Mine to Love

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Mine to Love by Natasha Madison is the fourth book in the Southern Wedding series. This installment takes a different turn from the previous books in the series. This time around, instead of a wedding coming to an abrupt halt, the heroine has no desire to marry, and it’s up to the hero to convince her otherwise. Mine to Love delivered a funny and heartfelt friends to lovers romance with a surprise pregnancy thrown into the mix. Presley and Bennett have been a part of each other’s lives growing up. Bennett is her brother’s best friend. At eighteen years old, Presley gave Bennett her virginity. Since then have been seeing each other on and off for the past twelve years. They are in love with each other, but they have yet to express their feelings to one another. Presley has no intention of getting married, something which she’s made Bennett aware of, so he willingly accepted what she offered. Now he’s returned home for good and they are seeing each other regularly, with no hope of Pressley changing her mind about their relationship moving beyond their frequent hook-up. However, an unexpected pregnancy will change the whole dynamics of their relationship. Will it bring them closer together or will tear them apart?Mine to Love is a beautiful story, which depicted two of my favorite tropes, friends to lovers and brother’s best friend. The protagonists, Pressley and Bennett have history, which started from their childhood days. A history which became complicated when their relationship became physical. They fell in love with each other, but they have never truly expressed the way they felt about each other. Bennett wants more but fears if he pushes for more, Pressley would run in the opposite direction. While Pressley fears losing Bennett and the impending heartbreak to follow such a loss.The chemistry between these two is off the charts, and their passion for each other is intense. Throughout the story, one could see these two love each other, but Pressley’s stubbornness and determination to do things on her own threatened the possibility of a happily ever after for these two. Their flirtatious and humorous banter which had me smiling throughout the story. Without a doubt, these two belonged together.I loved how they quickly embraced the changes the pregnancy would bring after the initial shock wore off. Many readers will find Pressley relatable, Although, I must admit her behaviour throughout the story annoyed me. Her insistence on pushing Bennett based on what happened to her mother and her siblings rubbed me the wrong way. Frankly, her fears were unfounded. Also, I do believe readers will fall for Bennett. He treats Pressley with the utmost care and attention before and even more so during the pregnancy. Hence the reasons her actions annoyed me. She finally came to her senses, but the journey to that point came with heart wrenching moments. The outcome, however, will leave readers smiling.Despite my frustration with the heroine, Mine to Love entertained me with its heartwarming and passionate romance. It delivered a combination of funny, frustrating and sad moments. Overall, a great read and one I would recommend to fans of contemporary romance.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading