THE DO OVER by M.K. SCHILLER

“Lanie. You. Are. Beautiful.”

I just adore friends to lovers stories and The Do Over answered my want as it swept me up in its sweetness, wit, emotion, warmth, romance, humour and heat, leaving me with that warm book glow…..sigh……

“Miss Lanie, my shoulder will always be at your service. I wear your tears like a badge of honor.”

We meet Kyle agrees to meet Lanie on a blind date. It’s something Kyle does under sufferance as favour to his friend Brad who is dating Lanie’s sister, Cassie (who is absolutely horrid by the way!)

Kyle is a man whore and his idea of a date is a night of uncommitted sex, then showing the woman the door.  One meeting with the dowdy and very serious Lanie has Kyle perplexed yet by the end of the night he begins to think there is more to this woman than meets the layers and layers of clothing she’s hiding beneath.

‘Had Brad set him up with a frumpy, stalker lush?’

Lanie may appear a bit of a pushover but this girl had sass and determination who possessed the ability to give Kyle back as good as she got in the witty banter stakes and Kyle relished the verbal stashes between them. Not only that but she’s a fellow Bears fan. Helllooo, instant friendship!

Lanie and Kyle embark on a friends with sex agreement with each of them benefitting from the deal. Lanie will get Brad, who she has loved from afar and Kyle will have the opportunity to report on a story that will surely net him the Pulitzer Prize. Sounds like a good deal right? Nothing could go wrong, right?

“You’re definitely not the hero in my story.”
“I’m not the hero in anyone’s story.”

As Kyle opens Lanie up to a whole world of passion and shows her there’s more to life than work, we get to witness the friendship and personalities of both characters as they evolve.

“I need to be Kyle Manchester-ed real bad.”

Both Lanie and Kyle were damaged characters, dealing with past issues that affect them emotionally and theirs was a friendship to love that never felt rushed or forced and revelled in watching their relationship develop at its own pace.

‘She was more than pretty or beautiful or sexy. Lanie Carmichael was breathtaking.’

I adored this story and found myself barracking for Lanie every step of the way as she had to deal with her awful mother and sister and enjoyed watching her gain confidence and zest as she comes into her own.

Whilst it could sometimes be a little predictable and it didn’t give me the complete satisfaction as The Other C Word and The Other F Word, The Do-Over was a heartwarming and endearingly sweet escape with some characters who charmed their way into my heart and I enjoyed it immensely. If you haven’t read any of this authors work, I’d definitely recommend checking out her books. Your romantic heart will thank you!