Loving You - Samantha Chase

Loving You

By Samantha Chase

  • Release Date: 2023-09-19
  • Genre: Contemporary Romance
4.5 Score: 4.5 (From 46 Ratings)

Description

He never planned to stay in Sweetbriar Ridge.

Then the perfect woman fell into his arms.

A small town, single mom, friends to lovers romance from NY Times Best Selling Author Samantha Chase

Not everyone in Sweetbriar Ridge is as sweet as the town name would suggest. But single mom Jade Mackenzie is up to the challenge of winning over the town if that's what it takes to make her new shop a success. After all, this is just the latest in a long string of battles she's had to face. Since she's given up on men–all of them except for her son–she can throw all her energy into the new business. Or so she thought until the most charming and too-good-looking-for-his-own-good man walked into her shop. And she literally falls into his arms.

Levi Donovan knows how to charm his way through life; winning people over is just what he does. But no amount of charm can save him when he's at the center of a scandal that costs him his position at a prestigious ad agency. With no other choice, he's forced to return home to Sweetbriar Ridge, the small town he left behind the first chance he got. When he meets the owner of the new coffeehouse, he starts to think that small towns aren't so bad. And when he finds out Jade needs a little help promoting her new business, Levi makes it his mission to help her make the shop a success. That's just what a good friend does.

No matter how hard she tries to resist, Jade can't help but be swept away by Levi's good looks and the sweet way he interacts with her son. But Levi isn't staying, and getting attached would be a mistake. Levi always swore he would never settle in Sweetbriar Ridge, but could loving Jade be reason enough to stay?

*Each book in the Donovans series can be read as a standalone*

Reviews

  • So Cute

    5
    By Simplymegs
    So cute!! Jade is a sweet single mom who is facing some small town drama and in the process of opening a kickbutt bookstore and bakery (dream come true). Levi is a Donovan who we met in Patrick’s story and he is facing a crisis of employment, family history, and self image. Together they have immediate chemistry and work towards happiness and their goals. The story and town are well developed and the emotions and conversations are vivid and full bodied. I loved the dynamic between Levi and his sister and Jade and her parents and son. Getting the twist with Ryder and Patrick and Marissa at the end was icing on the cake! I am excited for more of this series and seeing how the family secret of why their dad left, how the town grows, and how the relationships develop all turn out!!
  • Loved it so much!

    5
    By CrystalPerkins1010
    Such a great book with a new family to love! Jade is spectacular and Levi is simply wonderful once he gets out of his own way! Can’t wait for more from this series!
  • Great start to the series

    5
    By Nola.passionista504
    Loving You is the 1st book of The Donavans: Sweetbriar Ridge Series, and as always Samantha doesn’t disappoint. Of course, she brings back the Donavan in this series. The cousins are in full swing, and first up is Levi. This small town, friends to lovers, opposites attract, single mom packs a punch with the slightly angsty family drama. The banter, the sassiness, and chemistry is on point. Jade is hard working independent single mom who is running a bookstore/ coffee shop. Things unfortunately haven’t been going her way in her new business. Levi, gives us all the vibes. He’s sweet, handsome, and charismatic. But, he finds himself in the last place he wants to be in. His hometown after a major life change. Jade and Levi help each other in so many ways. We also see them struggle due to their past relationships, and life experiences. Hard realizations, for the both of them have them turning to each other. Of course, I loved getting the family banter, updates on the Donavan cousins from Laurel Bay. And, sweet little Silas was just the cutest little guy. Can’t wait for the rest of the books in the series. The book is 3 POV. Carly Robins was the narrator and did a good job in keeping me engaged with the story, but also with her change in characterizations.
  • Jade and Levi

    5
    By Cheryl33610
    I really enjoyed Jade and Levi’s story. This sweet tale was filled with humor and heart, and a cute and mischievous young Milo. Small town life is something Levi wanted to escape years ago, but he’s back, hopefully not for long, after a change in his job status. Jade is happy in her hometown…except for the “2%” of judgmental busybody population who makes it harder for her to launch her new business. While Levi helps Jade with marketing her business, their chemistry burns. But do they have a future together when one needs to stay and one wants to go? Loving You is another great Donovan family romance from the talented and wonderful Samantha Chase. From start to finish, this couple was a joy to get to know and watch fall in love.
  • Great start to a new series

    5
    By Spainsmata
    So much to unpack in this story. A new setting, a new set of siblings, family drama dynamics. Let's start with the new setting. I love Sweet Briar. It sounds so quaint. The new siblings are a great foursome. I love when twins are involved as a mom of twins. I also love a good story about a single mom. Both leads have family dynamic drama. With that drama there is also healing. This is just a nice sweet story that I needed right now.
  • Small Town Single Mom Finds Love

