Original Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio @ Pexels.
Today’s Book List is inspired by my current read – ‘Take Two, Birdie Maxwell’ by Allison Winn Scotch (10) which features Hollywood A-Lister, Birdie going on an RV road trip with her best friend’s twin brother (and secret crush), Elliot to discover which of her exes left her an unsigned letter asking for a second chance.
I’m such a fan of both the Falling for My Best Friend’s Brother and Falling for My Brother’s Best Friend tropes that I included them in ‘My First Half’ (1). Kian isn’t just Cate’s best friend, Sinead’s older brother, he’s also Cate’s brother, Ben’s best friend.
Take Two, Birdie Maxwell’ is the second Falling for My Best Friend’s Brother trope I’ve read recently after ‘Ready or Not’ by Cara Bastone (5), which was a Five Star Read from March 2024 so I decided to go back through my Goodreads and put together a Book List.
As always, if you’ve got any recommendations, you can let me know either in the comments or by e-mail at louisehallbooks@gmail.com.
P.S. If you’re looking for more Book Lists, you can find links to them all in the Archives.
Happy reading x
(1) My First Half (Cate & Kian #1) by Louise Hall (2017)
“I’ve kissed a lot of girls,” Kian said huskily, “but I’ve never felt like that before. There’s something between us, Cate and I can’t explain why or what it is, I just know that ever since we kissed last night, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.” “Tell me you’re joking,” Cate said softly, “tell me this is all a wind-up.”
Cate Klein and Kian Warner absolutely shouldn’t be together. He’s a gorgeous Premier League footballer who’s famous in the tabloids for his one-night stands with models and pop princesses. Cate is 18 years old and has never even been kissed. She’s focused on studying for her A Levels and going to university. Boys don’t really notice her; she’s always been overshadowed by her vivacious best friend, Sinead. She doesn’t mind though because none of the boys she goes to college with could live up to her two crushes; Edward Rochester from Jane Eyre and Kian. There’s also the small fact that Kian is best friends with Cate’s older brother, Ben and Sinead, well she’s Kian’s younger sister.
But then on Christmas Eve, a lacy, black dress and a dare from Sinead catapults Cate straight into Kian’s waiting arms and before she can even say “mistletoe,” she’s not the quiet girl who’s never been kissed anymore. In fact the kiss they shared was so blazing hot; it must have burned up all the rule books because suddenly Kian freaking Warner actually seems to fancy quiet Cate Klein.
If their families ever found out, it would start World War 3 so they have to meet up in secret. But when tragedy strikes, Kian turns to Cate for comfort. The consequences of that night mean that they can no longer keep their relationship a secret from their families.
Cate has spent 18 years hiding in the shadows, how will she cope when she’s suddenly thrust into the harsh spotlight? He might be a Premier League footballer but being with Kian Warner definitely isn’t a fairy-tale of spa days and designer shopping trips.
Tags: Brother’s Best Friend / My Books / Oopsie Babies / Sports Romance (Football) / Vegas Weddings
(2) Terms and Conditions (Dreamland Billionaires #2) by Lauren Asher (2022)
Declan: I’m destined to become the next CEO of my family’s media empire. The only problem? My grandfather’s inheritance clause. Fulfilling his dying wish of getting married and having an heir seemed impossible until my assistant volunteers for the job. Our marriage was supposed to be the perfect solution to my biggest problem. But the more we act in love for the public, the more unsure I feel about our contract. Caring about Iris was never part of the deal. Especially not when breaking her heart is inevitable.
Iris: My plan to marry Declan was simple in theory. Move in together. Throw a wedding. Have a baby. We set rules to prevent any kind of issues. Ones that were never meant to be broken, no matter how much Declan tempts me. But what happens when our fake relationship bleeds into our real one? Falling in love was never an option. At least not for me.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Book by This Author / Five Star Reads / Marriages of Convenience / Office Romance
(3) Trust (Café #3) by Jana Aston (2016)
“Knock knock!”
“Um… Who’s there?”
