What do you think?
Rate this book
Magnolia Falls #3
Forbidden King
Saylor Woodson is the one girl I can’t have, and the only girl I want.
She’s my best friend’s little sister, and completely off limits.
We have a history, a connection—one that no one else knows about.
One that I’ve tried hard to forget.
I've kept my distance for years, which was easy because she’d been away at school.
But now she’s home, and she’s everywhere I turn.
And the way that I want her is unexplainable.
She’s always on my mind.
She’s sunshine on a cloudy day.
So, I do everything in my power to keep my distance, because her brother is my best friend.
My family.
But the pull is too strong.
Overpowering in every way possible.
I want to claim her and keep her and make her mine.
So, we cross that line in the sand—slowly at first.
Until I’m drowning in this girl and can’t find my way up for air.
Betrayal runs deep, and guilt hangs over me like a dark cloud.
But I can’t seem to walk away, no matter how hard I try.
Because she makes me want things that I never thought possible.
And now that I’ve had a taste of forever, I’m willing to risk everything to keep it.
But can we weather the storm that’s coming for us?
Only time will tell.
**This is book 3 in the Magnolia Falls Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**
She’s my best friend’s little sister, and completely off limits.
We have a history, a connection—one that no one else knows about.
One that I’ve tried hard to forget.
I've kept my distance for years, which was easy because she’d been away at school.
But now she’s home, and she’s everywhere I turn.
And the way that I want her is unexplainable.
She’s always on my mind.
She’s sunshine on a cloudy day.
So, I do everything in my power to keep my distance, because her brother is my best friend.
My family.
But the pull is too strong.
Overpowering in every way possible.
I want to claim her and keep her and make her mine.
So, we cross that line in the sand—slowly at first.
Until I’m drowning in this girl and can’t find my way up for air.
Betrayal runs deep, and guilt hangs over me like a dark cloud.
But I can’t seem to walk away, no matter how hard I try.
Because she makes me want things that I never thought possible.
And now that I’ve had a taste of forever, I’m willing to risk everything to keep it.
But can we weather the storm that’s coming for us?
Only time will tell.
**This is book 3 in the Magnolia Falls Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2024
About the author
Laura Pavlov
46 books7,021 followersLaura Pavlov is a USA Today and Amazon top 10 Bestselling author. She writes sweet and sexy small town romance that will make you both laugh and cry. Laura is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome kids who are currently adulting, one temperamental yorkie and one wild bernedoodle. She's living her own happily ever after in Las Vegas. Be sure to sign up for updates on new releases. Laura loves hearing from readers!
Instagram➡️https://bit.ly/2TKf5Zs
Pav-Loves Readers ➡️ https://bit.ly/2OKU6T5
Newsletter ➡️ https://bit.ly/2M3MzRv
Facebook➡️http://bit.ly/3eSvEdp
Goodreads ➡️ https://bit.ly/31sh2Oz
BookBub➡️http://bit.ly/3ii8Vdp
Amazon➡️http://amzn.to/3c1xKZX
Website➡️https://www.laurapavlov.com/
Instagram➡️https://bit.ly/2TKf5Zs
Pav-Loves Readers ➡️ https://bit.ly/2OKU6T5
Newsletter ➡️ https://bit.ly/2M3MzRv
Facebook➡️http://bit.ly/3eSvEdp
Goodreads ➡️ https://bit.ly/31sh2Oz
BookBub➡️http://bit.ly/3ii8Vdp
Amazon➡️http://amzn.to/3c1xKZX
Website➡️https://www.laurapavlov.com/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,155 reviews
Currently reading
June 8, 2024Available now!
Grab your copy today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4aGRJbR
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/ForbiddenKingLP
Audio:
Audible:https://bit.ly/4aS3UlS
Apple: https://bit.ly/458QHnL
Narrated by: CJ Bloom & Jason Clarke
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4aBIGcr
Grab your copy today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4aGRJbR
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/ForbiddenKingLP
Audio:
Audible:https://bit.ly/4aS3UlS
Apple: https://bit.ly/458QHnL
Narrated by: CJ Bloom & Jason Clarke
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4aBIGcr
May 24, 2024
Once again, Laura Pavlov writes a book that makes me laugh my freaking ass off!!! Gosh, she just writes the absolute most lovable characters ever.
I legit loved this and couldn't stop. I finished the entire thing in less than 24 hours. I absolutely love this group of friends!! The text threads, which we know Laura is amazing at, had me dying laughing so many times.
Ok.. I am not one to normally love friends to lovers, but I am convinced that if Laura writes friends to lovers - I AM GOING TO LOVE IT. This was just so so so good. The angst between Kingston and Saylor was freaking amazing.
I ate this up. Kingston's fears, the nickname, the tattoo, Kingston making fun of the guy Saylor dates, the devils driveway talk... I legit couldn't handle it. I was in tears from laughing so hard.
Highlights:
"Saylor Woodson was my girl. Not in a sexual or inappropriate way, but in an I'd-walk-through-fire-and-kill-for-you kind of way."
"Well, if you can get past the Speedo, you're a better person than me." 🤣🤣🤣
"Damn, baby. You had me at dairy-free cheese."
"I want to be that man for you today, tomorrow, and forever."
4.5⭐
-small town
-brother's best friend
-friends to lovers
-forbidden
-it's always been you
-hidden tattoo
🌶️🌶️.5
I legit loved this and couldn't stop. I finished the entire thing in less than 24 hours. I absolutely love this group of friends!! The text threads, which we know Laura is amazing at, had me dying laughing so many times.
Ok.. I am not one to normally love friends to lovers, but I am convinced that if Laura writes friends to lovers - I AM GOING TO LOVE IT. This was just so so so good. The angst between Kingston and Saylor was freaking amazing.
I ate this up. Kingston's fears, the nickname, the tattoo, Kingston making fun of the guy Saylor dates, the devils driveway talk... I legit couldn't handle it. I was in tears from laughing so hard.
Highlights:
"Saylor Woodson was my girl. Not in a sexual or inappropriate way, but in an I'd-walk-through-fire-and-kill-for-you kind of way."
"Well, if you can get past the Speedo, you're a better person than me." 🤣🤣🤣
"Damn, baby. You had me at dairy-free cheese."
"I want to be that man for you today, tomorrow, and forever."
4.5⭐
-small town
-brother's best friend
-friends to lovers
-forbidden
-it's always been you
-hidden tattoo
🌶️🌶️.5
June 4, 2024
I finished the audiobook for Forbidden King this weekend and it was perfect 🥹 it’s childhood friends to lovers and brother’s best friend and I was obsessed. She is opening a bookstore and he is helping build the bookstore. I loved how they were already so close and how they gave into their feelings for each other. Laura does found family so well and I loved how strong the friendships were in here. Beefcake is still my favorite and WHY DID THE EPILOGUE HAVE ME CRYING!?!? I already can’t wait for the next book!!
Definitely check this out when it releases Thursday! CJ Bloom and Jason Clarke were also perfect on the audio!!
Definitely check this out when it releases Thursday! CJ Bloom and Jason Clarke were also perfect on the audio!!
Read
June 8, 2024DNF 38%
Totally not in the mood for "it's always been you but I've slept with a ton of other women the past 10 yrs and we're still talking about it almost halfway through the book " ✌️
**I won't rate this because I do love the author and have given her many good ratings for her other work. I'm just super over the whole second chance/playboy trope **
Totally not in the mood for "it's always been you but I've slept with a ton of other women the past 10 yrs and we're still talking about it almost halfway through the book " ✌️
**I won't rate this because I do love the author and have given her many good ratings for her other work. I'm just super over the whole second chance/playboy trope **
June 3, 2024
4.25 stars
Forbidden King is the third book in Laura Pavlov’s ‘Magnolia Falls’ series and it was such a fun brother’s best friend romance.
Saylor and King have been close since they were young. King and Saylor’s brother Hayes are best friends. The typical best friend’s little sister… it seriously never gets old for me. I loved how much this couple cared for one another. It was forbidden and angsty at times while still feeling light and fun.
This series has left the biggest smile on my face. I have a feeling that the next book will be Nash’s and maybe a new doctor… either way I’m most looking forward to Nash’s book because of his adorably charming and hilarious son. I think it will be my favorite based on him alone.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the quality of the audiobook was great. Also, CJ Bloom and Jason Clarke really brought King and Saylor to life. I would highly recommend listening to this one and I’ve enjoyed this series so much!
Forbidden King is the third book in Laura Pavlov’s ‘Magnolia Falls’ series and it was such a fun brother’s best friend romance.
Saylor and King have been close since they were young. King and Saylor’s brother Hayes are best friends. The typical best friend’s little sister… it seriously never gets old for me. I loved how much this couple cared for one another. It was forbidden and angsty at times while still feeling light and fun.
This series has left the biggest smile on my face. I have a feeling that the next book will be Nash’s and maybe a new doctor… either way I’m most looking forward to Nash’s book because of his adorably charming and hilarious son. I think it will be my favorite based on him alone.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the quality of the audiobook was great. Also, CJ Bloom and Jason Clarke really brought King and Saylor to life. I would highly recommend listening to this one and I’ve enjoyed this series so much!
Audio book source: Book Funnel
Story Rating: 4.25 stars
Narrators: Jason Clarke & CJ Bloom
Narration Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 9h 6m
June 7, 2024
5/5⭐️
2/5🌶️
Laura never ever misses & this book was no exception. I loved it so much I immediately did a reread on release day with an audio listen 🩵
Brother’s best friend is always going to be a favorite trope of mine so I knew I would love this book but I didn’t expect to love the friends to lovers aspect of this book as much as I did! Saylor & Kingston’s relationship was so sweet and genuine, I loved watching it slowly progress into more. This book is definitely my favorite in the series so far!
Thank you to Laura & her team for the ARC!
“𝑰 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆.”
“𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚗𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚎.
𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚗.
𝙼𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐.”
“𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓.”
“𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚕𝚙𝚑𝚊 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚗 𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚕. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍.”
“𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝑰 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓… 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈”
“𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚎.”
Tropes:
- Small Town
- Brother’s Best Friend
- Friends to Lovers
- Tattoo For Her
- Forbidden
- “It’s Always Been You”
- Lots of Banter
- Found Family
2/5🌶️
Laura never ever misses & this book was no exception. I loved it so much I immediately did a reread on release day with an audio listen 🩵
Brother’s best friend is always going to be a favorite trope of mine so I knew I would love this book but I didn’t expect to love the friends to lovers aspect of this book as much as I did! Saylor & Kingston’s relationship was so sweet and genuine, I loved watching it slowly progress into more. This book is definitely my favorite in the series so far!
Thank you to Laura & her team for the ARC!
“𝑰 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆.”
“𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚗𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚎.
𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚗.
𝙼𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐.”
“𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓.”
“𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚕𝚙𝚑𝚊 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚗 𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚕. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍.”
“𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝑰 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓… 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈”
“𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚎.”
Tropes:
- Small Town
- Brother’s Best Friend
- Friends to Lovers
- Tattoo For Her
- Forbidden
- “It’s Always Been You”
- Lots of Banter
- Found Family
June 7, 2024
Forbidden King is a small town, slow burn, childhood friends to lovers, found family, brother’s best friend romance and the 3rd standalone in the Magnolia Falls series by Laura Pavlov! I loved this one so much!
Saylor and King have been friends for years. He’s best friends with her brother Hayes and Saylor even ended up moving in with King and his grandparents when they were both younger teens. They’ve been in each other’s lives for years and now Saylor is opening her own romance bookstore, Love Ever After, in their small town and King and his construction company (with his friend Nash) are helping her with the build! They both confess their feelings as being more for one another around the same time and it’s just so sweet and fun! They sneak around for a bit while they figure out their feelings (per her request) and the slow burn is so worth it!
I loved their friendship and how well they know one another already, he’s so flirty and cute with her (even before they get together), I loved their “pillow talks”, his tattoo for her, calling her Dandelion, the mentions of reading the Willow Aster Landmark series, the crossover Honey Mountain and Cottonwood Cove characters, his relationship with his granny (his grandparents raised him), the guys friend text convo, Beefcake, all the romance book chatting (when King describes the hype of single dad romances to the guys 🤭).
I did the audiobook of this one and highly recommend! Jason Clarke and CJ Bloom will always have me one-clicking an audiobook.
Saylor and King have been friends for years. He’s best friends with her brother Hayes and Saylor even ended up moving in with King and his grandparents when they were both younger teens. They’ve been in each other’s lives for years and now Saylor is opening her own romance bookstore, Love Ever After, in their small town and King and his construction company (with his friend Nash) are helping her with the build! They both confess their feelings as being more for one another around the same time and it’s just so sweet and fun! They sneak around for a bit while they figure out their feelings (per her request) and the slow burn is so worth it!
I loved their friendship and how well they know one another already, he’s so flirty and cute with her (even before they get together), I loved their “pillow talks”, his tattoo for her, calling her Dandelion, the mentions of reading the Willow Aster Landmark series, the crossover Honey Mountain and Cottonwood Cove characters, his relationship with his granny (his grandparents raised him), the guys friend text convo, Beefcake, all the romance book chatting (when King describes the hype of single dad romances to the guys 🤭).
I did the audiobook of this one and highly recommend! Jason Clarke and CJ Bloom will always have me one-clicking an audiobook.
July 6, 2024
when she called him a “sexy alpha captain” i wanted to call a trusted adult.
i genuinely could not pin a number on this book so i figured a 3.5 is the way to go 🤷🏽♀️
pros:
-i really like the small-town and childhood-friends-to-lovers tropes combined and the author did a great job developing the storyline between saylor and kingston. the story with the dandelion was super sweet..
-the family drama was giving the kardashians
cons:
-some parts of the story made me cringe..
-way too many characters
-the fmc being treated like a child
i genuinely could not pin a number on this book so i figured a 3.5 is the way to go 🤷🏽♀️
pros:
-i really like the small-town and childhood-friends-to-lovers tropes combined and the author did a great job developing the storyline between saylor and kingston. the story with the dandelion was super sweet..
-the family drama was giving the kardashians
cons:
-some parts of the story made me cringe..
-way too many characters
-the fmc being treated like a child
June 6, 2024
Forbidden King by Laura Pavlov 🌼
A lovely continuation of the Magnolia Falls series. This book follows King (short for Kingston) and Saylor, Saylor is the sister of one of the core guys in the best friend group of the series and newly back in her small hometown. We learn near the beginning that Saylor and Kingston both had moments that changed their childhood, King losing his parents and being raised by his grandparents while Saylor had a unsafe situation with her mom and step father and ends up in foster care. She ends up staying with King for a few months and they both find comfort in each other. This is all found in in a brief flashback chapter and there’s nothing romantic that has even happened between them. Now that Saylor is back in town though, they’re reconnecting and realizing that there is something there between them they want to explore.
Sometimes when it’s brother’s best friend I can feel a little weird about the guy knowing her as a kid and there being an age gap, but that’s not at all the case here. They’re only 2 years apart and knew each other during that short period when they were teenagers then basically strangers until she was back in town. It was sweet seeing them pick up where they left off and get to know each other more. There’s some of my favorite micro-tropes in this one! A sweet nickname of dandelion because she lived to wish on them with him when they lived together. They have this little game where they hide dandelions and notes for each other, which leads to some fun revelations. And then my favorite micro-trope, which is revealed pretty early on, is that he has a tattoo of a dandelion for her. 🥹
There’s conflict with the brother on this one since they decided to keep their relationship a secret for a little while to see where it may go. I was worried it’d be cause for a breakup but I was pleased with how things played out instead!
As always, can’t wait for the next book in the series.
🌼 nickname
🤍 secret tattoo
🤭 brother’s best friend
🏡 small town
👀 forbidden / secret relationship
📖 they read romance books together
👏🏼 no third act breakup
dual POV
5/5 stars ⭐️
2/5 spice level 🌶️
A lovely continuation of the Magnolia Falls series. This book follows King (short for Kingston) and Saylor, Saylor is the sister of one of the core guys in the best friend group of the series and newly back in her small hometown. We learn near the beginning that Saylor and Kingston both had moments that changed their childhood, King losing his parents and being raised by his grandparents while Saylor had a unsafe situation with her mom and step father and ends up in foster care. She ends up staying with King for a few months and they both find comfort in each other. This is all found in in a brief flashback chapter and there’s nothing romantic that has even happened between them. Now that Saylor is back in town though, they’re reconnecting and realizing that there is something there between them they want to explore.
Sometimes when it’s brother’s best friend I can feel a little weird about the guy knowing her as a kid and there being an age gap, but that’s not at all the case here. They’re only 2 years apart and knew each other during that short period when they were teenagers then basically strangers until she was back in town. It was sweet seeing them pick up where they left off and get to know each other more. There’s some of my favorite micro-tropes in this one! A sweet nickname of dandelion because she lived to wish on them with him when they lived together. They have this little game where they hide dandelions and notes for each other, which leads to some fun revelations. And then my favorite micro-trope, which is revealed pretty early on, is that he has a tattoo of a dandelion for her. 🥹
There’s conflict with the brother on this one since they decided to keep their relationship a secret for a little while to see where it may go. I was worried it’d be cause for a breakup but I was pleased with how things played out instead!
As always, can’t wait for the next book in the series.
🌼 nickname
🤍 secret tattoo
🤭 brother’s best friend
🏡 small town
👀 forbidden / secret relationship
📖 they read romance books together
👏🏼 no third act breakup
dual POV
5/5 stars ⭐️
2/5 spice level 🌶️
June 8, 2024
Something about the best friends to lovers trope does it for me every single time and this one didn’t come to play!
After an incident with her father, Saylor lived with the Pierce family for a while. Over those months, her and Kingston developed a very tight-knit relationship with each other and have been best friends ever since.
They have never tried to be more as King is not the relationship type and also never wanted to do anything to harm his relationship with Saylor or the fact that Saylor is his best friend, Hayes, little sister.
Saylor is opening up a new romance bookstore in Magnolia Falls and King is right there to help her in anyway that he can. After being forced to stay at King’s place for a bit due to some events happening these two find themselves not being able to hide their true feelings for each other.
this story was so freaking cute and I am obsessed with these two. This was probably my favorite of the whole series and I can’t wait for the next!
Tropes
-brother’s best friend
-forbidden love
-“it’s always been you”
-touch her and die
After an incident with her father, Saylor lived with the Pierce family for a while. Over those months, her and Kingston developed a very tight-knit relationship with each other and have been best friends ever since.
They have never tried to be more as King is not the relationship type and also never wanted to do anything to harm his relationship with Saylor or the fact that Saylor is his best friend, Hayes, little sister.
Saylor is opening up a new romance bookstore in Magnolia Falls and King is right there to help her in anyway that he can. After being forced to stay at King’s place for a bit due to some events happening these two find themselves not being able to hide their true feelings for each other.
this story was so freaking cute and I am obsessed with these two. This was probably my favorite of the whole series and I can’t wait for the next!
