Review: Architecture and Artistry by Nora Everly

Architecture and Artistry by Nora Everly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Smartypants Romance, all opinions are my own.

As with all of the Smartypants offerings this is can be read as a standalone, however there are many mentions to either the Hill Sisters or the Monroe Brothers that will make more sense once you read them.  I don't think you need to read them in any particular order for this book to make sense, but if you were interested in the other couples and their stories I highly recommend checking out Nora Everly's backlist in this universe.  

This follows Sadie, who has recently separated from her husband with her twin boys.  She does not have a good relationship with her mother, but she has a great support system in her sisters.  Sadie is a talented interior designer and she is doing her best to get her life back together and get back on her feet.  She works for a local contracting firm owned by a wonderful family, what's the problem you ask?  Barrett is the company's architect and a member of that wonderful family.  He is  also Sadie's neighbor and current crush.  Barrett is divorced and has a teenage daughter, so he understands some of what Sadie is going through as a single and separated parent.  He also happens to be extremely attracted to Sadie.  Both of them are determined to fight their attraction but his mother and Sadie's younger sister are determined to meddle and matchmake.

I loved Sadie and Barrett together.  They both put their kids first and the both had a great support network in their families.  Sadie is determined to do things herself and doesn't like to ask for help, where Barrett is a fixer which made their banter interesting in the beginning but as they softened around each other they were able to compliment each other instead of oppose each other.  I thought they had great chemistry.  This has some pretty steamy parts, that border on naughty so if you enjoy that the heat level is fairly decent on this one.  I would say there is a low level of angst in this but there are some high tension moments throughout.  Sadie has some issues to deal with concerning her ex and her mother, and Barrett's daughter is dealing with something and he's not sure how to help her.  These eventually lead to Sadie and Barrett having some relationship drama.  Overall I think this was a great opposites attract, single parent romance that will really pull on your heartstrings.

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