Warming His Bed

Kelly Bay #1

by Kat Matthews

One fake vacation rental ad. Two strangers. Three weeks. For nosy tabloid blogger Sadie Davis, it’s the work trip from hell. Instead of an inviting BnB host, she’s faced with a broody, reclusive ex-firefighter who wants to kick her off his porch. Drew Evans values his solitude more than anything. So when a captivating stranger shows up at his front door with nowhere else to turn, his gut reaction is hell no—not my problem. She got scammed, but not by him. Unfortunately, every hotel in a 90-mile radius is booked up and Drew’s conscience won’t let him leave Sadie stranded in the middle of the night in an ice storm. Only problem is, Sadie isn't gone the next day. Or the one after that. And the longer she stays, the harder it gets to say goodbye. But Sadie’s itching to dig up the past. A past Drew plans to keep buried deep. Sadie might be rekindling a spark he thought he extinguished years ago, but it could come at the cost of truth - a truth that could destroy Drew’s entire identity. Can Sadie and Drew let go of the past enough to hold on to each other, or will they both end up getting burned? Warming His Bed is a full length, stand-alone, sexy small-town contemporary romance novel with no cheating, first-person dual POV, and a guaranteed HEA. SCROLL UP AND GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Small Town Romance, Forced Proximity, Smut, Contemporary Romance

332 pages, Paperback

Published June 23, 2022

About the author

When Kat’s not cramming writing time into the wee hours of the morning, you can find her watching videos of red pandas, chasing an active toddler, or working her day job in healthcare (yes, it’s been a long couple of years…so please forgive her if her release schedule isn’t as fast as we’d all like!)

Reviews

[Luvleepati · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Reader 5/5

Dual POV/ grumpy male-sunshine female/small town/HEA.

I couldn’t put this book down this was so good, gave all the feels. I loved the overall story of the book, Sadie and Drew are loveable and relatable. There was enough spice to make it fun but not overpowering. The way she words everything gives me a visual of this place and I can feel myself there watching this love story unfold. Can’t wait to read more of her books. I defiantly recommend this book.

[Amanda Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book and I am so thankful I did. This story hooked me immediately and had me feeling so many emotions. I laughed out loud so many times, teared up, was frustrated, and more. Sadie was so likable and Drew was a dream. Their story really melted me but I loved that it wasn't just a mushy book and dealt with some heavy past trauma topics too. I totally recommend this wonderful story.

[Jane]

Lots of man-feels and nicely contained angst - nothing taking away from the central relationship.

[Marinasbookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

** Arc provided by author in exchange for honest review **

genre: small town romance, forced proximity, age gap (7 years), disabled hero (prosthetic leg)
pov: dual pov ♡
triggers: pregnancy loss, loss of a partner, cancer, traumatic limb loss, parental loss, and suicide attempt
main characters: Sadie (24)& Drew (31)

**********

Because of her job as a gossip/travel writer Sadie is supposed to spend a few weeks in the small town of Kelly Bay. Ehen she shows up at her vacation rental she comes face to face with grumpy former fire fighter Drew who promptly tells her that the rental ad was a scam and tells her to leave. After even more bad luck for Sadie including a questionable motel and a trip to the emergency room, Drew reluctantly offers to let her stay at his place. Both of them feel the tension between them and make a deal to have a vacation fling but they soon become closer than a casual fling.

Sadie has dedicated her life to constantly travelling around for her job in order not to dwell on her past. She has been forced to deal with tragic events in her life that she is still trying to come to terms with.

Drew has lived as a reclusive for the last five years after a horrible accident caused him to loose his leg. Not wanting to deal with his new reality he has been shutting out everyone who loves him. But Sadie might be the one to finally bring him out of his shell.

**********

"Why couldn’t I breathe? I still had two perfectly good, functioning lungs. Breathing shouldn’t have been an issue."

After their first meeting you expect Drew to be a grump who doesn't want anything to do with her.
And then this is the first sentence from his POV !! I simply melted at this.


**********

This is my first book by Kat Matthews and let me just say it won't be my last. Her writing style was so good. And the way she wrote Sadie and Drew really had me feeling all the emotions. Their story made me laugh, cry, swoon and don't even get me starting on the spice!

**********
plot: ☆☆☆☆☆
dialogue: ☆☆☆☆☆
characters: ☆☆☆☆☆
story telling: ☆☆☆☆.5
spice: ☆☆☆☆

overall: 5 stars

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an arc copy of this book and loved the story! This is my first book by this author and it gave me Hallmark movie vibes with a little spice. It’s a great story, a little grumpy/sunshine and a HEA. I definitely recommend this book!

[c_g.77 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not wait to review this book for you! Literally the whole time I read this all I wanted to do was be its human billboard. This book was so unexpectedly great! You have to read this.

