My Funny Valentine

Jasper Falls, Book 5

By: Lydia Michaels

Narrated by: Amber Battaglia

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

My Funny Valentine is the fifth book in the Jasper Falls series by best-selling and award-winning author Lydia Michaels.

©2022 Lydia Michaels (P)2023 Lydia Michaels

Great

I always really enjoy reading the story of those characters that everyone has loved to hate in the series! To finally see things from their perspective and figure out why they ended up the way they do is so worth the wait. I guess I just love a good redemption arc.

This one was a great read, and although all the other books in this series try to make you hate her, I've always had a soft spot for Erin so I was ready for her to blossom. I was really happy with how her story ended up going!

Amber Battaglia did a wonderful job narrating this one! Her voice is so soothing, but not in the way that makes you want to fall asleep, more in the way that makes you want to listen longer, which is good for an audiobook.

Missing pieces

I had read all of the books in this series but somehow had missed this one. I’m happy I finally took the time to read it! It filled in some blanks for me for these characters. I did. feel like I was still missing more from these and it wasn’t long enough for me. I think there could have been more. But overall I liked the characters, felt emotional about the characters and enjoyed how it ended.

Heartbreaking

I have become a huge fan of Lydia Michaels books. The small town, close families are favorite tropes of mine. I wasn't feeling the characters in this one, until I did. My heart ached, then it broke. I physically hurt for Erin. I definitely stayed exasperated with both Erin and Giovanni as well. The emotions that I felt were deep. This ended too soon.

Amber Battaglia is an excellent narrator. She voices both male and female perfectly. I know her performance is part of why I felt so deeply for the characters. Amazing.

#ValentinePRaudioreview

I loved this!

I didn't think I could ever like Erin but here I was crying during the prologue. This book was so good. I loved all of the characters and LOVED Erin's redemption ARC. Highly recommend this for contemporary romance fans!

Erin’s story

Erin is the villain from a couple of Lydia Michael’s books. When I saw this was her story, I knew it would be good. Erin shows up at a comedic performance for an old classmate, Giovanni. Since the two have never gotten along, she heckles him but wasn’t expected to be heard. He gives it right back to Erin and she leaves the club in tears during a snowstorm. When the two are paired up again, an unlikely bond begins to form. Their stories are wonderfully told, as Erin has to work through her traumatic past and Giovanni deals with his own insecurities. The unlovable are often the ones that need it the most and seeing Erin’s layers slowly peeled away is a beautiful story. The kindness that is displayed in difficult times tells a great life lesson. The narrator does a great job, especially as male and female roles.

This couple really goes through it

This series is like a warm hug. Our characters have struggles and watching them work through it is so special.

This was a great redemption book for Erin and I loved seeing what her pain and issues were. Giovanni was a gem. Loved it.

4 stars

Nuance and Powerful

My Funny Valentine is an incise discussion of the trauma of familial abuse and neglect in the context of a romance. Micheals deftly manages to handle the light with serious is a exquisite manner.

All the feels and then some

This series is full of emotion from laughter to tears and everything in between. Lydia Michaels has also touched on some hard topics whether meeting them head-on or touching on issues in the periphery. My Funny Valentine goes full steam ahead and parts of this one feel all too real and are hard to get through. If you're familiar with the series and read the last book, then you'll remember Erin but not in a good way. I'll admit that I wasn't at all sure how this one was gonna go because I really wasn't sure I could warm up to Erin. She was pretty nasty in Pining for You, and I didn't think I could be convinced of a reason for her actions. Honestly, I'm still not sure about a reason, but my heart broke for her circumstances. Then there's Giovanni, and the more time he spent with Erin, the more I liked her. His patience and persistence with Erin were absolutely swoony, especially when they were coupled with his more outrageous moments. My own momma always told me to find a man who could make me laugh, so Giovanni is my kind of guy. There's also something about a couple who are so good for each other that one brings out the best in the other and vice versa. Erin and Giovanni are that couple, and I loved Erin's journey. I've loved this series from the beginning, but this story is one that really hit me in the feels, one that will stick with me.
Amber Battaglia gave voice to the characters, and she was just right for Erin. She captured the emotions so well, all the emotions. Even Erin's personal growth and the anguish she dealt with on her journey come through in Battaglia's performance.
I don't know if Lydia Michaels has anything else planned for Jasper Falls, but I hope so because these characters have found their way into my heart. Like the rest, this fifth book in the series can be read as a standalone. Past characters do pop in and out, but it doesn't cause any confusion. That said, I'd recommend starting at the beginning because you don't want to miss out on any of these great couples.

Absolutely heartbreaking but wonderful!!

I received an audible version of this book and I loved listening to this story. It's definitely a enemies to lovers type of story since Erin is so mean to Giovanni who is just doing a stand up routine and she heckles him. So not cool... lol but she redeems herself and once you get her horrible back story, you really start to sympathize with her character. They spend some time together really getting to know each other and it gets a little spicy which I loved! 🔥🔥

This book gave me so many feels... I laughed, I cried, I blushed, and I felt love. The narrator did an amazing job keeping me entertained and engrossed in the story.

