Review: Lovelight Farms (Lovelight #1) by B.K. Borison

Two best friends fake date to reach their holiday happily ever after in this first romantic comedy in the Lovelight series.

A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest with Instagram-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, Stella might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on her application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only…there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.

Title: Lovelight Farms (Lovelight #1)

Author: B.K. Borison

Publisher: Berkeley

Publication Date: November 10.2021

Links: Amazon Barnes and Noble BAM

Review:

I think I've found my new favorite romance author! Did Borison just suck me in and make me want to read every last thing she puts to paper? Why yes, yes she did!

Wow, I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this! I'm honestly not even sure where to begin.

Stella has lived her life cautiously and fins herself in financial woes with her Christmas Tree farm failing right under her nose. What can go wrong always does. So when she enters and wins a contest from social media influencer Evelyn St. James, she's hoping it's what will throw her farm back into the black. But Stella needs the farm to be the romantic place she made it out to be in her application, and Stella is not sure she believes in romance. Desperate to save her life's love, she entreats her best friend Luka Peters to pretend to be her fake boyfriend.

Told in alternating times, Lovelight farms frames the friendship between Luka and Stella over the last ten years that has led to the present. I loved watching their relationship build. Luka is sunshine and warm days and light. Stella is the grump who's not sure romance even exists. But their chemistry is undeniable, even if Stella pushes it away.

Usually you don't see many FMCs as the grumps. Granted, you see more grump from the farmhand Bennett (I know he gets his own book!) but Stella definitely gives off that vibe. She holds herself back. She doesn't believe she's deserving, even when all her best friends tell her she is. I really enjoyed her development in this book. How she slowly let herself have the good things and see that she was allowed to want them.

Luka, oh my Luka. I really liked him. I will say it was harder to get to know him only seeing him through Stella's POV. I would have loved him to have his own POV so we could really see what was going on in his head. I think his longing would have made the book even better for me. But, alas, we see him through Stealla's eyes. And, while his POV would have been amazing, I get the need to let Stella show him to us. It let's us see how she realizes his longing and desire. It let's us see her own growth and change so much more.

Borison paces this book perfectly. The right amount of slow burn. The right amount of things going wrong, then going right. The right amount of side characters giving their opinions and showing us who they are for when we finally get their stories. Plus, the plot was great. The social media influencer stance was fun. I liked watching Stella be uncomfortable and then realize she could just be her and that was enough.

The spice is spot on, as well. The longing leading to it's culmination is fantastic. Lingering looks and touches showing where it will eventually lead. Or at least where you hope it will lead.  It's not a ton but it is done so, so well. It's hot and made me squirm a bit. Definitely not closed door but also not the main plot point.

Did I read it after Christmas, I did. Do I wish I had read it before? Maybe? But it truly can be read whenever because it's not about the Christmas part, though that part is fun, it's about how the relationships are built. It's about opening yourself up to possibility and love and romance. It's about being your authentic self and that being enough.

A book set on a picturesque Christmas tree farm? Characters who have their own distinct personalities and shine even if they are not the main ones? Found family trope? A slow burn love story that builds and builds until it busts? YES! YES! YES! And HECK YES! I don't think this author will write anything I don't want to read and I'm ready for it all!

Author:

New York Times, Sunday Times, and USA Today Bestselling author B.K. Borison is the author of cozy, contemporary romances featuring emotionally vulnerable characters and swoon-worthy settings. When she’s not daydreaming about fictional characters doing fictional things, she’s at home with her family, more than likely buying books she doesn’t have room for.

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