This book tells the story of Sadie and Drew. Sadie is this tabloid writer that gets sent to this small little po-dunk town in the middle of nowhere basically to follow a lead on a star that was rumored to have a vacation home there. She arrives on the doorstep of her supposed rental only to be greeted by grouchy recluse Drew. He’s gorgeous but extremely broody and Sadie tries to explain that there’s been a mix-up but Drew could care less what happens with this albeit attractive but annoying woman.

Sadie continues to have terrible luck in trying to find a place to stay and somehow manages to have Drew come to her rescue. Begrudgingly, but he’s there. Things heat up with this former firefighter and hot tabloid writer the more time they spend together.

So wow! I don’t want to give away too much, but this hot trope was unexpectedly fantastic. Who would have known that the grumpy thing was my thang! First, let me just say that Kat really wrote her socks off on this one. There was great editing so I wasn’t constantly annoyed with misspellings and grammar issues. That sort of thing doesn’t deter me from enjoying the book, but it does get a little annoying. No issues here. Her characters were developed beautifully. You can see where they both had issues to get through in the beginning and they grew by leaps in bounds. Sadie is my hero. FACTS! Like – she went through so much and she learned how to move past her trauma and not only live life, but thrive at life. Drew took a little convincing but how could he stand against the positivity that is SADIE?!
And can we talk just one second about the romance and spice in this book? Holy moly! Thank goodness Drew had some firefighting skills because I know the heat emanating from this book was intense!!!

By the end of this book I was in literal tears. And not just “slowly wipe a tear from my cheek” but full blown ugly cry – but HAPPY cry! I couldn’t wait to grab the bonus epilogue!

Kat, thank you for the opportunity to read this book and please, everyone, go out and grab this today! I highly recommend this!

*I received an ARC E-book in exchange for an honest review.
CG 7/4/22

[Carlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I never should have kissed you like that-“
“You shut your mouth! You do not get to backpedal on one of the best kisses I’ve ever had.”

ARC review: Warming His Bed is the perfect read for someone looking for a quick summer romance companion for vacation! Fans of grumpy/sunshine tropes will love the contrast of the two main characters as they banter and feed off of each other.

The plot was straightforward for a romance, but had its own unique elements and a really cute take on the “forced proximity” trope (I mean come on, his friend listed his house on a sketchy rental website with specific parameters for the type of renter!)

Some moments were so convenient to furthering the story that you knew they were only thrown in to tie up loose ends. However, overall the author gives readers a sweet and simple story to enjoy!

[torydarius supremacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was bad, first of all it’s the first book where I dislike the small town trope, they were all so nosy and idk I didn’t like it. Second the guy only did something for the mc just when he felt threatened or jealous by some other dude and their relationship was just sex come on, imo they didn’t have and emotional connection, and where was the groveling?!!!

[LisaReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was soooo good!! I'm a sucker for tortured and grumpy men who act like assholes half the time but are just hurt and softies inside.
The characters in this book feel so real and the female main character, I just love and adore her and her strength.
If you are looking for a cute small town strangers to lovers romance you should defenitally check this one out!
If you do check the trigger warnings beforehand!

[Yari Clemente · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a cute heartwarming story about a blog writer, Sandy, and an ex firefighter, Drew. As a prank one of Drew's friend made an ad in which stated that Drew was renting on of his room. On one of Sandy's assignment, her traveling agent booked her the room. This cause lots of confusion and problems for both Sandy and Drew.

Drew had to retired due to an accident, which caused him withdraw from those around him. Sandy's assignment was causing her to doubt her career path.

Can Sandy get Drew to his old self? Can Drew help Sandy find herself?

[Danica · Rating 5 out of 5]

pulled me in on the first page.

This book is not my normal read. I needed a distraction after my surgery. What a heart warming, make your face smile so hard, and rooting for Sadie and Drew to get together. I genuinely hope there will be books 2, 3, and 4 set in this world.

[Centurymoon Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story. It was such a heart warming story of falling in love. I live in small town Michigan and this story definitely has that small town feel to it. I this love story is about so much more then just love but also overcoming past trauma.

[Bailey Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

like literally so good it had me giggling and kicking my feet

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd say this was a pretty typical kindle romance book. Took me a little while to get into it, but it was a feel-good book and had a happy ending.

[Rachel (ray.readsandlistens) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadie must travel to a small town to find out if this place is the secret hide out of a big celebrity that her boss is itching to report first on for her tabloid magazine. What happens when the there’s an error with the accommodations so crazy?

Drew’s friend unknowingly to him listed his place as a BnB on a website and now there’s a hot girl standing on his porch. After a turn of events, Drew agrees to let Sadie stay so she doesn’t stay with anyone else. What, is that jealous?

Drew looks like a nice vacation fling. But can he keep his grumpiness and secrets to himself.

I’ll push past his walls and change the way this small town thinks of this amazing man stop tip-toeing around him and his tragic past. I should know, I’ve been down the dark hole myself. -Sadie

So much spice!
Loved the small town and all the characters involved! I can’t wait to read more of this series!

