This was a sweet friends-to-lovers story. Lucy moved to Spring Forest to start over after her fiancé ran off with her best friend. She opened a bookstore and fosters a pregnant golden retriever named Buttercup. She made friends with fellow business owner Calum, who owns the bowling alley next door, Pins and Pints (I love that name!).

I enjoyed watching the development of the relationship between Lucy and Calum. Thanks to the betrayal by her fiancé and friend, Lucy has a hard time trusting anyone. She introduced herself to Calum when she bought the building for the bookstore. She notices his good looks and charm but doesn't allow herself to look at him as anything other than a friend. Calum was attracted to Lucy from the start but respected her "friends" decision. Having been burned in a relationship during college, Calum has no plans to settle down soon. His business keeps him plenty busy and gives him an excellent excuse to avoid anything serious. It was sweet to see that Calum cares about Buttercup as much as Lucy does.

Calum helps Lucy the day that Buttercup has her puppies. The intense emotions of the event lead to them giving in to the feelings that flare up between them. But passion overcomes common sense, and soon Lucy discovers she's pregnant. Once he's over the shock, Calum finds himself happy about the baby and looking for ways to make Lucy a permanent part of his life. However, Lucy's trust issues cause her to maintain some distance between them. Both of them also have had problems with unreliable dads, which affects how they look at parenthood.

I loved Calum's protectiveness toward Lucy and how he tried to take care of her. It can be an uphill battle because Lucy is very independent and reluctant to depend on anyone except herself. The more time they spend together, the deeper their feelings grow, but neither says anything about it. Not only do they fear rejection, but neither wants to mess up their friendship. Things are progressing well between them until Lucy witnesses a confrontation between Calum and his father that sets off her insecurities. After a huge blow-up, she leaves and tells him she needs space. I ached for both of them because they were miserable apart. When Lucy calls her mom, she unloads her fears and worries and gets honest and straightforward advice. She has much to think about as she continues to avoid Calum. But when a medical emergency occurs, Calum is the first one she calls. Some emotional moments at the hospital showed how deep Calum's feelings were. I loved seeing them finally let go of the fears that kept them apart and look to the future as a family. The ending was adorable, with Buttercup playing a significant role.

I loved Buttercup and the part she played in Lucy's life. She was Lucy's friend and confidante and gave her someone to love. I liked how she took Buttercup to the bookstore with her. It was easy to see how much Lucy loved her and hated that she would have to give her up. I didn't understand that part since she could have applied to adopt Buttercup herself. The scene where Buttercup had the puppies was terrific, and I was so happy that Calum was there too. One of my favorite things was the names that Lucy gave the puppies: Fritter, Pancake, Beignet, Waffle, and Grits. It made me laugh that the author described the two girl pups as the wild ones.

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