[Apple Valley Love Stories]: A Series Review

Hi y’all!

Hope you are enjoying the first days of March! We’ve been busy already this month and now find ourselves in a classic March blizzard. Perfect weather for staying home and reading more 🙂

I am thrilled to be sharing my review of the Apple Valley Love Stories series by Julie Christianson. I was lucky to meet Julie last weekend at A Desert Book Affair and she is wonderful! She was so warm and delightful as we interacted and discussed her books. I feel like I’ve made a new friend as well as discovered a new favorite series.

These Apple Valley Love Stories are simply delightful. The characters are so easy to cheer for. The romance is swoony and beautiful. And the stories are impossible to put down. I love them all!

In these books, you’ll find:

Fake Dating (of course 🙂 )
Enemies to Lovers
Secret Pining
Forbidden Love
Single Dad Romance
Witty Banter (some of the best I’ve read!)
No 3rd act breakups
Clean Romance (lots of swoony kisses but nothing more)

Book Summaries: McCoy – “Single-dad Mac needs a temporary nanny for his daughter, Daisy. I need a second job until my promotion kicks in. Since our arrangement is only for one month, I am positive I won’t get attached. Medium positive. Okay, I’m negative. This is a terrible idea. Because I can’t give Mac and Daisy what they need, and I won’t risk breaking their hearts, but his green eyes and her crooked pigtails have me dreaming about forever. And who can resist a dad buying pink ballerina tights after a day spent in a hard hat?

The thing is Mac is a fixer, and I need to repair my own life. Better yet, I don’t want to feel broken. So it’s a good thing the worst has already happened to me. Nothing will hurt more now. Water can’t get wetter. That’s what I keep telling myself. Too bad I’m all wrong…”

Enemy – “I get it. We were in elementary school. Just a couple of kids on the playground. But after Nash Hendrix called me Enemy instead of Emily, his stupid nickname ruined my life. Now our best friends are getting married, and they expect me to stand across the aisle from Nash the Ruiner without killing him? Whatever. I can survive being maid of honor. It’s only for one weekend. Until it’s not.

When I get roped into wedding planning at the same places Nash is fundraising, I’m ready to blow up our temporary truce. All I wanted was to start over. New job. New permanently-single status. But the more time we spend together, the more I feel like … not murdering him. Is it possible Nash and I don’t hate each other? No way. He’s still my enemy. My big, dumb enemy. My big, dumb, gorgeous, sweet-talking, dog-loving — Emi, you’re doomed.”

Lucy – “People think it’s easy being Felix Dodd III. And sure the fortune, legacy, and inheritance aren’t exactly terrible. But the name comes with so many strings, my hands feel permanently tied. Like I’m stuck following in my father’s footsteps. Like I can’t trust people’s intentions. Like my grandmother wants me settled down before my thirtieth birthday. I’ve got less than zero interest in marriage, ever since my one attempt at love crashed and burned. But Grams won’t let me access my trust until I’m engaged. Which means I need a fiancée. Someone who’s looking for quick cash and a quicker getaway. Someone like Lucy Devlin.

She’s got less than zero interest in me. But if I can get her to play along—just long enough to fool my grandmother—Lucy will be a whole lot richer, Grams will be none the wiser, and I’ll stay heartbreak free. Just as long as I remember the new rule: Don’t love Lucy for real.”

Odder Couple – “Spencer Crane thinks I’m a human tornado. I think he’s a calendar app come to life. While he schedules? I spin-out. When I spontaneously combust? He overcompensates. And this is why convincing my new boss to hire him is a completely brilliant idea. You see, workplace romance is forbidden, but attraction between total opposites like Spencer and me is a non-issue. I repeat: Non. Issue.

I only wish I hadn’t discovered Mr. Clark Kent Glasses is (secretly) scorchingly hot. Even worse, he’s funny and chivalrous, and shoving me straight out of my Tess the Mess comfort zone. But we both need this job. Like, a lot. And if our boss catches wind of any fraternization, we’ll be fired. Not to mention my heart’s already at risk of being axed.

So when Spencer starts treating me like I’m a magnet and he’s a fistful of iron, I’ve got a tornado-sized problem on my hands. Starting now, I’m doubling down. I absolutely cannot fall for Spencer Crane. Even if my total opposite might be everything I need.”

The characters in this series are relatable and so easy to cheer for. I felt like I was making friends as I read each other their stories. Also, I felt like every book I had a new favorite character. They are just all so fun!

Brooke is so easy to cheer for. I love how she is trying to make her own way but is also pulled to the people and things she loves most. Her clear love for children is so endearing and I really enjoyed seeing her let her walls down and fall in love. Mac is my favorite. I love how much he wants to do right by his daughter, Daisy. I love that he wants a family and home. He wants to balance life and work and everything. And I absolutely love how much he cares for Brooke from basically their first meeting. It was so sweet to see him show her how much he cares and how much he loves her just as she is.
I really loved Emi. She’s quirky. She’s brave. She’s just so much fun! I love all her awkward moments and the random facts she knows. And that she adopts a gecko on a whim. And that she falls in love with Nash. I loved seeing Nash fall for Emi. He has such a good heart. He’s humble and hardworking. And I loved seeing him change.
I loved getting to know Lucy better in her book. Her background is so interesting and I love how hard she works for the people she loves. Fix was a fun new character as well. I appreciated his depth and how much he wants to do right by Grams. The star of this story is really Grams (Mrs Dodd). Oh my goodness, she is so hilarious! I love her random outbursts and costume changes. And the twists she takes everyone on along the way. She is simply delightful.
I loved getting to know Tess and Spencer. They both have surprising depth and complexities to their characters. I loved seeing them open up to each other and discover their strengths together. Tess is a delight! I loved her “tornado” and “mess” personality. She is always moving and changing and doing. I loved seeing what her passions were and how she finds her place in her family and in Apple Valley. Spencer might be my favorite MMC in the series. I loved getting to know him so much. We get glimpses of him in earlier books but to really understand him was a treat! He is hard working, dedicated, and so loyal. I loved learning about his hopes and dreams and seeing him fall for Tess.

The star of this series is the witty banter; it’s clever, quick and constantly hilarious. I was smiling and laughing out loud all through the series. I loved the back and forth between the main characters and Mrs. Dodd/Grams was the icing on the cake. All the banter, all the time. Julie is a master at it!

I really enjoyed when Brooke’s parents come to town and how Daisy calls them Mee-Maw and Pee-Paw. The banter is so fast and hilarious as Brooke’s parents can’t keep up with Daisy and everything is chaos but so much fun. One of the most laugh out loud scenes in the series for me!
Emi and Nash might be the best partners in witty banter. Seriously I was smiling and laughing throughout the book. So much fun back and forth. They are obviously great together but it takes them a long time to figure that out. Also they have great internal banter as well. Emi is especially delightful inside her head.
Grams has an incredibly witty personality and I loved getting to know her through the series. You never quite know what she will do next and that makes it all the more fun!
Tess and Spencer are opposites and it’s so fun to see them go back and forth. Witty banter for days! Their texting conversations are especially fun.

The love stories are swoony and so very satisfying. Julie gives us the most beautiful moments between her lovers. Their kisses are always worth the wait. And their grand gestures are some of my favorite that I’ve read! Julie told us at the meet up that she loves writing fake dating tropes. Wow, does she write a good one! I loved how often her characters discover they love each other for real while they’ve been “pretending.”

Brooke and Mac are such a beautiful match. They both have hard things in their pasts but they find true happiness, acceptance and love with each other. I loved their journey and how their fake relationship is real basically from the start.
Emi and Nash’s romance is so beautiful! I loved their obvious chemistry and I love seeing them let their walls down and share their true selves with each other. And oh my goodness Nash’s grand gesture declaration of love is SO GOOD!!! I absolutely loved it.
Lucy and Fix’s chemistry is fantastic from their first meeting and I love how drawn they are to each other. Their first kiss is so sweet and the moment they share when they realize they are both actually falling in love with each other is so beautiful. I love Lucy and Fix!
Their love story is so beautiful! I love the moments they share together that help them see how long they have cared for each other. Their forbidden love, secret pining romance is so sweet and fun! Their kisses are so swoony and tender. I loved when Spencer helps Tess at camp after an accident and how much he realizes she means to him. Their moments together in the hospital are especially sweet.

I can’t recommend this series highly enough! I love the characters, the romance and the witty banter! Check these out ASAP!