Tropes
-brother’s best friend
-forbidden love
-“it’s always been you”
-touch her and die
May 26, 2024
I just adore this series, it’s the absolute cutest and every time I’m reading one of the books I’m all giggly and happy. This one follows King and Saylor and they were adorable. Their story is friends to lovers, brothers best friend so some forbidden vibes and why is that trope always so hot? It’s all the sneaking around 🥵 I liked that they had such a strong bond after years of a close and special friendship, a good foundation for their romance. Saylor opens a romance bookstore in Magnolia Falls and it’s absolutely dreamy, if I didn’t already wish it was a real town I sure do now. King is the most loyal guy and he’s protective and caring with Saylor, again the cutest. Beefcake stole the show as usual and it’s always fun to see what the guys of RoD are up too. The little shoutout to Willow Aster’s Landmark Mountain series was also so fun!
June 3, 2024
Book 3 in the Magnolia is a small town, best friend's brother, found family romance.
Saylor and King have known each other and relied on each other for years. But King's loyalty to her brother is stopping him from making a move. It is exasperating for poor Saylor as she knows they could be just what they both need. It's tough to watch them both pining and not making a move.
I loved that this book started with work being done to complete Saylor's romance book store. I would DIE for my town to have one. Maybe someday I need to take a page from her book. King is actually doing a lot of the woodwork for her store, so that was cute to see him do.
There were some great family scenes in here and whenever the whole group was together, they had me smiling and reminiscing about when my friends get like this too. Although... King needed to slip away during an Easter cook out to "take care of himself" because he's so turned on my Saylor left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth... I get it.. you're horny for her dude.
Anyway, there's lots of pining and everyone realizes they will be perfect for each other, we just have to wait it out. It feels SO good when they finally admit it and we get to work to our happily ever after.
I listened to the audio book of this title and it was performed beautifully by Jason Clarke & CJ Bloom. No one growls it out like Jason. Haha! SO that's always a good time. ;)
4 stars
3 on the spice scale
*Thank you to Valentine PR and the author for an ALC of this title."
Saylor and King have known each other and relied on each other for years. But King's loyalty to her brother is stopping him from making a move. It is exasperating for poor Saylor as she knows they could be just what they both need. It's tough to watch them both pining and not making a move.
I loved that this book started with work being done to complete Saylor's romance book store. I would DIE for my town to have one. Maybe someday I need to take a page from her book. King is actually doing a lot of the woodwork for her store, so that was cute to see him do.
There were some great family scenes in here and whenever the whole group was together, they had me smiling and reminiscing about when my friends get like this too. Although... King needed to slip away during an Easter cook out to "take care of himself" because he's so turned on my Saylor left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth... I get it.. you're horny for her dude.
Anyway, there's lots of pining and everyone realizes they will be perfect for each other, we just have to wait it out. It feels SO good when they finally admit it and we get to work to our happily ever after.
I listened to the audio book of this title and it was performed beautifully by Jason Clarke & CJ Bloom. No one growls it out like Jason. Haha! SO that's always a good time. ;)
4 stars
3 on the spice scale
*Thank you to Valentine PR and the author for an ALC of this title."
Want to read
March 29, 2024Brother’s best friend? Lfg 🫢 Kingston and Saylor!!
June 4, 2024
Wow this book 🥹 it was so amazing. King and Saylor were so perfect, so amazing, there is so much love in this book. I absolutely adored everything. The ROD group chat was just so perfect and so funny, my god I can’t count how many times I laughed out loud in my living room.
It’s impossible not to fall in love with King, he's the most funniest man of the ROD group but I definitely loved how grumpy he could be sometimes. His grandma Pearl, she's so sweet and adorable when she gave him her advices.
Saylor was so lovely and beautiful, I adored her character, her independance... I loved it all.
The way they both were when they were together, aww my heart I loved it so much. The little attention they have for one another. I can go on and on, but I don't want to tell you all of it, so you need to read this book.
This Friends-to-Lovers was crazy good. I would highly recommend it just like the first two books.
Brilliant, magnificent, bravo and thank you for this book can’t wait for the next book even more cause of the cliffhanger.
It’s impossible not to fall in love with King, he's the most funniest man of the ROD group but I definitely loved how grumpy he could be sometimes. His grandma Pearl, she's so sweet and adorable when she gave him her advices.
Saylor was so lovely and beautiful, I adored her character, her independance... I loved it all.
The way they both were when they were together, aww my heart I loved it so much. The little attention they have for one another. I can go on and on, but I don't want to tell you all of it, so you need to read this book.
This Friends-to-Lovers was crazy good. I would highly recommend it just like the first two books.
Brilliant, magnificent, bravo and thank you for this book can’t wait for the next book even more cause of the cliffhanger.
May 29, 2024
4.5⭐️
Gosh I love this series so much. This is such a beautiful friends to lovers, brother’s best friend romance. Kingston and Saylor have this connection and chemistry and it’s just so perfect. I love their history and relationship growth in this book. So beautifully written.
CJ Bloom and Jason Clarke were amazing bringing Kingston and Saylors characters to life. So well done!! I highly recommend listening to this audio.
Gosh I love this series so much. This is such a beautiful friends to lovers, brother’s best friend romance. Kingston and Saylor have this connection and chemistry and it’s just so perfect. I love their history and relationship growth in this book. So beautifully written.
CJ Bloom and Jason Clarke were amazing bringing Kingston and Saylors characters to life. So well done!! I highly recommend listening to this audio.
June 19, 2024
OBSESSED with this Brother's Best Friend perfection!
🔨Brother's Best Friend
🌼Childhood Friends
🔨Forbidden
🌼Small-Town
🔨Found Family
🌼Boy Obsessed
🔨He Falls First
.
“There was no doubt she was it for me.”
.
Review: This is book 3 in the Magnolia Falls series. I am so in love with Laura's small town romances! Laura will forever be a one click author for me. I have loved Kingston from book one, so I couldn't wait for his story. It was so worth the wait! It is officially my favorite in the series!
King is the fun loving, yet hardworking guy. Saylor is King's best friends sister who is getting ready to open a romance bookstore in Magnolia Falls. These two have the most amazing connection that started when they were younger. The chemistry between these two was off the charts. I laughed, I teared up and I swooned SO FREAKING HARD! King's fears had me dying with laughter! I'm absolutely OBSESSED with King! Top Book Boyfriend for sure!
