REVIEW: Maybe This Time by Nicole McLaughlin

Maybe This Time by Nicole McLaughlin: Jen and TJ are pretty much total opposites. Jen was a loner throughout school and it didn’t help that she dressed differently and her family didn’t have much. TJ was one of the popular kids who seemingly had it all to include a wealthy family. They were acquaintances despite the fact their unwanted and complicated attraction.

Jen always loved singing and the theater with a voice to show for it. Working for the community theater before it closed fulfilled her, even if it left her broke. She’s smart, feisty, vibrant, and defensive. She’s a bit of a loner still as she really doesn’t have friends or family outside of her ailing mom and the guys at the Stag. She’s proving herself as the Stag’s temporary receptionist and resident bartender.

TJ is smart, sexy, a gentleman, and a self-made man. He’s followed his own path and tried to be as different as possible from his unfaithful father. TJ has always wanted Jen, and he’s never had the courage to act on it. They bicker and she gives him a hard time just about daily. When he finally has a chance to help her, he takes it and the chance to change their relationship.

“It’s always possible. But I doubt it.”
“You’re pretty cocky, Jen Mackenzie,” he said as he pulled into a parking spot.
“Am I? Noticed ‘cocky’ wasn’t on your type list.”
He stared at her. “Maybe I just forgot to mention it.”

Jen isn’t exactly where she thought she would be at this age and she’s no good at asking for or accepting help. She’s not looking for a relationship either, but things have changed and shifted with TJ. She doesn’t want to want him, but he’s a good man who is solid, reliable, generous, and keeps coming back for more despite her attitude. The transition from somewhat friends and co-workers to lovers isn’t entirely smooth as it all seems too good to be true.

“Are you buying me a plant to apologize for paying my bill?” she asked excitedly.
He leveled her with a glare. “So, let me get this straight. You would let me buy you something you want, to apologize for buying you something you need?”
She lifted a shoulder. “It’s hard being a man. I get it. Women can be such trouble.”

Maybe This Time is sweet, sexy, and endearing. Nicole McLaughlin created an interesting and engaging pairing in this couple who provided angst, conflict, family drama, banter, and plenty of heat. Ms. McLaughlin continued to build on the strong relationships around the friends who created the business. Maybe This Time can be read as a standalone in the Whiskey and Weddings series. Fans of Jenna Sutton and Kate Meader will enjoy Maybe This Time.

Book Info:

Publication: February 27th 2018 | St. Martin’s Press | Whiskey and Weddings #2

Jen Mackenzie has been knocked down more than a few times, but she always gets up and makes sure she has the last word. It’s the reason she now considers herself equal parts self-sufficient and free-spirit. But since losing her job and trying to help her mother beat cancer, real life―and her occasional careless choices―have begun to catch up with her. Her one saving grace: The Stag, a boutique distillery that has become Kansas City’s go-to wedding venue. The only catch: One of the owners, TJ Laughlin, happens to be the one man who somehow manages to make Jen feel inadequate.

TJ has secretly had a thing for Jen since high school. Now, as her new boss, it’s a daily struggle between revealing his feelings and wringing her beautiful neck. Only one thing is for certain: he can’t stand idly by and watch the woman he cares for struggle. She may be convinced that accepting TJ’s help is a weakness. But all he sees in Jen is beauty and strength, inside and out. As things finally heat up between them, can TJ find a way to convince Jen that love is about give and take―and having it all, together?