Before the Sunset

Cottonwood Cove Series, Book 4

By: Laura Pavlov

Narrated by: Maxine Mitchell, Jacob Morgan

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

He’s an actor in need of an image makeover. She’s determined to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on. A fake relationship between two best friends is the perfect solution. Or is it?

Reese Murphy has been my best friend since before we took our first steps. She’s the yin to my yang. The peanut butter to my jelly. It’s all platonic, of course, as we made a pact years ago that we’d never cross the line.

But then she took a job abroad and moved away for a year. To say I’ve been lost without her would be a massive understatement. She’s finally coming home, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

And then she presents me with a proposition—pretend to be her boyfriend. I am an actor, after all, so it should be a piece of cake. It’s all part of her grand plan to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on. My agent wants me to clean up my image, so it would be a win-win for both of us.

But then she moves into my house and prances around in those tiny pajama shorts. There's also the night she catches me alone in the bathroom in a compromising position. And she isn’t in any hurry to leave. We get lost in the moment, and now I can’t think of anything else.

We are way past a gray area at this point. We’ve entered a smoking-hot-I-think-I-might-be-in-love-with-my-best-friend area. The problem is, she still thinks we’re fake dating. And I stopped faking it a long time ago.

This is book four in the Cottonwood Cove series. Each one can be listened to as a complete stand-alone. An HEA is guaranteed!

Cottonwood Cove series:

• Into the Tide
• Under the Stars
• On the Shore
• Before the Sunset
• After the Storm

©2023 Laura Pavlov (P)2023 Laura Pavlov

Steamy, emotional and swoony!

Oh my, I am so swooning so hard after finishing this book. “Before the Sunset” is a steamy, emotional and swoony best friends to lovers that I devoured in one sitting because I could not stop listening.

Reese and Finn have been best friends literally their whole lives. Inspeatable all through school until Reese had her first serious boyfriend in senior year of high school. Fast forward years later, Reese is back in Cottonwood Cove after spending the year in London. Reese and her boyfriend broke up before she moved and she’s determined to show him she’s moved on. Finn, a successful actor, is also back and agrees to be her fake boyfriend even though he hates the ex. As the two spend time together as a couple, the boundaries they set start to blur as real feelings start to surface.

Boy, was the swoon factor turned up for this one. Not only romantically but in all the best possible ways as Reese and Finn figure out that they were meant to be together. They were truly best friends their whole lives and it shows in how much they know about each other and how close they are. They are each other’s true half and I just fell in love with them. Reese is so genuine, caring and such a good person. Finn was so swoony and I loved how he always put Reese first. He was there for her without hesitation through some of her hardest times and continued to be the light she needed. I loved the steamy scenes as they explored the benefits of their “fake” relationship. The ending was so sweet and so perfect for Reese and Finn.

Maxine Mitchell and Jacob Morgan were fabulous and the perfect choices for this audiobook. Maxine is always so perfect at narrating all the emotions her character is going through and I just love her male voice. Jacob brought the swoon alive, per the norm. And also brought the fun parts alive so well.

OMG!! What an incredible story!!

Before the Sunset, an Audiobook by Laura Pavlov is the heartaching story of Finn (Chewy) and Reese (Mione). They’ve been best friends forever. He’s a famous movie star. She’s a bit undecided. Her life has been difficult, to say the least and he’s been there through it all. Now, there’s so much more happening…and neither of them have a clue what’s next. And what happens before sunset????

Immensely enjoyable listen!! These characters are perfectly imperfect and have tremendous strength and fortitude. They also have undying devotion and love! Absolutely wonderful story!!

This Audiobook was beautifully narrated by Maxine Mitchell and Jacob Morgan. Their performances were seamless and spot on!!! They captured the essence of the character flawlessly!! I almost felt as if I were right there!! Excellent!!

Finn oh Finn

Oh my stars! I love Maxine Mitchell and I love Jacob Morgan and having them narrating a Laura Pavlov book is a trifecta for me! I was ecstatic to listen to it early.
Jacob voices Finn Reynolds, up and coming actor who's about to break into the big screen but whose TV show co-star is hellbent on tarnishing his reputation. All lies, but his career is at stake here he needs to fix it. The solution comes from Reese Murphy, his best friend, his "person", who proposes they fake date to help his image. She will benefit from it too because she wants to make her ex-fiancé jealous.
Maxine voices Reese and I'm so glad she did. For the first time reading a Laura Pavlov book I went "Oh, no, girl! Don't!" with every single decision made by the heroine. As a cancer survivor myself, I totally hoped I'd see a woman with true grit and strength and not a girl with so little self respect. And to be honest, she's not as good a friend to Finn as he proved time and time again that he is to her. Maxine does a great job in making her endearing to us. Well, to me anyway. I really wanted to love Reese and I just didn't. It happens.
I have to mention that this is dual narration and both narrators rock in all roles! They are perfection!
As in all Cottonwood Cove stories, I LOVE the Reynolds and their adorable meddling ways! There is a closet scene with, well, all of them that is pure gold! Or citrine...
Reese and Finn were meant for each other and I'm glad they finally saw that. The epilogue is so so swoony I had tears in my eyes. I can't get enough of this family! Give me more! 