    5
    By Patti_L.
    Samantha Chase has done it again! I absolutely loved Loving You, the first book in her new The Donovans: Sweetbriar Ridge! I can truly say that Loving You is an incredible love story, which filled me with a rollercoaster of emotions, and it was impossible to put it down. I loved every moment on every page. Samantha Chase continues to deliver the incredibly written love stories that I LOVE to read. I love a love at first love story, the Sweetbriar Ridge setting, and the amazing characters, they feel like family! Samantha Chase does not disappoint her readers with all the feels in Loving You and has once again delivered an amazing story filled with everything that I have come to love about and expect from her books. Who does not love hot sexy men, strong, passionate females, big loving families, and caring friends, who always support each other? I love how Samantha Chase always manages to create the "perfect" heroine, who is a strong, sassy woman on her own, to balance out the sexy, swoon worthy man. Samantha Chase continues to deliver all that and so much more. I am not sure how she does it, but Samantha Chase has once again given her readers another remarkable book. Loving You is filled with all the heartbreaking and heartwarming moments and plot twists that I have come to love and expect in a Samantha Chase love story, I especially loved the poignant and bittersweet moments that filled this page turner. I love that she writes her stories from the perspective of the main characters. I love getting inside their minds and knowing their thoughts and how they really feel. Loving You is a love at first sight love story between Levi Donovan, who recently lost his job in marketing and Jade Mackenzie, single Mom of eight-year-old Silas and owner of the new bookstore/coffee shop Books & Beans. Levi loses his job following a recent scandal that he was involved in at his job with Creative Alexandria. Levi thought he would have a new job in no time and when that is not the case, he heads home to Sweetbriar Ridge to visit his sisters and mother. Jade and Levi meet when Jade literally falls into Levi’s arms when she falls from a ladder while restocking books. Levi is attracted to Jade, but he is on a dating hiatus after what happened at his previous job. Jade is not sure she wants a relationship, because of what transpired between her and Silas’s father. The following day Jade realizes her hero is none other than her employee, Billie’s brother. Levi starts assisting Jade increase Books & Beans social media presence and offered other marketing ideas to increase her sales. I love the book recommendation that Jade gives a customer looking for a book whose hero is a rock star. Conversation between Jade and Levi flows so easily and I love that they share secrets with each other that they have not shared with anyone before. I love the chemistry between them. As Jade and Levi spend time together with Levi helping Jade with her marketing things change between. I love the changes that happen with Levi’s relationships with his father and sisters, and how he offers marketing advice to other stores in Sweetbriar Ridge. I love how the truth is revealed about what really happened between Levi’s parents when they divorced, that leads to a heart-to-heart conversation with his father, Ronan which leads to Ronan suggesting Levi reach out to his cousin, Patrick for assistance. I love that Levi’s plans become a reality, with the help of Patrick, Marissa, and Ryder Ashford, (loved catching up with them) and that Levi finds his dream job. An unexpected plot twist puts Jade and Levi’s relationship in jeopardy, and once again changes things between them. I love the changes that Levi is willing to make in his life to stay in Sweetbriar Ridge and have a life with Jade. I was so happy that Levi and Jade finally admitted their true feelings for one another, Another favorite part is the epilogue and the happily ever after, especially Levi’s proposal and that he included Silas in the proposal. I love all the changes that Levi and Jade make in their lives to have a future with one another. Loving You was an amazing love story; I am so glad that Levi and Jade got the happily ever after. I loved all the surprises that filled the pages of this love story. I love all the characters in this series. I enjoy all the interactions among the Donovan siblings, it feels like real family love and makes me laugh at their teasing and the descriptions of the Sweetbriar Ridge in Loving You. Who does not love family and friends that always have each other’s backs? I cannot wait to read the other stories in The Donovans: Sweetbriar Ridge series. Highly recommend this beautifully written love story.
  • Unexpected Surprises!!

    5
    By Jbean168
    Levi thinks his life is over after being fired from his job but everything changes when a beautiful angel falls from the sky. Levi and Jade’s story is realistic, romantic and full of the unexpected. This was a wonderful introduction to the other side of the Donovan family and I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for the next Donovan to fall in love!
  • Love lets us thrive

    5
    By Wyrdfan
    Four and a half stars LOVING YOU is the first in Samantha Chase’s The Donovans: Sweetbriar Ridge series. Single mom Jade Mackenzie is opening the bookstore/coffee shop of her dreams. Levi Donovan has just been summarily dismissed by his advertising agency, and has come home to Sweetbriar Ridge to figure out what he’s going to do next. Samantha Chase lets Levi and Jade’s attraction simmer and heat as their families give them the support and space to make the choices that work best for them. Neither is perfect as they struggle to come to terms with some truths about themselves and their families, but they (and readers) are reminded that love can give us the forgiveness we may need to make mistakes and then recover and move forward. I loved getting to know Jade and Levi, and can’t wait to return to Sweetbriar Ridge. Loving You is an excellent start to what is sure to be another fantastic series!
  • Small town romance

    4
    By _bookish_kristy_
    Loving You is the first book in this new series. This was my first read by Samantha Chase and won’t be my last. It was a cute small town, friends to lovers romance. Jade and Levi’s meet cute was an easy to read, entertaining story. Jade was a headstrong single mom, and Levi was a cinnamon roll hero. Neither one was looking for anything serious, but in the end found something worth fighting for. I really enjoyed the slow progression of feelings, and the chemistry between the two was so good. This story was told in 3rd person POV. Carly Robbins did a really great job narrating for both characters.
  • More Donovans

    5
    By EmilySYM
    4 1/2 stars. This was a great addition to the Donovans. I’m not sure if this is considered a spinoff or continuation of the original series. I enjoyed that it was fairly low on the angst scale. I liked that it was a change with the hero having employment issues. Single parent books are always a favorite for me. This one checked a lot of my boxes. Sweetbriar Ridge is another wonderful small town that I can’t wait to see more of.

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