Their story was pretty much made for me! It has all of my favorite tropes including childhood friends, brother's best friend and a secret 🤐 I don't want to spoil. I just loved everything about their story. I love these two! I love how King tried to resist his feelings, but ultimately owned them and the way he put Saylor's needs first. Then there's the nickname!🫠 And their little "joke" they had going back and forth.🥰 It all just made me so happy! King stole my heart in so many ways. The way he fought for Saylor was EVERYTHING!
I love this world and the found family. Laura also does THE BEST text threads. I seriously can't get enough of them! To say I loved this book would be an understatement! I struggle to write reviews for my absolute favorite books in fear of not doing them justice. Hands down one of my favorite books this year! It is a MUST READ!
🔨Brother's Best Friend
🌼Childhood Friends
🔨Forbidden
🌼Small-Town
🔨Found Family
🌼Boy Obsessed
🔨He Falls First
.
“There was no doubt she was it for me.”
.
Review: This is book 3 in the Magnolia Falls series. I am so in love with Laura's small town romances! Laura will forever be a one click author for me. I have loved Kingston from book one, so I couldn't wait for his story. It was so worth the wait! It is officially my favorite in the series!
King is the fun loving, yet hardworking guy. Saylor is King's best friends sister who is getting ready to open a romance bookstore in Magnolia Falls. These two have the most amazing connection that started when they were younger. The chemistry between these two was off the charts. I laughed, I teared up and I swooned SO FREAKING HARD! King's fears had me dying with laughter! I'm absolutely OBSESSED with King! Top Book Boyfriend for sure!
Their story was pretty much made for me! It has all of my favorite tropes including childhood friends, brother's best friend and a secret 🤐 I don't want to spoil. I just loved everything about their story. I love these two! I love how King tried to resist his feelings, but ultimately owned them and the way he put Saylor's needs first. Then there's the nickname!🫠 And their little "joke" they had going back and forth.🥰 It all just made me so happy! King stole my heart in so many ways. The way he fought for Saylor was EVERYTHING!
I love this world and the found family. Laura also does THE BEST text threads. I seriously can't get enough of them! To say I loved this book would be an understatement! I struggle to write reviews for my absolute favorite books in fear of not doing them justice. Hands down one of my favorite books this year! It is a MUST READ!
June 16, 2024
My 4 stars are for Beefcake! This kid steals every page he is on.
There is one particular scene in this book that really irked me.So the heroine tells the hero that her past boyfriend/ s3xual partner never performed oral s3x on her,that they didn't do those sort of things,yet she gave him a blow job( best ever) not too long after.Isnt a bj that sort of thing? Petty,inconsequential probably, yes,but it still irked me.
I did love the small town setting,and the guest appearance by some prior heroines,also the shoutout to the "Landmark" series.
I really want Nash's book.
There is one particular scene in this book that really irked me.So the heroine tells the hero that her past boyfriend/ s3xual partner never performed oral s3x on her,that they didn't do those sort of things,yet she gave him a blow job( best ever) not too long after.Isnt a bj that sort of thing? Petty,inconsequential probably, yes,but it still irked me.
I did love the small town setting,and the guest appearance by some prior heroines,also the shoutout to the "Landmark" series.
I really want Nash's book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2024
Forbidden King
I LOVE this series!
These guys are all Ride or Die. And that includes their families. Saylor Woodson knows she can count on her brothers friends. Especially Kingston Pierce. He's been there for her for years.
When she comes back to Magnolia Falls to open up a business, she gets help from the Ride or Die guys. And it puts her more into the sphere of King. He really does help her out with getting started.
And it's so sweet. The fact that he kept her close when they were younger and is helping her out now...
King also has a special relationship with Beefcake. (Such a cutie) I think he has the best relationship with him out of all the friends.
I enjoy friends to lovers. These two were a perfect fit. But there's some drama to the relationship. It's his best friends little sister. And they have no idea how he's going to react to it. When you've found the one, is it more important than your friendships?
I LOVE this series!
These guys are all Ride or Die. And that includes their families. Saylor Woodson knows she can count on her brothers friends. Especially Kingston Pierce. He's been there for her for years.
When she comes back to Magnolia Falls to open up a business, she gets help from the Ride or Die guys. And it puts her more into the sphere of King. He really does help her out with getting started.
And it's so sweet. The fact that he kept her close when they were younger and is helping her out now...
King also has a special relationship with Beefcake. (Such a cutie) I think he has the best relationship with him out of all the friends.
I enjoy friends to lovers. These two were a perfect fit. But there's some drama to the relationship. It's his best friends little sister. And they have no idea how he's going to react to it. When you've found the one, is it more important than your friendships?
June 17, 2024
I love the little towns that Laura creates. I wish I could live in them. Saylor was the perfect FMC. I loved everything about her. I can’t wait to see where this series goes next.
Read if you like:
- small town romance
- brothers best friend
- forbidden romance
- forced proximity
- childhood friends
Read if you like:
- small town romance
- brothers best friend
- forbidden romance
- forced proximity
- childhood friends
June 7, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
I was a little nervous after not liking the last book. But this one made it up for it.
Best friends little sister = forbidden
Friends to lovers
Childhood traumas on both ends
I like a contractor and a big goofy cinnamon roll guy. Kingston is my new favorite man of the series
Saylor, the new romance bookshop owner, no issues with her, I like her.
I like this group of friends/found family.
Lot of sexual tension here
I was a little nervous after not liking the last book. But this one made it up for it.
Best friends little sister = forbidden
Friends to lovers
Childhood traumas on both ends
I like a contractor and a big goofy cinnamon roll guy. Kingston is my new favorite man of the series
Saylor, the new romance bookshop owner, no issues with her, I like her.
I like this group of friends/found family.
Lot of sexual tension here
June 8, 2024
4.5/5 stars
Kingston and Saylor have been friends for years. He’s also her brother’s best friend so right off the bat, some of the best tropes in the small town romance!
Magnolia Falls has become one of my favorite small town series, and the books get better with each one. Definitely my new favorite out of the three thus far. I absolutely love the combination of brother’s best friend, friends to lovers, and forbidden romance. King & Saylor share a secret past, a connection that no one knows about.
It a little hard to put in words how much I love Laura’s writing. She knows how to create this big family. I love how all the series intertwines and each person feels important even if it isn’t their love story at the forefront. The text exchanges and wittiness they bring is pure gold. Another fantastic part of this series is Beefcake. That kid is a magical and entertaining!
So excited for single dad Nash’s story next!
Kingston and Saylor have been friends for years. He’s also her brother’s best friend so right off the bat, some of the best tropes in the small town romance!
