REVIEW: Love and Kerosene by Winter Renshaw

In Love and Kerosene by Winter Renshaw, Lachlan Byrne and Anneliese Nielsen were complete strangers with only one connection: Donovan Byrne–Lachlan’s older brother and Anneliese’s fiance–before his untimely death. Now that they are meeting for the first time, they find out there’s one more thing bringing them together: the Byrne family home. It’s fallen into disrepair since Lachlan’s father passed away a while ago. Not that he’s seen it in the last decade as he’s been traveling abroad, working odd jobs and experiencing what the world has to offer, leaving the bad memories behind. But he’s quickly finding that Anneliese isn’t willing to just hand over the house since it’s mostly her money (and blood, sweat, and tears) that’s paying for the renovations taking place.

‘If he wants the house, he’s going to have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers, and I’ll spend every last ounce of energy I have making sure of that.’

Lachlan wants to put Arcadia Grove, Vermont, and the house behind him. What better way than to leave the house to the local fire department to burn it to the ground, right? He knows there has to be some way to get Anneliese to agree with him–even if it means he’ll have to move into the house temporarily to help her with the remodeling and prove he’s serious. But neither Lachlan nor Anneliese were expecting to get along so well. Or to feel the sparks of attraction fire off between them at every turn. They were both really just looking for a way to move on with their lives when they agreed to work together on the family home. And they certainly didn’t expect that when they do move forward, it might just be together.

“We’re on two very different trains leaving the station in opposite directions–but if things were different, I’d make her mine.’

Fans of slow-burn romance with a touch of the taboo won’t be able to get enough of Winter Renshaw’s Love and Kerosene, where two unlucky souls done wrong by the same person try to overcome their pasts.

‘Funny how life can break you apart, only to put you back together again–better than you were before.’

First of all, I have to say that it was the angsty look of the book cover (okay…and the tattooed dude on it too!) that grabbed my attention. But once I started reading this, I was hooked on the characters, the storyline, their backgrounds, and how the town of Arcadia Grove itself was woven into it all. I was a little surprised–pleasantly so–that the overall tone of the novel wasn’t super dark or heavy. Yes, there were some tough things in Lachlan’s and Anneliese’s pasts they were still working to let go of. But the addition of their fun and sexy banter as well as the way they just seemed to understand each other on a deep level made this a pleasure to read.

Where both Lachlan and Anneliese had been duped and/or treated horribly by Donovan–Lachlan’s older brother and Anneliese’s fiance–it gave the two of them an unexpected connection of sorts. It was after Donovan’s death, neither of them having known about the other, that they had to find a compromise about what would become of the Byrne family home. Anneliese wanted to finish the renovations already started on it; Lachlan wanted to burn it to the ground. And it didn’t look like either would budge on their decision. So when their attraction to each other grew with every interaction, it clouded their stance on the house. It also meant it would be harder to walk away from each other, whether or not Anneliese and Lachlan being together would be looked at as wrong in other people’s point of views.

QOTD: The heroine had a rather unique career–one I hadn’t heard of before. Have you read any novels where the main character has a job or business you’ve never run into previously?

Book Info:

Publication: Published October 11th 2022 | Montlake |

Two people find love in the embers of their painful pasts in this slow-burn romance from Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author Winter Renshaw.

For me, family is a curse. My father and brother made my life hell. My mother’s untimely death still keeps me up at night. Now that my brother, Donovan, has been killed in an accident, I can forget the past.

The last remnant is the childhood home I’ve inherited—and which I intend to burn to the ground. The only obstacle? Anneliese Nielsen, Donovan’s fiancée.

Donovan left her destitute, and selling this run-down house is her only chance to recoup her losses. I shouldn’t care, but…maybe it’s her eyes when she sees me. I look strikingly like my brother, a man she loved despite everything.

So we strike a deal. We’ll renovate the house together, but she’ll have to convince me to sell—or up in flames it goes.

But the more time we spend in the house, the more its terrible history threatens to come out.

And even more dangerous, the harder I start to fall for Anneliese.