Flipped!

Spinning Hills #1

by Inés Saint

Home improvement meets romance…
Filled with storybook architecture and rich with history, the town of Spinning Hills, Ohio, has seen better days. Now the Amador brothers are determined to restore the neglected community to its former glory. But it takes more than a hammer and nails to make a house a home…

Perfumer Holly Bell has a nose for scents and a head for dreams. A former military brat who longs to put down roots in Spinning Hills, she’s been saving for years to buy a certain ramshackle Craftsman for herself and her young daughter. For once in her life, everything’s going according to plan—until a ‘flipper’ steals the house out from under her!

Dan Amador isn’t back in Spinning Hills to stay. Checking on his brothers and renovating one house in the family tradition will be plenty until it’s time to move on. Yet what seemed easy turns out to be anything but, especially when it comes to the single mom who lives next door. Before he knows it, Dan seems to be creating the house of her dreams. He doesn’t believe in fairy tale endings—but he can’t deny that she and the town have sparked magic in his heart…

"A fun and heartwarming opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers story..."

Heat Level: Behind Closed Doors
Updated Second Edition

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 17, 2015

About the author

A little bit about me: I was born in Zaragoza, Spain, though my parents are from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, I've moved more than twenty times. I went to school in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico and I'm bilingual and bicultural. I've spent the last thirteen years raising my fun, inspiring boys while working from home. My greatest joys are spending time with family and close friends and coming up with characters and interesting situations.

I'd love to hear from you! Please email me at ines.saint@gmail.com.

Reviews

[⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great! The characters had great chemistry, but were a bit stubborn about their attraction at times. The secondary characters were well written, and I desperately wanted to get to know them better. Also, I LOVED the setting! This was set so near my hometown that I could recognize the landmarks she mentioned!! I totally geeked out about that! I was also able to easily envision everything mentioned about the neighborhood. I didn't really care for the twist at the end that caused more conflict for Holly, but I could understand why it was included. All things considered, a great introduction to the author, and I am eager to read more from her!

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coffee Dates with Flipped!

First Date: Holly Bell is a  single divorced Mom and has the night off. She decides to take an unauthorized walk into "her" future home after learning the bank accepted her offer. Holly has big plans for the rundown Craftsman and has spent the last five years saving to realize those dreams. The events that unfold have me giggling and annoyed when we discover Dan Amador has outbid her and now owns the house. These two have chemistry but I would not exactly call it sizzling, unless thoughts of frying up Dan are romantic. I have a feeling we are in for a ride.
Second Date: I love this quirky little town.Dan is a bone-headed idiot at the moment, but I have hopes.  The banter between Holly and Dan slowly develops into friendship and more. Saint weaves in wonderful secondary characters from the other Amador brothers to Holly’s daughter. We get plenty of banter as Dan makes some assumptions that quickly get him in trouble with folks. It was fun watching him make amends and discover how wrong he was. Holly is a perfumer and I liked her snark and independent streak. Saint does a wonderful job of fleshing out Dan and bringing me around to liking him.
Third Date: Growing pains, a little two-step and some "ah ha" moments had me flipping the pages, swooning a little and losing myself within the story. When I began reading, I did not realize this was the first in a series. In fact, I often felt like I had missed something regarding secondary characters and eventually stopped reading to see if this was perhaps the third book in a series. I was surprised to find it was the first. Secondary characters piqued my interest but felt information was lacking. I enjoyed the romance, which was slow burning and offered passionate kisses and eventually some heat.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh boy, this book sure found its way to my heart. Dan Amador and Holly Bell are two interesting characters that excited and gripped me at the same time. Their past is actually intertwined, their present is clouded and confusing, their future could be promising one. One was left as a child, the other ran away with her own. A house brought them together, almost tore them apart and would soon be instrumental in their decision in life. But one thing is for sure, Dan’s life was flipped, the moment he saw the girl with a lime-green mask and hurricane hair. Holly’s world was also flipped, the moment she lost her dream house.

