REVIEW: Book Of The Month by Jennifer Probst

Book Of The Month by Jennifer Probst: Aspen Lourde had a runaway bestseller with her debut novel. FIFTY WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER resonated with many readers. Aspen had used her devastating betrayal and heartbreak in this book as an effort to heal and move on. Aspen is now struggling with her writing. Books two and three from her contract haven’t done well. Her agent warns her that she needs to get her mojo back if she wants to continue with her publisher and suggests she write a sequel to her first book.

Aspen decides to spend the summer in the Outer Banks where her sister lives. It will be much quieter than NYC and maybe it will lend more inspiration.
Not long after Aspen arrives in the Outer Banks, she meets Brick Babel. He is drop dead gorgeous and has a reputation with women. Even Aspen’s sister warns her to not get involved with Brick. Aspen thinks what better way to pen a new novel about heartbreak than get involved with the someone like Brick who seems to have a love ’em and leave ’em attitude.

Aspen asks Brick to be her summer fling and then they can both walk away at the end. Brick is very reluctant until Aspen makes him an offer he can’t refuse.
Brick had moved to the Outer Banks after his grandfather died and left him a tour company. The problem is the company is almost bankrupt with many costly repairs needed. Aspen tells Brick she will make him a loan to repair and upgrade the tour company if he accepts her “fake romance” offer. Brick finally agrees. Will the two really be able to walk away at the end of the summer?

I loved how the author slowly revealed more about what Brick had really been through and what his true nature was. He is a gentleman with Aspen and very kind.
Aspen has been traumatized by her recent past so it’s easy to understand how she is torn between wanting heartache for her next book to do well and wanting to protect her tender heart.This story really catches on fire about 60% in. There is plenty of sizzle.

The setting is just perfect. What’s more charming than a beach town with lots of fun places to go and activities.
There were several secondary characters who led extra humor or drama to the plot. My favorite was Marco. He may come off as a stoner, but he has pearls of wisdom mixed in with his escapades. The other characters of note are Sierra, Aspen’s sister and Kane, Brick’s best friend. I am excited to see they will have their own tale in the future.

Book Info:

Publication: October 22, 2024 | Blue Box Press |

She’s desperate for another bestseller… and she’ll go to any length to get it. Even if it means sacrificing her pride to chase the hottest bachelor in town and get him to break her heart…

Once the literary world’s golden girl, Aspen Lourde can’t seem to produce another successful book, and the pressure’s on to prove she’s not just a one-hit-wonder. But there’s a catch: her bestseller was a heartbreak hit, straight from her own love life disaster. Without any fresh romantic turmoil to fuel her pen, Aspen needs inspiration quick enough to create a book her agent can sell to her publisher. So she escapes for the summer to the Outer Banks with a plan to live a story worth writing.

Brick Babel is a romance novelist’s dream: a local heartthrob with a reputation as wild as the horses running free in the town. He’s everything Aspen needs for a muse kickstart—gorgeous, moody, and notoriously unattainable. His affairs are legendary in the small town, and every woman warns her off, including her sister.

Too bad a good heartbreak is exactly what she needs to meet her deadline.

But Brick refuses to play the game, rejecting all of her advances. When Aspen hears his tour company is on the verge of bankruptcy, she offers him a deal: fake a whirlwind summer romance, then ditch her, drama guaranteed.

Desperate to save his grandfather’s business, Brick agrees to the ridiculous deal. What starts as a contractual fling spirals out of control as lines blur and real feelings emerge. Brick’s falling hard, and Aspen’s rethinking her plot twist. The novel might be her ticket back to the top, but at what cost?

Because Aspen’s finally found her muse, but some stories may be too true to share.

Book of the Month isn’t just about finding love where you least expect it.
It’s about finding yourself in the pages of life’s unexpected chapters.