A lifetime ago, Hudson Barringer gifted me soul-wrenching words and an incredible summer. In return, without even trying – I ruined him.For those six weeks, I was more than just Josie. I was his.We were kids: I have to keep reminding myself of that. Whatever we had nine years ago, it wasn’t real. But whatever we have now…it’s real enough to scare the hell out of me.Days at his diner, nights in … me.
Days at his diner, nights in his car: it’s only a matter of time before the past catches up to us. I’m learning nostalgia, like summer, is a powerful drug.
The rest of the world thinks Hudson is best at silence. Sometimes, I worry that’s true.
But I know, deep down like an old scar, that he’s capable of the most beautiful, heartbreaking words imaginable. Able to claim me in one breathless touch.
Perfectly capable of ruining me back.
And this time…I want to let him.
* *
That’s the problem with second chances: you need to stand a chance in the first place.
When we were sixteen, Josie Gerard pulled words out of me I never thought I’d say. Then she was the one who went silent.
Screw nostalgia. Our deal is simple: she gets some recipes for her pandering little book, a few stories—then she leaves me alone. Forever. Until recently, she was pretty damn good at that.
I can’t trust Josie. I know better than to fall for the girl who doesn’t believe in falling.
At least…I thought I did.
* *
The Poet’s Cookbook is a standalone, second-chance romance with a happy ending and no cliffhanger. It is the third book in the Now Entering Hillford series by Piper Lennox.
Now Entering Hillford (suggested reading order)
The Midwife’s Playlist
The Carpenter’s Wedding
The Poet’s Cookbook
The Bartender’s Countdown (coming soon)
The Hawthorne’s Girl (coming soon)
Please be advised: this novel contains intimate scenes some readers may not find suitable.
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This book is about two kids falling in love over summer vacation.
Josie – age 16 visiting family for the summer. She makes her mind up that while she is on summer vacation she will be confident and outgoing. She’s going to step outside her normal personality. Six weeks of being free. She doesn’t know what she will really find over this magical summer.
Hudson – age 16 life should be easy and carefree but he has secrets. Adult secrets that no child should have to deal with. A quiet brooding boy who has caught Josie’s eye.
Nine long years later Josie comes back to visit after leaving everyone behind with not a word. What will she find? What secrets will she reveal? This story will take many twists and turns but it is well worth the ride.
It is the third book in the Now Entering Hillford series but is read as a standalone. A second chance at love for Josie and Hudson. Piper Lennox writes beautiful love stories and this book is no exception. Well written with strong, likable characters and an engaging plot. Set in a small town but big on drama, this is a book not to be missed. Their chemistry was explosive. I read an arc and voluntarily chose to write a review.
Insightful, interesting hunky Hudson
The Poet’s Cook Book (Now Entering Hillford Book 3) by Piper Lennox is an exceptionally well written romance that deeply explores emotional connections, fear of those connections and overcoming it all to get to what one really wants. In this case, Hudson is clear about what he wanted years ago, and that hasn’t changed even though he and Josie has. It was inevitable as they have grown and evolved from teenagers to adults.
I really enjoyed this book and it’s exploration of perspectives of similar hurts others cause. Piper Lennox made these wonderful characters come alive and in this book’s case, especially Hudson. As a fan of this series, Hudson has been a part of each book to date, but he’s always been a bit enigmatic which only intrigued me to distraction! Finally, his story, along with Josie’s is told and with great, meaningful and dramatic flair. What I loved about this book, as Hudson demonstrates and Josie finally understands, one does not need a lot of words to tell one exactly what one needs to know! Message received, if only we listen carefully to what is being said. Perfect for Hudson and a much needed lesson Josie to finally understand and accept Hudson for who he is.
All in all, another fantastic example of Piper Lennox storytelling at it’s finest. Between the revelation of hunky Hudson, his perfect and long missed match in Josie, meaningful and significant appearances of previous featured characters, implications of more Now Entering Hillford books and a HEA, this one is not to be missed!
I read an ARC of this book from Booksprout and voluntarily share my review.
