First-Time Caller (Paperback or Softback)

Ah… what can I say…. First Time Caller was such an amazing read! ❤️ The story centers around Lucie and Aiden. Lucie’s daughter places a call to a local radio station on a quest to help her mom find love. Lucie ends up on the show and all of Baltimore listens and chimes in. Through it all, the chemistry and attraction between Lucie and Aiden grows. Eventually, they give into their love connection. I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope… BUT I think it worked in First Time Caller. If you enjoy swoony love stories that feel like real life romance, this book is for you. Favorite quote: “Lucie snuck in through the cracks when I wasn’t looking and made herself at home in the corners of my heart.” “Love isn’t always sunshine and daisies.” Book Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book drew my attention, because I actually read the second book in the series first - and that book kept referring back to the main couple in this first book. The main characters are Aidan Valentine, a radio station DJ and host of a call-in show about love, "Heartstrings". And Lucie Stone, an auto mechanic, who is a single mom of pre-teen Maya. One night, Lucie hears Maya talking late in the night on her phone, when she should be asleep. Maya has called-in to "Heartstrings" because she's worried that her mom needs to find someone who makes her happy. It's pretty much a copy/paste of the movie, "Sleepless in Seattle", where Lucie does finally get on the phone with Aidan to talk about Maya's concerns about her lack of a love life - and Lucie admits she wouldn't mind finding a little magic - but without forcing it. She wants it to happen naturally. But given her life as it is, there is no opportunity to meet someone her own age and with the same interests. Lucie is invited into the studio for more conversation, and for a few weeks, she and Aidan are hitting it off as a DJ team, taking calls, answering questions and getting Lucie set-up on dates with guys who want to date her. But over time, Lucie and Aidan start to experience feelings that neither of them expect. How they navigate this is a little frustrating to the reader, because of a way-too-contrived story of Aidan not being open to love because he is all closed-up/guarding his heart, after his mother has had several rounds of fighting cancer. Lucie, to her credit, patiently waits him out and truly acts like the adult in the situation. It felt about 50 pages too long, without much happening, other than this interior Aidan back-story. But once he snapped out of it, they made an adorable couple. Maya was fun to read about, as well as her bio dad, Grayson and his partner, Mateo, who live next door and co-parent Maya with Lucie. I enjoyed the story, but it could have used some editing.

This was such and sweet and fun story that still felt believable. The dialogue was great and the more intimate parts were very well done. Definitely one of the more enjoyable romance books I’ve read!

Eternoooooo! No terminaban más de estar juntos. Aiden me pareció medio caído del catre, pero me hizo reír así que bueno