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.