Tease
[{'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'This book was amazing! I love how different each book in this series is. Ignite felt completely different from Taste and now Tease is in a league of its own. This is Melanie’s best series to date. It’s perfection from start to finish.\n\nI love that we have two characters who are social awkward, but yet aren’t a recluse. They make due in public situations, but hate being in them. These childhood best friends have so much history and when they need to be fake fiancés, it’s the opportunity to see what could be.\n\nHutton came in SPICY! I love that he’s an anxious and reserved billionaire, but his passionate side is leaning towards dom. He knows what he wants and what he wants is mutually beneficial. I love that Felicity finds her romantic side with him. Her relationship with her mom changed how she views love and it takes Hutton to reverse that.\n\nThe ending was literally so cute. I swooned when Felicity swooned. I love that she’s getting everything she didn’t know she could have. She’s a sweetheart and she deserves the undying love Hutton has for her.\n\nI can’t wait for Millie’s book!'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': "These next gen stories from a favorite series are so amazing, but Felicity and Hutton's story is extra . . . extra! I love that they've been friends forever and are both socially awkward, and that no matter where life has taken them their friendship has endured. And they have a pact, of sorts, that if the other ever really needs them, they’ll be there.\n\nAnd thanks to a snooty mean girl at their ten-year high school reunion, Felicity's nervous babbling gets away from her and she sends out the SOS to Hutton. Hutton, her BFF and now fictitious fiancé. But before the error can be corrected, word gets around (small towns, y'all) and their families are thrilled with the news! It’s a tangled mess that only gets more messy when Felicity moves in with Hutton in order to prop up their story.\n\nOh, my heart, these two are so made for each other! They’re both quirky and geeky with a sweet side of insecure and vulnerable. But they’re always completely accepting of each other and always have each other's backs. And just wait until Hutton manages to get out of his head and into the sheets! Suh-woon!!! They’re definitely my favorite couple so far from both generations in this book world. Charming and funny, sweet and tender, and hawt and heartfelt, you’ll love absolutely everything about this phenomenal small-town romance!"}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'What do you get when two socially awkward, quirky, anxious people who have been secretly pining after each other since high school enter into a “fake” engagement? This book.\n\nSome of my favorite books feature characters that I can relate to because they have characteristics that I see in myself. In this case I found myself connecting to both Felicity and Hutton. Hutton, the reclusive billionaire who suffered from severe social anxiety and Felicity, the seemingly bubbly nerd who struggled with insecurities and secrets.\n\nI loved everything about this book. Hutton and Felicity’s relationship felt so wholesome and believable. There were times I wanted to strangle both of them, wishing they would just be honest with each other, but their insecurities are what made their relationship book worthy. I loved how supportive Felicity was of Hutton and how she took the time to understand his anxiety and never tried to force him outside of his comfort zone. I loved that Hutton felt comfortable enough with Felicity to be himself when they were in private.\n\nThis was the perfect blend of small town, friends to lovers, fake engagement romance and everything I expected out of the Cloverleigh Farms series.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'I adore a good fake fiancé romance and Ms. Harlow has given us a great one with Felicity and Hutton’s story! Being back in the Cloverleigh Farms world had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading this book. Felicity is a woman that grabbed my heart with all her quirky tendencies; especially when it comes to how she deals with stressful situations. While I laughed in a lot of those moments, I also had a lump in my throat at the same time because my heart hurt for her.\n\nOh Hutton…. He’s all tall, sexy, swoony and billionaire but he’s also humble at the same time. He doesn’t really flaunt his wealth either. He’s still the somewhat shy and feels slightly geeky and he “doesn’t people” very well. I know exactly how that feels these days LOL! But a promise is a promise and he’d do anything for his BFF so when the call comes, he answers and so begins their fake engagement!