About the book:

 

Title: Should’ve Been You (Man Enough #3)

Author: Nicole McLaughlin

Published: Published January 30th 2018 by Swerve

Source: Received from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review

Format: e-copy

Blurb:

Childhood neighbors get a chance at love in Should’ve Been You, an achingly romantic novella in Nicole McLaughlin’s Man Enough series!

National Guardsman Jase Beckford wants to live a quiet life raising cattle and taking care of his mother. His childhood friend and neighbor Hannah is still his best friend, but when he walks into the Walters house one morning and sees her twin sister Becca for the first time in five years, he wonders if he missed out on something special.

Becca Walters has nursed a secret crush on Jase since childhood, but he always preferred Hannah, so she buried her feelings assuming her sister and Jase would one day turn their flirtation into a real relationship. And this Christmas, she is anticipating a proposal of her own, so Jase’s reappearance in her life doesn’t mean anything. Much. Okay, maybe more than Becca would like to admit.

However, when Becca’s sister gets engaged to someone who’s not Jase, Becca and Jase find themselves spending more together. And when secrets are revealed, suddenly those dormant feelings come back to life; but is the possibility of something between them worth risking the happiness of everyone they love?

Check it on: Amazon & Goodreads

My Review:

Ok, here we have yet another quick and funny read. I loved the book and the characters as well, even if I would have really wanted a little bit more development in that area.

Becca and Jase have always had a thing for each other. However, their relationship has not developed because of a “misunderstanding” from childhood. Hannah, Becca’s twin sister had wanted Jase’s attention so… she worked a little bit of evil magic let’s say.  So he has become Hannah’s best friend and even developed some kind of crush on her. When Becca returns to town, their feelings reenact. Will they be able to overcome the things that kept them apart? Will they make the right choice? That remains to be seen.

I liked the interactions between Becca and Jase and how the romance between them was developed. The author has put a lot of accent on it, but I feel that their relationship with Hannah could have been better explored, as this is the thing that kept them apart. Because the story is told from Jase and Becca’s perspective, we don’t get much of Hannah’s input. I have a feeling we’ll have it in the next book though.

Nicole McLaughlin has a writing style that is easy to follow and her books are perfect for a relaxing evening. I have nothing to complain from this point of view. The ending was a little rushed, in my opinion, I wanted to know more about the internal struggle the main characters had for being apart. I wanted to feel their determination.

All in all, I think this was a lovely book and my rating is 3.5 stars, with my congratulations to the author! I can’t wait to read Hannah’s story as it promises some very interesting angles. Happy reading 