Author Ann Marie Walker brings you a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that’ll warm your heart for Singles Day (the true anti-Valentine’s Day!) and every day after!
Single and proud of it! Oh, oops…
As a Certified Professional Organizer, everything in Paige Parker’s world is as it should be. Perfect apartment, perfect office, perfect life. And now, the perfect vacation planned to celebrate … now, the perfect vacation planned to celebrate Singles Day. After all, what’s better than celebrating her pride in being single? Because who needs a man anyway? They have zero taste in quality television, leave the toilet seat up, and sleep with your best friend. No thanks. Her life is fine just the way it is.
As the owner of a now-dormant bed & breakfast, single dad Lucas Croft finally has some peace and quiet. It’s only him and his five-year-old daughter, which is just the way he likes it. Because who needs a woman anyway? They nag you to clean up your stuff, want the toilet seat put down, and expect the dishes to be done the same day the meal is cooked. No thanks. His life is fine just the way it is.
But when Paige books a room that Lucas’ well-intentioned sister listed without his knowledge, their two worlds collide. If they can survive the week together, they just might discover exactly what they’ve both been missing.
“Adorable, romantic, funny, and sexy!”—Kirkus Reviews for Black Tie Optional
more
A sweetheart of a story and the perfect escape read! Has the obligatory HEA, a handsome hero, workaholic heroine and a litter of puppies just to make the sweetness complete! When you need a break from reality this is the book you need to read. Just wish there would be a 2nd installment with Sophie’s story-and maybe even Sammy’s too!
Oh my gosh! How adorable!
After having her heartbroken in an unforgivable way Paige threw herself into a new business and worked her ass of to make it into what it is today but whilst doing so she forgot to take time off for herself to relax so roll in Sammy. He’s her assistant and he’ll do anything for her to feel a little happy again and to live without the heartache ruining it. After a day at the office and a talk of a vacation Paige gets herself online and finds a little town and books herself a weeks stay but Paige has no idea what’s about to greet her.
Lucas is the owner of a small Inn. Making a dream become reality with his wife didn’t go how he thought. After a horrible incident and some grieving the inn isn’t what it used to be. Having a meddling sister proves good when she re opens the listing on the inn to bring in business but Lucas is simply not prepared for the whirlwind that is Paige.
From their first meet to their last moments in this book I was invested. These two have been put through so much and have been hurt bad but they come out the other end and they’re still standing. He’s moody and she’s bossy. They’re complete opposites but they work so well, it’s an absolute treat to read.
When I went into this book I had no idea it was going to be a slow burn read and boy am I so glad it was. The slow pace was necessary for their character growth and man, I’m so in love with them.
This is my first read from this author and if the authors other books are somewhat like this then consider me a new fan, I just want more.
I’m not a big fan of some busybody knowing what is best for the Hero or Heroine, but in this case it works.
Happy Singles Day! What a great concept and yes you need a cake for that! Ann Marie walker winds a funny,emotional, and romantic tail in Happy Singles Day. Lucas Croft owns a rundown inn and is on the verge of losing it. His sister puts the B&B on a listing to help him in his financial situation with out his knowledge. Paige Parker decides to go on a vacation to said inn and well they don’t particularly hit it off, her and lucas. I was pulled in from the get go. The story telling was so vivid that I thought I was watching a movie. I kept thinking I have to sit down and finish watching my movie oh I mean my book, perfect rom com to read by the fire on a cozy stormy night.
Fade to black, sweet romance, with a happy ending… 3 stars!
This is more of a 3.75 but I felt that giving it 4 stars would have been too nice. This sweet romance is about Paige who was cheated on and dumped by her boyfriend with her boss which is how she lost her boyfriend, job, and bestfriend all in the same day. Then she decided to open her own business (which I personally think is a boss bitch move right there.
The story really kicks off when she decides to take a vacation at a bed in breakfast inn on an island owned by Lucas who struggles with the loss of his wife and handles being a badass single dad.
I will admit I was very disappointed that this was a fade to black. I waited up until 70% ish mark of the book for them to finally kiss and then I get a fade to black scene. If these two characters wasn’t talking about their sex reunion from that night I would have not known. -_- NOT COOL. And then this book was in THIRD PERSON. It would have been wayyy better if it was first person.
OH! And let’s not forget that they have the most cutest puppy rescue scene XD! Swoony! But all in all I would only recommend if you don’t mind the VERY slow burn, fade to black, sweetest romance on the planet. This book just wasn’t for me. 🙁
Happy Singles Day
By Ann Marie Walker
Happy Singles Day by Ann Marie Walker is such a charming and adorable read I enjoyed so much. The story is totally romantic, lighthearted with two amazing characters with amazing chemistry and a swooners delight.
Set in beautiful Aurelia Island where these two main characters meet and fall in love. They both needed each other and I just love the way they meet and how their romance grows. Paige Parker is a workaholic and a certified professional organizer whose love life is left a mess by a cheating ex. Lucas Croft reeling from grief and struggling to move on with his 5 year old child with an unexpected loss. Unbeknownst to him, his sister lists his bed and breakfast bringing it back to life unexpectedly.
I love how endearing each of the characters are and despite the seriousness of their situation, the writing remained light hearted and sweet. I absolutely enjoyed the new beginnings these two MC needed to find healing and start anew. This story was definitely romantic and delightful and the perfect read to squeeze in for February. I absolutely loved this one.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy. All opinions are my own.
Happy Singles Day was the refreshing, heart-warming, and fun book I needed at the moment! Well-written with lively characters, I enjoyed this slow-burn romance set in a sleepy beach town during winter.
Paige, a professional organizer, needs a vacation. When she impulsively books a room for a week at a bed and breakfast, she has no idea that the beautiful rental property hasn’t seen a paying customer in several years. The owner’s sister secretly listed the room knowing her brother, Lucas, needed the money. Since his wife died two years ago, his heart hasn’t been in the business they started together; his full attention has been on raising his five-year old daughter and making it through each day. But he reluctantly knows it’s time to move forward.
When Paige arrives at the inn, she quickly realizes the pictures on the bed and breakfast’s website aren’t quite up to date. Not only is the vision she’d imagined of a relaxing vacation dissolving, she’s greeted by a grumpy–although gorgeous–host who clearly doesn’t want her there. But thanks to a drenching storm, she’s stuck on the island for at least a few days.
In the beginning, I wasn’t loving Lucas. His rude behavior was off-putting, but the author does a good job of explaining his abruptness, building it into his character and illustrating how he’d built walls around himself and his daughter in response to his grief. But by the end of the book, I was a Lucas fan.
Despite the fact that the bulk of the novel takes place during a single week, I was impressed with the author’s ability to make this romance a slow-building one. I enjoyed the localized setting, the stormy weather, the small cast of characters, and the breathing room it created to sit back and let the story happen. And that ending! It could have easily become schmaltzy, but it had me glowing with joy.
This is a perfect cozy-by-the-fire-read to get lost in when you need something hopeful and happy. I would love to see this one become a series, as well. Now I need a book about Lucas’ book-store owning sister!
Single dad and an animal rescue, yes please! In desperate need of a vacation, Paige escapes to a small town, but is discouraged by the cold greeting from the BnB owner.
Paige tries to leave, but ends up stranded by a storm. Now forced under the same roof, Lucas doesn’t know whether to kiss her or strangle her.
I’m a sucker for a good romcom, but single dads and rescuing animals are my weakness! The interactions between Maddie and Paige is so genuinely innocent, I never wanted this story to end.
The perfect book that makes you smile the entire way through. The joy, the happiness, the delight I felt with this book, is not something I get to experience often. Very little angst but the perfect story for Paige Parker and Lucas Croft.
When Paige decides that it’s more than past due for her to take a vacation, she finds herself on a quiet little island off of North Carolina. Things are all planned out… walks on the beach, curling up the rocking chair on the porch reading a book, time away from her busy life in Chicago. So when she gets to the bed and breakfast that she found online, she has quite the rude awakening. Finding herself there for the entire week, she experiences more than she ever anticipated. None of which was planned! And that includes Ryan’s Reynolds lookalike Lucas Croft.
Lucas has had his fair share of downs in his life, it’s due time for him to finally have the happy life he once had. He comes around to the idea of Paige in his house once he gets over how high maintenance she seems. He’s not like all men, he’s this sweet, caring individual that is a rare gem to find.
By getting to know one another Paige and Lucas are able to dig down deep to open up to one another about their fears and finally move forward. So much happiness when they finally broke down the walls.
Happy Singles Day leaves you with all the good feels. If you’re looking for something that is lighthearted and will make your heart happy, this story is one for you.
