Always Mine: Honey Mountain Series, Book 1

This book will address some triggers like the physical abuse that Niko takes while he was a child. Beatings and cigarette burns.The story is about, Vivian Thomas, one of five sisters. Everyone in, Honey Mountain is in love, with the Thomas sisters. But, no one has ever talked about their son, of unspoken love, loyalty, and friendship to them. Niko West, of course, he and Vivi, became friends in kindergarten and, never stopped. Vivi’s loyalty, to her friend, became fierce, once she became aware of him being beaten, and burnt by his father.Niko has always been grumpy, and standoffish. Unless, he wants, to talk to you, or in the dating world, have a one-off. Vivi on the other hand is more, monogamous. Her last boyfriend, Jansen is an uneventful, lover. In the end, it was a long-distance relationship, not her choice, and she was over it. She was on her way, to tell him it, was over. She caught him in the act, of servicing his co-worker. Funny thing is, that’s not what bothers her. It's that he didn’t have the balls, or the common courtesy, to break up with, her first. They were from, the same town and had, been friends since they, were kids.So, when Jansen sends her family an invitation, to his wedding six months after the breakup, it's like a slap in the face. Most of all she was feeling relief it isn’t her, betrayal is a close second. It is not well received, by the family present, for Sunday dinner. Ashlan and Charlotte, are in dismay over how, insensitive and, inconsiderate, Jansen is for sending it. Dylan however, is planning how, to torture, and maim him. She is on the warpath. When Niko arrives he is trying desperately to read Vivi.All the women in town want, this 6’ 4”, Greek god, and a firefighter on top of everything else. But, if the two of them, he and Viv, are in a room together, no one stands a chance. They don't even realize, what it is they, share. Her bestie, Niko who never drinks, did decide, to take her out, to one of the local bars. She gets pleasantly high. The discussion somehow leads, to fulfillment in bed, and she reveals no man has ever achieved, that for her. He is angry on, her behalf.This is when she asks, Niko, to teach her how to be fulfilled, sexually. He becomes even more, surly than usual. Mainly, because with all that he is, he would love, to have all of, Vivi for himself. But, with a background like his, he believes that it can, never be possible. Especially, with, Jack, her dad being his captain, at the fire station. Now, the idea of sexual, exploration and fulfillment is a quest. Her wanting, to know for sure that it wasn't her fault, is a gift Niko gave her, in their discussion. And, for sure, she just had a couple of, selfish lovers.I enjoyed this book because there is such a mental and physical fight going on with Niko. You will see this strong man, who is selfless in his protection, and his love, once he deems you family.

“Tragedy had a way of reminding you how precious life was. Reminding you about what mattered most. About what was most important. Love and family were everything.”This was such a sweet small town romance, I was craving all the baked goods and simultaneously swooning over the sexy firefighter with a heart of gold. When Vivian‘s ex fiancé sends her an invitation to his upcoming wedding, it was a real eye opener to the fact that maybe she was just unlucky in love or that she had the perfect man in front of her all along in her best friend Niko. So when Vivian decides that Niko is the perfect man to show her the ropes in the bedroom, all bets were off for just staying friends!“I already loved Vivi, I had my whole life. Wanting her wasn’t supposed to happen. I shouldn’t have crossed that line with her, but now that I had, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.”I loved the family dynamics of Vivian’s sisters and Dad and of course Niko’s adorable niece Mabel! Cute kids in stories get me every time. There are some heartbreaking moments with how Niko‘s father had treated him in the past, my heart ached over the pain of it all but Vivian was there through it all with him, her love and kindness shown through the dark. Overall really enjoyed this small town, friends to lovers and will definitely be grabbing the next book!

I absolutely loved this book!It was funny, heartfelt, heartbreaking, romantic, and just all in all wonderful.Niko was perfect. He was this "Jason Momoa tough&hot-looking, cuddly teddy bear" type of guy. And Vivi was literally his perfect match. The way these two interacted on page was amazing. And I'm not talking about the s3xual chemistry (which was definitely there, though the spicy scenes could be longer), but the genuine person-to-person connection they had. It was GOLD.And don't even get me started on Dylan because she's one of my favorite side characters ever. In real life, we'd be best buddies.I've been on a streak of picking up books based on their covers, and I simply couldn't resist this one. But as gorgeous as this cover is, what's inside is even better.A beautiful, beautiful book. Straight to my favorites shelf.💔 Angst: 4/5(Here, I need to point out that the MCs got together fairly soon & you watch them evolve as a couple on page, which I loved. But the angst comes mostly from their respective life issues.)🔥 Spice: 4/5(It was there, but I wish the scenes were just a little bit longer.)👤 Character development: 5/5🌍 World-building: 5/5📝 Plot: 4/5 (Could smell the final 'twist' from a mile away.)CW: Physical and emotional @buse (mostly talked about), de@th of a parent (in the past but shown on page).

I really enjoyed this book. Although Laura doesn’t write as much 🌶 as I prefer, she does tell a story well. Our 2 MC’s were soulmates. They always knew it, so did everyone else. Both suffered loss and pain yet had each other. The character growth was a joy to watch and the supporting cast were the best. I am anxious to hurry up and get the next book downloaded. I also applaud the epilogue and extended epilogue. My biggest pet peeve is when there is an abrupt ending and or when the epilogue still leaves you wanting and feeling like there are unanswered questions. Laura is one of a very few authors that does it right.

