Two besties and a baby make for an instafamily and a surprising romance in a delightful series by Melissa Foster, the New York Times bestselling author of the Sugar Lake novels.
Ben Dalton has always been honest, except where his heart is concerned. He’s been in love with his best friend—saucy, smart-mouthed Aurelia Stark—forever. But Ben’s a planner, and timing has never been on his side. When … been on his side. When he finally decides to make his move, Aurelia beats him to the punch with a move of her own—to a different town.
Aurelia loves her new life in the charming town of Harmony Pointe. She has a great apartment and her very own bookstore, and best of all, the sinfully hot, commitment-phobic friend she’s crushed on for years is no longer just around the corner. Maybe she’ll finally be able to leave her unrequited love behind and move on.
But when a baby is left on Ben’s front porch—a baby that is presumably his—Aurelia is there for him. Neither one knows the first thing about babies, but how hard can it be? Ben and Aurelia are catapulted into a world of love, laughter, and tracking down the baby mama, and it might even add up to a very happily ever after… just not one either of them expects.
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Loved the first in Foster’s new series and cannot wait to read more – heroes are SO swoony!
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
4.5 stars
I love visiting the Dalton family and I am so glad Ben finally got his story and the HEA he deserved. He was always the ladies man or so I thought.
Ben has been in love with Aurelia for as long as he can remember but she is also his best friend. He has dropped hints over the years but he thought she didn’t feel the same way. She has secretly been in love with him for years but thought he was always joking with her.
When they find a baby on his doorstep, he denies it’s his and she is hurt that he might have a baby with another woman. Neither of them knows anything about babies and he doesn’t want to tell his family until he knows it is his for sure.
What if the baby really is his? Will they finally tell each other how they really feel? Can Aurelia learn to love another woman’s baby? What happens if the mother comes back? Will there be a future for the three of them?
I loved the Suger Lakes series and I fell for the beginning of this one too. I can’t wait to see who book 2 is about. If you haven’t read Melissa Foster yet, you should because you will not be disappointed. She is awesome and her stories are great.
**Wicked Reads Review Team**
Ben and Aurelia have loved each other for years… they just didn’t know it. Stuck in unrequited love limbo, Aurelia decides to jump on the chance to start over – new town, new place, new business venture, new life. Right? Ben doesn’t want to lose his best friend, the only woman he’s ever loved, so he finds excuses to get her to stay. What happens when the biggest reason of all literally finds its way to his door?
I always know when I read a book from Melissa Foster that the story will be epic and she did not let me down. Call Her Mine had easy to love characters, a spicy coming together moment, little to no drama, warm family and friends interactions, and so much love that I just wanted to hug and squeeze the book in my hands forever. I felt for Ben and his situation. Trying to distance himself from Aurelia and the hopelessness he felt in getting his happily ever after, he tended to get involved in one night stands. No muss, no fuss. At least, that’s what he thought until one such encounter created a blessing that not only taught him about a different type of love, but brought him the woman he always wanted. I admired Aurelia for her strength in standing by his side. I felt conflicted because on one hand, it was hurtful that he had created a life with someone else. But on the other, he was wholly devoted to her and building a life and future with her.
While this was most definitely a friends-to-lovers romance, and there were plenty of romantic and swoon-worthy moments to be found, it was also about the baby and how these two characters had to change and adapt for this huge change in their lives. Neither of them were prepared to welcome a baby, especially since they were just starting to navigate their way through new coupledom. But I feel like the author pulled off this complicated story with her usual finesse and it was impossible to not fall in love with everyone and their moments. I loved having this visit with the Daltons (seriously, aren’t they just the best family?) and I’m looking forward to more of these people. Will Fletcher ever find his match? What about Piper? And with the amount of times I’ve seen Jared Stone, does he have a story? I’m staying tuned…
This was THE perfect blend of sweet, sexy, funny and #feels *happy sigh* outstanding
I have read a ton of Melissa Foster stories, so you would think it would be difficult for me to say Ben and Aurelia are the best people in the history of people that she has ever created … one would think, but no, I state it with conviction!! AND, their journey in this book was spectacularly delightful !!
Melissa could have taken this friend to lover trope that is not new to this genre and made it cliché and tiresome with the same old conflict. But she didn’t, and now I want to be her best friend *happy sigh* I am so frikking excited about every single plot point that I don’t want to even hint at any of them because every single one is just glorious to read! Even the conflict in the story wasn’t typical for this trope. I really need everyone on board with me and one-click this book immediately #TRUST
CALL HER MINE (Harmony Pointe Book One) by Melissa Foster is a new friends-to-lovers contemporary romance with a secret baby, too. I have never been disappointed in a romance written by this author and this book was no exception.
