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Begin Again
Chloe Anderson has big dreams and a lot to prove, and she’s not letting anything get in her way. Although she works herself into the ground, everything is going fine until her past catches up to her and help comes from an unexpected place.
Mason Davies is no stranger to hard work.
He has worked himself to the bone his whole life so that his family could have a better life. He has achieved his goal, but has sworn off love as a distraction. Then he meets one night in a bar and he is hooked, but he wont let himself give in.
When outside circumstances force them together, will he be able to resist her or will he finally let his heart have what it wants?
Mason Davies is no stranger to hard work.
He has worked himself to the bone his whole life so that his family could have a better life. He has achieved his goal, but has sworn off love as a distraction. Then he meets one night in a bar and he is hooked, but he wont let himself give in.
When outside circumstances force them together, will he be able to resist her or will he finally let his heart have what it wants?
282 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 14, 2026
Moon: 🌗 Closed Door (Making out (with tongue), kissing, no implied intimacy)
I received this as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC), this is my honest review.
This is the second book in the Evergreen Ridge standalone series. I don’t feel that not reading the first one negatively impacted my experience with Begin Again. I now know how the first book ends (which is typical for HAE), and honestly if anything, it made me want to go back and read the first one.
This story follows Chloe, who is a student working really hard toward her business degree and hopefully buying the coffee shop/cafe she loves and works at. As well as Mason, who is the tall, tanned, rich, grump who worked his butt off to become the billionaire mogul he is. I really loved the premise and storyline. Mason totally fell first when they hung out at Evergreen Tavern, but he shut it down so quickly and then spent the remainder of the book regretting it. He was really only grumpy for the first little bit then he became more golden retriever friend/boyfriend. This dude learned about house plants because she kept killing them and was upset ✨swoon✨
I did have a few “mehs” that brought the rating down. The pacing was a bit rough, and the transitions between dislike to friends to lovers was kind of jarring. Once we were in each phase, I loved it! But going from dislike to friends felt quick and wasn’t as developed as the friends to lovers. I’m a stickler for overused clichés in books, it pulls me out of the story so badly, so “The breath I didn’t realize I was holding” is used 3 times. Also, Mason’s nickname “princess” killed me, that stupid TikTok sound just ruined the use of princess for me forever. There were times I was swooning, times I was cringing. But it was a great story either way.
This one is a true closed-door book! There are a few scenes of making out with tongue, but it is mostly kisses, closeness, hand holding, and no implied intimacy.
I write reviews for and rate no spice books based on a scale available on my profile
I received this as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC), this is my honest review.
This is the second book in the Evergreen Ridge standalone series. I don’t feel that not reading the first one negatively impacted my experience with Begin Again. I now know how the first book ends (which is typical for HAE), and honestly if anything, it made me want to go back and read the first one.
This story follows Chloe, who is a student working really hard toward her business degree and hopefully buying the coffee shop/cafe she loves and works at. As well as Mason, who is the tall, tanned, rich, grump who worked his butt off to become the billionaire mogul he is. I really loved the premise and storyline. Mason totally fell first when they hung out at Evergreen Tavern, but he shut it down so quickly and then spent the remainder of the book regretting it. He was really only grumpy for the first little bit then he became more golden retriever friend/boyfriend. This dude learned about house plants because she kept killing them and was upset ✨swoon✨
I did have a few “mehs” that brought the rating down. The pacing was a bit rough, and the transitions between dislike to friends to lovers was kind of jarring. Once we were in each phase, I loved it! But going from dislike to friends felt quick and wasn’t as developed as the friends to lovers. I’m a stickler for overused clichés in books, it pulls me out of the story so badly, so “The breath I didn’t realize I was holding” is used 3 times. Also, Mason’s nickname “princess” killed me, that stupid TikTok sound just ruined the use of princess for me forever. There were times I was swooning, times I was cringing. But it was a great story either way.
This one is a true closed-door book! There are a few scenes of making out with tongue, but it is mostly kisses, closeness, hand holding, and no implied intimacy.
I write reviews for and rate no spice books based on a scale available on my profile
April 10, 2026
A special thank you to LoveNotes PR for sending me an arc copy! This book was such a fun read and something I picked up on a whim. Our story follows Chloe Anderson, a super independent woman who experiences a series of unfortunate events. Mason Davies sets the standard!! Chloe and Mason have such cute banter and had me giggling throughout the pages. I appreciate Chloe’s perspective when discussing the various aspects of gambling addiction, author Ashley Vargas navigated the topic very well.
I didn’t get too much “Black Cat” energy and at some chapters, there didn’t feel like any plot advancement. The writing was very strong, descriptive, and thoroughly detailed when describing specific aspects such as Chloe’s pastries and Mason’s apartment, you feel like you’re seeing it with your own eyes! As this is Book 2 in a series of interconnected standalones, I felt like I should’ve read the first book prior to Begin Again to get a sense of worldbuilding and additional information we may not have been exposed to in this book.
Overall a quick and fun book to read when you have a few hours to spare!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
Tropes
🌱 Forced Proximity
🌱 Black Cat x Golden Retriever
🌱 Found Family
🌱 He Falls First
🌱 Closed Door
I didn’t get too much “Black Cat” energy and at some chapters, there didn’t feel like any plot advancement. The writing was very strong, descriptive, and thoroughly detailed when describing specific aspects such as Chloe’s pastries and Mason’s apartment, you feel like you’re seeing it with your own eyes! As this is Book 2 in a series of interconnected standalones, I felt like I should’ve read the first book prior to Begin Again to get a sense of worldbuilding and additional information we may not have been exposed to in this book.
Overall a quick and fun book to read when you have a few hours to spare!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
Tropes
🌱 Forced Proximity
🌱 Black Cat x Golden Retriever
🌱 Found Family
🌱 He Falls First
🌱 Closed Door
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews