The Fixer Upper
Maggie Mae Gallagher
(Echo Springs, #1)
Published by: Blushing Books Publications
Publication date: September 6th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Abby Callier is more in love with Shakespearean heroes than any real man, and she’s beginning to wonder if there is life for her outside the pages of a book. It doesn’t help that her esteemed parents tend to view her as they would one of their science experiments gone wrong. On the eve of finishing her dissertation, she escapes her staid existence to live in the house she inherited from her Great Aunt Evie in the small town of Echo Springs, Colorado. Because, let’s face it, when a woman starts comparing her life to horror films, it might be time for a break.

Sheriff Nate Barnes believes in law and order and carefully building the life you want. In his spare time, he has been remodeling his house in the hope that one day it will be filled with the family he makes. But Nate doesn’t like drama or complications and tends to avoid them at all costs. And yet, when Miss Abigail Callier, his newest neighbor, beans him with a nine iron, he can’t help but wonder if she might just be the complication he’s been searching for all along. It doesn’t hurt that he discovers a journal hidden away by the previous tenant and decides to use Old Man Turner’s advice to romance Abby into his life.
Abby never expected her next-door neighbor, the newly dubbed Sheriff Stud Muffin, to be just the distraction her world needed.

The problem is she doesn’t know whether she should make Echo Springs her home, or if this town is just a stopover point in her life’s trajectory. And she doesn’t want to tell Nate that she might not be sticking around—even though she should because it’s the right thing to do, the honest thing—because then all the scintillatingly hot kisses with the Sheriff will come to an abrupt halt. Did she mention that he’s a really great kisser?

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The Fixer Upper by Maggie Mae Gallagher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

First of all, I do have a content warning for those who may prefer romances with less heat and steam. In this romance, there are plenty of hot and heavy bedroom scenes (not overly graphic but definitely heart-pounding). There is also some profanity throughout the book. I do not permit either of these to affect the overall rating, but I just want all readers to be aware of this before making the decision to read.

I would definitely give this book a strong 3.5 rating. It contains all the elements of a typical romance in a small-town tale to which avid readers are accustomed. Girl inherits a place in a small town. She goes there to determine if she should sell it or live there. She falls for the hunky town sheriff. While I don’t wish to spoil the ending, this book does follow the typical romantic formula for success, and indeed, it works pretty well.

Now, some books in this style and genre are so formulaic that I find myself bored. I am happy to state that the author raised the bar a bit by adding in a bit of police action as well as an old journal that is brimming with love advice. This is what kept my interest throughout the book, and it makes me think that this author is one who has a knack for spicing up her stories a bit. While I would have preferred even more spice (non-romantic), I applaud the author for the elements she included.

Another thing that sometimes bothers me in romances is that the physical becomes the focus almost to the exclusion of all else. While I was happy that our lead couple had some effective communication moments, I would have preferred more moments like that between them. In real life, lasting love cannot be based solely on the physical element, and I wish more romance authors would include those elements in their romances. But again, that is a personal opinion of mine. And since this is the first book in a series, it makes me think that subsequent books will be even more delightful.

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Author Bio:

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Maggie grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Maggie never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.

Maggie is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes erotic romance under the name Anya Summers. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.

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