This seems to be a trend with Piper Lennox, but every time I read one of her books I think wow these characters are just very real. With romance a little the time you get over the top love stories with some drama thrown in to make it interesting, maybe a little angst here or there. You get the gorgeous guys and the stunning woman and at least one of them have money and that’s okay. It expected, most people don’t read a romance novel for the realness of it. That being said, there is always something special about reading a Piper Lennox book. I thought it when I read Darling All At Once, which to this day is still one of my most favorite books. So now onto The Poet’s Cookbook. This is the third installment in the Now Entering Hillford Series. I have read the other two books and enjoyed them, but there was definitely that something special about this book. Something that just grabbed my attention and didn’t let go. Let me start with a little background. I did not think this would be my type of book because there were flashbacks, and I am not a fan. That being said, I thought they were well done and necessary to the overall story. Josie and Hudson met while Josie was visiting her cousin in HIllford the summer she was 16. They had an explosive relationship, but a jaded Josie always saw it as temporary, but Hudson did not. Now Josie is back, and she needs Hudson’s help. Im not going to give any more away because that will take the fun out of reading it, but I will talk about why I really liked this book. As I mentioned earlier, romance novels have a tendency to be over the top and not at all realistic, which is fine but in The Poets Cookbook you read it and get this real vibe from the book. Like this is real southern small town. Not only does the town seem real, but the characters are incredibly real. They are flawed and not perfect or shiny or polished and there is something so unique in that with this genre of book. Something unique and special. I felt that when I read Darling All and Once and now I feel it again now that I finished The Poet’s Cookbook which really makes me want to go back and reread the other two books because something makes me think I may have rushed through them and not appreciated them. I love Hudson by the way, I love him almost as much as I loved Cohen and that is really saying something. I so appreciate Piper Lennox for supplying me the copy of this book to review. It is one that may not have originally caught my attention which is why I love reviewing books. It pushes me outside the norm and sometimes you find a gem and The Poets Cookbook is definitely a gem. I am now really excited to read the two books that are coming after I would love to see Bram get his stuff together.
I wasn’t sure if these two were going to rage at each other or let the passion overcome them. There was so much tension between them but so much history. I loved the connection between the two of them and how it started to re-emerge. Great love story with the other couples from the series intertwined.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I had a great time with this read. Hudson and Josie have great chemistry. They have known each since they were kids. The storyline flowed smoothly from beginning to the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book has all of the feels! Hudson and Josie’s story is a sweet story of a second chance with your summer romance. After having a very quiet Hudson for the first two books, it was really great to finally get to know him and to open up to an equally guarded Josie. Tho see them both finally open up to each other, even when it was hard was incredible. Can’t wait for the next book!
Stick with it, it’s good
After nine years, Josie is back in Hillford to write a book – a cookbook even though she doesn’t really cook. It brings back memories of a boy, one that touched her deeply. But what will she find? People change.
Hudson hasn’t left Hillford for many reasons but he never expects to see Josie again. Now she’s back and he can’t believe why. She wants his and the rest of the town’s family recipes. But there’s a deeper reason. One that both of them need to address.
I absolutely love when an author starts a new series and introduces us to the main players, giving us bits and pieces of all of them. I’ve been waiting for Hudson’s book since the very beginning and Piper Lennox did an amazing job telling us the story of Hudson and Josie. It took me a bit longer to read this one because there are parts that hit home hard and I had to step back to regroup. In the end I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for more. If you get a second chance, one that you never thought you get, do whatever it takes to hold on. Take risks because you may never get the chance again.
This entire series is magical, beautiful, sad and hopeful. I believe Piper Lennox has sprinkled magic dust over every book. You will feel it while you read them. There truly is magic to each of the love stories, the friendships and even the tragedies. I want to say this is my favorite book in the series, but I cant. I loved the first 2 books just as much. And I loved all the characters. This book is about Hudson and his love. You wouldnt think a book with a main character that doesnt talk very much would be interesting, but it sure is. Hudson is a wonderful man, sweet and sexy. Josie is also sweet and you will want to be her friend. Their story is full of angst, love and lots of steamy scenes. I stayed up late just to finish this book and now I am sad it has ended!
I don’t know how I would rank this with the other 2 books in the series (as in I can’t pick a favorite ) they’re all different, yet all have the same second chance aspect. This one didn’t have a huge dramatic thing. In fact, it was a pretty slow buildup. It was sweet and sad and real. The writing was well done, you really felt like you knew the people, the town, all of it. It kind of felt anticlimactic, yet we saw more moments in the end with the couples from the first 2 books. I don’t think my review is doing it justice. I enjoyed the story and will definitely read more from this author
I received this book free and I am voluntarily doing a review. I enjoyed reading this book. The author done great with the storyline and characters. I really think you will enjoy it from beginning to end.
This book was much better than the previous two books. The flow was much smoother. The characters dealt with some of the realities of life that many people encounter. The subject matter was intense.
Hudson and Josie had chemistry. They also had a strong connection. Their characters successfully built up the sexual tension. I did not feel like this book was romantic. I thought it was well done, but it didn’t give me those sweet, romantic feels that some romance books give you.
Hudson and Josie’s relationship didn’t seem to be as much of a struggle as the couple’s in the previous books. Maybe I should say that their issues didn’t seem to go on almost endlessly. All of the main characters, Hudson, Josie, Bram, and Alexis had so much baggage to work through.
This book was more about trying to have a relationship in and around all the difficulties life has to offer. How a couple deals with each other and the external forces that are a part of their lives, both individually and collectively.
I do hope the cover has been changed by the time the book is released. The image of the guy on the ARC is a bit unnerving. I did not want to imagine Hudson looking like him.
I voluntarily read and reviewed the Advanced Reader Copy of this book received via Booksprout.