[dph_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I constantly do this thing where I see a tiktok about a book and if it’s on kindle unlimited I read it without actually knowing anything about the plot of the book. Sometimes I can’t get past the first paragraph of one of those books, but I couldn’t put this one down. I fell in love with the characters and their struggles. I loved the healing journey and self discovery. I just really loved this book and the spice was *chefs kiss*

[ReadwithEmm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this! Was a great, easy read! Perfect tk get out of a slump.
Loved the characters and the overall story line. Excellent writing style, I devoured this in less than 24 hours, which is so unlike me.
Highly recommend if after a cute romcom story.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was an arc reader for this book and absolutely fell in love with Drew and Sadie! This small town romance gave a sweet representation of finding love after dealing with events that altered life and ourself as we know it. This is my first read from the author Kat Matthews but I look forward to more from her!

[Lindsey.reads.alot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! This. Book. OMG, I’m in love with this book. I couldn’t put it down. Finished in one day. I’m having all the feelings for this one. It’s honestly perfect.

[Brittney Foust · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC. It’s my first book by this author and I thought it was a really cute story with a touch of spice. It brought out the laughs and feels. I would definitely recommend this one for a fun read.

[Cassandra Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an arc copy of the book and absolutely loved it. This is the first book I have read from this author and cannot wait for more. It’s a grumpy/sunshine with some spice and Hea. This book dealt with trauma in a smart and intelligent way. There was a great plot and brought all the feels

[Jordan Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. This author. She’s now one of my favorite authors. This book was everything I could’ve wanted and more. She brought so much realness to light. Especially trauma and coping with it. That’s something I can definitely relate to and I think that’s an important topic that more should discuss. Great writing. Great plot. Loved the characters. Will definitely be reading more by her.

[Booksandufos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rollercoaster of emotions, that was far deeper than I was expecting. A cheesy smutty hallmark that stomped on my heart for sport.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The characters, Sadie and Drew, were relatable. I could see myself walking around getting a coffee, looking through all the shops, and enjoying everything at the festival. If you’re looking for a really good small town, grumpy/sunshine book then look no further because this is the story for you.
*ARC in exchange for an honest review*

[Maddie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this ARC! This book had the perfect balance of plot and smut. It also had amazing characters that were easy to love and relate to. I’m excited to see what else Kat has in store for her readers next!

[Hollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I never knew I needed. I went in pretty much blind after just seeing one quote from it and I have zero regrets. Sadie and Drew’s story pulled at all of my heartstrings and emotions. Fake Rental Add? Strangers? Two people struggling with fears from past tragedy, meeting by chance and learning that there is always so much more to someone then what meets the eye. Their story had all of the angst, drama, spice and honesty. Add in a cute small town, the gossip and friends who don’t give up on you?! How could you not love it?! I dare say it was one of my favorite reads this year.

[Kearston McQ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received this book as an ARC. These opinions are completely representative of my thoughts on the book and are in no way influenced by any outside sources.

This book was absolutely amazing. It is a forced proximity love story following two people on the journey of healing from major life traumas. I loved the character dynamics and the relationship development. There was also the perfect amount if spice!

[Kaitie Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

overall this book was okay. i didn’t like the plot or the conflict. i felt like there were things left unfinished and overall the only reason i read was for the smut which was basically none existent.

i should really give this a 1/5 but i did really like the middle of it before the climax.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cute, had some moments that made me want to scream though. I'm not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope, so this maybe wasn't the book for me, but I still managed to enjoy it.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review! “She’d managed to change me at a fundamental level. Like she’d rewritten my genetic code. I couldn’t go back to the way things were before she charged into my life. It was impossible.”

Did I watch a hallmark movie with a similar plot (vacation rental gone wrong) three days before I started this? Yes. Did I download this as soon as I got the ARC and start reading immediately? Absolutely. This had such a good plot line I knew I’d love it. I found myself relating to both of the main characters in different ways as we learned more about them.

Matthews does a wonderful job of cracking open the characters so they reveal themselves to the readers piece by piece and culminate with a big reveal to the characters. It’s easy to connect and empathize with the characters this way. Plus the “spice” is tasteful, steamy, and passionate. I adored the disability rep and hearing both POVs of their experiences too.

My ~only~ minor critique is the miscommunication/lack of communication/conflict trope that occurred right on cue at the 70% mark when things seemed to be going so well. They both wanted the same thing and didn’t address it. There were a few chapters near the end that just seemed repetitive and the two MCs went back and forth on their problems and avoided each other.

The ending was absolutely perfect and wrapped things up perfectly with a bow on top. It gave the Ryan Reynolds rushing to NYC from Sitka in “The Proposal” vibes and I am a sucker for a HEA. I immediately signed up for the bonus chapter and am writing this while I wait for it to upload to my kindle. It seems like this could be the start to a Kelly Bay series— maybe all Drew’s friends? Grace and her bf? Ben + Lexi? 😜 and I’m all in!!