e-ARC Review: ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE by Laura Drewry

Fans of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery will love Laura Drewry’s warm and humorous new Friends First romance, a sexy romp about a good cop and a bad girl playing hard to get.

Ellie Palmer and cops don’t mix, and getting pulled over by Officer Brett Hale—again—doesn’t help. Neither does being forced to take a safe-driving course with him. Brett’s by-the-book attitude leaves Ellie ice-cold, and his rock-hard body won’t change that. Still, the more time she spends with the guy, the more she finds herself warming up to his unexpected charms.

Even though Brett comes off like a boy scout, Ellie has sparked something he wants badly enough to get him to rethink his past mistakes. But when her ex shows up, Brett makes it his mission to keep Ellie safe in the here and now. His gut tells him the guy’s trouble, and Ellie must agree, because she doesn’t complain when Brett pulls her close. To keep her safe, though, he’ll have to choose between breaking her heart . . . and breaking the rules.

Why did I want to read this book?

I’ve been following Laura’s Friends Friends series since I fell in love with Plain Jayne, which is the first book. I’ve come to really care for all these characters and of course, I can’t wait to read each of their stories.

What worked for me?

Laura Drewry is back in business. While I did enjoy her previous book, I felt that it lacked that spark I felt when I read Plain Jayne. But now I’m ecstatic to feel that spark again. Yes!

Ellie is so touch and spunky, independent and loyal. But she’s also wounded and guarded, especially around cops, who Brett happens to be, and this particular history is unraveled in the story. This adversarial set-up brings that essential friction and tension in the story and in the interactions between Ellie and Brett, I just ate it all up.

Brett was just amazing. He’s basically an all-around good guy. He might have a bit of a hero complex, he probably would love to save everyone if he could, but it comes from a pure and good place so you won’t hear any complaints from me. And while he gives his all to protect Ellie, I love that it isn’t because he doesn’t see her as someone capable of taking care of itself but simply because he’s the one incapable of not taking care of Ellie. *lol* I wished that made sense to you.

There’s this slow-burn romance, crackling chemistry, sensual pull, and entertaining conversations that I really loved about the story and of course the romance between Ellie and Brett. I also love the mystery/suspense part and how it didn’t overpower the romance but enhanced its development instead.

And lastly, I love that we got to see more of the ‘super friends’ (lol!), characters from the earlier books. I enjoyed reading about their friendship and camaraderie.

What did not work for me?

Nothing, really.

My over-all take on it?

I really, really enjoyed reading Ellie and Brett’s story. If you’re in the mood for a sort-of enemies-to-lovers story, done in a slow-burn fashion, then you definitely would want to read this one.

My rating:

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. Yes, these are my honest and personal thoughts on this book.

Laura Drewry had been scribbling things for years before she decided to seriously sit down and write. After spending eight years in the Canadian north, Laura now lives back home in southwestern British Columbia with her husband, three sons, a turtle named Sheldon, and an extremely energetic German shepherd. She loves old tattered books, good movies, country music, and the New York Yankees.