Book Review: Smitten by Lauren Rowe

Smitten was a joy to read! It was sweet and fun with the most adorable characters. It was swoony entertainment, and I enjoyed it all.

Smitten by Lauren Rowe

I met Alessandra at a party. Tried to impress her. Was almost positive I was going to fail. I think I said something along the lines of, “I’m a Goat called Fish who’s hung like a bull—but not really. I’m actually pretty average.” Smooth. I know. Try not to be jealous.

When she laughed—and I mean, really laughed—I knew she wasn’t like the clout chasers I’d been meeting on tour. Hell, she wasn’t even in the same stratosphere. At one point during the party, Alessandra said, “There’s nothing like a girl’s first love.” I knew she was talking about the first smash hit by my band, 22 Goats. Alessandra said it was the first song she’d heard by us and it “hit her like a ton of bricks.” Ironic, seeing as how I was having the same reaction from being in her presence.

I made it my mission to impress her. Give her the kiss of a lifetime that night. But since I’ve always been the dude with zero game, nothing went according to plan. I’m not giving up, though. I’m going to win this girl over. I’m done sitting on the sidelines, watching the bad boy getting the girl. This time, the nice guy will finish first. Even if it’s the last thing he’ll do.

Smitten is a bestselling standalone romance with no prior reading required that's interconnected with the world of River Records and the Morgan brothers.

4 out of 5 stars

Smitten was the sweetest story with the most adorable characters and it made me ridiculously happy. Fish and Alessandra were so dang cute! I loved when they first met and the instant pull between them. There was a wonderful slow burn happening that I thoroughly enjoyed as they got to know each other. This was an entertaining and heartfelt read filled with charming and swoony goodness! Loved it!

I loved Fish and Alessandra. I liked meeting them in The Reed Rivers Trilogy, so I was excited to read their story. They’re both a little shy, but the perfect match for each other. Fish, Matthew, was a good, solid guy who made me melt. I loved the care he took with Ally as their feelings grew since she was a little younger. I loved Ally coming out of her shell and growing. I loved them getting to know one another and all their bonding, flirting, and chemistry. There were a lot of great moments throughout the story that had me smiling and swooning.

I liked seeing Fish and Alessandra’s friends and the fun they brought to the story. I also enjoyed getting more of the 22 Goats, and now I want to read Dax and Colin’s story as well. I also enjoyed the overlap there was with The Reed Rivers Trilogy. I loved the lyrics shared, and since I went back and forth between reading and listening to the audiobook, I liked the performances included on the audio, that was an awesome addition. I thought the narrators did an excellent job and were engaging.

This was a smooth, sweet, and easy read. There was well-timed humor and entertaining scenes throughout. It’s low to almost no conflict, just a great story about people finding each other, falling in love with a small obstacle in their way, and being totally smitten. It was heartwarming goodness filled with a lot of fun times and likeable characters. If you are in need of a feel-good story that will leave you smiling, this is it!

Complimentary copy received.