Any Way You Build It

Upper Crust #5

by Monique McDonell

When single-mother Sarah pulls up in front of the house her aunt left her she has three goals; help her kids be happy and healthy, find a job and stay away from men. The last year has been a hellish rollerc-oaster and now she needs to create a stable life where everyone, including her, has their two-feet firmly planted on the ground. What she didn’t count on was a sexy neighbour who made keeping her focus and her balance way too hard.
Todd has two rules, never date locals and even more importantly never date women with kids. Growing up with his own mother and a revolving door of ineffectual step-fathers Todd has vowed never to put anyone in that position. He’s perfectly happy living his life with his Peter-pan syndrome undisturbed – until Sarah and her two adorable children move in across the street and turn everything upside down.
Todd isn’t the kind of guy who can stand back when someone needs help and Sarah clearly needs a lot. When Sarah gets injured Todd has no choice to step in and be a good neighbour who lends a hand, because he’s definitely not helping her because he likes her.
Opportunity, proximity and attraction mean two neighbors determined to remain single have quite a struggle on their hands.
If you like tree houses, indoor camp outs and shameless flirting you’ll love Any Way You Build It.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Contemporary

218 pages, ebook

First published March 31, 2017

About the author

I am an author of fun, flirty fiction that always has a happy ending. I write contemporary women's fiction including chick lit and romantic comedies. I
have released over fifteen novels including the Upper Crust and the Jewel Sisters series.

I am also an avid reader, coffee drinker and wine lover.

Reviews

[Texas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, heartwarming, second chance at love, intriguing series that's just perfect to spend the time reading. Best sequentially, but not necessary.

Any Way You Slice It #1 - Wish I could have read these books in order, but it doesn't matter. A well thought out romance with realistic dialog and characters and an interesting, entertaining plot. Any more would be spoilers. This series is more substantial than a lot of this genre.

Any Way You Fight It #3 - Second chance at love. Another well written, funny romance with interesting characters and an entertaining plot. I can't say more or it would be spoilers. I enjoyed reading this series.

Any Way You Want It #5 - If you enjoy S. Claflin and T. Pedersen, you'll love McDonell, too! It's the first chapter and you're already laughing and rootin' for the good guys. A well written, fun-filled romance, this time with Chloe and Moose. My second story by this author and now I want to read them all. Moose is my favorite male character.

Any Way You Build It #6 - A well-written, fun, exciting, clean romance. I had to finish it in two sittings; work, a four-letter word, interrupted me. It was complete, but I believe there's more to the story. This is the first story I've read by this author, but I've got another one ready to go from Amazon. I asked the author if I could review this book.

Any Way You Spin It #7 - Another second chance. Another well written, heartwarming romance with interesting characters and a realistic plot. None of these books are repeats, but interesting, fun books on their own, just a piece of a larger picture.

Any Way You Like It #8 - Another heartwarming, humorous, intriguing second chance romance in one of my favorite places with some of my favorite characters. This complete series is well written with well developed characters with realistic dialog and no stupid formulas, along with interesting and intriguing storylines. While complete with humor and bad guys, these books are substantial pieces, not fluffy junk. This is my second favorite, which is actually hard to decide on since all the books are favorites! There's also a preview of the book, Something of a Spark.

[Vibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

Todd got ripped off & was given a short story with a counterfeit happily-ever-after

I knew it was going to be difficult to make Todd's story different from Mike's but this is such a disappointment. Neither Todd nor Sarah are believable. And lust & hooking up are NOT a basis for falling in love & having a good marriage.

For almost the entire (short) book we're listening to the characters thinking about each other's bodies & having the hots for each other.

Then the ideal woman, who can do acrobatics on a stripper pole, & ooh, I bet she's a party in bed, offers sex with no strings attached to the hero. And of course, he's too noble to accept.

Except that he's not, so it must be irresistible love. Which she proves to him by throwing herself at him until he gives in, & he realizes that his obsessive desire to have sex with her (& he's good with her kids) must mean that he's in love.

In what world does this happen? This is a man's lust fantasy combined with a woman's knight in shining armor fantasy (& the two will NEVER work together because the 1st guy is a selfish taker & the 2nd guy is self donating)

*Clean romance level: lots of lusting after each other, finally getting naked & having sex
*Religion: very secular, a few uses of God's Name in vain but at least not cursing this time
*Language: quite a bit more than previous books, dozens of uses of d*mn, h*ll, & sh*t.

[Margaret Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cute romance is a lot of fun. Todd is determined to ride the waves of life, working in his tree house and playing games, but marriage and children have no place in his Peter-Pan lifestyle. However, unlike most playboys, Todd has a wounded soul and is in fact a really nice guy. When Sarah is thrown a lifeline through the death of her aunt, she inherits her home, giving her and her two children a place to live. However, things are still not easy as in order to work Sarah needs childcare, something she cannot afford. As neighbours, Todd and Sarah have everything going for them, except for their personal vows never to get attached to anyone again. Sarah finds that she cannot escape notice in the small town and when disaster strikes, Todd ropes his friends in to give her the assistance she needs. He also cannot escape Sarah’s two young children, and when Zach and Livi latch onto him, Todd finds himself giving more of himself than he ever intended. This book is well written and is part of a series, however in spite of again meeting old friends, this story is a standalone and can be read as such. Although there is passion, the story is basically clean and can be read by most age groups.

