Catch and Keep (Smitten in the Mitten)
"A friends-to-lovers romance that’s magically both hot and wholesome. Cozy, sexy, and so very satisfying… this one’s a keeper." — Jen Devon, author of Right Where We Left Us
In Erin Hahn's cozy, swoony romance, Maren Laughlin has been fishing her whole life, but she’s finally ready to be caught.
At thirty-three, Maren Laughlin's just turned down her boyfriend’s proposal, walked away from her decade-long position as a park ranger, and returned to her childhood playground in Northern Wisconsin to accept her inheritance: a decrepit waterfront bait shop. After a lifetime of letting things happen to her, she’s ready to start making her own moves, even if everyone else thinks she’s making the wrong ones. Well, not everyone—at least the local heartstopper and resort owner is on her side.
Josiah Cole has made some missteps in his life, but he’s proud of what he has: two awesome kids and the keys to the kind of getaway spot that has families coming back every summer– their up north home away from home. After his marriage dissolved, leaving him a single dad, he feels he’s the last person to judge Maren for her recent transformation (even if his best friend, her brother, wants him to feel otherwise). Besides, he genuinely likes having her around. She’s a breath of fresh air, his kids adore her (not to mention her dog, Rogers), and it doesn’t hurt that she’s beautiful.
Things between Maren and Joe are easy. So easy, they’re fully immersed in the middle before they even decide to begin. It’s not a question of should they, but rather can they make it last? Are things too easy, or is this just how real love works? In Erin Hahn’s heartwarmingly sexy Catch and Keep, Maren and Joe have to be brave enough to find out.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Erin Hahn’s latest adult romance Catch and Keep might be my favorite one so far. Maybe it’s because I just finished reading it, my heart’s all warm and gooey, but I adored Maren, Joe, Anders, and Lucy! The waterfront autumnal setting in Wisconsin didn’t hurt either. Right book at the right time!
While Hahn’s last three adult romances haven’t been marketed as a series, they all have included connected friends. First we met Shelby in Built to Last, then Lorelai in Friends Don’t Fall in Love, and now it’s Maren’s turn in Catch and Keep. And if you’re a fan of the previous books, you’ll be happy to know Shelby, Lorelai, and their fellas appear throughout this one, as well, but it’s not necessary to know them. It’s just a nice bonus.
Things are rough for Maren at the start of Catch and Keep. She’s left her job as a park ranger, her now ex-boyfriend (who just stole the job she applied for out from under her), and she’s returning to the place she loved most as a child, with familiar surroundings and people—including her brother’s best friend, Josiah. Oh, and his two adorable kids.
Joe’s had it rough too, becoming a single dad when his wife and high-school sweetheart couldn’t accept their daughter’s autism diagnosis.
Maren and Joe soon discover they get along great, even though Maren’s brother Liam has warned them both to keep it strictly friends, and they each fill a hole neither one realized they desperately needed to fill. They can’t help wondering if it’s so easy, is it real?
I adored Maren and Joe’s journey. It’s sweet and heartwarming and romantic. We get both sides in this dual POV, open door romance. And the kids only enhanced the story. Watching them all fall in love with each other was the best. And if I was rating this one on just these four characters, it would be five stars. But there were a few side characters and stories that felt unrealistic?? Or maybe incomplete. I want to avoid spoilers here, but one storyline didn’t wrap up the way I felt like it needed to. The way it had been built up, I was expecting some serious drama, but it kind of just fizzled out for me. I felt like it was a missed opportunity.
And while I can believe that Joe’s ex-wife would bail when she couldn’t accept their daughter’s diagnosis, it was hard to make the two different parts of her make sense: On one hand, there’s Joe’s high school sweetheart, the woman that followed him every time he moved with the military, the only woman he’d ever been with as a 38 year old man, and then there’s this uncaring and awful mother. I needed more backstory, something more to make the transition make sense; she felt like two different characters.
If you’re a fan of Erin Hahn, and you haven’t read Catch and Keep, grab a cozy blanket, a warm cup of tea, and settle in to be romanced!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
Then there’s Josiah Cole, the local heartthrob with a resort and two kids, who proves that sometimes the best catch is the one you weren’t fishing for. Their romance? It’s like finding an extra marshmallow at the bottom of your hot cocoa—unexpected and oh-so-sweet.
Erin Hahn has a knack for crafting characters that feel like old friends and romances that feel like first loves. “Catch and Keep” is a reminder that sometimes the best things in life are the ones you snag on a lazy Sunday afternoon with a fishing pole in one hand and a heart full of hope. It’s a quick-witted, heartwarming read that’s perfect for anyone who’s ever wondered if they’re just a fish out of water or if they’re simply waiting for the right moment to swim upstream.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.