\n\nI devoured this book practically in one-sitting. I loved how Hutton and Felicity truly took to this fake relationship which allowed their hidden crushes to emerge and oh my stars…these two are bursting with chemistry!\n\nThroughout this entire book, not only are we seeing two people that are meant to be with each other even if it took some odd circumstances to get there, we also see the rest of the MacAllister family and there were some truly hilarious moments that only sisters can share and find funny… but these sisters are also very protective of each other and their love knows no boundaries. When you add in Frannie and their Dad, it’s a fabulous story that is a perfect addition to this series.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': "Tease is so amazing. I loved this one so much. This next generation of the Cloverleigh Farms series just hits you in all the right places. This is Felicity's book. Felicity is trying to find her footing. She has held onto her past issues with her mom for so long. She is a talented chef who is just waiting for her career to take off like she wants it. She has a quirky habit when she gets stressed. Hutton is Felicity's best friend. He is more then he seems and has his own anxieties. Hutton and Felicity have been best friends for years and never acted on their attraction. One little lie and watch the sparks really start to fly between Hutton and Felicity. I laughed so much through this one as Felicity and Hutton battle themselves and get themselves further in a pickle. There is such a sweet romance that builds with Felicity and Hutton that will have you cheering these friends on. I could not get enough of this one and I cannot wait for more to come in the Cloverleigh Farms series."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'I was so pumped when Melanie Harlow started writing books for the next generation of Cloverleigh Farms characters and let me tell you, I think this is one of my absolute favorites.\n\nI absolutely adore Felicity and Hutton. Their friendship is something so pure and beautiful and watching it blossom into more seriously warmed my soul. There were moments that gave me butterflies. The two of them just fit together, and the inner monologues of both of them trying to navigate their way through this was perfection.\n\nEverything about this book was amazing. I don’t have enough good things to say about it. This story is the whole package, it’s got drama, it’s got some tension, and the spice level… holy smokes, off the charts. It pulled at my heartstrings, it had me laughing out loud, and had me seriously swooning. Definitely one of my favs from Melanie Harlow!'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5)\nTrope: fake relationship, friends to lovers, billionaire\nAngst: 😱😱😱\nSmexy: 🔥🔥🔥\n\n"𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐𝒐 - 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒐𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍."\n\nTease is a wonderful, feel good story that will leave you with all the feels! The storyline is super cute: quirky and nerdy girl wants to one up mean girl at class reunion so she enlists the help of her best friend and nerdy billionaire Hutton by pretending they are engaged to be married. Hilarity ensues. "Practicing" being "with" each other turns to hot smexy times 🔥🔥🔥. The characters are wonderful! Both MCs are nerdy band geeks. Felicity is definitely the more outgoing of the two. Hutton is this hot, nerdy introvert with this secret Dom side, but he\'s also slightly neurotic, too, which makes him that much more endearing, lol. Great storyline with laugh out moments. If you\'re a fan of secret alphas, grand gestures, and general quirkiness - this is one story you don\'t want to miss!\n\nTease is the 8th book in the Cloverleigh Farms series by Melanie Harlow and is a standalone, but best enjoyed when read in series order. It is told in first person, from dual perspective.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'This book was fantastic and deserves thousands of stars!!!! I was so looking forward to Felicity\'s story after reading Winnie\'s book. I love a friends to lovers romance so much and this one was amazing!!! Especially when Hutton turned into a HOT NERD!!!\nFelicity is Mack\'s middle child from his first marriage. She\'s not like her sisters because she\'s always thought of herself as awkward. She\'s also super smart and kind of a nerd. She has also been holding a secret from her family since she was around 6-8 years old. She overheard a fight between her parents and heard her mom say she never wanted her daughters. Felicity kept that to herself because she didn\'t want her sisters to hurt like she did. She is such a caring person who puts others ahead of herself. This was the start of her "hair cuts", due to stress.