Ben Dalton is an extremely successful businessman, but when it comes to his love life, he just never seems to get the timing right to get the girl he loves. It seems he has loved his sisters’ friend, Aurelia forever, but the planner in him has never found just the right time to tell her. Just as Ben decides to make the big move, Aurelia beats him to the punch by literally moving to the next town.
Aurelia Stark has decided to turn the page and start a new chapter in her life. She has moved to Harmony Pointe to open her new bookstore “Once Upon a Time”. She has a great apartment above the store and she is hopefully just far enough away to avoid constantly running into her commitment-phobic, unrequited love and best-friend, Ben.
Aurelia cannot believe she gave in and spent the night, as “friends”, at Ben’s once again. As she goes to leave, she opens the door and finds a baby on the porch. The attached note says it is Ben’s baby. Aurelia is there for Ben, though neither knows the first thing about the care of babies. What follows is a journey into nighttime feedings, lack of sleep, learning, laughter and love.
I am once again in love with a Melissa Foster romance. Ben, Aurelia and baby Bea feel like more than just characters in a book. I feel as if I should be able to meet them in Harmony Pointe. The laughter, tears, fears and love are all realistically portrayed in the dialogue and each characters actions. Ben is uber sexy and lovable. The perfect mix of take charge business man and lover mixed with the vulnerable best-friend and new dad. Aurelia works to open her dream bookstore even as she helps Ben. She deals with everything thrown at her and learns that it is not a bad thing to ask for help when she needs it. The love between Ben, Aurelia and Bea is beautiful to read. As in all of Ms. Foster’s romances the sex scenes are sexy, hot and explicit. Keep some tissues handy for the ending; it is emotional.
I absolutely loved this romance and highly recommend it.
strong>”The most precious gift” my new title for this book
This story pulls out so many emotions from me, I don’t know where to begin. First of all, I would want to be a a part of Ben’s and Aurelia’s family. Their parents are both so loving, caring, non judgmental and supportive. The relationship between Ben and Aurelia is so beautiful and unconditional. Thats what every relationship should look like, support for each other no matter what. There was happy ending for the two families but I’m sure Those of them who judged the babies mother for leaving her baby will learn that things are not always as they seam so they should not jump to the worst conclusions. The reasons why she left her baby is so touching, it’s heart rending but beautiful to see the love and selflessness of the mother. This book has lots of drama and emotions. Love, pain, fear, selflessness, loyalty, passion and humour from all lovable characters. Talk about the chemistry between Ben and Aurelia, that’s what we call panty melting, fire blazing, earth shattering passion where nothing is held back. There are so in sync with each other, it’s beautiful and romantic because they are not only lovers, they are the best of friend. I love the fact that Ben wasn’t too proud to ask for advice from his dad or other people around him. It’s so refreshing to read about a millionaire that is so down to earth and humble. I enjoyed every minute of this book.
I loved this story so much! I really liked Ben and Aurelia’s friendship that turned into romance and Baby B simply stole my heart. I absolutely fell in love with these three characters and their scenes together. Ben and Aurelia’s love for Baby B really tugged at my heartstring. I really enjoyed the witty banter and dialogue between Ben and Aurelia which had me smiling and chuckling. Melissa Foster also managed to make me cry with the ending. Loved everything about this book.
I always enjoy reading friends to lovers trope and this book was not an exception. It was sweet and fun. Really enjoyed it.
This is why I love Melissa and her writing. I absolutely loved this book. It was freaking amazing. Melissa has become one of my favorite authors this past year and I’m so glad that I got to read this early. It was so good from beginning to end and I couldn’t get enough.
Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: This review MAY contain spoilers. I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions in my review are my own.
This was such a lovely friends-to-lovers story. Some parts of this book had me laughing out loud (cue baby poop explosions) and other parts had me feeling so many emotions. I certainly connected with the new parent journey in this story and I feel like it was adequately represented.
Aurelia is a character that was easy to connect with. She has been pining over her best friend for most of her life but he hasn’t shown the slightest interest in being anything other than friends. She decides that it is time to stop pining and start moving on with her life. She buys a business in the next town in hopes to finally move on and distance herself from Ben a bit. I liked that she decided to do this for herself. She wasn’t only about her feelings for Ben. She was so many other things. She liked books and literature and she was passionate about them. Ben has been pining over Aurelia just as long as she has been for him. He feels friend-zoned so he has been biding his time and waiting for the perfect moment to tell Aurelia how he feels about her. Only that time never really comes and one day he wakes up to a baby on his doorstep. Literally. Aurelia, being the caring friend that she is, helps him through this debacle and stays by his side. Ben finally confesses his feelings, since no time is the right time, and the two of them have to navigate the new waters of a new relationship and caring for a baby.
