Love Notes by Aimee Brown

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mercy Alexander doesn’t believe in love, let alone love at first sight.

There’s one sure fire way of steering clear of heartbreak, and that’s not to get your heart involved in the first place. So what is that irritating flutter she feels every time she sees Brooks Hudson, and why is she finding him so hard to ignore?

Brooks Hudson can’t understand where he’s going wrong.

Doting single father to six-year-old Ali, supportive co-parent with his ex, much-loved friend and respected colleague, not to mention he’s smoking hot. So why is he constantly being dumped, told in no uncertain terms he’s ‘too nice’? Since when was being nice a crime?

Mercy is in serious need of someone to restore her faith in men, and Brooks needs a girl he likes to stick around long enough for him to believe in love again. But when Mercy’s past threatens to remind her of everything she’s scared of, will love be enough to save the day?

MY REVIEW

Narrated from the POVs of Mercy and Brooks this book delivers so much warmth and hope for a woman who doesn’t believe in love and a man who doesn’t believe in fate until…

Brooks is a fabulous single dad who will make your heart melt. His relationship with his six-year-old daughter, Alijah, is so adorable. I mean this guy sings to her when she has a nightmare, he dresses in tutus, and he lets her win at miniature golf. And then there is his endearing captivation of the woman he had a fling with several years ago who has been serendipitously popping up in his life at unexpected times. He is vulnerable because the women he dates keep dumping him. He has it bad for Mercy, and it is unbelievably charming to watch him slowly woo her while being his kind and generous self. Add in the fact that he is an undercover detective with the drug and organized crime unit who is working a case with Mercy’s despicable and vile father who is in prison for murder. Brooks’ integrity and good character shine as he helps Mercy with her mission to heal from her horrible past by confronting her estranged father. Did I mention Brooks’ tattoos? Sigh…

Mercy is a talented musician who plays five instruments and co-owns their company Love Notes with her best friend, Dylan. The company includes a music shop where they “sell and rent instruments, book gigs, give lessons, and do private work for musician hires in their recording studio”. In addition, they have a side gig as a stringed cover duo and they also play at weddings and funerals. How cool is that? Mercy has a large shoe collection and a wicked sense of humor despite her traumatic past. She thinks love is a joke and has lived her life meeting one-night stands under an alias, Lemon Rockefeller. For someone who only wanted to be loved by her father, the one man who doesn’t deserve her, she only has to look at her friends and her brother who have her back no matter what. But she needs closure and with Brooks’ assistance and unbound respect and love she is able to finally heal and say those three little words to the only man who gives her butterflies.

I adored the assorted, quirky, and lovable secondary characters. I don’t know who I loved more: Mercy’s hilarious man-boy roommate, River, or Brooks’ unfiltered best friend Ozie. They both had me ROTFL. Also, Mercy’s half-brother Edie is her rock who gives her sound advice and has an excellent sense of fashion. Norah, Brooks’ ex-wife is a fun, quirky character with psychic abilities and, of course, I can’t forget the adorable Alijah who loves her daddy and can play a mean version of Kermit the Frog’s Rainbow Connection on the ukulele.

I am so delighted to recommend this wonderful love story about confronting your past and finding the one. The characters are well-developed and intriguing and the plotline is realistic and fun.

Thank you to Ms. Brown for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aimee Brown is the bestselling romantic comedy author of several books including The Lucky Dress. She’s an Oregon native, now living in a tiny town in cold Montana and sets her books in Portland. Previously published by Aria, her new series for Boldwood is full of love and laughter and real-life issues. The first book will be published in January 2023.