\nHutton has always been a numbers guy. He\'s also a nerd but he used to be kind of a norma kid too. Until his grandfather died. He thought he had magical powers that could keep him alive. When he died, so did that normal little boy inside him. That\'s when his anxiety started. So, he and Felicity were kind of made for each other.\nThe whole fake engagement starts at their 10 year reunion because of one of Felicity\'s bullies trying to make her feel small. Her mouth gets the better of her and she says stuff without thinking. She gets Hutton to go along with it for a few reasons. One, it gets his mother off his back about finding love. And he is into Felicity but too scared to admit it to himself or her. This is where things get interesting!!!\nThese two were literally made for each other!! They get each other and have for 15 years. Felicity doesn\'t care about his money and Hutton doesn\'t care that she sometimes cuts her hair! They have loved each other since high school and it was beautiful to watch them realize it as adults. There are some slip ups here and there, but they resolve them in such wonderful ways!! I was proud of Hutton toward the end when he redeemed himself!!!\nIt was so great to be back at Cloverleigh Farms!!! I so love these characters! I truly hope that Millie gets a book, because I am so there for it!!!! Thank you Melanie Harlow for continuing to grace us with your words and your talent!!'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Wonderfully Written, Their Touching Story Is Another Great Addition To The Cloverleigh Farms World. There Are Laughs As Well As Tears. Don’t Forget To Download The Free Bonus Scene Via The Link At The Back Of The Book.\n\nABOUT THIS BOOK:\n\nWhile this book is a standalone, is part of the Cloverleigh Farms world. It is interconnected, and fans will be thrilled that is a next-generation Cloverleigh Farms book.\n\nThe Cloverleigh Farms series includes:\n1. Irresistible\n2. Undeniable\n3. Insatiable\n4. Unbreakable\n5. Unforgettable\nThe Cloverleigh Farms Next Generation series includes:\n6. Ignite\n7. Taste\n8. Tease\n\nThere is a cast of characters that harken back to the Cloverleigh Farms books as well as others.\n\nDeclan “Mack” MacAllister and Frannie (Sawyer) MacAllister are Felicity’s father and stepmother. Their story is told in Irresistible, book one of the Cloverleigh Farms series.\n\nChip Carswell is mentioned here. He recently retired from playing for the White Sox after his engagement to Mariah. He is Dex’s best friend from high school and Felicity’s cousin from her stepmother’s side. Tyler Shaw and April (Sawyer) Shaw are Chip’s birth parents. Their story is told in Unforgettable, book five in the Cloverleigh Farms series.\n\nIgnite, book eight of the series, is Dexter Matthews and Winnie MacAllister’s spicy next-generation story. Winnie is Ellie’s best friend since kindergarten and is a big part of Ellie’s story.\n\nGianni Lupo is a celebrity chef like his father, Nick Lupo, had been. Nick’s story with Coco Thomas Lupo is told in Forked (Frenched: Coco and Nick). Related to that, Joey Lupo’s story is told in the Speak Easy duet – Speak Easy and Speak Low.\n\nGianni’s own story with Ellie Fournier is told in Taste, book seven of the series.\n\nLucas Fournier and Mia Devine Fournier are Ellie’s parents. Frenched, book one of the Frenched series, is their story. Their story gets a brief addition in Yanked (Frenched: Mia and Lucas 1.5).\n\nFROM IGNITE, BOOK 6:\n\nThis story opens in August in northern Michigan, in the town of Traverse City. It is home to Cloverleigh Farms and Abelard Vineyards.\n\nDex and Winnie’s neighbors-with-benefits age-gap romance is an adorable single dad story. It is amazingly realistic. Dex is not a billionaire. His marriage failed. He missed a lot of milestones in his daughters’ lives, thanks to his career. But he is determined to be a good dad and is devoted to that goal. He is grouchy and prickly, but he is a softy underneath the bluster.\n\nFROM TASTE, BOOK 7:\n\nNote that Gianni and Ellie’s story gets a start in Ignite, and their enemies-to-lovers dynamic is toxic. They get their own story here in Taste, but what happens in Ignite really sets the stage and is worthwhile.\n\nThis story opens in January in northern Michigan, in the town of Traverse City. It is home to Cloverleigh Farms and Abelard Vineyards.\n\nGianni and Ellie don’t have an easy road. They don’t exactly like one another, to begin with. Gianni is fiercely competitive and driven, although there is a protective side that he hides. Despite leaving home for years, he values his family. Ellie, too, is competitive and driven. She is excellent at her job, but when Gianni takes to the limelight, it only exacerbates the divide between them. Their story takes an emotional turn, but they earn a happy ending.