{"id":71860,"date":"2023-09-21T08:37:46","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T12:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=71860"},"modified":"2023-09-21T08:37:46","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T12:37:46","slug":"release-arc-review-before-the-sunset-cottonwood-cove-4-by-laura-pavlov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=71860","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: Before the Sunset (Cottonwood Cove, #4) by Laura Pavlov"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Before the Sunset by Laura Pavlov is live!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

An epic friends-to-lovers romance with a celebrity hero, a fake relationship, banter, steam, and all the swoon!<\/strong><\/p>\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

Reese Murphy has been my best friend since before we took our first steps.
\nShe\u2019s the yin to my yang.
\nThe peanut butter to my jelly.
\nIt\u2019s all platonic, of course, as we made a pact years ago that we\u2019d never cross the line.
\nBut then she took a job abroad and moved away for a year.
\nTo say I\u2019ve been lost without her would be a massive understatement.
\nShe\u2019s finally coming home, and I couldn\u2019t be happier about it.
\nAnd then she presents me with a proposition…
\nPretend to be her boyfriend.
\nI am an actor, after all, so it should be a piece of cake.
\nIt\u2019s all part of her grand plan to show her ex-fianc\u00e9 that she\u2019s moved on.
\nMy agent wants me to clean up my image, so it would be a win-win for both of us.
\nBut then she moves into my house and prances around in those tiny pajama shorts.
\nThere’s also the night she catches me alone in the bathroom in a compromising position.
\nAnd she isn\u2019t in any hurry to leave.
\nWe get lost in the moment and now I can\u2019t think of anything else.
\nWe are way past a gray area at this point.
\nWe\u2019ve entered a smoking-hot-I-think-I-might-be-in-love-with-my-best-friend area.
\nThe problem is, she still thinks we\u2019re fake dating.
\nAnd I stopped faking it a long time ago.<\/p>\n

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

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

\u201cYou were always my forever. It just took us a little bit to figure it out.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh wow, the fourth book in the Cottonwood Cove<\/i> series, Laura Pavlov has delivered an epic friends-to-lovers romance! Finn and Reese owned my heart, and I loved watching these two soulmates come together.<\/p>\n

Finn is one of the five Reynolds siblings to have a book in this series. He\u2019s an actor who has gotten his big break and is suddenly famous, but he\u2019s a small-town boy at heart, and he\u2019s just returned home to Cottonwood Cove during a break in filming his TV show. He is happy to be with his family again, but is most excited to see his best friend Reese, who is returning from a year working away in London.<\/p>\n

Finn and Reese have been best friends since childhood. Their mothers are best friends, and the two of them have been each other\u2019s \u2018person\u2019 for their entire lives. They made a pact long ago never to cross the line into anything romantic, but they have been by each other\u2019s sides for everything, so when Reese needs help, there\u2019s no doubt that Finn will step in to help. So when she proposes a fake relationship to help her stick it to her ex-fiance, he agrees, figuring it will help him with his public image, and a problem he\u2019s having with a clingy and publicity-hungry co-star.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure you can handle me, Miney?\u201d <\/i>(note \u2013 he calls her \u2018Miney\u2019, short for \u2018Herminoe\u2019 following her childhood Harry Potter obsession… adorable!)
\n\u201cI\u2019ve never had a problem handling you, have I? \u2026 I think you might be the one who has a problem handling me.\u201d
\n\u201cNever. You\u2019ve always been my girl. A little fake dating isn\u2019t going to change that.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s seamless. They are already so close, so irrevocably entwined, that pretending to be together is nothing for them. The time spent together, Reese moving into Finn\u2019s house, even the PDA comes so naturally. Everybody in town accepts the lie, because they have all just been waiting for them to get together, and the subtle shifts are so much fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you sitting on the same side of the booth as me?\u201d I said under my breath.
\n\u201cBecause we\u2019re lovers, Miney.\u201d He chuckled as his lips grazed my ear again.
\n\u201cCarl and I never sat on the same side of a booth.\u201d
\n\u201cExactly. I\u2019m a much better boyfriend than he is. I don\u2019t like any distance between me and my woman.\u201d
\n\u201cHe\u2019s not even here. Tone it down,\u201d I said over my laughter.
\n\u201cThis is a small town. Everyone talks. I can\u2019t have people thinking I\u2019m a selfish lover.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I love a best-friends-to-lovers story, waiting for the big \u2018aha\u2019 moment where everything changes. With these two though, they already love each other fiercely, they\u2019ve just never allowed themselves to think about each other romantically. But as soon as they start to consider the idea and they cross that line \u2013 even pretend – it\u2019s like a switch is flipped. Suddenly there\u2019s all kinds of lusty feelings, and when they act on it, their passion for each other is out of control (seriously\u2026 so steamy). Their feelings for each other are bursting all over the place. It\u2019s awesome to watch.<\/p>\n

I loved this girl in a way I couldn\u2019t wrap my head around.
\nMore than a friend.
\nMore than a lover.
\nReese Murphy was\u2026everything.
\nAnd she was going to be mine in every way.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because they know each other so well and they\u2019ve always talked about their hopes and dreams, there is some drama and angst because they know they both want different things. Reese also has some past relationship drama that she needs to get over. It seems more complicated than it needed to be at times, but watching these two come together is such a beautiful journey. They are so completely devoted to each other, and watching them come to the realisation of the depth of everything between them is so, so beautiful.<\/p>\n

She was my girl.
\nAlways had been.
\nAlways would be.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The rest of the family are all a part of the story \u2013 full of \u201cI told you so\u201d, but at the same time supporting and encouraging Finn through his journey, and the text messages, bro-talk, and secret closet conversations had me laughing out loud.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a gorgeous read, with a beautifully happy ending, and I finished this book with a huge grin on my face.<\/p>\n

I loved it \u2013 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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Cottonwood Cove<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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

Into the Tide (#1) <\/strong>(Hugh & Lila)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Under the Stars (#2) <\/strong>(Maddox & Georgia)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

On the Shore (#3)<\/strong> (Lincoln & Brinkley)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Before the Sunset (#4) <\/strong>(Finn & Reese)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

After the Storm (#5) <\/strong>(Cage & Presley)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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

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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 one temperamental yorkie and one wild bernedoodle. Laura resides in Las Vegas where she is living her own happily ever after. Be sure to sign up for updates on new releases. Laura loves to hear from readers!<\/p>\n

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Website<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Amazon\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Facebook Group<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Instagram<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Twitter\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Bookbub<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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