I am in love with this entire series!

Each book has me falling more and more in love with every character! I loved Moine and Chewy !!! Their banter and friends to lovers is absolutely perfect!! The narrators brought it to life beautifully

Friends to Lovers is my Favorite!

I knew I'd love this story because of the tropes. Jacob Morgan and Maxine Mitchell are some of my favorite narrators. I binged this story in a day. Finn was a favorite sibling of mine from the previous books. His antics/anecdotes always put a smile on my face, so I was excited to read his HEA. There was one element/reveal at the end that slightly bothered me, but it's a little spoiler-y. I also know other readers wouldn't mind it and it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story overall.

Sweet Friends to Lovers

Before the Sunset, by Laura Pavlov, is the fourth installment in the Cottonwood Cove Series. The story dives into the journey from friends to lovers and the complexities of a fake romance between Reese Murphy and Finn Reynolds.

Reese, returning from London, is confronted with the heart-wrenching revelation that her former fiancé is on the brink of engagement with her arch-nemesis. Simultaneously, Finn, freshly returned from a film set, finds himself in dire need of an image overhaul due to a smear campaign orchestrated by a former co-star. As Reese grapples with heartbreak and Finn seeks redemption, Reese agrees to masquerade as Finn's fake girlfriend, aiming to demonstrate to her ex that she, too, has moved on while mending Finn's tarnished reputation. Though Reese is mentally committed to their new dynamic, Finn becomes emotionally involved, leading to a series of both heartwarming and exasperating moments.

The narration by Jacob Morgan and Maxine Mitchell is a fantastic blend of talent. Jacob adeptly brings Finn's tender vulnerabilities to life, particularly when confronting the potential repetition of history with Reese. Maxine excels in portraying Reese's internal conflict with finesse, enriching the emotional fabric of the story. Together, they elevate the story, making it a truly engaging read.

The best so far!!!

* Childhood besties turn lovers
* Fake Relationship
* He Falls First
* Small Town
* Accidental Pregnancy
 
Audiobook review: Narrated by Jacob Morgan and Maxine Mitchell
 
I have loved everyone of the Cottonwood Cove books, but this one was the best yet. I have been waiting on Finn's story and was already half in love with his character from the previous books but he was even better than I imagined. The way he loved Reese and would do anything for her, even before they turned the corner in their relationship was so swoon-worthy. Reese is one of the most lovable, down to earth FMCs I've read and I was rooting for her throughout the entire journey. Their "best friends" relationship was beautiful to read and I was on the side of not allowing anything to hurt this couple. I'm a lover of all the angst, but even I didn't want this boat rocked.
 
The narration was amazing!! The first time I heard Jacob Morgan as Finn I knew he was going to knock it out of the park. I could hear the charm oozing from the headphones and he played this part perfectly. Maxine Mitchell gave Reese's character so much depth and the emotion she poured into her character added so much to the story. I am a lover of audiobooks because of narrator's like these two and the way they add so much to the experience of consuming a book. I highly recommend this book, and the whole series, on audio!!
 
I can't wait to see what's in store for Cage!!

love this series!

I enjoyed going back to Cottonwood Cove and seeing more from the Reynolds family. I love this small town and this fictional family so much. I'm so glad there is going to be one more book in this series and already can't wait for it to release.

Reese and Finn were so cute together. This book did a good job of making that transition from best friends to lovers. There was already an attraction between them since they'd promised long ago to not cross that line with each other, but once their feelings really started to show, the line started to blur.

I was really nervous that there was going to be some drama from Reese's ex that would mess with her and Finn ending up together, but I was so glad to see Reese realize that he wasn't who she wanted after all.

The text conversations between the Reynolds siblings are always hilarious and so fun to read through.

Maxine Mitchell and Jacob Morgan are among my top favorite narrators and I will listen to anything they narrate because I know it'll be amazing! This time was no different. They were a great pairing for this book. They both always do a great job of giving each character a unique voice.

Love it

honey mountain and cottonwood cove
Love them all and how they all
Come together for each other
Can not wait for gage’s story

I really enjoyed this

I love the friends to lovers and the narration was great as well. Thanks for the book