\n\nIN THIS BOOK:\n\nNote that Hutton and Felicity appear in Taste, book seven, with a lead-in to their romance.\n\nThis story opens on July 9 in northern Michigan, in the town of Traverse City. It is home to Cloverleigh Farms and Abelard Vineyards.\n\nFelicity MacAllister, twenty-eight, blurts out random things when she gets nervous and suffers from occasional nose bleeds. She lacks the fashion sense that her sisters have and is more comfortable with a book. At six she began stress-cutting her hair, a habit that continues to this day. As a result, her hair sometimes has an asymmetrical look, which is putting it nicely. She recently moved back to her Michigan hometown after working at a test kitchen in Chicago. A nerd by nature, she had gone to Brown University where she began to study premed, but she gave it up to pursue her dream instead. Against the advice of so many, she enrolled in culinary school and has never looked back. She has found her niche in vegetarian fare and has plans to build her own business. She now works part-time for Gianni Lupo at Abelard Vineyards, where her sister Winnie works as the wedding coordinator. Separately, she has opened a vegetarian catering business and has begun a food blog that goes by the moniker Veggie Vixen. Her goal is to build a following and to use that success as a launching pad for publishing cookbooks.\n\nAs her ten-year high school reunion approaches, Felicity cannot help but take stock of her life. She is living in her father and stepmother’s home and has little to show for herself. She loves her large family, but aside from spending time with her sisters, she has no real social life. She has only had three boyfriends, and none of those relationships lasted more than a few months. The last two tried declaring their love for her, and she couldn’t break up fast enough. She is allergic to love, so to speak, and has a strict hold on her emotions. By rationing her feelings, she hopes to avoid the highs and lows, which is where the danger lies. Her sisters don’t seem to have the same difficulty with relationships that she does, but then again, they didn’t overhear their birth mother’s horrid comments before she walked out on their family. Felicity had been six at the time, but it left a permanent impression on her young mind.\n\nFelicity is content to focus on developing her career for now, and the small catering job she got for her high school reunion is a big opportunity to get reviews and drum up new business. Unfortunately, her attendance puts her in the same room with the mean girls whose comments back in the day fed into her insecurities. When it becomes clear that mean girl Mimi Pepper-Peabody has not changed, Felicity decides to take it sitting down. She gives in to her competitive streak and blurts whatever comes to mind. So when Mimi brags about her millionaire fiancée, Felicity comes back with a comment about her own hot billionaire fiancée.\n\nHutton French, twenty-eight, is a math genius and a sci-fi nerd. Socially awkward, he clams up when nervous and has a tendency to fidget. As the billionaire CEO of San Francisco-based HFX, a cryptocurrency exchange, he has his choice of women. He is pictured in the tabloids with models and influencers; he and Lithuanian supermodel Zlatka graced covers for a few months in the spring. Despite what it might look like, Hutton doesn’t actually get out much. He hates parties, and the idea of small talk terrifies him. He is content living as a recluse, but he is good at faking confidence when necessary. He is not wired for relationships, although he has tried. The effort exhausts him and the woman is always bitterly disappointed once the novelty wears off. Friendships are a challenge, too, since he rarely goes out.\n\nHutton co-founded HFX with his roommate from MIT. Wade Hasbrouck is from old money and is good with people, allowing Hutton to focus on the back end of the business and the algorithm he created. Wade encourages Hutton to get out more, but it is never an easy task. Wade hardly understands Hutton’s excuses. Hutton works long hours, but it is not about the money for him. He donates generously to worthy causes and is not at all pretentious. He loves his family – his parents and his sister’s family – and takes time to visit occasionally. He rented a house in his hometown for three months this summer just to be close to them. He arrived in May and plans to return to San Francisco when the rental agreement expires on August 15. Conveniently, his best friend has moved back to the area so they have been able to reconnect and spend time together.