I’ve got so many feels from this book. It was beautifully written and thoughtfully narrated. There were a lot of times when I found myself imagining I was Holly and could feel the intensity of her actions. There were a lot of times too, when I want to hit Dan in the head and give his stepmom a lesson she couldn’t forget. And there were times, still, when I just wanted to spend an evening drinking beers and listening to the Amador brothers singing on stage. In more ways than one, I can say, I got also flipped.

Ines Saint roused me with her swoon-worthy story. She has her way of connecting the book’s characters with the reader. Flipped is well written for a chick lit and there are several hilarious scenes, making my whole reading experience fun and lighthearted and riveting. There’s a lot of great things I can say about the author, but if I have to sum it up, I can only come up with one statement. Ines Saint is impressive and a whole lot more!

[Margaret Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, this enemy to friends romance made me laugh and want to meet the quirky characters of Spinning Hills. Their initial meeting was a disaster of epic proportions, so much so that Dan Amador did not recognise Holly Bell the next time he saw her. Dan is driven to flip a house that he overrode every other offer to purchase, despite not wanting to live there himself. Holly, on the other hand, has dreamt, saved and planned for the day when she could buy the rundown house, and just as her dreams are realised, they are swept out from under her. Dan doesn't have time for the wacky granddaughter of a woman who believes in magic, as he just wants to get the job done and beat a retreat from the town he never wanted to see again. Despite her extreme disappointment, Holly just does not have it in her to hold grudges and ultimately offers Dan the ideas she has so carefully put together. Both Dan and Holly have secrets and as they get to know one another better, they start to emerge and could just upset any possibility of a relationship. Dan and Holly are loveable but flawed characters, each with their own baggage that needs to be dealt with. The supporting characters in this novel are just as charming and bring humour as well as a slice of small-town life. I purchased this book some years ago but also received this book as a gift from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.

[Micah Persell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hit so many of my guilty pleasures. I'm obsessed--obsessed--with HGTV, and I've never read a romance with house-flipping as the backdrop. I didn't even know that could be a thing! I was so stoked! I could not put this book down from the moment I picked it up. I loved Holly, a quirky heroine with witch-like eyes and a grandmother who believed in everything supernatural--love most of all. Dan was the perfect alpha hero with a big ole soft heart and a painful past. There were some masterful strokes of the pen in this book--tiny layerings from Saint that led to big conflict at different points. I cannot wait for the next brother's book!

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly came to Spinning Hills to find love and support from her grandmother and her friends when she left her husband, an active soldier. and starts a new life for her and her daughter. Her dream is to buy the house next door and renovate it. After 5 years she finally has the money to buy it. Having signed she believes this house is hers when not a week later she is told, the house belongs to a brother of two of her best friends.l..
This is the story of the flip, the man behind it and how the love to the house brings them together. A lovely, fairly uncomplicated story, with nice characters, that are well defined. A typical small town Hallmark story, but well-written and funny.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Anonymous 5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading something by this author. I really enjoyed the story. After her divorce, Holly comes to Spinning Hills to start a new life with her daughter. She really wants to buy the house next door and renovate it. She's finally saved up enough money and signs the bank papers thinking the house now belongs to her. However, she later learns it now belongs to Dan, who had outbid her. Dan is the brother of her two best friends. Brought together by the house, their building romance was fun to follow. These two were great together and the banter between them had me smiling all the way through. This looks to be a fun series and I look forward to reading more from this author.

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

[Jack Vasen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fairly average romance story without the mystery that made Perfect Paige enjoyable. Dialogue is OK with some wit and humor.

I really hated Dan with a passion for a good part of the book. Holly is a cute, quirky girl who like fun. Dan's ridicule of her continues well into the story and it shows him to arrogant and judgmental without looking past the surface.

Holly is also intelligent, industrious and caring with a little dose of forgiving thrown in. Unfortunately her quirky, fun part got bogged down a little with her past insecurities.

