Review: “The Love Words” by Amy Alves

Series: Landry Love, #4

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: September 30th, 2021

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Chloe Caldwell was my nemesis in high school. Or maybe I was hers. After eight years, she still hates me—not that I blame her. I met Chloe during one of the worst times of my life and she called me out as the troublemaking, mischievous jerk I was.

But I’m not some punk kid anymore. I have a daughter to raise, a life to build. Unfortunately for Chloe, that life is in her hometown. The same small town she left years ago.
Now she’s back and to everyone else, she’s the same delightful, kind-hearted girl.

That’s not the Chloe I get.
No, I get the woman hell-bent on vengeance.
Her attempts at putting me in my place only make me want to smack her sweet, sassy backside. I’ve come to crave her salty attitude and angry jabs. But when our animosity starts affecting my daughter, a truce is formed.

Hot, needy glances slowly replace her scathing glares.
Still, I don’t dare hope for more.
Even if everything inside me is aching to explore her, possess her—I can’t. Because I know she would want it all. She’d want what I’ve never given to any woman before her.
She’d want all my love words.

 

If you’ve been reading the Landry Love series from the beginning, then you’ve met Chloe a few times and with the last book, we even got hints of Chloe and Hayden. And I’ve been anxiously waiting to see their story! And Amy Alves did not disappoint! I also think this might be the steamiest of the books, especially considering I thought Lauren and Taylor were wild and free. But Chloe and Hayden take things up to a whole new level. I mean…the places they go and the things they do… *fans self*

In true enemies-to-lovers fashion, the book kicks off with these two butting heads. I’m a big fan of characters spending most of their lives pranking each other, pissing each other off and making a big scene about it. Chloe and Hayden have always been at each others’ throats about almost everything. They poke at each other, prod and tease, they make it a public thing for the whole town of Landry to witness and they don’t hold back. And if you know the town of Landry, then you know they’re all watching closely, waiting for the other shoe to drop and for everything to make sense for these two. Obviously their reasons for hating each other don’t become clear till much later, but under all this animosity, there’s this burning sexual tension that they can’t seem to ignore. But thanks to all these shenanigans and antics, Chloe and Hayden leave Landry to make new lives for themselves, only to return to town years later as changed people. Hayden has a little girl who is his whole world and Chloe’s got a job with her brother’s clinic – FYI, Chloe is the younger sister of Jess (from The Experiment) and Garrett (who we’re getting a book about soon!).

Being back doesn’t mean their pranks are done, but now, the entire town is watching and contributing in hopes of putting them together. I missed the Landry League in the last book (The Forever Plan), so to have them ten-fold in this was amusing. This is what I love about small towns in romance – everyone gets involved and everyone has an opinion. But there isn’t a single group of people in romance that can compete with the Landry League. They are everywhere, always butting into Chloe and Hayden’s lives and giving them opinions on what should happen. But they’re also made up of some of the best people, so it’s easy to forgive them. 

Chloe and Hayden’s story is a delicious slow burn, because the first half of the book is them snapping at each other. But because we get both their sides of the story, you also get to watch Hayden pine for Chloe. This man has been pining for her since he came to Landry the first time around, so none of this would surprise anyone. And as you can imagine, all that frustration and sexual tension is bound to explode and turn into something fantastical. Their chemistry is through the roof and I absolutely loved watching them fight their attraction. That first kiss is truly mind blowing and every physical interaction after that is incredibly powerful.

Hayden is an incredible character and that probably comes with him being the most devoted father with a bad boy streak and a motorcycle to boot. I loved how much he loved his daughter, because that really speaks volumes about who he is as a person. In his life, Kinsley always comes first, and he’s not going to let anything or anyone break that bond. And Kinsley is a precocious seven year old who won’t sit back and let her father do everything for her. The kid is loud and opinionated and I absolutely loved their relationship. While Hayden is the focused and dedicated father, Chloe is the gorgeous and sexy tornado that is going to upend his life. I loved how long she held onto her attraction to Hayden for, because girl, that is some serious will power and I am impressed. But she’s also dedicated to her job, to helping around town as much as possible. Chloe gives and gives, without asking for anything in return. She’s the town’s favourite resident because there is nothing Chloe will not do to help out.

Reading The Love Words made me feel all the feels. While it took me a little time to really get involved in the story, I enjoyed seeing these shenanigans play out. I am constantly wondering what I can do to be part of the Landry League, because they are a riot. And I am so happy that we got to see Emma and Jess and Lauren and Taylor (from The Denial Game) as well, because those four are what made me fall in love with this small town, these books and Amy Alves’ writing.

Thanks to Amy Alves for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.