The Luxury of Being Honest

Deer Springs #1

by Lily Birch

There’s a reason he’s still single. I need to know why.

Bookish Emma Davis is reinventing her life. She never expects her new job as a home health aide to come with a sexy, hunky, grunty mountain man attached. He treats flirting like an Olympic sport and has handyman muscles that make her melt, but she soon realizes she doesn’t know him. No one does. He has walls up so high they reach the moon. On top of that, he’s off limits.

Grant Parker is a house flipper who has the word ‘casual’ on lockdown mode. He’s sexy, strong and confident. A master at avoiding commitment and absolutely not husband material. Grant has secrets that run deep, and he doesn’t want any woman too close to him. But when Emma Sue Davis walks into his grandfather’s life, she walks into Grant’s life too.

Emma has a way of poking and prodding at the raw, ragged edges of his past that leaves all his secrets unraveling. Will she keep his secrets safe, or will they burn through town like a wildfire, destroying the fragile life he’s created for himself?

“Whatever I was feeling towards Emma, there wasn’t anything casual about it. It was more like a four-alarm fire.” 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Author’s An open door, slow burn, contemporary, small town romantic comedy. A curvy, plus size literary snob of a heroine. A charming, wounded, emo hero. Found family and a tiny Ozark Mountain town. It’s steamy + spicy + angsty = swoon.

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 7, 2024

About the author

Lily Birch writes short and steamy instalove romance featuring sexy mountain men and the curvy women who fall for them.

She publishes a new short read every Friday. ❤️

She lives in the Ozark mountains in a one-stoplight town with her mountain man husband, a diva pug and a devious beagle.

Visit her at lilybirch.com to catch every new release.

Reviews

[Louise J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book one in the “Deer Springs” series, welcoming you to the town and characters that live there. Emma recently started a new job as a home help to Arthur who lives out in the country and today has a possum stuck in his house. She is rather put out when he tells her that his grandson Grant said that she could try wrangling it out of the house before he would come over and try. Not the best introduction to him, and it’s not much better when they meet in person as Grant flirts and openly checks out her curves. Emma is attracted to him but has had her heart broken in the past and can’t imagine being with someone with Grant’s reputation for being a player. Grant finds Emma incredibly alluring but battles with his own demons from his past and it appears that he won’t let his walls down, and Emma can’t knock them down despite trying to. Plus, there’s the pesky clause in her contract which says that she can’t have a relationship with a client’s relative…

Emma and Grant are both complex characters who have heartbreak and emotional damage in their pasts. Their chemistry and attraction is electric but they try and fight it, be it to keep their job or to keep their secrets safe and protective walls intact. The dialogue between them is sexy, intense, blunt and brutal at times as Emma tries to uncover who Grant is and he tries to resist her. I found this a really intoxicating read and was drawn into the emotional and steamy tornado which swirled around them throughout. Recommended for readers looking for a read to lose themselves in, with emotion, humour, steam and incredible dialogue.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mia Cavaco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I started this cozy, angsty romance, I quickly got caught up in Emma Davis’ life and work... we start out with a quick explanation of how she came into the lives of Arthur and Grant Parker, and how everyone’s life turns around through this introduction. The characters are warm and likeable, and you see that there’s a spark between Emma and Grant right away... but Emma can’t figure out why Grant is still a bachelor at his age... what’s up with that? Well, the reader gets caught up in trying to find that answer... especially when Grant is such a flirt and everyone seems to like him! Along the way, we meet Emma’s long time friends.. all solid characters (and ripe for their own stories)... Emma can’t figure out why she never met Grant, even though they both had lived in the same town for many years. She also has issues with her job with Arthur, and her anxiety builds through the chapters as to how she’s going to deal with her life.

I enjoyed reading this story... finished it in two days... and, would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in a warm, relatable romance! Looking forward to reading more about this cozy group of friends...

[Engela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed parts of this book. It did feel pretty drawn out, and the issues between Emma and Grant - I understand each of their issues and why they have them, but I think they should have worked on them before even thinking about dating or sleeping together. The will they/won't they was very pronounced, and got tiring the more I read. Their own personal issues really have nothing to do with each other, and they were lashing out, until basically the end of the book.

That being said, I did like the character development - Emma growing more patient and less judgmental of herself (kind of), Grant being more willing to open up and actually talk and have conversations rather than keep everything surface level.

[QueenMum1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

First installment of the Deer Springs sieres. Angsty.
Really wanted to enjoy this but felt like too much back and forth. Communicate.
Emma is a home health aide.
Arthur is her client.
Grant is Arthur's grandson. He is a womanizer with a checkered past.
Tropes:
Small town, forced proximity, one bed, grumpy/sunshine, curvy woman, Ozark mountains, HFN romance.

Thank you to Lily Birch and Booksprout for providing me with an eARC book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Ineta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started with Book 3 of Deer Springs Series and was impressed enough for returning back to other books of the series. Didn't regret. I love the writing style of Lily Birch, characters and story lines.
Emma and Grant's story is of forbidden relationship. Both of them are emotionally damaged, with their own issues. But their attraction and chemistry is undeniable, interactions incredible.
Loved the book - so emotional, humorous, steamy and so enjoyable. Loved it!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book. I enjoyed how the romance developed between Emma and Grant. There were times when it just dragged and then I would get annoyed with how Emma responded to Grant. I'm glad they got their Happy Ending. Lily Birch books never disappoint!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

New favorite author!

The dual POV is done so well here. While many authors pull off a distinct voice/style for their male POV, Birch creates such rich, believable, complex characters, it felt like two separate novels. So impressive!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considering this is Lily's debut novel, I thought this was wonderful. It starts off introducing Deer Springs - a small, country town in Arkansas, by introducing two unlikely characters - Emma and "Pops" (aka Grant's grandfather). Grant gets introduced shortly thereafter and he is everything Emma doesn't want to like but ends up really liking. The plot was super basic and lacking some depth, but it was a cute, cozy romance.