Paige is a Certified Professional Organizer. Lucas is a messy single dad. Their personalities are different in so many ways. Paige decides to take a much needed vacation to North Carolina and celebrate being happily single. Lucas has no idea that his sister re-listed the website for his bed & breakfast inn. He finds out with not enough time to get the place in to shape. The result is the opposite of a meet-cute. Lucas is rude and extremely unwelcoming, but due to the weather, Paige is stuck. With time, they get to know each other and both begin to let their guard down.
There was definitely a lot of attraction to each other, so I was surprised at how closed door this book ended up being. I did enjoy reading their thoughts though because as much as they hid it, these two wanted each other from the beginning. I liked that Lucas was the one to come around and realize he needed to change. As someone who loves being organized, I laughed every time Paige just had to fix something that was out of order. The fact that she used a label maker, well that just made me smile. There are puppies and a sweet preschooler, so there’s a cute factor for sure. I love books that take place in North Carolina. One day, I hope to sit on a back porch overlooking the Outer Banks. Happy Singles Day is a story of two people who find love after they both have decided they don’t need anyone else. I enjoyed reading along as Paige and Lucas figure out how they really feel about love and relationships.
Thank you to @netgalley @annmarie_walker and @sourcebookscasablanca for a digital arc in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
I loved it so much. It was the perfect weekend read. The characters were sweet, sassy, and very relatable. This was my first book by this author and it will definitely not be my last. I do hope we get to see more from this lovely place and these great characters.
Paige and Lucas were a fun couple, but it is the strength of the supporting characters that really make this novel shine. Walker has written a novel full of people you want to spend more time with and hate to see leave when the last page finishes.
3.5 stars
I was a bit surprised with this one, expecting just a romcom, but ending up with a story that managed to not only have a lighthearted romcom feel, but also had some deeper emotion and heart.
I really enjoyed both Paige and Lucas and loved how their relationship developed. Ann Marie Walker did a wonderful job telling Lucas’s story, acknowledging his loss and grief, as well as the guilt he’s confronted with as he recognizes his feelings for Paige, taking what could have been a very dark part of this story and turning it into a story of healing and hope. Paige was such a study in contrast and I found myself surprised by her actions so many times. And I loved how she always seemed to just instinctively react when it came to Lucas and always seemed to be exactly what he needed when he needed it.
The supporting cast of characters were just awesome – it’s hard not to love those colorful characters that always seem to pop up in these small town romances. Lucas’s sister was a breath of fresh air every time she was on the page, and his daughter played such a wonderful role as a precocious five-year-old who often was wise beyond her years. And there were puppies – who doesn’t love puppies!!
If you’re looking for a fun romance that also has heart and emotion, than this one is for you!
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book I received from the publisher on NetGalley.
“Seems to me you don’t need all of your stuff perfectly organized. What you need is one special person to share the mess of life with.”
Charming, heartfelt and heartwarming read by a new to me author.
Happy Singles Day takes Paige on a spur of the moment vacation that turns out to be far from what she expected. Trapped on an island off the coast of North Carolina by a storm in a derelict and messy bed and breakfast with a surly yet handsome owner, Lucas, is an absolute nightmare to a professional organizer. But a daring puppy rescue in the middle of the storm sparks a change between them.
While HSD kindles anticipation it doesn’t ignite in a clean Hallmark/Netflix-esque romance that delivers love, laughter, emotional healing, a charming cast of characters, and of course a happily ever after.
A romantic comedy where the male lead is compared to Ryan Reynolds? Sign me up! u2063
u2063
This book was a quick read! I ended up finishing it in a 24-hour timeframe, which isn’t really like me at all. So sweet and super funny, Lucas and Paige were a great couple! u2063
u2063
Paige, feeling a need to celebrate Singles Day, books a week in a North Carolina bed and breakfast…on an island…with no cars…and ends up stuck with a grumpy (and hot ) host when a storm blows in and shuts down the ferry. u2063
u2063
Lucas’s daughter, Maddie was a total scene-stealer and one of my favorite parts of the book! All the pop culture references really got me too…loved them!! This is a closed-door romance, but actually does have a little steam to it, which I liked. u2063
u2063
The epilogue had me tearing up! So perfect! u2063
4.5 stars rounded to 5!
u2063
3.5 stars. Enemies to lovers that has a grumpy hero with a heart of gold is my favorite. Paige is a workaholic that is happy being single, thank you very much. So when her assistant tells her that she needs a break she is hesitant to actually take one, until she finds this charming bed and breakfast on the Carolina coast that looks like the perfect place for her to celebrate Singles Day.