Magnolia Falls has become one of my favorite small town series, and the books get better with each one. Definitely my new favorite out of the three thus far. I absolutely love the combination of brother’s best friend, friends to lovers, and forbidden romance. King & Saylor share a secret past, a connection that no one knows about.
It a little hard to put in words how much I love Laura’s writing. She knows how to create this big family. I love how all the series intertwines and each person feels important even if it isn’t their love story at the forefront. The text exchanges and wittiness they bring is pure gold. Another fantastic part of this series is Beefcake. That kid is a magical and entertaining!
So excited for single dad Nash’s story next!
June 6, 2024
As always, Laura can do no wrong. She writes the sweetest romances with the swooniest acts of love. I absolutely adored Kingston & Saylor.
They were one of my most anticipated reads because I love love love that she was romance bookstore owner! But I fell in love with them because of their friends to lovers story. Laura writes friends to lovers like she was made for it.
Learning about Saylor & Kingston’s backstory was extra special. For Kingston to realize his feelings after all this time and be able to place when it started. I mean, the man has truly been in love since he was a teenager and he didn’t even know how to express it. *cue Tori sobs here*
I truly cannot wait for contractor daddy. 😂💗
You’ll love this book if you like
✨ Small town romance
✨ Brother’s best friend
✨ Friends to lovers
✨ Bookstore owner
✨ Close proximity
✨ Texting on the page
4⭐️ | 2🌶️
They were one of my most anticipated reads because I love love love that she was romance bookstore owner! But I fell in love with them because of their friends to lovers story. Laura writes friends to lovers like she was made for it.
Learning about Saylor & Kingston’s backstory was extra special. For Kingston to realize his feelings after all this time and be able to place when it started. I mean, the man has truly been in love since he was a teenager and he didn’t even know how to express it. *cue Tori sobs here*
I truly cannot wait for contractor daddy. 😂💗
You’ll love this book if you like
✨ Small town romance
✨ Brother’s best friend
✨ Friends to lovers
✨ Bookstore owner
✨ Close proximity
✨ Texting on the page
4⭐️ | 2🌶️
June 11, 2024
This book was really good . Better than book two in my opinion . Loved the romance . Can’t wait to read the next two in this series .
June 9, 2024
Just what I needed!
🌸 light contemporary romance
🌸 friends to lovers
🌸 brother’s best friend
🌸 group banter
🌸 short and well written
🌸 2🌶️
🌸HEA
A perfect beach read!
🌸 light contemporary romance
🌸 friends to lovers
🌸 brother’s best friend
🌸 group banter
🌸 short and well written
🌸 2🌶️
🌸HEA
A perfect beach read!
June 15, 2024
3.5⭐
The reasons I have for not liking this book are personal preferences.
Saylor and King were the standard brother's best friend couple. Had feelings for one another for quite some time and didn't fully realize it, yada yada.
My issues weren't with the couple, so much as it is with the writing. Again, this is due to my personal preferences. I do not care for the constant use of "my brother" when this male friend group talks to one another. I find that to be annoying. And the constant "Ride or die"... I don't know a single man who would act like the men in this book. I'm not saying men shouldn't act like this because maybe then we'd have less toxic masculinity, but it's not my favorite style of writing.
Cutler, or "Beefcake," is a cutie, but all the talk of "my women" is not giving cute.
When King referred to Saylor as "my woman," it made me cringe.
Basically, I've tried each book in this series and each time I get a bit more annoyed, so the writing just isn't for me.
The reasons I have for not liking this book are personal preferences.
Saylor and King were the standard brother's best friend couple. Had feelings for one another for quite some time and didn't fully realize it, yada yada.
My issues weren't with the couple, so much as it is with the writing. Again, this is due to my personal preferences. I do not care for the constant use of "my brother" when this male friend group talks to one another. I find that to be annoying. And the constant "Ride or die"... I don't know a single man who would act like the men in this book. I'm not saying men shouldn't act like this because maybe then we'd have less toxic masculinity, but it's not my favorite style of writing.
Cutler, or "Beefcake," is a cutie, but all the talk of "my women" is not giving cute.
When King referred to Saylor as "my woman," it made me cringe.
Basically, I've tried each book in this series and each time I get a bit more annoyed, so the writing just isn't for me.
June 27, 2024
Forbidden King is small town, childhood friends to lovers, brother’s best friend romance that has all of the romantic and found family feels that I’ve come to expect from Laura Pavlov’s books.
Kingston (King) and Skylar were friends who secretly pined for each other. The romance was slower but not any less gorgeous. King is definitely a dirty talker and the spice didn’t overshadow the overall plot! The 3rd act conflict was very appropriate for the storyline as a whole. That bee scene was interesting, and the shoutout to Willow Aster’s Landmark Mountain series made me smile. The side characters did not overshadow the main couple. The characters did grow separately and together, especially after they started to communicate. I liked Hayes’s reaction to his sister’s romance with his best friend, and I love Skylar and King together. Beefcake was well done in this installment of the Magnolia Falls series. I love that Skylar opened up a romance only bookstore! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The tease to the next book has me excited, and I can't wait for the next book in the Magnolia Falls series!
Thank you to Valentine PR and Laura Pavlov for an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
#romancereader #bookstagrammer #romancebookstagram #romancenovels #arcreview #favoritebooks #contemporaryromance #romancebookstragmmer #bookstagram #laurapavlov #valentinepr
Kingston (King) and Skylar were friends who secretly pined for each other. The romance was slower but not any less gorgeous. King is definitely a dirty talker and the spice didn’t overshadow the overall plot! The 3rd act conflict was very appropriate for the storyline as a whole. That bee scene was interesting, and the shoutout to Willow Aster’s Landmark Mountain series made me smile. The side characters did not overshadow the main couple. The characters did grow separately and together, especially after they started to communicate. I liked Hayes’s reaction to his sister’s romance with his best friend, and I love Skylar and King together. Beefcake was well done in this installment of the Magnolia Falls series. I love that Skylar opened up a romance only bookstore! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The tease to the next book has me excited, and I can't wait for the next book in the Magnolia Falls series!
Thank you to Valentine PR and Laura Pavlov for an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
#romancereader #bookstagrammer #romancebookstagram #romancenovels #arcreview #favoritebooks #contemporaryromance #romancebookstragmmer #bookstagram #laurapavlov #valentinepr
June 5, 2024
5 stars
The third standalone in the Magnolia Falls series, this is a fun, sweet, sexy and romantic brother’s-best-friend, friends-to-lovers, forbidden-ish romance that stole my heart! King and Saylor’s story is full of feels and epic chemistry, and I loved it so much.
