The Best Laid Plans

The Best Men, Book 1

De: Karla Sorensen

Narrado por: Connor Crais, Vanessa Edwin

A tough-as-leather football player. A happy-go-lucky historian. It’s love against all odds in a warm and emotional romance about found family, friendship, and the restorative powers of the heart.

Former Dallas football player Burke Barrett is weathering a lot of changes. He’s retired from football. He’s mourning the loss of his best friend. And now he’s been bequeathed a dilapidated house in northern Michigan he doesn’t want. To his surprise it comes with a long-legged, blindly optimistic renovation manager with big ideas for Burke’s inheritance. She’s passionate, irritating, and irresistible.

Restoration expert Charlotte Cunningham is used to rough exteriors. This surly client, with his stubbled jaw, towering physique, and inflexible attitude, is worth smoothing over. The attraction sizzles, and a proposal is in order: a romantic tryst to relieve the tension. No strings attached. A safe bet for both of them since Burke is prepared to renovate, sell, and move on.

A pet project with an end date. Does that go for love too? Burke must decide what he really wants and what he’s willing to risk. He should know by now that the best-laid plans can change in a heartbeat.

©2023 Karla Sorensen (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

A lovable grump

After the death of his best friend, Burke Barrett finds out that he is now the owner of a dilapidated house in northern Michigan. Restoring the house to its historical glory had always been his friend Chris’s dream, not his. And the last thing Burke wants to do is deal with a long-legged, optimistic, beautiful project manager who is in charge of the restoration project. But the more time these to spend together the more Burke starts to wonder if maybe he’s found the place he has been looking for.

great story

⭐ (Story) 4.25
⭐ (Narrator) 4.5
🌶️ 2
🥵 Spicy chapters: 18, 20, 24, 28, 29
📚 Tropes/Themes: opposites attract, forced proximity, with benefits, no strings attached, trauma/healing, grief, slow burn
👀 Dual POV 1st person
🎙️ Dual narration (Connor Crais and Vanessa Edwins)
⏰ Approx 8 hours
💔 Triggers: best friend's death, discussions of grief, orphaned child
🛍️ Available: Now

💬 Well this story surprised me in the best way. A friend asked me what I thought about it and if I would recommend it to her and I said it was enjoyable but I didn't think there was much to it that really made it stand out. I don't mean that I'm a bad way, I love me some formulaic romance books! This story is honest, emotional, romantic and sweet.

So the main plot line in this book is about Burke inherited the house his best friend (Chris) and his wife were starting to remodel, prior to their death in a car accident. Charlotte is the historian Chris hired to help them do the restoration/remodel so they can get the house recognized as a historical building. I thought the story was going to be mainly focused on Burke and Charlotte but a lot of it focuses on Burke's grief and his struggle to process it/move forward.

Honestly the last third of the book was just so well done. I mean the whole book is good but the last third really stands out. It didn't make me cry, but it was really emotional. And I loved the slow burn tension and chemistry between Burke and Charlotte.

So I definitely recommend this story. It's just a really solid, engaging and well-written book. The narrators also did a great job (we all know how I feel about Daddy Connor 🫦) except I really just hate them trying to do the others voice.

Perfect Balance of Plot and Romance

I love Karla Sorensen’s books. I’ve read them all and this one was the first that I listened to. Absolutely fabulous narrators. It’s sometimes hard to imagine the voice matching the character, but I thought both narrators were very good. Loved their voices. Also kudos to Karla for the Easter egg in the form of the nod to the Marriage Effect by mentioning ‘the red hair swimsuit model who married the football player!’ Can’t wait for the next one.

wonderful

loved it .. beautifully done written.... loved the details of the old home design and architecture.

Wonderfully Emotional

Great characters,all of them. Beautiful prose throughout. Loved the introspective theme on individual grief.

Swoony with an emotional punch

I love love love this series. It packs such a punch and gives butterflies all over the place. I read them out of order, but I loved seeing the Michigan/OSU rivalry again in this one and glimpses of Liam. Burke and Charlotte were perfect together and the tension building was palpable. I hope there is a book about his sister... she deserves it. 4.5 stars

Grumpy/Sunshine

Seriously I’m obsessed with both of these narrators. They made the story top notch!

The banter between Burke and Charlotte was so fun!

Burke receives an old house in Michigan from his college best friend in a will. He has no desire to live in Michigan after he just retired from the NFL. He’d rather be down in FL. When he arrives he meets the project manager for the house construction. It’s a passionate redhead and Burke knows he’s about to have a hard time not wanting to move forward with the home.

loved it!

Good story, good character development, excellent narration, and I can't wait for the next in the series!

A truly great story

As a writer myself I’m always interested in a well written story. It’s not just a typical romance novel. This is far better. It entertains you as it runs along. You can imagine the characters and see how they play off of each other. I t leads you along to where you can’t wait to find out what happens next. It’s very satisfying to escape into the tale. I highly recommend it.

Slow burn

Sports
Grumpy/ sunshine
Close proximity
Slow burn
Found family

Burke is a former football player with a lot of emotional baggage. His feelings are locked up with the death of his best friend. The best friend that left him a money pit of a house in Michigan. He doesn’t want the house or to be in Michigan. He has plans to move to Florida with his sister and her kids. Dealing with a dilapidated house and responsibilities of renovations is not part of the plans. Especially when the renovation expert is an annoying know it all; even if she is a beautiful woman that he can’t stop think of.

Charlotte is passionate about renovating old homes and keeping them true to their original design. She loves it and knows that she will have to deal with people who sometimes do not share her visions. Burke doesn’t share her design passion but she hopes they can share another kind of passion.

They both have insecurities dealing with relationships/intimacy . Him with kissing and her with everything else. The slowly grow into more and the journey to HEA is bumpy.
It a long road to emptying the emotional baggage.

Great characters, wonderful banter, funny scenes to even out the emotional angst. Great first book in a series hopefully of great stores