More Than a Silly Crush by Remi Carrington: Book Review

  *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

I only saw him as my best friend’s little brother . . . until I married him.

Getting pregnant before the wedding wasn’t my plan, but surprise! Then my fiancé (correction, ex-fiancé) tells me to take care of the problem. And that’s how he becomes my ex.

But being a single mom in this small town won’t be easy. Maybe not even possible. I’m a large animal vet. It’s not like I can take my baby to work with me.

Then my best friend’s younger brother drops to one knee and proposes so that I won’t be a single mom.
After hours of pondering, I accept Parker’s impulsive proposal.

Romance has never been part of our relationship, but he treats me better than anyone I’ve ever dated. He’s caring, protective, and more than a little good looking. Way more than I deserve.

But I really didn’t think about the day-to-day of married life. Or what it would be like to see him without a shirt all the time. He’s no longer the scrawny kid who liked to tag along. He’s a full-grown cowboy and quickly becoming my best friend. (Well, my other best friend)

Just when I think maybe a happily-ever-after is possible, tragedy strikes.

Now that there's nothing to save me from, I have to let him go. But walking away from my knight in shining armor will absolutely shatter my heart.

Remi Carrington is the figment of Pamela Humphrey's imagination. She loves romance & chocolate, enjoys disappearing into a delicious book, and considers people-watching a sport. She was born in the pages of the novel Just You and then grew into an alter ego.

She writes sweet romance set in Texas. Her books are part of the Phrey Press imprint.

More Than a Silly Crush is the fourth book in the Cowboys of Stargazer Springs Ranch Rom Com series. This can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone if you haven't read the previous books in the series. 

More often than not, when I hear 'marriage of convenience' my mind automatically goes toward history. I think we see that trope used much more there, and frankly, it can be hard to make that work believably in a more contemporary setting. But in this story? It absolutely works, and I couldn't get enough. Part of that definitely has to do with Parker. I love how attentive and sweet he is towards Bluebonnet and I couldn't help but root for them to get their happily ever after. These two together were just perfection (even when I wanted to knock some sense into them to get them to communicate!)... and the side characters just helped to bring the story to the next level too.

Content warning (potential spoiler): Do you ever start to read a book blurb and find the beginning part so intriguing that you don't really read through the rest of it in its entirety? Yes, this was me with this book. From the very first sentence, I was in and couldn't wait to read it... and while that's not always a bad thing, had I read further I might have been a little more prepared for some things that happened throughout the story. Simply put, this story takes on the difficult topic of miscarriage. As someone who has dealt with recurrent miscarriages, this is a topic that I am all too familiar with and one that can be a little triggering for me if I'm not expecting it. Again, it's hinted at in the blurb, so that was all on me but definitely wanted to point that out for anyone else who also needs that heads-up. That said, I think this book handled the topic very well. It felt very genuine and thoughtful, and I very much appreciated that. I think this definitely could have been a make-it-or-break-it moment for me in this book, and it made it. 

It's also quite clear from the description that the main character here is having a child outside of marriage (hence the marriage of convenience), and that definitely might not appeal to all readers. I will say that I didn't feel like that topic was glorified in any way at all. The romance in this story is clean/closed door with nothing beyond kisses happening on the pages. 

Overall, I really loved this story. It was a quick and often time entertaining read, with the realities of life's hardships blended in and handled with grace. I can't wait to read more in the series!