I highly recommend it and now I'm going to have to go back and read/listen to the other books in this series!

I received an ALC for my honest review!

Deeply emotional romance!!

My Funny Valentine, an Audiobook by Lydia Michaels is book 5 in the Jasper Falls series. It is the excruciatingly emotional story of Giovanni and Erin. Whew….so much damage, pain, and shock…it was difficult, at times to stay disconnected. Fabulous story….excellent character development…and very well written. I often felt like this story was more of an internal monologue than a story. Maybe it was because it was written in the third person. There wasn’t much actual dialogue between characters, just a continuous journal-like oration. It was a little difficult to get connected…but, once I did, it was an excellent read!!

This Audiobook was narrated by Amber Battaglia, who does a fabulous job of bringing out the depth of the characters and the gut-wrenching emotion that they experience. Overall, wonderful story!!

I am volunteering to leave a review for an Advance Reader Copy of this Audiobook.

A beautiful heart breaking, second chance romance!

My Funny Valentine is book five in the Jasper Falls series and is a second chance bully romance about love and redemption that will break your heart and put you back together again in the most beautiful way.
Erin Montgomery is a relentless, hard on the outside yet super vulnerable heroine. We are introduced to Erin and her shockingly horrific childhood in the prologue. It tells us how her family are terrorised by her father Ward who is a pillar of the community. Her mother and brother flee the abuse leaving Erin at the mercy of the vicious man and unable to let anyone get close.
Giovanni Moscani is our cocky, aspiring comedian hero of the story. He grew up in Jasper Falls but has been touring with his comedy act. He’s home to visit his family and do a comedy gig. It’s at this gig that Erin heckles him, and he retaliates by humiliating her in front of a good chunk of the town. The two end up snowed in together where Erin’s hard-faced persona slips which allows Giovanni a glimpse of who the real Erin Montgomery is.
I was totally captivated with Amber Battaglia’s narration. This is my first-time hearing Amber’s work, and I can’t think of a better introduction than her bringing Erin and Giovanni to life.
I loved My Funny Valentine, even if Erin broke my heart and had the tears flowing, Giovanni swiftly put my heart back together again and had me swooning.
My favourite quote of the book
“I want you. I want your soft lips and your sweet body. I want your mind and your secrets. I want your kisses and your moans. But most of all, I want your trust, because I know it’s not something you easily give.”

Emotional and Heartbreaking!

This is the fifth book in the Jasper Falls Series, a Small Town Romance. OMG! This story is emotional, and heartbreaking! Erin is such a beautiful, and strong character. My heart broke for her. Giovanni is handsome, caring, and protective. I liked his determination. They are perfect together. This story is intricate, and enthralling. The ending is beautiful. Amber Battaglia did an excellent job with the narration.

My Funny Valentine

Back in Jasper Falls 🥰

This story is something special. It's not like many other stories, because Erin and Giovanni have a very difficult relationship. Nothing comes easy for them.

Erin has issues from her past and Giovanni has problems of finding his place in life.
But they fight for there love ❤️

Happy Valentines Day!

Get ready to feel!

Jasper Falls is a series of small town romances, but this one is by far the most emotional of them. Erin lives with her father, an abusive man that has no love for anything but his hardware store. Now grown, she finds herself stuck in this situation. The girl no one likes, the constant bullying and teasing, and her horrible home life has her like a hamster on a wheel, unable to get off. That is until Giovanni. When Giovanni comes into her life, he is like a force, making her feel but unable to penetrate the fear she feels. He is an upcoming comedian, facing his own failures but he continues his pursuit of Erin. Until he too finds himself in a dark place, unable to find his success. Will these two people find their way out and their way to happiness? Lydia Michaels has taken us on a roller coaster of emotions with this book. It's has relevant issues, and they are not sugar coated in any way. She invests your heart, makes want to take care of these two and find their way. We do get to visit with some of the the other characters we have previously met too, giving us that glimpse of their future, which is always fun. This is a fantastic listen, one to take to heart and show how we don't always know what goes on behind closed doors.

Amber Battaglia is our storyteller and she does a wonderful job. There are a lot of emotions in this one, times that you will cringe and others you will love. She uses her voices to delve into the story and have us feel it all. It's a great performance, and I will be watching for more from her.

Heartbreaking

This book is the 5th book in the Jasper Falls series, it can be read as a standalone however to get a better idea of the characters and the environment, I would advise reading the previous books before going into this one.

Erin, wow. First up, I would like to point out, in the previous books, she was not my favourite character. She was nowhere close, she was rude and all around, not a nice person. In this book, however, we see a completely different side to her and wow what a tough life she had! Giovanni, oh Giovanni, what a sweetheart. He can be awkward at times but you got to love him and his personality. Trying to make it as a comedian, Giovanni is the perfect person to try and tear down Erin's walls. He is patient and so sweet!

I loved this enemies-to-lovers book. The dual POV really gave a greater understanding to the characters which I really enjoyed.
Overall I would recommend this book.

Triggers:Abuse