ARC Review: The Seven Year Itch (Mountain Men Matchmaker #2) by Amanda Daws

 

Alone and Looking to Bone! Loudmouthed Mountain Man Seeks Fiery Woman to Grow Old With.

I might look like a tall, tattooed, bearded neanderthal...but like an onion, I have layers. Swipe right if you like a proud cat daddy who catches feelings after direct eye contact.

All I wanted was a casual plus-one to my brother's destination wedding, but those idiots on my family tree hacked my dating profile and sabotaged my quest for the perfect weekend fling. Now I'm stuck on a tropical vacation with only my hand to keep me company.

Until I’m forced to share a room with the bane of my existence: my sister-in-law’s best friend.

Dakota has hated me for the past seven years. I wasn’t losing much sleep over her screaming rants because she was some other guy’s problem. Or she was, until she got divorced.

Being stuck in paradise with a woman who loathes your very existence doesn't sound hot, but after an unexpected moment in our shared palapa, she starts screaming at me in a different way.

What happens in paradise stays in paradise. That is, until Dakota shows up on my mountain with a proposition: be her wingman to help her regain her pre-divorce confidence.

Suddenly, Dakota’s not just person I love to fight with. She’s the woman I want everything with.

Perfect for fans of:
• Enemies to Lovers
• Small Town Romance / Vacation Romances
• Quirky Animals
• Meddling family
• Meghan Quinn and Tessa Bailey

Title: The Seven Year Itch (Mountain Men Matchmaker #2)

Author: Amanda Daws

Publisher: Canary Street Press

Expected Publication Date: June 17, 2025

Review:

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I love a good romance, And give me a bit of an age gap, even if it's not huge, and I'm hooked. Make it enemies to lovers, and you've drawn me in even more! Plus, a series set around brothers who hole up on a mountain to live in peace is a great back drop for lots of fun things to happen! While you do see characters from the previous book, this could be read as a stand alone. Though it will spoil the couple that you meet in the first book and what happens for them. So I suggest reading these in order.

Calder Fletcher keeps his walls up and his relationships at a distance. His been burned before and doesn't want to be burned again. So when he needs a plus one to his brother's destination wedding, he's reluctant to ask anyone. He just wants to be at peace. Of course his niece is a meddler and purposefully creates situations where he must be in the presence of Dakota, a woman he's sworn as his enemy after their encounter seven years ago.

Dakota is a recent divorcee who is just trying to get back in the saddle. She wants to take back her life and feel good about herself and her business. She has no intention of getting involved in a relationship, especially with a Fletcher brother. But she also can't deny her attraction to Calder. It was always there, even when she was getting married seven years ago.

I really enjoyed the forced proximity theme of the first half of this book. It was fun watching Dakota and Calder dance around each other. Daws did a nice job with building their relationship slowly at first until they came together with a bang.

But what happens in paradise stays in paradise, or does it? Dakota and Calder are obviously attracted to one another but neither wants to open their hearts. I love that Calder wants to help Dakota become her best self, even if that leaves him with a broken heart in the end. 

It was great to see the re-appearance of the characters from book one. Dakota is a character from a previous series Daws wrote, the best friend of the oldest Fletcher brother's wife. I have not read the previous connected series, and I don't think you need to (though it will spoil the oldest brother's relationship, but not their story as I have no idea how things came to be in that book). 

Overall, this was fun. I liked it more than the first book. I'm looking forward to the next book and Luke's story! 

Author:

Number 1 Amazon Bestselling author Amy Daws writes spicy love stories that take place in America, as well as across the pond. She's most known for her footy-playing Harris Brothers and writing in a tire shop waiting room. When Amy is not writing, she’s likely making charcuterie boards from her home in South Dakota where she lives with her daughter and husband.

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