Lucas hasn’t had anyone at his B&B since his wife died and he let the place fall apart so when his sister tells him she reacitvated the listing and he has someone coming this week, he is scrambling. When Paige shows up she is all sass and a big city pain in the you know what, but she instantly sparks something in him he hasn’t felt for a long time. Paige tries to leave immediately, she doesn’t want to stay in this place she is clearly not wanted, but a storm forces her to stay put on the island.
As the week rolls on they learn more and more about each other and break down walls neither of them thought could be penetrated again. This is a story about a second chance at life and at love.
I enjoyed this light read, even though the topics were heavy, the author made them feel light. That can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your mood I think. For some reason I was craving a litle more angst this time so it sat at about a 3.5 stars for me.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Netgalley and Ann Marie Walker for an early copy.
Paige takes an overdue vacation to celebrate Singles Day, booking a charming inn she found online. When she arrives, the inn isn’t quite what it appeared in pictures and she has to deal with the grumpy (but hot) host, Lucas.
This one started a bit slow for me and I didn’t love the characters, but they grew on me over time. While the premise was celebrating singles day, it wasn’t a big focus of the story and took a while to touch on it.
I love forced proximity stories so once Lucas and Paige were stuck together their personalities meshed and you felt their chemistry. There were sweet scenes with puppies and Lucas’ daughter was an adorable addition to the story.
Overall recommend if you like enemies to lovers romances set in a small town — it will leave you feeling happy.
Single dad? Check…Just with that I was intrigued. Then the story starts and I was hooked. It’s sweet and Lucas and Paige have instant chemistry; but it’s also funny and I loved getting to know them but also the rest of the characters. It’s a feel-good romance.
Boy, is this book a tease.
No, for real–some books are destined to be open door, and this was one of them. Almost got whiplash from trying to discern whether some pages accidentally been omitted from my ARC copy. There is nothing wrong with closed door books–makes perfect sense in a Hallmark-style read, sweet Christmas romance, or where the characters logically get together after the book’s conclusion. I love those books. But this book is NOT those books. It spends the first five pages talking about orgasms, and spends much of the book discussing various body parts of the main characters with a sexual tension so tense it could cut glass. And then nothing. Hardly a fade to black, even, just a complete door slam. It was such a confusing contrast to the rest of the book.
And the rest of the book was good–great, even. I loved the forced proximity concept of our heroine staying at the dilapidated inn with the widowed single dad. Maddie (his daughter) was a delight, and there were some adorable, sweet, and sexy moments. This may have been a five start read for me if not for the above. But the time skip made it feel disjointed. I honestly think it would have been a better book, and we would have understood the characters better–especially Paige’s reaction to the morning after–if it had been shown. I don’t know if it was the author’s choice/comfort level or the editor’s, but it was an odd one. People looking for a closed-door, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, sweet but not too sweet should still enjoy this one, as what was shown was beautifully written.
I think I’d probably read something else by the author, assuming that the next book is more balanced (in terms of the tension with what is shown)–and tipping the scales in EITHER direction would be fine with me.
I really couldn’t decide on a rating for this one–torn somewhere between 3 stars-5/10 and 4 stars-6/10. I’ve decided to round up to four stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and SourcebooksCasa for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Heartwarming, amusing, and delectably charming!
Happy Singles Day is a lighthearted, absorbing tale set on the idyllic Aurelia Island that takes you into the lives of Paige Parker, a workaholic who after having her heart shattered by a cheating ex has spent far too many hours working and not enough hours enjoying life, and Lucas Croft, an innkeeper and widowed father of a five-year-old who is still struggling with the unexpected loss of his wife and his all-consuming grief that is preventing him from moving on.
The writing style is light and witty. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are quirky, fun-loving, and endearing. And the plot is a heartfelt, uplifting mix of friendship, family, introspection, parenthood, sorrow, support, love, loss, drama, community, tricky situations, humorous mishaps, and new beginnings.
Overall, Happy Singles Day is a sweet, touching, delightfully romantic tale by Walker that I didn’t just like, I loved.