Book: Gin and Bear It by Audrey Vaughn
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 3/5
Gin and Bear It by Audrey Vaughn
⭐⭐⭐¼ (3.25/5)
Marriage of convenience and enemies-ish to lovers? SAY LESS. Two of my absolute favorite tropes in one enjoyable package.
Jada and Ash (short for Ashley—VERY SOUTHERN, and I love it) have been in each other's orbit since they were children, thanks to Jada being best friends with Ash's younger brother. Jada has always had a crush on Ash, but after two pretty decent-sized screw-ups on his part, she's over him... mostly. When they both need a spouse to claim their inheritances (something was definitely in the water their grandparents were drinking), they quickly realize their best bet is each other. They have no trouble faking the chemistry between them, but can they convince everyone they're actually in love?
I really liked Jada. She is going through it a little, still mourning the loss of her grandparents while running the family hotel, but she maintains her optimism and belief that she will find true love one day—maybe even with her husband. I especially loved how her ADHD is portrayed. Yes, to the outside world she may appear messy, but Jada has her systems in place and has developed management strategies that make her life a pretty well-oiled machine. It's rare to find a character with ADHD who has it together, and I love that for her.
Ash is everything a girl could ask for: a hot, reformed bad-boy musician (!!) who slots right into Jada's life without upsetting her rhythm. While the wounds of his past have made him reject the idea that forever love exists, that just gives him a great jumping-off point for growth as he begins to fall for Jada.
Their journey to admitting their feelings is a SLOW burn (think Mariana Zapata slow), but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of heat and some spicy moments between them, because there most definitely are. It's the emotional side that takes its sweet time, which made it that much more satisfying when they were finally ready to declare their love for each other.
Thank you to the author and Love Notes PR for providing an ARC.