[Ann-Maree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have jumped from book one of the series to book 6 and even though I loved every work I had wished I had read the other four books first. As I so wanted to know the stories behind some of the other wonderful couples and amazing characters in this book. So my advice is to read this series from the start and follow the volumes to get a betting feel of the characters in the town. This is a fun, heart-warming cute romance that will make you fall in love with more than just the main coupled but also the children.

A single mum battling to keep things together for her children moves into town to take ownership of a bequest house. Sarah has very fond memories of her aunt’s house and her aunt herself so she had no real thought as to why not to move her kids to a new town. She just may find for than a new house!

Todd was wondering when Esme’s niece would show her face in the street, but he was not expecting to see what he saw when she pulled in in the driveway. Todd had two very important rules that he followed in his adult life, one never dates a local girl and two never get involved with a woman with kids.

What will happen when Sarah needs help and Todd is the local MR nice guy who always helps others out?

Can you forget your rules or should you stick by them always?

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I obtained this free e-book from Amazon and I am voluntarily writing a review. Sarah is the widowed mother of two children one of which is wheel chair bound after a hit and run accident. She has uprooted her family and moved them to a new town where she has inherited her Aunt Esme's house. It is scary with no job, no money, and not knowing a single soul but it gives her a chance to save money with no rent and a fresh start for all. Todd is the seriously sexy devoted to being single has an office in a tree house guy next door that was good friends with her aunt.

[K B · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
I purchased Any Way You Build It by Monique McDonell August 15, 2017 and this review was given freely.
Sarah returns to claim the home deeded to her by her Aunt. The sexy, sweet, and mysterious neighbor Todd helps Sarah and her kids settle in bringing love and happiness while Todd hides his secret. Denial, attraction, humor, tragedy, and a caring town make this a complex and heartwarming novel.

[Suzanne Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet

This was a sweet story of two people whose lives have not been easy. They have felt beaten and defeated, yet both were determined to overcome their trials. I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop from neighbors, to friends, to a little more and a little more. I thought the romance was handled very tastefully. This was a fun read, I think I’ll go back and read the others...

[Meryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable.

I really felt for Sarah, Zach and Livi. Life had thrown a lot of bad karma their way. I loved how the small town vibe and the big hearted nature of Todd helped them to laugh again. Wonderful camaraderie.

I was left with some questions though....... The Dr was meant to come back in a few days to discuss Livi’s prognosis, that never happened. Did the car go to an interested buyer or get sold at all?

[Nancy Dillow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta get the whole series ! So good

A young mother takes care of her two children after her husband doesn't want to take on a child that isn't physically perfect. Been there done that! Her aged relative leaves her her home,... then she meets a selfmade man with a heart.

[KRISTEN LAWRENCE · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not finish this one

I don't know how this story got good reviews. I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't force myself to read any more. Simplistic plot, characters without dimension and conflict for the sake of conflict.

[Ed Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super Love Stoty

This is a realistic story with real people and believable actions . There is no suspense because from thr start it is obvious that the two main chaacters are destined to be together. However t is intersting to watch it happen

[Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute Romance

This is such a cute little romance with sweet characters and adorable and heartwarming moments and charming place to come visit and experience true love over and over again.

[Su · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but hard to believe. Pretty much everything about Todd and Sarah had to do with looks, even from the other characters. I liked the idea of them seeing more and being more which made it a cute read.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by Monique McDonnell, Any Way You Build It is the 6th book in the An Upper Crust series. This was a great & fun read with some fun humor mixed in with the already great characters.

[Ateereel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book

It was an engaging read. The billionaire situation along with a kind of Cinderella story mixed in is fairy tale like but we all need that once in a while.

[Clarissa Boggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book in the series I've read so far.five stars

[Jacki · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Upper Crust
Standalone
HEA

I look forward to reading more from Monique McDonell.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving it!

Being able to read stories that show true love, and relationships building from nothing has been amazing. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

[Tonya Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Determined

Well after all these yrs of having no problems of sticking to his "rules" it only took a good woman with 2 kids
But the struggle was real for both of them.

[Kathryn Munsell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this.

This was a wonderful story. The struggles of being a single Mom and having a disabled child are very real. And to meet a caring, loving man is special.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Wish we learned more about Livi and how they were going to try and help her in their new environment.

[Jenny H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Todd and Sarah's story. I thought it was a sweet, clean romance that was exciting and enjoyable to read. This is part of a series but can be enjoyed as a stand alone read. Overall the characters are great - the plot is entertaining and fast paced. A good read not to be missed.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Sue Mehlert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyway you build it, WOW!

I have just finished reading this book, I found it hard to put down, from start to finish it was so compelling and I just had to keep reading. The characters are real, and you just feel like you are part of the story. It was wonderful all the way through, but I wanted more.........loved it, thank you, Sue

[Pauline Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read and a stand alone you can understand without reading the ones before in this series. It draws you in from the start with some tragic and love all around. Friends and family to help you through the tough parts of life.

[Coco.V]

FREE on Amazon today (10/25/2017)!

[Karen Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Loved this read. Christian values, loving care for children, wonderful love story. Recommend highly!! Going to search for more reads from Monique McDonell