Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Release Date: August 5th, 2022
Add to Goodreads | Amazon.in (Available on KU)
CW: mentions of divorce, mentions of a bank robbery
As a journalist, I thought the exciting stories would come after I left Goldheart. After countless ducks-crossing-the-road stories in this town, I never expected to be held up in a bank by a woman in a chicken costume.
Turns out—I’m the chicken and Thumper is my knight in a shining belt buckle.
As the minutes tick on, my feelings intensify, and the police can’t get here fast enough.
I might be falling for this guy when my time in this small town is temporary.
Most of all, I really wish I hadn’t chugged that whole iced coffee.
Is anyone surprised that Jenny Bunting wrote another brilliant and hilarious forced proximity novella? Nope, not a single soul. This novella was everything I expected from Jenny and what I hoped would happen to Thumper. The situation, the feelings, the banter, the flirting—it was all so fantastic, I never wanted the book to end. And not to mention just how much fun it was to return to Goldheart!
✨ forced proximity
✨ stuck in a bank vault together
✨ insta love/lust
✨ strangers to lovers
✨ small town
✨ town charmer and flirt
✨ new girl in town
✨ BIG BIG FEELS
There’s only so much you can say about a novella in a review, because you give too much away and it takes away from the novella itself. But be assured that Jenny does Thumper and Izzie proud with this hilarious and beautiful novella. From the minute Thumper steps onto the page, you’re hooked. He’s charming and funny and well loved, he’s such a great hero and honestly, I would do anything to get more Thumper if Jenny is so inclined. He’s best friends with Cameron (from Fool’s Gold), so you already know that you’re in for a treat with the antics that these two have been upto. While Thumper (aka Eugene) has a reputation as a ladies man and he leans into it. My favourite thing about Thumper though? His disdain for technology and all of the things that people consider normal adult things one should do—open a bank account being one of them. Also, he has a dog named Bambi. That just about killed me.
Izzie is new to Goldheart after having taken on the job as editor with the Goldheart Gazette. She was looking for a change after her divorce and while the small town might not be the place for excitement and big news to report, it’s been an interesting time for her to be living and working there. Izzie hails from Lillyvale and is friends with Addison (from Home), but for the most part she keeps to herself. While everyone knows who she is, she doesn’t have the same kind of reputation that Thumper does. She’s looking for something new and looking to meet people (read: guys) not only based on the way they look, especially after her ex-husband turned out to be a dud even though he was handsome as all get out.
“I’m just a consolation prize.”
“Oh, Eugene. You’re the whole prize. You’re the gold-medal ribbon.”
When a woman dressed in a chicken costume arrives at the bank where the two of them are with a gun, these two are forced into the bank vault where their lives completely change. There’s lots of great Jenny Bunting level bantering and laughs. There’s lots of opening up about each other and getting a fully understanding of who they are as people and there’s also a whole lot of falling in lust for Thumper, who wants to do to Izzie things he’s never wanted with a woman before. But my absolute favourite thing that happens is when Izzie needs to pee and they have no way out and no other solution but to make the most of what is available to them—pee in a cup.
These two have fantastic chemistry, they are well matched and as they say ‘lucky to be with each other’. I loved them so hard and I loved all the little mentions of the Finch family and other things we’ve come to know about this little town in the Finch Family books that are available right now.
Thanks to Jenny Bunting for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
anna reads here 
Leave a comment