{"id":64341,"date":"2022-04-21T09:00:54","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=64341"},"modified":"2022-04-19T08:47:14","modified_gmt":"2022-04-19T12:47:14","slug":"release-arc-review-always-mine-honey-mountain-1-by-laura-pavlov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=64341","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: Always Mine (Honey Mountain, #1) by Laura Pavlov"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Always Mine, the first book in the Honey Mountain series by Laura Pavlov, is live and it’s a fave for 2022!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A beautiful friends-to-lovers romance that is fun, sexy and gorgeously swoony, I was completely swept up in this beautiful small-town romance, and I absolutely loved it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

He fights fires for a living, but the flames building between us may be too big to extinguish.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Niko West is the most beautiful man I\u2019ve ever laid eyes on.
\n<\/span>Six feet, four inches of broody, chiseled Greek god in a firefighter suit.
\n<\/span>He\u2019s also been my best friend since kindergarten.
\n<\/span>He always says the only solid thing in his life is our friendship.<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019s Honey Mountain’s favorite player and I\u2019m what you\u2019d call a relationship girl.
\n<\/span>But when I find myself single for the first time since turning sixteen, I make Niko an offer he can\u2019t refuse.
\n<\/span>Who better to show me what I\u2019ve been missing?
\n<\/span><\/i>But now that we\u2019ve crossed that line, I don\u2019t know if friendship is enough for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

5 stars!<\/b><\/p>\n

OMG, what a fantastic read! A beautiful friends-to-lovers romance that is fun, sexy and gorgeously swoony, I was completely swept up in this beautiful small-town romance, and I absolutely loved it!<\/p>\n

This is the start of a new series for Laura Pavlov, and we are introduced to the Thomas sisters from the small town of Honey Mountain. They were raised by their very proud and loving dad after their mother passed away when they were teenagers, and they are as close as can be. This is the story of second-eldest, Vivian.<\/p>\n

Vivian and Niko have been best friends since childhood. They have been there for each other through ups and downs, and are a huge part of each other\u2019s lives. So, when Vivi finds herself single for the first time since high school and realises just what she\u2019s been missing in her one lacklustre relationship that ended badly six months previously, she decides it\u2019s time to experience what epic sex is all about. And who better to turn to than the man she trusts the most? A broody, closed-off-to-everybody-but-her man with proven skills who is known as the town\u2019s player who she knows won\u2019t be interested in anything other than a quick fling \u2013 her very own best friend.<\/p>\n

This may not be a unique storyline, but the way Pavlov writes it is just awesome. It\u2019s funny and honest, and in a true reflection of Vivian and Niko\u2019s friendship, she has full trust in him, and she lets it all out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you really don\u2019t think you could maybe, I don\u2019t know, rock my world? Go downtown and show me what I\u2019m missing? Teach me a thing or two before I get into the next relationship.\u201d
\nI spewed coffee all over the table in front of me. \u201cJesus, Honey Bee. Prepare a man before you say it so casually.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Vivi\u2019s blatant attempts to lure Niko into her bed had me laughing out loud, and though Niko has feelings towards her that are more than just friendly, he\u2019s never allowed himself to go there. Not only because she\u2019s been in a long-term relationship, but she has been his touchstone in life, the one person who has always been there for him, and he refuses to mess with that. And after surviving his devastating childhood, he\u2019s not interested in a relationship or family, or any of the things that he knows Vivi wants.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to have sex with you, Vivian, because you and I see sex differently.\u201d
\nShe cleared her throat. \u201cHow so?\u201d
\n\u201cI fuck. You make love. And you deserve that, but that isn\u2019t me. But I can sure as hell manage to rock your fucking world without sticking my dick in you.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But the more he thinks about it, and the more Vivi encourages him, Niko can\u2019t resist the attraction that has always been there for him. The chemistry is fantastic, and the sexual tension builds brilliantly, and when he finally gives in, they take that final step, and it\u2019s hot and passionate, and the connection that they share changes everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d she said, and a tear ran down her cheek which startled me.
\nI swiped it away with my thumb and searched her gaze. \u201cAre you upset?\u201d
\n\u201cNo,\u201d she said, and her voice trembled. \u201cI\u2019ve just never felt that before during sex.\u201d
\n\u201cYeah, it\u2019s powerful shit, right?\u201d I pulled her close, wrapping her up tight in my arms.
\nWhat the fuck was I doing? How the hell was I ever going to walk away?<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I love these two together so much, and I loved watching their friendship shift so effortlessly into more<\/i>. They do their best to keep things casual, but it\u2019s so right and so special, they quickly realise that they\u2019re in way deeper than they ever intended to be. They\u2019re completely honest about everything that\u2019s happening between them, but it\u2019s a scary situation for Niko, who never wanted to be feeling anything like what he feels for Vivi, and my heart broke for both of them as they try to figure out what they are to each other, and what they want from the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Vivi, but not the way you need me to.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They have some soul searching to do, but the drama is short-lived and well-written, and brings only minor angst that works to builds intensity in the story, so that when they do actually come together, those scenes had me cheering and grinning like a fool.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always been you. You just weren\u2019t mine yet.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve always been mine, Vivi. It just took me a bit to claim you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The relationship stuff is resolved earlier than expected in the book, so we get to see lots of time with them together as a couple and figuring out their new life together. Just in time for real drama to hit. Niko\u2019s family is a mess, and there are big developments there which have a huge impact on them, and Vivi\u2019s past also plays its part. But they\u2019re strong together, and I loved watching them face everything and find their happy ending, which again had me grinning like an idiot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m all yours, baby.\u201d
\n\u2026 \u201cAlways mine?\u201d
\n\u201cAlways.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I love these characters so much! They are funny, playful, caring and honest, and from the very beginning their love for each other is beautiful to see and I loved watching it change and deepen so naturally. Niko is that wonderful mix of broody and sweet-hearted, and his vulnerabilities just made him all the more irresistible. I loved watching him come to understand and accept his feelings for Vivi, and then openly and eagerly dive headfirst into everything he was once afraid of… gah, he’s just amazing!<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a wonderful bunch of side characters \u2013 Niko\u2019s buddies at the fire station are entertaining, and I adored Vivi\u2019s sisters (filterless Dylan, in particular, is a freaking riot!). I cannot wait to read more about them as the series continues, and with the brief hints that we get during this book, I am so excited for Everly\u2019s second-chance-romance coming up next in Ever Mine<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This is such a great read full of humour, heart, and a beautiful, natural, functional romance that absolutely owned my heart. It\u2019s a fave for 2022!<\/p>\n

5 stars!<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Honey Mountain<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Always Mine (#1)<\/strong> (Vivian & Niko)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Ever Mine (#2)<\/strong> (Everly & Hawk)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Make You Mine (#3) <\/strong>(Ashlan & Jace)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Simply Mine (#4) <\/strong>(Charlotte & Ledger)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Only Mine (#5) <\/strong>(Dylan & Wolf)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About Laura<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"Laura Pavlov writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance that will make you both laugh and cry. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome almost grown kids, and dog-whisperer to a couple of crazy Yorkies. Laura resides in Las\u00a0Vegas where she is living her own happily ever after.<\/p>\n

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Website<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Amazon\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Always Mine, the first book in the Honey Mountain series by Laura Pavlov, is live and it’s a fave for 2022! A beautiful friends-to-lovers romance that is fun, sexy and gorgeously swoony, I was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,25,65,9,29],"tags":[59,1384,1024,48],"class_list":["post-64341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-favourite","category-friends-to-lovers","category-lol-funny","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-honey-mountain","tag-laura-pavlov","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Always-Mine.jpeg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-gJL","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}