’t sense the alpha on him nor in his actions, plus the treat her bad one minute and the other you protect her felt so fake and far from a true dark romance. To summarize, this is not a romance story."
Profile Image for Country Mama.
1,452 reviews66 followers
February 28, 2023
This book was given to me by the author for an honest review**

I liked the book Brave Love. There was drama and loss in this book which was realistic to life. I enjoyed the character of Matteo and Vesta. I also enjoyed meeting Hunter in the book. However, there was something that I did not connect with as a reader. Vesta has a medical condition, and she meets someone, and they agree to help her out without ever getting to really know her? To me as a reader this is not a believable point. I have never met someone who is willing to go that far to help some random stranger and this is a very BIG ask too. Overall, I have to give the book 4 stars just on that one point as it is not believable to a reader who knows how big of an ask that is of someone else.

Thank you for the read!
Profile Image for Edina.
72 reviews2 followers
May 16, 2023
- enemies to lovers
- fake dating
- twists
- forced proximity


This story is about Vesta and Hunter who start out as strangers and quickly turn into enemies, but later on as life brings them back together, end up as lovers. The book touches heavy topics, such as grief, anxiety and health issues.
This is the author's first book and although i do think that there is room for improvement, it's a good start of an exciting journey.

This books is for everyone who enjoys an emotional rollercoaster!

Laura, thank you so much, for sending me your book in exchange of an honest review.
Profile Image for Kat Valentine.
100 reviews5 followers
May 30, 2023
The first few chapters of the book just made me mad. Everyone was awful. I didn't feel the least bit sad when her dad died. I don't know how the character functioned as a human much less the "brilliant doctor" with her extremely vague and ill-defined research and experiments.
The way Hunter and Vesta meet was intriguing but still just felt off. And of COURSE he's a billionaire and not a waiter.
The dialogue, the plot and the characters never felt authentic to me.

The positive, it was a fast read and there was a dog named Wolverine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kelsey.
19 reviews6 followers
May 3, 2023
I recently had the pleasure of beta reading Brave Love and it was great. It has a mix of romance, heartbreak and serious character growth. The female protagonist becomes strong and independent, while the male lead is mysterious yet supportive. I was really drawn into their story and I felt like I could relate to both characters. If you love romantic reads with lots of character development, then Brave Love is the book for you!
Profile Image for Bookskee.
477 reviews
May 15, 2023
Captivating read. I wasn't crazy about the Vesta because she was so immature especially in the beginning. But there is a reason she is they way she is. She grows in character as the book goes on. I wish we had Hunter's POV! wanted to know what was going on in his head when she spoke(I believe he will get his own book?) I loved the way their relationship evolved. A bit angsty, slow burn teeny bit of spice, lovely.
Loved the acknowledgements section❤️
Profile Image for Charlene Alana  Henderson .
1,322 reviews33 followers
August 5, 2023
This story is about vesta & hunter 💜🖤

What a rollercoaster of emotions in the best way possible.

There story was great, after starting off on the wrong foot ,they where made for each other. She was such a great character, smart and brave and strong.

Hunter was the perfect match for her, there energy matched so well too. It took me a min to warm up to hunter but he grew on me.

There story was well written.

Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.