Niko and Vivian’s story is extremely sweet. Best friend to lover who took some time to realize that’s there are more feelings involved to their friendship. I like that Vivi was the pursuer to cross that line.I don’t know why I waited so long to start this series. Just go ahead and press the Read/Buy button. You’d enjoy reading this HEA.

Great start to a series. I love this friends to lovers story with low angst between the main couple. We get introduced to a lot of the characters who will be getting their own HEA in future books. I'm looking forward to reading them all.

OMG, what a fantastic read! A beautiful friends-to-lovers romance that is fun, sexy and gorgeously swoony, I was completely swept up in this beautiful small-town romance, and I absolutely loved it!This is the start of a new series for Laura Pavlov, and we are introduced to the Thomas sisters from the small town of Honey Mountain. They were raised by their very proud and loving dad after their mother passed away when they were teenagers, and they are as close as can be. This is the story of second-eldest, Vivian.Vivian and Niko have been best friends since childhood. They have been there for each other through ups and downs, and are a huge part of each other’s lives. So, when Vivi finds herself single for the first time since high school and realises just what she’s been missing in her one lacklustre relationship that ended badly six months previously, she decides it’s time to experience what epic sex is all about. And who better to turn to than the man she trusts the most? A broody, closed-off-to-everybody-but-her man with proven skills who is known as the town’s player who she knows won’t be interested in anything other than a quick fling – her very own best friend.This may not be a unique storyline, but the way Pavlov writes it is just awesome. It’s funny and honest, and in a true reflection of Vivian and Niko’s friendship, she has full trust in him, and she lets it all out there.Vivi’s blatant attempts to lure Niko into her bed had me laughing out loud, and though Niko has feelings towards her that are more than just friendly, he’s never allowed himself to go there. Not only because she’s been in a long-term relationship, but she has been his touchstone in life, the one person who has always been there for him, and he refuses to mess with that. And after surviving his devastating childhood, he’s not interested in a relationship or family, or any of the things that he knows Vivi wants.But the more he thinks about it, and the more Vivi encourages him, Niko can’t resist the attraction that has always been there for him. The chemistry is fantastic, and the sexual tension builds brilliantly, and when he finally gives in, they take that final step, and it’s hot and passionate, and the connection that they share changes everything.I love these two together so much, and I loved watching their friendship shift so effortlessly into more. They do their best to keep things casual, but it’s so right and so special, they quickly realise that they’re in way deeper than they ever intended to be. They’re completely honest about everything that’s happening between them, but it’s a scary situation for Niko, who never wanted to be feeling anything like what he feels for Vivi, and my heart broke for both of them as they try to figure out what they are to each other, and what they want from the future.They have some soul searching to do, but the drama is short-lived and well-written, and brings only minor angst that works to builds intensity in the story, so that when they do actually come together, those scenes had me cheering and grinning like a fool.The relationship stuff is resolved earlier than expected in the book, so we get to see lots of time with them together as a couple and figuring out their new life together. Just in time for real drama to hit. Niko’s family is a mess, and there are big developments there which have a huge impact on them, and Vivi’s past also plays its part. But they’re strong together, and I loved watching them face everything and find their happy ending, which again had me grinning like an idiot.I love these characters so much! They are funny, playful, caring and honest, and from the very beginning their love for each other is beautiful to see and I loved watching it change and deepen so naturally. Niko is that wonderful mix of broody and sweet-hearted, and his vulnerabilities just made him all the more irresistible. I loved watching him come to understand and accept his feelings for Vivi, and then openly and eagerly dive headfirst into everything he was once afraid of… gah, he’s just amazing!There’s also a wonderful bunch of side characters – Niko’s buddies at the fire station are entertaining, and I adored Vivi’s sisters (filterless Dylan, in particular, is a freaking riot!). I cannot wait to read more about them as the series continues, and with the brief hints that we get during this book, I am so excited for Everly’s second-chance-romance coming up next in Ever Mine.This is such a great read full of humour, heart, and a beautiful, natural, functional romance that absolutely owned my heart. It’s a fave for 2022!

First book I've read by this author. Niko - muscular, broody, commitment-phobe, playboy firefighter falls for his best friend since childhood - sweet baker Vivi (who he calls Honey Bee).They start off with a friends with benefits relationship. Vivi has only had 1 boyfriend and the sex wasn't very good. She thinks experienced Niko could help her to find out what the fuss is about.Niko had a traumatic childhood and doesn't feel he is good enough for Vivi and he can't offer her what she wants in terms of a relationship but agrees to help her explore her sexuality.Fun, mostly light-hearted easy to read book with a good cast of supporting characters. The rest of the series is about Vivi's 4 sisters.

Holy…I don’t even know! Wow! This book is off-the-charts awesome. This friends-to-lovers journey is a sweet, sexy, and relatable story that I'll read over and over. So take a chance on this book, it have everything you love in a Laura Pavlov story. It is one of those books that begs to be read! I’m just sad it has ended. So hit that one click button to see how it all plays out! HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Reading LP always puts a smile on my face. Niko I just wanted to give a giant hug to, he’s been through so much thankfully he has his HoneyBee 🐝 ViVi is the bright spot in everyone’s lives. They have been friends forever and taking that next step was risky especially for Niko who never thought he was worthy.The Thomas sisters are a joy to read about! And I can’t wait to read their stories next.

A love story that you’d always want to happen to you. I absolutely loved every word, paragraph and chapter. I was hooked from the first page until the last. I dream every day for this kind of love but it’s only from the books I read that it happens. Laura knows her love stories and I love reading her books.