BTW house selling doesn't work like that. The bank so screwed up.

[Clara Prieto]

This was my second book form this author I liked the plot, and the description of the book. The book was actually boring, the best part were the side characters, the author describe them a lot, so you get to know them and you want to read the other books, which I am tempted to do, however as this book was so boring I don’t think I will do. The book was all around the house and her insecurities and their love story, NOTHING else, come on ……It could have been a comedy or a drama or whatever but something was missing. I give it three stars for the idea and because the other characters may have good books….

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this story. I think the unique way that Dan and Holly met completely sucked me in to continue reading. While initially the plot seems to be about renovating an old home, there’s just so much more that is revealed. Both Dan and Holly have things in their past that they have yet to come to terms with that continues to influence their present and future. I enjoyed the humor, pieces of relationship suspense as well as when the hidden details from each characters’ past was revealed. We are where we have been.... what a simple and yet profoundly true statement!

I received a free copy of this book from eBook Discovery and I’m voluntarily sharing my honest review.

[Rose Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small town vibes with home renovation and an enemy to friends romance? Sign me up. Holly moved to Spinning Hills to rebuild her life after a divorce. She saved for 5 years to buy her dream house and right before she got it a house flipper picked it up. Dan comes to town now and then to see his family. He picked up a house to flip. It had to be this one for....reasons. They have a hilarious meet cute and it is dislike at first sight. The town and the side characters were great, and this is a good set up for the series.

[Sarah Perry]

I couldn't. get past my disconnection to the characters. I still think the setting is quite charming and may give the characters another chance in the future. For now, I had to put this one down and move on to the next.

[Tammy]

I liked this story and it was well written, Holly was kind of annoying but you kind of excepted that and continued on with the story. This was a fun and entertaining read, minus the annoying moments, but this is what made it even more realistic. Everything she annoyed me it reminded me of someone I knew and I had to finish this book.

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

[Mary Welter-o'connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story. It was romantic and sweet. The characters are well written. I hope that the story continues because I would love to see how the supporting characters get their happy ever after. The home remodeling plot was enjoyable.

[Lorelei Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read! I love this book. Laugh , cry, smile.... it all in this story. Can't wait to read more of series!.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and captivating story line that holds your attention. Great characters that are relatable, likable and fun to get to know. The story flows smoothly from page to page. Definitely an enjoyable read.

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

[Book Gannet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a little torn about this book. On the one hand there were parts of it that I really enjoyed: Holly, her daughter Ella, her grandmother, Dan’s brothers, the other fun friends and family members in town; the renovation of the house; Holly’s business; Spinning Hills itself. And then, on the other hand there's Dan, who has more than a few jerkish moments. I don’t care if he had his reasons in his emotionally stunted childhood, his superior (and incorrect) snap judgements made him look and sound like an ass.

More on that later. Let me first talk about those good things. And there are many. This is a lovely small town romance of the type I thoroughly enjoy. Holly is a warm heroine with a gorgeous little girl and a successful business. She’s had her troubles in the past, but she’s on the right track now and her next goal is to by the house of her (and Ella’s) dreams. Except she gets gazumped. But instead of turning bitter over it (I might have) she instead tries to help out, because Holly’s a good person and tries not to waste energy on things she can’t change. I liked her a lot.

The story itself is full of humour from the opening scene, right up to the end. I loved the three women running the bakery. There’s a magical one, a pious one and a sceptical one, they rarely agree on anything, but they’re kind and fun and dole out invaluable advice whether people want it or not. Then there are Dan’s younger brothers, Sam and Johnny, who are funny and supportive and tease in the way that only family can. I loved getting to know both of them and cannot wait to read their books.