I liked the cast of side characters in this. Ben has a large and loving family and several close friends. It was honestly a little hard to keep track of all of them at the beginning and it became clear to me that perhaps these characters had been featured in previous books by the author. Which, of course, they have. So I definitely feel like I need to go back and read these other books.
As far as the romance goes, I liked Ben and Aurelia as a couple but I felt that the whole baby part of the story overshadowed their romance a bit. They definitely have chemistry and excellent banter with one another. The reader can feel the love that they have for each other as well. It just felt like their love came on all of a sudden when it should have had more build up.
Overall, this is a quick and fun read that focuses on family and new beginnings. There are touching moments, humorous moments, and sexy moments all wrapped into the mix. I am definitely going to check out other books by this author and I am excited for the next book in this series!
One thing I liked about this book was Ben’s change of attitude. He had been sleeping around based on his feelings around Aurelia. Stupid? Yes. Immature? Yes. Ben’s conversation with Aurelia about who the baby’s mother could be was also immature in the way it was done.
I had a friend who said he was a manwhore. When you think about it, Ben was a healthy single male who had consensual sexual encounters with FOUR Women over a TEN month period. That is on average 1 encounter every 2.5 months. The same would go for any woman behaving the same way. I think to label him as a whore or Manwhore is a bit extreme, but that’s just my opinion.
With the entrance of Baby B, Ben THOUGHT about his behavior and changed his attitude, his thoughts about relationships, and his thoughts about life in general. He didn’t have to man up, but he did. I think Ben’s reluctance were his family was concerned was a good indication not his change of attitude.
The thing I found irritating about the situation was Ben and Aurelia’s inability to communicate their feelings for one another. I didn’t understand their ability to be that close to one another while they were with other people.
The other thing was Baby B’s mother leaving her in Ben’s porch. She didn’t know if he was home, who he was involved with, or anything. Caroline’s explanation explained some of her reasoning, but still wasn’t sufficient.
Bottom line, everyone involved in this situation could have behaved differently at some point. But, that’s life. I did admire both Aurelia’s acceptance of Baby B and willingness to have a different relationship with Ben.
I both read and listened to this book. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed that these were people with flaws, real feelings, who made mistakes, and tried to be better. There were funny moments, romantic moments, tense and angry monents. There were sad moments and sexy moments. There was a rollercoaster of emotions that ultimately lead to an HEA.
Call Her Mine by Melissa Foster
This was my first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed her storytelling. I went into this book only knowing that it was about two bestfriends and a baby left on the porch. What it turned out to be was so much better.
Aurelia and Ben both had feelings for years for each other yet neither let the other one know. Only to watch the other live their life and even date other people. Finally after realizing she needed to quit pinning after her bestfriend she moved to the next town and opened a new business. That’s when Ben realized he could lose her so he kept calling and asking her to come over. While at his house once again she realizes that she is once again falling back into her old ways… frustrated she goes to leave only to discover a baby in a basket on his porch.
Ben and Aurelia’s journey from that point on will pull at your heartstrings. The trials and tribulations of life with a new infant and not everything is a bed a roses. It shows some of the true life struggles, ups,downs,joys and sorrows of raising a new baby. Then how they discover what a new relationship will be like in the mist of the baby drama. All while searching for the baby momma and why she chose to abandon her baby without an explanation. So much in one story friends to lovers, surprise baby but it was weaved into a incredible storyline with wonderful characters with loving families and friends.
There where so many quotes from the book that I loved here is one with a conversation with Aurelia and her grandmother Flossie when she was telling her they named the baby Bea.
Flossie said sweetly. “You never knew this, but your grandfather and I called your mother Bea.” “To everyone else we referred to her as Abby, because that’s what she preferred but when we spoke of her privately, she was always our little Bea, which means bringer of joy, or she who brings happiness.”
She felt like it was like fate and her mother’s way of letting her know she was watching from heaven.
Another quote that I loved and made my heart warm was the quote she put on the nursery wall in her apartment to surprise Ben. To show him how much she loves him and Bea. It’s a
Winnie-the-Pooh quote: “As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was about to happen.”
By the end of the book I was in tears some of joy and some of sorrow of a life that never would be.
Five emotional
Read: 4/30/2020
Call Her Mine was the first book in Melissa Foster’s Harmony Pointe series, but one of many in her Love in Bloom series. It can be read as a stand-alone for full enjoyment. However, if you are a Foster fan and like to take in the “big picture” view, it was closely related to Foster’s Sugar Lake series.
Ben Dalton was the brother to Willow, Bridgette and Talia (Sugar Lake series, books one, two and three). He was a millionaire, an overprotective brother, an OCD like planner and now add potentially a sexy new single father? Yikes!