Yeah. That was me, on my last date. Before you feel sorry for me you should know that I was the one telling the jokes. Jokes as in plural, because I didn’t stop with just one. Of course not.
Hi, I’m Chloe Scott. The most awkward single girl in the city. But I’m going to get it together. I am.
I’m going to learn how to date like a grown up. I’m going to have an orgasm not given to myself. I’m going to fall in love and live happily ever after.
Right after I get out of this interrogation room.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)
(4) Too Beautiful to Break (Romancing the Clarksons #4) by Tessa Bailey (2017)
Leaving Belmont Clarkson is the hardest thing Sage Alexander has ever done. From the moment they met, she knew Belmont was the one, and getting up close and personal with him on his family’s epic road trip has taken her desire to a new, even hotter level. But there’s no way she can go there – not without revealing secrets that could devastate them both.
Losing Sage is not an option. Belmont’s heart is hers, has always been hers. He knows she’s hiding something from him, but nothing will stand in his way of telling her just how much she means to him. Finding her is easy – saving her from her past could cost him everything.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Friends-to-Lovers / Road Trip
(5) Ready or Not by Cara Bastone (2024)
Eve Hatch lives for surprises! Just kidding. She expects every tomorrow to be pretty much the same as today. She loves her cosy apartment in Brooklyn that’s close to her childhood best friend Willa, and far from her mid-western, traditional family who has never really understood her. While her job is only dream-adjacent, it’s comfortable and steady. She always knows what to expect from her life . . . until she finds herself expecting after an uncharacteristic one-night stand.
The unplanned pregnancy cracks open all the relationships in her life. Eve’s loyal friendship with Willa is feeling tense, right when she needs her the most. And it’s actually Willa’s steadfast older brother, Shep, who steps up to help Eve. He has always been friendly, but now he’s checking in, ordering her surprise lunches, listening to all her complaints, and is . . . suddenly kinda hot? Then, as if she needs one more complication, there’s the baby’s father, who is (technically) supportive but (majorly) conflicted.
Up until this point, Eve’s been content to coast through life. Now, though—maybe it’s the hormones, maybe it’s the way Shep’s shoulders look in a T-shirt—Eve starts to wonder if she has been secretly desiring more from every aspect of her life.
Over the course of nine months, as Eve struggles to figure out the next right step in her expanding reality, she begins to realize that family and love, in all forms, can sneak up on you when you least expect it.
Tags: Five Star Reads / Friends-to-Lovers / Oopsie Babies
(6) The Nature of Cruelty by L.H. Cosway (2013)
Her name is Lana. She wasn’t dealt the easiest cards in life. She wasn’t dealt the hardest. She has an illness, but she doesn’t let it rule her. The first time she laid eyes on her best friend’s twin brother she fell in love at first sight. It didn’t last very long. He was a hateful boy who made her miserable. The happiest day of her life was when he moved away to London six years ago.
His name is Robert. He breaks the ones who love him. He’s always liked to play games with Lana, see how far he could push her. He once thrived on her pain, but no more. Now she’s coming to London to live with his sister for the summer and this time he plans on being her friend instead of her tormentor. But Lana is scarred by his past bullying. She doesn’t trust him, nor does she have any reason to.
When the two find themselves living under the same roof, they call a truce. This summer will change both of their lives, as they put their history aside and learn one another from scratch.
When fear takes over, we use cruelty as a mask. Robert and Lana’s story will see their masks slip away as the love they felt on the inside shows its true face.
Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)
(7) A Thousand Letters (The Austens #2) by Staci Hart (2017)
I lost him with a word.
A thousand letters couldn’t bring him back.
He’s home for his father, not me, that much is painfully clear. But I barely recognize the man he’s become, though I can still see a glimmer of the boy who asked me to be his forever, the boy I walked away from when I was young and afraid.
Maybe if he’d come home under better circumstances, he could speak to me without anger in his voice. Maybe if I’d said yes all those years ago, he’d look at me without the weight of rejection in his eyes. Maybe if things were different, we would have had a chance.