\n\nAlthough Hutton and Felicity have kept in touch from time to time, they largely went their separate ways after high school. They met in math class at age twelve and soon became best friends. They enjoyed books and movies together, participated in the math and chemistry clubs, and both played in the marching band. She is the person that knows him best in the world, the only one that sees behind the mask. He feels a unique comfort with her that eases his anxiety. He has wanted to kiss her since he was fifteen, and he had a few chances, but he never knew if she felt the same way about him. The idea of ruining their friendship always stopped him from taking that risk.\n\nWhen Felicity calls on an old promise, Hutton has no choice but to step up and come to her aid. Their fake engagement goes awry when it leaks to the press and their families find out. Felicity wants to put an end to the lie before more damage is done, but Hutton has another idea. With an important Congressional hearing approaching, he can use the engagement to keep his mother’s matchmaking efforts at bay and buy him some peace and quiet in preparation for his appearance in D.C. They agree to stretch out the fake engagement until he heads back to California. The line between fake and real begins to blur all too quickly, putting the couple’s fool-proof plan at risk. The couple eventually earns a very well-deserved happy ending.\n\nIn this book, Felicity’s older sister Millie, who is thirty-two, plays a small role. She does not yet have her own book, but her story appears to begin here.\n\nDon’t forget to download the free bonus scene via the link at the back of the book. It takes place two years into the future.\n\nWow! Hutton and Felicity are adorably damaged in this best friend fake engagement romance. Their friendship is too important to risk losing, so they have never crossed that line before. But when they find themselves fake-engaged, they discover the pretext to act out some of that long-repressed attraction. The underlying problems still exist, though, so they must tread lightly or risk losing it all. With their families and the press showing an uncomfortable amount of interest in their engagement, the pressure is intense.\n\nHutton and Felicity’s tender story has you rooting for the couple’s happy ending. Their damaged personalities feel all too real, and missed opportunities have cost them years of happiness together. Although to others they come across as awkward, they are adorable together. Hutton is sweet and attentive, while Felicity is patient and thoughtful. They are good for one another. It is their deep respect for one another that fuels their paralyzing fear of rejection. There are nine laugh-out-loud moments by my count and five teary moments. Unlike so many stories, I did not feel my time was taken advantage of by the story. There was no unnecessary drama that felt misplaced or manipulative. The story works. It is deep and personal, but there are many light moments that balance it out. It addresses the issues of anxiety and panic attacks.\n\nHutton and Felicity’s touching story is another great addition to the Cloverleigh Farms world. There are a few laughs as well as some tears. It is wonderfully written. The plot is fairly simple. The story is character-driven. The characters are complex and carefully crafted, and their stories are compelling. The story is told in first person. The POV alternates between Hutton and Felicity. I rate this book five stars.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2022', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Melanie Harlow’s book was written beautifully, it’s a heart squeezer. It’s taking a chance on love and truly getting what you deserve. Accepting yourself because the one who accepts you does it whole heartedly and unconditionally. Because you don’t have to be perfect for love.\n\nI connected, because the words didn’t just tell me what they were doing, it made me feel what they were doing. It was exciting. That can be difficult with friends to lovers. But, the author delivers!!!\n\nHutton is quiet on the outside, his mind is constantly going to the next task, or worry, but he loves to edge and control in the bedroom. A billionaire with a sensitive soul and a kink for tying women up!\n\nFelicity is hardworking, wants to make her own way with catering and blogging. She puts one step forward every time, every day, but deep down she feels very abandoned.\n\nThey were high school besties, its best friend to lovers, and it gave me goosebumps.\n\nThey are both so alive when they are together. There is no pity between them and their secrets they tell one another. It’s the power of acceptance that made this couple give it a try!\n\nShe is the calm and present to his overthinking mind. He is the contentment and superhero to her broken heart. Together, they don’t need magic!\n\nPractice makes perfect when you are faking your engagement, and boy did they like to practice 🥃😮\u200d💨'}]