Aurelia Stark was Ben’s bestie from forever. She grew up with his sister and they’ve been childhood friends for as long as she can remember. She was raised by her grandparents and was a new bookstore owner.
Ben and Arelia have been best friends forever. It’s the quintessential “somewhere along the journey they both developed deeper feelings but kept it hidden so as not to ruin the friendship” theme. Although a common scenario, what I liked was that they both boldly acknowledged it and weren’t trying to deny it, they just didn’t let the other know. So again, although common, it was a different spin from what I normally read. Additionally, I liked when Ben made his decision. There was no turning back and he was all alpha.
Additionally, a baby was left on Ben’s doorstep with a note saying he was the father. Ben was in total freak out mode, not ready to be a dad and too many one night stands to think it would be true without proof. No spoilers because all of that was in the description. What wasn’t in the description was how Foster took us through the relationship development and the baby development. It wasn’t necessarily the most common path and that’s why I loved it.
True to form, Foster’s writing was filled with detail, adding depth and dimension to the characters. And as expected, it was also filled with humor, steam, emotions, func reality and a bit of suspense – not in the murder mystery way, but in a good way. And I loved the loving, playful banter between all characters, both primary and secondary.
All in all, it was another great addition to Foster’s writings and a great start to a new series. Next up for Harmony Pointe is Remy in This is Love.
Loved the wide range of emotions in this book!
The whole series is a 5 stars! Must read romance. I loved them all. Waiting for the next one 04/21
Melissa Foster never fails to deliver great stories. This one was very romantic and had lots of twists and turns that kept me going. Look forward to more of the Daltons.
Any book that involves a hot guy and a baby I am on board to read! And Call Her Mine is exactly that! This was my first read by Melissa Foster and I loved it! It was super swoon-worthy and tickling to see Ben interact with Baby Bea and Aurelia. There are so many moments that will leave you sighing from all the love that flows throughout this book.
Ben and Aurelia have been pining for each other for a while, but neither has ever gained the courage to tell the other. Aurelia wants to finally move on from Ben and move to Harmony Pointe to start fresh, but everything changes when a baby shows up on Ben’s doorstep. Ben begs Aurelia to help with the baby while they try to figure out who her mother is. As they narrow down possibilities, the fear of losing baby Bea pushes the two even closer together. And they finally admit their true feelings for each other. But what happens when Bea’s mother comes back?
Call Her Mine is such a good read and I can’t wait to read more in the Harmony Pointe Series and the previous Sugar Lake Series. I read this book as a standalone and you can too! But if you’re anything like me you will read this and be dying to know more about the previous couples featured in the past series! And I am counting down the days until Remi’s book!
5 stars
I purchased a copy of the steamy novel Call Her Mine (Harmony Pointe, New York book 1): Ben and Aurelia by Melissa Foster and this review was given freely.
Both tender and steamy this is an easy flowing emotion packed billionaire-best friend romance featuring the wonderful but scary times of first time parenting and of finally connecting with your one true love, and a happy but poignant ending. After years of wanting to take their friendship to a deeper level, bad timing, misunderstandings and an unexpected baby result in book store owner Aurelia deciding to leave millionaire entrepreneur Ben Dalton just as Ben decides to confess his feelings.
I’ve read many books by Melissa Foster and have enjoyed them. They are fun, quick easy reads. This one fell right in line with her past books. Fun, fast (I read it in just a couple of hours), and not too deep (just the type of book I like to read after reading several dark thrillers) with characters you are quick to like and root for. Looking forward to reading more of this new series.
3.5 out of 5
Thank you #netgalley and #montlakeromance for the eARC.
This is the first book I’ve read by Melissa and what a fabulous writer she is.
I got into this book immediately and read it very fast. It’s one I most definitely couldn’t put down, a real page turner. I couldn’t guess what was going to happen next. It was never predictable and it always had me wondering and wanting more.
Ben and Aurelia have been the best of friends since they were young and both secretly had feelings for each other and kept quiet, although everyone around them could see their love. Ben is smart,sexy, attentive and extremely wealthy businessman. Aurelia is calming, wonderful and very energetic. Aurelia has always loved Ben and is the reason she moved out of town to Harmony Pointe, she has a great apartment and is about to open up her dream of opening a bookstore. However everything changed the day Ben and Aurelia found a new born baby left on Ben’s front porch they were completely stunned and didn’t know if someone was trying to pull a fast one. Ben didn’t know if he was the babies father and was freaking out, Aurelia was the calming force even though she’s just as shocked. One thing was for sure nothing would ever be the same.
I loved these characters and I felt alot of emotions while reading this book. There we’re ups and downs, funny, happy, sexy and sad moments, twists and moments I wasn’t expecting.
I highly recommend this author and I can’t wait for the next instalment in the Harmony Pointe series.
Thank you