King and Saylor have been close friends since they were kids. They developed a special bond when King’s family took Saylor in for a short while when she was a teenager, and they have kept that connection through the intervening years. Their friends and family all know they are close, but they don’t know the depth of their friendship or how much they mean to each other, which makes for a fun, secretive and heartwarming dynamic between them which is gorgeous to watch.
With Saylor returning home to Magnolia Falls to settle down and start her own business, they find themselves in the same place for the first time in a long time, and it allows their connection to blossom even deeper now that they’re spending so much time together. There’s attraction there, but they’ve never acted on it, and while Saylor is willing to give it a shot, King knows he can’t. Saylor is the young sister of his best friend, Hayes, which makes her untouchable.
These two are so freaking cute together! They share their lives – their highs and their lows – and they flirt, tease and laugh together. They acknowledge their growing attraction, talking openly and honestly about it, and it’s so much fun watching the chemistry between them sizzle. King is the joker of the group. He has a reputation as a bit of a player, but he’s a total sweetheart and he’s never really had strong feelings for a woman before, so watching him come to terms with all of the new emotions he’s feeling about Saylor is so freaking entertaining.
King is determined to stay loyal to his best friend and keep his distance, but Saylor is all for exploring their mad attraction. She is sweet but strong, and refuses to let her man get away, so his fight is a losing battle, and so much fun. The sexual tension is fantastic, and I loved seeing all of the shifts and changes for these two as they navigate their new feelings, unable to stay away from each other and easily and naturally falling so freaking hard for each other.
And OMG, they are so freaking hot together!
They do have some hurdles to overcome – well, one big hurdle in the shape of Saylor’s big brother – and the forbidden-ish nature of relationship creates an extra fun dynamic as they sneak around and try keep their growing feelings a secret. Through it all they maintain their fun playfulness, and there is a beautiful honesty between them, and even though they have the added bit of drama to work through, I loved watching them figure it all out.
Their large group of friends are all a big part of the story. This found family is so great together, with such a strong sense of brotherhood, and there are so many fantastic personalities and dynamics within the group which create lots of fun and sweet moments. Little Beefcake continues to be an absolute delight, and I’m thrilled that his dad, Nash, will get the next book in the series.
I loved this book so much. It’s fun, easy, sweet and heartfelt, and so beautifully romantic.
5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author for an honest review.
The third standalone in the Magnolia Falls series, this is a fun, sweet, sexy and romantic brother’s-best-friend, friends-to-lovers, forbidden-ish romance that stole my heart! King and Saylor’s story is full of feels and epic chemistry, and I loved it so much.
King and Saylor have been close friends since they were kids. They developed a special bond when King’s family took Saylor in for a short while when she was a teenager, and they have kept that connection through the intervening years. Their friends and family all know they are close, but they don’t know the depth of their friendship or how much they mean to each other, which makes for a fun, secretive and heartwarming dynamic between them which is gorgeous to watch.
With Saylor returning home to Magnolia Falls to settle down and start her own business, they find themselves in the same place for the first time in a long time, and it allows their connection to blossom even deeper now that they’re spending so much time together. There’s attraction there, but they’ve never acted on it, and while Saylor is willing to give it a shot, King knows he can’t. Saylor is the young sister of his best friend, Hayes, which makes her untouchable.
The way I adored this girl was unexplainable.
Saylor Woodson was my girl.
Not in a sexual or inappropriate way, but in an I’d-walk-through-fire-and-kill-for-you kind of way.
If that were a thing.
These two are so freaking cute together! They share their lives – their highs and their lows – and they flirt, tease and laugh together. They acknowledge their growing attraction, talking openly and honestly about it, and it’s so much fun watching the chemistry between them sizzle. King is the joker of the group. He has a reputation as a bit of a player, but he’s a total sweetheart and he’s never really had strong feelings for a woman before, so watching him come to terms with all of the new emotions he’s feeling about Saylor is so freaking entertaining.
“You want the truth? I’ll give it to you. I’m so fucking attracted to you it’s painful. I haven’t been with a woman in months, and nobody knows that. I think about you all the time. But I’ve never been in a relationship. I don’t know if I’m capable. But that is on me, not on you. You are enough, I can assure you that. You are so much more than enough. I get off to thoughts of you every fucking day. Don’t you ever say that you aren’t enough because there is no one that compares to you.”
King is determined to stay loyal to his best friend and keep his distance, but Saylor is all for exploring their mad attraction. She is sweet but strong, and refuses to let her man get away, so his fight is a losing battle, and so much fun. The sexual tension is fantastic, and I loved seeing all of the shifts and changes for these two as they navigate their new feelings, unable to stay away from each other and easily and naturally falling so freaking hard for each other.
I knew I was playing with fire, but I was willing to get burned for this man.
That’s how strongly I felt about him.
“I don’t think you have a fucking clue just how much I’d do for you,” he whispered.
And OMG, they are so freaking hot together!
“Fuck, Saylor. I’m so fucked.” He pressed my back against the door. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me, I’ve never wanted someone more than I want you. Not even fucking close.”
They do have some hurdles to overcome – well, one big hurdle in the shape of Saylor’s big brother – and the forbidden-ish nature of relationship creates an extra fun dynamic as they sneak around and try keep their growing feelings a secret. Through it all they maintain their fun playfulness, and there is a beautiful honesty between them, and even though they have the added bit of drama to work through, I loved watching them figure it all out.
“I love you. I’ve always loved you. These last few months – this is what I’ve been wishing for. She’s standing right in front of me.”
Their large group of friends are all a big part of the story. This found family is so great together, with such a strong sense of brotherhood, and there are so many fantastic personalities and dynamics within the group which create lots of fun and sweet moments. Little Beefcake continues to be an absolute delight, and I’m thrilled that his dad, Nash, will get the next book in the series.
I loved this book so much. It’s fun, easy, sweet and heartfelt, and so beautifully romantic.
5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author for an honest review.
June 6, 2024
✨ Forbidden King ✨
"All you have to do is exist, and you'll have me."
