REVIEW: Not Mine to Love by Rosa Lucas

Not Mine to Love by Rosa Lucas: Georgie has never been the life of the party, she is the quiet one that you find in the corner. Brilliant with code but absolutely terrible when it comes to people. So you can definitely say the last thing she would want is to wind up working for one of the most outspoken people around, her brother’s best friend and the CEO of the McLaren Hotels, Patrick. Fully prepared to have to deal with uncomfortable polite indifference of being the pity hire, Georgie is more than a bit surprised when she begins to realise that Patrick might just be the one person that kind of actually gets her… on paper they shouldn’t make sense, Patrick lives for adrenaline while Georgie finds a morning coffee run a bit to adventures. But somewhere between the close proximity, comfortable silence and stolen glances Georgie begins to realise just maybe Patrick is worth living more on the wild side…

The brother’s best friend trope has always been a favourite of mine and Not Mine To Love was a prime example of why I keep coming back to this trope. With an easy to follow storyline and two loveable main characters it was super easy to get lost in this book. Lucas does a brilliant job in crafting a tender, funny and quietly emotional story that will have you rooting on our sweet anxious leading lady and her adrenal junkie hero. Also I just adored the setting of this book, I mean who wouldn’t want to be stuck in a luxury hotel in the Scottish countryside with a hunky Patrick?

I just adored Georgie, she was a ball of nerves and anxiety and so completely relatable and loveable. Georgie was the kind of character who overthinks every word she says but still tries anyway, completely awake of herself but still so unsure. I loved the way Lucas wrote her character, highlighting her anxiety and slightly awkward nature, this only made her just that much more real and getting to follow her on this journey all the more rewarding. With Patrick on the other hand, he is all calm and commanding. Though once we really get to peel the layers back we get to see a man who hides behind work, order and control because chaos once cost him too much. I loved the way he is forced to let go of some of his control when he is around Georgie and in the same way she is forced to be a little more free spirited. These two were the perfect balance to each other.

What makes Georgie and Patrick’s relationship just work perfectly is the quiet tension that sits between them, there is this push and pull of two people who seem completely mismatched on the surface but are in fact mirrors of each other. Georgie softens Patrick’s sharp edges without losing herself in the process and Patrick gives Georgie the space to step into her own strength rather than shrinking to fit his world. I loved the way they better and elevate each other rather than try to fix the other.

Simply put I loved reading Not Mine To Love, this book was not just a romance about attraction or chemistry but it was about self discovery, finding hidden courage and the quiet bravery it takes to let someone really see you. If you are looking for a book that goes beyond the normal brother’s best friend trope than this is a definite must read!

Book Info:

Publication: January 1, 2026 | Pub: Rosa Lucas Romance |

Patrick CEO of McLaren Hotels. Helicopter pilot. Part-time adrenaline junkie who treats frostbite like a mild inconvenience. The kind of man who can silence a boardroom with one raised brow.Which is deeply unfortunate, because I, Georgie Fitzgerald, have been sent to his remote Scottish hotel to overhaul their IT systems. That means weeks of working in close proximity to him and his lethal combination of jawline, arrogance, and disdain.

And I know exactly what he thinks of me, because the man doesn’t bother hiding it.

I’m his best friend’s little sister—the pity hire who tanked her interview and only got the job because my big brother pulled strings. The tech gremlin occasionally allowed out of her cupboard to reset the router before being shoved back in again.

He climbs mountains for fun. I break into a sweat ordering coffee. He’s brooding intensity in a bespoke suit. I’m anxious energy and catastrophic overthinking in a cardigan.

It doesn’t matter how hard I work to prove myself at his company. He doesn’t notice. He doesn’t notice much about me at all.

Which is fine. It’s not that I want his attention. It’s just… I can’t help being shy. I can’t help that I’m still rebuilding myself after someone else tore me down.

But maybe I’m tired of being anxious, apologetic, router-resetting Georgie who lives in the background, worrying about what everyone thinks. About what he thinks.

Maybe it’s time to reclaim my narrative.
And maybe that includes claiming him.