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BOOKWORM REVIEW: Not My Kind of Hero by Pippa Grant

 

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥

This read hit a little close to home when it came to Maisey and Junie. There may or may not have been some crying during this read.

Maisey Spencer thought coming to Hell's Bells, Wyoming would be a reprieve from the life she and her teenage daughter Junie left in Cedar Springs, Iowa. Nothing prepared her, however, for a nosey and cantankerous bear, a beaten-down hobby ranch, and a curmudgeonly tenant who seems to not like her for some unknown reason. 

Flint Jackson is not thrilled that Maisey is his new landlord. The niece of his late close friend and mentor has been estranged from her own uncle for years, and now she gets to inherit his ranch? Their fates seem to be more intertwined than Flint thought when Maisey's daughter hopes to make the soccer team that he coaches and is in one of his math classes. 

As Flint is forced to spend more time with Maisey despite his efforts to avoid her, he finds that his assumptions about the former DIY reality show star may not be true.

I enjoyed this read immensely. Though Flint's cold reception of Maisey had me giving him the side-eye, I love the progression of their relationship. Small details built up the tension between the two and had me wanting to scream "JUST DO IT" at every interaction. The main event was definitely spicy, though subsequent interactions fluctuated between mild and medium. Regardless, this read secures its place as one of my favorite small-town rom-coms.

What captured my attention was Pippa Grant's perfect portrayal of Junie. As someone who loves and deals with a teen whose favorite modes of communication with me are eyerolls and sighs, I felt Maisey's struggles to connect in my bones. I also loved the development of THAT relationship, because despite a teenage girl's attempts to firmly place Mom in the un-cool category, I can certainly relate to being their first call.  (P.S. Despite being a happily married woman, my teenager also practically growls at any male who smiles at me, so yeah..Junie was spot-on.)

The comedy in this read definitely delivered, but it was not as over-the-top as I had expected from Grant. I don't think that was the focus, however. Grant put a lot of emphasis on finding your home, your refuge, and for anyone who had struggled to fit in, lived in someone else's shadow, you will find this read absolutely fulfilling.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Pippa Grant, Montlake, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

ABOUT THE BOOK

I knew fixing up my life with a fresh start on the hobby ranch I inherited in Hell’s Bells, Wyoming, would come with challenges. Things like snow. Wildlife. Local gossip about why my daughter and I are here.

But the biggest challenge?

My surly new tenant.

He’s like a bear. Fascinating from a distance, but don’t get too close, or he’ll bite.

His personality should be a good thing. I have no need of a new man in my life. But he’s not only my tenant; he’s also my daughter’s math teacher and soccer coach. I keep running into him. He keeps thinking I need to be saved.

Maybe I do, but here’s what I don’t expect: he’s a fixer-upper in need of saving too.

And I might be the only woman for the job.

Hell’s Bells, help me.


MEET PIPPA GRANT

Pippa Grant is a USA Today Bestselling author who writes romantic comedies that will make tears run down your leg. When she's not reading, writing or sleeping, she's being crowned employee of the month as a stay-at-home mom and housewife trying to prepare her adorable demon spawn to be productive members of society, all the while fantasizing about long walks on the beach with hot chocolate chip cookies.

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