Kingston and Saylor are EVERYTHING!! This book is filled with so much love, passion, hilarious one-liners, and the best kind of angst. I had been WAITING for Kingston's book and it was so much more perfect that I could have imagined. Saylor is kind, independent, and sweet. I loved that she was opening a romance bookstore and all the funny conversations that came up with people shopping there. King has been my favorite character in the first few books and I loved digging deep into who he was while also enjoying one-liner after one-liner from him. His three fears had me rolling laughing each time they came up. You could feel the heat and love between King and Saylor from the epilogue all the way to the prologue and it was so much fun watching them slowly work their way to each other. Every book in this series makes me fall more and more in love with Magnolia Falls. The Ride or Die boys, the girl gang, and Beefcake have officially stolen my heart and this has turned into one of my top favorite small town found families.
"Maybe protecting my best friend's little sister was just what I needed. She needed me, and maybe, in a weird way, I needed her, too."
📚 Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥Spice Rating: ❤️ to ❤️🔥
✨ Small Town
✨ Brother's Best Friend
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Friends to Lovers
✨ Secret Dating
✨ Cinnamon Roll + Alpha
✨ Found Family
✨ Secret Tattoo
✨ Touch her and be unwell
✨ He gives her a Nickname
Saylor and Kingston have a past- a history where they were there for each other during some of their darkest days. But they could never be more because Saylor is Kingston's best friend's little sister. Now they are all grown up and Saylor is back in Magnolia Falls to start a life for herself by opening a romance bookstore. When Kingston volunteers to help with the store's construction and watch over her while her brother is out of town, the attraction and chemistry becomes unavoidable.
This is an interconnected standalone. I've loved every book in the series and I think you would too, but you could also dive straight into this one.
"Don't you ever say that you aren't enough because there is no one that compares to you."
Thank you so much to Laura Pavlov and Valentine PR for this gifted advanced reader copy.
Spice Rating
🤍 clean romance
💗 closed door/ fade to black
❤️ sexual content (a few detailed scenes)
❤️🔥 explicit, play-by-play (major part of the plot)
🖤 graphic, more than vanilla
"All you have to do is exist, and you'll have me."
Kingston and Saylor are EVERYTHING!! This book is filled with so much love, passion, hilarious one-liners, and the best kind of angst. I had been WAITING for Kingston's book and it was so much more perfect that I could have imagined. Saylor is kind, independent, and sweet. I loved that she was opening a romance bookstore and all the funny conversations that came up with people shopping there. King has been my favorite character in the first few books and I loved digging deep into who he was while also enjoying one-liner after one-liner from him. His three fears had me rolling laughing each time they came up. You could feel the heat and love between King and Saylor from the epilogue all the way to the prologue and it was so much fun watching them slowly work their way to each other. Every book in this series makes me fall more and more in love with Magnolia Falls. The Ride or Die boys, the girl gang, and Beefcake have officially stolen my heart and this has turned into one of my top favorite small town found families.
"Maybe protecting my best friend's little sister was just what I needed. She needed me, and maybe, in a weird way, I needed her, too."
📚 Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥Spice Rating: ❤️ to ❤️🔥
✨ Small Town
✨ Brother's Best Friend
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Friends to Lovers
✨ Secret Dating
✨ Cinnamon Roll + Alpha
✨ Found Family
✨ Secret Tattoo
✨ Touch her and be unwell
✨ He gives her a Nickname
Saylor and Kingston have a past- a history where they were there for each other during some of their darkest days. But they could never be more because Saylor is Kingston's best friend's little sister. Now they are all grown up and Saylor is back in Magnolia Falls to start a life for herself by opening a romance bookstore. When Kingston volunteers to help with the store's construction and watch over her while her brother is out of town, the attraction and chemistry becomes unavoidable.
This is an interconnected standalone. I've loved every book in the series and I think you would too, but you could also dive straight into this one.
"Don't you ever say that you aren't enough because there is no one that compares to you."
Thank you so much to Laura Pavlov and Valentine PR for this gifted advanced reader copy.
Spice Rating
🤍 clean romance
💗 closed door/ fade to black
❤️ sexual content (a few detailed scenes)
❤️🔥 explicit, play-by-play (major part of the plot)
🖤 graphic, more than vanilla
June 11, 2024
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥
The swoon I swooned reading this book! Laura never disappoints ever, but King and Saylor were everything. Their history, their chemistry, their friendship…. I was so done for them after just reading the prologue!
And he calls her dandelion!!!! Just stick a fork in me I’m done, you cannot make a better book boyfriend than King Pierce!
TROPES
✨ Small Town
✨ Brother’s Best Friend
✨ Secret Relationship
✨ Golden Retriever MMC
✨ Bookstore Owner FMC.
I loved King and Saylor from the very first moment we meet than. They have been close for years but King doesn’t do relationships, and Saylor has been away at college. But there is something between them neither can ignore and soon it becomes everything.
Brother’s best Friend is my ultimate trope, and this one was done so well! This friend group of guys is the ultimate found family, and so of course watching poor King is going to try and fight his attraction was so funny. And Saylor is such a sweetheart that I was rooting for them. King is so gone for her even before her realizes it and all the small things and ways he shows up melted my heart.
As always the friend group is amazing, and I love watching the girls form their own bond. But honestly, it’s beefcake’s world and we are just living in it! He continues to be my favorite ever and I love how all these guys drop everything to give him the best childhood!
This book is an instant favorite and a definite reread and I am absolutely living for more of this world.
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥
The swoon I swooned reading this book! Laura never disappoints ever, but King and Saylor were everything. Their history, their chemistry, their friendship…. I was so done for them after just reading the prologue!
And he calls her dandelion!!!! Just stick a fork in me I’m done, you cannot make a better book boyfriend than King Pierce!
TROPES
✨ Small Town
✨ Brother’s Best Friend
✨ Secret Relationship
✨ Golden Retriever MMC
✨ Bookstore Owner FMC.
I loved King and Saylor from the very first moment we meet than. They have been close for years but King doesn’t do relationships, and Saylor has been away at college. But there is something between them neither can ignore and soon it becomes everything.
Brother’s best Friend is my ultimate trope, and this one was done so well! This friend group of guys is the ultimate found family, and so of course watching poor King is going to try and fight his attraction was so funny. And Saylor is such a sweetheart that I was rooting for them. King is so gone for her even before her realizes it and all the small things and ways he shows up melted my heart.
As always the friend group is amazing, and I love watching the girls form their own bond. But honestly, it’s beefcake’s world and we are just living in it! He continues to be my favorite ever and I love how all these guys drop everything to give him the best childhood!
This book is an instant favorite and a definite reread and I am absolutely living for more of this world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,155 reviews