One regretted decision sent him away. One painful journey brought him back to me.
And two broken hearts just want to find their way home.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Modern Retelling (Persuasion by Jane Austen) / Second Chance
(8) Confessions of a Canine Drama Queen (Paws in the City #3) by Stefanie London (2023)
August Merriweather has always been good with animals. In fact, she’s known as Manhattan’s Dog Whisperer. Men, on the other hand? Not so much. She’s been falling for the wrong guys ever since her regrettable crush on Keaton Sax, older brother of her best friend, Leah, and the biggest jerkface this side of the Hudson.
Now an emotionally closed off widower, Keaton has become one of the most formidable men on Wall Street, but August knows his secret. He’s not driven by sales targets and bonus checks—Keaton just wants to give his family the security they never had. So when Leah asks Keaton to wrangle her over-the-top, dramatic husky at a weekend talent competition, Keaton says yes…and begs August to help him win the event for Leah.
Between obstacle courses, Molly’s husky temper tantrums and a cabin with just one bed, August is having a blast. Away from the pressure to have a “perfect life” with the “right guy,” she finds herself relaxing and getting to see the softer side of the man she once loved. Is this just a temporary truce? Or could Keaton finally be the right guy at the right time?
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / One Bed / Pupsters
(9) Close to You (Fusion #2) by Kristen Proby (2016)
Camilla, “Cami,” LaRue was five-years-old when she first fell in love with Landon Palazzo. Everyone told her the puppy love would fade—they clearly never met Landon. When he left after graduation without a backward glance, she was heartbroken. But Cami grew up, moved on, and became part-owner of wildly popular restaurant Seduction. She has everything she could want…or so she thinks.
After spending the last twelve years as a Navy fighter pilot, Landon returns to Portland to take over the family construction business. When he catches a glimpse of little Cami LaRue, he realizes she’s not so little any more. He always had a soft spot for his little sister’s best friend, but nothing is soft now when he’s around the gorgeous restauranteur.
Landon isn’t going to pass up the chance to make the girl-next-door his. She’s never been one for romance, but he’s just the one to change her mind. Will seduction be just the name of her restaurant or will Cami let him get close enough to fulfil all her fantasies?
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Second Chance
(10) Take Two, Birdie Maxwell by Allison Winn Scotch (2024)
Birdie Maxwell thought she’d gotten everything she wanted out of life: fame, adoration, and an A-list Hollywood career. But after an on-set feud goes viral, she leaves L.A. for the one place no one would think to find her: her hometown. There, she’s startled to stumble upon a love letter from a former boyfriend asking for a second chance–but there’s just one problem: the letter was unsigned and she’s not sure which ex sent it. Still, a public reunion with an ex-boyfriend could turn the wave of public opinion back in her favour. Life imitating art. What could go wrong?
Elliot O’Brien, star reporter, knows life isn’t an actual rom-com. Case in point: He’s spent two decades suppressing his long-simmering feelings for his twin sister’s best friend, Birdie. But with his journalism career cratering and Birdie back in their hometown at the same time he is, he realizes chronicling her search for her long-ago ex may be his opportunity to right some wrongs.
As they hit the road in an ancient RV, Birdie and Elliot retrace her romantic history for clues as to who wrote the letter and come face to face with their own romantic missteps, all while grappling with whether happy endings are found only on the big screen–or whether their own happily-ever-after could be closer than they both ever imagined.
Tags: Favourite Author / Road Trip / Second Chance
(11) On Dublin Street (On Dublin Street #1) by Samantha Young (2012)
I love, love, love this book so much that it’s one of my Top 5 Re-Reads.
Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…
Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well – until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street, where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.
Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.
But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her . . . down to the very soul.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Book by This Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)
(12) From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata (2018)
If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one.
After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.
But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.
Including Ivan Lukov.
Tags: Enemies-to-Lovers / Favourite Author / Favourite Book by This Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Sports Romance (Figure Skating)
Louise Hall 