BK Borison Archives - The Litertarian

Book Review:: Lovelight Farms | BK Borison

I think we can all agree that BK Borison is great at what she does: swoony contemporary romances with heart and spice and all the feels. And it started all the way back with her debut, Lovelight Farms. If you’re a romance reader and haven’t read BK Borison yet, literally what are you doing. STOP, pick this up, and begin your education on what an excellent contemporary romance can be.

Lovelight Farms by BK Borison Book Cover

To be honest, I did not fall for this book the first time I read it. There is a bit of a mystery storyline that distracts from the angsty longing that cracks and sparkles between Luca and Stella which is the real star of the show.

These two ran into each other years ago and became fast friends. He lives in New York though, which is close enough to visit often, but a little unrealistic for a serious intimate relationship. Besides, Stella has abandonment issues that keep her from being outright with her feelings. Now though, she’s in a pinch. She’s told a social media influencer she owns her Christmas tree farm with her true love to pump up their story and win the contest she desperately needs to win to stay afloat. Trouble is, she and Luca have only ever been friends, and now she has to tell him what she did so that he can play along. What could go wrong? It’s just acting, right?

This is the perfect time of year to pick up this book. It’s about a Christmas tree farm. They’re always buying each other coffees. It’s a small town. It’s cozy as hell. But that’s just the ambiance. To me, the romance is everything and the friends to more trajectory is just so achingly sweet. Stella and Luca absolutely won me over, and look at that stinkin’ cute cover!

If you find yourself here in holiday season 2025 and still haven’t read this book, seriously, add it to your reading list. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Details

Title:: Lovelight Farms (Lovelight #1)
Author:: BK Borison
Genre:: Holiday Romance
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 15m
Audiobook Narrator:: Pippa Jayne
Published:: June 6th, 2023
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Christmas Is All Around | Martha Waters
Mistletoe & Mr Right | Sarah Morgenthaler
First Time Caller | BK Borison
Business Casual | BK Borison

Book Review:: First-Time Caller | BK Borison

When I heard BK Borison was coming out with a new series based on all of our favorite Nora Ephron Rom-Com movies of the 90s I was ALL IN. And when I say that, I hope you realize that I mean I felt fully take-my-money feral. Book #1 in what she’s calling the Heartstrings series is First-Time Caller, based on the Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan classic: Sleepless in Seattle.

First-Time Caller by BK Borison Book Cover

Lucie’s daughter calls in to a late-night radio show based around love, and hosted by a man who no longer believes in it.

After the impressively accomplished Business Casual, Borison’s previous release, I had the highest of hopes for this book. It was good, but it wasn’t on the same level. More than anything, First-Time Caller felt indulgent.

Aiden had character, but for me it wasn’t nearly strong enough. I’d have vastly preferred more scenes with character development for Aiden than have the two of them locked in storage closets for far too many pages dry humping and ignoring their problems. Were there great scenes in this book? Of course. And I enjoy the prose style. The struggle for me this time was all story. It just felt unbalanced, focusing far too much on the sexual tension, and eventually, the actual sex. It’s something Borison does well, the almost visceral sexual tension, but too much of even a good thing eventually sours, and that’s how I felt about First-Time Caller.

Still, BK Borison remains an auto-buy author for me…for now. We’ll see how I feel about her next few releases, beginning with an October release titled Good Spirits. Personally, I’d rather have one great book release a year instead of two mediocre ones. I hope my fears about that are unfounded and this was a fluke. And hey, many others seriously adore this one. Unfortunately, I can’t call myself one of them.

Details

Title:: First Time Caller (Heartstrings #1)
Author:: BK Borison
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 448 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 54m
Audiobook Narrator:: EJ Bingham & Hathaway Lee
Published:: February 11th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3.5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Thank You For Listening | Julia Whelan
This Summer Will Be Different | Carley Fortune
Wild Love | Elsie Silver

Book Review:: Business Casual | B.K. Borison

I received this book as an e-arc for review by the publisher via netgalley, but only a handful of chapters in, I added the paperback (and the rest of the series) to my cart. Already I trusted the writing enough to know this was going to be amazing, and it was exactly the wholesome fulfilling romance I was hoping for.

Nova Porter is overwhelmed with the launching of her very own tattoo shop in her hometown of Inglewild. She’s drowning in paperwork, to-do tasks, and responsibility. She needs a release. When fun-loving New Yorker and obnoxious flirt Charlie asks her to dance at the wedding they’re both attending, she thinks he might be just the thing to help. But a proposition was the last thing he expected from Nova, and (adorable) awkwardness kills the moment. But now Charlie knows she’s interested in that kind of relationship, and that changes everything.

Nova is a spunky, hard-working woman setting out on her own to make her dreams come true in the hometown that just feels right. She has regular dinners with her supportive family, and knows everyone in town. She knows she can handle it, but also – can she actually handle it? Charlie comes from an upper-class broken family with a father that makes him feel like he’s only as good as what he can accomplish, and that he’s not even good at that. He’s gotten to know Inglewild through his half-sister, Stella, who runs a Christmas tree farm there, and it makes him feel whole in a way he’s never experienced before, but he still feels like he doesn’t quite belong.

This is an example of a story that works well because of character (not to belittle the idyllic setting, which was also amazing). Nova and Charlie are perfectly suited, but their character and backstory drive the conflict. If Charlie was with someone else, it wouldn’t have the same ending. If Nova was with someone else, it wouldn’t have the same inciting incident. They are so thoughtfully designed to create this engaging story full of so much longing, and a resolution that doesn’t leave you feeling damaged, but with a bigger heart than you had before.

I adored Charlie. He’s that not-a-puppy-anymore aged golden retriever pup at the shelter who was abandoned by his family and just looking for someone to tell him what a good boy he is. And he’s a good boy. He’s such a good boy. I dare you not to fall for him right along with Nova.

This is the fourth book in the Lovelight Farms series by BK Borison. Each volume corresponds to one of the seasons, and Business Casual is centered around fall. Nova and Charlie both find themselves on the Harvest Festival committee and work together to help the town make it a great event.

Business Casual is a feel-good read. You get that warm fuzzy feeling all the way through. Now that I’ve turned the last page, I have that book hangover feeling, like I just want to hold on a little bit longer. Luckily, there are three other books in the series I get to dive into next! If you’re looking for your next romance fix, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Details

Title:: Business Casual (Lovelight Book #4)
Author:: B.K. Borison
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 384 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 37m
Audiobook Narrator:: Pippa Jayne & Benjamin D. Walker
Audiobook Publisher:: Dreamscape Media
Published:: July 16th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Level:: 4 (open door, frequent)