Which brings me back to Dan. Eh. He waltzes in to the story so certain that he is right and Holly is wrong. He doesn’t care that owning the house was her dream, he just assumes she’s a terrible mother and that her business is an empty indulgence. He also mocks her expertise, and although he does come around on these things throughout the story, I never really feel like he genuinely apologises. It’s just that Holly chooses to be the better person and forgive him, even when he doesn’t really deserve it. I hate a hero who undermines the heroine or doesn’t believe in her. He’s so scathing of her hopes and dreams for the house at first that it made a very bad impression on me.

For the most part, however, he does improve. He’ll never be a favourite hero of mine, but he’s tolerable by the end. Sure, he makes another huge judgemental mistake, but the ending is almost cute enough to make up for it. The rest of the characters, the setting of Spinning Hills and Holly definitely do. In all this is cute and warm and funny and everything I could expect from a small town romance, though the hero in this case wasn’t for me. It might also have been nice to have seen a little more of the work on the house, but what I did read I enjoyed. I definitely want to return to Spinnning Hills soon – even if this book did leave me singing Toto’s Africa…

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

[Genesis pimentel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so sorry for such a bad rating



I don’t think I have much to say about this book. It’s a cute adult romance. Set in a small town. I felt the story was very rush, I think the author tried to incorporate a lot of external elements and it ended up not working very nicely. I felt as if forcing my self to read and I did find myself skipping lots of pages because there just wasn’t a lot to get my attention.

I liked the characters though, I found Holly to be very well written but Dan wasn’t my favorite he was a massive jerk from page 1 and then suddenly had a change of heart after a while? even then he was a jerk. and believe me I’m all about loving a-hole in books he was just not likable. That’s the thing that made me not enjoy it. There was just no chemistry to me in this book.

On the other hand I loved Ruby and all the old ladies. I loved his brothers and i found Ella’s characters to be… Idk.

Over all it was cute. I wouldn’t really read it again but I did feel there was lot more potential underneath that wasn’t handled properly. Only if the things would have slow down and have each situation have and ending not just rush things to be fixed.

As I always say, Don’t knock it till you try it. You might love it!

And its super cheap.<3

[Kerry - Readkerryread · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. From the first meeting Holly and Dan do not get along. It might have to do with Holly and Dan buying the same house. Holly's dream of raising her daughter in that house are dashed, when Dan's last minute higher price sealed the deal. It is a historical home and she had so many plans for it. Dan is also the brother of one of her best friends Johnnie, so they will be seeing a lot of each other. Holly hopes to convince him to restore the home the way she envisioned. Dan is also trying to help his brother restore a lot of the homes in the area to revitalize the town. I like the development of Dan and Holly but also look forward to the rest of the books in the series.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is like a distilled Hallmark Channel movie: sweet, straight-forward, and only mildly ridiculous. The relationships between family and community are the most beautifully rendered part of the story - along with a fairy-tale perfect small town.

While the background characters are fantastic, some behavior of the main characters seems suspect. It's difficult to believe in renovations that do not have unexpected delays due to rot or wiring or bad luck. Characters who are self-employed but still have ample spare time. A dog terrier that does not bark, dig, or require walks. I would have liked to see more gritty renovation details to better highlight the sweetness of the relationships.

Overall, this is a great rainy day with a mug of hot cocoa book.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eventual functional co-parenting, FTW!

But really, this was cute. Weird, in that it's set in a Dayton suburb, but very cute. I liked the couple and their conflict, and I liked the community that it developed a lot more than I usually like the ones in small town contemporaries.

I definitely want to read the rest of this series.

[Kristine Ruiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was up and downs threw this book but I liked it for the most part, it's one of the first that I have been able to get threw in a while, the characters were great and I loved reading about them . The writing was good and I was able to follow and understand what was happening

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't keep my attention!
Sorry, but that's the truth....

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable story. It had great characters and a great plot. It was a little slow at times, but still worth the read. Plus it was clean.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having re-read "Fixer-Upper", I had to re-read this. Just as charming as the first time I read it. Even now, whenever I hear Toto's "Africa", I remember this book.

[Bette Stanek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, quick, predictable. A good filler when you're looking for your next intense read.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars