4 Star Book Review: The Pocket Pair by Emma St. Clair, A Sweet Romantic Comedy
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC e-copy of this book from the author. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. Also, this blog post includes affiliate links. You can view my affiliate disclaimer here.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Do I have feelings for my sister's best friend? Of course not.
That would be stupid, considering my sister once threatened to castrate me if I ever hurt Val.
Hurting her is the last thing I want to do, which is all the MORE reason I can't have feelings for her. Val deserves the world, and I'm NOT the man who can give it to her. But when Val announces she's leaving town (and the country), I'm suddenly confronted with some very capital-F Feelings--ones that refuse to stay stuffed down deep where I've hidden them for more years than I care to admit.
Having her crash in my guest bedroom until she leaves only makes things worse. Little by little, Val chips away at my defenses, and despite all the solid reasons I have, my resolve starts to crumble.
The thing is--none of the circumstances have changed.
Val is still planning to leave the country. And I ... well, I might have gotten more in touch with my feelings, but I'm still the same man.NOT a man who can promise things like life-long commitment. NOT a man Val can count on. NOT the good guy everyone seems to think I am.
If only I could get Val and the rest of this nosy, meddling matchmaking town to believe me--and if my own stubborn heart wasn't trying to convince me otherwise.
The Pocket Pair is a best friend's brother, friends to more rom-com set in the fictional small town of Sheet Cake Texas. You'll find plenty of laughs and sizzling chemistry in this closed door romantic comedy. It's the third in a series, but can be read as a standalone.
MY REVIEW: ★★★★ 4/5 Stars
Emma St. Clair has done it again! As one of my favorite clean, romantic comedy authors, she never fails to deliver a great romance that leaves me grinning from ear to ear! I was delighted to return to small-town Sheetcake, TX to dive into Val and Chevy’s story. With fantastic characters, laugh-out-loud moments and an awesome friends-to-lovers / best friend’s brother/sister’s best friend trope mix, this was a fun, flirty read!
HIGHLIGHTS:
Small Town Texas · Ordinary Sheriff’s Deputy Hero · Aspiring Artist Heroine · Yard Ornament Cannons · Forced Proximity / Rooming Together · Clean + Wholesome · Laugh Out Loud Moments
For those who have read the previous books in the series, this third book focuses on the romance of Valentina and Chevy, Winnie’s deputy brother. In this story, I couldn’t decide who I loved more, Val or Chevy, but then decided it didn’t matter because the two of them together were literal perfection! They’re fantastic, well-developed characters and it was so fun to have them thrown together in forced proximity and watch their secret attractions for each other spark and sizzle.
As always, St. Clair delivers more than just a sweet romantic comedy of two people falling in love. She expertly mixed in personal growth for both characters, but mostly for Chevy who works through his feelings about his dad’s destructive past choices and how they deeply affected Chevy. This added layer makes the story that much more sweet and rewarding in the end. Plus, it was great to read a book about a “normal” hero who’s an ordinary guy and not so fictionalized!
The romance is a bit of a slow-burn but there’s plenty of tension and swoon leading up, keeping me interested and invested. Of course, some of my favorite characters from the previous two books, like Pat, Lindy, Tank and James return so it was fun to see how they are doing and what they are up to.
Overall, a fun happily-ever-after read with plenty of moments to make you laugh and smile, including a sizzling, spectacular romance between an artist with a secret crush and a cinnamon roll hero deputy. As if that weren’t enough, it’s all set in the most hilarious fictional small-town! Don’t miss this one! And don’t worry, you can totally read this as a standalone, but side note: you’ll love it more if you read the series in order!
Content + Trigger Notes:
Romance: Clean, PG - detailed kissing, touches and embraces, making out. No profanity, violence. Triggers are lightly touched on - Loss of parent to cancer (past), parental abandonment/affair (past), mention of pregnancy
