REVIEW: Be Mine, Sweetheart by Codi Gary

In Be Mine, Sweetheart by Codi Gary, Kelly Barrow is the owner of Something Borrowed, where she helps couples plan their dream wedding. Dreams of her own wedding disappeared over ten years earlier when Ray, her boyfriend, was killed in action. When the brother of one of her clients comes on to her, Kelly realizes it’s time to put herself out there again. While she wants more than anything for it to be with Chris, she worries he doesn’t feel the same way.

Chris, a lawyer who handles contracts for Something Borrowed, has wanted to be with Kelly since he was a teenager. When his best friend, Ray, called dibs on her, he backed off. Instead, he stood by and watched Ray and Kelly fall in love. He also picked Kelly up after Ray’s death. When he realizes that Kelly is finally ready to move on, he wants it to be with him. He wants the opportunity that he missed out on when they were teens.

I enjoyed watching the pair as they came to realize that they they both wanted more than that. They had a great friendship with plenty of playful banter and I found myself laughing out loud at points.

I also liked how the author incorporates Ray into the story, and how he guides Chris into making the right choices while also letting him know that he approves of Chris and Kelly together.

Ray tried to end the hug, but Chris held on. “Whao, what’s up with you?” Ray pulled away, eyeing him with confusion. “You act like I’m gonna die or something.”
“You are, man. You’re dead.”
Ray grinned. “I know. Just fucking with you.”
“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in heaven or something?”
“Yeah, but obviously you needed me or I wouldn’t be here.”
Chris glanced around the high school classroom. “This is a dream though, right? You’re just a figment of my overactive brain.”
“It’s definitely a dream, but that doesn’t mean I’m not actually here. Pretty sure I’m your guardian angel.”

Be Mine, Sweetheart was my first book by Codi Gary, but it won’t be my last. It drew me in from the first page and kept my attention with well-written characters and plenty of wit and charm. It is a friends to lovers story, but it’s also about learning to let go and finding a second chance at love.

Book Info:

Publication: August 14, 2018 | Lyrical Shine | Something Borrowed #3

Kelly Barrow, the founder of Something Borrowed, didn’t get the happily ever after she counted on, but she considers herself fortunate anyway. After all, she has a thriving business and a loving family and friends. Yet ten years after her heartbreak, surrounded by couples in love, she knows it’s time to move on—and the gorgeous actor who hires her for his sister’s wedding seems like the perfect opportunity. There’s just one problem. Her best friend and legal counsel, Christian Ryan, keeps getting in her way . . .

Chris has been a shoulder to lean on since they were kids, and Kelly never expected him to interfere in her dating life. She doesn’t realize that over the years, Chris’s feelings have grown beyond friendship. The timing just never seemed right—until now. And as the two of them work through the wedding’s inevitable surprises and disasters, Kelly begins to wonder if she’s been looking for love in the exact wrong place . . .